Friday 31 August 2018

Brand New Featurette and Poster released for THE PREDATOR

On the set of THE PREDATOR, the cast took some time to address a question that many have pondered - who would win in Predator Vs... say, The Rock? Or The Punisher? See how the debate went down in this fun featurette, revealed today by Twentieth Century Fox.


Also just released is this iconic new poster...


THE PREDATOR is brought to you by director Shane Black and stars Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey and Yvonne Strahovski.

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

THE PREDATOR arrives in cinemas and IMAX 3D on September 12


Occult horror HOUSE OF SALEM on UK DVD and Digital October

Prepare yourself to enter the HOUSE OF SALEM, a tense and disturbing slice of British occult horror from director James Crow.

When a group of kidnappers snatch a child away in the dead of night, they retreat to a safe house to await the delivery of their ransom money. But they soon become the boy’s unlikely protectors after discovering they have been set up to take part in a Satanic ritual. 

As they begin to uncover the terrible truth of the house in which they find themselves trapped, they must battle a demonic cult and uncover a horrific legacy… one hundred years of murder in the name of the Devil.

Starring: Jack Brett Anderson (Wolfblood, Don’t Hang Up), Andrew Lee Potts (Primeval) and introducing young talent Liam Kelly. HOUSE OF SALEM received its world premiere in the ‘New Blood’ strand of FrightFest Film Festival in 2016.

Left Films present HOUSE OF SALEM on UK DVD and Digital October 1st

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



 

Return of the Living Dead, Alien, Aliens, & Sleepaway Camp 2 shirts from Fright-Rags

Fright-Rags is ready to party with new and classic apparel from The Return of the Living Dead, Alien, Aliens, and Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers.

Fright-Rags' The Return of the Living Dead collection is sure satisfy your hunger for more brains. It includes four new tees featuring Tarman, Trash, and Freddy, plus a new variant of the "TV Tarman" artwork and a fan-demanded re-print of a classic design.


Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens are two drastically different beasts, but both films are among the most revered in the sci-fi horror realm. Fright-Rags has six Alien/Aliens shirts to choose from: three new designs, two classic reprints, and a retro-style official Alien logo.


In honor of the 30th anniversary of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers, Fright-Rags has reprinted Justin Osbourn's design for the slasher sequel. It's available in men's and, for the first time, women's styles.


The Return of the Living Dead, Alien, Aliens, and Sleepaway Camp II apparel is on sale now at Fright-Rags.com.

Be sure to return to the site this Friday, August 31, for Fright-Rags’ latest “classick” reprint of Fright-Rags founder Ben Scrivens' What Would Jason Do? shirt, which will be available for three days only.

Finally, check back on September 1-3 for Fright-Rags' Anniversary Blowout Sale! The company will celebrate 15 years in business with over 200 shirts for $15 each, plus $6 enamel pins, $6 socks, $20 lounge pants, $25 hoodies, and $15 box sets!


 

Tuesday 28 August 2018

DEADBEAT AT DAWN from Arrow Video! Blu-ray out 22nd October

The absolute definition of DIY filmmaking, DEADBEAT AT DAWN is a cult classic that truly deserves the moniker. 

Blood-soaked and violent, this is the ultimate revenge movie and now you can see it like never before thanks to Arrow Video’s brand new 2K restoration, supervised and approved by writer, director and star Jim VanBebber.

Jim VanBebber’s notorious, blood-drenched cult classic DEADBEAT AT DAWN rises again on the advent of its 30th anniversary, newly restored for the first time on Blu-ray. Locked and loaded with a raft of new extras, see Deadbeat as you’ve never seen it before – in all its head-busting, bone-crushing glory!

Written by, directed by and starring VanBebber, Deadbeat follows the story of Goose – a gang leader whose girlfriend is brutally slaughtered when he attempts to leave the thug life behind. Pulled back into the gang, who’ve now formed an uneasy alliance with the thugs that butchered his girl, Goose sees an opportunity to exact his brutal, deadly revenge.

Originally rejected by the UK censors back in 1988, DEADBEAT AT DAWN surpasses its low-budget origins to create a revenge movie that delivers more thrills and bloody spills than all of Chuck Norris’ films combined.

- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet featuring new writing by Scott Gabbey and Graham Rae.
- Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements by Arrow Films, supervised and approved by writer-director Jim VanBebber
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new free-wheeling audio commentary with Jim VanBebber (’Goose’, The Ravens’ Gang Leader), actor Paul Harper (’Danny Carmodi’, The Spyders’ Gang Leader) and guest Cody Lee Hardin, moderated by filmmaker Victor Bonacore (Diary of a Deadbeat: The Story of Jim VanBebber)
- Jim VanBebber, Deadbeat Forever!, a brand new retrospective documentary on VanBebber and the Deadbeat legacy by Filmmaker Victor Bonacore, featuring first-time interviews, super-rare footage, VanBebber’s college films and much, much more!
- Archival 1986 behind-the-scenes documentary – Nate Pennington’s VHS documentary on a failed Deadbeat shoot
- Outtakes, newly transferred in HD
- Four newly-restored VanBebber short films – Into the Black (1983, 34 mins), My Sweet Satan (1993, 19 mins), Roadkill: The Last Days of John Martin (1994, 14 mins) and Gator Green (2013, 16 mins)
- Jim VanBebber Music Video Collection, featuring never-before-seen Director’s Cuts
- Chunkblower, promotional trailer for an unfinished Gary Blair Smith-produced gore-soaked feature film
- Extensive Image Gallery – Never-Before-Seen Stills!
- Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain 


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



Monday 27 August 2018

Trailer for Matthew Holness' POSSUM

POSSUM is the debut feature film from writer/director Matthew Holness, co-creator and writer/star of the cult TV series Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace.  Following its successful World Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and Irish Premiere at the Galway Film Festival, POSSUM will screen at Frightfest in August and will be released in UK cinemas on 26 October.    

Starring Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible, Southcliffe) and Alun Armstrong (Frontier, Get Carter TV's New Tricks), POSSUM is a distinctive psychological thriller which pays homage to the British horror films of the 70s.  The film’s unique and stylish exploration of a man’s isolation and abandonment is accompanied by a compelling soundtrack from the legendary electronic BBC music studio The Radiophonic Workshop. 

The story follows disgraced children’s puppeteer PHILIP (Sean Harris), returning to his childhood home of Fallmarsh, Norfolk, intent on destroying Possum, a hideous puppet he keeps hidden inside a brown leather bag. When his attempts fail, Philip is forced to confront his sinister stepfather MAURICE (Alun Armstrong) in an effort to escape the dark horrors of his past.

Known to audiences as his alter ego ‘Garth Marenghi’, Matthew Holness wrote and starred in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (Channel 4) before moving into directing.  His short films include Smutch (Sky Arts), A Gun for George (Film4) and The Snipist (Sky Arts).  POSSUM is his first feature and was originally written as a short story for The New Uncanny, a 2008 Comma Press anthology themed around Freud’s essay ‘Das Unheimliche’.

Check out the trailer below...


POSSUM is released in UK cinemas on 26 October from Bulldog distribution.

Thursday 23 August 2018

Mayhem announces five new titles for it's 2018 Festival


As its 14th edition creeps ever closer, The Mayhem Film Festival is proud to announce the next set of titles from this year’s programme.


Mayhem is to present a screening of Aislinn Clarke’s found-footage chiller The Devil’s Doorway. In rural Ireland in 1960, two Catholic priests are sent from the Vatican to investigate reports of miraculous activity in a remote home for ‘fallen women’, only to discover that altogether darker forces may be at work. Mayhem is pleased to welcome director Aislinn Clarke to take part in a post-screening Q&A.



Showing in the festival’s coveted Friday late-night slot, Nicolas Cage goes full... well, Nicolas Cage with a fantastically high-octane performance in Panos Cosmatos’ cosmic revenge thriller Mandy. Pacific Northwest, 1983 AD. Outsiders Red Miller and Mandy Bloom lead a loving and peaceful existence. When their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed by a cult led by the sadistic Jeremiah Sand, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.


Next up in this year’s programme is Colin Minihan’s grueling survival thriller What Keeps You Alive. On the eve of their first wedding anniversary, Jules and Jackie become embroiled in a merciless fight for their lives against the most unexpected of adversaries - each other. As violence rains down upon their idyllic forest getaway, the women engage in a frenzied physical - and psychological - battle that tests the very limits of their instinct to survive.


Also screening at this year’s festival is Shin’inchiro Ueda’s unmissable micro-budget zombie movie, and Japanese box-office sensation, One Cut of The Dead. Playing to sell-out audiences since its release, the film has made more than 250 times its budget, and counting. During the making of a small-scale zombie flick, all hell breaks loose when a real zombie outbreak erupts on set - a gleeful horror-comedy packed with seriously entertaining monster mayhem and an epic 37-minute single-take opening.


Wrapping up this second wave of announcements, Mayhem presents Nightmare Cinema, a new horror anthology uniting masters of genre cinema - including Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, Masters of Horror) and Joe Dante (Gremlins) - for five gruesome tales of terror featuring sinister surgeons, brain-spiders and killer nuns.

Mayhem’s full line-up will be announced early September. Discounted Early Bird Passes are still available to purchase.

