Sunday 29 November 2020

HUMAN NO MORE: A Macabre Thriller - available on US BD and Digital

HUMAN NO MORE from Indie Director Christopher Alan Broadstone (In My Skin) is out now on Blu-Ray and Digital in the US.

Nemo (Tony Simmons), a private detective consumed by an irreconcilable murder case, revisits the HAB--a transgressive warehouse-nightclub complex--where he re-evaluates the details of his confrontations with the Mirror Murders Killer (Gabriel Sigal), the man that would take everything from him. 

With each flashback more bizarre stories unfold, more embittered philosophies, more dark details, and all nuances of truth that lead to an ultimate revelation that drives Detective Nemo back into his caustic underworld one last time. 

There he must face the blind eye of Heaven, the hunger of Hell, and the relentless ambiguity of his own humanity. Detective Nemo will commit an impossible act upon himself, all in effort to seek vengeance and chase down the diabolical presence that the Mirror Murders Killer has become--Mr. Blight. 

The Limited Edition Blu-ray also includes the Story-Book Micro-Feature A CATCH IN TIME: Chapter One (17min.). 

HUMAN NO MORE is a refreshing SPARK IN THE DARK for those of us ‘MACABRE On The INSIDE’––A THRILLER for the DISCERNING MISFITS & RESTLESS SPIRITS who see the world clearly through WIDE OPEN EYES.  If you love POE, you’ll love HUMAN NO MORE!

View the trailer on YouTube.

Buy the BD or View Online at Amazon.com

Also available to purchase through the Official Website.

 

 

 

EL DUCE LIVES, RE-ANIMATOR RETURNS AND DEMONS ERUPT - Feb from Arrow Video

Arrow Video’s February films include Doctor Herbert West behind bars, an extraordinary and unmissable shock rock doc, a duo of demonic horror favourites produced by horror maestro Dario Argento in dazzling UHD, and a dark and disturbing gem from Japan.

BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR - On Blu-ray 1st Feb

Jeffrey Combs (The Frighteners) returns as everyone’s favourite mad doctor in Beyond Re-Animator, the second sequel to Stuart Gordon’s undisputed 1985 splatter classic Re-Animator.

Finally being held accountable for his catastrophic experiments in re-animating the dead, Dr Herbert West (Combs) finds himself incarcerated at a maximum-security penitentiary. 

With the arrival of a new prison doctor who happens to be an enthusiastic student of West’s work, the medical deviant is afforded the opportunity to resume his grisly studies - this time on his fellow inmates, with predictably hair-raising results.

Once again helmed by gore guru Brian Yuzna (Bride of Re-Animator, Society) with memorably imaginative make-up effects by Screaming Mad George (Society, The Guyver), Beyond Re-Animator breathes new life into the hit horror franchise.


SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 and 2.0 audio options
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by director Brian Yuzna
• Isolated score track featuring an interview with composer Xavier Capellas
• Beyond & Back, an interview from 2018 with Yuzna
• Death Row Side Show, an interview from 2018 with Jeffrey Combs
• Six Shots by Midnight, an interview with S.T. Toshi, author of I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft
• All in the Head: Brian Yuzna on the Re-Animator Chronicles, an archive interview with the director looking back at the franchise
• In Prison with the Dead, an on-set documentary made by Yazid Benfeghoul for his Gore News fanzine, featuring interviews with Yuzna, Screaming Mad George and others
• Production Art Gallery by illustrator Richard Raaphorst
• Electronic press kit featurette, plus interviews with Yuzna and the cast, and behind-the-scenes footage
• Press conference footage, featuring Yuzna and the cast
• Interviews filmed at the Sitges Film Festival in 2002
• Music video for “Move Your Dead Bones” by Dr. Reanimator
• Alternate opening credits
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork by Gary Pullin

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Xavier Aldana Reyes and Michael Doyle

Available to pre-order soon.

THE EL-DUCE TAPES - On Blu-ray 1st Feb

In the early 90s, aspiring filmmaker (and General Hospital co-star) Ryan Sexton lugged a giant camcorder into some of the seediest clubs and the filthiest apartments in Hollywood. There he filmed hour upon hour of VHS footage of the jaw-droppingly offensive Shock Rock band The Mentors, focusing on their infamous lead singer, “El Duce.”

30 years later, the team behind The Nightmare and Room 237 and the editor of Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist, uncover this dusty stockpile of long forgotten – and unseen – footage. They begin to piece together a picture of the man under the black executioner’s hood and what his wilfully offensive act and controversial views might tell us about 21st century America.

