Paranormal horror may not be anything new. If anything, it is becoming a over-saturated sub-genre. However, what the creator of HBO’s Carnivàle, Daniel Knauf, has in mind is what might be the future of storytelling. He has created a video explaining the process but if you take the voyeuristic nature of the Paranormal Activity films and turn it up to 11, you might get something like BXX: Haunted.

This will only be viewable if you get an invite to watch. They are granting views via their website for up to 5000 invites. After that, they will contact you with the actual air date. While the video above and from what I have read, it will launch this Friday, February 24th yet the invite that I received says different. Either way, this looks very interesting and it is free, so it will either be something that will spread over the internet like wildfire or an interesting experiment.

Website: http://bxxweb.com/
Twitter: @BxxWeb

What some people consider one of the highlights of 2011 is finally heading to DVD/Blu-ray.  I’m clearly in the minority when it comes to Brad Bird‘s action-packed installment in the popular Mission: Impossible series. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol isn’t necessarily a bad film (you can read my FULL REVIEW HERE), it just isn’t as fun or entertaining as you would think a 133 minute film full of gadgets, explosions, and car chases should be.  How it landed on some people’s ‘Ton Ten of 2011′ lists is beyond me.  Though I will admit that the opening sequence and Ethan’s scaling of a high-rise hotel building in Dubai, the centerpiece of the film, are worth at least a rental.  So when will you be able to see these stunning sequences in HD?  Ethan Hunt’s forth mission will be arriving on DVD and Blu-ray on April 17.

Paramount Home Entertainment has announced DVD ($19.99), Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($29.99), and 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo ($34.99) releases of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol for April 17th. The only extras on the DVD release will be 2 featurettes (“The Sandstorm”, “Props”), and deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Brad Bird. The Blu-ray/DVD Combo release will include that, plus 2 additional featurettes (“Heating Up In Dubai”, “Vancouver Fisticuffs”). The 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo will include all of the above, plus 9 more featurettes (“The Russian Prison”, “Shooting in IMAX®”, “Art Department”, “A Roll of Film”, “Life Masks”, “Stepping into the Storm”, “Dubai Car Crash”, “Lens on the Burj”, “Composer”), and trailers.

Check out the synopsis of the film as well as the cover art below.

Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates “Ghost Protocol.” Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency’s name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know. Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux.

Source: DVDActive

I don’t know if anyone is excited as I am about the release of [REC]3: Genesis. I’ve been brushing up on my Spanish and looking over every trailer out there in anticipation of the film. Well, once again my interest sparks up some new photos that just went viral.

[REC] 3: Genesis is the latest film from the [REC] franchise directed by Paco Plaza and stars Leticia Dolera, Diego Martín, Alex Monner, Mireia Ros, and Javier Botet. There is still no word on a US release date but once we find out we will let you know. As of now, check out the cool new pictures and the new French trailer for [REC] 3: Genesis.

Synopsis:

“Koldo and Clara are about to celebrate the most important day of their lives: their wedding.

The reception is being held at a beautiful old stately home in the middle of the countryside. Everything appears to be running smoothly and the bride and groom and their families are enjoying a wonderful day; that is until some of the guests start showing signs of a strange illness. Before they know what’s happening, the bride and groom find themselves in the middle of a hellish ordeal, as an uncontrollable torrent of violence is unleashed on the wedding.

Amidst the chaos, Koldo and Clara become separated and begin a desperate search for one another. What started off as an idyllic day quickly descends into a nightmare of the worst kind…”

New French Trailer:

Source: Aullidos

Repo! The Genetic Opera is a film with a rabid fanbase. I actually dig the film but I also recognize some of its faults. Regardless, I came to the Tour Stop in St.Louis when it rolled through as well as own the DVD. I also like the music, while technically simplistic, quite a bit as well. The one thing I didn’t like about the film was the way that it was promoted and pushed as the ‘Next Rocky Horror‘. I would like to think it is a little above that, but whatever helped them gain the recognition.

Needless to say, the Repo! fans (Zydrate addicts) will be gnashing at the teeth for Bousman’s follow-up with The Devil’s Carnival. The Hollywood Reporter exclusively released a teaser for the film, which you can see below.

