Barbara Crampton stars in SACRIFICE - on Digital March

A couple expecting their first child head to a remote Norwegian village after a death in the family only to find themselves caught up in a deadly cult in SACRIFICE, a twisted Scandi-folk horror tale.

FrightFest favourite Barbara Crampton (From Beyond, Re-Animator) makes a welcome return to our screens in this dark terror-filled flick that’s set for its UK premiere this March thanks to 101 Films and it’s a fright for sore eyes.

This thrillingly gut-churning folk horror from Andy Collier and Toor Mian, arrives on digital on 15 March 2021. It follows fish-out-of-water Americans who head to their ancestral homelands near the arctic circle and are soon out of their depth.

After his mother, dies New Yorker Isaac (Ludovic Hughes – Murder Maps, Ride) and pregnant wife (Sophie Stevens – The Haunted, The Black Prince) journey back to the remote Norwegian village of his birth to get the family affairs in order.

The frosty welcome the couple receive from locals when they arrive soon warms as villagers learn their family name and are soon taken under the wing of policewoman (Crampton), but is she everything she seems?

The pair soon discover dark secrets from Isaac’s past and things become increasingly strange as Emma’s nightmares become all too real. A sinister cult that worships a sea-dwelling deity turns its followers’ attentions to the couple. Is it by chance or is it fate? And will they make the ultimate sacrifice?

Filled with a creeping sense of dread, get ready make the Sacrifice. It’s worth giving up everything for…

Released on Digital Monday 15 March 2021

 

 

HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT & HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS on Digital Feb and Disc March

From the depths of hell, horror icon Pinhead returns in the latest chilling chapters of the bloodcurdling Hellraiser franchise, created by horror master Clive Barker. With long-time series SFX artist Gary John Tunnicliffe at the helm, get ready for gore-soaked set-pieces and nightmare visuals that will tear your soul apart!

HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT
Hellraiser: Judgment finds two tough detectives, brothers Sean and David Carter, on the hunt for a gruesome serial killer terrorising their city with a series of murders based on the Ten Commandments. Joining forces with detective Christine Egerton, the trio dig deeper into a spiralling maze of horror that draws them into Hell to confront Pinhead and his evil Cenobite sect.

Starring: Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Damon Carney (Fear the Walking Dead), Randy Wayne (Escape Room), Alexandra Harris (Secret Diary of an American Cheerleader) and Paul T. Taylor (Sin City) as Pinhead. Directed by Gary John Tunnicliffe (Hellraiser franchise).

Blu-ray and DVD Special Features
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Gag Reel

HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS
When two American teenagers discover a familiar puzzle box in Mexico they unwittingly unleash an evil and deadly force: Pinhead, the sadistic cenobite from hell! A year later, the boys’ parents get together for a dinner in memory of their missing sons, but in the dead of night, one of the boys shows up at their doorstep, exhausted, terrified and hunted. Pinhead and his legion of Cenobites are closing in…

Starring: Steven Brand (Mayhem) Sebastian Roberts (Mary Kills People) and Stephen Smith Collins as Pinhead. Written by Gary John Tunnicliffe and directed by Victor Garcia (30 Days of Night: Blood Trails, Return to House of Haunted Hill). 

HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT is on Digital Download 22 February and BD and DVD 1 March.
HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS is on Digital Download 22 February and BD 1 March.

Pre-order HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT on BD from Amazon.co.uk
Pre-order HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Pre-order HELLRAISER: REVELATIONS on BD from Amazon.co.uk

WRONG TURN (2021) - coming to UK Digital and DVD.

A chaotic fight for survival befalls a group of friends on the Appalachian trail in this iconic franchise reboot from the original creator Alan B. McElroy. 

When a dream trip turns into a nightmare, one group of friends finds themselves at the mercy of an urban legend - The Foundation. As a freak accident drives the group deeper into the mountains, they find themselves succumbing one by one to hunting traps large enough to take out anyone that dares venture off the beaten path. 

The group soon realises they are not alone and what happens next escalates into a gruesome game of survival, as those who called the mountain home respond to this outside threat with their own swift and brutal justice. 

Starring Matthew Modine (Stranger Things) and rising star Emma Dumont (The Gifted). Directed by award-winning director Mike P. Nelson (The Domestics) and written by Alan B. McElroy (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers). WRONG TURN (2021) is produced by Robert Kulzer (Resident Evil: Extinction). 

View the trailer on YouTube.

Signature Entertainment presents Wrong Turn (2021) on Digital Platforms 26th February and DVD 3rd May

 

 

Satirical Horror ‘THE COLUMNIST’ - Skewering Trolls from 12TH MARCH

This year, keyboard warriors need to be careful who they offend online, as THE COLUMNIST is unleashed in cinemas and on Digital platforms, courtesy of Vertigo Releasing, on 12th March in the UK and Ireland.