Mayhem Film Festival will take place at Broadway, Nottingham on 11 – 14 October 2018. For more information, please visit www.mayhemfilmfestival.com


 

Trailer and Poster released for THE GOLEM

In anticipation of the European premiere at FrightFest, Epic Pictures is proud to present a new trailer and poster for The Golem, the new feature film from the directors of Jeruzalem.

The film will continue its festival run including a slot at Sitges International Film Festival before debuting in the States in February 2019.

The Golem follows a woman in a devout Jewish community that is besieged by foreign invaders who believe that the Jews have cursed them with a plague. In order to protect her village, the woman conjures a creature in the visage of her deceased child which turns out to be more dangerous than she ever imagined.

The Golem was directed by Doron and Yoav Paz (Jeruzalem), written by Ariel Cohen, produced by Shalom Eisenbach, executive produced by Patrick Ewald (Redcon-1) and Shaked Berenson (Turbo Kid). The film stars Ishai Golen (Prisoners of War) and Hani Furstenberg (The Loneliest Planet).

 Check out the trailer below..

For more info on this and other films playing at this years FrightFest, visit http://www.frightfest.co.uk/









The Walking Dead: The Complete Eighth Series comes to UK BD and DVD

Worlds collide as “All Out War” breaks out between the factions when AMC’s blockbuster hit series THE WALKING DEAD : THE COMPLETE EIGHTH SERIES arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 24th September from Entertainment One.

The explosive eighth season bridges the stories between The Walking Dead and its spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, leading to a thrilling battle for freedom paved with casualties and tragedy.

Together with the Hilltop and the Kingdom factions, Rick and the Alexandrians bring “All Out War” to Negan and his forces. The Saviours are larger, better equipped and ruthless, but Rick and the unified communities are fighting for the promise of a brighter future. The battle lines are drawn as they launch into a kinetic, action-packed offensive.

Take home THE WALKING DEAD : THE COMPLETE EIGHTH SERIES and go behind the scenes with three audio commentaries (on episodes 803, 804, and 816) and three featurettes exclusive to the home entertainment release, offering an in-depth look at the making of the gripping eighth season. The release also includes six exclusive extended episodes not seen in the original broadcast.

BLU-RAY / DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

Inside THE WALKING DEAD
The Making of THE WALKING DEAD
Audio Commentaries
-Episode 803 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Writer Matt Negrete
-Episode 804 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Director Dan Liu
-Episode 816 Commentary: Executive Producer Scott Gimple and Writer Angela Kang
“Leaving a Legacy” Featurette
“In Memoriam” Featurette
“The Price of War” Featurette
Extended Episodes
-Episode 805
-Episode 806
-Episode 808
-Episode 814
-Episode 815
-Episode 816 

Bring home the most brutal season yet when THE WALKING DEAD : THE COMPLETE EIGHTH SERIES arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on 24th September from Entertainment One.

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

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




Fractured Visions Film Festival, Cardiff - Offical Line-up Announced

Fractured Visions is proud to announce the line-up for the inaugural ‘Fractured Visions Film Festival’, which takes place Sep 29-30 at the Tramshed Cinema, Cardiff.


Over the past 10 months the festival has been privileged to witness some of the finest examples of modern horror from across the world. But after a tough selection process with dozens of stunning submissions, the official selection for the 2018 Fractured Visions Film Festival has been made. 

CHILDREN OF THE FALL (Israel)


UK Premiere - Rachel Strode, a young immigrant with a dark past, arrives in Israel during the Fall of 1973 to volunteer in a Kibbutz and to convert to Judaism. Soon, she realises that the local Kibbutz members don't take kindly to foreigners, and the evening of Yom Kippur (the most important holiday in the Jewish faith), brings a brutal threat to her and her fellow volunteers. What began as a fun celebration of youth quickly turns into a menacing and bloody night of terror, which will give new meaning to Yom Kippur. Director Eitan Gafny delivers one of the few Israeli slasher films, and one of the most unique entries the beloved sub-genre has seen in years.


LUZ (Germany)


UK Premiere - Luz, a young cabdriver, drags herself into the brightly lit entrance of a run-down police station. A demonic entity follows her, determined to finally be close to the woman it loves. Prepare for one of the most dazzling debuts in recent years as director, Tilman Singer, delivers a bold and singular vision of horror that defies description. Luz needs to be seen to be believed.


SMALLER AND SMALLER CIRCLES (Philippines)


UK Premiere – Two Jesuit priests, Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero, perform forensic work to solve the mystery revolving around the murders of young boys in Payatas, one of Metro Manila's biggest slum areas. While dealing with the systematic corruption of the government, church and the elite, the two priests delve into criminal profiling, crime scene investigation and forensic analysis to solve the killings, and eventually, find the murderer. Raya Martin’s stunning film is based on the first Filipino crime novel, and stands out as one of the darkest, most visceral, thrillers in recent memory.