There are plans for a 30-city tour beginning in April and they plan on turning the venues into the environments established in the film. I like that aspect quite a bit. What I don’t like is that this is not a feature film, it is a 55 minute short. Maybe it is for the best, especially for those who were not fans of Repo! and thought it should have been trimmed down. Regardless, I’m sure I’ll be in line if it makes a stop in St. Louis.

Visit the website at TheDevilsCarnival.com

There are numerous films and performances that get lost in the awards shuffle for one reason or another at the end of each year.  Some might be more glaringly absent than others (sorry Fassbender).  Yet, there is one name that many spoke of earlier last year following a number of film festival appearances that unfortunately drifted away into obscurity in the months to follow: Elizabeth Olsen.  In Martha Marcy May Marlene, Olsen delivers a tour de force performance that shows the young actress coping with the past memories of her life in a cult while adjusting to her new “normal’ reality.  Her character feels out of place in both worlds and takes the viewer on a journey that makes you question her own sanity while asking you to analyze your own self-constructed happy life.  It’s a subtle film that feels equally complex.  Horror can be in the eye or the mind of the beholder.  Much like last year’s equally ignored Take Shelter, Martha Marcy presents a real-life horror scenario where the main character must confront his or her’s own personal demons and fears.

Director Sean Durkin has made a short-film prequel of sorts to the feature film that will be showing at at 7PM ET at the Film Society of Lincoln Center‘s Film Center Ampitheater.  However, if you can’t make it to the live event with Sean Durkin in person,  you can sign up to unlock and watch the short at exactly 7pm, by registering here. The event is time specific, so make sure to set an alarm.  A Q&A will be held with the director, cinematographer, and star of the short (not Olsen) following the screening.  Head to Indiewire’s site right here to watch that stream live of the interview through their website.  They’ll be taking questions live from Twitter during the streaming Q&A, for the filmmakers so follow along use the hashtag #marylastseen, tonight on February 20th to participate.

Also, don’t forget to check out the phenomenal debut feature from Durkin when Martha Marcy May Marlene arrives on DVD/Blu-ray tomorrow.  My copy of the Blu-ray is on its way right now to my house, click the link below to order yours.

Source: Indiewire/ The Playlist

I think it’s fair to say that there is a little bit of fear in the air surrounding Tim Burton’s upcoming Dark Shadows.  This fear does not stem from the ghastly sight of vampire Barnabus Collins; though that debate does rage on regarding the art department’s choice of make-up design.  However this fear does come from the fact that NOT ONE single teaser trailer or clip has been released as of yet from the film which is set to come out on May 11.  This is almost somewhat unheard of in Hollywood.  Months are typically devoted to marketing a film to raise the hype meter and to gather a fanbase who is familiar with the story, characters, and look of a film.  Given the absence of footage from what is clearly an anticipated film for our readers and Tim Burton fans around the world, it brings me some relief to know that the teaser trailer might be around the corner.  And this isn’t just a few quick snippets of action and a fancy logo.  According to an IMDB member called Audie Rules that Comic Book Movie discovered, a trailer was shown to him in the form of a survey to get feedback for the film.  Obviously all of this comes with some degree of questionability since there is no way to prove the legitimacy of this man’s story.  But after reading his description (which does include numerous grammatical errors – Sorry), it seems that he really did see a form of the trailer that might be heading to theaters very soon complete with a background song that seems most fitting.  Read below.

You get to see everyone especially Chloe who reminds me of Lydia from Bettlejuice without the goth look. Eva looks sexy in her green corset but she also has jokes. You see Jonny Lee Miller a couple of times and I thought it was a Woody Harrelson lookalike. Jackie Earle Haley looks exactly what I expected and he should make us laugh but his character is suppose to. The trailer shows a lot of cast members.

And I know he’s a fan but he doesn’t remind me of the TV Barnabas at all, he’s more like George Hamilton from Love at First Bite. I really wish I was lying and that I was making this up but unfortunately I’m not. To prove I’m not lying you will hear the song “People are Strange” when you see the trailer.

There is another joke where Barnabas is at the dinner table with Collins family and mentions that he wants to restart the family business(you then see a clip of a assemble line factory) and he ask the family to get the horses. Elizabeth (Pheiffer)replies, Horses? We don’t have horses we have Chevy’s. This was one of several jokes referring to him being in 1972.

