The horror film IT COMES AT NIGHT, starring Joel Edgerton has released its terrifying first trailer and poster. A24 will release IT COMES AT NIGHT, Trey Edward Shults’ follow-up to the critically acclaimed KRISHA on August 25th.
Imagine the end of the world— Now imagine something worse.
Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his incredible debut feature Krisha with It Comes At Night, a horror film following a man (Joel Edgerton) as he is learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within.
Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge.
Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKnigN8OiNcHorror + Scifi
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Watch the First Trailer for Horror Film IT COMES AT NIGHT Starring Joel Edgerton
The horror film IT COMES AT NIGHT, starring Joel Edgerton has released its terrifying first trailer and poster. A24 will release IT COMES AT NIGHT, Trey Edward Shults’ follow-up to the critically acclaimed KRISHA on August 25th.
Imagine the end of the world— Now imagine something worse.
Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his incredible debut feature Krisha with It Comes At Night, a horror film following a man (Joel Edgerton) as he is learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within.
Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge.
Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKnigN8OiNc
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Film Review: Lorcan Finnegan’s WITHOUT NAME
The woods are scary. This isn’t a concept that’s too difficult to grasp. Nature scares people. The uncontrollable elements scare people. Bears scare people. Witches scare people. All these things are in the woods and, unless I’m with at least three other people who run slower than me, I won’t be. However, if your inclination is to tell me that I’m more afraid of myself than I am the forest, not only would you be correct, you’d be the perfect audience for Lorcan Finnegan’s debut feature, Without Name.
When Eric (Alan McKenna) is contracted to survey a land known as gun ainm (literal translation being, you guessed it, “without name”), he finds himself spending more time investigating the area’s history than the land itself. Leaving behind a wife (Olga Wehrly) and teenaged son (Brandon Maher) but accompanied by his colleague and occasional mistress, Olivia (Niamh Algar), Eric becomes obsessed with the land’s previous owner, William Devoy (Brendan Conroy), who left behind a field guide to the surrounding forests, its plants, and potentially supernatural properties before succumbing to its powers, where he was found catatonic and nearly dead with no concrete explanation.
Undisturbed but morbidly curious, Eric’s grasp on reality grows thin as the mysteries surrounding Devoy’s current mental state and explorations in the forest pose more questions than they answer. Meanwhile, Eric and Olivia become close with a traveling local, Gus (James Browne), who tries to open their minds to the possibilities of nature as sentient beings that communicate with each other in a complicated ecosystem beyond human comprehension.
Bursting with an energy rarely seen outside of a debut feature, Without Name is a challenging, unnerving, and ultimately rewarding film about the relationship between man and the surroundings which he cannot control through distinctly human concepts like infrastructure and property lines. Finnegan, with cinematographer Piers McGrall, uses the camera to breathe a life into these woods that’s rarely seen in the movies. The film’s most visceral moments have a tendency to erase the barrier between viewer and screen, leaving you as disoriented as the characters you’re watching.
While we’re on the topic of character, it took watching this movie to realize how long it’s been since I’ve seen a horror movie with three-dimensional human beings to root for. I can’t emphasize enough how refreshing it was to hear people talking on-screen without desperately wanting one of them to be murdered mid-sentence. By avoiding the “creepy local” trope entirely and allowing the horror to come from within Eric and as a result of his surroundings, Finnegan is able to foster these distinct relationships amongst the characters that imbue his film with a sense of purpose with which the worst horror films don’t even bother.
However, that same energy and attention to detail that characterize the best debut features are occasionally offset by a narrative structure commonly associated with first films on the negative end of that spectrum. For all of its risks, Without Name‘s screenplay sometimes slips into more telegraphed territory, which actively works against the mystery that makes this film a lot of what it is. All the more disappointing because the film’s highs are high. It’s a confident debut that sometimes doesn’t trust itself to go the distance and shed any semblance of the reference points and visual cues that most first-time directors rely on to find an audience.
Similarly, Without Name has a tendency to bare its micro-budget teeth that no amount of editing can hide, including a third act that, while visually stunning and genuinely breathtaking to behold, utilizes overly simplistic (read: cheap) setups to get its point across, including an altercation between two nude men in a forest that’s probably a lot goofier than it was intended to be.