An Incendiary, tragicomic documentary (midway between The Decline of Western Civilization and Crumb) which has been hailed as “Essential Viewing” by CineVue and called “Dark and Irresistible” by director John Carpenter, The El Duce Tapes will chew you up, spit you out, and leave you floored.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Brand new audio commentary with The El Duce Tapes crew
• The Ryan Sexton Tapes – 34-minute illustrated audio conversation between Ryan Sexton and producer Tim Kirk about the shooting of the original VHS footage
• The Nilbog Tapes – Video of the band recording the original score for the film
• More El Duce Tapes – A free-standing alternate assembly of unused material, sort of a sideways sequel
• Tape 2: Hollywood Reservoir – A piece of raw tape providing a peek behind the scenes of the process of shooting the footage and a candid document of El Duce and Ryan’s rapport
• El Duce Stories – A humorous cut-up of a few of El Duce’s famously long aimless stories into one completely incomprehensible and endless word salad
• Return to Rape Rock Mountain – A brand new interview with Steve Broy, aka Dr. Heathen Scum of The Mentors
• Reality Check presents the all-female El Duce tribute band The Womentors
• Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by John Pearson and reverse art by Benjamin Marra

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Manish Agarwal

Available to pre-order soon.

DEMONS 1 & 2 - On Limited Edition Blu-ray and 4K UHD 22nd Feb

In the early 1980s, Dario Argento, the famed horror maestro responsible for such classics as Suspiria and Deep Red, branched out from directing into producing, shepherding the work of his fellow filmmakers to the screen – among them Lamberto Bava (Delirium, A Blade in the Dark), son of the legendary Mario Bava. Together, they crafted two tales of terror that would become synonymous with Italian 80s horror, in which the veil between the real world and the silver screen is torn asunder.

In 1985’s Demons, a motley assortment of unwitting filmgoers accept invitations to a screening at the mysterious Metropol theatre. However, as the brutal slasher film unspools, the horror breaks free from the constraints of the screen, unleashing a swarm of slathering demons, intent on spreading their evil plague across the globe. 

Then, in 1986’s Demons 2, Hell comes direct to the living room as bloodthirsty demons descend on a luxury apartment block, devouring the residents and propagating their deadly plague.

Arrow Video is proud to present brand new 4K restorations of both classic films, more vivid and terrifying than ever before, alongside a wealth of bonus features old and new, making this the ultimate experience in celluloid terror.


 LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of both films by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives
• [4K UHD release] 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray™ presentations of both films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• [Blu Ray release] High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray™ presentations of both films
• Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Adam Rabalais
• Limited edition 60-page booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, Rachael Nisbet and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Double-sided fold-out poster
• Exclusive mystery sneak preview movie ticket (admits one to the Metropol Theatre)

DISC 1 – DEMONS
• Two versions of the film: the full-length original cut in Italian and English, and the slightly trimmed US cut, featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects
• Brand new lossless English and Italian 5.1 audio tracks on the original cut
• Original lossless English and Italian 2.0 stereo audio tracks on the original cut
• Original lossless English 1.0 mono audio track on the US cut
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for both English soundtracks
• New audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Bells podcast
• Archival audio commentary by director Lamberto Bava and special makeup effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, moderated by journalist Loris Curci
• Archival audio commentary by Lamberto Bava, Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta
• Produced by Dario Argento, a new visual essay by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring the legendary filmmaker’s career as a producer
• Dario’s Demon Days, an archival interview with writer/producer Dario Argento
• Defining an Era in Music, an archival interview with Claudio Simonetti
• Splatter Spaghetti Style, an archival interview with long-time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi
• Italian theatrical trailer
• International English theatrical trailer
• US theatrical trailer

DISC 2 – DEMONS 2
• Brand new lossless English and Italian 5.1 audio tracks
• Original lossless English and Italian 2.0 stereo audio tracks
• Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtrack
• New audio commentary by critic Travis Crawford
• Archival audio commentary by director Lamberto Bava and special makeup effects artist Sergio Stivaletti, moderated by journalist Loris Curci
• Together and Apart, a new visual essay on space and technology in Demons and Demons 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• Creating Creature Carnage, an archival interview with Sergio Stivaletti
• Bava to Bava, an archival interview with Luigi Cozzi on the history of Italian horror
• Italian theatrical trailer
• English theatrical trailer

Available to pre-order soon.


SHOGUN'S JOY OF TORTURE - On Blu-ray 22nd Feb

From the outrageous imagination of cult director Teruo Ishii (Orgies of Edo, Horrors of Malformed Men) comes this infamous omnibus of three shocking tales of crime and punishment based on true-life documented cases set during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate.