BOAR (Australia)


Welsh Premiere - Re-live the glory days of Ozploitation with Chris Sun’s splatter-filled creature feature, Boar! In the harsh, yet beautiful Australian outback lives a beast, an animal of staggering size, with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It cares for none, defends its territory with brutal force, and kills with a raw, animalistic savagery unlike any have seen before. Co-starring genre favourites Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects) and John Jarratt (Wolf Creek), Boar is a loving throwback to classic outback horrors like Razorback, only bigger, bloodier and nastier!


FRIENDLY BEAST (O Animal Cordial) (Brazil)


Welsh Premiere - A middle class restaurant in São Paulo is invaded near closing time by two armed robbers. The restaurant owner, the cook, the waitress and three clients are held hostage. In what seems to be a no way-out situation, Inácio - the quiet man, the friendly and cordial chief - must find a way to defend his restaurant and customers from the burglars. Friendly Beast marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in world cinema, Gabriela Amaral. After witnessing this stunning, and brutal, film you’ll see why.


HE’S OUT THERE (USA)


Welsh Premiere - From first-time director, Quinn Lasher, comes He’s Out There. On vacation at a remote lake house, a mother and her two young daughters must fight for survival after falling into a terrifying and bizarre nightmare conceived by a masked psychopath. Starring The Handmaid’s Tale’s Yvonne Strahovski, He’s Out There is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller that pours on the slasher movie tropes from the 80s golden era. Masked killer? Check. Remote location? Check. Inventive and bloody deaths? Double check.


LOST IN APOCALYPSE (Mo Shi Ren Jian Dao) (China)


Welsh Premiere - A group of seemingly unrelated strangers fight their way out of a virus-infested hotel, only to find themselves in a worse place: the end of the world! Director Sky Wang delivers a rip-roaring slice of fast paced zombie mayhem with Lost in Apocalypse, a film that is sure to delight fans of recent Eastern horror extravaganza’s like South Korea’s Train to Busan. Zombie cinema is a rarity in China, so here’s your chance to witness a film that manages to offer something fresh in an otherwise rotting genre.


PUPPET MASTER: THE LITTLEST REICH (USA)


Welsh Premiere - All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets, up for auction at a convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that's motivated by an evil as old as time. Witness the re-birth of a much-loved film franchise, thanks to the writing talents of S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99). This whacky throwback offers gore-galore with a sprinkling of some of the darkest humour the genre has seen in years. It goes without saying that this is essential viewing for any horror fan.

But that’s not all! Fractured Visions believe in celebrating the films that help established the modern audience’s love for horror, so the for the festival’s first ever guest of honour, they are proud to announce that Norman J. Warren will be attendance to give a talk on his prolific career in the fright industry. The festival will be showing a double-bill of Warren’s work, including a brand-new 2K remaster of his 1978 classic, TERROR. The second feature will be Warren’s 1987 shocker, BLOODY NEW YEAR; one of the few horror films to be lensed in South Wales during the 1980s.

Before each feature film, the festival will be looking to the future of the genre. Fractured Visions has selected 10 stunning short films from around the globe, each film a shining example of where the genre is heading while in the hands of these emerging talents. Here’s the official short film selection:

PSYCHOPOMPOS (Czech Republic) - UK Premiere
SUPINE (France) - UK Premiere
TIME HEALS NO WOUNDS (Canada) - UK Premiere
THE VISITOR (Australia) - UK Premiere 
DEAD COOL (UK) - Welsh Premiere
CADUCEA (Belgium) - Welsh Premiere
MARTA (Spain) - Welsh Premiere 
GIRL #2 (USA) - Welsh Premiere  
INSTINCT (USA) - Welsh Premiere
PORTRAITS(S) (UK) 

To celebrate the event, Fractured Visions has partnered with Cardiff’s much-loved, and multi-award-winning craft beer brewery, Crafty Devil. They have kindly created a Fractured Visions beer, a bloody (and hoppy) Red Ale that will no doubt help keep the audience’s spirits up. 

Tickets go on sale early September. 

There will be a limited number of weekend passes available, and weekend pass holders will receive a Fractured Visions gift bag. 



 

Director Johnny Kevorkian talks about AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

10 Questions with Johnny Kevorkian, director of AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS, which is screening at this weekend's FRIGHTFEST.


 What was it about Gavin Williams’s script for AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS you liked so much, and what did you add to make it more personal to you?