These are all minor gripes, though. The bottom line of Without Name is that it’s daring, it’s unnerving, it’s gorgeously shot, impeccably scored, masterfully edited, and only occasionally clunky. I predict nothing but good things for director Lorcan Finnegan and his writing partner, Garret Shanley, who are well on their way to being the next Adam Wingard/Simon Barrett one-two punch of a writer who understands the genre with a bold vision, and a director who’s able to manifest that vision into something that’s not only watchable, but potentially transcendent. In its closing shot, Finnegan confirms that he already knows the one thing most horror directors tend to avoid: killing your characters isn’t the best or only way to scare your audience, as there are many, many fates worse than death.
Grade: B+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd4K6qICqC8
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Five Indie Horror Films, Halloween Releases You May Have Missed or Never Heard Of
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Gehenna[/caption]
At this point, it’s almost treason to not watch a horror movie on Halloween. Most people go straight for the classics, dusting off that Friday the 13th DVD while pre-gaming for that unmissable party happening later in the night. But for those us, like myself, who’d rather spend Halloween far away from the killer clowns and tedious prosthetics that take a week to wash off, here are five independent horror releases that may have flown under your radar.
1. Recovery
Release Date: October 28th
Runtime: 82 Minutes
Darrell Wheat’s debut feature (one of two he has coming this year) concerns a group of beautiful young teenagers who use the Find My iPhone app to locate their friend, whose been kidnapped by a masked psychopath outside of a Los Angeles nightclub. In a continued trend of using new technology to breathe life into old plots, Recovery‘s trailer – from its “Based on Actual Events” title card to the trailer itself, which is comprised almost entirely of corny dialogue and jump scares – confirms suspicions that viewers probably won’t be getting themselves into anything they haven’t seen before. With that said, it does look like it has the potential to be pretty fun, and friends looking to throw back a couple drinks and laugh at stupid teenagers should look no further.
Recovery will be screened in a limited engagement on October 27th before a VOD release on October 28th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wV-JP0XvUY
2. The Windmill
Release Date: October 28th
Runtime: 85 Minutes
A young Australian woman, Jennifer (Charlotte Beaumont), is running from the past, doing her best to stay incognito with a group of tourists who are scheduled to visit Holland’s most famous windmills. However, when they start getting picked off one by one, secrets come to light, pasts are revealed, and blood is shed. The trailer for this one seems to be running with a “you can never escape the past” thesis that’s always a great starting point for clever writing and gruesome kills. Whether or not the film actually follows through with either remains to be seen, but the trailer shows some promise, offering quick glimpses into what could be a bloody fun mind-boggler.
The Windmill hits VOD on October 25th, with a limited release starting October 28th. The morbidly curious can check out director Nick Jongerius’ original concept teaser here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIHpfivxayY
3. The Unspoken
Release Date: October 28th
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Creepy kids, creepy houses, unspoken secrets, murders, trauma, and violence. You’ve seen this before and you’re definitely going to see it again, but The Unspoken, director Sheldon Wilson’s latest, insists on existing anyway. The only real reason to check this one out is as a comparison piece with star Jodelle Ferland’s other notable horror performance as Patience in Drew Goddard’s The Cabin in the Woods. A more dedicated person than me might even want to make a game out of seeing all the cliches present in Wilson’s film that Goddard’s had ruthlessly mocked.
The Unspoken is currently available for rent on Amazon, and hits theaters on October 28th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgxHjZsbaeo
4. Gehenna
Release Date: October 30th
Runtime: 105 Minutes
The directorial debut of creature effects sculptor Hiroshi Katagiri seems to be a study in contrast. While watching the trailer, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Why does this movie look so good but feel so wrong?” I got my answer as soon as I scanned Katagiri’s IMDb page. With sculpting and effects work dating back to the mid-90s, and credits on some pretty major productions (Spielberg’s War of the Worlds and del Toro’s Pacific Rim are just two of many), Katagiri is a tried and true professional. His directorial skills are still up for debate, however, and – if nothing else – Gehenna will surely have some genuinely unnerving practical effects to drool over.