I saw this in the trailer and he asks her, “What did I ever see in you” and she rips off her shirt to reveal a sexy green corset and her big boobs and he replies “Oh, now I remember.”

He does have fangs and he is strong, actually you see him really strong at one point of the trailer where he shouldn’t have any strength at all. I can see a debate coming.

It was actually a pretty finished cut. More stuff I remembered is a crane hitting the coffin and a construction worker yelling “we found something”, you then see something of an explosion or magic powers coming from the casket(I just realized that coffin and casket are the same thing, hahaha), a construction worker being dragged into the casket, Barnabas wandering around the town in awe of department store windows, Willie telling Barnabas that it’s 1972 and Barnabas saying 1972 in a weird, shocking, and funny way. He meet the Collins family and tells them he’s a distant relative, Lydia [Carolyn] makes a teenager wisecrack, in one scene Angelique greets him with a passionate kiss, you see Helena Carter but I couldn’t make out what she said.

 

I remind you, to treat this as a rumor, even though it really seems that this story might actually be legit.  Hopefully all of our fears regarding the film will be rest assured after seeing the trailer in person.  Wrath of the Titans is the next big film for Warner Bros. to come out in theaters.  Maybe at the very least, we will get the Dark Shadows trailer on March 30 when that gets released.

Dark Shadows gets released on May 11

Source: Comic Book Movie

I think it is safe to say that half of our home entertainment comes from online video. With new innovations of being able to stream Netflix and even watch YouTube on our TV’s, it is become more apparent that network programming is nearing a decline. Obviously I don’t think it will go away because some show content needs financial support from these companies. But I have seen more original content online than I have seen on TV.

Network Awesome is a site we have told you about in the past – namely when they did a celebration of Mario Bava. They recently re-launched their website and we highly encourage you to check it out as it is cleaner and more streamlined. You can also find archives a lot easier now. I’ll let the press release explain the bulk of it, but definitely check it out instead of watching reruns.

From the Press Release

Today we’re proud to re-launch Network Awesome. Never before has TV been more integrated with our social networks, our on-demand time needs, and our sub-cultural inclinations. The redesign of Network Awesome was created to meet those needs and help jaded TV viewers reconnect with the experience they are missing.  

In an age where TV has less and less relevance, Network Awesome is a new kind of TV Network for a new era of TV viewing.  Network Awesome is a place for learning, entertainment, discovery, and most of all, fun.

The redesign of Network Awesome helps guide the viewer through our archive of over 3,500+ movies, documentaries, interviews, and videos.  Our 25 Video Curators recommend content based on similarities while our archive is easy to search but also encourages viewers to stumble upon the unknown. 

Network Awesome curates the vast resources of YouTube and presents it to you linearly – just like TV. Launched last year by a Laptop Rocker and a Neuroscientist, the site is run by 136 volunteers, has more than 1,200,000 videos watched, with the average time on site for returning viewers hovering around 24 minutes! 

What’s new in Network Awesome
- Redesigned Archive
- All of our 3,500 shows are both easier to find and collected with similar shows
- Search by category, subject, year, or anything else
- 6 Categories: Movies, Doc, Live Music Show, Art, Trailer Trash, and Collections (of videos by theme)
- Curated special events have pages in the archive for repeat viewing
- Explore archive by theme (ie: meta tags)
- 28 new Series pages for collected episodes and information

- Content is recommended across the site
- Network Awesome Magazine articles bundled with related video
- Entire site rebuilt with HTML 5
- New tools to view and share video
- New comment section on all pages

Some stats:
- launched Jan 1, 2011
- 1,120,000 videos watched
- 803,000 Page Views
- 433,000 Visitors
- Average Time on Site for returning viewers: 18:37
- Highest Average Time on Site for returning viewers: 26:31
- 31.33% of Visitors have returned to the site more than 50 times
- Network Awesome Magazine published 360 feature-length articles

Visit Network Awesome Now!

