Realm of Horror - News and Blog: November 2016

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

New content on SHUDDER (UK) this December

Offering new premieres and exclusives every month, SHUDDER has a unique library of hard-to-find international and independent films, thrilling TV series, cult grindhouse classics and Hollywood blockbusters with something for both casual and hardcore fans of high-quality horror and suspenseful entertainment.

NEW SHUDDER EXCLUSIVES THIS MONTH

31 (Dir. Rob Zombie) - UK streaming Premiere
& Rob Zombie Guest Curation
Exclusively on SHUDDER from 15th December

Introduced to eager audiences at this year's Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker / musician Rob Zombie’s latest blood-soaked film involves a group of carnival workers who come face-to-face with a gang of murderous clowns on Halloween night. A game of life-or-death will determine their fate.

Look out for Rob Zombie's exclusive SHUDDER selection
coming soon...

View the trailer for 31 on YouTube

ADDITIONAL SHUDDER EXCLUSIVES

SHUDDER SPANISH HORROR INVASION
A veritable tapas platter of terrifying horror treats only of SHUDDER

THE CORPSE OF ANNA FRITZ (Dir. Hèctor Hernández Vicens) - UK Premiere

Exclusively on SHUDDER from 8th December

Creating a stir at SXSW and the BFI London Film Festival, this ghoulish and uncompromising thriller from director Hèctor Hernández Vicens follows a hospital orderly's attempts to have his wicked way with one of the deceased residents of the hospital’s morgue. Until, that is, the corpse in question wakes up…

WITCHING & BITCHING (Dir. Alex de la Iglesia) - UK Premiere
Exclusively on SHUDDER from 8th December

Fresh from creating buzz at TIFF, Fantastic Fest and Glasgow Film Festival, dark and wickedly subversive, WITCHING AND BITCHING is gross-out genre fun with a huge helping of warped comedy thrown in for good measure from fan favourite director Alex de la Iglesia.

SHREWS NEST (Dir. Juan Fernando Andrés) - UK Premiere
Exclusively on SHUDDER from 15th December
Appearing at the BFI London Film Festival, this stylish psychological and claustrophobic horror, produced by Alex de la Iglesia, sees two sisters coming to terms with the sinister forces at work in their 1950s Madrid apartment. Arthouse meets grindhouse!

ALSO NEW TO SHUDDER THIS MONTH

RABID & SHIVERS - Coming this month on SHUDDER
Two early classic chillers from body horror maestro David Cronenberg.

AMERICAN PSYCHO - Coming this month on SHUDDER
Director Mary Harron’s stylish and side-splitting adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel showcases Christian Bale’s unnerving performance and some of the scariest pop tunes of the decade.

THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM - Coming this month on SHUDDER
In Ken Russell’s smutty and nutty late-80s cult delight, an archaeologist (Peter Capaldi) uncovers evidence of a monstrous man-eating worm.

MAY - Coming this month on SHUDDER
A lonely young woman's increasingly desperate attempts to connect with the people around her is sent into a murderous tailspin in director Lucky McKee's carefully calibrated debut.

BLOODY BIRTHDAY - Coming this month only on SHUDDER
As their 10th birthday approaches, three children, born during a solar eclipse, turn murderous in this deliriously entertaining slasher.

AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON - Coming this month on SHUDDER
Director John Landis wove hilarious set pieces into this 1981 classic, kicking off a horror-comedy trend that has inspired many other directors to date.

BUTCHER BOYS - Coming this month on SHUDDER
A birthday celebration leads an encounter with flesh-peddling cannibals in this startling gut-wrencher from the writer of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

REVENANT - Coming this month on SHUDDER
This breakout horror comedy follows Bart, a fallen soldier, who somehow finds he has joined the ranks of the living dead. Putrid puns galore!

BASKET CASE 1, 2 & 3 - Available now only on SHUDDER
In the first film in the series, siamese twins, separated at an early age, enact a bloody revenge on the doctors responsible for their separation.

NEKROMANTIK 1 & 2 - Available now only on SHUDDER
Though banned in many countries thanks to its extreme subject matter, Nekromantik's perverse parodic edge made it a hit with horror and extreme cinema fans alike in 1987 (including legendary lord of the uncouth, John Waters).

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 1 & 2 - Available now on SHUDDER
Tom Six's debut pushed the boundaries of gore to messy new lows, famously parodied on a very funny episode of SOUTH PARK, making it an essential modern horror film.