Gehenna will start making the rounds at festivals on October 30th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc4Q2qbhCbY
5. Hostage to the Devil
Release Date: October 31st
Runtime: 90 Minutes
If any of you want to know what I’ll be watching on Halloween, look no further than Hostage to the Devil, a documentary about the life of Father Malachi Martin, one of the world’s most renowned exorcists. Through interviews, dramatic recreations, and archival footage, director Martin Stalker paints a thoroughly unnerving and complete portrait of a controversial man working in an even more controversial profession. Judging by the trailer, the film doesn’t seem to be imposing one truth or another, and with its gorgeously staged recreations, there are echoes of 2012’s The Imposter, which was one of my favorite documentaries of that year. Only watch this trailer if you’re prepared to cancel your Halloween plans and see the movie instead.
Hostage to the Devil‘s release schedule has been a little bit wonky, with releases in the UK/Ireland but no confirmed dates for the US. From what I gathered, an October 31st US release seems likely, but it might be time to break out that Hola Unblocker for those of us who are too impatient.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i17wAIXbgs0
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MAGNET to Release Sundance Shocker Film THE EYES OF MY MOTHER
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THE EYES OF MY MOTHER[/caption]
THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, the “hauntingly beautiful and shockingly original” debut from filmmaker Nicolas Pesce, has been acquired by Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, for release.
The film fuses classic horror ingredients with gothic black-and-white imagery and was called the “discovery of this year’s Sundance” by Indiewire’s Eric Kohn. It also features a breakout performance from newcomer Kika Magalhaes. Magnet is planning a 2016 theatrical release.
In the film Magalhaes plays Francisca, a young woman who has been unfazed by death from an early age. Francisca’ mother, a former surgeon, imbued her with a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. When tragedy shatters the family’s idyllic life in the countryside, Francisca’s deep trauma gradually awakens some unique curiosities. As she grows up, her desire to connect with the world around her takes a distinctly dark form.
The film was rapturously received by critics at Sundance. “It contains some of the most memorable, almost poetic visual compositions in a very long time” wrote Roger Ebert.com critic, Brian Tallerico. Variety was equally enthusiastic, calling the film “a Sundance standout” and “an impressive, highly original horror fable” while Vulture dubbed it “a slick, simmering nightmare.” Eric Kohn added that “Francisca is a movie monster for the ages.”
“Nicolas Pesce has crafted an auspicious and unforgettable debut that immediately establishes him as one of the most exciting genre filmmakers to watch today,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “This is the kind of film Magnet was started for.”
“I’m very excited for the film to have found a home with Magnet,” said Nicolas Pesce. “They’re responsible for releasing so many of the movies that inspired me, so to be included in this family is incredible. The life they’ve given to both foreign and domestic genre films is unparalleled, so for THE EYES OF MY MOTHER to be released through them is a dream come true.”
THE EYES OF MY MOTHER was produced by Jacob Wasserman, Schuyler Weiss, and Max Born and executive produced by Borderline Films’ Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond under their new Borderline Presents label. Filmmaker Nicolas Pesce recently signed with United Talent Agency and Washington Square Films, while lead actress Kika Magalhaes was snatched up by Anonymous Content.
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Watch TRAILER for “Creepy, Weird” Turkish Horror Film BASKINO
IFC Midnight has released the trailer for the “creepy, weird” Turkish horror film BASKINO, directed by Can Evrenol.
BASKIN opens on VOD and in NY at The IFC Center on March 25th, and in LA at Arena Cinema on April 1st.