Well, when I first read the script I thought: “How the hell am I going to make this!” It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I knew it was going to be a massive challenge in every way possible. Overall, this was a very unusual script and that also appealed to me. My main addition to the script was to push it in a much darker and serious tone overall, which is more my style of filmmaking. I’m pleased that I managed to retain the dark humour at the start but then move into a different and much more serious realm as things start getting nastier for the family.

GOD’S OWN COUNTRY producer Jack Tarling thought of you as director because the script is a solid character study in the same vein as your previous film THE DISAPPEARED. Can you see the similarities?

Yes, in some instances (apart from the VFX) there are lots of similarities to THE DISAPPEARED. For instance we are seeing our characters break down in front of us and observing how they subtly start to transform into someone else. Ultimately it’s all about characters for me when I make a film, if I don’t have a script which doesn’t have interesting or dynamic characters then its not something I’m interested in doing.

It’s extraordinary how the film’s subject matter has chimed with the current hot issues of misplaced authority and fake news?

The timing is pretty unbelievable, considering the script was written a few years ago! It’s really hit a raw nerve with the American audiences when screening it at Chicago. They are pretty much seeing what’s going on in the world played out in front of them. The family in my film are people who simply don’t know what’s real and what’s not in the news anymore!


Was it always a Christmas setting and what did that add to the horrific atmosphere?

Yes. Families tend to always argue when they get together over Christmas, it seems to generally bring out the worst in people. Now imagine locking those families together in one house and then dousing them with fear and paranoia. You’re left with the most extreme and horrible scenario imaginable, which is what AFI shows us.

There’s a definite David Cronenberg/John Carpenter vibe going on, how did you ensure to strike the right balance between homage and innovation?

Yes there are influences by such films as ‘The Thing’ and in particular ‘The Fly’ by Cronenberg, with the whole body horror elements. I was also very influenced by Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ as well as ‘The Twilight Zone’ episodes and 50’s paranoid sci fi films.

Seven people in one enclosed place like CUBE and the ensemble cast is amazing. Did the rehearsal period you insisted on before shooting engender that family-style cohesion?

Yes that was definitely a challenge for sure. Again, you want to be able to manage seven characters speaking at the same time but still keeping it as exciting and dynamic as possible. I was fortunate enough to be able to rehearse with the actors on the actual built sets, which really help with blocking and being able to play around with different ways to shoot it and for the actors to feel comfortable.

Dan Martin’s special prosthetic effects are wonderful. How important was it for you to do as much in camera as possible?

I had never met Dan before the film but I knew his wife Jen Handorf who introduced me to him and that’s how he became involved. The film uses old school SPFX techniques, prosthetics, animatronics, wires, puppeteers, shooting in reverse etc. and  finding someone these days who specialises in these is hard. Fortunately, Dan is one of them.  I presented Dan with a bunch of concept art, which I had worked on with my Creature Designer Steve Trumble and Dan immediately got the concept. It was then a matter of making them work, which he did!

 

 How difficult is filming on interconnecting sets in one locked location?

We had the main stage as the living room and kitchen and dining area. I insisted on having that as one entire space so it would feel authentic and if the camera moved around that space then it could do so continuously. That’s where we pretty much shot most of the film, which made it easier. But we did have to shoot the bedrooms, bathroom and upstairs landing on the two other stages which did require careful planning,

Can you say something about Annika Summerson’s terrific lighting, how would you define the look?

Again I wanted it to look cinematic, rich and by her lighting style she achieves that excellently. By the second or third act in particular we played with colour a lot. Annika used a colour chart to map out the lighting colour changes throughout the film, For example, as we start to push the claustrophobia element then the house starts to darken and the dominant light source is the TV.

At the movie’s centre is an amusing concept regarding television’s last power push in this age of multi-visual platforms. But you play it completely straight. Was keeping the humour in check hard?

I think the humour is there at the start but then it dies away as things start to get more serious.  Yes, there is a challenge making this insane scenario as serious and feeling as real as possible. There was always a danger it could go the wrong way regarding tone. So by really going for a dark tone and by the serious way the actors play their parts does definitely help that!

AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS plays at Arrow Video FrightFest, Prince Charles Cinema on Sun 26 August.


More info and tickets to other screenings: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/



Wednesday 22 August 2018

HATCHET 4 : VICTOR CROWLEY - UK DVD review

Just when you thought it was safe to go back out into the bayou, along comes HATCHET 4 : VICTOR CROWLEY, which comes to UK DVD September 3rd.

Set 10 years after the original film, and the soul survivor of the previous 3 massacres, former paramedic Andrew Young (Parry Shen reprising his role from Part 3) is out promoting his new book. In which he is trying to convince people that the mythical Victor Crowley was the infamous Bayou Butcher, responsible for the murders.