Visit SHUDDER (UK) at http://www.shudder.com

Rupture (Noomi Rapace) on UK Digital, DVD & BD - January

Coming to UK Digital and Disc this January. Young mother Renee (Noomi Rapace - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus) has her life thrown into chaos when she is randomly abducted, drugged and taken to a secret lab facility.

As her captors traumatically experiment on her, Renee must discover why she was chosen and fight to escape her prison.

Produced by Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) and starring Noomi Rapace, Michae Chiklis (The Shield), Peter Stormare (Fargo), Kerry Bishé (Argo) and Lesley Manville (Maleficent). Rupture is a complex and terrifying tale of fear from writer/director Steven Shainberg (Secretary).

Signature Entertainment presents Rupture on Digital 23rd December and DVD & Blu-ray from 9th January, 2017

View the trailer on YouTube

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

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

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Horror-Comedy Short TROUSER SNAKE Slithers Online

Grimbridge Productions is proud to release Trouser Snake - a 5-minute horror-comedy short film - for free streaming on YouTube

A night of necking at Lovers’ Lane gets the shaft when a monster rears its ugly head in this comedic send-up to 1950s creature features.

Trouser Snake is directed by Alex DiVincenzo, whose previous effort, The Horrors of AutoCorrect, is distributed by Eli Roth’s Crypt TV. DiVincenzo co-wrote the script with composer James Cilano.

Alexander Gauthier, Jamie Lyn Bagley, Michael Thurber, William DeCoff, Monica Saviolakis, and Morgan Walsh star. Special effects artist Jordan Pacheco created and puppeteered the Trouser Snake.

"Last year, I somehow convinced some of the most talented cast and crew members to be in New England to help me make a movie about a one-eyed monster," muses DiVincenzo. "I loved seeing audiences react to it at film festivals, and now I'm excited to put it online for all to see."

View Trouser Snake on YouTube

Keep an eye on Grimbridge Productions on Facebook to be the first to know about future projects.

Sunday, 27 November 2016

Cast of THE WARRIORS come to the UK for the first time in April 2017

The cast of classic movie The Warriors will be making their way to the UK for a special Warriors 2017 celebration event at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Taking place on April 1st and 2nd, the UK Conclave will be the first Warriors conclave event in the UK. The lovingly crafted event will feature exhibits, panels, cosplay, stalls and a variety of other fun elements and surprises…

Attendees so far: Michael Beck (Swan), David Harris (Cochise), Terry Michos (Vermin), Brian Tyler (Snow), Deborah van Valkenburgh (Mercy), Thomas Waites (Fox), Dorsey Wright (Cleon) and more to come.

The Warriors come out to play at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham on 1st & 2nd April 2017

Tickets and Official Pages:
www.ukconclave.com
www.facebook.com/UKConclave
www.twitter.com/UKConclave

Indie films ‘Phometrica Redacted’ and ‘Harvest’ get online release

This week heralds the online release of British documentary Filmmaker/Director Chris Collier’s first two narrative projects.

Produced with business partner Craig Ennis under their company banner 24 Foot Square the first of two films released this week is PHOMETRICA REDACTED, a shorter 15 minute cut of their feature film ‘Phometrica’. The horror short stars sixties legend Arthur Brown ('Tommy', 'Crazy World of Arthur Brown') and Tom Woodward in a deeply surreal, highly refracted view of personal breakdown. Jose played by Tom Woodward begins to stalk his partner. However, unbeknownst to him he's about to embark on a completely different and far more personal journey.

Also released this week is Chris’s second co-produced narrative fiction short film, HARVEST. Dealing with satanic cult themes the visceral horror stars indie actors Luna Wolf and Phil Newton, and is shot in glorious 4K by business partner Craig Ennis. From the synopsis: “Heather awakes in total darkness, bound, gagged and in severe distress. She doesn't know where she is, or how long she's been there. Gradually, she uncovers the dark truth.”

Both films are available to stream and download via Amazon Video, and Amazon Prime members get to watch the films absolutely free!

Chris had this to say about the release: ”We're really pleased that both these movies are getting a release in this way. As horror genre shorts our films may not appeal to a broad demographic, but this method of distribution gives them the best chance of getting to their core audience.”

Chris’s recent credits include the sound editing and restoration on 'The Woods Movie', a documentary looking back at the making of 'The Blair Witch Project', and various documentary collaborations with Arrow Video, including documentary 'Morbid Fascination: The Nekromantik Legacy' (2014), as well as directing the FrightFest TV crew and providing coverage for the UK's largest horror film festival FrightFest.

