Latest YouTube review GHOSTWATCH (1992)

Have you seen my latest YouTube review? The controversial BBC Drama GHOSTWATCH, which terrified viewers back in 1992.

Visit my YouTube channel.

HARPOON - A review

3 dysfunctional friends quite literally find themselves all at sea, in the jet-black horror-comedy HARPOON, which is out now on the new ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL.

Over privileged rich-kid Richard (Christopher Gray – TVs The Mist), invites his trophy girlfriend Sasha (Emily Tyra – TVs Flesh and Bone) and misfit best friend Jonah (Munro Chambers – Turbo Kid) out for a day on his family’s yacht, as a means of saying sorry. Following a “slight” misunderstanding earlier in the day, when he accused them of having an affair.

However, when Richard discovers he was actually right, it leads to a massive fight with all 3 trying to kill each other. But when the boat subsequently breaks down, leaving them adrift in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. The trio end up having to work together in order to find ever more inventive, and not to mention amusing, ways of trying to stay alive when the food and water runs out. 

One things for sure, they’re going to regret letting someone with the name “Jonah” on board their vessel, in this funny, gory and deeply ironic tale. As resentment builds and some harsh truths come out, where it seems no one is as innocent as they appear...

HARPOON is available now exclusively on the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. The film will be given a wider home entertainment release onother digital platforms and on disc next year.

 View the trailer on YouTube.

Watch the film on Amazon.co.uk

GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR on Digital Download Now

WWE Legend Phil "CM Punk" Brooks gets his first starring role in this bloody and demented haunted house tale from one of the strongest voices in modern indie-horror, Travis Stevens.

Bursting pipes, rotting walls, and unidentifiable slime were not what Don Koch (Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks) expected when he convinced his wife Liz (Trieste Kelly Dunn) that he could rehab their new Victorian home himself. In over his head, under duress, and tempted by his old weaknesses, Don soon discovers that the house has its own dark, sordid history and won't be so easy to renovate after all....

Having produced some of the finest indie horror gems of recent years including Starry Eyes and We Are Still Here, Travis Stevens makes his directorial debut with a film that tackles modern notions of toxic masculinity in a classic horror scenario for an intense, bloody reinvention of the haunted house formula. Stay out of the attic!

GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR is written and directed by Travis Stevens (Jodorowsky's Dune) and stars Phil 'CM Punk' Brooks (Rabid), Trieste Kelly Dunn (United 93) and Sarah Brooks (100 Days to Live). 

GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR recently played the Mayhem Film Festival in Nottingham, my review of which can be found HERE. 

The film is available now from the Sky store and will be available on iTunes fro 28th of October.

My Girlfriend The Serial Killer - Indiegogo Campaign

Co Directors/Writers Samantha Marie and Jonathan A. Moody are hard at work at their first feature film, “My Girlfriend The Serial Killer”

This film is still in the funding stages. It has 20 days left on the Indiegogo campaign. You can see the campaign video with 2 teaser trailers on the bottom.

Cast in the film so far are Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Nick Gomez (The Walking Dead), Tom Proctor (Guardians of the Galaxy, Halloween 6), Kaylee Williams (Model Hunger, Mrs. Claus) Christopher Inlow (Volkov, Voorhees), and Samantha Marie (Teacher Shortage, Supernatural Assassins) is set to star as the serial killing female herself… plus many more to come.

Jonathan A. Moody (Follow Me, The Invited) and Samantha Marie are executive producing. Derek Huey (Mrs. Claus, Flash Drive) is Producing the film as well as shooting and editing it. Paul A Presenza (Supernatural Assassins) is co producing.

The film is a modern day look at a female slasher. And promises to be one of the most blood soaked and epic thrill rides you will ever see in an indie film. But in order to do that the film needs your support. 

To support this project, visit the Indiegogo page below...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/my-girlfriend-the-serial-killer 

Visit the official Facebook group for the movie: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1291626774333090/  

View the campaign video to see what’s in store!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5D_VbSHHY

 

LUNA - short horror film

Film maker Ross Williams has just released his latest short horror film LUNA in time for Halloween, which is free to view on YouTube. Check it out below...

