"American Mary" Slices Its Way Into Theaters TODAY!

Tonight, if you’re lucky enough to have it in a theater near you, you can go out and bask in the glory that is American Mary, the latest project from up and coming sister-director team The Soska Sisters (Dead Hooker in a Trunk). Keep an eye on these two ladies, guys, I get the feeling they’re going to be huge.

American Mary, starring Katherine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Freddy vs. Jason), has been receiving rave reviews, across the board, as the next great “Masterpiece of Horror”. I am going to watch it tonight, I have been anticipating this one for a while. It looks like it has a very different kind of feel, almost like May meets Excision. Both films you need to see if you haven’t already.

Head inside to check out the synopsis and (amazing) trailer!

"Jug Face" Gets a Date, VOD & Theatrical Release for Late Summer

 

I’ve posted about this one before (right here), but it’s finally gotten it’s release date. Gravitas Ventures recently acquired the rights to it’s US VOD rights. We’ll be seeing it’s VOD debut on July 8th, and it’s theatrical debut on August 9th. I honestly hate this whole, “Let’s release it on VOD before we roll it out theatrically”. It’s stupid and it makes no sense. Mainly, I hate knowing that I can watch it immediately but forcing myself to wait. 

Here’s the synopsis (courtesy of B-D.com): “Ada, her family and a small isolated backwoods community worship a mysterious pit. The pit has the power to heal and protect all who honor it but at a deadly price…it demands an occasional sacrifice. The pit communicates through the local potter who, while in a trance, crafts ceramic jugs that carry the face of a person to be sacrificed to the entity that lives within it. Ada has a secret about the latest jug face that she’s determined to keep hidden but the pit demands a sacrifice and unleashes an evil onto the community until it gets who it really wants.”

-Rg Lovecraft

“No tears, please. It’s a waste of good suffering…”

Now, I’ve been working on the Stephen King series post, I promise I have, but the more I work on it the more I realize I have to add on and it’s become quite the exercise in repetition. I’ll make good headway, edit, then add a bunch more, edit that, change things, edit that. Aaaand you get the idea. I will be getting it to you, I’m hoping this weekend, and once I have the first one done all others will come along quite easily.

But last night, I decided to take a break from Pet Sematary and put on something I haven’t watched in years. And I mean, yeeeears. One thing that I love about doing this blog is it affords me the opportunity to watch films I haven’t seen in years, some that I may not have even liked, and revisit old memories, old thoughts and ultimately share them all with you on here. As you all saw last night, my choice for the evening was Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. 

And in honor of tonight’s pick, here is who greets my door all dressed up for this past Valentine’s Day.

Tonight’s movie, the debut from mastermind director Clive Barker, Hellraiser. Watch it with me on Netflix.

James Wan and Leigh Wannell Realease a Trailer for the Trailer of "Insidious 2"...

Yes, you read that right. The masterminds *cough, cough* behind Insidious have released a video, in which they politely inform you to tune in a week from today to view the trailer premiere for Poltergeist Lite, I mean, Insidious: Chapter 2. Sooooo… there’s that. Head here to check it out.

 Justin Bieber Isn't Fucking Around This Time....

One, Singular Sensation? House of 1,000 Corpses Could be Headed to Broadway

In a recent feature interview with AP, Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil Rejects, Lords of Salem) has revealed that not only could he be working on his first non-horror flick, a biopic on the Philadelphia Flyers and their of Stanley Cup wins in the 70’s, but he’s contemplating bringing House of 1000 Corpses to Broadway. 

He said the following: “I feel like it has those elements of ridiculousness that could translate to the stage of somewhere between ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’…..the characters are that ridiculous, the scenarios are that ridiculous, it just feels like that.”

This is interesting news, but I personally think it could be pretty badass. I could definitely see it on the stage with a RHPS type vibe. I mean, that movie was pretty much a showcase for his music anyway, why not turn it into a musical anyway? What do you think?

"Evil Dead" Will Eat Your Soul on DVD and BluRay July 16th!