Working primarily as an editor and lighting cameraman within 24 Foot Square Chris’s business partner Craig Ennis, a filmmaker in is own right, has produced and directed a number documentary shorts.

Chris is currently working as Sound Designer on fellow independent filmmaker and actress Emma Dark’s upcoming Sci-Fi short film ‘Salient Minus Ten’ and continues his collaboration with Craig Ennis, this time on a top secret feature documentary.

--

Further Information:

Harvest Trailer - https://vimeo.com/165588697
Phometrica Redacted Trailer - https://vimeo.com/192522692

Facebook 24 Foot Square - https://www.facebook.com/24FootSquare
Facebook Phometrica - https://www.facebook.com/Phometrica
Website - http://24footsquare.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/24footsquare
Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/twentyfourfootsquare

You're invited to KILLJOY’S PSYCHO CIRCUS this December!

Full Moon Entertainment is bringing KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS to US DVD and Digital on December 1!

Directed by John Leghago, KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS stars Trent Haaga as Killjoy, Victora De Mare as Batty Boop, Al Burke as Punchy the Hobo Clown, Tai Chan Ngo as Freakshow and Tim Chizmar as new sidekick Handy.

Killjoy, the demon clown and his gruesome crew - Batty Boop, Punchy and Freakshow have finally made it to Earth! Killjoy has settled in and is starring in his own web series called PSYCHO CIRCUS. But two years down the road, Killjoy discovers that life here on Earth is a drag - filled with inconveniences such as eating, breathing, taxes, immigration and mortal sex!

More problems arise as Killjoy’s love interest Batty Boop leaves after a bitter lover's quarrel, not to mention that Killjoy is now semi-mortal! But the challenges of being famous are nothing compared to the challenges of staying alive. After being tried for letting Killjoy escape, BEELZEBUB can only redeem himself by trapping Killjoy's spirit and bringing it back to Hell. Killjoy must find a way to unite his gang of clowns to defeat Beelzebub and his Six-Psychos!

It all comes together in an EPIC space-battle in KILLJOY'S PSYCHO CIRCUS!

The big top of terror will be available online, along with their entire catalogue of new and classic titles at Full Moon's Amazon.com page

View the trailer on YouTube

Learn the Almost-True Story of TOXIC AVENGER Star Mark Torgl in TOXIC TUTU

More than 30 years after starring in Troma Entertainment's cult classic horror-comedy The Toxic Avenger, Mark Torgl - AKA Melvin the "Mop Boy" - resurfaces at a fan convention, only to be abducted. And for what? A contaminant-rich toxic oasis a select few know exists.

Learn the almost-true story of Mark’s disappearance and unexpected return in the official movie trailer:

TOXIC TUTU TRAILER from Joe Nardelli on Vimeo.

Toxic Tutu will have its world premiere at Mad Monster Party in South Carolina on March 25, 2017. The event will include celebrity guests and more. Seating is limited!

The Toxic Avenger has influenced countless independent filmmakers since its debut in 1984, but none more so than Joe Nardelli. With Toxic Tutu, Nardelli has created a companion piece to The Toxic Avenger with the help of hundreds of fans and the blessing of Lloyd Kaufman, who also appears in the film.

Torgl and Kaufman star alongside Survivor star Jonny Fairplay, author Frank Messina, pro wrestling legends Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Jimmy “Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant, kung-fu great Mel Novak, indie horror staples Shawn C. Phillips and Genoveva Rossi, adult film actresses Nadia White and Diana Prince, and a reunion of several original The Toxic Avenger cast members for the first time in over 30 years.

Nardelli explains, “Mark Torgl, my best friend, told me almost five years ago that Eben McGarr and Joe Mo from Mad Monster Party Charlotte had invited him to make a celebrity guest appearance at their convention to celebrate the then-upcoming 30th anniversary of The Toxic Avenger. What started out as a weekend home movie documenting Mark meeting his fans and learning how much Melvin meant to them turned into a four-year obsession and one of the greatest experiences in my life.”

Head to ToxicTutu.com for additional details about the film, including Toxic Leaks, bonus content not featured in the film, cast and crew information, and more. You can also follow Toxic Tutu on Facebook and Twitter.

Saturday, 26 November 2016

MINDGAMERS - NEW TRAILER & WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Checkout the trailer to forthcoming MindGamers, coming to UK cinemas soon...