While many filmgoers may be more excited about Joss Whedon‘s upcoming superhero blockbuster, I find myself giddy with anticipation about his soon to be released horror entry The Cabin in the Woods.  Over the years, the completed film sat on a shelf waiting to be lifted out of obscurity while studios released one film after another that seemed to simply follow in the current trend of whatever was popular the year before.  Maybe the studio executives were afraid of what the deconstructionist film had to say about horror trends.  Or maybe they simply underestimated the intelligence of horror audiences.  Either way now the film is about to gain more attention as it is about to screen at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival in Austin.  To hear what the man has to say about the film that he calls his “loving hate letter” to the genre and the state of horror films in general, check out his comments below.

“On some level it was completely a lark, me and Drew [Goddard, director] trying to figure out what the most fun we could have would be. On another level it’s a serious critique of what we love and what we don’t about horror movies.”

On his own genre passion, he added, “I love being scared. I love that mixture of thrill, of horror, that objectification/identification thing of wanting definitely for the people to be alright but at the same time hoping they’ll go somewhere dark and face something awful.”

And on the things he hates about lame horror, Whedon said: “The things that I don’t like are kids acting like idiots, the devolution of the horror movie into torture porn and into a long series of sadistic comeuppances. Drew and I both felt that the pendulum had sung a little too far in that direction.”

The Cabin in the Woods opens in theaters on April 13. . . Friday the 13th!

Source: Total Film

I guess the above mentioned title is slightly misleading.  We don’t really get to see him too well in the new trailer for Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s upcoming thriller Intruders.  There’s certainly no formal hand-shaking going on. Instead he mainly resorts to lingering in the shadows, though the female lead played by Ella Purnell seems to read and know quite a lot about him.  Aside from some questionable CGI shots, the trailer isn’t all that bad looking.  The odd part about it is that it’s main leading man, Clive Owen, is rarely seen in any of the scenes.  Instead it focuses more on the young girl.  Considering he’s the only real known name in the film I’m kind of surprised they aren’t pimping his face out more.  At any rate, one thing is for sure, we will see more of both “Hollow Face” and Clive Owen when the film gets released in theaters March 30.

Though no one can see him, Hollow Face lurks in the corners, desperately desiring love but only knowing how to spread fear and hate. He creeps into the life of John Farrow (Clive Owen) after Farrow’s beloved 13-year-old daughter Mia (Ella Purnell) is assaulted in their home. The line between the real and the imaginary blurs as fissures start to open within the family unit. It seems that no security measure can keep Hollow Face out.

We have seen director Eli Roth get bloody on-screen while hunting and scalping Nazis.  Now, it looks like he will be the one getting beat and battered fighting for his own life in the upcoming Aftershock.  These new pics courtesy of /Film clearly show this.  Nicolas Lopez directs this thriller with Eli Roth acting in front of the camera and producing behind the scenes.  It revolves around an earthquake in Chile that shakes six friends being held in an insane asylum.  Apparently the film recently ignited a storm of offers for distribution deals including some from Relativity and The Weinsteins.  As of now it is set to be released in 2013.

Last month we were telling you about The Wicker Tree, a sequel to the cult classic The Wicker Man.  We showed off some images and a trailer for the upcoming film. After a limited theatrical run, we now have a date where you can get this Robin Hardy film on DVD/Blu-Ray.  

The Wicker Tree will be released on April 24th on DVD and Blu-ray and will include a behind the scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and the US trailer. It will be released on Anchor Bay Entertainment and will have a retail price of $29.99 for the Blu-ray and $26.98 for the DVD. Here is the official press release from Anchor Bay:

“Beverly Hills, CA – On April 24th, Anchor Bay Entertainment, the leading distributor in classic and contemporary horror films, releases Anchor Bay Films’ highly anticipated follow-up The Wicker Tree on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Set in the same universe as the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward, the film is written and directed by the original helmer, Robin Hardy, who also reunited with the original producer Peter Snell and venerable UK production company British Lion to bring a chilling new vision of this classic story to 21st century audiences, after a theatrical run. SRP is $29.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $26.98 for the DVD.