LUNA has been playing the festival circuit for the past 6 months and has won awards for Best Cinematography at the Oregon Scream Film Festival and Best Supporting Actress at the Videoscream International Film Festival.

You can view his other films on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/xrats

 

LITTLE MONSTERS in selected UK & Irish cinemas and on Sky Cinema 15 Nov

Little Monsters follows Dave (Alexander England ALIEN: COVENANT), as washed-up musician who volunteers to chaperone his nephew’s kindergarten class field trip after taking a serious liking to the fearless schoolteacher, Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o US).

Dave’s intentions are complicated by the presence of the world’s most famous kids’ show personality and competition for Miss Caroline’s affections, Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad FROZEN).

One thing none of them bargained for, however, is a sudden zombie outbreak. Will Dave rise to the occasion and have a chance at Miss Caroline’s heart, or will zombies get there first?

Described as a ‘must-see horror comedy’ by We Got This Covered, and ‘an amusing thrill-ride’ by Screen International, Sundance Hit LITTLE MONSTERS is a smart, sharp and deliciously gruesome zom-com that will appeal to fans of the Zombieland films, What We Do in the Shadows and Happy Death Day. Doused with a generous helping of absurdity, pitch-perfect timing, and a nifty blend of gore and wit, it’s a wild, frenetic ride.

Award-winning writer/director Abe Forsythe has struck gold with his cast - Lupita Nyong’o is currently the horror genre’s hot ticket, following her standout performance in Jordan Peele’s Us, which played no small part in making that film a box office smash this year. Josh Gad, famous for his loveable roles in Disney films Frozen and Beauty and the Beast, is on fabulous form here playing against type.

LITTLE MONSTERS comes from the production team behind cult chillers The Guest and You’re Next, and the 2016 Blair Witch remake (as well as the forthcoming reboot of Korean revenge thriller I Saw The Devil), with special effects from the Oscar-winning studio behind Mad Max: Fury Road.

LITTLE MONSTERS will be released in UK and Irish cinemas and on Sky Cinema from 15 November.

It's also playing at a number of Festivals over the Halloween period...

Celluloid Screams, Sheffield - 27th October (Closing Night Film)

Abertoir Horror Festival, Bangor - 31st October

Liverpool Film Festival - 31st October

Bath Film Festival - 9th November

Leeds International Film Festival - 9th & 12th November

Cornwall Film Festival - 17th November (Closing Gala Screening) 

View the trailer on YouTube 

Visit the Official Facebook and Twitter pages

SINISTER, TERRIFIER & TOWER BLOCK amongst Horror Channel premieres in November

Psycho clowns, demented dolls and deadly snipers…Horror Channel is big on scares in November with eleven Channel premieres including murderous supernatural chiller SINISTER, starring Ethan Hawke, Damien Leone’s screamingly shocking TERRIFIER and the riveting urban thriller TOWER BLOCK, starring Sheridan Smith and Jack O’Connell. 

 

There are also Channel premieres for two popular instalments of the Chucky franchise, CHILD’S PLAY 2 and CHILD’S PLAY 3. John Carpenter’s dazzling fantasy STARMAN, starring Jeff Bridges, two spooky black comedy classics - Peter Jackson’s THE FRIGHTENERS and Joe Dante’s THE BURBS, and the even more eerie John Carpenter remake of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED – which stars Christopher Reeves in his last publicly released film before his career-ending injury.

Plus, there is Hammer’s gloriously volcanic stone-age horror CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT and the nightmarish, perceptions-bending Blair Witch sequel, BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2.

Full film details in transmission order:

Fri 1 Nov @ 22:50 – TERRIFIER (2016) *Channel Premiere 

Brace yourselves as a maniacal clown named Art begins his twisted reign of terror on Halloween night, setting his sights on three young women and anyone else that gets in his way! Move over Pennywise, because there’s a new clown in town and this one is a thousand times more violent and a million times crueller. 

Sat 2 Nov @ 21:00 – THE BURBS (1999) * Channel Premiere 

Tom Hanks stars in this hilarious satire of modern suburban life. When Ray Peterson becomes convinced that his new, intensely private neighbours are members of an evil cult, he struggles to get behind their closed doors with outrageous results.