Starring Sam Neill (Thor: Ragnarok, Jurrasic Park), Tom Payne (The Walking Dead) and Melia Kreiling (Tyrant, Guardians of the Galaxy), in MindGamers, a group of brilliant young students make a scientific breakthrough: the creation of a wireless neural network, connected via a quantum computer and capable of linking human minds. Transferring motor-skills from one brain to another, they engender the first human shareware. Freely spreading this technology, they see it as a step towards a new equality and intellectual freedom. But they soon discover that they themselves are part of a much greater and more sinister experiment, as dark forces emerge and threaten to subvert this technology into a means of mass-control.

Visit the Official Website at www.MindGamersMovie.com

GALLOWWALKERS gets December UK premiere on Horror Channel

Andrew Goth’s ambitious and disaster beset zombie cowboy feature (it started production in 2009) finally gets an outing on UK TV on Fri 16 Dec, 9pm, courtesy of Horror Channel.

Starring Wesley Snipes (who served a prison sentence soon after the film was completed) Gallowwalkers is a heady mix of Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, and Alejandro Jodorowsky’s mystical cult classic El Topo. Set in a vast foreboding desert, we follow a cursed gunfighter Aman (Snipes) as he attempts to allude justice whilst killing the ‘undead’. Prepare for surreal true grit, a shock bonanza, and a fistful of corpses. It also stars fellow hard-nuts Kevin Howarth and Patrick Bergin.

Horror Channel also have a Boxing Day treat for us – the network premiere of Joe Dante’s genuinely affecting monster movie MATINEE, starring John Goodman.

Set in the 1960s, this early comedy from horror filmmaker Joe Dante centres on a teenage boy who befriends charismatic, humorously overblown movie producer Lawrence Woolsey (Goodman), who specialises in gimmick-filled horror films. Preparation for the premiere of Woolsey's latest opus, which stars a giant ant, coincides with the escalation of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This culminates in unexpected chaos. Well worth a watch.

Other UK premieres on offer include Austin Chick’s shocking payback thriller GIRLS AGAINST BOYS; and Olatunde Osunsanmi’s serial-killer crime gripper EVIDENCE, starring Stephen Moyer.

There are also network premieres for Alex Proyas’s absorbing sci-fi actioner KNOWING, starring Nic Cage; Joseph J. Lawson’s dinosaur-battling B-movie homage AGE OF DINOSAURS, starring Treat Williams and Rachel Goldenberg’s sci-fi flavoured mockbuster SHERLOCK HOLMES.

ALSO… from Friday 16 Dec at 19:00 there is the Network Premiere of EARTH: FINAL CONFLICT Series 2 (1998)

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

www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel | facebook.com/horrorchannel

Monday, 21 November 2016

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: COMPLETE SECOND SERIES comes to UK disc Dec

From AMC Studios, discover how the world fell apart in the companion series to the global phenomenon The Walking Dead in FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES, which comes to UK Blu-ray and DVD on 5th Dec, courtesy of Entertainment One.

After witnessing the burning of Los Angeles, Madison, Travis, Daniel and their grieving families board the ‘Abigail’, still unaware of the true breadth and depth of the apocalypse that surrounds them. But as Operation Cobalt goes into full effect and the military bombs the Southland to cleanse it of the Infected, the Dead are driven toward the sea. As the group head for ports unknown, they will discover that the water may be no safer than land.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES features an incredible returning cast including; Kim Dickens (Gone Girl, The Blind Side), Cliff Curtis (Die Hard 4.0, Last Knights) Frank Dillane (In The Heart Of The Sea, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Alycia Debnam-Carey (Into The Storm, The Devil’s Hand), Lorenzo James Henrie (Star Trek, Warrior Road), Ruben Blades (Safe House, Predator 2), Mercedes Mason (NCIS: Los Angeles, The Finder) Colman Domingo (Selma, Lincoln) and Michelle Ang (Triple 9, Fallen Stars). Series 2 also sees a stellar guest appearance from Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II, Taken 3).

Don’t miss what Complex UK described as “the best zombie show on TV” as FEAR THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SERIES is available to pre-order now from Amazon now

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

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

"Donnie Darko" - Re-Released to UK Cinemas 16 Dec

In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of cult classic DONNIE DARKO, and its subsequent re-release from the 16th December, Arrow Films have created an all new trailer showcasing the films 4K restoration

Donnie is a troubled high school student: in therapy, prone to sleepwalking and in possession of an imaginary friend, a six-foot rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world is going to end in 28 days 06 hours 42 minutes and 12 seconds. During that time he will navigate teenage life, narrowly avoid death in the form of a falling jet engine, follow Frank s maladjusted instructions and try to maintain the space-time continuum.

