Coming Soon - Kenneyville

Set for an October 11th release is this independent flick from Canada. Written and directed by Brookes Hunter it certainly seems to be an intense looking movie judging from the trailer.

Official Site

Synopsis

There is something seriously wrong with Kenneyville.  When, a young woman, KIM, from Toronto goes missing and police mysteriously drop the case earlier than expected, two private detectives are hired to find her. With undercover aliases, CHARLIE and KELLY head to the small town of Kenneyville for answers after discovering significant clues. Upon meeting seemingly innocent locals, Charlie is brutally beaten and Kelly is ruthlessly kidnapped. Charlie awakens in shock with a new mission: to find and save his partner. We soon realize the horrific truth behind both women's disappearances.  ADRIAN BLACK, a local scientist and businessman, has been collecting innocent women for experiments in creating brainwashed assassins.  Charlie soon discovers just how deep the rabbit hole goes and ultimately learns which shocking 'mega-organization' has hired Adrian to produce these ruthless killing machines.

New In Print - Shadowland Magazine

Here's a look at a new magazine that is ready to order. It's $6.65 and is available from www.ShadowlandMagazine.com. Judging from the below press release there seems to be a good mix articles contained within. Personally I have always been a fan of print magazines and I will be sure to check this one out when I get the chance.

SHADOWLAND MAGAZINE #1 PRESS RELEASE

Take a journey into the shadows with Shadowland Magazine, a quarterly publication that covers the best in horror, sci-fi & fantasy entertainment! Each issue contains retrospectives, exclusive interviews, movie reviews, industry news, and so much more! The average issue is 52 pages with a full-color cover and black-and-white interior.

Contents of Shadowland Magazine Issue #1:

The Phantom Unmasked: An exhaustive retrospective on the history of The Phantom of the Opera in film, television, and literature.

Godzilla In Comics – The Marvel Years: Toho's King of the Monsters in the Mighty Marvel Manner! A fond remembrance of Godzilla's 1970s comic battles with S.H.I.E.L.D., the Fantastic Four, Devil Dinosaur, the Champions, and The Avengers.

The Lost Spielberg Film: In 1982 Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial smashed box office records, but it wasn't the film the renowned director set out to direct. We examine the origins of Spielberg's child-friendly film, which was originally intended as a horrific sci-fi/thriller entitled: Night Skies.

Robocop – The Series: A look at the short-lived RoboCop TV series from 1994.

The First Avenger on Film! Captain America may be Marvel's latest summer blockbuster, but what of his other on-screen adventures? A glimpse back at the Star-Spangled Avenger's 1940s cliffhanger serial, his animated show, two made-for-tv movies, and his '90s flick Marvel tried to hide.

Exclusive Interviews: We revisit the 1979 made-for-television Captain America film with director Rod Holcomb and speak with storyboard artist, writer, producer, and director, Will Meugniot, about Marvel's attempt at a '90sCaptain America animated series.

Poster Wars: A look at the movie posters of Captain America: The First Avenger.

Interview with Dwayne Pinkney: We talk with artist Dwayne Pinkney about his jaw-dropping artwork.

Beyond Fantastique: Reviews of Hobo with a Shotgun, Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, Basilisk, Zone Troopers, Shock Waves, The Art of Hammer: The Offical Poster Collection from the Archive of Hammer Films, and Spooky Encounters: A Gwailo's Guide to Hong Kong Horror.

News Bites: The latest news on everything horror, sci-fi & fantasy!

Filthy Giveaway! Scream 4 Soundtracks - Closed

To coincide with Scream 4 hitting DVD and Blu-ray on October 4th, check here for details, I am running another Filthy Giveaway. I have 3 copies of the Scream 4 Soundtrack to giveaway, and all you need to do to be in with a chance of winning a copy is email me. Well, there's a little more to it than that....

Just come up with a correct answer to the question below

Can you name 4 horror movies directed by Wes Craven that aren't sequels?