 Based on Hardy’s acclaimed 2006 novel “Cowboys for Christ,” The Wicker Tree tells the story of Texas-based singer Beth Boothby (newcomer Brittania Nicol) and her friend Steve Thomson (Henry Garrett, “The Bill,” “Skins”), two born-again Christians who come to Scotland to spread the gospel. When their initial efforts are met with disdain and disinterest, they find comfort in an invitation to sing in Tressock, the border fiefdom owned by Sir Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish, Rambo, the upcoming The Hobbit films). However, Beth’s and Steve’s message of personal chastity quickly comes into direct conflict with Tressock’s sexual and religious practices, drawing upon ancient Celtic beliefs and rituals. Temptations begin to challenge Beth and Steve – with the stakes no less than their very lives and souls… Lee, who played the mysterious Lord Summerisle in the original (in a career that includes Count Dracula and the Frankenstein monster in the classic Hammer films, Count Dooku in Star Wars Episodes II & III, and Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the upcoming pair of films based on The Hobbit), returns again in a dramatic cameo. Rounding out the cast are Jacqueline Leonard (“Holby City,” “The Bill”) as Lady Delia Morrison, Clive Russell (Sherlock Holmes, The 13th Warrior) as Beame, James Mapes (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Conversations with God) as Reverend Moriarty and Honeysuckle Weeks (“Foyle’s War” and numerous other UK TV projects) as Lolly. Bonus features on The Wicker Tree Blu-ray™ and DVD include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and the theatrical trailer.”

Street Date: April 24, 2012 Run Time: 96 minutes Rating: R Format: 2.35:1/16×9 Audio Blu-ray: Dolby TrueHD 5.1; Spanish Dolby Digital Mono Audio DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish Dolby Digital Mono Subtitles: English, Spanish

 

Even though it may not have made quite the splash many studio executives and fans were expecting, Fincher‘s endeavor into the world of cyber-punk hacker Lisbeth Salander still garnered a heavy amount of positive reviews (you can read my review here and Andy’s here).  What many mostly raved about was the intense performance by Rooney Mara as the tattooed and pierced anti-hero.  I think the main  reason for slow sales at the box-office was the overly negative approach to the marketing (“The feel bad movie of the year“).  Obviously enough people did see it though because her performance landed her a somewhat unexpected Oscar nomination.  If you missed it in theaters, you will be able to catch it when it gets released on March 20.  The cover-art and special features for the Blu-ray disc have been provided below.

Sony’s Blu-ray/DVD/UltraViolet Digital Copy combo pack presents the film in its 2.39:1 aspect ratio with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track.

The disc also contains the following bonus supplements:

• Commentary by David Fincher
• Over four hours of documentary materials in the multi-part The Vanger Archives behind-the-scenes repository:

– Mikael Blomkvist
– In The Cottage
– Anita In The Window
– Harriet At The Parade
– Vanger Newsletter
– Vanger, Martin
– Wrapped In Plastic
– Vanger, Martin – Previsualization/Set Design
– Hedestad
– Vanger Estate
– Vanger Attic
– Harald’s Den
– Stockholms Tunnelbana
– ADR
– Visual Effects Montage

• Interactive, multi-angle main titles exploration with commentary by Tim Miller of Blur Studio
• Commentary by director David Prior on the creation of the metal one sheet

Source: Blu-ray.com

I can honestly say that I have been impressed by everything I have seen from the upcoming feature from Rob Zombie.  All of the images from The Lords of Salem have had a wonderful atmosphere to them and have only heightened my anticipation for the film. We’ve been introduced to a handful of characters thus far through the stills, and these two new ones invite us to meet another from the film.  Here is the first look at Meg Foster (They Live) as Margaret Morgan, the leader of the coven of witches. Now can we just get a damn teaser trailer already!

A local DJ mistakenly unleashes a hellish curse on the town. 300 years earlier on the very streets of Salem that the townspeople walk on today, innocent folks were rounded up from their homes, convicted of being witches and sentenced to death. The Lords of Salem ran the town with an iron fist, but four witches who were tortured and killed in secrecy vowed that one day they would be back for revenge

Source: Rob Zombie

“It’s all gone!” These are the first words screamed by the wife of our tragic protagonist in Ben Wheatley‘s hypnotic and unsettling thriller, Kill List.  The initial phrase is spawned by an awakening to the fact that the couple is suffering from financial problems.  Yet, as the film spirals deeper into darker territory, this simple phrase takes on new meaning.