Described by its director as The Catcher in the Rye as told by Philip K. Dick, Donnie Darko combines an eye-catching, eclectic cast pre-stardom Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, heartthrob Patrick Swayze, former child star Drew Barrymore, Oscar nominees Mary McDonnell and Katharine Ross, and television favourite Noah Wyle and an evocative soundtrack of 80s classics by Echo and the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears and Duran Duran. This brand-new 4K restoration, carried out exclusively for this release by Arrow Films, allows a modern classic to finally receive the treatment it deserves.

DONNIE DARKO is re-released to UK cinemas Dec 16.

Driller Killer - UK BD/DVD combo and Steelbook review

Aaaaah The Driller Killer, the film that launched a million outrageous headlines in the UK back in the day and was one of the films responsible for the whole “video Nasties” furore of the early 80s, resulting in strict, state mandated, video censorship laws.

Fortunately, we live in slightly more enlightened times now, and the film is no longer considered worthy of being banned. Which is good news, as it will be making its Blu-Ray debut here in the UK this month, courtesy of Arrow films in an uncut special edition Blu-ray and DVD combo and limited edition steelbook.

The plot revolves around a struggling artist named Reno Miller (played by the director himself, Abel Ferrara), who’s having difficulty making ends meet at his seedy, run down, New York apartment, which he shares with a couple of girls.

Driven to distraction by the punk band that’ve moved in downstairs and not dealing very well with his latest works being rejected by his agent, he takes to the streets with a power drill at night and proceeds to start killing random homeless people, and annoying drunks.

Directed by Abel Ferrera, who went on to have more mainstream success with “The King of New York”, “Bad Lieutenant” and the 1993 remake “Body Snatchers”. Despite the film’s title and infamous graphic box artwork, this is not really a slasher movie, and if anything is really more of an art film. The killings take up only a fraction of the films running time, with the main focus being on Reno’s day-to-day struggles which are taking their toll on him.

Even so, the films notoriety ensured it stayed banned in the UK until 1999, and even then wasn’t released fully uncut until 2002. This release from Arrow, is of course fully uncut, containing 2 slightly different versions of the film and a whole stack of extra features.

Alternate versions - First up you get the option of watching the original theatrical version, or the pre-release version, which runs about 5 mins longer. However, I haven’t had time to do a side-by-side comparison, so am not sure what extra footage is in the latter. You also have the option of watching both of these in their originally filmed 1.37:1 open matte ratio, or 1.85:1 cropped widescreen ratio.

Audio commentary – This is a brand new audio commentary track, which accompanies the theatrical version, recorded in March of this year (as opposed to the old one on previous releases, which was almost inaudible). In which the director discusses the making of the film with Brad Stevens, author of Abel Ferrera : The Moral visions.

Abel Ferrera Interview – Brand new interview with director Abel Ferrera, exclusive to this release, who discusses this and some of his other movies, which runs about 17mins.

Ferreraology 101 feature – A visual essay of Abel Ferrera’s films, by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of the Ferrera biopic Ms:45, which runs about 35mins, featuring video clips from all his films to date.

Mulberry Street – 90min Documentary, in which Abel Ferrera wanders round the New York district that inspired and featured in many of his early films, meeting many colourful characters along the way.

Theatrical trailer – lastly, the films theatrical trailer is included.

A nice selection of extras, the video has also been digitally re-authored from a 4K scan of the original camera negatives, though as it was originally filmed on 16mm film stock, still boasts a fair amount of grain, but is still the best its ever looked.

Whilst the film may not be the gore soaked opus its box artwork and title suggests, indeed considering some of the films that have come out in recent years it beggars belief how it got banned in the first place, this is an essential purchase for video nasty fans.

The film is released in both a standard case and limited edition steelbook containing both Blu-Ray and DVD versions of the film, with the same extras on. The first pressings of which also contain a collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Michael Pattison and Brad Stevens There is also a US release available from the American division, which also features the same special features.

The film is released Nov 28.

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

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

Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Fright-Rags presents TURBO KID Collection

While '80s nostalgia runs rampant, few modern films have been able to capture the decade's idiosyncrasies like Turbo Kid. Fright-Rags enters the wasteland with the brand-new Turbo Kid collection.

Ralf Krause's electrifying artwork is available on unisex shirts, girls shirts, and hoodies. Coki Greenway's collage of colorful characters is available on unisex shirts and girls shirts. Joe Guy Allard's tribute to Skeletron is available on unisex shirts, girls shirts, and baseball tees.

All three Turbo Kid designs are in stock and ready to ship at Fright-Rags.com, where you'll also find apparel from dozens of other cult films and horror classics both new and old.

