Based on a true story, have a look at the first official poster for THE POSSESSION – the terrifying story of how one family must unite in order to survive the wrath of an unspeakable evil. A pretty creepy face-hugger, wouldn’t you say?

Clyde (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Stephanie Brenek (Kyra Sedgwick) see little cause for alarm when their youngest daughter Em becomes oddly obsessed with an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. But as Em’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic, the couple fears the presence of a malevolent force in their midst, only to discover that the box was built to contain a dibbuk, a dislocated spirit that inhabits and ultimately devours its human host.

Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan (WATCHMEN) and Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”), THE POSSESSION is directed by Ole Bornedal (NIGHTWATCH), written by Juliet Snowden & Stile. s White, and produced by horror master Sam Raimi along with Rob Tapert and J.R. Young. Lionsgate and Ghost House Pictures present.

THE POSSESSION will be in theaters everywhere August 31, 2012.

For the latest news and updates, like the official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/ThePossessionMovie

Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/LionsgateHorror

Also be sure to read about the true story that inspired the film in this LA Times article: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/25/entertainment/ca-gornstein25

EDDIE – THE SLEEPWALKING CANNIBAL is a fun little dark comedy that will surely find a nice audience although it might not rise to a level of cult phenomenon that one might think based on the deliriously twisted plot. Lars Olafssen is a former well-known artist who lost his muse 10 years ago. Finally content with not painting anymore, he takes a small teaching gig in Koda Lake, Canada where he ends up also having to care for Eddie, a seemingly harmless handicapped adult played perfectly by Dylan Smith. Eddie was traumatized as a child by the death of his parents so he no longer speaks. He also has a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night, shed his clothing down to his tighty-whities and eat people while still asleep. This would be horrible if not for the fact that seeing Eddie’s carnage somehow triggers a creative response in Lars, leading him to start painting again.

One of the things I absolutely hate about movies set in the art world is that often people are depicted as creating their so called masterpiece and when you see the artwork, it is nothing special. A large part of EDDIE is Olaf’s paintings yet they are given the golden briefcase treatment, meaning we never actually see them. This is one of the many things the film gets right. It knows exactly what to show, as evidenced by the very brisk pacing and perfectly short running time. While the film may not always be nonstop hilarity or thrills, it is certainly never dull. I do agree with some other people’s sentiments that the film gets better the bloodier it becomes but I think the restraint from showing much gore at first works thematically as both Eddie and Olaf strive towards their magnum opus. There are a lot of other little details in the film that work equally well, such as the running joke of the radio DJ commenting on how each of the classical music pieces played throughout the film directly correlate to tragedy and scenes of death.

Rather than spoil any more surprises, let me just recommend checking out EDDIE when it finds some sort of a release. This is a damn fun film and despite the outlandish concept, it is easy to relate to especially for creative types. There’s no telling how far some artists will go to get their muse back…

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com

Newly-formed international sales company Meyers Media Group announces today that they have picked up all international rights to director Zebediah De Soto’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: ORIGINS 3D from Simon West Productions. Simon West (director of “Expendables 2”) will produce alongside Jib Polhemus (“The Mechanic”), Gus Malliarodakis and Matty Mangone-Miranda. Written by De Soto, David Reuben Schwartz and Warren Davis, the film is a motion capture re-imagining of the George A. Romero zombie classic that stars Danielle Harris (“Halloween V”), Tom Sizemore (“Saving Private Ryan”) and Tony Todd (“Candyman”). The deal was brokered by Lawrence Meyers and Randy Dannenberg of Meyers Media Group and Polhemus on behalf of Simon West Productions.

In the film, New York lies in ruin when zombies have overtaken the city. For the few people left alive there is only one dream – survival. That includes Ben (Tony Todd) and Barbra (Danielle Harris), two survivors who find themselves trapped and fighting to escape the hordes of undead that walk the streets.

Shot completely in a CG environment using stereoscopic 3D, the film employs the next generation facial capture technology that is a step beyond any previous versions used for this type of film. The look is a marriage between the graphic novel and modern animation, making it a true ‘graphic film’ that younger audiences will be more accustomed to experiencing.

“Horror films, especially zombie based films, already have a huge audience so it is particularly exciting to reinvent the genre with a totally new look,” said Simon West.

“NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is the most important franchise for the zombie genre, and to be a part of this re-imagining alongside Simon and Jib is exciting for us as a company,” said Lawrence Meyers, President of Meyers Media Group.

This is helmer De Soto’s debut as a feature director.  Also rounding out the cast are Bill Moseley (“Devil’s Rejects”) and Joe Pilato (“Day of the Dead”).

The film has been produced with the cooperation of The Graphic Film Company in association with Giant Studios, whose credits include motion capture work on TIN TIN and AVATAR.

Simon West Productions is currently in post-production on STOLEN, starring Nicholas Cage and written by David Guggenheim (“Safehouse”), and EXPENDABLES 2 with Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: ORIGINS 3D will be one of the titles Meyers Media Group will be representing at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.  Additional titles for their slate are currently being assembled.

Simon West Productions, led by Simon West and Jib Polhemus, is a film and television development company with a fully equipped post-production visual effects house. The upcoming feature, Thunder Run, which is to be directed by West, employs the same motion capture technology used in Avatar and the same proprietary facial-capture technology which will be used in Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D. In addition to computer generated films, their past projects in live action film and television include: Black Hawk Down, The Mechanic, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The General’s Daughter, Con Air, The Cape, Human Target, and Keen Eddie

“You think you know the story…” so true are those words, it makes writing this review a critical hell, a nightmare of favorably frustrating proportions. The reason for this being, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is one of those films that requires I not slip up and divulge any of it’s many wonderful details that would spoil the geektastically all-encompassing awesomeness of the film. If you are thinking, “Wow, this guy is selling the film rather hard,” you would be partially correct. Partially, because I’m not trying to “sell” the film at all, but on that rare occasion that a film has such a massive impact on my “happy” endorphins on this level, well… I just simply can’t help myself.

The basic story: Five college friends decide to take a break from their studies and spend a weekend in a, yes, you got it… a cabin in the woods. Curt (Chris Hemsworth, THOR) is the jock, but an unconventionally smart one. Jules (Anna Hutchison) is Curt’s “girl next door” girlfriend and her best friend Dana (Kristen Connelly, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD) is a book smart, semi-virginal good girl reluctantly along for the ride. Jules surprises Dana by inviting yet another — single — intellectual jock named Holden (Jesse Williams, BROOKLYN’S FINEST) with the hopes the two will hook up during their cabin retreat. Finally, Marty (Fran Kranz, THE VILLAGE) is the wise, but paranoid stoner and fifth-wheel on this wilderness trip. These five young men and women willingly enter into a seemingly harmless cabin in the woods, unsuspecting of the true and necessary horrors that await them… all for 105 perfectly pleasurable minutes of thrills, frights and laughs.

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS comes from the mind(s) of a genius — to some, many — co-written by Joss Whedon (SERENITY) and Drew Goddard (CLOVERFIELD) whom, with this film, also makes his directorial debut. Many fans obviously know of Joss Whedon from popular TV series including Firefly, Dollhouse, and Buffy. Perhaps less known, but equally talented is Drew Goddard, whom also has had his writing hands in the popular TV series cookie jar with Buffy, as well as Angel, Lost, and Alias. Putting these two minds together was shear brilliance, but unfortunately the recent troubles which befell the house of MGM held this film on the shelf, a film completed way back in 2011. With that said, we now get to enjoy not only this film, but THE AVENGERS, also directed by Joss Whedon, both opening this summer. (I may giggle like a school girl now. Don’t judge me.)

What is the secret of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS? You know I can’t tell you that, or else… I’d have to kill you. Seriously. If I told you that, someone would surely kill me as well. What I can tell you is that all the beautifully cheeky, sarcastic humor Joss Whedon is so well known for is alive and well. Whedon and Goddard mostly give Fran Kranz free reign over comic relief, serving up a hilariously witty performance as Marty, stoned nearly the entire film, constantly the ignored voice of reason. Marty is sort of a combination of SCREAM’s Randy, but with the personality of Alan Tudyk. I love Alan Tudyk, but that’s irrelevant.