Unfortunately, whilst flying out to his next book signing, his plane crash lands in the infamous Honey Island Swamps. Just as Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) happens to be ressurected by means of a plot contrivance.

Trapped on a sinking plane with a TV crew and a group of teenage documentary makers, they find themselves trying to find a way out of the plane and past the blood-thirsty Crowley who's trying to get in and kill them.

Director Adam Green returns once more to direct and as with the previous films, features a number of well known horror actors, including Fellissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) and Tyler Mane (Halloween - 2007), along with Laura Ortiz (The Hills Have Eyes - 2004) and Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie).

Boasting a pleasing amount of gore, the film does however look like it didn't have the budget of the previous films as most of the action seems to take place inside the plane and clocking in at around 1hr:19, isn't all that long. But is otherwise very entertaining.

Extras on the DVD include...

• Audio commentary with writer/director Adam Green and actors Parry Shen, Laura Ortiz and Dave Sheridan
• Audio commentary with writer/director Adam Green, cinematographer Jan-Michael Losada, editor Matt Latham, and make-up FX artist Robert Pendergraft
• Fly on the set: Making of feature (1hr:05)
• Raising the dead... again: Interview with Adam Green (25mins)
• Trailer/teaser
 
If you enjoyed the previous films, you should love this. There's plenty of blood and guts to keep gore hounds happy and a very VERY warped sense of humour prevalent throughout and the disc also comes with a great selection of extras.

HATCHET 4: VICTOR CROWLEY comes to UK DVD September 3rd.

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

 

Monday 20 August 2018

Two Spooky Paranormal Tales from Wales – Michael Christopher Carter

Wales's master of the paranormal and best-selling author, Michael Christopher Carter has a couple of spooky tales out now in paperback. The Beast of Benfro and Destructive Interference: The Devastation of Matthew Morrisey.

The Beast of Benfro 

When struggling dad, David Webb, survives a vicious attack from an unknown creature in the woods, his fears swiftly turn to his flirty neighbour whom he believes might not have been so fortunate.

Calling the police only serves to place him firmly at the top of their list of suspects when she fails to turn up safe and well. Left to rot in jail, his only hope is his delinquent younger brother.

But as they get closer to uncovering the truth about the beast in the forest, they unleash a danger far darker: a menace which threatens everyone they hold dear.
Can anything save them from the Beast of Benfro?

Buy online at Amazon.co.uk

Destructive Interference: The Devastation of Matthew Morrisey.

When Matthew Morrissey takes an innocent stroll to his local convenience store to buy batteries for his daughter’s Christmas present, he doesn’t know it will change his life forever.  

But, when he returns home, everything has changes.   There are strangers in his home, his neighbours deny ever knowing him and he ends up attracting the attention of Bristol’s finest.

Matthew has a theory about what is happening to him and who is to blame.  But first, he has to escape.Can he solve the mystery and save his family, or has he lost them forever?

Buy online at Amazon.co.uk

Find out more about the author at https://www.michaelchristophercarter.co.uk/ 

 

Ten Questions with Kristian A. Söderström, director of VIDEOMAN

Director Kristian A. Söderström talks about his new film VIDEOMAN, which is screening at this months FrightFest


So Kristian A. Söderström, who are you, where do you come from and what’s your creative arts background?

I grew up in Gothenburg Sweden and was a film fanatic from the start. I got me an education in film directing from UCLA in Los Angeles, but I’ve studied film theory and psychology as well. For many years now, I’ve been making short films and commercials while trying to finance feature films. I write and direct.

What’s the Swedish horror movie scene like? Is it a vibrant culture? Or has it been very limiting and hard for you to break through?

I would say that the Swedish horror and genre scene is almost non existent. I’ve had a lot of problems financing films. Some years ago I was asked by a commissioner at the Swedish film institute if a script I submitted was supposed to be a horror film or a drama. I answered ”It’s supposed to be both.” That was something they could not tolerate. Anyhow, horror has never been a popular genre with the film financers in Sweden. Experimental stuff is also tough. At the moment it seems like you either must make a nordic noir, a comedy or an obviously ”important” film. There are always exceptions to this off course, but generally speaking, not.

Is the movie autobiographical, are you that central VHS collector, Ennio, and is that your house covered in fabulous Italian posters and wall-to-wall videos?

The main character, Ennio, is a combination of three people I know. One of them is me. So there are definitely autobiographical moments in there. It’s not my house depicted in the film, altough I own a lot of Italian movie posters. I collect them, as well as movies.

You are clearly a massive Italian horror/Giallo fan, so in keeping with the playful atmosphere of movie choose:  Dario Argento or Lucio Fulci?