The first tale sees the beautiful Mitsu (Masumi Tachibana) going to horrifying lengths to tend to her older brother Shinzō (Teruo Yoshida), a carpenter injured in a work accident, but the law catches up on them and metes out a terrifying retribution after they violate the ultimate taboo. 

In the second, unfettered passions in a Buddhist nunnery are not allowed to go unpunished after abbess Reihō (Yukie Kagawa) and her attendant Rintoku (Naomi Shiraishi) encounter a virile young monk from a neighbouring temple. 

In the closing segment, a sadistic torturer (Fumio Watanabe) attempts to show a tattoo artist (Asao Koike) how to depict convincing expressions of faces of pain in his work by allowing him to sketch a selection of Europeans as they are tortured for entering Japan with the aim of spreading Christianity.

Ishii’s notorious portmanteau of Edo-era excess signalled a change in direction for a director until then regarded for his crime and yakuza films, setting the ball rolling on the run of grotesque historical anthologies for which he is now best remembered. Vehemently denounced by the critics of the day, Shogun’s Joy of Torture set a new benchmark for the depiction of sex, sadism and depravity in Japanese exploitation, with Ishii staging his elaborate torture methods with an unmatched verve and inventiveness.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
• Teruo Ishii: Erotic-Grotesque Maestro – an exclusively newly filmed interview with the author Patrick Macias
• Bind, Torture, Thrill – author and critic Jasper Sharp discusses the history of torture in Japanese exploitation cinema
• Original trailer
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jacob Phillips

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mark Schilling

 Available to pre-order soon.



SYNCHRONIC - Mind Bending sci-fi coming to UK Cinemas and Digital Jan

The hotly-anticipated SYNCHRONIC from directorial duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, starring A-listers Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie, is ready to send audiences on a gripping ride.  


SYNCHRONIC is a mind-bending, haunting sci-fi starring two of Hollywood’s most popular actors Jamie Dornan (The Fall, Fifty Shades of Grey franchise) and Anthony Mackie (The Avengers franchise, Detroit) as two New Orleans paramedics who encounter a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug.

Blending mind-bending thrills with relatable emotional turmoil, SYNCHRONIC has been described as “an eccentric and imaginative piece of genre cinema”. Following an incredible festival run including, Toronto International Film Festival, the BFI London Film festival, and Frightfest Glasgow - Signature Entertainment brings Synchronic in cinemas and on digital on January 29.

Watch the trailer on YouTube.



Tuesday 17 November 2020

Horror Channel unwraps its slate of seasonal shockers


Xmas hauntings, festive nightmares, sadistic serial killers and warrior priests…Be prepared for seasonal shocks a-plenty on Horror Channel this December, with a selection of prime-time movies including an Xmas Day screening of Frank Khalfoun’s boundary-pushing Christmas crime slasher P2, starring Wes Bentley and the George Clooney / Steven Soderbergh produced WIND CHILL, in which Emily Blunt spends Christmas Eve fighting off a horde of menacing apparitions.
 
Also unwrapped are John Carpenter’s classic car-rage chiller CHRISTINE, vampire action thriller PRIEST, starring Paul Bettany, the high velocity sci-fi drama SKYLINE and the supernatural twister SINISTER, starring Ethan Hawke, Plus, there Daniel Radcliffe battling with a vengeful ghost in James Watkins’ spine-chilling remake THE WOMAN IN BLACK, and a cunningly murderous David Tennant in BAD SAMARITAN.

Full film details in transmission order: 

Saturday 5 December @ 21:00 – SKYLINE (2010)

The residents of Los Angeles are awakened in the dead of night by an eerie light which is hypnotically drawing people outside before they suddenly vanish into thin air. As the world unravels, a band of survivors soon discover they must fight against the onslaught of a mysterious alien horde. Who or what are these extra-terrestrials and how long before mankind succumbs to their overwhelming power?

Saturday 13 December @ 21:00 – SINISTER (2012)

Desperately in need of a best seller 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.

Friday 18 December @ 21:00 – BAD SAMARITAN (2018)

A small-time crook, who runs a valet parking scam, robbing rich client’s houses while they dine at a fancy Italian restaurant, inadvertently stumbles upon a far more dangerous criminal - a sadistic serial killer played by ‘Doctor Who’ star David Tennant - earning a chance to redeem himself. An audacious throwback to such 90s thrillers as AMERICAN PSYCHO, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, CAPE FEAR and THE VANISHING, this crazy and outrageous jump-scare exploiter piles on the suspense and rips along at a nonstop pace to mind-chilling contemporary paranoia.