Fright-Rags will be hosting a Black Friday sale beginning on November 25, so be sure to check back after Thanksgiving for scary good deals.

Pre-order these at Fright-Rags

"Deadly Intent" comes to US VOD

Director Rebekah Fortune's unnerving British horror-thriller Deadly Intent is now available On Demand in the U.S.

After the death of her soldier husband, a widow tries to build a new life for herself and her young son. Struggling to come to terms with her grief, she is devastated when the boy claims to have seen his dead father.

Gus Barry, Rebecca Reaney, Lara Lemon and Peter Lloyd star in a film that "boasts great characters, masterful performances and an engaging script" (Oracle of Film).

View the trailer on YouTube

View the film online at Amazon.com

Please note, the film is also available to view in the UK at Amazon.co.uk

Hotel of the Damned - Accepting bookings for December

Make your reservation with the Hotel of the Damned on US VOD this December via Uncork’d Entertainment.

No use hanging up a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign here. After a car accident strands them in the middle of nowhere, an ex-con and his daughter find themselves in an abandoned hotel, populated by sub-human cannibalistic creatures. Is it check-out time, already!?

Peter Dobson (The Frighteners) and Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) star in a Bobby Barbacioru film, out December 6 on VOD.

Scripted by Luca Bercovici, director of cult classic Ghoulies. The film co-stars Manuela Harabor, Oltin Hurezeanu, Roxana Luca, Bogdan Marhodin, Valentin Petrisor, Natalia Mateut, Florin Kevorkian, and Dimitrina Zhivkova.

View the trailer on YouTube

UK Festival of Zombie Culture 2016 - Festival Report

On Saturday the 12th of November, the UK Festival of Zombie Culture took place in Leicester. Held at its traditional home, the Phoenix Arts Cinema, it’s now in it’s tenth year and proved to be as popular as ever.

Boasting 13 hours of zombie film fun, the event also featured appearances from zombie authors Adam Millard, David Moody and Duncan Bradshaw, who were selling their wares and talking to fans and Zed Events were there plugging their zombie themed events and making people up.

Filmwise, the fun kicked off at 12noon, with a selection of short films, ranging from the wacky “Unicycle Bastards”, about a group of heavily armed zombie hunters who ride around on Unicycles, to the bizarre French film “Le Queloune” (The Clown), in which a newly resurrected zombie clown finds he prefers cooking human flesh prior to eating, to the more serious “Velvet Road”, which deals with the subject of racial tensions in the 1960s Deep South during a zombie epidemic.

Then it was onto the first feature film of the day “The Night of Something Strange”, from writer director Jonathan Straiton. A film with so many shades of wrong it’s really difficult to know where to begin…

Essentially, the plot is about a group of horny teens staying at a seedy motel, run by a redneck innkeeper, who find themselves under siege from a bunch of sex crazed zombies, who’ve been infected by a bizarre STD (the consequence of a hospital porter with a necrophilia fetish humping a corpse in the morgue that died of an unknown virus) and who want to hump them to death.

Rapey zombies, necrophillia, vile scenes involving blocked toilets, used tampons and used condoms. A case of "mistaken identity", where one lad doesn’t realise that it’s not his girlfriend that he’s climbed into bed with until its much too late (next time, try forplay). One unfortunate victim gets taken out after being sprayed by gallons of acidic semen from one zombie, whilst another is gassed by a toxic zombie fart (and that’s not the worst of it).

A film that proved to be as vile and disgusting as it was bloody hilarious, the audience certainly enjoyed it and I would recommend it, but whether you’ll enjoy it depends on your love of puerile humour.

View the trailer on YouTube

Visit the official Website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Next up was Stuart Brennan’s “Plan Z”, which was a much needed change of pace from the previous film.

This low budget British zombie film sees the director playing the lead character, Craig. A man who’s always prepared for the worst (I’m sure we’ve all seen those “Doomsday Prepper” shows on the Discovery channel). So when a zombie outbreak occurs, he simply barricades himself in his flat and prepares to wait it out, by living off his supplies (a much better idea than heading for the Winchester).

But he is forced to alter his plans after having to leave his flat to try and rescue his friend Bill, who’s trapped in a nearby restaurant. Also, with the weeks passing and the zombie epidemic showing no signs of abating, they realise that waiting it out isn’t going to work and are going to have to find a new safe haven, if they wish to survive.