Discovering how far this film is going to descend into the darkness is the real joy and thrill of Kill List.  Neil Maskell stars as the former soldier turned gun-for-hire, Jay.  After its implied that a botched “job” in Kiev damaged Jay’s body (he has bought a hot-tub to help cure his aching back), months off of work is starting to take a financial burden on Jay, his wife, and their young boy.  This stress erupts during a dinner between the two also attended by Jay’s partner Gal (Michael Smiley) and his new girlfriend Fiona (Emma Fryer).  The pressure from his wife and now from his partner/friend triggers Jay to dust off his guns and take on a new job that calls to kill three people: A priest, a librarian, and a M.P. (Member of Parliament).  Jay and Gal’s journey takes some unexpected turns that forces the two to confront some of their own dark demons.

If all of this sounds somewhat familiar, it is because this tale of hit-men coming to terms with death isn’t exactly new territory.  The initial set-up isn’t the most original premise.  Thankfully, Wheatley’s approach to the story comes off as fresh and exciting.  His camera is invigorated by these two frank and damaged souls played perfectly by the lead actors.  Utilizing a haunting score that only highlights the off-kilter editing and camera-work, Kill List forces the viewer to enter in an almost trance-like state that feels like you are slipping in and out of reality; mimicking the mental state of Jay.  I enjoyed this natural, documentary-esque approach but some may be bothered by the occasional but precise cuts to black screens before suddenly cutting back to the action. These fractured moments create an uneasy rhythm that I found only helped draw you more into the story.

There’s a grittiness to the overall feel of the film that really shines forth in the dirty and bloody details of the duo’s job.  Laurie Rose‘s cinematography captures every hammer hit, cut of the knife, and face pummeling in brutal realism.  It is at times extremely graphic.  Yet, the real horror comes from the final twenty minutes as the giant death-ridden picture is finally revealed.  Throughout the film, several characters speak messages that add to a larger mystery and deeper purpose to the events.  All of these comments and images will help keep you guessing until the finale.  Upon second viewing of the film, unfortunately some of these lines will leave you scratching your head even more and only add to a maddening debate about their inclusion in the script at all (while revealing some plot holes).  This doesn’t necessarily take anything away from the gut-punch you get from the finale.  It is clearly meant as an out of left field shocking ending, even though it comes off as more of an homage to a certain British horror classic from the 70′s that I won’t ruin for you.

Ben Wheatley is a young promising director that makes his name prominent on future directors to keep an eye on.  Kill List may not seem original on the surface, but the bleak feeling and mood that emanates from it is an experience that you won’t soon forget.  If you try not to think about some of the logic and reasoning behind it all, you might too be scared by this dark excursion into one -man’s personal hell.

We tried booking this film earlier but we stayed determined and we are super goddamn excited to bring you Lucio Fulci’s House by the Cemetery in an Rare UNCUT 35mm Print next month!

Synopsis

A young family moves from their cramped New York City apartment to a spacious new home in New England. But this is no ordinary house in the country: the previous owner was the deranged Dr. Freudstein, whose monstrous human experiments have left a legacy of bloody mayhem. Now, someone – or something – is alive in the basement, and home sweet home is about to become a horrific hell on earth.

We went all out and teamed up with Blue Underground, who just recently put this film out on DVD & Blu-Ray, and our Canadian cohorts in celluoid dealing, Vagrancy Films, to bring you a European Uncut version of one of Lucio Fulci’s best films. If you were there for Zombie and, for you earlier LNGH attendees, The Beyond, you MUST come out for House by the Cemetery.

As always, we will have our infamous pre-show of vintage trailers and other visual oddities. Be sure to get to The Hi-Pointe early to get your popcorn, candy, beer, wine, whatever and stop by the merch table to pick up some free shit. We will also have issues of Paracinema Magazine for sale.

Late Nite Grindhouse Presents
‘House by the Cemetery’
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
&
Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

At The Hi-Pointe Theatre
Located at 1005 McCausland Avenue
Saint Louis, MO

Pre-Show @ 11:30pm
Film @ Midnight

RSVP for the Friday Show on Facebook Here

RSVP for the Saturday Show on Facebook Here

Like Late Nite Grindhouse on Facebook As Well!