Sunday 20 December @ 21:00 – THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)

Based on the classic ghost story, The Woman in Black tells the tale of Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a lawyer who is forced to leave his young son and travel to a remote village to attend to the affairs of the recently deceased owner of Eel Marsh House. Working alone, Kipps begins to uncover the town’s tragic secrets and his fears escalate when he discovers that local children have been disappearing under mysterious circumstances. When those closest to him become threatened by the vengeful woman in black, Kipps must find a way to break the cycle of terror.

Monday 21 December @ 21:00 – CHRISTINE (1983)

 
 
High school geek Arnie Cunningham falls in love with "Christine", a bright red 1958 Plymouth Fury which has seen much better days. Setting himself the task of restoring the car to its original condition, Arnie has become consumed with passion for the sleek, rounded, chrome-laden car. His friends are horrified but it’s too late - anyone seeking to come between them becomes the victim of Christine's horrifying wrath.

Thursday 24 December @ 21:00 – PRIEST (2011)

Based on a popular comic book series, Paul Bettany stars as a warrior priest who disobeys church law by teaming with a young sheriff (Cam Gigandet) and a priestess (Maggie Q) to track down a band of renegade vampires who have kidnapped his niece

Friday 25 December @ 21:00 – P2 (2007)

It's Christmas Eve. Angela Bridges (Rachel Nichols), an ambitious executive, is supposed to be at a family gathering working late. When she gets down to the parking garage, she discovers that her car won't start. Thomas (Wes Bentley), a friendly security guard, offers to help, but when he also invites her to share a small Christmas dinner he's preparing, she doesn’t realise the invitation is not optional. If Angela wants to live to see Christmas morning, she must find a way to escape from level P2 of the parking garage.

Saturday 26 December @ 21:00 – WIND CHILL (2007)

It’s Christmas Eve. Two college students share a ride home for the holidays. When they break down on a deserted stretch of road, they're preyed upon by the ghosts of people who have died there. Emily Blunt stars in her first horror movie from George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh’s joint production company, Section 8 Productions.

Website: http://www.horrorchannel.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/horrorchannel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/horror_channel

Monday 16 November 2020

LOCKED DOWN: THE SCARIEST SHOW YOU WILL NEVER SEE!

Morpheus presents LOCKED DOWN, an innovative and exhilarating new theatrical experience which offers participants the thrill of immersive theatre in the safety of their own homes.


This is a show like no other. Hosted online by live actors, Locked Down is an exclusive, interactive experience in which audiences are invited to close their eyes and let Morpheus take control as they are guided on a terrifying and imagination-bending sonic adventure.

Dystopic and nightmarish, Locked Down guides groups of up to six people – each wearing headphones and a blindfold – on a sensory journey via Zoom.

With Covid-19 restrictions currently in place throughout the world, this is the ultimate ‘night out at home’ for groups of friends or families looking for a unique and memorable party idea. As the UK continues to socially distance Locked Down allows individuals to virtually meet like-minded people and make new friends. The show is also the perfect team-building experience for workplaces whose employees are working remotely.

Following on from the recent success of Morpheus’ first digital production All Hallow’s Eve, Locked Down began performances on 11 November and is open for booking now.  

A clock strikes, darkness falls and the game begins... Everything depends on you!

You wake to find yourself in a strange dystopian facility. Memories distorted - a jigsaw puzzle of violence and horror. What happened here? As you explore your new surroundings, the pieces begin to slot together. There was a deadly virus. A frantic search for a cure. Mass panic. Civil unrest. Riots. A war. 

There is now just one hope for civilization: you.

Can you work together to find the cure? Will you escape alive or will watch as the world descends into darkness? In this adrenalized and interactive experience, you are the star, the saviour.

LISTINGS
Tickets available to book from http://morpheus-show.co.uk

From £39 with discounts available for groups of 6

To participate in any of Morpheus’s productions you will need a computer/tablet/smartphone with access to Zoom, a stable internet connection, headphones and a blindfold.

The show may not be suitable for anyone who is pregnant or who suffers from epilepsy, claustrophobia or anxiety.


 

Christmas Horror Apparel On Sale Now at Fright-Rags

Deck the halls - and celebrate the birthday of a genre legend - with Fright-Rags! Just in time for the holidays, unwrap Krampus merchandise and Christmas horror apparel, plus a Tom Atkins tee.