Synopsis: Newspaper columnist and author Femke Boot is suffering from writers’ block, and her mood isn’t improved by the torrent of abuse and death threats she receives daily on social media. When she discovers that her obnoxious, loud neighbour is one of the anonymous people posting vile comments, she snaps and takes matters into her own hands. As she finds herself able to write again, she sets out on a mission - track down the trolls and deliver some swift, polite and deadly vengeance.

Starring Westworld's Katja Herbers, THE COLUMNIST, a stand-out at last year’s FrightFest, is a savagely satirical, gory and wholly thrilling look at what happens when the victim of online abuse says “enough is enough”.  Smartly scripted and slicky directed, with some wonderfully pitch-black set pieces, it is sure to provoke debate around the prescient topic of social media’s impact on basic civility. 

It’s Death Wish for the online generation, and you’ll be cheering as Herbers gets the next foul-mouthed victim in her sights.

‘THE COLUMNIST’ will be released in selected cinemas and on Digital Platforms from 12th March.

 

Horror Channel February features zombie action, bloodsucking comedy and Jet-Li heroics

Horror Channel has three thrilling primetime Saturday night channel premieres in February including the UK TV premiere of Chee Keong Cheung’s REDCON-1, a British zombie action epic, starring Mark Strange as a Special Forces operative battling a virus outbreak, Plus, there are Channel premieres for EAT LOCALS in which actor Jason Flemying makes his directorial debut with a bloodsucking comedy chiller featuring Mackenzie Crook, Dexter Fletcher and Annette Crosbie, and THE ONE, James Wong’s flashy superhero martial arts drama, starring Jet Li and Jason Stratham.

 

Other highlights for February include the John Carpenter remake of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED – which stars Christopher Reeves  in his last publicly released film before his career-ending injury, I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010) - Steven R. Monroe’s remake of arguably the most notorious title in horror history and the darkly gripping sci-fi thriller SPLICE. There’s also the critically-acclaimed MAGGIE, a take on the Zombie genre starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Julian Gilbey’s harrowing British survival shocker, A LONELY PLACE TO DIE, starring Melissa George and Ed Speelers.

 

Full film details in transmission order:

 

SATURDAY NIGHT PREMIERES

 

Saturday 6 February @ 21:00 – EAT LOCALS (2017) *Channel Premiere

 

In a quiet countryside farmhouse, Britain's vampires gather together for their once-every-fifty-years meeting. Others will be joining them too, including a detachment of Special Forces vampire killers, led by Larousse (Mackenzie Crook), who have bitten off more than they can chew. This is certainly going to be a night to remember...and for some of them it will be their last.

Saturday 13 February @ 21:00 – THE ONE (2001) *Channel Premiere

A rogue Multiverse agent (Jet Li) goes on a manhunt for alternate versions of himself, getting stronger with each kill. Only the last version of himself, an LASD cop, can stop his crusade before he becomes "The One".

Saturday 20 February @ 22:40 – REDCON-1 (2018) *UK TV Premiere

After a zombie apocalypse spreads from a London prison, the UK is brought to its knees. The spread of the virus is temporarily contained but, without a cure, it's only a matter of time before it breaks its boundaries, and the biggest problem of all... any zombies with combat skills are now enhanced. A squad of Special Forces soldiers is sent on a suicide mission to save humanity against ever-rising odds.

OTHER FILM HIGHLIGHTS

Wednesday 3 February @ 22:55 – I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010)

When writer Jennifer Hills (Sarah Butler) retreats to a charming cabin in the woods to start her next book, her presence in the small town attracts unwanted redneck attention. Intending to teach the city girl a lesson, they break into her cabin to scare her. However, what starts out as terrifying acts of humiliation uncontrollably escalates into a night of abusive assault. But against all odds Jennifer survives her ordeal and intends to turn the tables on her tormentors…

Sunday 14 February @ 21:00 – VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1995)

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 other worldly force

Thursday 18 February @ 21:00 – SPLICE (2010)

Clive (Adrian Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are brilliant and ambitious scientists. The new animal species they have engineered have made them rebel superstars of the scientific

world. In secret, they introduce human DNA into the experiment. The result is something that is greater than the sum of its parts: a female animal-human hybrid that may be a step up on the evolutionary ladder – and a step too far…


Sunday 21 February @ 21:00 – MAGGIE (2015)

As the world narrowly recovers from a near apocalyptic virus, an infected teenage girl (Abigail Breslin) with only a precious few weeks to live must find the strength and bravery to face her fleeting mortality as her father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) struggles helplessly to protect her from the frightened town, and keep the family together.