Fri 8 Nov @ 21:00 – CHILD’S PLAY 2 (1990) *Channel Premiere 

Chucky's back, continuing where the chilling original left off, with Chucky's toy company rebuilding the original doll to prove that there was nothing wrong with it. Mistake. Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) goes on a rampage, slicing and dicing with his unique brand of dark comedy. With Jenny Agutter

Sat 9 Nov @ 21:00 – STARMAN (1984) *Channel Premiere

An alien (Jeff Bridges) observing life on Earth becomes stranded near the Wisconsin farmhouse of recently widowed Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). The alien, otherwise known as Starman, clones the human form of Scott Hayden, Jenny’s deceased husband. Due to be picked up by his mother ship in three days, Starman is in dire need of human assistance. Thus Jenny becomes an unwilling participant in a trip that becomes a dangerous flight across the U.S.

Sun 10 Nov @ 22:55 – CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT (1971) *Channel Premiere

Julie Ege stars in this variation on One Million Years B.C., playing a cave girl who becomes the object of a fierce battle between the contenders for the throne of the tribe's recently-deceased chieftain. The last of the prehistoric adventure films from Hammer Studios,

Fri 15 Nov @ 21:00 – CHILD’S PLAY 3 (1991) *Channel Premiere

Young Andy has grown up and attends a military academy – too bad the killer doll Chucky still wants his soul. Thrills and chills abound as Chucky stalks Andy relentlessly, murdering those in his way with even more wicked wit and ghoulish playfulness.

Sat 16 Nov @ 21:00 – VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995) *Channel Premiere

A strange mist overcomes an idyllic coastal town, causing ten local women to become mysteriously pregnant. Soon, these women give birth to albino children who turn out to be mind-controlling demons. The town doctor (Christopher Reeve) is the only one capable of destroying this otherworldly force…

Fri 22 Nov @ 21:00 – BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 (2000) *Channel Premiere

After spending a night in the hills of Maryland, four young fans of the original Blair Witch movie descend into a nightmare realm of murder, madness and perception-bending supernatural horror in this sequel.

Sat 23 Nov @ 21:00 – THE FRIGHTENERS (1996) *Channel Premiere

Blending laughs and scares director Peter Jackson brings his imaginative talents to this tale of a psychic con artist who teams with three friendly ghosts to stop the rampaging spirit of an executed killer.

Fri 29 Nov @ 21:00 – TOWER BLOCK (2012) *Channel Premiere

When a teenager is brutally murdered by two hooded figures, Becky (Sheridan Smith), Kurtis (Jack O’Connell), Paul (Russell Tovey) Neville (Ralph Brown) and the other residents of the Serenity House tower block are too scared to give detectives any information. One year later and someone has taken justice into their own hands. Picked off one by one, the tenants are under threat from a mystery sniper who has also set traps throughout the building, holding them prisoners in their own homes.

Sat 30 Nov @ 21:00 – SINISTER (2012) *Channel Premiere 

Desperately in need of a bestseller to revive his struggling career, true crime writer Ellison (Ethan Hawke), moves his family to the scene of his most recent story; the unsolved, gruesome murder of a loving, happy suburban family. Shunned by the local community and strained by his obligations to his family, the discovery of a batch of home movies in the attic offers Ellison shocking proof to the crime he is investigating and the terrifying realisation that his investigation may be putting his family in mortal danger.

Horror Channel: Be Afraid

TV: Sky 317 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 70 / Freesat 138

Website: http://www.horrorchannel.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/horrorchannel

Twitter: https://twitter.com/horror_channel

Night Hunter on Digital HD and DVD November

On the hunt for an elusive serial rapist and murderer, battle-hardened cop Marshall (Henry Cavill) crosses paths with vigilante duo Cooper (Ben Kingsley) and Lara (Eliana Jones) as they trap online predators and deliver their own extreme methods of justice. When Lara is kidnapped, Marshall, Cooper and the police hunt down the perpetrator but the psychologically damaged man they capture only deepens the mystery surrounding the killings.