Celebrate Tom Atkins' 85th birthday with a signature shirt from Fright-Rags featuring the cult actor as Dr. Challis in a production still from Halloween III: Season of the Witch.


Krampus is coming to town with Fright-Rags’ coloring and activity book, which features 20 pages of holiday fun based on the Michael Dougherty film. A pack of crayons is included. Two Krampus shirts have been reprinted as well.
 

The ghosts of Christmas past return to haunt Fright-Rags with restocks of holiday horror tees inspired by A Christmas Story, Scrooged, Christmas Vacation, and Krampus.

Tom Atkins, Krampus, and Christmas apparel is available now at Fright-Rags.com

 

Short fantasy thriller GOODNIGHT, HALLOWEEN - available to view for free on YouTube

Daily death figures…people locked down, hiding, communicating via webcams…a divided nation…a right wing agenda pulling the strings of government with populist politics…welcome to alternate Detroit in 1986…welcome to the world of GOODNIGHT,  HALLOWEEN. 

 

GOODNIGHT,  HALLOWEEN is a short fantasy thriller from award winning writer/ director Luther Bhogal-Jones – in this alternate world Halloween creatures have co-existed with mankind for all time…but now a forced government policy has removed their rights and allowed human citizens to exterminate them without consequence. The creatures have been forced into hiding and forged uneasy alliances between competing different species, all with their own agendas. A ray of hope emerges – evidence that could discredit K.R.O.N.A – the Khristian Right Of New Amerika – and having retrieved the evidence a group of creatures are scattered and forced to stay in hiding while the evidence is painstakingly uploaded to the Network…if they can stay alive long enough…which is where the film begins…

Ironically prescient for these times after being 14 years in the making (don’t ask, or refer to the accompanying 10 FAQs for more information on that) Goodnight, Halloween is a thrilling stylish throwback to the creature films of the VHS 80s era – something that could have come from studio stables of New World or Empire Pictures – while combining elements of Robocop’s mediabreak interludes and downbeat, cynical elements of John Carpenter’s work (especially with the Carpenter-esque score to the film – courtesy of Worthing composer Monzen Nakacho)

GOODNIGHT,  HALLOWEEN is available to view now at https://youtu.be/_j92cxEB39o

For more info on this and other features by Faster Productions, visit their Facebook Page.

 

THE CRAFT: LEGACY - On Digital Download Nov 20

The bewitching Blumhouse continuation of cult hit The Craft, THE CRAFT: LEGACY, is available to Download and Keep on November 20 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

An eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches gets more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers. When her mother Helen (Michelle Monaghan) decides to move in with her self-help guru boyfriend (David Duchovny), loner teenager Lily (Cailee Spaeny) has her life uprooted.

When she finds a new group of friends in a coven of witches, they have fun together flexing their powers. That is, until dark events occur. 

THE CRAFT: LEGACY, a progressive update of the 90s classic, stars Cailee Spaeny (TV’s “Devs”), Gideon Adlon (Blockers), Lovie Simone (TV’s “Greenleaf”), Zoey Luna (TV’s “Raising Zoey”), Michelle Monaghan (Mission: Impossible – Fallout) and David Duchovny (TV’s “The X Files”) and is directed by Zoe Lister-Jones. 

DIGITAL BONUS MATERIALS (not available on all platforms)

Featurettes:
-Franchise Legacy
-Powerful Story, Magical Director
-4 Alternate Scenes with an Introduction from the Director 

 

Wednesday 11 November 2020

4k restoration of David Cronenberg's controversial CRASH on Digital and Disc

Technology and sexuality meet in a head-on collision in Crash – director David Cronenberg’s controversial adaptation of writer J.G. Ballard’s hugely transgressive 1973 novel starring James Spader and Holly Hunter.

Spader stars as James Ballard, an advertising executive whose deviant sexual desires are awakened by a near fatal automobile accident with Dr Helen Remington (Hunter). Soon the pair, alongside Ballard’s wife Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger), are drawn into an underground world of car crash fetishism presided over by renegade scientist Vaughan (Elias Koteas). Danger, sex and death become entwined as eroticism and technology join together in a disturbing, deadly union.

Awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival for originality, daring and audacity, Crash remains an incredibly subversive and confrontational piece of cinema – Cronenberg himself describes it as “a dangerous film” – now newly refurbished in a stunning 4K restoration.