That is a really tough adoration match…I will go with Argento though. He was the one that got me into italian genre cinema and his filmmaking inspired my desire to make movies.


The ‘stolen’ video is ZOMBIE, any reason why you picked that title?

In Sweden in the early 80s, we had a similar thing to the UK to Video Nasties. A distributor called ”Video Invest” put out 26 horror titles. After a debate on national telly, these films were quickly banned from the video stores. Many years later these titles, from this particular distributor, became a VHS collectors wet dream. Therefore I wanted it to be one of these. Zombie, which for some reason carry the cover of ”City of the Living Dead”, was chosen because of the cover art, which I love. It’s also a Fulci film. The main character has a thing for Fulci, the same goes for me.

Of course Ennio’s VHS obsession is yet another of the many addictions you depict. Is that what VIDEOMAN is really all about? 

On the surface it's a film about film fanaticism and 80s nostalgia. Thematically, it's a movie about loneliness, passion and addiction. The starting point of this film was me meeting a video store owner who had not taken a vacation for 14 years. He seemed to be imprisoned by his passion (films). The thought of how something you love can lead to loneliness and exclusion was something that really appealed to me.



Stefan Sauk from THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Swedish version), Lena Nilsson and Martin Wallstrom (‘Mr. Robot’) are your main stars and they are all terrific. How did you go about casting them?

When deciding on which script to make as my low budget feature debute, my path crossed with Stefan Sauk, whom I kind of forgot as an actor. I liked him very much many years ago when he was making a very far out thing on television. I realised that he could bring the black humour and desperation that I needed for the main character Ennio. Stefan being long time absent from feature film work also fitted Ennio, who is trying to make a comeback, life-wise.

Lena Nilsson was an up-and-coming star in the 80s. She also had not worked in movies for many years. Stefan told me I should see her as he thought she was great. I did and was blown away by her naturalistic presence. Simone, who Lena is playing, like Ennio, has gotten stuck in the 80s. Both these characters were succesful back then, that’s why they’ve gotten obsessed with trying to evoke these times anew. Life seemed to be imitating art a bit with these two actors.

Regarding Martin Wallström, I had been a fan long before MR Robot. In Robot he was so amazing and he got so much hype that I thought it impossible to get him in my small movie. He loved the script though and the rest is history.


Your poster tag line is ‘A Movie Can Change Your Life’, do you truly believe that?

Well yes, I think that’s possible. In the case of Ennio in ”Videoman”, the Zombie film becomes a financial life savior, like the bicycle in ”Bicycle thieves”. In real life I think that a movie can have a very strong impact. It can hit you in many different ways. It can make you question yourself and others, it can make you obsessed and so on. Sometimes you will never be quite the same after watching a particular movie. In a small way, or a big way…

Great score by Waveshaper and Robert Parker, how did that come about?

It’s great, isn’t it! John Carpenter is the reason that I wanted to have analogue synths  on the soundtrack of my first feature. I loved him and his scores since forever. I’ve been a fan of the neo analogue synth movement ”Synthwave” since Nicolas Winding Refn’s ”Drive”. When I realised that Waveshaper, whom I adored, was actually Swedish, I had my producer track him down. Through Waveshaper I got to Robert Parker. These two side by side felt like a match in heaven, in order to reach the whole pallette of feelings in this genre bender of a movie.

You describe VIDEOMAN as “Dario Argento meets Mike Leigh”. Can you explain some more?

Dario Argento and Mike Leigh are two of my greatest influences. I’d like to combine realistic filmmaking (Leigh) with genre elements (Argento). I love complex characters that feels like real human beings and I also love the mood and storytelling of horror films. I feel like there often exists a segregation between commercial and ”important” movies, such that it must be either or. I want to change this. I think people like Ben Wheatly, Alice Lowe and Peter Strickland are breaking down barriers like these. They are very inspiring to me. ”Kill List”, ”Prevenge” and ”Berberian Sound studio” are masterful and innovative filmmaking. 

VIDEOMAN plays at Arrow Video FrightFest on Sun 26th August, Cineworld Leicester SQ.


More info, festival passes and other tickets: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/



 

FrightFest Presents - reveals first slate of UK releases

Discover suspense, terror and everything in between as Signature Entertainment and FrightFest, the UK’s leading horror fantasy film festival, team up to launch FrightFest Presents, an all-new venture geared to delivering the best in undiscovered genre features to the UK audience and world stage.