Good-cop Rachel (Alexandra Daddario) believes the captured killer, who is linked to years of female abductions and murders, is harboring multiple personalities, one of which may hold answers. But with Marshall taking a harder stance, pressure from the Commissioner (Stanley Tucci), and a public out for blood, the plot thickens. Then when those involved in the case, on both sides of the law, start turning up dead, it becomes a race against time to get inside the mind of the killer before it’s too late…

Combining the tense, psychological investigation of killer classics such as Silence of the Lambs and Zodiac with fast-paced twists, turns and edge-of-your-seat action, Night Hunter is one of 2019’s darkest and most daring thrillers.

Night Hunter stars Henry Cavill (Mission Impossible – Fallout, Justice League), Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Sexy Beast), Alexandra Daddario (Baywatch, True Detective), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games franchise), Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Nathan Fillion (Serenity) and Brendan Fletcher (Braven, Rampage) and is directed by David Raymond.

Signature Entertainment presents Night Hunter on Digital HD 4 November and DVD 11 November 2019 

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

 

Buried Alive Film Festival Texas - Tickets on sale NOW

One for my American readers, particlarly those in the State of Texas...

The schedule is all set and tickets are now on sale for this year's festival and we're excited to officially announce our features for Buried Alive Film Festival 2019!

With 3 local features and a host of shorts, this year we have 5 feature film selections officially submitted to the jury.

ANTRUM (Thursday 11/14 9:30 PM) 

Antrum, a feature length film shot in the late 1970’s, is cursed. In 1988, a movie theatre in Budapest that was screening the film burnt to the ground, killing the 56 people who were in attendance. This incident follows the inexplicable deaths of a number of film festival programmers that had received Antrum as a submission and died shortly after watching the film. These events culminated with a riot during an exhibition in San Francisco, after which the film vanished. These events have created a belief that watching Antrum will you kill you. Else Films has successfully tracked down a sole copy of the film for public release. This is that film.

VFW (Friday 11/15 8:00 PM) 

VFW follows Fred and his military buddies as they must defend their local VFW post – and an innocent teen – against a deranged drug dealer and his relentless army of punk mutants. These Vietnam vets have been to hell and back, but this will be the longest night of their lives.

PORNO (Saturday 11/16 4:00 PM)

When five teen employees at the local movie theater in a small Christian town discover a mysterious old film hidden in its basement, they unleash an alluring succubus who gives them a sex education… written in blood.

THE WRETCHED (Saturday 11/16 8:00 PM) 

A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent’s imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door.

JR "BOB" DOBBS AND THE CHURCH OF THE SUBGENIUS (Sunday 11/17 2:00 PM) 

What started out as an inside joke amongst two self proclaimed weirdos in Ft. Worth, Texas soon becomes much more than they bargained for when they decide to turn their conservative southern ideology on its head and invent a new religion all their own. Praise Bob!

Check out the full schedule at: http://buriedalivefilmfest.com/scheedule

Get your tickets now at: http://filmfreeway.com/BuriedAliveFIlmFestival/tickets 

A SERIAL KILLER'S GUIDE TO LIFE comes to Digital Jan 2020

Arrow Films is thrilled to announce that it will be releasing the critically acclaimed jet-black comedy feature A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE in the UK, US and Canada on digital platforms from January 13th 2020. 

A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE follows Lou Farnt (Katie Brayben): a 30-something, self-help addict who wants nothing more than to escape her overly controlling mother and the dead-end seaside town where she grew up. So when strange and strikingly confident new life coach Val (Poppy Roe) suddenly arrives on the scene and invites her on a road trip of alternative therapies, Lou finds the perfect opportunity to leave, and the perfect person to become. Unfortunately for Lou, Val’s a serial killer.

Following its hugely successful UK premiere at Arrow Video FrightFest in August and special Awards mentions at Manchester’s recent GrimmFest, the film stars Olivier Award-winning Katie Brayben (Doctor Who, King Charles III, This Way Out), Poppy Roe (This Way Out, Drawn, The Leisure Class), Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Divergent, Me Before You, Malevolent) and Emmy-nominated Sian Clifford (Fleabag, Vanity Fair, Dodgy Dave), and is directed by breakout British filmmaker Staten Cousins Roe, who was recently shortlisted for the prestigious Screen International Genre Rising Star Award.

A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE is guaranteed to satisfy the self-help generation, and the modern human’s blood lust.