A five-man unit of cops on night patrol get more than they bargain for when they arrive at a creepy backwater town in the middle of nowhere after a call comes over the radio for backup. Entering a derelict building, the seasoned tough guys and their rookie junior, who’s still haunted by a traumatic childhood dream, do the one thing you should never do in this kind of movie: they split up. They soon realize they’ve stumbled into a monstrous charnel house and descend into an ever-more nightmarish netherworld where grotesque, mind-wrenching horrors await them at every turn. This is one Baskin (that’s “police raid” to you non-Turkish speakers) that isn’t going to end well. But wait! Things aren’t what they seem in this truly disturbing, outrageously gory, and increasingly surreal film whose unpredictable narrative pulls the carpet from under your feet and keeps you guessing right up to the final moment. A wildly original whatsit that reconfirms Turkey as the breakout national cinema of the moment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SfWmXQY3o
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Award-Winning Israeli Point-of-View Horror Film “JeruZalem” Sets January 2016 Release Date | TRAILER
The award-winning Israeli horror film JeruZalem will be released in the US on January 22nd, 2016 via Epic Pictures Releasing. The film world premiered at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival and, among other awards, was recognized with the Audience Award and Best Editing Award at the 2015 Jerusalem Film Festival.
A unique, point-of-view style horror film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz, JeruZalem follows Rachel (played by Jane the Virgin star Yael Grobglas), and her friend Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn), two American girls on vacation in Jerusalem. The two follow Kevin (Yon Tumarkin), a mysterious and handsome anthropology student, into the heart of the Old City. The party is cut short when a biblical prophecy comes to pass on the night of Yom Kippur and Jerusalem’s gate to hell is opened, releasing an epic apocalypse. Trapped between the ancient walls of the holy city, the trio must survive long enough to find a way out as the fury of hell is unleashed upon them.
Shooting on location amongst the monuments of Jerusalem’s Old City, The Paz Brothers directed the film utilizing a custom-made camera mount to capture some of the holy’s city’s ancient architecture, religious landmarks and historical sites. The film features extensive point-of-view footage, shown from the perspective of Sarah’s Google Glass-type smart eyewear, as she uses the glasses’ GPS, facial recognition and other apps to navigate the city and identify potentially threatening strangers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EhqqJpDNSw
“The Paz Brothers first feature, Phobidilia, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was the Israeli film that ignited the genre wave from that country. With their second feature, JeruZalem, they have created a remarkable, cinematic film that demands to be seen in theaters,” commented Epic Pictures CEO Patrick Ewald. “We’re thrilled to bring the film to audiences across the country.”
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Horror Crime Thriller THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, Produced by Wes Craven, to Get a Spring 2016 Release
Nick Simon’s horror crime thriller THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS which had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival will be released in the US via Vertical Entertainment. THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS stars Kal Penn, Claudia Lee, Kenny Wormald, Toby Hemingway, Luke Baines, Miranda Rae Mayo, Katharine Isabelle, and Mitch Pileggi, and was executive produced by Nawaf Alghanim and horror legend Wes Craven as his last credit before he passed this summer.
Vertical plans on a Spring 2016 theatrical release.
In THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, big-city glamour clashes with small-town values when a celebrity photographer and his entourage descend upon a sleepy community to investigate the bloody doings of a serial killer.
“This film drew inspiration from my deep love of horror films in my childhood, and I wanted to make a horror film that I would want to see as a fan of the genre. We got down to one of the most important elements of a classic horror film: the thrill of being scared and not knowing what is around the corner or, worse yet, knowing exactly what is around the corner,” said filmmaker Nick Simon. “I am excited to work with Vertical Entertainment on the release campaign, and I am beyond grateful to everyone who had a hand in getting this film made, especially my mentor, Wes Craven. This film is dedicated to his memory; it was an absolute dream come true to have collaborated with Wes and also renowned cinematographer Dean Cundey. I have been humbled by their kindness and passion for telling this story with me.”
And in a 2014 statement from Wes Craven attributed to him during the development stage for the film: “Sometimes you read a script and you just know. From first draft to final cut, Nick has told a unique story that will leave you wondering: Is it always good to be noticed? It has been a pleasure to work with Nick from his days in my WGA mentor group to picture lock. You’ll be hearing from him again.”
THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS was directed by Nick Simon; written by Osgood Perkins, Robert Morast, and Nick Simon; executive produced by Wes Craven and Nawaf Alghanim; and produced by Thomas Mahoney and Andrea Chung, with cinematography by Dean Cundey, editing by Michael Griffin, production design by Eric Fraser, and music by Nima Fakhrara. The film was made by Alghanim Entertainment.