The idea of taking classic fairy tales and approaching it from a darker angle seems to be all the rage in Hollywood.  Following last year’s Red Riding Hood, a few of the “children’s” stories set to be released soon that have been re-imagined include Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Jack and the Beanstalk.  It seems that the European market has taken notice of this and is capitalizing on this new trend.  Beauty and the Beast is the next tale set to get the new and dark treatment.  How dark are they going to take it? Just look at its director to give you a taste of the blood sure to be shed.  Christophe Gans, who is best known for helming Silent Hill and Brotherhood of the Wolf is attached to the project.  French actors Vincent Cassell and Lea Seydoux are set to star.  Though I’m not the biggest fan of the Silent Hill film adaptation, I secretly love Brotherhood of the Wolf even though I am fully aware that the movie is absolutely ridiculous.  The film is an over-the-top absurd blend of martial-arts films, horror, and action thrills in an 18th century period piece that happens to be a lot of fun.  Plus, there’s a giant wolf which gives you a taste of what may be to come in Beauty and the Beast. Production begins this fall.

The above still is a close-up of the eye of the wolf from Brotherhood of the Wolf.  To check out the whole thing, you can click the link and enjoy the movie in its entirety below.

Source: Variety

Martin McDonagh is a  Tony nominated playwright who has a penchant for writing about assassins and hoodlums with a quick wit and a knack for violence.  His directorial debut, In Bruges, was a perfect transition to film from his brutal and violent plays, like the Northern Irish tale of a hitman and his cat, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His upcoming feature,  Seven Psychopaths is built around similar territory and brings together his star from In Bruges and Christopher Walken, who was nominated for a Tony for McDonagh’s play A Behanding in Spokane.  A few of the other psychos in the film include Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell.  All four of these leading men can be seen in the first official photos of the film seen below.  I adore In Bruges and was lucky enough to see The Lieutenant of Inishmore on stage about four years ago.  Seven Psychopaths ranks extremely high on my list of anticipated films of 2012.

In the new article from Entertainment Weekly, McDonagh talks about his second feature-length film.  The article does give us a new and more detailed description of the plot as well.

A savage gangster (Woody Harrelson) goes on a rampage after his beloved shih tzu Bonny goes missing, snatched by an out-of-work actor (Sam Rockwell) who pays the bills by helping a professional dognapper (Christopher Walken) pick up pooches and return them for the reward money.

Farrell stars as a struggling screenwriter, working on a script titled Seven Psychopaths, who gets caught up in his pal Rockwell’s troubles… but also finds a lot of great material in the life-and-death conflict playing out over the kidnapped dog.

Source: EW.com

It was announced last week that Robert Rodriguez has started production for the sequel to Machete. Most of the original cast members will be back and they will look to start shooting in the next few months. Here is a teaser poster to appeal to the European film markets plus a synopsis of what’s to come with Machete Kills.

“The new film finds Machete recruited by the U.S. Government for a mission which would be impossible for any mortal man. Machete must battle his way through Mexico to take down a madman cartel leader and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has hatched a plan to spread war across the planet with a weapon in space. Machete takes on an army in an effort to dismantle a plan for global anarchy.”

How could they not make a sequel to the original? I still watch the first at least once a month for a good time. The first Machete was so fun that I will be very intrigued on how outrageous and over the top they can make the sequel. Questions I have are who will play the villains and will Alba and Rodriguez return? Whatever the case, I can’t wait to see how it develops and we will keep you informed on the progress.

Set to be a long-coming dream project for its director Darren Lynn Bousman, The Devil’s Carnival has seen a flurry of updates as each of its central players are revealed in its three-ring circus from hell.  Numerous character posters have previously been released (six of the others can be seen below) displaying who will be performing … I mean … acting in the upcoming film.  Bousman has been a fan of the social media outlets to update fans about the progress of his past projects.  Now, via his personal blog which he posted a link to from Facebook, the director goes into his fascination about the world of magic before revealing a poster showing someone whom genre fans are very familiar with.  Step right up and witness Bill Moseley as the Magician with his sidekick ‘Harry the Hare.’

For more info on the film, visit the official site for the film HERE.