For more information visit...
http://www.aserialkillersguidetolife.com 
https://twitter.com/AKillersGuide
https://www.facebook.com/FMpics

 

HARPOON launches ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL this Friday 18 Oct

Arrow Video is thrilled to officially announce that hit horror HARPOON will premiere exclusively on its Cult Film video-on-demand service THE ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL from 18 October, just in time for Halloween. The Arrow Video Channel is now available to UK customers of Apple TV channels in the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and select Samsung smart TVs, in addition to Amazon Prime Video subscribers.

Hot on the heels of its UK Premiere at Arrow Video FrightFest where it received critical acclaim, HARPOON is written, directed and edited by Rob Grant (Alive, What Doesn’t Kill You), Produced by Michael Peterson and Kurtis David Harder and stars Munro Chambers (Cardinal, Turbo Kid, Degrassi: The Next Generation), Emily Tyra (Code Black, Boardwalk Empire), Christopher Gray (The Mist, The Society, Sell By) with narration by Brett Gelman (Fleabag, Stranger Things, The Other Guys).

With his perfect family and perfect upbringing, Richard (Christopher Gray) appears to have it all. So when he thinks that his long-term girlfriend, Sasha (Emily Tyra), and best friend, Jonah (Munro Chambers), are having an affair, it sends him into a fit of rage that leaves Jonah a bloody mess. Once Jonah and Sasha convince Richard the allegations are false, Richard tries to buy back their trust by taking them out for a day-trip on his family’s yacht.

Tension boils over once out at sea, and to make matters worse, the yacht’s engine fails. Stranded without food and supplies, the trio must set aside their differences in order to survive. One-part post-modern Edgar Allan Poe adaptation, one-part Knife in the Water with the cast of Seinfeld, Harpoon is a wickedly humourous and bloody deconstruction of friendship and love.

The ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL service gives cult film fans the opportunity to watch a varied and curated selection of films that the ARROW VIDEO brand has been famous for with many film fans all over the world. From horror to sci-fi, thrillers to westerns, the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL will launch with classic cult films such as the Jake Gyllenhaal starring Donnie Darko, Heathers starring Winona Ryder, the horror classic Hellraiser, and the Japanese horror masterpiece Ringu. In addition to these Cult Classic films, the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL will continue to premiere exclusive brand-new films on the service beginning the critically acclaimed indie-horror-comedy from Canada Harpoon in October, German period horror Hagazussa in November and in December the Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen starrer Lords of Chaos.

The ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL will also host a growing collection of documentaries, interviews and never-before-seen content from the Arrow Video archives, as well as newly produced material. These documentaries will breathe new life on the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL, giving film fans an immersive look into the creation of many cult film classics such as Donnie Darko and Hellraiser. The service will be updated regularly with new content, new curation focus and never-before-seen content, all hand-picked by the Arrow Video team.

A wider Home Entertainment release including Blu-ray is planned for HARPOON in early 2020. 

View the trailer on YouTube.

HARPOON will be available exclusively on the ARROW VIDEO CHANNEL on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from 18th October.

TRICK 'R TREAT, HALLOWEEN, & THE CROW Apparel from Fright-Rags

Fright-Rags kicks off October in a big way. Gear up for the season with new merchandise from Trick 'r Treat, The Crow, and the Halloween franchise, along with Bela Lugosi-inspired coffee for creatures of the night and day. 

Follow the rules with Fright-Rags' Trick 'r Treat collection. Commemorating 10 years since its U.S. release, the beloved film receives four shirts, four enamel pins (including one with motion), and Sam custom-knit crew socks. 

Collect all the iconic moments and characters from John Carpenter's Halloween with Fright-Rags' trading cards. Each Halloween wax pack contains nine cards and a sticker, with sketch cards, chase variants, and PJ Soles autograph cards randomly inserted. They're available in single packs, factory boxes, and sealed boxes. 

 Fright-Rags also has new apparel from two of Halloween's sequels. Celebrate Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers' 30th anniversary with two designs - a piece of new artwork and the original poster design - on T-shirts, baseball tees, and zip-up hoodies. Jimmy's Haddonfield Memorial Hospital uniform from Halloween II has been turned into a zip-up hoodie as well. 