The film opens with anything but the most logical, predictable scene for a horror film set in a cabin… in the woods. We meet two middle-aged men — Sitterson and Hadley — dressed in white, short-sleeve dress shirts and pocket protectors. No, these aren’t an updated, live-action, nerdy version of The Muppets’ Statler and Waldorf… actually, in a way I guess they could be. Sitterson (Richard Jenkins, THE VISITOR) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford, BOTTLE SHOCK) run a mysterious laboratory in a large, sterile facility staffed with equally laboratory-esque types. The opening scene, a quirky quick-witted exchange between Sitterson and Hadley, could quite possibly be one of the funniest moments in the film, setting the tone and calibrating the audience laugh-o-meter for heavy usage.

Following this scientifically silly exchange, we’re introduced to our five college friends and the journey begins. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (from all the laughter) and then — in due time — you’ll shriek at the craziness of the building carnage that Whedon and Goddard conjure up as they slowly unveil the truth of THE CABIN IN THE WOODS. Now, while I cannot divulge any specific details, I can say with relative safety that the general gist of the “big” secret will become apparent somewhere around the halfway point, or at the very least, you should begin the suspect. However, as they say… “the devil’s in the details.” In other words, PAY ATTENTION! I believe it’s literally impossible for anyone to fall asleep during this film, unless shot with a tranquilizer, but watch closely to catch all the finer, even subtle little Easter eggs planted within the film, including film homages, insider gags, familiar knock-off characters, and even, perhaps… maybe… a secret cameo, or two? Hmm… I’m not saying anymore.

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS is smart, witty, fast-paced, comedic, horrific fun… the most refreshing, perfectly executed horror movie experience I’ve seen since James Gunn’s SLITHER (2006). The special effects are splendidly rendered, CGI done well — sparingly (well, till the end when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan) but effective — and monster fans may or may not be in for one helluva treat as well. There’s action, there’s romance (loosley defined) and tragedy, there’s conservatively utilized bloody and gory violence, suspense, of course there’s mystery, and even a touch of science-fiction mixed with a dash of folklore. (Oh, no. I’ve said too much. I’ve said enough. — Michael Stipe)

My Promise: Go, run to see CABIN IN THE WOODS! You will not see another horror film this good all year, well… not until sometime (maybe) in October, but that’s not confirmed yet. If you don’t enjoy this film, you’re demented.

Overall: 5 out of 5 sacrificial lambs

FAMILIAR is an independent short film from a team of Canadian filmmakers — including producer Zach Green and director Richard Powell — with a uniquely dark and intriguing central character. Watch this clip from the film and see why critics are enthusiastic about what this team of filmmakers are bringing to the table. FAMILIAR can be seen in it’s entirety at the following upcoming film festivals…

Chicago FearFest, April 13-14, 2012

Texas Frightmare Weekend, May 4-6, 2012

Dark Bridges Film Festival, May 3-6, 2012

Update: FAMILIAR has now also been accepted into the 2012 Fantaspoa Film Festival.

Review originally published on September 27th, 2011 as part of our Fantastic Fest coverage.

My favorite science-fiction stories are often the subtle ones, films and literature that delve deeper into the philosophical of the genre pool, more than simply wading in the shallow end with fantastic technology and the sensationalism of aliens. THE CORRIDOR, written by Josh MacDonald and directed by Evan Kelly, does this well, while also mingling nicely with the psychological thriller genre.

THE CORRIDOR begins with a jolt to the viewer’s attention, firing a bullet of essential back story at point blank range, leaving a residue of smoldering mystery to ignite the slowly burning story that follows. Stephen Chambers stars as Tyler, returning from a stint of recovery after having a breakdown triggered by his mother’s death. In a show of support and to celebrate Tyler’s return, his four best friends decide to reunite with him for a weekend at his mother’s small house out in the Canadian wilderness.

David Fleming plays Chris, Tyler’s closest friend and probably the most level-headed of the five. James Gilbert plays Everett, the wilder of the friends and a musician with a borderline drinking problem. Matthew Amyotte plays “Bobcat,” the big, burly ex-football star turned family man. Finally, Glen Matthews plays Jim, or “Huggs” as he’s called by the rest of the crew, the smart and somewhat nerdy friend. Together, they’re an unlikely group of characters with a natural chemistry.

In the beginning, the friendly get together seems harmless enough, despite an underlying thread of mutual reluctance and trepidation amongst the friends. It’s difficult for them to feel at ease around Tyler, and the opening scene of THE CORRIDOR offers a more than reasonable explanation for this uneasiness. Over the course of their time together, Tyler’s four friends become more relaxed, but after Tyler takes a late night walk on his own into the woods, he begins to fear the worst about his condition.

Tyler’s mother Pauline (Mary-Colin Chisholm) has a very small role on screen, but the character has a much more significant role in the story as her and her son Tyler share a unique connection, but may not be what it appears on the surface. THE CORRIDOR refers to something Tyler’s discovers on his solitary walk into the woods, leading him to gather his friends to witness for themselves, but Tyler’s actions will ultimately lead to events that change their lives forever.

THE CORRIDOR showcases a cast of relative unknowns, young talent that collectively delivers a high caliber performance. This plays directly into the success of the director’s vision, as this is a dialogue driven story with strong, well developed characters. The viewer is given ample time to empathize with each of the characters and their motives, but the pacing of the film is also crucial, maintaining a comfortably controlled release of clues enhanced with properly placed brow-raising twists.

As THE CORRIDOR rises to a boiling point it morphs gently into a horror story wrapped around a science-fiction puzzle. What exactly is the Corridor? What does it mean? Where does it lead? These are the questions the filmmaker sews within our minds and leaves to germinate and take root. Evan Kelly tells a strong, engaging story that raises curious ideas, but he stands back and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions about the Corridor.

Evan Kelly makes some bold but effective choices in his use of CGI. The special effects are minimal and simple, but not cheesy or distracting. THE CORRIDOR is a precise description of the anomaly presented in the film, while maintaining an nearly indescribable nature. The makeup effects are brutal and graphic, but do not exceed necessity. THE CORRIDOR seamlessly blends human drama with science fiction, psychological and visceral horror, and even a touch of metaphysical philosophy for one of the more mesmerizing but accessibly cerebral films I’ve seen in years. Enter THE CORRIDOR with your thinking cap on, but there’s no need to turn it up to eleven on the dial.

THE CORRIDOR opens theatrically in the United States and Canada on March 30th, 2012.

“Like” THE CORRIDOR on Facebook, or check out TheCorridorMovie.com for more information.

HEMLOCK GROVE, a gripping tale of murder, mystery and monsters set in a ravaged Pennsylvania steel town, starring Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgard and produced by Gaumont International Television, will be available for Netflix members to watch instantly, beginning early in 2013.

HEMLOCK GROVE starts with the body of a young girl, mangled and murdered in the shadow of the former Godfrey steel mill. Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a biotech facility owned by the former steel magnates. Others believe the killer could be Peter, a 17-year-old Gypsy kid from the wrong side of the tracks, who tells his classmates he’s a werewolf. Or it could be Roman (Skarsgard), the arrogant Godfrey scion, whose sister Shelley is disturbingly deformed and whose mother, Olivia (Janssen), the otherworldly beautiful and controlling grand dame of Hemlock Grove.

As the crime goes unsolved and outlandish rumors mount, Peter and Roman decide to find the killer themselves, confronting unspeakable truths about themselves and Hemlock Grove as the mystery unfolds.

“Eli Roth is a master of this genre and Brian McGreevy’s brilliant novel gives Roth a world where he can create his magic,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer. “‘Hemlock Grove‘ is a sly blend of J.D. Salinger and Mary Shelley and will appeal to a broad base of fans captivated by these rich characters and stunning visuals.”