 
Friday 26 February @ 21:00 – A LONELY PLACE TO DIE (2011)

Five mountaineers are climbing in the Scottish Highlands when they stumble across an air pipe sticking out of the forest ground emitting panicked cries from a small girl who speaks Serbian. Who buried her in the earth chamber? Why? The horrifying answers to all those questions will take the quintet to the death-defying Devil’s Drop. And in the deadliest game of cat-and-mouse, predator becomes prey and vice versa in this top-flight terroriser laced with pulse-pounding thrills.

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

Dark Whispers Horror Anthology - Releases 25 Jan

Australia’s first all-female horror anthology releases on all major digital platforms across the UK and Australia on 25 January 2021.  DARK WHISPERS (Vol 1) consists of ten chapters by female directors from across Australia, brought together by Sydney based production company Hemlock & Cedar Films with a wraparound story written and directed by the anthology creator Megan Riakos (Crushed, Deadhouse Dark).

When Clara discovers her deceased mother’s ‘Book of Dark Whispers’, she can’t stop reading the strange stories within its mystical pages. Each weird tale reveals a new facet of the twisted human psyche... or the not-so-human. From the horror of grief to a sharehouse living disaster, from existential dread to right-swiping vampires, there is something for all tastes, as long as those tastes are twisted!

Amongst the cast of DARK WHISPERS (Vol 1) is Asher Keddie (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) who is terrorised by a stalker in the chapter ‘The Intruder’ as well as Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey) and Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) who feature in the segment ‘The Ride’, a darkly comic thriller which was backed by the BBC. In the wrap-around segment, shot by Justine Kerrigan (All About E, Enter the Wild), Andrea Demetriades (Babyteeth, Reckoning, The End) plays Clara, who is obsessed with her late mother’s cherished Book of Dark Whispers.

Inspired by her experiences as a genre filmmaker who had benefited from the support of a close-knit group of female colleagues, Riakos conceived of a project that would amplify female voices in this space. She teamed up with fellow producer Leonie Marsh (co-producer of Kick Ass 2), associate producer Briony Kidd (founder of the acclaimed Stranger With My Face International Film Festival) and executive producer Enzo Tedeschi (A Night of Horror Vol.1, The Tunnel & Event Zero).

They launched an Australia-wide call out for submissions and received a range of exciting short films from almost every state and territory, proving that contrary to popular assumption, there is no shortage of female talent in dark genre.

The final films selected for the anthology were directed by Angie Black, Briony Kidd, Isabel Peppard, Janine Hewitt, Jub Clerc, Kaitlin Tinker, Katrina Irawati Graham, Lucy Gouldthorpe, Madeleine Purdy and Marion Pilowsky.

The film launches in Australia and the UK on Monday 25 January on all major digital platforms with pre-orders on iTunes now available. 

View the trailer on YouTube.

Follow along for updates via:
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

Also, checkout the Website: https://www.darkwhispersanthology.com/

NO REASONS on Amazon Prime

Spencer Hawkin's exceptionally gritty thriller NO REASONS is out now on Amazon Prime. A follow up of sorts to his earlier Death Walks (you can read my review of that HERE), this film is about a couple, played by Marc Bannerman (TV's EastEnders, Footballers Wives) and Lucinda Rhodes (Fall of the Essex Boys), who are looking for their missing daughter.

Daniel Peacock (in a radically different role, to the comedy shows that he's often assosiated with) plays the private detective hired to track her down, by venturing into London's seedy underbelly of criminal gangs, drug dealers and vice girls, as he tries to find out what's happened to her.

Filmed back in 2016, this one has been stuck in post-production for a while, but is now available to view on Amazon Prime. But, and I don't say this lightly, is an exceptionally disturbing watch, in which there are no real good guys, and one that will probably make you feel like you need a bath afterwards.

Be that as it may, it does feature an exceptionally imprssive supporting cast, including Vicki Michelle (TVs Allo Allo), Roland Manookian (Rise of the Footsoldier, Rock n Rolla), Stuart Manning (TVs Hollyoaks), Lorraine Stanley (Eden Lake, TV's Eastenders), Jessie Williams (TV's The Dumping Ground, Call the Midwife), Elisha Applebaum (TV's Fate: The Winx Saga) and former Big Brother conestant Dexter Koh

I actually visited the set and documented the days filming on my YouTube channel, which you can view HERE.

View NO REASONS on Amazon Prime.

Extraordinary sci-fi ARCHENEMY out 22nd Feb

Max Fist is the hero we all need in these troubled times in Altitude’s extraordinary sci-fi action adventure ARCHENEMY, released 22nd February on DVD & Digital.

