Mayhem FIlm Festival report 2019 - Day 1

Thursday the 10th of October saw me make my annual pilgrimage to the Broadway Arts Cinema in Nottingham for the start of the 2019 Mayhem Film Festival. For 4 whole days of horror, exploitation and general weird films from around the globe. 

EXTRA ORDINARY

Things kicked off in a spectacular fashion with the horror comedy "Extra Ordinary". Set in Ireland, the film revolves around a hapless driving instructor named Rose (played by Irish comedian Maeve Higgins) who became sort of infamous many years ago, for appearing in a series of paranormal videos with her father, in which they would exorcise ghostly spirits.

Trying to put the past behind her following her fathers death, the poor woman has grown heartily sick of the phone calls from people claiming to be plagued by poltergeists or asking if she can contact deceased loved ones and just wants to focus on her new job.

But it seems her past might be about to catch up with her, as an ageing rock star, Christian Winters (Will Forte – TVs The Last Man on Earth) who’s been dabbling in the dark arts, possesses the daughter of one of her clients. Hoping a ritual sacrifice to the devil will revitalise his fame and fortune.

This was a real hit with the crowds, packed with off-kilter humour, subtle (and not so subtle) nods to various horror films and a hilarious end battle which puts a whole new shine on the phrase “cinematic climax”. As Rose and the girls father try and rescue his daughter.

Co director Mike Ahern was there to introduce the film and do a Q&A afterwards, footage of which will appear on my YouTube channel shortly. 

For more info visit the films Facebook and Twitter pages. 

Visit the films Official Website.

View the trailer on YouTube.

DANIEL ISN'T REAL

Sticking with the ghostly theme came the second and final film of the opening night, “Daniel isn’t Real”. Which marked a very different tonal shift from the light hearted nature of the previous film.

Richard (Andrew Bridges), is a teenage student with a troubled past, who thinks he may be developing the same mental health issues as his mother and becoming delusional. After an imaginary childhood friend named Daniel, that he vanquished from his memories many years ago, suddenly resurfaces.

His psychiatrist initially tells him not to worry, and to embrace his imagination. Which initially seems to go rather well, as Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger – Arnie’s son), though seemingly imaginary, shows him how to become more confident and less introverted, and suddenly Richard becomes extremely outgoing, is a hit with the ladies and starts flying through his exams.

But when things take a sinister turn and Richard starts doing rather nasty things to people that he has no recollection of, he begins to wonder if he’s sliding into Schizophrenia, or maybe his imaginary friend isn’t really imaginary?

Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Holidays, Some Kind of Hate), this was an interesting film in which you’re never really too sure whether Richard is just ill, or there really is something to this Daniel character he thinks he's imagining. Whilst this wasn’t really my sort of horror film, it certainly went down well with the crowd. But if anyone can figure out what the ending was about, please let me know!

Visit the films Facebook and Twitter pages.

View the trailer on YouTube.

And that concluded Day 1 of the festival.

The Mayhem Film Festival is on now at the Broadway cinema Nottingham and runs from the 10th - 13th October

Visit http://www.mayhemfilmfestival.co.uk

Also visit the official Mayhem Facebook and Twitter pages.

3 From Hell - Advance Fan Screening This Friday

Lionsgate UK presents a free fan screening of Rob Zombie's blood-soaked horror 3 FROM HELL! 

To celebrate the upcoming release of Rob Zombie's 3 From Hell on Digital Download, Blu-ray and DVD, Lionsgate UK would like to welcome fans of the 'Firefly Family' franchise to a very special, one-off advance screening of the film on 11 October at the Genesis Cinema in London.

This screening will include a video intro by series star Bill Moseley (Otis Driftwood).

Tickets are free of charge and are issued on a first come, first served basis.

Guests will receive one free drink on arrival and there will be a cash bar available after this as well

Schedule:

Friday 11 October, Genesis Cinema

- 7:45pm: Sign-in desk opens (all guests will receive one free drink upon arrival)

- 8:30pm: 3 From Hell screening + Bill Moseley video introduction and giveaways

To get tickets click the fllowing link to visit the EventBright Website 

Synopsis:First there was House of 1,000 Corpses. Then there was The Devil’s Rejects. Now, writer-director Rob Zombie presents the next blood-soaked chapter in the most violent crime saga in movie history, 3 from Hell...