UHD

• 4K restoration of the uncut NC-17 version, supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in High Dynamic Range
• 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin
• Cronenberg Challenge – new interview with director of photography Peter Suschitzky
• Mechanical Animals – new interview with executive producer Jeremy Thomas
• The Shore Thing – new interview with composer Howard Shore
• License to Drive – new interview with casting director Deirdre Bowen
• 2019 Q&A with Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen at TIFF
• 1996 Q&A with Cronenberg and source novel writer J.G. Ballard at the National Film Theatre in London
• Behind-the-scenes footage and contemporary press interviews
• Architect of Pain: The Cronenberg Project—brand new video essay by Caelum Vatnsdal on Cronenberg’s use of architecture and location
• Crash! (1971, 18 mins)—short film originally broadcast as part of the BBC’s Review series, starring J.G. Ballard and loosely adapted from his 1970 novel The Atrocity Exhibition
• Two short films inspired by Ballard and the novel Crash: Nightmare Angel (Zoe Beloff, 1986, 33 mins) and Always (crashing) (Simon Barker and Jason Wood, 2016, 14 mins)
• Two Cronenberg short films: The Nest (2013, 10 mins) and At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (2007, 4 mins)
• Original Trailers
• Fully illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Vanessa Morgan, Araceli Molina, Jason Wood and Zoe Beloff, and a reprinted excerpt from Cronenberg on Cronenberg
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

BLU-RAY

• 4K restoration of the uncut NC-17 version, supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg
• High Definition Blu-rayTM (1080p) presentation
• 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Brand new audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin
• Cronenberg Challenge – new interview with director of photography Peter Suschitzky
• Mechanical Animals – new interview with executive producer Jeremy Thomas
• The Shore Thing – new interview with composer Howard Shore
• License to Drive – new interview with casting director Deirdre Bowen
• 2019 Q&A with Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen at TIFF
• 1996 Q&A with Cronenberg and source novel writer J.G. Ballard at the National Film Theatre in London
• Behind-the-scenes footage and contemporary press interviews
• Architect of Pain: The Cronenberg Project—brand new video essay by Caelum Vatnsdal on Cronenberg’s use of architecture and location
• Crash! (1971, 18 mins)—short film originally broadcast as part of the BBC’s Review series, starring J.G. Ballard and loosely adapted from his 1970 novel The Atrocity Exhibition
• Two short films inspired by Ballard and the novel Crash: Nightmare Angel (Zoe Beloff, 1986, 33 mins) and Always (crashing) (Simon Barker and Jason Wood, 2016, 14 mins)
• Two Cronenberg short films: The Nest (2013, 10 mins) and At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (2007, 4 mins)
• Original Trailers
• Fully illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Vanessa Morgan, Araceli Molina, Jason Wood and Zoe Beloff, and a reprinted excerpt from Cronenberg on Cronenberg
• Fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx

4K Digital out 30th November and 4K UHD Blu-ray out 14th December from ARROW VIDEO

Pre-order the UK 4KUHD from Amazon.co.uk

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

 

 

Hutson’s PROGENY spawns new novel for fans

British horror legend Shaun Hutson releases a new hardback novel, PROGENY and the paperback version of his hit 2019 hardback novel, Testament. Both novels are published by Caffeine Nights Publishing and supported with eBook and audio versions. 

PROGENY is the long-awaited sequel to his 1983 bestselling novel, Spawn. Caffeine Nights commissioned the original cover artist, for Spawn, Mark Taylor, to design the cover for Progeny. The artwork pays homage to Spawn while presenting a totally new book with a lovely classic horror retro feel.

Progeny works as a stand-alone novel, but for fans who have read Spawn, there is a whole back story there that adds another level to reading Progeny. I always wanted to go back and revisit some of my earlier work and see how I could develop the work over 35 years later. Spawn was always one of those stories that was left with strands that could be picked up and spun into something more horrific than the original.” Shaun said. “I also loved the irony of a book being spawned from the original that really is its progeny.”

Progeny is Shaun Hutson’s thirty ninth horror novel under his own name and is available in hardback, eBook and audiobook from all good book shops and online. 

Buy PROGENY from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Sunday 8 November 2020

THE VIGIL - Released Digitally Nov 30

Following its successful theatrical release, audiences who missed THE VIGIL in cinemas will have the chance to be spooked by the supernatural Blumhouse horror when it’s released on digital platforms later this month in the UK and Ireland, and on DVD January 2021. 

Set over the course of a long, dark night in Brooklyn’s Hassidic “Boro” Park neighbourhood, following Yakov (Dave Davis, True Detective), a former Hassid, who has lost his faith, and isn’t eager to go back to the insular religious community he only recently fled. 