This is the kind of news that makes my morning. The Blu-ray/DVD release of Fede Alvarez Evil Dead (you can read my review here) reboot will be coming our way on July 16th. No word yet on whether or not this includes the unrated cut, but I’ve got my fingers (and toesies) crossed that it is.
Special features include:

• Commentary featuring stars Jane Levy, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Director Fede Alvarez and writer Rodo Sayagues (Blu-ray exclusive)
• “Making Life Difficult” - The Intense and Physically Exhausting Creation of the Film
• “Being Mia” - The Physical and Psychological Transformation into “Evil Mia”
• “Directing The Dead” - Director Fede Alvarez re-imagines a cult horror classic
• “Unleashing The Evil Force” - Exploring the origins and design of the new Book of the Dead (Blu-ray exclusive)
• “Evil Dead the Reboot” - Cast Rehearsals, Bruce Campbell, Deadites and more! (Blu-ray exclusive)

Yesterday a couple friends and I had the opportunity to visit LACMA for the Stanley Kubrick exhibit where they had an immense display of props and artifacts from the set of The Shining. I had an amazing time, took pictures of everything I could and there will most definitely be a post coming tonight giving a full recap of all the amazing things they had on display.

For now I’ll leave you with, what I consider, to be the greatest horror prop of all time, Jack’s typewriter. 

[BACKDATED]

HORROR ON TV: Poster Released for "American Horror Story: Coven"

The hit television series American Horror Story has made an amazingly strong impact over the past two years. I fell in love with the concept when I first heard it, loved the first of the first season, hated the second half, but my faith was renewed with American Horror Story: Asylum, the second season.

For those that do not know, American Horror Story is constructed in a peculiar format. Each season is a whole new story, in a whole new place, with whole new characters BUT with the same cast (at least most of it anyway). 

Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, among others will be returning to this season in American Horror Story: Coven with new comer Kathy Bates and first season veteran Taissa Farmiga. I don’t think it needs any explanation, but just in case, this season will be centered around witchcraft. Without any further ado, here’s the poster for the new season and I am all about it. 

"Poltergeist" is Coming Back. Filming Begins in September.

They’re heeeeeeeere…. agaaaaain…..
 
Word broke a few days ago that the latest horror franchise to receive the reboot treatment will be none other than Poltergeist, the story of the Carol Anne Freeling and her families battle to rescue after hostile spirits suck her into a television set and take her hostage. 

The project will be helmed by Gil Kenan (Monster House, City of Ember), which I am honestly not that keen on, but it is going to be produced by Sam Raimi. This new installation in the mythos of Poltergeist will not be a remake though, it will be a continuation of the same universe, much like this year’s wonderful reboot of Evil Dead, moviehole.com reported ealier today:

Firstly, the Kenan-directed Raimi-produced reboot – much like the “Evil Dead” remake – exists in the same world as the previous “Poltergeist” films. So while it is a ‘reboot’ of the franchise, it’s also somewhat of a sequel – taking place years after the Freeling’s were ran out of town.
In one scene in the new film, the kids’ find some things behind the sliding panel in the attic. Yep, you guessed it – they find some of the Freeling’s possessions, intentionally left behind. There’s the Star Wars bed sheets (from Robbie’s room), a black-and-white TV set (why, of course!), and some Christmas decorations.

I’m excited about this bit of news. Readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of remakes and reboots and Poltergeist is one of the great iconic films of our time. If Sam Raimi is involved, then I have trust.

[BACKDATED]

It's Finally Here! The First Trailer for the English Psychedlic Thriller: "A Field in Englad"

 

Coming from new comer, Ben Wheatley (Sightseers, ABC’s of Death), this “psychedelic trip into magic and madness” will be seeing it’s UK release on July 5th, and was picked up for American distribution by none other than Drafthouse Films (I fucking love that place). 

I’ve been excited about this one for a bit here, the synopsis is: “A Field in England follows a group of soldiers during the English Civil War of the 17th century who stumble upon a mushroom field, where they fall victim to violent and nightmarish forces.”