After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley) and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained. Teaming up with Otis’ half-brother Wilson (Richard Brake), the demented Firefly clan are back to unleash a whole new wave of death and depravity.

A firestorm of murder, madness and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell and back.Starring Sheri Moon Zombie (Lords of Salem, The Devil’s Rejects), Bill Moseley (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2, The Devil’s Rejects), Sid Haig (Bone Tomahawk, The Devil’s Rejects), Richard Brake (31, Mandy), Dee Wallace (Critters, The Howling) and Danny Trejo (Machete, From Dusk Till Dawn).

3 From Hell is written and directed by Rob Zombie3 From Hell is on Digital Download, Blu-ray and DVD 14 October from Lionsgate UK 

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk 

13 nights of scares as Horror Channel presents a Haunted Halloween Season

For thirteen nights, from Saturday 19th Oct to Thursday 31st Oct at 9pm, Horror Channel presents a HAUNTED HALLOWEEN SEASON, a supernaturally spooky selection of the scariest movies.

Full film details in transmission order:

Sat 19 Oct @ 21:00 – THE UNSPOKEN (2015) *UK TV Premiere 

In 1997 the close-knit Anderson family vanished from their home without a trace. No bodies were ever found and no explanation satisfied curiosity. For seventeen years the house has remained undisturbed...until now.

Sun 20 Oct @ 21:00 – AMITYVILLE II: THE POSSESSION (1982)

A hard-hitting prequel to The Amityville Horror, this tells the 'true' story of the Montelli's, a dysfunctional Catholic family who arrives in the Amityville house years before the Lutzes of the first film. Sonny, the eldest son, is horrifically possessed by a sinister supernatural presence rising up from a secret basement room, and the rest of the family, including family priest Father Adamsk, appear powerless to stops the unfolding evil rampage.

Mon 21 Oct @ 21:00 – THE INNKEEPERS (1998)

After 100 years of silver service, the Yankee Pedlar Inn is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees – Claire and Luke – are determined to uncover proof that the hotel is haunted. As the Inn’s final days draw near, odd guests check in as the pair of amateur ghostbusters begins to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the establishment’s long unexplained history.

Tues 22 Oct @ 21:00 – STIR OF ECHOS (1999)

After he is hypnotized at a neighbourhood party, Tom Witzky (Kevin Bacon) changes. He sees things he can't explain and hears voices he can't ignore. As the horrific visions intensify, Tom realises they are pieces of a puzzle, echoes of a crime calling out to be solved. But when his other-worldly nightmares begin coming true, Tom desperately tries to rid himself of his eerie, unwanted powers.

Wed 23 Oct @ 21:00 – THE MESSENGERS (2007)

The first English-language horror entry by the Pang Brothers and produced by Sam Raimi this suspenseful supernatural thriller centres on the dysfunctional Solomon family, who leave the fast paced life of Chicago for the secluded world of a North Dakota farm. Amidst the tranquil sway of the farm's field of sunflowers, Jess, 16, soon realises how terrifying seclusion can be when she and her brother Ben, 3, begin seeing ominous apparitions invisible to everyone else.

Thurs 24 Oct @ 21:00 – FLIGHT 7500 (2014)

From the director of The Grudge comes this spine-chilling journey into fear. On a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo, a plane is shaken by severe weather. When the turbulence subsides, a passenger suddenly dies—and a supernatural force is unleashed, overtaking the passengers as they desperately fight to figure out what it is and how to stop it.

Fri 25 Oct @ 21:00 – THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2010)

Based on the classic ghost story, The Woman in Black tells the tale of Arthur Kipps, 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.

Sat 26 Oct @ 21:00 – THE POSSESSION (2016)

From two acclaimed masters of horror - producer Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD,) and director Ole Bornedal (NIGHTWATCH), comes a terrifying true story of how a family must unite in order to survive the wrath of an unspeakable and malicious evil. Divorced Clyde and Stephanie Brenek see little cause for alarm when their youngest daughter Em becomes oddly obsessed with an antique wooden box covered with arcane Hebrew inscriptions she purchased at a yard sale. But as Em’s behaviour becomes increasingly erratic the couple fears the presence of a malevolent force in their midst,

Sun 27 Oct @ 21:00 – THE NUN (2005)

Years ago, a cruel and merciless nun turned a boarding school into a living hell for her students until they could no longer bear the abuse, causing her undiscovered death. Now, the alumni are being brutally murdered one by one. Feeling a familiar and evil presence, the surviving women regroup to save their lives and lay the nun to rest one final time.