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Award-Winning Horror/Romance NINA FOREVER Will Open in Theaters on Valentine’s Day Weekend | TRAILER
The horror/romance film NINA FOREVER will be released on February 12, 2016, Valentine’s Day weekend via Epic Pictures Group. NINA FOREVER world premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim and generated strong word-of-mouth buzz from audiences.
Written and directed by Ben and Chris Blaine, NINA FOREVER was honored with multiple British Independent Film Awards nominations this week, including Best Debut Director for The Blaine Brothers and Most Promising Newcomer for lead actress Abigail Hardingham. The film was previously recognized with the Best Feature award at FrightFest 2015.
A darkly comedic romantic horror story exploring love and grief, NINA FOREVER follows Holly (Abigail Hardingham), as she begins a relationship with her co-worker Rob (Cian Barry), who is grieving over the recent death of his girlfriend Nina (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) from a motorcycle accident. Holly has fallen for Rob and is determined to help him though his grief. Yet every time they make love, Nina appears; tangled, bloody and still fixated on Rob. Holly doesn’t freak out and run – she can deal with the dead girl sharing their bed, their lives, their minds. If it’s what Rob needs, it’s what she’ll do, regardless of the consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IokJt_05co
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Australian Horror Film THE PACK, to Get a Spring 2016 Release | TRAILER
THE PACK, the feature debut of acclaimed commercials director Nick Robertson will be released in Spring 2016 via IFC Midnight. The film made its world premiere at the 2015 Fantasy Filmfest, and stars Anna Lise Phillips, Jack Campbell, and Kieran Thomas.
In THE PACK, a farmer and his family must fight for their lives after a ferocious pack of feral wild dogs lays siege to their isolated farm.. Through a series of frightening and bloody encounters, they are forced into survival mode to defend themselves from the ravenous beasts and make it through the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcMH31xdvUA
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Polish Horror Film “Demon” by Late Marcin Wrona, to Get a 2016 Release | TRAILER
The horror film Demon, from the late director Marcin Wrona, which had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (Vanguard Section), will be released in 2016 via The Orchard.
Polish director Marcin Wrona was found dead in his hotel room in late September, while attending the Gdynia Film Festival in the Baltic city of Gdynia for the Poland premiere of Demon.
In Demon, a young man travels to the hometown of his future wife where he knows no one. As a wedding gift from the bride’s grandfather, he receives a piece of land where the two can build a house and raise a happy family. While preparing the land to build, he finds human bones buried beneath the new property. Strange things begin to happen to change this happy couple’s life forever. Demon is a modern take on one of the most famous figures of Jewish folklore, the dybbuk, a spirit of a person not properly laid to rest that seeks to inhabit the body of a living person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn2zvlURSeU
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Video Clips + Images from Horror Film CLASSROOM 6
Check out some video clips and images from CLASSROOM 6, a found-footage horror film directed by Jonas Odenheimer, available on VOD and iTunes today, Friday, October 9, 2015.
In CLASSROOM 6, a local reporter and her assembled TV crew explore a school haunted by a horrific past. The team soon realizes that the location is home to an evil and ancient force that wants them dead.
https://vimeo.com/141674449
https://vimeo.com/141674451
https://vimeo.com/141674450
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Swedish Horror Film SENSORIA World Premiere at Fantastic Fest |TRAILER
SENSORIA, a “stylish” new psychological thriller/horror film directed by Christian Hallman, World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Sunday, and will screen again this coming Wednesday.
SENSORIA follows Caroline, a woman in her late thirties, who has lost everything she cares for in the world. In the search for a new beginning, she moves into an old apartment and quickly begins to realize that she is not as alone as she thought she was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieszRmpc-hM
SENSORIA
Sweden, 2015
World Premiere, 82 min
Director – Christian Hallman
Caroline Menard is a woman in her thirties who has lost everything. As she moves into a new apartment searching for a new start, she’s unaware that something ancient is waiting for her.