But when Reb Shulem (Menashe Lustig), a rabbi and confidante, approaches Yakov and offers to pay him to be the shomer (watching over the dead body of a community member) for a recently deceased Holocaust survivor, he reluctantly accepts the job. Shortly after arriving at the dilapidated house, Yakov realises that something is very, very wrong. This will not be a quiet vigil.

From Blumhouse (the producers of Halloween and Insidious), and described by Bloody Disgusting as “a fresh take on the religious/demon possession horror film”, THE VIGIL is the startling debut feature from Keith Thomas. With an unusual and evocative setting, it’s beautifully crafted, packed with fingernail-shredding scares (including a mysterious video message that’ll stand your hair on end), an ominous and eerie score, and features a standout performance from Davis as a man confronting evil. The words “You want some tea?” will never sound the same again.

THE VIGIL will be released on Digital Platforms from 30TH November and on DVD on the 4TH January 2021 in the UK and Ireland.

 

Russian sci-fi blockbuster THE BLACKOUT: INVASION EARTH - out December

A top recon team step in when an alien invasion shuts down the planet, in THE BLACKOUT: INVASION EARTH, released by 4Digital THIS December on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital platforms. 

Imagine Chernobyl crossed with Battle: Los Angeles, with a touch of Predator, in this Russian sci-fi blockbuster that sees a future world teetering on oblivion.

When the end comes for civilization, it will not be terrorism or nuclear war that causes it, but ‘The Blackout’. An unexplained phenomenon has struck the Earth. Contact between most towns on Earth has been severed. A small area in Eastern Europe is the only location that still has electricity.

When military forces venture outside, they discover a shocking truth - corpses everywhere. In stores, in cars, on roads, in hospitals and railway stations. Who or what is destroying all life on Earth? And how long can the last outpost of mankind endure? It’s up to a crack squad of troops to investigate, venturing into a no-man’s land to confront the threat, whatever it might be - and exterminate it at all costs!

Featuring hi-tech effects, heavy-duty military equipment, bloody bear attacks and a suicide mission to end them all, The Blackout: Invasion Earth is a thrilling and chilling, action-packed epic that sees the fate of humanity resting in the hands of a group of heavily armoured, but massively overmatched soldiers (headed by Aleksey Cahdov, star of Nightwatch), and a lone female journalist. 

This is two hours of doom and destruction, intense firefights and mind-control mayhem - and a strange, leather-clad figure called Id, who holds the key to the blackout. 

THE BLACKOUT: INVASION EARTH will be released 28th DECEMBER on BD, DVD AND Digital platforms.

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

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

 


Tuesday 3 November 2020

POSSESSOR - Now coming to Digital Platforms 27 November

Due to the recently announced COVID-19 restrictions in England, Possessor will now be streaming as a premium Home Premiere release on digital platforms from 27 November. 


From the visionary mind of writer director Brandon Cronenberg (Antiviral), Possessor is a game-changing sci-fi thriller about elite, corporate assassin Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, Mandy).

Using brain-implant technology, Vos takes control of other people’s bodies to execute high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her.

Possessor features a stellar cast including Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night, The Sinner), Rossif Sutherland (Guest of Honour), Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey), Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight).

Signature Entertainment presents Possessor on digital platforms from 27 November 

View the Trailer on YouTube.


SAVE YOURSELVES - absurdly hilarious Sci-Fi comedy comes to Digital

Hilarious Sci-Fi comedy SAVE YOURSELVES! starring Sunita Mani (TV’s “Glow”), John Reynolds (TV’s “Search Party”), Ben Sinclair (TV’s “High Maintenance”) and Amy Sedaris (TV’s “At Home with Amy Sedaris”) is coming to Digital Download this month from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Jack (John Reynolds) and Su (Sunita Mani) are a hip Brooklyn couple who, like many of their friends, find themselves dependent on technology and unable to put down their phones. Fearing their mindless scrolling may impact their connection with each other, they seize the chance to head to an isolated cabin in the woods, vowing to unplug from the outside world for a week.

Sheltered from texts and push notifications, they are blissfully unaware that the planet is under attack by murderous cute furry aliens. As strange events unfold, the couple must figure out a way back to civilization—or what’s left of it!

SAVE YOURSELVES! is written and directed by Alex H. Fischer & Eleanor Wilson and produced by Kara Durrett, Mandy Tagger Brockey, Adi Ezroni.

SAVE YOURSELVES! is available to Download and Keep from November 23rd.

Monday 2 November 2020

Campaign for VR Horror "WE ARE OMEGA" Launched.