Max Fist was the greatest hero of a vast city in another universe. He saved his world from destruction but crashed through space and time... and wound up here - a desolate American suburb. Or so he says.

Powerless and a broken drunk, no one believes Max’s stories about his glory days until he meets a kid called Hamster. When the mob comes after Hamster’s family, Max must learn what it means to be a hero — here, now, without superpowers — one brutal blow at a time.

A gritty and moody masterwork of urban mayhem featuring, “Outstanding performances, and stunning set-pieces” (Starburst) ARCHENEMY is a truly original superhero story for the 21st century.

Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision, the studio behind sensational hits Mandy and Color Out of Space, delivers another slice of genre excellence, in conjunction with Legion M (the first fan-owned film company), with a fantastically colorful and entertaining blend of epic superhero mythology and modern noir, recalling Sin City, Hancock and Watchmen, from writer director Adam Egypt Mortimer, the red hot talent behind 2019’s acclaimed psychological horror Daniel Isn’t Real.

Featuring a throbbing synth score (from composer Umberto) and stylish visuals that mix in striking animated sequences, the film features a host of remarkable performances from a truly diverse cast - including True Blood’s Joe Manganiello as the mysterious Max Fist, Zolee Griggs (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Skylan Brooks (TV’s Empire), Jessica Allain (from the forthcoming Texas Chainsaw Massacre) - and unexpectedly nasty, against-the-grain appearances from comedy superstars Paul Scheer (The League) and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia).

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

 

 

Christopher Smith’s - THE BANISHING - Releases 26th March

The Shining meets Downton Abbey in the chilling new ghost story THE BANISHING, starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Brave New World, Harlots) and directed by genre master Christopher Smith (Black Death, Severance, Triangle). 

1930s, England. Linus, his wife Marianne and their daughter Adelaide move into town, where Linus has been posted as the new reverend. He’s been tasked by the Church to renew the villagers’ faith, which has been lost after the disappearance of the previous reverend’s family, who lived in the very same mysterious manor where Linus and his family have settled into. 

A story of isolation and a family strained to breaking point, THE BANISHING is the perfect lockdown-era chiller for fans of spine-tinglers like The Others and Rebecca.

Soon after their arrival, strange events start to occur: ghostly voices, dark figures dressed as monks, mysterious totems, and Adelaide’s behavior becoming stranger by the day. It soon becomes clear that a malicious entity seeks to possess Adelaide and that the Church is hiding a terrible secret…

THE BANISHING has a terrific cast, including Downton Abbey’s Brown Findlay as a young woman uncovering dark secrets in her new home; Sean Harris (Red Riding, Mission: Impossible) as ghost hunter Harry Price; and John Lynch (Isolation) as a sinister ‘Man of God’.

THE BANISHING will be released in cinemas and on digital platforms March 26th 2021, courtesy of AMC Networks’ Shudder, in partnership with Vertigo Releasing. 

 

Arrow Video FrightFest announces Glasgow Film Festival 2021 virtual line-up

Welcome to the 16th edition of Arrow Video FrightFest Glasgow, which, despite continuing COVID-19 restrictions, is back to present a virtual six-pack of tasty titles; an extravaganza of the dark arts that will leave you stirred, shaken and shocked.  

There will be six online presentations, including the UK premiere of Kyle Rankin’s controversial high school siege drama RUN HIDE FIGHT, starring Isabel May as a fiercely independent student taking on a quartet of invading shooters, and the UK premiere of OUT OF THIS WORLD (HORS DU MONDE), a disturbing, compelling study of obsession from brilliant new French director Marc Fouchard. It boasts a stunning performance by Kevin Mischel as a mentally-challenged musician turned Uber driver.

A few years back Here Comes Hell, a Black & White mystery thriller, was a FrightFest Glasgow sensation, and THE WOMAN WITH LEOPARD SHOES (LA FEMME AUX CHAUSSURES LEOPARD) is another satisfying retro fix from first timer Alexis Bruchon. Expect an impressively old school yet ultra-modern noir thriller that twists, turns and twists again.

There are also two outstanding Canadian entries in the line-up – the European premiere of AMERICAN BADGER, Kirk Caouette’s gritty and turbo-driven hard action thriller and the UK premiere of Cody Calahan’s nostalgia-fest VICIOUS FUN, a skewering of 1980s fashions which slashes its way through the current era of genre filmmaking.