“I’ve been waiting for years to dive into television, and Eric Newman and I founded Arcade to do elevated genre projects exactly like ‘Hemlock Grove’.  Brian McGreevy’s novel blew me away, and the material lends itself perfectly to long format storytelling.  ‘Hemlock Grove‘ is smart, dark, complex, and at times terrifying,” said Eli Roth.

He added: “What’s most exciting to me is creating the series for Netflix, which as a feature filmmaker is like telling a story in a new medium.  Netflix as a platform is the perfect hybrid of cinema, television, and social networking, with the creative freedom to go as dark as the story needs.”

The 13 episode first season of “Hemlock Grove” is Roth’s first foray into serialized drama as a director and executive producer. Roth created the Hostel franchise, directing seven major motion pictures, producing 13 and appearing in several hit films, including a stand-out role as Sgt. Donny Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”.

Janssen (Olivia Godfrey) is an actress, director and screenwriter who played Dr. Jean Grey in the global blockbuster “X-Men” trilogy and starred alongside Kenneth Branagh and Judy Davis in Woody Allen’s “Celebrity”. Janssen can soon be seen in “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” alongside Jeremy Rennerand Gemma Arterton and in “Taken 2″ with Liam Neeson. Her debut film as a director and screenwriter, “Bringing up Bobby”, starring Milla Jovovich, Bill Pullman and Marcia Cross, opens in the United States in October.

Skarsgard (Roman Godfrey) is an up and coming Swedish actor, who will soon be seen alongside Keira Knightley and Jude Law in director Joe Wright’s  “Anna Karenina.” Previously, Skarsgard has played a wide range of roles in Swedish television and independent films, including the critically-acclaimed “Simon of the Oaks” directed by Lisa Ohlin.

“Hemlock Grove” is executive produced and written by McGreevy, author of the FSG Originals novel, andLee Shipman. Other projects they have in development include the Bram Stoker adaptation “Harker” for Warner Brothers and Appian Way, the King Arthur epic “Pendragon” for New Regency, and “Zorro Reborn” for 20th Century Fox.

Also executive producing are Eric Newman, producer of such films as “The Last Exorcism,” “Dawn of the Dead” and “Children of Men,” Michael Connolly, co-producer of “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Mark Verheiden, co-executive producer of “Battlestar Gallactica” and other shows.

“It is an honor to be working with Eli Roth, a director whom I’ve admired for years, along with Brian McGreevy & Lee Shipman and the team at Netflix on this series,” commented Gaumont International Television chief executive officer Katie O’Connell. “Netflix is the perfect platform for this exhilarating reinvention of the gothic mystery story.  From day one, our mandate at Gaumont International Television has been to the produce high-quality drama programming for the U.S. and international markets and ‘Hemlock Grove‘ certainly fits the bill.”

I’ve now had the pleasure of screening two of Fatal Pictures’ short films, WORM and FAMILIAR. As part of my ongoing commitment to highlight and support independent filmmaking, I seized the opportunity to speak with producer Zach Green and director Richard Powell of Fatal Pictures to talk about these and other films and filmmaking in general…

Travis Keune: Your primary role is as producer, but you’ve also done some editing. Making movies is no easy task and requires a team of people with a broad range of talents. Is there a particular part of the filmmaking process that you love the most? Is there one part that you absolutely hate?

Zach Green: I love producing which is my primary hat and what I do best I feel. FAMILIAR is the first film I didn’t end up editing myself or with Richard. We hired an editor who did a fabulous job with the film. I wouldn’t say there is really a part of the process that I don’t enjoy that I’ve come across thus far, everything I do for Fatal Pictures is gratifying to me. It definitely does require a proper team of professionals to make a quality film there’s no question. Between myself and Richard we cover a great deal of range with our abilities when it comes to filmmaking.

TK: Fatal Pictures is the name of your production company. This seems to have a connection with the type of films you choose to make. What can you tell us about your vision for Fatal Pictures as it continues to grow into a successful endeavor?

ZG: The vision for Fatal Pictures is really to produce films that really make a statement and have an impact on you. They have been real stories and you can really relate and or feel what the characters deliver and portray. Our first film, entitled CONSUMPTION, was based on a true event about a cannibal from Germany.

TK: FAMILIAR is a short film you produced, which wrapped just last year, if I’m not mistaken. You seem to have a very tight working relationship with writer and director Richard Powell and actor Robert Nolan. Paint a mental picture for us illustrating how this creative trio comes up with such intriguingly dark tales.

ZG: Writer and director Richard Powell, one half of Fatal Pictures, Inc., was the writer on both WORM and FAMILIAR and would naturally be the one to come up with the incredible stories, and I set out to cast the film(s). An actress we had worked with in the past had referred me to Robert [Nolan]. I immediately contacted him to set up an audition. Through all the rehearsals and blocking we would go on to make some great short film(s) together.

TK: FAMILIAR features some pretty impressive special effects makeup, but it also reminds me some of certain early David Cronenberg films I love, which we’ve seen influence other films as well. Is there any connection there, or is it just happenstance?

Richard Powell: The term body horror has been brought up a lot in regards to Familiar but to be honest I didn’t really make the connection between our film and body horror until others started making the comparisons. I wouldn’t say Cronenberg was an influence on this film or that I was attempting to make body horror but after the fact I can understand the reaction viewers are having when making those connections. That said I have a deep respect for Cronenberg and consider him one of the more important directors in film, genre or otherwise. If I take any influence from him, it is his intellectual approach to horror, his ability to treat the genre as a mature art form capable of stimulating an audience mentally as well as viscerally.

TK: The thoughts of the main character in FAMILIAR, as is the case in WORM as well, are far more prevalent than spoken dialogue, but it works well. Clearly this is a conscious decision, but can you shed some light on the philosophy behind this decision?

RP: In WORM, the audible thoughts serve as a window into a man’s dark inner self which works against the calm, kind exterior he shows the world. This differentiation between the internal and external creates an unsettling contrast which hopefully instills a bit of fear, reflection and imagination in the audience. The horror dwells within in WORM, figuratively, in FAMILIAR literally. Each film is in essence a slightly skewed reflection of the other. In FAMILIAR the voice over isn’t simply a characters shattered psyche, it is a character, a truth which is revealed in horrifying fashion later.

TK: How can the general public view these films?

RP: WORM can be seen on the uncut genre channel American Horrors as well as at various festivals and screenings. Short films are more difficult to distribute and show as you can’t really sell them in the same manner you would a feature. The best we can do is keep people updated about screenings and festivals which we always do! At some point it would be great to release the shorts as a package but that’s still a ways off. As for FAMILIAR, it will begin its screenings/festival run in March 2012 in Toronto as part of Fangoria’s Fright Nights screening series where it will play along side BATTLE ROYALE. After that we hope the film has a long and healthy run on the festival circuit and everyone who wants to gets a chance to check it out.

TK: I understand there is a feature film, your first, being developed. What can you tell us about this?

RP: Having recently completed a feature screenplay version of WORM, we will begin to try and raise interest and funds for what will hopefully be Fatal Pictures foray in feature filmmaking. The story will again follow WORM‘s deranged high school teacher Geoffrey Dodd as he tackles the obstacles of a school day and more importantly the dark and dangerous ruminations of his mind. I’m excited to be able to really explore the depths and depravity of this character in a feature run time. The results will be a supercharged version of the short and an altogether more searing and suspenseful experience as we have the time to really toy with the possibilities of the character.

TK: If there was one specific film, in development or entirely off the radar, what one project would you love to be producing right now in your career?

RP: Aside from a WORM feature film I’d love to begin developing my scripts that don’t feature the Dodd characters and the internal monologue approach. That is ultimately the direction I aim to follow but it will be fun to always have these characters around to toy with. I am very interested in doing a Dodd family thanksgiving weekend film, who knows, maybe down the line. First is WORM, that’s my obsession.

TK: What sparked your interest in making movies?