Simple right? Just pop your answers in an email to judefelton@hotmail.com, along with your full name and mailing address. Anyone can enter and I will let it run until Sept 29th when I will then announce the winners. My decision is final and all powerful.

Paranormal Activity 3 - New Poster

From its no-budget beginning through to multiplex blockbuster, there is no denying the Paranormal Activity movies have taken the world by storm. Love them or hate them there appears to be no escaping them. Part 3 opens on October 21st, and is directed by Henry joost and Ariel Schulman, and now you can check out the brand new poster for it. Am sure this won't be the last in the series.

The Stool Pigeon - Blu-ray/DVD Artwork

Due for release thorugh Well Go USA on September 27th is The Stool Pigeon from director Dante Lam. I will have a review up for it a couple of days before that date. In the meantime you can check out the accompanying cover art, synopsis and bonus features.

Synopsis:

Don Lee (Nick Cheung) is a police detective in Kowloon whose reliance on informants leaves him struggling with a guilty conscience. Lee’s previous stool pigeon had his cover blown and it left him paranoid and driven from his wife and home. Although he is beginning to doubt his own methods, Lee recruits a street racer named Ghost (Nicholas Tse) as his latest stool pigeon and assigns him to infiltrate a gang led by the notorious armed robber Barbarian (Lu Yi). Ghost accepts Lee’s offer so he can rescue his sister from a life of prostitution, as well as help his father’s one-million dollar debt. Ghost joins an illegal street race to gain acceptance into Barbarian’s gang. Lee also has personal problems of his own, as wife Cher (Miao Pu) whom he is separated from tried to commit suicide a few months previously and has since had amnesia. Lee begins to realize how wrong he was to exploit his informants and desperately tries to right his wrong before Ghost is in serious trouble.

Bonus Features Include:

§  Director and Actor Interviews

§  Behind the Scenes Featurette

§  Deleted Scenes

§  Photo Gallery

§  Optional English Dub

The Stool Pigeon has a runtime of approximately 113 minutes and is not rated.

Phase 7 - DVD Artwork And Trailer

I previously covered Phase 7 here for its theatrical release. Well, now is the time for the DVD, Digital and VOD release on October 4th. Phase 7 is one of the Bloody Disgusting Selects releases in conjunction with The Collective and I have the art (above) and the trailer for you to cast your eyes over.

Synopsis:

PHASE 7 mixes satire, humor, horror and social commentary in a way that reminds viewers of the arch SHAUN OF THE DEAD and the savvy claustrophobia of [rec].  In the film, Coco (Hendler) has just moved to a new apartment with his wife Pipi (Stuart), who’s seven months pregnant.  At first, they don’t seem to notice the growing chaos around them, but when authorities quarantine their building after a deadly pandemic breaks out, Coco joins forces with his off-kilter, but well-prepared and stocked next-door neighbor Horacio to defend his refrigerator and keep Pipi safe.  Meanwhile, outside the building, Buenos Aires—and the world as the apartment denizens know it, is disappearing. The world is ending; got ammo?

Directed and written by Nicolás Goldbart; produced by Sebastian Aloi; executive produced by Steven Schneider (Insidious, Paranormal Activity); starring Daniel Hendler (LOST EMBRACE); Jazmín Stuart (THE PARANOIDS); Yayo Guridi (LOS RODRIGUEZ); and Federico Luppi (PAN’S LABYRINTH)

Coming Soon - The Son Of No One

Due to hit theaters on November 4th through Anchor Bay Entertainment is The Son of No One. Directed by Dito Montiel, it stars Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes, Juliette Binoche and Al Pacino, amongst others. You can check out the trailer below.

Synopsis: A young cop is assigned to a precinct in the working class neighborhood where he grew up, and an old secret threatens to destroy his life and his family.

Buy A Pair Of Big Boy Pants Mr. Andrews

I'll preface this short rant by saying that I enjoyed the movie Creature and you can read my review here.


Now I have that out of the way I can move on to a little education of a bitter man. The man in question is Fred Andrews, and he is the director of the movie Creature, who ended up in the fortunate position of having his first feature film play in 1500 (or so) theaters across the States. Unfortunately for him the movie, as is now common knowledge, tanked and disappeared from the big screen.