I’ve always thought that a good horror film about the negative attributes of psilocybin would make for one hell of a scary movie. If you’ve ever done them yourself you probably know what I’m getting at. Lucky for us, the trailer was released so we finally have something visual (aside from the kickass poster) to start forming opinions about. Check it out here.

As always, feel free to share yours!

-Rg Lovecraft

RIP Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors

Today marks a very sad loss for the music world. Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, passed away an hour and a half ago in Germany. He lost his battle against bile duct cancer, and as a huge Doors fan, I’m pretty torn up about it.

While this blog is devoted to the world of horror films, we can all appreciate truly great musicians that not only did something great for their time but were able to create something that continued to influence new generations over the course of 40 years and beyond.

We’ve all talked and gushed over Jim, but spin an album tonight for Ray. Every time you hear those keyboards in Light My Fire, let his spirit live on. We’ll love and miss ya Ray, hope you’re already sharing a cold one with Jim.

 

26 directors, 26 short films, 26 letters, 26 deaths, 1 film. The ABC’s of Death was different from the moment it was announced. While the horror genre has never been a stranger to the anthology format, something like this had never been done. Combining some of the greatest minds of horror and bringing them together in such a way was new and familiar, and very exciting all at the same time. Not only were 26 directors picked, but each was different from the last. From the toilet-centric absurdist humor of Noburo Iguchi to the visceral, violent tendencies of Srdjan Spasojevic, you see a little bit of everything, and in a film like this… that could either be a great thing or a bad idea completely.

Review Coming Soon: "The ABC's of Death"

I’m embarrassed to say it took me until last night to see The ABC’s of Death. However, I’ve seen it now and the review will be coming soon. Have you seen it? What’d you think?

Tonight's Flick: "The ABC's of Death"

 

What are you watching?

New Post Series In The Works

The past several weeks have been absolute chaos for me but things are finally dying down enough for me to focus on this blog and really get things rolling. In between reviewing current horror movies and bringing you all the news that I find relevant and current, I have been trying to think of some good post series that I can get going on here and I think that I’ve finally come up with one that will be fun, generate some response and get the conversation going with you guys.

I’m proud to say that I think I’ve come up with a pretty solid one that you don’t see too often:

Stephen King: The Novels Vs. The Films.

In this series, I’ll take a look at King’s most famous works that have made the jump over to the big screen and look at the high points, the low points, the differences and the similarities. Some of the films and books that we’ll take a look at are:

The Shining

Pet Sematary

Carrie

IT

Salem’s Lot

Misery

Cujo

and

Christine

This is anexciting one for me as most of you know that I am a big Stephen King fan. While I’ve read all of these novels already, and seen their big screen counterpart, I will be re-reading each, re-watching each and getting you a post each week for the next 2 months. I already have my ideas for what the first weeks post should be (posted this Sunday) but if you have one you want to take a stab at first, you know what to do.

Thanks for reading everyone! Got a suggestion, tip or comment? Send ‘em in!

- Rg Lovecraft

Exciting News! The Redband Trailer for V/H/S/2 Is Out NOW!

And it’s nasty, in aaaaall the right ways.

 

I was a huge fan of V/H/S when it was released last year. While I’m not a huge fan of found footage films, I love the idea of some of the best minds in horror coming together to create something different, fresh and unique. There’s something for everyone in that film, and it looks like they did it again (and more) with this one.

I included this one in my Tribeca post, if you saw it already then I hate you, you lucky son of a bitch, if not then you can find the redband trailer below. And how about that sick nasty one-sheet? I’m excited.

More Tasty News from the Camp of "We Are What We Are"

Memento Films International has approved a prequel AND sequel to Jim Mickle’s We Are What We Are. An adaptation of a 2010 Mexican film of the same name, the film hasn’t even been nationally released yet however it was released at Sundance this past January, and will be making it’s international debut at The Directors Fornight next week.

According to Mr. Disgusting at Bloody Disgusting, AJ Annila (Sauna, Jade Warrior) will be taking the directors helm for the prequel, adequately titled What We Were. It will examine how mama met papa and how the Parker’s bizarre rituals were set into place.