RP: Like most filmmakers I grew up watching a ton of movies and those experiences shaped me and informed my passions. I wanted to be creative and tried my hand at everything, writing, drawing, painting, sculpting etc. I found myself drawn to illustration mostly, illustrations inspired by stories and characters I had written about previously. I loved to create narratives for my artwork but I was never really talented enough as an artist to capture in its entirety what I imagined. I discovered this when I met real artists. I kept writing and drawing and one day it clicked, I didn’t need to be the best painter, illustrator and so forth, I could use filmmaking to capture my narratives and stories and that’s how it began. I’ve come to realize there is no more expressive, imaginative art than filmmaking and I’m glad that is how I came to express my creativity.

Although we’re still in the middle of Winter, let’s take in an old-fashioned bone-chiller, one that may have your teeth chattering before exiting into those gusts of frigid air. This is what the new spook-show THE WOMAN IN BLACK promises to deliver. Appropriately enough, this gothic creeper is the second theatrical feature to be released here in the states from the revived British fright film factory Hammer. Now while the studio might be best remembered in their late fifties to mid seventies heyday for full-blooded monsters ( vampires, zombies, and even a gorgon among many others ) this tale of ghosts seeking revenge on the living  would’ve fit the bill ( perhaps as part of one of their many double bills! ) But will today’s cinema audiences be able to immerse themselves in a haunted, desolate estate full of creaking floors, quickly melting candles, and sinister secrets after a steady diet of graphic,bloody torture and shaky, found video, inspired by ” true events “scares?

After an opening sequence of a horrific multiple-victim demise ( in broad daylight! ) we meet young barrister Arthur Kipps ( Daniel Radcliffe ) in the early years of the twentieth century. Even before he encounters the title character Arthur is haunted-by the memories of his late wife. Left with a young son, he’s floundering at a London law firm. His supervisor will give him one last chance. Travel to a remote country village and organize the papers and estate of a wealthy, recently deceased matron or be sacked. After leaving his boy with his nursemaid ( they’ll journey to the village in a few days ), Arthur boards the train and meets fellow passenger, and village elder, Sam Daily ( Ciaran Hinds ). Noticing Arthur’s newspaper turned to a notice about a spiritualist endorsed by Arthur Conan Doyle ( nice historical touch! ) Sam voices his disgust over ” superstitious nonsense “. At the village train station Sam gives Arthur a lift in his fancy new motor car ( only one in town ) and invites him to dinner on another night. This is the only friendly gesture from any of the townspeople. Arthur’s arrival at the hotel pub is reminiscent of the chilly reception Peter Cushing’s Dr.Van Helsing recieved from the locals in THE HORROR OF DRACULA ( you almost expect to see the welcome mat roll itself up ). Arthur is told that no room has been booked, but luckily the hotelier’s wife steps in to find him a spot. The next day the local barrister who had been working with the estate (  he had not impressed the home office ) tells him that all is fine and puts him a coach returning to the train station. But Arthur is not so easily brushed off, and after a bribe, the coachman takes him to the desolate estate perched on a small island in the middle of a treacherous marsh. There the determined young man unearths the tragic secrets of the house and town, and later finds himself in the path of the ebony-attired spectre of vengeance.

Like those old creep-fests on the TV late shows ( more often seen on TCM nowadays ), THE WOMAN IN BLACK oozes gothic horror atmosphere. Several scenes outside the estate engulf our hero in a pea-soup fog. Things aren’t much more pleasant inside as he must make his way through a maze of creaking corridors, endless hallways, and rooms filled with all many of odd toys and nicknacs ( lots of stuffed monkeys! ). The dark costumes help enhance the black mood of the village and its residents. It’s no wonder the shiny, new automobile is looked down upon by the locals ( an intruding reminder of the new century perhaps? ).

The film boasts a better than average cast for a ” things that go bump in the night ” film outing. Hinds ( THE DEBT ) makes for a fine, resourceful helpmate as Arthur’s only local pal, but his friendly demeanor attempts to mask his sadness. Part of that comes from the tragic past he shares with his wife played by recent Oscar nominee for ALBERT NOBBS Janet McTeer. It’s a fairly small role, but she makes quite an impact with sparse screen time. The main draw for the film ( at least according to the posters ) is the former boy wizard himself in his premiere post-Potter feature film. This may be heralded as his first real ” adult” role, but Radcliffe, even with a constant five-o’clock-shadow ( like Indiana Jones, did he forget to pack his razor? ) and guzzling cordials, has a tough time making his single, widowed father of a five year old believable. The heroic qualities he honed in his former film series do serve him well, though, in his exploration of the musty home turned crypt. Kudos to him for enduring the film’s grossest moments as he explores the tar-like depths of the marsh. Eyew!

As I stated earlier this is an old-fashioned shiver-show. The film makers aren’t re-inventing the wheel ( or the spook-fest ) here. Besides those old British shock film chestnuts, it harkens back to classics like THE UNINVITED, THE INNOCENTS, and THE HAUNTING. When Arthur spends his first night alone in the gloomy estate, I actually thought back to the Don Knotts sleepover in THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN ( Attaboy, Luthor! Sorry, couldn’t resist ). The effects here are mostly old-school, no bouncy CGI banshees roaming the halls. Some of it may be a bit a bit trite or telegraphed ( pesky animals popping out of the shadows ) or just too familiar, but it’s kind of nice to experience a couple of goosebumps instead of the exhaustion caused by the barrages of gore and cruelty in many current ” screamers “.  I hope the Hammer team drags us back into the fog very soon.

Overall Rating : Three and a Half Out of Five Stars

FAMILIAR (2011) is the newest short film from Fatal Pictures, produced by Zach Green, written and directed by Richard Powell, and starring Robert Nolan as John Dodd. This trio of morbidly creative filmmakers are churning out some very intriguing work on what I will simply call a truly indie budget, with a truly indie mindset and determination.

John is an average, uncharismatic husband and father in FAMILIAR, a man who is far from enthusiastic about his relationship with his wife Charlotte, played by Astrida Auza. Charlotte is anything but on the same wavelength as John, who considers her a prison sentence, one from which he secretly wishes an escape by whatever means necessary. There’s an underlying source of John’s disdain for Charlotte, but to give that away would in some part ruin the story.

FAMILIAR is an unconventional narrative, as nearly the entire film is told through voice over, conveying John’s troubled and demented thought process as he goes through his daily visage of being an otherwise typical family man. This technique of storytelling works well enough, but I couldn’t help but find myself wanting more direct dialogue between the characters, perhaps to further detail the state of the family relationship.

Robert Nolan once again nails the eerie, skin-crawling character traits he’s becoming known for to fans of Powell’s films. The key to FAMILIAR, however, is the twist which develops unbeknownst to John Dodd, revealing itself in the end. This is the really tough part about writing a review of FAMILIAR, in that I so so so want to talk about the afore-mentioned twist, but to do so without treading carefully would defeat the effort of seeing the film for yourself. So, what I will say is that the film reminded me – in a complimentary way – of a cross between the style of David Cronenberg’s films such as eXistenZ and a certain cult film from director Jack Sholder.

FAMILIAR features some really cool, considerably shocking special effects, all of which are packed into the final moments of the 24-minute short film. This, along with Nolan’s performance and the film’s dark, creepy atmosphere – aided greatly by the cinematography of Michael Jari Davidson – creates an all-too uncomfortably familiar caricature of a dysfunctional family.

While the premise of the film may seem as familiar as the title itself, Powell takes an idea once explored and ventures off into another parallel concept that works equally well. FAMILIAR takes the audience one step closer to the inevitable feature film debut of the exciting indie filmmaking collaborative, a project I am told is potentially in the works very soon. This makes me smile, deviously.

Check out a behind-the-scenes featurette with director Darren Lynn Bousman and then the new theatrical trailer for the supernatural horror film 11-11-11.

Synopsis:

A horror-thriller set on 11:11 on the 11th day of the 11th month and concerning a entity from another world that enters the earthly realm through Heaven’s 11th gate. Written and directed by SAW II, III, IV director Darren Lynn Bousman, the film stars Timothy Gibbs, Michael Landes, Denis Rafter, and Wendy Glenn.

