Wednesday 8 October 2014
Tuesday 15 October 2013
The Mayhem Horror Film Festival 2013
Mayhem Horror Film Festival is one of the many current
cutting edge events that will bring to the screens the very best in our
favourite genre; including both film and television with a showcasing of the
best selection of shorts.
The festival will run from Thursday 31st
October to Sunday 3rd November 2013, at the Broadway Cinema, in
Nottingham; a great start to Halloween. Now the festival is in its ninth year
it promises to bring the audiences gut-wrenching and spine tingling horror. Steven Sheil director of Mum and Dad (2008), who
runs the festival (with fellow Nottingham filmmakers Chris Cooke and Gareth
Howell) states that there should be 16 films as well as a selection of shorts
for us all to enjoy.
"They'll all be preview screenings; they won't have
been released in the UK yet, and some of them won't be released until next
year."
And it's not just horror at Mayhem. Steven states that
"We make it quite broad. It's not just ultra-gory
stuff; its ghosts to splatter films and everything in between, plus sci-fi and
cult. And these are films from around the world. We try to give a snapshot of
what's happening in the world of horror and cult cinema at Mayhem every
year."
He adds:
"We do TV as well. A few years ago we had the cast and
crew of Being Human here to talk about the series and introduce the new one.
That was quite a big hit."
The event attracts around 2000 people with some attendees -
regulars – who will book a holiday off work to attend. There will be premieres, new releases and even previews to
cult classics. And of course we can’t forget to mention the special screenings,
breakthrough shorts and a host of special guests - usually directors and
producers – with a questions and answers session to ask them all you would like
to know about their horror film.
This will be a very unique experience- one which I will
gladly go through. Mayhem will offer some exciting viewing for the audiences
attending across the four days of horrific madness and mayhem.
I have been lucky enough to be given a day pass granting me the
opportunity to attend the festival on Saturday 2nd of November 2013.
I will be viewing the following films that are sure to
delight and disturb…
THE DEMON'S ROOK
- Dir. James Sizemore, 2013 (USA) (James Sizemore, Ashleigh Jo Sizemore)
After making a childhood pact with a demon; a grown-up
Roscoe returns from the underworld with mystical powers. But three demons
pursue him: one who possesses the minds of all she crosses, another who can
transform a man into a beast and the third who commands an army of the dead.
Utterly hysterical blood-spurting fun - a DIY homage to all pre-CGI gore
effects. “Insane.” Dread Central!
KISS OF THE DAMNED
- Dir. Xan Cassavetes, 2013 (USA) (Roxane Mesquida, Joséphine de La Baume)
Having sworn off humans, young vampire Djuna finds peace
with her new partner, only for her less hung-up sister to invade their
tranquillity and threaten the whole vampire community. An impressively stylish,
slyly funny and decadent mix of 70s sexy vampirism: think Tony Scott's The
Hunger crossed with Jean Rollin. “Pure kitsch. Sumptuously goofy gothic.” L.A.
Times.
THE BORDERLANDS
with special guests Director Elliot Goldner and Producer Jennifer Handorf
Dir. Elliot Goldner, 2013 (UK), (Gordon Kennedy, Robin Hill)
A couple of Vatican investigators head to an isolated
country church to report on supernatural activity and find much more than they
bargained for in this chilling tale co-written by Severance Screenwriter James
Moran. Is what haunts this remote location fake or horribly real? Expertly
using sound to create genuine chills, Goldner slowly moves the story from
humour to true horror.
SCARY SHORTS - Dir.
Various. 2013 (International)
A stunning showcase of the best new short film talents from
across the globe and closer to home, featuring Bio-Cop from Astron-6, the team
behind last year’s amazing hit Manborg. This selection brings you a cornucopia
of creeps, a menagerie of monstrosity and a smorgasbord of scares.
THE MACHINE with
special guests Director Caradog James and Producer John Giwa-Amu
Dir. Caradog James. 2013 (UK), (Toby Stephens, Caity Lotz)
In a near-future cold war, Britain is on the brink of
developing a game-changing weapon, ‘The Machine’. But when a programming error
causes the prototype to run amok, scientist Vincent McCarthy decides to create
a truly conscious killing machine. Incredibly designed and thoroughly human,
The Machine is a dazzling triumph of independent British cinema. “Slickly
designed and beautiful... radical.” Fangoria.
I am genuinely looking forward to seeing what new horror
will disturb and excite me. With previous films such as American Mary (which is
personally one of my favourites at the minute), there is a lot to be expected.