Finally, from director Christopher Alender, producer of the Glasgow FrightFest past selections Southbound and The Mortuary Collection, is the UK premiere of THE OLD WAYS, a terror tale taken from sinister Latin American folklore

The six films, which will be geo-locked to the UK and limited to 500 tickets, will be available on-demand between the 5th & 7th of March, so can be viewed over those three days

Tickets will go on sale on Monday 18 January, priced £9.99. Please note that passes are not available. For more information: www.glasgowfilm.org/festival

Alan Jones, co-director of FrightFest commentated: “FrightFest might be presenting a more boutique line-up than usual, but our determined response has still been to showcase the bold and vital work artists have felt compelled to make under such unique conditions. We stay resolute in our continual mission to bring those must-see genre titles to their first UK audiences, especially our devoted Scottish community”.

Film details

RUN HIDE FIGHT (UK Premiere)

 
Director: Kyle Rankin. Cast: Isabel May, Thomas Jane, Treat Williams. US 2020. 109 mins. 18.  Contains Body hatred, fat phobia, violence, death or dying, blood, sexism and misogyny, hateful language.

Synopsis: A normal school day is brought to a brutal halt when invaded by armed students on a murderous mission. As the shooting starts and the blood starts to flow, Zoe is lucky to get out alive. But then she heads back inside the building to rescue as many staff and pupils as she can. It’s High School DIE HARD as Zoe uses her survival skills to outsmart the killers.

View the trailer on YouTube.

 
OUT OF THE WORLD / HORS DU MONDE (UK Premiere)
 

Director: Marc Fouchard. Cast: Kevin Mischel, Aurélia Poirier, June Assal. France 2020. 97 mins. French with English subtitles. 18. Contains sexual assault, violence, death or dying, blood, mental illness.

Synopsis: The very private Leo has issues communicating with others due to past trauma and only lives for his music. For now, not able to have a career as a composer, he works as an Uber driver and lives in his car. When Leo picks up Amélie, a deaf dancer, he sees a like-minded spirit, connected to the same remote sound universe yet cut off from the world, just like him. But Leo is hiding a dark and dangerous secret.

View the trailer on YouTube.


VICIOUS FUN (UK Premiere)
 

Director: Cody Calahan. Cast: Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen.  Canada 2020. 96 mins. 18. Contains abuse, violence, death or dying, blood.

Synopsis: Joel, a caustic 1980s film critic for a national horror magazine, accidentally stumbles into a secret underground self-help group for serial killers. Can he match wits with five exterminators and make it through the night alive? Kill or be killed, Joel will have to find his inner assassin and muster hidden strengths to defeat the maniacs in his midst.

View the trailer on YouTube. 
 

THE OLD WAYS (UK Premiere)

Director: Christopher Alender. Cast: Brigitte Kali Canales, Andrea Cortés, Julia Vera. USA 2020. 90 mins. 18. Contains abuse, violence, kidnapping, death or dying, blood

Synopsis: Cristina, a journalist of Mexican origins, travels to the home of her ancestors in Veracruz to investigate a story involving sorcery, witchcraft and healers. Once there, she is

kidnapped by a group of mysterious locals who claim that she's possessed by the devil and that she needs to undergo an exorcism. But as she tries to escape her nightmarish situation, Cristina starts to believe that her secretive captors may actually be right...

View the trailer on YouTube.
 

AMERICAN BADGER (European Premiere)
 

Director: Kirk Caouette. Cast: Kirk Caouette, Andrea Stefancikova, Michael Kopsa. Canada 2020. 82 mins. 18. Contains abuse, kidnapping, death or dying, blood.

Synopsis: Meet Badger, because his real name is Dean, and that's the lamest ever for a hitman. Like all American Badgers, he prefers to be alone, and has hardly spoken a word to anyone except his Handler. But all that is about to change with his latest assignment - make friends with call girl Velvet, extract information about the criminal Albanian gang she works for, and then kill her. What he doesn’t know is that Velvet is like a daughter to the mob boss and all hell is about to break loose.

View the trailer on YouTube.
 

THE WOMAN WITH LEOPARD SHOES/LA FEMME AUX CHAUSSURES LEOPARD (Scottish Premiere)

Director: Alexis Bruchon. Cast: Paul Bruchon. France 2020. 80 mins. French with English subtitles. 18. Contains death or dying, blood.

A thief is engaged by a mysterious woman to steal a box in a house. The job goes well but, as he’s escaping, dozens of people arrive for a party. The thief just has time to hide in a study. Confined in this little room, he tries to flee but things turn for the worse when he makes a shocking discovery… 

View the trailer on YouTube.

For full programme details: http://www.frightfest.co.uk/

 

 

DEXTER Slices Into Fright-Rags Apparel

America's favorite serial killer comes to Fright-Rags! Ring in the new year with officially licensed Dexter apparel, plus restocks of five classic designs.

Hot off the news of a series revival, Fright-Rags has released its Dexter collection. It features four T-shirts, including an homage to Maniac, and a blood-spattered snapback hat.