From Big Air Studios, 11-11-11 – mark the date. You can’t stop what’s coming!

Visit the film’s official site: http://www.11-11-11themovie.com/

“Like” it on Facebook: www.facebook.com/111111themovie

Follow it on Twitter: @111111TheMovie

Experience the Italian horror maestro’s gore classic
as you’ve never seen or heard it before,
digitally restored and remastered!

Blue Underground is bringing its digitally restored and remastered version of Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE to theaters across the U.S. and Canada this month. The exclusive midnight screenings give fans the chance to experience Fulci’s horror classic as it’s never been seen or heard before in advance of Blue Underground’s release of ZOMBIE on Blu-ray disc.

A listing of theaters and dates is attached; all screenings will take place on October 21 & 22, 2011, except where noted. Theaters and showtimes are online now at: http://www.blue-underground.com/zombie

“Like” it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blue-Underground-Presents-Lucio-Fulcis-Zombie/163552143731516

The late, great Lucio Fulci is known to horror fans for such wildly imaginative and outrageously gory films as THE BEYOND, HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY, and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD; his influence continues to be felt in the work of contemporary genre directors including Eli Roth (HOSTEL, CABIN FEVER) and Guillermo del Toro (HELLBOY, PAN’S LABYRINTH).

Originally released in Italy as an unofficial sequel to DAWN OF THE DEAD, Fulci’s ZOMBIE is arguably the director’s most popular movie and remains one of the most eye-skewering, skin-ripping, gore-gushingly graphic horror hits of all time! ZOMBIE stars Tisa Farrow (THE GRIM REAPER), Ian McCulloch (CONTAMINATION), Al Cliver (CANNIBALS), and Richard Johnson (THE HAUNTING).

Blue Underground is proud to present ZOMBIE in a new 2K High Definition transfer from the original uncut and uncensored camera negative. Each frame has been lovingly restored to perfection under the supervision of cinematographer Sergio Salvati (THE BEYOND), and the soundtrack has been remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound to create the most pristine, mind-blowing version of the movie ever seen.

“We are very excited about this theatrical release of ZOMBIE,” says Blue Underground founder and president William Lustig. “We spent hundreds of hours working by hand to restore every frame of the movie. When we premiered our restoration of the film at Fantastic Fest in Austin, fans told us that ZOMBIE looks like it was made yesterday!”

Take a look at how Blue Underground meticulously restored Lucio Fulci’s ZOMBIE

Blue Underground’s Ultimate Edition of ZOMBIE will be released as a 2-Disc Blu-ray and 2-Disc DVD on October 25, 2011.

“When I first saw ZOMBIE, my mind exploded! After the movie ended, I didn’t know if I had dreamed it, because surely such movies didn’t exist! You are about to see a movie that is created by one of the most brilliant minds in the genre, that is full of ‘Oh, my God!’ moments that you will not believe….visceral satisfaction fully guaranteed! Fulci was a ferocious mind, and ZOMBIE is his most savage movie.”

– Guillermo del Toro, director of Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth

“One of the all-time great horror classics, Fulci’s ZOMBIE contains the greatest scene ever committed to celluloid, and that is a zombie fighting a shark. Fulci put a stuntman dressed as a zombie in a tank with a live shark and made them fight – it’s one of the craziest, most insane and irresponsible scenes ever put on film. This was 1980, years before CG. And the zombie wins! To this day, nobody knows how in the hell he did it, it’s simply jaw-dropping. There’s nothing you will see in any modern zombie movie that comes close to what Fulci did in 1980. Viva Fulci!”

– Eli Roth, director of Hostel and Cabin Fever

For more information about Blue Underground, visit www.blue-underground.com.
Follow Blue Underground on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BLUnderground. 

About Blue Underground:

BLUE UNDERGROUND’S goal is to bring cool movies to fans all over the world in beautiful, Criterion-level special editions. They are definitive discs of some remarkable films, all fully restored, remastered and packed with the most mind-blowing extras in the business. We look for fun movies to release, undiscovered films, and films that are really for people that are into movies. We’re committed to bringing these movies out of the dark and back into your life where they belong!

DREAM HOUSE is a mystery story that has very little actual mystery, a thriller with few thrills. This stretched-thin, often deeply labored ghost story makes its 85 minutes feel like 12 days as it weaves around situations of suspense and straight up horror. The stellar cast makes the film fun at times, but by the time the obligatory twist rolls around, you won’t care whodunit or why. Successful publisher Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) leaves his career in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz), and two girls to a quaint Connecticut town to write a novel. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children, and the entire town believes it was at the hands of the husband, Peter Ward, who survived. When Will investigates the tragedy, his only lead comes from Ann Paterson (Naomi Watts), a neighbor who was close to the family that died. As Will and Ann piece together the disturbing puzzle, they discover that the story of the last man to leave Will’s dream house will be just as horrifying to the one who came next. Of course, there is a big twist to all this intense labor. Pay attention to DREAM HOUSE and you can guess the twist pretty easily. Sleep through the front half of DREAM HOUSE and you’re likely to figure it out just as easily, or better yet, save your money and just watch the trailer as that shamelessly drops the film’s big reveal.

The not-so-big surprise in DREAM HOUSE happens around the halfway point and the film is actually pretty sturdy when it deals with the early portion of its plot, but it goes off track once the twist is affirmed. At that point it seems to lose interest in attempting to be scary and becomes rushed as it focuses on ways to exonerate its protagonist. Regardless, DREAM HOUSE doesn’t work as a thriller because it has no real element of surprise. Director Jim Sheridan (an Oscar nominee for MY LEFT FOOT slumming badly) has some fun finding ways to cover the tepid insanity, but even that wears out its welcome fairly quickly with an overabundance of “Boo” scares and PG-13 neutered mayhem. Any curiosity about Will’s dilemma is short-lived, but Sheridan keeps dragging the dull story along regardless. One of the problems with DREAM HOUSE is that if you’ve ever seen a horror movie where the protagonist’s own worst enemy is himself — it’s all too easy to figure out what’s going on.

While DREAM HOUSE’s plot hinges upon recycled twists from far better movies, its distinctive trump card is Daniel Craig, whose wonderfully frazzled portrait of madness and confusion almost makes this minor thriller seem fresh at times. Fans of Craig and the rest of the cast may find something to chew on, but they’ll mostly find themselves wondering why these actors chose to participate in such routine swill. Craig met Weisz on this movie and they married last winter and while I’m glad to know that DREAM HOUSE was a positive experience for someone, I just wish it had been the viewer.

Overall Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

When I first saw writer and director Ti West’s HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first, but after a second viewing, not only did I love it, I also learned something about the films of Ti West… there’s more than meets the eye upon your first viewing. The same can be said about Ti West’s new film THE INNKEEPERS, a smart, funny film with plenty of old school scares and a subtle twist to the haunted house genre.

Ti West has come to be known as one of the most important new filmmakers of the indie horror scene and THE INNKEEPERS is a great example of why that statement is as true as it bold. Unlike many contemporary horror filmmakers today, Ti West moves beyond the standard shock and awe strategy of gore and violence. In its place, West fills his films with a genuine atmosphere of reality-based creepiness, flavored with nostalgia and quality storytelling with tangible characters.

THE INNKEEPER is a tale about two employees, Claire and Luke, who are the lone employees during a historic hotel’s final weekend of business. Luke (Pat Healy) is an amateur “ghost hunter” determined to record proof that the hotel is haunted before it closes, while Claire (Sara Paxton) is there to help as they take turns taking shifts. Fortunately, the hotel has only two guests; a mother in a bad mood with her little girl, followed shortly after by a famous actress (played by Kelly McGillis) with whom Claire is infatuated.

In short, the story revolves as much around the awkwardly familiar relationship between Claire and Luke as it does the haunted mystery of the hotel’s ghostly past. THE INNKEEPERS weaves a charming story that unfolds with the precision of a Swiss army knife, revealing only what’s necessary for the audience to piece together on their own and nothing more, but it’s the perfect portioning for a scary tale that will appeal to a much wider audience than some of its more graphically intense counterparts.