British screenwriter A.J. Cupples and Canadian director Brendan Petersen have teamed up to work on psychological horror, WE ARE OMEGA

Synopsis
A man named JJ drops $5000 to take his old friend Molly on a VR date. Think CABIN IN THE WOODS meets an episode of BLACK MIRROR.

Unlike the VR you are used to, Omega Reality offers an experience which requires no headset.

Once they enter the virtual world, they traverse to crazy new places through portals as they encounter nightmarish creatures, a sadistic clown named Gropey, a raving masked slasher with a neon flail named Bootleg, and more! 

What is virtual and what is reality starts to blur, as they start to wonder if they will ever be able to escape. . .

The Indiegogo campaign for this feature film is live, and we’re reaching for £15,000 (19.4 USD/25.8 CAD) to give JJ and Molly’s hellish story its proper justice... from visual FX of the nightmarish creatures to the high-tech portals operated by Omega.

Darkslide Pictures has experience in creating quality films and are calling all horror lovers to support and give an outlet for independent artists to make honest and profound feature films which don’t come from Hollywood’s cookie-cutter.

Our leads for the project are Beáta Imre and Honnor T. Seaton - our cast and crew are tight-knit and diverse... since the screenplays initial journey across the Atlantic, it has reached the cold climates of Thunder Bay, Ontario and found its way to the plains of the peach state, Georgia.

Every eye that falls on our campaign helps tremendously, and for that, we’re offering our backers amazing perks in return! 

For more info and to get involved visit the films Indiegogo page

 

HP Lovecraft adaptations in new pocket-sized editions

With everyone falling in love with H.P. Lovecraft this Autumn, SelfMadeHero is celebrating three of the master of horror’s favourite tales with I.N.J. Culbard’s popular adaptations along with Robert W. Chambers cult novel, The King In Yellow in new pocked-sized paperback editions for its Weird Fiction Library range. All four volumes have new cover art and forewords.

The Shadow Out of Time (ISBN 978191059396/ 120pp)

Miskatonic University, Arkham, 1908. Professor Nathaniel Peaslee collapses in front of a class of students, only coming to his senses five years later. 

Horrified to discover that his body has been far from inactive during the intervening period—and plagued by unsettling and outlandish nightmares—Peaslee attempts to piece together the truth behind the missing years of his life. 

A chilling journey through time, space, and the recesses of the mind finding terrifying form in this adaptation to one of his final tales. With a foreword by Jeff Lemire. 

Buy from Amazon.co.uk

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (ISBN 9781910593974/ 144pp)  

Obsessed with revisiting the sunset city of his dreams, Randolph Carter leaves the humdrum confines of reality behind, traveling into a vivid dreamworld where anything is possible. 

But while Carter draws closer to his goal—the mysterious Kadath, home to the gods themselves—another force, dark and brooding, is watching with plans of its own. 

An epic fantasy mixing adventure, peril, and wonder in equal parts, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath explores themes of memory and forbidden knowledge. With a foreword by Jeff Lemire. 

Buy from Amazon.co.uk
 

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (ISBN: 9781910593950/120pp)    

Providence, Rhode Island, 1928. A dangerous inmate disappears from a private hospital for the insane, his method of escape baffling the authorities. 

Only the patient’s final visitor, family physician Dr. Marinus Bicknell Willett—himself a piece of the puzzle—holds the key to unlocking The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. 

A macabre mixture of historical investigation, grave-robbing, and bone-chilling revelation. With a foreword by Jeff Lemire.

Buy from Amazon.co.uk


The King in Yellow (ISBN: 9781910593943/ 144pp) 

The King in Yellow: a play that brings madness to all who read it. Irresistible and insidious, it lures the reader with its innocence and dooms them with its corruption. 

In a series of interlinked stories, Robert W. Chambers’ classic work of weird fiction shows the creeping spread of the play’s macabre touch. 

A deft and unsettling adaptation that breathes life into this influential masterpiece. With a foreword by Dan Abnett. 

Buy from Amazon.co.uk  

 

 

Sunday 1 November 2020

Dawn of the Dead Limited Edition Box Set - Trailer and Packshot

Halloween may be over, but if you're still yearning for more horror, Second Sight films have just released a trailer for their upcoming 4K UHD and BD DAWN OF THE DEAD box sets.

Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest horror films of all time, this seminal work has been painstakingly restored and arrives in two separate format releases: Dawn Of The Dead Limited Edition 4K UHD and Dawn Of The Dead Limited Edition Blu-ray on 16 November 2020. 

Full specs can be found HERE 

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

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