Fright-Rags has also brought five fan-favorite tees back from the dead with reprints of Return of the Living Dead, They Live, Horror of Dracula, Creepshow, and The Crow.

The Dexter collection and restocks are on sale now at Fright-Rags.com.

The horror apparel company has plenty more in store for 2021, including an Evil Dead 40th anniversary collection later this month.

 

 

Brand new 4K restorations of DEMONS 1&2 out 22nd Feb from Arrow

Arrow Video is proud to present brand new 4K restorations of both these 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.

 

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.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:

• Brand new 4K restoration of both films by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• 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

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

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

 

 

 

POSSESSOR on Digital HD and Blu-ray/DVD February

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).

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- Deleted Scenes
- A Heightened World: The Look of Possessor
- Identity Crisis: Bringing Possessor to Life
- The Joy of Practical: The Effects of Possessor
- Short Film 'Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You' by Brandon Cronenberg

 

POSSESSOR is available on Digital HD from 1st Feb and Blu-ray/DVD from 8th Feb.

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

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

 

 

SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER - coming to VOD Feb

No sooner has 15-year-old Lee Keegan been expelled from his private school, than an apocalyptic event wipes out most of the world's population. 

With his father dead and mother trapped abroad, Lee is given one instruction: go back to school. But safety and security at St. Mark's School for Boys is in short supply. 

Its high walls can't stop the local parish council from forming a militia and imposing marshal law, while inside the dorms the end of the world is having a dangerous effect on his best friend and his unrequited crush on the school nurse isn't helping him concentrate on staying alive.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER is released to UK VOD outlets 15th Feb and will be available on BD and DVD from 12th April.

 

Lockdown horror HOST gets Limited Edition Blu-ray - 22 Feb

The hair-raising horror hit, HOST from director Rob Savage (Britannia, Soulmates) invites you to join the most chilling Zoom call ever made, as a demonic presence haunts a group of friends in a quarantine catchup call gone horribly wrong. Fans of the affectingly contemporary, universally acclaimed Shudder Original film can expect a special feature packed Limited Edition Box Set release from Second Sight Films on 22 February 2021.

Six friends get together during lockdown for their weekly video call. It’s Haley’s (Haley Bishop – Angel had Fallen, Deep State) turn to organise an activity and instead of a quiz, she’s arranged for a medium to conduct a séance.

Bored and feeling mischievous, Jemma (Jemma Moore – Wonder Woman, Doom: Annihilation) decides to have some fun and invents a story about a boy in her school who hanged himself. 

However, her prank gives license for a demonic presence to cross over, taking on the guise of the boy from the made-up story. The friends start to notice strange occurrences as the evil presence begins to make itself known in their homes…will they get to leave the meeting unscathed or will it be the end for them all?

SPECIAL FEATURES
• New exclusive commentary by Director Rob Savage and Producer Douglas Cox
• New exclusive cast commentary
• New exclusive cast interview
• Behind-the-Scenes feature
• ‘Is There Goblins Now?’ – the original prank video
• ‘Kate Scare’ – prank video test run
• Rob Savage’s short films Dawn of the Deaf and Salt
• The Host Team Séance
• BFI Q&A with Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley, Jed Shepherd, Douglas Cox, Haley Bishop, Brenna Rangott, Caroline Ward
• Evolution of Horror interview with Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd
LIMITED EDTION CONTENTS
• Rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Thomas Walker
• Perfect-bound booklet with the original story outline and new essays by Ella Kemp and Rich Johnson
• 6 collectors’ art cards

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

 

 

ELYSIUM - Available for the first time on 4K Ultra HD February

Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Chappie) and starring Matt Damon (Jason Bourne, The Martian, Le Mans’66) ELYSIUM will be available on 4k Ultra HD for the first time on February 8th, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium—but that doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max (Matt Damon) agrees to take on a life-threatening mission, one that could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Also starring Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs, Panic Room), alongside a strong international supporting cast, including Sharlto Copley (District 9), Alice Braga (I Am Legend), Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien), Wagner Moura (Elite Squad) and William Fichtner (The Lone Ranger), ELYSIUM 4K Ultra HD is beautifully presented in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range.   It includes hours of bonus material including behind the scenes footage and a host of features.
 