PHASE ONE: COMING TO UK SCREENS THIS SUMMER & TO UK HOMES FROM THIS AUTUMN 

THE DARK


Directors: Justin P. Lange and Klemens Hufnagl 

Cast: Stars rising star Nadia Alexander (The Sinner, Seven Seconds, Blame)

Synopsis: The film follows Mina (Alexander), a young woman who was murdered and stalks the forest that saw her demise. Anytime some unfortunate soul enters her area, they are quickly dispatched and become her feast. But when she stumbles across a young boy named Alex (Nichols) in the back of a car who shows signs of clear and horrifying abuse, she can’t bring herself to do away with him. Rather, she becomes his protector while trying to protect her own little world. As police and locals search for Alex to help bring him home, their own growing relationship seems to be changing Mina in ways she never thought possible.  

Home Entertainment Release: October 2018    
       

SECRET SANTA


Director: Adam Marcus (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday & Texas Chainsaw 3D)

Cast: Michael Rady, Drew Lynch, Debra Sullivan, A Leslie Kies

Synopsis: The Pope family’s Christmas Eve dinner goes horribly and hilariously wrong when someone puts something in the party punch causing everyone to tell the unvarnished truth at the already dysfunctional holiday reunion. When the head of the household psychopathically freaks-out, the scene is set for murderous mayhem and splatterific revenge as the deviant relatives reveal their long-buried hatreds and festering loathings.

Home Entertainment Release: November 2018


BOAR


Director: Chris Sun (Director of multi-award winning film Daddy’s Little Girl)

Cast: Stars horror star Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Devil’s Rejects) and John Jarratt (Wolf Creek)

Synopsis: In the harsh, yet beautiful Australian outback lives a beast, an animal of staggering size, with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It cares for none, defends its territory with brutal force, and kills with a raw, animalistic savagery unlike any have seen before.


PIMPED


Director: David Baker

Cast: Stars Benedict Samuel (Gotham, The Walking Dead, Home and Away)

Synopsis: A psychological horror thriller, Pimped follows Sarah Montrose, a woman who isn’t well-equipped to live within society’s accepted lines of behaviour, struggling with her own identity, desires, and loves. When all this is threatened by two scheming men, Sarah has to fight for herself to take revenge all the while embracing her psychopath alter-ego.


LIFECHANGER


Director: Justin McConnell

Cast: Lora Burke, Jack Foley, Elitsa Bako

Synopsis: A murderous shape-shifter sets out on a blood-soaked mission to make things right with the woman he loves but had to leave behind for her own safety’s sake. But zipping between ever-faster body snatches is becoming confusing, mind-bending and more debilitating by the minute. Something has got to give. Like dark romance, feral natural instincts and fractured sanity. Time to take a dive into the deep aliveness that comes from following your broken heart, in acting on what you love despite the monstrous circumstances, alien limitations, hidden emotions or fears of the shocking unknown.


FRIGHT FEST


 Director: Ante Novakovic

Cast: Dylan Walsh, Madison McKinley, Romeo Miller

Synopsis: Blood runs rampant on Halloween night when the Mayor of Sommerton decides to mount a live Fright Fest event within the walls of a long abandoned lunatic asylum. Only problem is a van of criminally insane prisoners crashes just outside and the trick or treaters think their murderous acts are part of the performance. Enter if you dare. 
   

Alan Jones, Co-Director of FrightFest says, “FrightFest is thrilled to announce the premiere roster of titles on the FrightFest Presents label in partnership with Signature. We’ve got the right - and fright - mix together and are delighted by our exciting acquisitions with the UK’s brightest, best and most versatile distributor. We’ve known from our 19 years as the UK’s top genre festival that there has always been an appetite for the scream of the crop, carefully handpicked by the veteran FrightFest crew. Now, with the genre at an all-time prolific high, FrightFest together with Signature can supply the building demand for quality horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy.

Claire Loewenthal, Head of Marketing at Signature Entertainment says “FrightFest Presents will be bringing the very best in genre cinema to UK homes. Our slate promises to be an exciting and eclectic roster of high-end, acclaimed and - above all - gore-filled entertaining movies that film goers will revel in for years to come. Working with the most talented and anticipated filmmakers in the game and the incredible exposure and pedigree that comes with having a FrightFest stamp of approval, along with the incredible expertise from the Signature team, means these wonderful films will be given the very best platform in the UK.”

Adam Marcus, Director of Secret Santa says, “We searched for close to a year to find a distributor that was the right fit for our film. Someone with the same mad sense of humor and grande guignol vision to fit our brand of horror. Then along came Alan Jones and the lunatics at FrightFest. A gang so ready for straight-jackets that they were able to recognize just what we were up to. Soon after came Liz and Claire and the rest of the maniacs at Signature, who like the FrightFest lunatics, were ready to set our ship of fools afloat... while on fire! This became the right team to introduce our terrifying Christmas baby, Secret Santa, to the world. I feel so blessed to have found a distribution family as dysfunctional and twisted as my own. God bless us, everyone”.