For what was obviously a very low budget film, I thought the director did a great job in depicting a zombie outbreak. OK, it’s no “Dawn of the Dead” to be sure, but was still a very tense and bleak British indie thriller, which shows you have to make some very tough decisions when it comes to surviving a doomsday scenario, and how even the best laid plans can very easily go awry.

Director Stuart Brennan was in attendance to talk about the film, along with a couple of the films stars Victoria Morrison and Isabella Caley. Footage of which shall be appearing on my YouTube channel shortly.

View the trailer on YouTube

Visit the official Facebook and Twitter pages

This was followed by a screening of the critically acclaimed South Korean zombie film “Train to Busan”.

A businessman, going through a rather bitter divorce, is taking their daughter on the train to visit her mother, when reports of a zombie epidemic start coming in on the news.

Unfortunately, when one of the passengers on the train falls ill and goes on a rampage, infecting other people in the carriage, the remaining people on the train end up having to barricade themselves into the forward cars, whilst the driver tries to find a station where they can safely disembark. But with the zombie epidemic now spreading like wildfire through all the major towns and cities, this is going to be no easy task.

A brilliant action movie that was well received by the audience, which was only let down by some slushy, sentimental scenes towards the end. But aside form that, this was really gripping stuff.

View the trailer on YouTube

Visit the offificial Website (Korean)

It was back to the slapstick humour for the fourth film of the day, with Dominik Hartl’s “Attack of the Lederhosen Zombies”.

An alpine resort owner’s special chemical mix for producing artificial snow during the resorts warmer months has some unexpected consequences, turning the people on the slopes into zombies.

A group of snowboarders drinking in the nearby tavern, subsequently find themselves forced into a series of slapstick battles as the undead take over and they try to battle their way to safety. Will they become zombie fodder, or will the zombies love for German Oompah music be their salvation?

The title tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the film, which proved both gory and silly in equal measures and proved a sure fire hit with the festival crowd.

View the trailer on YouTube

Visit the official Facebook page.

The final film of the day Sevé Schelenz's "Peelers", was a last minute change in the line up (replacing the originally announced “Re-Kill”)

This one concerns a group of people working at a remote strip club late one night, who have to fend off attacks from the undead, when the bar is over run by a group of infected Latino mine workers, who’ve been exposed to a contaminated batch of crude oil that’s bubbled out of the mine.

Gory, fun and action packed, this was, for the most part, a straight action/horror movie, but peppered with elements of black humour and was another festival crowd pleaser. However, I felt it was slightly let down by a number of plot holes and inconsistencies and a couple of downbeat scenes near the end, which seemed at odds with the rather comical mid-credits scene showing how the strip club got its name. But overall, was still a decent zombie flick!

View the trailer on YouTube.

Visit the official Facebook and Twitter pages.

And that concluded the festival for another year, and it was time for me to make the long journey home.

The UK Festival of Zombie Culture is organised by “Zombie” Ed Thurlow and takes place each year, mid November, at the Phoenix arts cinema Leicester.

Visit Zombie Ed's official Website, Facebook and Twitter.

Monday, 14 November 2016

I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER - New Quad poster & Trailer

Bulldog films have released the new quad poster and trailer for forthcoming I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER, which comes to selected UK cinemas and VOD outlets this December.

A dazzlingly original, darkly funny and disturbing gem with a genre-bending twist, about a small town teenager in the US, obsessed with serial killers, who unwittingly discovers the identity of the killer who has been slaughtering residents for body parts.

Featuring a star-making lead performance from 17-year-old Max Records, and an extraordinary turn from Back To The Future’s legendary Christopher Lloyd,

I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER is the most sheerly entertaining and audaciously offbeat offering since Donnie Darko hit cinema screens.

A big hit when it premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival in March, and was a must-see film at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival. It proves that left field indie cinema is alive and kicking, even if the Clayton County killer’s victims aren’t. “Hit the switch John...

Directed by Billy O’Brien (who made the award-winning Irish horror hit Isolation), although deliciously unclassifiable, is best described as a sensationally strange horror/sci-fi coming- of-age black comedy. Adapted from the first in a series of novels from bestselling author Dan Wells, the tremendously sharp script left-foots the audience at every moment, right up to the deliriously unexpected and thrilling finale.

View the trailer below...

I AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER, is released to selected UK cinemas and on VOD 9th Dec.

The IIPM Festival calls for submissions

International Independent Permanent Memories Festival (IIPMF) will create opportunities for new and emerging work in the cinematic arts because its JURY is comprised of working professionals & specialists of each field in the industry, and winners will get access to a concrete chance to find a worldwide distribution. The IIPM was conceived by Michael Segal (italian actor and producer), who fell in love with cinema as a child and wanted to help independents to have a chance to be noticed.