Will Mayhem excite, disturb, tease and inspire our film lovers this year? All
shall be revealed…
Friday 27 September 2013
Rush 2013 Directed by Ron Howard
I am starting the MA in Horror and Transgression next week
and I am lucky enough to be going to a special screening of Ron Howard’s Rush
as part of my induction. Two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful
Mind, Frost/Nixon) teams once again with two-time Academy Award-nominated
writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen) on Rush.
Rush is produced by Andrew Eaton (A Mighty Heart, The Killer
Inside Me), Eric Fellner (Les Misérables, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Brian
Oliver (Black Swan), Peter Morgan, Academy Award winner Brian Grazer (Apollo 13,
A Beautiful Mind) and Ron Howard. Howard has assembled a stellar crew of
behind-the-scenes talent including Academy Award-winning cinematographer Anthony
Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King of Scotland), production
designer Mark Digby (Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, Oscar-winning editors Dan
Hanley and Mike Hill (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind), costume designer Julian Day
(Nowhere Boy, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) and Academy Award-winning composer Hans
Zimmer (The Lion King, The Dark Knight Rises).
Executive producers for the film are Guy East (The Woman in
Black, The Ides of March), Nigel Sinclair (The Ides of March, End of Watch), Tobin
Armbrust (End of Watch, The Woman in Black), Tim Bevan (Les Misérables, Tinker
Tailor Soldier. Spy), Tyler Thompson (Black Swan, The Woman in Black) and Todd
Hallowell (Apollo 13, Frost/Nixon). Universal Pictures distributes the film in the
United States.
A spectacular film starring Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth
and Olivia Wilde this fast paced film is sure to take you on s thrill ride. I
usually write about Horror but this film has taken my fancy. Set in the 1970’s;
the golden age of Formula One, Rush portrays the re-creation of the
exhilarating true story of the merciless rivalry between Formula One racers James
Hunt (Chris Hemsworth of The Avengers, Thor) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl of
Inglourious Basterds, The Bourne Ultimatum). It is the greatest rivalry the
world of sports has ever witnessed; handsome and charming English playboy Hunt
and his brilliant and methodical Austrian opponent Lauda struggle with the
pressure that builds in both their personal and working lives. The rivals push
themselves to breaking point in both the psychological and physical sense; if
you make one mistake, you die. There is no shortcut to victory and no margin
for error.
Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy) and Alexandra Maria Lara (The
Reader) co-star in the epic action-drama as Suzy Miller and Marlene Lauda, the
loves of James and Niki’s lives who watched and feared as the men rocketed
toward possible death.
Well I can’t wait to see if this film is as hot as the
critiques say. A formula one story with heart; not just for petrol heads. This
long awaited biopic will be captivating audiences and giving them an insight into
the world of F1.
Thursday 5 September 2013
Monday 26 August 2013
Thantomorphose Film Festival Release Dates and More Information Direct from Eric Falardeau
So here is the follow up for Thanatomorphose from director Eric
Falardeau; the new feature length horror to hit our screens was welcomed at
this year’s Fantasia Film Festival 2013.
As we know from the last article I wrote Laura tries to make
the most of her life. She has a boyfriend that has no interest in her other
than for her body and she continually feels used and empty inside. Two events
take place that twist her world into a spiral of events. She meets a charming
man Julian who she believes may give her the attention she deserves; then she
begins to notice strange patches on her body and Laura’s nightmare only gets
worse when she starts to rot from the inside – out. Her teeth fall out and she
has a constant odour of a decomposing corpse. Laura must come to terms with the
fact that she is trapped in this unreversable rotting corpse; her nightmares
only just beginning.
Thanatomorphose is disturbing singular cinematic experience
that causes a decent with Laura to hell. Eric’s film takes us to the brink of
abjection with unbearable scenes that test all the senses. As Fantasia states
“With this Kafkaesque tale of transformation, the talented
filmmaker juggles the sublime and the transgressive, with superior results.
While the film has its share of shockingly violent scenes, it’s no mere
exploitation flick, but rather a corrosive meditation on sexuality, solitude
and our complex relationships with our own bodies”. (FantasiaFestival.com)
Kayden Rose who plays Laura throws herself into a very demanding role with such
commitment and passion it shows. She projects Laura’s pain well for the viewer
to experience. Thanatomorphose has been labelled as the most shocking film of
the year so far. Tell me what you think?