Buildings burn, people die, but Fright-Rags' The Crow collection is forever. It can't rain all the time with three new designs from the 1994 cult classic, including a Hangman's Joke long-sleeve shirt with printed sleeves. 

Fright-Rags has teamed with Dead Sled Coffee (co-founded by Acey Slade of The Misfits, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Murderdolls) to release Bela’s Brew coffee. Inspired by Dracula actor Bela Lugosi, the Colombian coffee is a medium roast that tastes nutty with a subtle hint of spice. 

Trick 'r Treat, Halloween, The Crow, and Bela's Brew are on sale now at Fright-Rags.com.

Violent South Korean crime thriller THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL comes to Digital

A serial killer stalks the city streets, crashing his car into lone motorists before stabbing them to death. One night, he unwittingly targets a notorious crime boss, who fights back but is left for dead. The mobster thinks it was a rival who tried to kill him - the cop in charge of the case is sure it was the serial killer. The two end up forming an unlikely, but formidable alliance, to hunt him down. The cop wants to arrest the murderer. The mobster has other ideas.

This staggeringly assured second feature from Lee Won-tae, THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL is a multi-layered thrill ride that never fails to entertain. A formidable mix of Lethal Weapon-style buddy movie, serial killer chiller and an all-out action spectacular. Beautifully filmed, and featuring a pulsing score by Jo Yeong-wook (The Handmaiden), it’s packed with superbly choreographed action sequences (and some wince-inducing moments of ultra-violence that make Old Boy’s hammer attack look like a warm up).

Kim Moo-yeol is spectacular as an incorruptible, overworked detective on the trail of a serial killer. But it is Ma Dong-seo (so good in Train to Busan) - introduced here working out on a human body bag - who steals the show here as a fearsome, sharp suited gangster who crosses paths with the killer, and teams up with the cop to hunt him down. He’s so good Sylvester Stallone, who is producing the remake, has already tapped him to reprise his role.

If you liked I Saw The Devil and Memories of Murder, this slick, slam-bang, brutal and brilliant South Korean crime classic will knock you sideways.

You can read my review of THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL in my reviews of the Mayhem Festival HERE

THE GANGSTER, THE COP, THE DEVIL is available on Digital in the UK and Ireland from the 15th November.

View the trailer on YouTube.

PREY comes to Digital HD and DVD

Prey is a mysterious and gory chiller from horror powerhouse Blumhouse Productions the team behind Get Out, Us, The Purge, Sinister and Insidious.

Toby (Logan Miller; Love, Simon), a high school senior struggling with behavioural problems, is placed on an uninhabited island in order to improve his ways. However, despite being told he is in isolation, he soon realizes he is not alone, teaming up with Madeleine (Kristine Froseth; Apostle), as they are pursued by a deadly entity. Reminiscent of cult hits Donnie Darko and Lost - is a mind-bending and disturbing new shocker. Prey for your life!

Starring Logan Miller, Kristine Froseth and Joelene Anderson. Directed by horror maestro Franck Khalfoun (Maniac, P2).

Signature Entertainment presents Prey on Digital HD 28th October 2019 & DVD 4th November.

View the triler on YouTube.

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

 

Arrow Films release 2x new clips from forthcoming thriller DEAD CENTRE

ARROW FILMS are pleased to make available two brand new clips for the release of Billy Senese's THE DEAD CENTER, the brand-new thriller from the director of the acclaimed A Frankenstein Story. Helmed by genre stalwart Shane Carruth, the creator of Primer and Upstream Color, THE DEAD CENTER is a unique tale of existential terror that explores the demons that live inside of all of us. The film features exceptional supporting performances from Jeremy Childs (Preacher) and Poorna Jagannathan (Big Little Lies).

I’d Like to Ask You Some Questions

Meeting John Doe

When a very dead suicide victim (Jeremy Childs - Preacher, Nashville) disappears from the morgue, it sets in motion a chain of events that has the power to immolate everything, and everyone, it touches.

Troubled psychiatrist Daniel Forrester (Shane Carruth - Primer, Upstream Color) is drawn to help a mysterious patient who is brought to the emergency psych ward in a catatonic state with no memory of how he reached the hospital. As if to exorcise his own demons, the doctor feverishly tries to break through to his mysterious patient. But as a spate of mysterious deaths shake the ward to its core, Forrester comes to suspect that there is more to his new ward than meets the eye. As he comes to realise what he’s unleashed, a desperate race against the forces of evil threatens to swallow him whole.