IIPMF is distinguished by its jurors , all active professionals in the film, television & web industries. Represented experience ranges from low budget independent projects to high budget Hollywood productions & blockbusters, from aspiring talent to Academy Awards winners. IIPMF will also be a marketplace for connecting independent producers, writers, actors and technicians with professionals in their fields and where potential working relationships may arise from this Festival.

A partial list of our prominent jurors include:

- Michael Biehn (Actor, best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films "The Terminator", "Aliens and "The Abyss") USA

- Ilaria Della Bidia (Singer, Pianist, Performer, Writer and Producer. Performerb with Andrea Bocelli as Guest Pop, during his concerts and tour) ITALY

- Robban Follin (Stuntman in TV series "Vikings") SWEDEN

- Barthélémy Fougea (Producer for "On the Way to School” with over thirty years of experience producing top documentaries for television and cinema) FRANCE

- Claudio Gregori (Composer, Singer, Playwright, Actor, tv showman) ITALY

- Alex Lombard (Actor in "Inception" & "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") USA

- Antonio La Salandra (fight consultant for cinema regarding armed and non armed combat and war tactics. Trainer for actors and stuntmen in movies like

“John Wick2, Robin Hood, Ninja Turtles, Cap. America, Civil War, The Avengers”) ITALY

- Mirco Paolini (Senior FX TD of "Independence day 2") ITALY

- Pasquale Petrolo (Actor & Academy Awards Winner of "La grande bellezza" 2016) ITALY

- Daniel Raymont (Actor in “Angriest Man in Brooklyn” with Robin Williams, recent projects are “Bull” on CBS and “Rock That Body” with Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore) USA

- Debbie Rochon (Actress, American scream queen legend, a titan of indie horror) CANADA

- Flavia Sabatino (Actress, singer and official DJ of the MotoGP) SWITZERLAND

- Luca Vannella (Make-up artist and hair stylist of "Avengers", "Thor", "Harry Potter", "Skyfall", "Spectre"," Penny Dreadful", "47 Ronin") ITALY

The wide range of categories, awards and prizes makes this festival one of the most complete in the world, where all types of professionals such as filmmakers, musicians, actors, make-up artists, voice-over actors, singers, CGI experts, FX experts, will have an opportunity to compete.

The main categories in this competition are: FEATURES and SHORTS Sub-categorized by genre:

Action, Horror, Thriller, Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Animated, Fantasy & Romance

Submissions in each category above can also be entered into any or all of the sub-categories below. These categories and artistic components take part in the challenge, transforming the FESTIVAL into a script, music and photo contest, together with the following awards:

BEST ACTION SCENE

BEST CGI

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

BEST COSTUMES

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST EDITING

BEST LEADING ACTOR

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

BEST MAKE-UP

BEST SET DESIGN

BEST SOUNDTRACK

BEST SOUND DESIGN

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

BEST SUBJECT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

BEST BACKSTAGE PHOTO

BEST COMMERCIAL

BEST DOCUMENTARY

BEST FAN MOVIE

BEST MUSIC VIDEO CLIP

BEST WEB SERIES PILOT

BEST TV SERIES PILOT

BEST VR 360 VIDEO

BEST TEASER TRAILER

BEST ORIGINAL FEATURE SCRIPT

BEST ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

BEST NON ORIGINAL FEATURE SCRIPT

BEST NON ORIGINAL SHORT SCRIPT

VENUE

The Festival and awards for the Features & Shorts will be held on June 8th-9th-10th-11th, 2017 in Ancona , a wonderful city on the east sea side in the Marche Region (Italy).

The 8 award winning feature films will be screened at the Mole Vanvitelliana (also known as Lazzaretto), designed by architect Luigi Vanvitelli. This monumental building located in the port of Ancona and was once a place of refuge and quarantine. Today it is a large cultural centre whose specific layout makes it perfect for hosting art exhibitions and events of all kinds.

The whole Ceremony will be live streaming on IIPMF's Facebook page and willbe stored on the Festival's official YouTube channel. During the four days of Festival, the city will be involved in different side activities such as workshops, exhibitions, shows and concerts.

PREMIERE - June 8th, 2016

IIPM Festival will host a PREMIERE of the film "Altered Perception" a new powerful sci-fi/horror film, made by Blanc/Biehn Productions directed by Kate Rees Davies, written by Travis Romero (Treachery), and starring MICHAEL BIEHN and his wife Jennifer Blanc.