The film has won a number of awards including: Festival De
Cine De Terror De Molins De Rei 2012: Best Film; A Night Of Horror
International Film Festival 2013: Best Special Makeup Effects; Fantasia 2013
Section Camera Lucida: Official Selection; 5th DIY Film Festival
Competition: Official Selection; Cryptshow Festival 2013: Official Selection;
Festivals Des Maudits Films 2013: Official Selection; A Night Of Horror
International Film Festival 2013 Competition: Official Selection; Frequency
Film Festival 2013 Competition: Official Selection; XXXI Festival De Cine De
Terror De Molins De Rei Competition: Official Selection; Sitges – International
Fantastic Film Festival Of Catalonia Brigadoon Section; and I believe many more
to come.
Thanatomorphose is now currently being released worldwide.
Eric Falardeau has given me this exclusive information directly. He states that
the DVD releases are:
In Spain, Tyrannosaurus Entertainment: released the film in
July 2013
Scandinavia, Njuta Films: released the film in August 2013
The UK and Australia, Monster Pictures: The release for the
UK is still TBA
USA, Unearthed Film: January 2014.
And following the success of Fantasia more Upcoming Film
Festivals that Eric is now allowed to announce are:
BUT Film Festival (Netherlands)
Melbourne Underground Film Festival (Australia)
Phillip K. Dick Film Festival (France and USA)
Many more in the USA, UK, Canada, South America and rest of
Europe TBA...More updates to follow.
Sunday 18 August 2013
A Dark Souvenir (2013) is a new horror film Written and Directed by Mathew Pillscher
In this new uncanny addition to the independent horror genre
Pillscher gives us a creepy take on the end of the honeymoon period. Taking a
trip to kick off their married life; Frieda and John Golden embark on an
amazing holiday to Scandinavia to celebrate their marriage in honeymoon style. They
are a happy and fun-loving couple; their life was perfect and they were
certainly content but the coming events work to change that.
Whilst visiting an old island Sea Fort just outside of Copenhagen,
Denmark; The Trekroner Søfort (Søfort means "Sea Fortress." Trekroner Søfort means "Three Crowns Sea
Fortress." to be exact; John becomes very ill and starts to deteriorate
further when they arrive home to the U.S. a few days later. Frieda becomes ever
more paranoid that they did not just bring some virus home; but something else
more sinister.
Their perfect life changes when they arrive home from their
honeymoon. The couple both start to experience bouts of illness further and
memory loss that is continually unexplained. Frieda keeps seeing someone in their
house but she can never catch them. John thinks she is hallucinating and makes
her feel silly; but John his having strange visionary dreams which are filled
with this sinister hooded figure. John will not admit his own encounters with
the strange to Frieda or even himself. So now they both seem to be hallucinating
a faceless hooded figure that is ever present in their marital home. Something
seems to have latched onto the couple; pushing its way into their life. But
what have they brought back with them?
The couple must struggle to find the truth of what they
brought back. Frieda is an architectural photographer so she decides to take
pictures throughout the house in the hope of finding something; anything that
could explain the strange happenings. John starts to research online about the
old island fort as he notices a mark on his body that is the same as a marking
he saw when they visited the old fort. So what exactly happened to them at Trekroner
Søfort? What came home with them?
With their insanity hanging on a thread, the newly-weds must
fight for their reality before they come face to face with the evil an sinister
presence that has been hunting them; in turn being born into their lives
forever.
Pillcsher states on his website www.adarksouvenir.com
"I've always
loved scary movies. I think it's the
nature of feeling like you're being hunted and very afraid, your adrenaline
starts pumping, and at the same time you are enjoying yourself in this controlled
and safe environment. Needless to say,
I've always wanted to make a horror movie and add my own contribution to the
genre...
...I also love artsy movies, and
movies with strong characters, tension between them, and a little bit of humour. The best scary movies contain all these
elements. I don't usually like movies
with lots of gore or horror movies that show everything. I think some mystery and some things left to
your imagination make them scarier. I
want A Dark Souvenir to illustrate that you can still make a great horror movie
without buckets of blood, monster masks, CGI, showing all the violence, or
sexist, reactionary writing. I'm a huge
fan of Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Ken Loach, and Ti West. Although this will be a horror film, I hope
it's also a drama that even people who don't like horror can appreciate. I hope the characters are real and
relatable. I also hope to show there's a
space for creative storytelling with little-to-no budget, and that with the
right community support we can keep independent film alive!"
On their website you can read John and Frieda’s blog. Makes for
some great reading to introduce to the characters emotionally.
Take a look at the following links to take a sneak peak of
the film and what is coming…
Clip from film
Film Preview
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