I have still yet to feel the Clash of the Titans so I’m not exactly sure how to feel about their Wrath.  Let me rephrase that.  I have yet to see the ‘remake’ of the Clash of the Titans.  Since I was raised by a father who worshiped at the feet of Ray Harryhausen, it was common practice to watch one of the many adventure films that he contributed such memorable creations to.  The original Clash of the Titans was one of these films even though it was never one of my personal favorites from the artistic genius.  With the coming sequel, Wrath of the Titans, headed to  theaters next month, I feel that maybe I should go back and try to ignore all the rumblings about horrendous 3-D and lifeless action sequences and attempt to enjoy the remake without any preconceived notions.  For fans of the remake or those who are looking to just forget it and move on to the next ‘chapter’ in the saga of mortal men and Greek Gods, you might want to check out these new posters for the film below.  While you do that I’m going to catch up on the remake; even if Harryhausen’s incredibly sculpted Medusa was replaced by a CGI creature. Wrath of the Titans gets released on March 30, 2012.

Perseus embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been targeted for capture by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.

While we still wait to see a trailer showing Benjamin Walker in action wielding an axe and beheading vampires, for now we will have to settle with these new stills from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.  Obviously these new photos are more focused on the lawyer turned famous president.   Here he is gripping his axe and ready to swing for the fences.  The interesting part of these photos is that they actually show a chronological order of ‘Honest Abe’ through the ages as a vampire hunter.  This may technically be a spoiler for some who aren’t familiar with the book and who weren’t aware when exactly he was going to turn on the vampire hunting switch.  Yet, as you can see here, we see him young, old, and in his middle-aged years.  See the images below but click HERE to read Entertainment Weekly’s article that includes insights on the character and the story.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter opens in 3D on June 22, 2012.

Source: EW.com

In what seems like a three-way chess match between three large comic-book properties, the studios behind The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and the Spider-Man reboot have attempted to one-up each other by releasing new material almost exactly after one another.   After Sunday’s short but impressive new look at The Avengers, you could bet one of the other two films would not be short behind with releasing new material for us to fanboys to ogle at.   The Amazing Spider-Man has had a lot of hurdles in its way when it comes to winning over audiences.  The first trailer with its lackluster approach and overly familiar feel (Sam Raimi’s first Spiderman film was released in 2002) did very little to build up people’s anticipation for the film.  Now, we have a new trailer that shows not only a lot more of a fast-paced feel of Marc Webb‘s film but gives us a healthy amount of action as well.  A couple of things that really makes me happy with this trailer: No where in this trailer do we see him get bit by the bug, see Uncle Ben die, or any blatant hints at his origin story.  I know the origin story aspect is going to be in the film (though I think it would have been better if they just avoided all that stuff together and just showed him in high-school again after it had happened).  Audiences have seen it and that’s not going to excite them to come out to this new reboot … I’m sorry … “untold story.” At any rate, I applaud them for cutting a fine trailer and have to say that I’m a little more excited about this film than I was before.  What are your thoughts?

Eli Roth seems to be sliding into the new position of producer quite easily.  So much so, who’s to say if we will ever see the man behind the camera again.  There has been talk for a while now about his sci-fi thriller Endangered Species.  However, he now has enough projects on his plate that I doubt we will even see that film in the next five years or so.  Now, the director/writer/actor/producer has another project on deck.  Deadline is reporting that Roth will be producing Aftershock, an earthquake thriller directed by Nicolas Lopez which is to include a cameo by Selena Gomez (groan).  Roth will co-write the film with Lopez and fellow writer Guillermo Amoedo.  The plot is centered around patients who are released from an insane asylum due to a devastating earthquake.  Inspired by the earthquake that skook Chile in 2010, Aftershock is now four weeks into production in Chile.  Here is what Roth has to say about the project.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Nicolas Lopez since his remarkable debut Promedio Rojo and have watched him grow into one of the best young filmmakers out there,” Roth said. “He has the incredible combination of commercial sensibility with an artistic eye, and what he has done here in Chile with their film industry is revolutionary. This collaboration marks the beginning of what we call Chilewood, making genre films for the global market using all the resources Chile has to offer. We are making a smart elevated disaster genre movie with superb production value, something really big. The film’s going to be very scary, very intense, and very real.”

Between this, the sequel to The Last Exorcism, RZA’s The Man With The Iron Fists, and a full-length version of Clown (based on the popular trailer), Roth will have very little time to sleep yet alone make any head-way on his Endangered Species project.  As a fan of all of the man’s directed films, hopefully he will be back sitting in the director’s chair soon.