MON 28 OCT @ 21:00 – THE EYE (2008)

Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba), blind since childhood, undergoes surgery that successfully restores her sight. But unexplainable shadowy and frightening images start to haunt her. Not knowing if they are an aftermath of surgery, her imagination, or something horrifyingly real, Sydney becomes convinced that her anonymous eye donor has somehow opened the door to a terrifying world only she can now see.

TUES 29 OCT @ 21:00 – THE PACT (2012)

Following her mother's funeral, Annie reluctantly returns to her childhood home - a place she would rather forget. Then as her sister Nicole and cousin inexplicably disappear, Annie is forced to unlock the doors to the past to discover the hidden secrets of the house and in doing so finds a room that she has no memory of. Things take a sinister and terrifying turn as Annie soon realises she isn't alone in the house...

Wed 30 OCT @ 21:00 – BOO (2005)

Written and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante and Dog Soldiers producer Davis E. Allen, this jump-out-of-your-seat movie bursts with goo and gore and neat homage as a group of young friends spend Halloween in a dilapidated hospital, and soon find trouble-a-plenty in the ghoulish form of a psychotic spirit intent on escaping the dank wards.

Thurs 31 Oct @ 21:00 – PAY THE GHOST (2015) *Channel Premiere 

Almost a year after his young son disappeared on Halloween night in New York City, Mike (Nicolas Cage) is alone and haunted by terrifying visions of his son. Determined not to let go, he researches all the cases of missing children in the city and comes to a horrifying conclusion: that every Halloween a vengeful ghost surfaces to abduct three children and if they don't recover their son within a short window of time on All Hallows Eve, he will be lost to the spirit world forever. Following a series of terrifying clues, Mike is led deeper into the ancient curse that could destroy him and all he loves.

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

Hammer's ‘VAMPIRELLA’ - Live script reading

De Montfort University's Cinema, Television History Institute, Hammer Films and Regent Street Cinema present a live-script reading of one of the most infamous unmade British films of all time. In 1975, Hammer Films’ mounted an expensive and ambitious adaptation of the hit comic book Vampirella.

The film failed to make it into production, but for one night only, Jonathan Rigby directs a cast including Georgina Dugdale, Jonathan Rigby and Hammer legend Caroline Munro in a live reading of the original Christopher Wicking script.

OCTOBER 17th / 19:30 / REGENT STREET CINEMA 

For tickets visit the Regent Street Cinema Website

New Theatrical Immersive Horror Experience Comes To Manchester

Arden & Moore are proud to announce a brand-new pop-up horror experience coming to Manchester over the festive period. Survive the Nightmare is set to blur the lines between theatre and sound design, creating a profoundly immersive sonic performance which will take audiences to the depths of their imagination. This scare attraction is a truly alternative festive experience for those who like their cheer in the form of screams. 

Housed inside a shipping container, audiences will face their fears as they experience extreme scares in total darkness, following the sinister journey of a young couple moving into a dilapidated old Victorian house. Whilst trying to make their new home habitable for the festivities, mysterious things begin to happen, and they start to uncover that sometimes the gifts passed down from loved ones come bearing dark secrets. In this spine-tingling, unsettling thriller the horror often lies in what cannot be seen, as it is slowly revealed what lingers in the dark.

Audiences will be able to test their nerve at one of ten twenty-minute experiences a day, taking place from 3pm – 9pm from 29th November 2019 – 12th January 2020 at a secret central Manchester location.

Given the nature of the attraction the experience is strictly for those aged sixteen and above.

Following the Manchester run, Survive the Nightmare is set to head to London in 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.

Tickets are on-sale on Monday 7th October at 10am and can be purchased at https://survivethenightmare.seetickets.com/tour/survive-the-christmas-nightmare.

3 FROM HELL - UK BD review

Otis, Baby and Captain Spaulding from “House of 1000 Corpses” and “Devil’s Rejects” return in Rob Zombie’s latest sequel “3 From Hell”, which comes out on BD, as well as DVD in the UK this month.

Set some 10 years after the events of The Devil’s Rejects, it seems the Firefly family somehow miraculously survived the Police shootout at the end of that film, and have since been languishing in a maximum security prison.