Pat Healy seems to be channeling a little bit of Simon Pegg in his performance as the sarcastic slacker who’s too cool for his own geekiness. Sara Paxton, on the other hand, is unbearably cute as the slightly oblivious and nerdy Claire, fully absorbed within her own curiosity and very easily scared. The chemistry between these two characters give THE INNKEEPERS a lot of its most enjoyably playful moments, while Ti West builds the more frightening elements of the story one brick at a time until the surprisingly simple but brilliantly jaw dropping climax, which will have audiences talking on a level not experienced since opening weekend of THE SIXTH SENSE. On that note, I’ll watch THE INNKEEPERS over and over again before doing the same with Shyamalan’s blockbuster… THE INNKEEPERS has more staying power.

I hesitate in calling THE INNKEEPERS a family-friendly movie, as that tends to convey a level of disrespect for many seasoned fans of the horror genre, but the truth is… Ti West has masterfully crafted an intensely creepy, scary horror-thriller that can be seen and appreciated by audiences of virtually all ages, but does not bend at the knee to dumb down the story, delivering well crafted dialogue with humor and likable, real characters. One of my top 5 favorite films of Fantastic Fest 2011, I’d have to call this my #1 film to recommend from the fest. THE INNKEEPERS currently does not have a theatrical release date, but will become available through Video On Demand on December 30th, 2011. Its really a shame, because THE INNKEEPERS plays marvelously in a crowded theater.

UPDATE: Aside from the film being picked up by Lionsgate just before it’s first (and only) screening at Fantastic Fest, YOU’RE NEXT garnered the following awards… Audience Award (Runner Up), Horror Feature – Best Picture; Best Director for Adam Wingard; Best Screenplay for Simon Barrett; and Best Actress for Sharni Vinson.

YOU’RE NEXT comes from writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard. This partnership created 2010′s A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE, which introduced genre fans to a new force in genre filmmaking. Proving to be one of the most anticipated films of Fantastic Fest 2011, YOU’RE NEXT has already been acquired by Lionsgate, which is good news in that it will get a wide theatrical release, but bad news in that anyone reading this review who has not already seen the film will likely have to wait until 2012.

A young, foreign exchange student named Erin (Sharni Vinson) accompanies her college professor boyfriend Crispin (AJ Bowen) for his family reunion at their large house in the woods. Right away its apparent that this family doesn’t get along. When the family sits down for their first dinner together in years, the ensuing dialogue is as darkly comical as it is thick with tension, brimming with anger and rage brewing in a very shallow cup. The dinner scene sets up the family dynamic perfectly, where “dysfunctional” is an understatement.

Wingard and Barrett waste no time moving into the beef of the film, developing just enough back story to put the audience into place, allowing the viewer to fill in the blanks and piece together the mystery that unfolds during the ensuing carnage. YOU’RE NEXT features three unknown killers who crash the family dinner, all of whom wear animal Halloween masks: a fox, a sheep, and a tiger. The mask designs are simplistic but more real than cartoon, allowing the actors body language an increased level of creepiness, such as when a head is cocked, or even a long stare become far more frightening.

YOU’RE NEXT is primarily a home invasion horror flick, but also a black comedy. As the body count rises, the mystery slowly begins to unfold. Forced to take action where the family hesitates, Erin assumed the lead in the family’s struggle to survive, revealing at one point a simple unexpected explanation that perfectly sets her up as the strong female heroin we rarely see in cinema these days. Sharni Vinson proves herself as a starlet in the making for action and genre films, a goal she herself admits aspiring to in the Q&A that followed the screening. Vinson has all of the feminine bravado of ALIENS-era Sigourney Weaver combined with the capable damsel in distress quality of the HALLOWEEN-era Jamie Lee Curtis.

AJ Bowen’s and Joe Swanson‘s portrayal as rival brothers Crispin and Drake is sharp and biting, constantly at each others throats. Every line of dialogue Swanson utters is a gem, typically sarcastic, always judgmental and confrontational. Their mother Aubrey also stands out with a tremendous, emotionally charged supporting performance from Barbara Crampton. Rounding out the recognizable cast is a short, but noteworthy cameo role from filmmaker Ti West as Tariq, a role that serves as a genre wink, leading the dinner scene into the abrupt change of pace that holds for the remainder of the film.

YOU’RE NEXT is a great homage to slasher flicks and slapstick comedy (in the writer’s words, but I found the slapstick less apparent) but I also found connection to ’70s and ’80s era action cinema, from the strong heroin to the music for the film. In a similar sort of nostalgia, the creativity of the kills and style of violent choreography stood out as a major character in its own right, defining the fun-filled return of R-rated, in your face action/horror/comedy.

Can I just say I really, really wanted to like LIVID. I mean, I truly looked forward to eating this movie up, but instead, I found myself staring at my plate wondering what I had just been served. This is the second feature film from the writing/directing team of Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, whose first outing was 2007′s INSIDE. Bustillo and Maury appeared to have started with an interesting idea, but somewhere along the path of production lost their focus, perhaps distracted by their own visions, which make numerous cameos that feel more like party crashers than official invitees.

LIVID begins as a story about a teenager named Lucy (Chloe Coulloud) who is training as an in-house caregiver. She travels from house to house with her trainer Mrs. Wilson (Catherine Jacob). The last house of the day is a large mansion owned by Miss Jessel (Maria-Claude Pietragalla), a successful former dance instructor infamous for for strict methods. Miss Jessel is bed-ridden and in a coma, the soul resident of the massive, ornate estate in disrepair. Mrs. Wilson casually reveals stories to Lucie as they tend to Miss Jessel, such as her only child Anna having been born mute and passed on many years ago, and the mysterious “treasure” which is said to be hidden somewhere in the house.

This treasure is the driving factor for the first half of LIVID, which has Lucie reluctantly leading her two male friends, Ben and William (Jeremy Kapone and Felix Moati), into the Jessel estate in search of the alleged treasure. For what it’s worth, this first half of LIVID is the half that works reasonably well, an atmospherically Gothic but straight-forward haunted house tale. LIVID invites the audience in to share the adventure of three nosy teens, snooping around a creepy old house, certain to unleash something dreadful. Unfortunately, this is what they unleash… something visually stunning, but dreadful to watch.

LIVID’s opening sequence sets an alluring tone for something out of Dark Shadows, with gray skies and massive waves crashing against a treacherous rocky shore. Rolling green hills in the distance with an ominously slow orchestral score (Raphael Gesqua) drawing the viewer in like a Pied Piper written with the pending doom of Poe’s pen. Once Lucie and the boys enter the house, the focus appears to shift rapidly to something more akin to a cinematic roadside attraction of visual oddities. As they explore the various rooms of the Jessel house, they stumble upon everything from strange things preserved in jars, mounted animal heads, creepy dolls and a number of other typical genre props used in countless horror films.

To be fair, and to repeat my earlier point, this is all visually stunning stuff, if not a tad generic and certainly not crucial to the story in many cases. LIVID looks amazing, as does the score deem itself worthy of attention on it’s own merit. The issue I have with all this is that it serves little purpose to the story and, in some unclear fashion, becomes the story. Once the reality of the situation makes itself known to Lucie and the boys, the gore comes out to play and Miss Jessel exposes her true self. The nature of her “true self” and the twists involving her daughter are grounds for spoilers, but I can say the potential is there, but the execution is terribly flawed.

The first half of LIVID is a based in the real world, with the realm of fantasy taking a bold and often intrusive spotlight in the second half. I could not help but notice the second half of LIVID is heavily influenced by the works of Guillermo del Toro, from the visual style, creature and prop design and even the movement and performance of the non-human characters. Many of these scenes stand alone as really cool, artistically impressive achievements, but when they’re all spliced together into a narrative as they are, the film that began as a fresh ode to Halloween-inspired films (the holiday, not the franchise) unravels into a broken, disconnected mess of ideas that fails to come together as a fully comprehensible story.