BONUS MATERIALS:

4K ULTRA HD DISC
- Exoskeletons, Explosions and the Action Choreography of Elysium
- The Hero, The Psychopath and the Characters of Elysium
- The Art of the Elysium Miniatures
- Bugatti 2154
- Theatrical Trailers
 
BLU-RAY DISC
- Collaboration: Crafting the Performances in Elysium
- Engineering Utopia: Creating a Society in the Sky
- Extended Scene
- Visions of 2154 – An Interactive Exploration of the Art and Design of Elysium
- In Support of the Story: The Visual Effects of Elysium
- The Technology of 2154
- The Journey to Elysium
-- Envisioning Elysium
-- Capturing Elysium
-- Enhancing Elysium

The UK 4K UHD will be available to Pre-Order shortly from Amazon.co.uk

 

Russian sci-fi blockbuster THE BLACKOUT : INVASION EARTH - Out Now!!!!

Out now on UK Disc and Digital platforms, a top recon team step in when an alien invasion shuts down the planet, in THE BLACKOUT: INVASION EARTH.  

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. 

Watch a Behind The Scenes Making Of on Vimeo 

Watch the Music Video for Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park’s song “Fine” on Vimeo

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk

 

 

Supernatural chiller THE HEIRESS gets global Digital release.

The Movie Partnership, in association with Old Way Film & Television, will be releasing the powerful and haunting supernatural thriller THE HEIRESS, both in the UK and across the world, excluding US and Canada Digitally from Monday 15th March.

The female-driven story, blending the occult with contemporary familial issues, stars Candis Hergaard as Claire and Jayne Wisener as Anna, cousins who share a mysterious connection to a dark family secret. Following the death of Clare’s grandmother, ancient spirits are unleashed and the women must do battle with ‘Lilith’, a malevolent female spirit who has returned to claim possession of Anna’s unborn child.

Directed by Chris Bell and written by Danny Prescott, Jezz Vernon, Chris Bell and Kelly Prescott, THE HEIRESS is an Old Way Film & Television production, produced by, Richard Turner, Terry Stone, Jezz Vernon & Danny Prescott. It stars Candis Nergaard (Call the Midwife, Grantchester), Jayne Wisener (Sweeney Todd, Jane Eyre), Jonny Phillips (Titanic, Outlaw King), David Schaal (The Inbetweeners, Frontier), Denise Stephenson (St Trinians, Swimming with Men), Mark Arden (Agatha Raisin, Teenage Kicks) and Flip Webster (Harry Potter, The Alienist).

It will be available to download from all major platforms including iTunes, Amazon, SKY Box Office, Sony and Google from Monday 15th March, 2021.

THE HEIRESS, is also being released on Tuesday March 16th 2021 in the US and Canada courtesy of 4Digital Media.

View the Teaser Trailer on YouTube.

Dystopian sci-fi LX 2048 coming to UK Blu-ray, DVD & Digital

In the near future, the sun has become so toxic that people can no longer leave their houses in daytime, and normal life is conducted mostly inside the virtual realm. 

 

Against this dystopian backdrop, a dying man seeks to ensure the future wellbeing of his family, while coping with what it means to be human in this new reality.

From writer-director Guy Moshe (Bunraku, Holly), LX 2048 is a powerful, thought-provoking sci-fi starring James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Agent Carter), Anna Brewster (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Versaille), Gina McKee (Catherine the Great, Bodyguard) and Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods, The Good Fight).

Dazzler Media presents dystopian sci-fi LX 2048 on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from 25th January.

View the trailer on YouTube.

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

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

 

Classic Universal Pictures Horror Films to premiere on YouTube for FREE from 15 January

This January, NBCUniversal is offering fans the chance to dive into some of Universal Pictures’ most gruesome classic films ever made on one of the world’s biggest horror YouTube channels, ‘Fear: The Home of Horror.’

 

Starting 15 January, 2021, ahead of Blue Monday, fans will have the opportunity to scare away the January blues and take a step back in time to watch an incredible array of classic re-mastered cult films for FREE including Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), The Mummy (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), The Wolf Man (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

In its more than 100-year history, Universal Pictures has been considered the home of the classic monster genre, introducing audiences to an enormous array of direful oddities including vampires, mummies, werewolves and more.

Each film will premiere individually and be available to watch for seven days on the Fear: The Home of Horror YouTube channel. Additionally, during each film’s premiere week, fans will have the opportunity to add these films to their digital collection at a discounted price, allowing them to watch whenever they want, for as many times as they want!

Whether you are looking for a quick jump scare, for a collection of the most gruesome murders or just a re-watch of the most iconic scenes from the history of horror, Fear will be your final destination.  

Visit the YouTube channel.