Enter newcomer Winslow (Richard Brake – Game of Thrones), Otis’s half brother, who busts Otis and Baby out of Prison and together, the three of them head for Mexico. Leaving a trail of bloody corpses in their wake.

But Mexico may not prove to be the safe haven they were hoping for. As it seems they have angered the local drug cartel and the trio find themselves, quite literally, in a Mexican standoff against the Cartel’s men.

Bill Mosely (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) and Sheri Moon Zombie (Halloween 2007) both return as Otis and Baby, whilst Danny Trejo (Machete) also makes an appearance, reprising his role from the previous film. Sharper eyed viewers may also spot B-Movie actor Clint Howard (Evilspeak) and Austin Stoker (Assault on Precinct 13) in minor roles.

Of course, Sid Haig (Bone Tomahawk) also returns as Captain Spaulding. However, as you are no doubt aware, he’d been having health issues for some time and actually died just prior to the release of this film. So, sadly, he does not have a very large role in this.

In terms of enjoyment, I’d say the film is about on par with Devil’s Rejects. Filled with brutal murders and bloody action scenes. So if you enjoyed the previous films, you should also love this.

Extras wise, the disc comes with a feature length audio commentary track with Director Rob Zombie that accompanies the main feature.

You also get a feature length “Making of” feature entitled “To Hell and Back”, which clocks in at around 95mins and shows you how they did all the effects and action scenes and features interviews with director Rob Zombie and stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Richard Brake and of course, the late Sid Haig in what was sadly to be his final film. 

I was sent the Blu-Ray to review, but the DVD apparently contains the same extras.

"3 From Hell" is released to UK BD and DVD October 14th from Lionsgate

Buy the UK BD from Amazon.co.uk

Buy the UK DVD from Amazon.co.uk 

 

 

Arrow Video FrightFest announces line-up for Halloween 2019 event

Arrow Video FrightFest continues on its highly acclaimed and hugely successful Twenty Bloody Year rampage with a fear-packed journey through Halloween traditions, religious deviance, unstoppable maniacs, warped fairy tales, terrifying board games and the very rules of horror themselves. 

The popular Halloween all-day event returns to the Cineworld Leicester Square on Saturday 2 November and the 12-hour monstrous marathon embraces four UK premieres, one European and one International premiere.

The day kicks off with the European Premiere of Josh Hasty’s CANDY CORN. With an impressive all-star genre cast (including Tony Todd, who exec-produces), an innovative iconic killer and cool score, say hello to a new twist on a Halloween tradition

This is followed by a 80s throwback horror comedy, WE SUMMON THE DARKNES. From Marc Meyers, director of My Friend Dahmer, this UK premiere delivers gore and guffaws with gleefully twisted abandon.

Next up is the International premiere of UNCANNY ANNIE, directed by Paul Davis, who gave us the fabulous documentary Beware The Moon: Remembering ‘American Werewolf In London’ This dice-throwing game of death and survival kicks off the second season of Hulu’s Blumhouse-produced series Into The Dark and Paul will be introducing the film. 

Then there is the UK Premiere of SWALLOW, a warped fairy tale, posing provocative questions about the expectations imposed on women and the psychologically damaging effects of patriarchal culture. Anchored by Haley Bennett's knockout performance, this bold and atmospheric film marks the feature directorial debut of Carlo Mirabella-Davis. 

 The 8.30pm film is the UK premiere of TRICK, from Patrick Lussier, director of Drive Angry and the My Bloody Valentine remake. This surprising slasher delivers graphic shock after shock.

The finale presentation is SCARE PACKAGE which introduces us to the next generation of horror directors, Each of the eight talented filmmakers has selected a different horror sub-genre, taking aim at the tropes and overused clichés we find all too often in horror films.

Plus, we’ll be showing THE HAUNTED SWORDSMAN, the latest in acclaimed puppeteer Kevin McTurk’s Spirit Cabinet series. Corin Hardy, who backed the hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, will be joining us to introduce the acclaimed short.

Alan Jones, FrightFest co-director, said today: “Get your knives out, your chainsaws revved up and your machetes raised as FrightFest, the UK’s biggest and best genre event returns to the Cineworld Leicester Square on Saturday November 2 for a morning of mayhem, an afternoon of anguish and an evening of evil in a day of the dead extravaganza. Happy Halloween everyone!”

Day passes (£47) and single tickets (£14.50) go on sale at noon on Saturday 5th October.

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