Perhaps LIVID will make more sense with a second, third or multiple viewings. Maybe this is a film that needs a decade or two for fans to digest before it’s appreciated as a once misunderstood genre classic. It’s impossible to say for sure, but for the time being, LIVID struck me as a film with massive potential but paid out primarily in disappointment. See the film, even buy the score, then make your own decision… I’ll be the first to tell you my opinion appears to be amongst the minority of those attending Fantastic Fest 2011.

WARNING: This review may contain “spoilers.”

Tom Six is definitely good at one thing; he can get a massive amount of attention — good and bad — for his films, and in show business, all publicity is good publicity, right? Written and directed by Tom Six, who first revealed himself to mass audiences in 2008 with THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (First Sequence), is clearly taking the path of William Castle, although his films more resemble the work of Uwe Boll. Castle’s films were fun and had redeeming qualities. I wish I could say that about THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) but, it’s not in me to tell such a bald-faced lie.

Let’s talk about THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (First Sequence) just for a moment… In the original film, Tom Six had actually created a fun, weird little story — the key here being the presence of a story — with some character development. He was able to pull a creepy, cool performance from Dieter Lasser as Dr. Heiter. Where the first film succeeded at producing a memorable lead character with cult classic potential, the sequel fails on almost every level to follow up with an equally unique character.

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) takes place in London and follows a short, tubby man-child named Martin (Laurence R. Harvey) that still lives at home with his depressed mother and works as a parking garage attendant. Martin never speaks a word throughout the entire film, only making occasional awkward noises and giggles, repeatedly sticking his fingers in his mouth like a toddler that needs constantly be told “don’t put that in your mouth.” Admittedly, there are moments in the first half of the film where this shtick produces some laughs, but the gimmick eventually gets old, especially in the second half when it’s overshadowed by the graphic carnival of pointless carnage.

Tom Six chose to film HC2 entirely in black and white, and with that the cinematography is accomplished, not spectacular, but gives the film a different look. Part of me feels like the choice to film in black and white was to reduce the cost of post-production, but that’s nothing more than speculation. If Tom Six was shooting for creating an over-the-top, gut-emptying shockfest of a film, sticking to color would have made more sense. What the black and white does is to quell (ever-so-slightly) the magnitude of the imagery he captures on film.

What is so “bad” about THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) you ask? I have to bring up John Waters. Sorry, John. I love you. Waters folded the shock value into his films, while still making them fun and giving them purpose. Where THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE came close to accomplishing this, its as though Tom Six through the rule book out the window for HC2. Finding any way to empathize with Martin is an exercise in futility. His character serves more as a slasher character than anything, wielding a crowbar to repeatedly take out his victims, but only to render them unconscious, whereas Dr. Heiter used anesthesia to subdue his victims.

The general story of HC2 is as follows: Martin is haunted by his father’s voice, who psychologically and sexually abused him as a child. He lives with his verbally abusive, mentally disconnected mother who forces him to have sessions with an older, bearded shrink who actually wants to molest Martin himself. Martin watches THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE repeatedly and pieces together a scrapbook of the film. Martin is obsessed with recreating Dr. Heiter’s work, but longs to take the project to its full sequence of twelve human beings. The primary catch is, Martin is not a surgeon and has no clue what he’s doing. He gradually builds his inventory of human specimens, stashing them in an old, filthy warehouse space. This activity occupies a good chunk of the middle of the film, which gets to be a bit tedious a bit quick.

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) is at least inclusive and mindful of diversity, as Martin’s collection of human “segments” span a wide array of characters, including a pregnant woman and the female star of THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE Ashlynn Yennie, who plays herself. Randomly selecting most of his victims from the garage in which he works, Martin employs his crowbar and occasionally a handgun. His tools include duct tape and a plethora of knives and other kitchen utensils… oh yeah, and the all-important staple gun. I need not describe this image further. I am sure you can put the pieces together.

By the time Martin gets around to constructing his “centipede” the film has not lived up to it’s hype as being unbearably brutal. Tom Six clearly attempts to change that in the later half of the film, doing exactly what everyone would expect, going to extremes with the gore (although subdued in black and white and not nearly as graphic as it could have been) but, more significantly, exceeds expectations int he realm of shocking acts portrayed on film. HC2 was banned in the UK for scenes of forced ingestion of diarrhea, spontaneous child birth in a car followed by the baby’s head being crushed by its frantic mother, and even a scene in which Martin rapes one of his victims with barbed wire wrapped around his unit… no, believe it or not, none of this compels me to go out and protest. However, all of this serves absolutely no purpose when you factor in the complete lack of any actual story. All of this occurs on screen simply for its own, sensational satisfaction.

THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) has nothing to spoil, so before some of you decide to chastise me for giving away some of the more shocking bits, let me just say this… those who planned to see the film will still go see it, while those who had not, will not. It’s as simple as that. On the contrary, I will not reveal the ending, as I felt the final scene was a completely pointless, slightly confusing choice. Consider this my public service message. I will never outright tell anyone not to see a movie, but the closest I have come is with HC2.

Writer & director Tom Six with the cast of THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2 (Full Sequence) in a Q&A session following the screening on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011.

Hey horror hounds! Courtesy of our friends at Entertainment Weekly here’s our first look at the cast of Tim Burton’s big screen version of the small screen classic, DARK SHADOWS. Now this is not the first time the Collins clan have made it to the movies. In 1970 MGM released HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS based on the daytime drama and starring most of the TV cast. NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS followed.

Here’s a bit of background on the cult favorite. Dan Curtis (BURNT OFFERINGS) created the “soap opera ” which debuted on ABC-TV in 1966. The main focus of the first episodes was the arrival of Victoria Winters in Collinsport, ME and her interactions with the secretive Collins family. The program languished at the bottom of the ratings until Curtis, in order to save the show from cancellation,decided to take a gamble and introduce a vampire into the Gothic series. Barnabas Collins as played by veteran stage actor Jonathan Frid caused a sensation on the daytime TV landscape. Youngsters flocked to the show, turning the mature Frid into a teen idol (featured many times on the cover of Tiger Beat and other magazines) and giving the producer a merchandising bonanza. Board games, model kits, comic books, paperback novels, and posters flooded the stores. There was even a comic strip in daily newspapers! A record album of the show’s eerie score by Robert Colbert was a huge hit and spawned a top 40 single, “Quentin’s Theme”. Unfortunately not even the additon of witches, werewolves, and other ghoulies could keep the mania going and the final episode aired in 1971.

Ah, but like any good vampire Barnabas did return. The show was soon syndicated to local stations. Devoted fans staged conventions featuring reunions of the cast members. Innovation produced new comic books in 1991. NBC revived the show as a prime time hour long drama in early 1991 while Warner Brothers TV produced a new two hour pilot film that never aired.

And now,long time fan Tim Burton is taking this Gothic epic to the big screen. Lets’ take a look at the residents of Collinwood. Starting from the far left is Helena Bonham Carter (THE KING”S SPEECH) as Dr. Julia Hoffman, psychiatrist, friend of the Collins family and (in the TV show) an aide of Barnabas. Next is Chloe Maretz (LET ME IN) as Carolyn Stoddard followed by Eva Green (CASINO ROYALE) as Angelique Bouchard, the witch who cursed Barnabas. The young lad is the disturbed David Collins played by Gulliver McGrath with his governess Victoria Winters played by Bella Heathcote (she’s also the spitting image of Barnabas’s long lost love Josette). Speaking of Barnabas, in the center is Johnny Depp (THE TOURIST) as the centuries old vampire. Seated is the family housekeeper Mrs. Johnson played by Ray Shirley. Next is Collinwood groundskeeper Willie (yup, Groundskeeper Willie!) Loomis played by Jackie Earle Haley (WATCHMEN) who releases Barnabas and soon becomes his ‘ familiar’. He’s followed by Roger Collins played by Jonny Lee Miller (TRAINSPOTTING) and family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard played by Michelle Pfieffer (BATMAN RETURNS).