 

PREMIERE SCHEDULE OF FILMS

15 January 2021 at 8:00pm

Dracula (1931)

The mysterious Count Dracula takes up residence in an old castle in London after arriving from Transylvania, quickly wreaking havoc, sucking the blood of young women and turning them into vampires. When eminent alienist Dr. Seward summons his old friend, the great Dr. Abraham Van Helsing from Holland to examine his ill daughter Lucy, the presence of two red marks on her throat confirms she is the victim of the phenomena that took the life of her dearest friend Mina. As further investigation discovers Lucy to be under Dracula’s hypnotic power, Van Helsing is enlisted to put a stop to the count's never-ending bloodlust.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Edward van Sloan, Dwight Frye
Produced By: Carl Laemmle Jr., Tod Browning
Directed By: Tod Browning
 
The Mummy (1932)

As a punishment for attempting to bring his former lover back to life, Priest Im-ho-tep was buried alive. 3,700 years later in 1921 during an archaeological dig, expedition members discover a sarcophagus in an unmarked grave containing the mummy of Im-ho-tep. Back from the dead, Im-ho-tep adopts the garb of a modern Egyptian and goes in search of his former love, echoes of whose physical form he finds in expedition member Helen Grosvenor.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward van Sloan, Arthur Byron, Bramwell Fletcher, Noble Johnson, Leonard Mudie, Katheryn Byron, Eddie Kane, Tony Marlowe, James Crane, Arnold Grey, Henry Victor

Edited By: Milton Carruth
Produced By: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Written By: John L. Balderston
Directed By: Karl Freud
 

16 January 2021 at 8:00pm

 Frankenstein (1931)

Scientist Henry Frankenstein has become alienated from his friends and bride-to-be through his obsessive determination to create life. Frankenstein has created a monster out of body parts acquired by his assistant, Fritz and succeeds in giving it life during an electrical storm. Due to a mistake by Fritz, the creature possesses the brain of a killer, and after being tormented to breaking point, the monster goes on a murderous rampage, terrorising the local community.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Edward van Sloan, Dwight Frye, Frederick Kerr, Lionel Belmore

Produced By: Carl Lawmmle Jr.
Written By: Garrett Fort, Francis Edwards Faragoh
Directed By: James Whale

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Scientist Henry Frankenstein is recuperating, believing his creation to have been destroyed in a fire, when he receives a visit from his former mentor Dr Pretorius. Pretorius wishes Frankenstein to resume his experiments, but the latter refuses. When Pretorius then discovers the monster alive and now able to communicate, he uses it to kidnap Frankenstein's wife, blackmailing him into creating a mate.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester, Gavin Gordon, Douglas Walton, Una O’Connor, E.E. Clove, Lucien Prival, O.P Heggie, Dwight Frye, Reginald Barlow, Mary Gordon, Ann Darling, Ted Billings

Produced By: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Written By: William Hurlbut
Directed By: James Whale
 

17 January 2021 at 8:00pm

 The Invisible Man (1933)

While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor and his fiancée, he starts to go insane. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and former partner desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers
Produced By: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Written By: R.C Sherriff
Directed By: James Whale

The Wolf Man (1941)

When his brother dies, Larry Talbot returns to Talbot castle in Wales and reconciles with his father. When he takes Gwen Conliffe and her friend Jenny to a Gypsy carnival, Larry encounters a giant wolf on the attack who he beats to death with his cane. After the insistent he is left badly bitten and later discovers the wolf he killed was actually a man, the son of a gypsy who was a werewolf and who has turned Larry into one as well.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Lon Chaney

Edited By: Ted J. Kent
Produced By: George Waggner
Written By: Curt Siodmak
Directed By: George Waggner

 
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Comic duo Bud Appott and Lou Costello star as railway baggage handlers Wilbur and Chick in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur, the museum's director, Mr. MacDougal demands that they deliver them personally so they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou's friend Chick has grave suspicions.

Filmmakers:
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph, Frank Ferguson, Charles Bradstreet

Edited By: Frank Gross
Produced By: Robert Arthur
Written By: Robert Lees, Frederic I Rinaldo, John Grant
Directed By: Charles T Barton

 

THE EVIL DEAD: WITH LIVE COMMENTARY FROM BRUCE CAMPBELL -Worldwide Virtual Watch Party

 

WATCH LIVE Livestreams presents Evil Dead Watch Party: With Live Commentary from Bruce Campbell. Campbell himself will host the WORLDWIDE virtual viewing party - providing live commentary throughout on Saturday, January 23rd at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST. Fans will experience Campbell’s movie memories, behind the scenes stories, anecdotes from the film, hilarious stories, and for a few lucky viewers, Bruce will even answer questions live from the chat.

“I’m excited about this project,” says Bruce Campbell. “It will be a great opportunity to safely connect with fans and allow them a closer look behind the scenes.” 

Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased online at bit.ly/WatchwithBruce. Tickets are $25/device and VIP Tickets/device are $50 and include a limited-edition event poster that will be mailed to the purchaser.

For more info and to purchase tickets CLICK HERE.