In a recent interview with Fangoria, which happened to feature the movie on its magazine cover and gave it a positive review, Mr Andrews saw fit to generalize bloggers as "bottom-feeders". Well Sonny Jim maybe you should think about what you say before you openly fart through your vocal chords. So, Fangoria and the LA Times gave the movie a good review? Whoop-dee-doo, just about every other well known genre site review I read slated the movie. These reviews weren't on blogs, they were on sites that companies use quotes for on their DVD cases. It wasn't the bloggers that killed your movie, it was you and your publicity department.


Putting an R rated horror movie that features a man in a rubber suit, with no recognizable names (sorry Sid Haig but outside genre fans you are not well known) and virtually no advertising is not going to get you any sort of return. Many genre fans that I know hadn't even heard of the bloody movie, so how do you expect non-genre fans to give a shit? Have you seen how the majority of horror films perform at the theater? 


Let's throw some figures at you shall I? The Creature Facebook page has, at time of writing this, 8402 fans. If every one of those fans went to the theater to see it, and I am sure they didn't, you'd get roughly 5 or 6 people per screen. Oh, hang on, isn't that the amount of people that did go to the theater to see it? Compare that to the 95000 fans The Orphan Killer has, and they aren't arrogant enough to attempt a theatrical release. Or we could go down the road of mentioning the 24 million fans the Twlight (movie) series has. Or I could mention the 44000 views the ten videos on the Creature Youtube page has. That's combined viewing figures by the way. Hell, my Youtube page has more views. So again I mention 1500 screens. Why?


Horror fans are a loyal bunch, they will follow you to the ends of the Earth and support your career, damn it they will keep you in a career. They will buy your movies, your posters, stump up cash for autographs and wear your t-shirts. Shit on them and they will crucify you. Horror fans aren't like the rest of the movie-going public, they actually care about their movies. Call them geeks, nerds or fanboys, but I can assure you that I have invested more time and money into the genre than you ever will.


Many directors, writers and actors embrace social networking sites and blogs, they appreciate the fact that it is a way of getting in touch with their audience. They know that if they want people to buy into their product then they are going to have to put in some legwork, and I am not just talking about the Independent movie makers such as yourself Mr Andrews. The most successful horror film this year without a doubt has been Insidious. The makes of this haven't rested on their laurels though, they are always posting to their fans and communicating with them. Maybe you should take a leaf out of their book and show a little humility so that if you do ever get to make another film people might go and see it.


You carry on being a bitter little man and I will continue to be a "bottom feeder". The difference between you and I is that I have a respect for the genre, and those attached to it, and I work hard to maintain my reputation.  I try to promote the genre I love and like nothing more than getting the word out about movies, foreign and domestic, that might otherwise slip under the radar. You mention about "reputable" critics and publications, did they hand over their cash to see your movie? No, it was the bloggers, the lowest of the low, well 6 or 7 of them, that paid their money to see your movie. After reading your whining I am glad I didn't pay to see it either. And no I didn't illegally download it, I got sent a screener from your PR company. The sad thing is I would happily have paid to see it on the big screen, I would have bought the DVD too but I don't think that will happen now.


Instead of crying about forces working against you, you should have put a little more effort into the promotion of the movie and being proactive not reactive, as is obviously your modus operandi. I do hope you learn from this experience and man-up in future, don't blame the fans for your shortcomings because you won't have any if you continue to do so.


So ends today's Filthy sermon.

Coming Soon - 13

Back in 2005 director Gela Bubluani brought a devastating vision to the screen in 13 Tzameti. It was an uncompromising movie and was truly shattering. Now there is the Americanized version, once again directed by Bubliani which stars Jason Statham, Ray Winstone and Mickey Rourke. It will be screening at Laemmie Monica 4-Plex in LA and the Village East Cinema in New York on October 28th with a DVD and Blu-ray release from Anchor Bay on November 8th.