The Dead Center is a smart supernatural thriller that explores the demons that live inside all of us from writer-director Billy Senese, recently hailed as a “masterful new voice in terror” (Nerdist).

THE DEAD CENTRE is currently available on 4K Digital HD and is released to BD and DVD from October 21st.

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

Zombie Christmas Musical ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE comes to UK BD

What better way to celebrate the festive season than with a zombie apocalypse Christmas musical? Anna and the Apocalypse ‘A delightful Christmas/horror/comedy/musical hybrid, with a great cast and entertaining gore’ (IGN) directed by John McPhail (Where Do We Go From Here) is set for its UK Blu-ray debut on 2 December in a feature packed double-disc edition, courtesy of Second Sight.

It’s Christmas time and the sleepy Scottish town of Little Haven is under threat from a zombie apocalypse, forcing Anna (Ella Hunt – Cold Feet) and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But even zombies can’t stop the teen drama: will Anna’s best friend John (Malcolm Cumming – Long Lost) reveal his true feelings for her, or will her smug ex Nick (Ben Wiggins – Mary Queen of Scots) win back her affections? And will she be able to repair her rocky relationship with dad Tony (Mark Benton – The Second Coming) before it’s too late?

Along with exchange student Steph (Sarah Swire – God Help the Girl), star singer Lisa (Marli Siu – Grantchester) and her crush Chris (Christopher Leveaux – Forgotten Man), Anna soon discovers that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilisation falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other. Deck the halls with brains and holly for an all singing, blood-spattered festive zombie romp.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Theatrical and extended Cuts

• Original short film ‘Zombie Musical’ written and directed by Ryan McHenry

• Audio Commentary with director John McPhail, writer Alan McDonald, composers Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly

• Brand new documentary featuring new interviews with actors Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, director John McPhail, writer Alan McDonald, composers Roddy Hart & Tommy Reilly and producer Naysun Alae-Carew

• Behind-the-scenes featurette

• Alternative opening scene

• Hollywood Ending with cast and crew

• Deleted scenes

• Edinburgh Film Festival footage

• Gag reel, Outtakes

• Limited o-ring slipcover and lyrics booklet on initial pressing only

ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE DOUBLE DISC EDITION ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY 2 December 2019

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

Mayhem Film Festival report 2019 - Day 4

Day Four, the final day of the Mayhem Film Festival was upon us, with a stack of films that all seemed to have a theme of dysfunctional relationships underlying them..

BULLETS OF JUSTICE

The first film was undoubtedly the most messed up film of the entire festival, BULLETS OF JUSTICE from Bulgarian born director Valeri Milev (Wrong Turn 6).

Set in a post apocalyptic world, what’s left of humanity are battling mutant pig hybrids called Muzzles, who are breeding humans for food.

A former fashion model, turned bounty hunter, Rob Justice is tasked with going to New York and destroying the human farm and destroying the pig leaders. Leading to a series of highly improbable gory action scenes.

Filmed in the style of one of Robert Rodriguez’s “Grindhouse” movies, which also happens to star genre regular Danny Trejo in a supporting role, this really was such a bizarre film I don’t know where to begin.

Mutant pigs with machine guns, time travel, teleportation, robots, women with moustaches, a hero who’s having an incestuous relationship with his sister and a bad guy who looks like an extra from Zoolander. 

The whole film was like a bad acid trip, which isn’t helped by the disjointed nature of the plot, and has to be seen to be believed

View the trailer on YouTube.

DOOR LOCK

South-Korean thriller DOOR LOCK was up next, in which a young bank clerk seems to think someone has been trying to get into her apartment whilst she is out, as she finds her electronic door lock has been tampered with.

Not only this, but things in her apartment often seem out of place and she thinks someone might be outside her door at night.Plus she seems to be having difficulty waking up in the mornings and is constantly feeling hazy.

But after being targeted by a stalker and one of her male work colleges turns up dead in her apartment, she decides she’s had enough and moves out. But when it seems her stalker has tracked her down to her new apartment and the police seem powerless to help, she decides to track the stalker down herself. But what does the stalker want with her?