Last week I put it on the must watch list, and I’m sticking by it. The trailer looks solid, and while I can’t say I’m excited about this news (as I haven’t even had the oppurtunity to see the film yet) I don’t mind it either. It’s getting damn good reviews thus far.

THE PURGE: A Welcome Break from the Monotony of Ghost Stories from Blumhouse Productions?

Any horror fan who has gone to seen a horror film in their local theater in the past two months has inevitably seen the trailer for Jason Blum’s new picture, The Purge, directed by James DeMonaco and starring (big surprise) Ethan Hawke. If you’re not familiar with either name, Jason Blum (founder and CEO of Blumhouse Production) is responsible for supplying countless teenage boys with much needed jump scares to get their girlfriends into their laps for the first time. His list of credits includes Paranormal Activity (1 - soon to be 5), Insidious (1 and soon to be 2), Sinister, and The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes. I’m just such a huge fan.

Regardless, there may be hope. For me atleast. Look, I totally get why people enjoy these movies. I just don’t find them scary, I find them annoying, but I don’t want you to think I’m some biased asshole. I watch them, I just rarely find them good enough to warrant discussion.As mentioned before, I will review without bias and keep my own opinions from getting in the way of bringing you honest horror movies. Hell, I want to like them too, so it helps me as well.

Regardless, back to the main point, The Purge. Now, Blum did produce The Lords of Salem so I’ll give him some credit, but I am very interested in The Purge. My kind of horror is real. It’s gritty, it’s nasty, it’s rooted in reality and it could be happening down the street from you at any given time. That’s what scares me. While the basic premise of this film is based in fantasy land, it still hold the realism that I look for in movies which is “People are fucked up enough to do stuff like this. Someone could come to my house right now and do this to me if they really wanted to”. Love it.

Here’s the official synopsis: “In an America wracked by crime and overcrowded prisons, the government has sanctioned an annual 12-hour period in which any and all criminal activity-including murder-becomes legal. The police can’t be called. Hospitals suspend help. It’s one night when the citizenry regulates itself without thought of punishment. On this night plagued by violence and an epidemic of crime, one family wrestles with the decision of who they will become when a stranger comes knocking.”

Sounds pretty groovy right? I’d love to see Blumhouse break out of the supernatural that they seem so hellbent on sticking to, it’s just getting old. Atleast in my opinion. Regardless, you can check out the one sheet below and head here for the trailer. And as always, feel free to share your thoughts. I love to see what other folk are thinkin’.

- Rg Lovecraft

Put It On Your Radar: JUG FACE

This one comes to us from writer/director Chad Crawford Kinkle, and it’s his first major release. This seems to be quite the year for new directors to start making their name in horror, first we have Fede Alvarez with (in my opinion) amazing reimagining of Evil Dead, now we have Jug Face.

Here’s the official synopsis: The pit has spoken. Dawai, the potter of a backwoods community, has crafted a face on a ceramic jug of the person that the pit wants sacrificed. Ada, pregnant with her brother’s child, has seen her face on the jug and hides it in the woods, determined to save the life of her unborn. If she does not sacrifice herself however, the creature from the pit will kill everyone in the village until she does.

While this isn’t normally something I’d jump at, I am very interested. It sounds cool, but it also sounds like it could go either way. It stars Lauren Ashley Carter, who was in The Woman by Lucky McKee (my God do I love Lucky McKee), so that perks my interest as well.

Honestly though, the poster is pretty badass, so I’ll go check it out when it gets released. It’s currently slated for a late-July VOD release, with a theatrical run to follow. Check out the one-sheet below.

-Rg Lovecraft

Big Stephen King News: "IT" and "Pet Sematary" Remakes on the Horizon

So this is amazing, wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, great, fucking baby-making kind of news. Several years ago, word was leaked that a remake of the early 90’s ABC IT miniseries was going to be re-made into a feature length, major motion picture geared for an R rating. After all, anyone who’s read that book knows how gruesome it actually is, turning into a mini-series for ABC was always something I wondered about.
Regardless, word was leaked, the film went silent and we haven’t heard anything about it, until now. A writer has officially been announced, David Kajganich (The Invasion) as well as a director, Cary Fukunaga (Jane Eyre). Also, Warner Bros. has agreed to a 2 FILM DEAL. This means that Fukunaga will really be able to explore the themes of childhood, friendship and the strange history of Derry in depth. Can’t you tell how excited I am?