Although I don't believe it will match the power of the 2005 movie I am eager to check it out due to Statham, Winstone and Bubluani's involvement. In fact the cast as a whole looks pretty solid to me. I do wonder why a director would remake his own movie though. It didn't really turn out all that well with The Vanishing. Time will tell, but in the meantime you can check out the trailer below.

Starring: Jason Statham, Sam Riley, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Ray Winstone, Alexander Skarsgard, Mickey Rourke

--------------------

Official Synopsis

Vince Ferro is a man in desperate circumstances. While on a quick fix-it job, he steals an envelope containing instructions for a mysterious job that promises a potential fortune. He assumes a false identity and follows the instructions, only to find himself a numbered participant in an underworld Russian roulette competition, where gamblers place bets on who'll survive when the trigger is pulled.  The stakes are high, but the payout is more than he can resist. Many are competing for the first time, and a precious few have even returned to play again, but are his odds any better than other players in this most deadly game? What will it take to be the last man standing?

Filthy Review - The Orphan Killer

The Orphan Killer (2011)

Review by Jude Felton

Horror movie icons have been around for decades, from Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula and the Wolfman through to Freddy, Jason and Leatherface, they have always been with us. Recent years have given us John Kramer, even though he was dead for most of the Saw movies, and to a lesser degree Victor Crowley, Leslie Vernon and Chromeskull. What makes an icon though is the fans, the movies themselves don’t always have to be any good, I mean just look at some of the later Elm Street movies, which were average at best, and how popular Freddy Krueger became. Fans made them the icons they are and it is the fans that will continue to do so.

This brings me to The Orphan Killer, an independent movie written and directed by Matt Farnsworth, which threatens to unleash a new psychopath into the unsuspecting public consciousness. It may be a tough ask though, and this is not down to the quality of the movie which is very good, as this movie really does push a few buttons. The content is quite strong at times, which for a horror flick is just fine with me as the more buttons a movie pushes the better. Horror should challenge what is acceptable viewing. Don’t worry though, we aren’t heading into new born porn territory here. However, the potential is here for The Orphan Killer aka Marcus Miller, who already has close to one hundred thousand fans on one social networking site, to become a B movie icon.

After the murder, during a home invasion, of his parents Marcus Miller and his sister Audrey are shuttled off to an orphanage to live. It is whilst he is here that he takes exception to another one of the orphanage’s residents. The Nuns don’t take too kindly to this and keep him locked away. His sister is adopted by a police officer and Marcus is left to languish in Nun hell. Now, the story is revealed piece by piece with flashbacks slowly putting everything into place. The long and the short of it though is that Marcus is none too happy with his sister and hunts her down with less than pleasant plans for her.

The first thing I noticed about The Orphan Killer is that is a very nicely shot movie, the images are crisp and fluid, and the overall look is of one that belies what I imagine is a fairly low budget. The script is minimal yet through the actions of Marcus and Audrey the story is conveyed well enough, even if the plot is not really the strongest. Diane Foster, as Audrey, puts in a good turn, especially during the latter stages and David Backhaus transforms Marcus into a brutal killing machine.

The real strength of The Orphan Killer is in its cold-hearted and nasty scenes of violence, which are aplenty. Graphic, bloody and disturbing they certainly do the trick, with no-one spared. Some scenes may be considered distasteful by some, myself not included, but it is this brutality that really sells the movie.

I would have liked to have seen things tightened up in places, a couple of scenes go on for longer than necessary and caused the film to lag slightly, and there were a few plotlines that came a little too close to other movies for my liking. Aside from that though I thought The Orphan Killer was really solid psycho-run-amok movie.

Any movie can deliver blood and gore, here though Matt Farnsworth has managed to make it uncomfortable to watch as well as very effectively done. I would think that fans of the Laid to Rest movies, and other brutal slasher movies, will get a real kick out of this.

Whether or not Marcus Miller will find his way into the hearts of horror fans and into the realms of horror icon only time will tell, but on this showing he is well on his way. 

The Orphan Killer is available to buy at the TOK Store