Action packed and suspenseful, with a whole stack of red herrings thrown in. Whilst I enjoyed this and it was certainly well received by the crowd, I found it was perhas a little too reminiscent of the 2012 film THE RESIDENT for my liking, with a bit of BOXING HELENA thrown in. 

But in any case, it will certainly make you want to check under your bed at night.

View the trailer on YouTube. 

WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE

The third film of the day, WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE, takes dysfunctional family relationships to an all new high in this Russian comedy of errors.

A young thug goes to kill his girlfriend’s abusive father, but things invariably go awry. Firstly he happens to be a police detective, and so is armed. His wife, who should have been out, is still at home. Plus the father happens to spot the hammer he’d secreted on him and a spectacular fight ensues.

But although the murder attempt fails, the father has a slight problem. Being a corrupt cop, with stash of money hidden in the flat, he daren’t call his buddes at the station and so tries to kill the lad and do away with the body.

But that doesn’t go to plan either, and a series of further fights and stand-offs ensue. Made all the more complicated by his daughter admitting the abuse story was a lie, and one of his police friends calling round and finding he’d conned him out of his half of the bribe money.

Filmed kind-of in the style of a spaghetti western, but set in a flat in Russia, this was clearly one of the more bizarre comedies at the festival, which the crowd seemed to love. 

Very strange, but very funny at the same time.

View the trailer on YouTube. 

VIVARIUM

Following a brief break, for the annual Flinterrogation quiz in the bar, it was back to the Fourth film of the day VIVARIUM which examines the perils of home ownership.

A young couple, played by Imoogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, are looking at moving in together, and are invited by a rather eccentric estate agent to look round a show home on a new housing estate thats just been built.

When the estate agent mysteriously disappears, having apparently driven off and left them, they decide they’ve seen enough and leave. But unfortunately, seem unable to find their way back out of the estate and keep ending up back at the same house, no matter how many times they try and drive away.

Things really get strange when a baby is left on their doorstep, with instructions that they will be released if they bring it up. But it soon becomes obvious that this is no ordinary child, growing at a rate of about a year every month and seems to imitate, rather than learn.

A very strange film, which seemed to be a cross between Dark City and Cube, in which you’re never really too sure what’s going on, who this young lad is or where they are. There are however a few clues as to why they are there at the start of the film if you pay attention.

It will certainly make you think twice about buying a new starter home in any case (or indeed having children for that matter). 

Writer Garret Shanley was there to introduce the film and do an audience Q&A with afterwards, footage of which should hopefully be on my YouTube channel shortly.

View a clip from the film on YouTube.

COME TO DADDY

The final film of the day, and indeed the festival, was the bizarre horror-comedy COME TO DADDY, which sees Elijah Wood visiting his estranged father (Stephen McHattie - Pontypool) at his remote cabin by the sea, who he hasn’t seen since he was five years old.

But his father, who had written to him begging him to come visit, seems less than pleased to see him for some strange reason. Perpetually drunk, he refuses to talk about why he left, constantly berates him, calls him obscenities, and then finally tries to start a fight, before dropping down dead.

But before he can come to terms with his death, he makes a shocking discovery about his “father” who he only just met, and is now in a whole lot of danger from some very unsavoury people.

Being a lifelong horror fan, I spotted the twist in the story coming right from the start, but still thoroughly enjoyed this, as did the audience. Which contained some scenes of great wrongness, including a finale in a motel room full of semi-naked swingers, which the audience found hilarious.

Its worth noting that although Elijah Wood is best known for his acting, he also produces quite a lot of films and actually produced 2 other titles at Mayhem this year. Namely “Daniel isn’t Real” and “The Colour out of Space” so it seemed fitting that this film, which he plays the lead role closed the festival

View a clip of the film on YouTube.

And that was it or Mayhem 2019. A huge thanks to Steve Shiel and Chris Cooke who organise it and of course the entire staff at the Broadway cinema for hosting it.

The Mayhem Film Festival takes place Mid-October each year at the Broadway Cinema Nottingham. Visit... http://www.mayhemfilmfestival.co.uk