Synopsis:

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth’s ne’er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

This group (along with horror film icon Christopher Lee and several original TV cast members) will welcome moviegoers back to Collinwood (cue the cascading waves and Colbert theme) when Warner Brothers releases the film on May 11, 2012

We all know what happens when aliens show up in the rural backwoods of the Midwest, but why have aliens only been interested in probing Americans? Writer and director Joe Cornish decided that needs to change. ATTACK THE BLOCK presents one idea of what it would be like if aliens arrived in an urban, inner city setting in London, but it’s not the typical fare you might expect.

Cornish, who has recently made his mark as a screenwriter of upcoming films THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN and ANT-MAN, now makes a substantial mark on the science-fiction genre with this little alien film that could… could possibly make you laugh and cheer, that is. ATTACK THE BLOCK has the makings of a cult sensation, a nostalgic good time film to be revisited year after year, like that of THE MONSTER SQUAD or GOONIES.

The story follows a small gang of teenagers in South London as they discover an alien. Quick to react with youthful curiosity and recklessness, the teens beat the floppy-limbed, big-headed alien creature – oddly resembling a disproportionately skewed Muppet – to its inevitable death, dragging it back to their building to show it off. This ultimately proves to be a big mistake.

ATTACK THE BLOCK is a film with multiple layers. The obvious layer, we’ll call this the frosting, is the alien invasion layer, whereas extraterrestrial creatures on Earth terrorize the inhabitants of one apartment building in South London. From this, we get the beginnings of a science-fiction story and the underpinnings of a fun-filled scary movie with plenty of jumps and startles, chases and man versus creature violence. But, just beneath the frosting is the cake, a richly flavored social commentary that is light and palatable.

While the premise of a film tackling the plight of inner city teens, gang culture and race relations may sound too dense to swallow, Cornish manages to construct this in a way that keeps ATTACK THE BLOCK fluffy and refreshing, while still satisfyingly spicy with a combination of terror and humor. The moral message remains hidden in the shadows, lurking around the corners, overshadowed by the intensely black, shadowy alien beasts that are hunting down anyone who came in contact with the less intimidating alien the teens pummeled to death.

The biggest name in the cast of ATTACK THE BLOCK is Nick Frost (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, PAUL) who has a relatively small but enjoyable supporting role as Ron, a somewhat out of place co-inhabitant of the local drug dealer Hi-Hatz’ crib, whom the main character of the film are friendly with. Hi-Hatz, on the other hand, serves primarily as another obstacle in the road for Moses (John Boyega) and his teen gang as they struggle to survive and find a way to defeat the alien creatures. Having two antagonists in the film gives the story more depth.

ATTACK THE BLOCK is unique, but draws on familiarity. For me, the film takes all that made THE MONSTER SQUAD and GOONIES fun and exciting, then combined it with the dark, frightening charm of Jim Henson, a la LABYRINTH. The alien beasts hunting the teens are pitch black, covered in long spiky quill-like hairs and intimidate the viewer with luminescent eyes and massive sharp teeth that glow in the dark. Sounds creepy, right? Add to this the fascination I had with the fact that these creatures were not computer generated, but rather old school guys in monster suits, and you have one very happy genre fan!

Cornish enlists the well-respected movement coach Terry Notary (PLANET OF THE APES, AVATAR) as the creature, making the effects come to life on screen. Its refreshing to see a well-made creature feature, notably influenced by John Carpenter’s THE THING and the ALIEN films, that intentionally avoids CGI. The effect is an entirely more intimate and spine-chilling atmosphere, a better sense of actually being there, in the moment, and a textural void that is filled that the excessive detail of most CGI creature design rarely manages to properly fill.

The language of ATTACK THE BLOCK may seem intimidating on the surface, not from an overuse of profanity, but from the incorporation of actual dialect and slang used in South London, giving the film a bit of authenticity and added cultural relevance. If you find yourself experiencing this difficulty early in the film, stick with it and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the story. Surprisingly, this will pass. Much like watching A CLOCKWORK ORANGE for the first time, while in English, the foreign dialect and slang can be confusing if you try and read too much into it, but ultimately all makes sense. Remember that movies are primarily a visual medium, so when a film is well-made, the dialogue is supported by what we see on screen. Cornish proves that he is clearly aware of this.

ATTACK THE BLOCK has thrills, great old school creature effects and humor, but the character development is possibly the most accomplished aspect of the film. Cornish allows his cast of teen characters to evolve from immature, typical teenagers into responsible, heroic figures. This is not just a genre film for fans of science-fiction and horror, but also a reasonably accessible family film, in the sense that the entire span of the teenage spectrum can relate to and appreciate the story while having a good time in the process.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Something is amiss as kids and adults from a Vegas suburbia slowly begin to disappear. Many homes in the neighborhood are empty due to foreclosure which makes it ripe for anyone to take up residence in a town that comes alive at night. Enter senior high school student Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin), former geek and now the cool guy who’s dating the girl of his dreams Amy (Imogen Poots). His big head has led him to abandon his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who’s been trying to warn Charley and anyone who will listen that people are missing. Ed suspects the new guy, Jerry (Colin Farrell), who’s just moved in next door to Charley and his mom (Toni Collette). No one but Ed seems to notice Jerry’s unusual comings and goings and goes as far as to film the guy so he can prove the myth that vampires will come across as invisible if recorded. It’s not until Charley rescues a woman from Jerry’s house that he realizes the hunky construction worker is the evil one who’s been preying on his neighborhood.

In the same vein as the original, lonely Ed is turned into a vampire and Charley finds himself alone and unable to convince anyone that there’s a vampire among them. After being spied on enough, Jerry goes on the attack by blowing up the Brewster’s house and chases after Charley, Amy and Mrs. Brewster into the night. In a confrontation on the dark highway, along with being rear-ended by an unsuspecting driver, Charley’s mom is severely injured and hospitalized. There’s only once place to turn now. Charley goes for help with his vampire problem to Las Vegas illusionist Peter Vincent, deliciously played by David Tennant. He’s more than a little bonkers on stage during his show, all clad in leather and long haired, but with the wig off the magician is a disenchanted, shell of a man.

Once the realization sets in that he and Jerry have some back history, and sufficiently scared enough, Vincent decides he may have more expertise on this Nosferatu than he first thought. With only thoughts of surviving, Charley and Vincent venture deep into the vampire’s sanctuary for a final confrontation with Jerry and his multiple rows of shark-like teeth.

FRIGHT NIGHT plays out like a coming of age story wrapped within a vampire tale. Everyone can identify with that stage in life when you journey from adolescence to grownup, and in Charley’s case, hero. The audience can empathize and connect with Noxon’s script that’s a finely balanced tale of gore and humor. Ironically it’s Jerry who forces him into deciding what’s really important in life. There’s no denial that the once-geek Charley is desperately attempting to shy away from the fact that he really was a geek. He’s abandoned his old friends for the new, in-crowd cohorts. He’s making choices on how he views his Mom and friends and before he realizes he’s confronted by a vampire who he has to defeat.

Colin Farrell is terrifyingly sexy as Jerry. He’s very convincing as the 400 year old, charismatic killer who’s main purpose in life is to exist and feed, feed, feed. FRIGHT NIGHT’s CGI vampire metamorphosis is actually quite good alongside all the 3D crosses, blood and body parts flying at you, but ultimately it’s David Tennant’s turn as vampire slayer, Peter Vincent, that’s the red icing on the cake. Immortalized in the original by Roddy McDowall, Tennant really has the most fun as the self-proclaimed vampire expert who loves two things in life – sex and booze. Behind the facade of itchy leather and Vegas penthouse, Tennant is very believable as a guy who’s more comfortable in a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

FRIGHT NIGHT is that refreshingly, fanged remake that surpasses the original as a “staked through the heart” horror film. TWILIGHT fans need not apply

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Visit the film’s official site: http://www.welcometofrightnight.com/. “Like” FRIGHT NIGHT on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/frightnightmovie and follow the film on Twitter: http://twitter.com/FrightNight2011