Well, while I’m very excited about this bit of news, I’m more excited about this: Pet FUCKING Sematary. Now, I should have prefaced this earlier, but I am a HUGE Stephen King fan, and right beneath The Shining there is Pet Sematary. I’m talking the novels here, not the films. I thought the film adaptation of Pet Sematary was piss-poor. That book made me weep, that book hit on some extremely heavy themes of fatherhood, death and the horrid reality of having to let a loved one go, even if you feel they were taken from you way to soon. The film not only skipped each of these themes (pretty much entirely) they turned it into a silly zombie film that held none of the deep rich beauty that the book had. I recognize that the film is a classic, and I will never deny a classic it’s credit. It’s a classic for a reason but I personally do not, and probably never will, like it.

Now, to get back onto point, Paramount Pictures has commissioned Matthew Greenberg (1408) to pen the screenplay for the remake of Pet Sematary. Now, when news of this one leaked Paramount was bombarded by directors who wanted a chance to helm the classic, one of which being Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) but (here’s where I get really, really excited) decided to go for none other than Mr. Alexandre Aja himself, due to his ability to work wonders with visceral, violent films such as Haute Tension and The Hills Have Eyes.

While there is not timeline (atleast not released) for either film yet, it looks like Aja could begin work on this project in the coming months, while IT could still be a long ways off. Either way, this is the kind of news that makes my day.

-Rg Lovecraft

The "Wolf Creek 2" Posters Goes "Evil Dead". Too Much?

The first one-sheet for Wolf Creek 2 was released and, well, it definitely raises some questions. I’ve seen a lot of people calling it a blatant annoying rip-off, I personally found it to be a funny jab at Fede Alvarez’ (what will soon be) iconic Evil Dead poster. Head on inside to take a peek and judge for yourself.

Prepare Yourself for "We Are What We Are"

 

Now THIS is the kind of movie that really gets my engine running. In the modern horror world of jump scares, ghost stories and demonic houses, We Are What We Are, an adaptation of the 2010 Mexican film of the same name,debuted at Sundance to favorable reviews (7.2/10 on IMDB).

Starring Julia Garner and Ambyr Childers, it tells the story of the seemingly wholesome Parker family who happen to have a secret penchant for having guests for dinner. And by having guests for dinner, I don’t mean throwing dinner parties. Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier.

Yesterday a sneak peek was released of the film and oh boy did it get my blood pumping, take a peek here and, please, do share. What do you think?

Anchor Bay Announces Release of "I Spit On Your Grave" Sequel

Welp, another great horror film falls prey to the franchise game. I’ll let you make up your own mind as to whether or not this is a good idea, but now you know. Let me know your thoughts, I’ll be sharing mine as more word leaks.

As of yet, there’s not much word. An exclusive synopsis has been released, but (due to it’s exclusivity) I can’t share it here. I’m sure it’ll be a direct to video release, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. For now, we wait and see how things pan out. Here’s something to tide you over until we get a trailer:

 

Here’s a new one sheet for Maniac, written by Alexandre Aja (Haute Tension) and starring Elijah Wood.

MORE TV NEWS: MTV to Produce Scream TV Series?

Here’s one for you all to try on for size, because I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. A couple weeks ago, I heard that Wes Craven was approached by MTV, who had recently greenlit a Scream pilot. This made my skin immediately crawl, my stomach turn and I haven’t really changed my opinion since then.

Yesterday, Wes Craven released his response via Twitter: “A lot of you have asked about the Scream TV series. It’s true I’ve been approached. My response was, it would depend on the script… If they have a great script/concept, it could be fun. If not, not.” 

This gives me hope, as MTV’s track record shows that they’re probably going to produce a shite script, but if they somehow manage to rope in Kevin Williamson it could possibly work. What are your thoughts? Yay or nay? Will MTV be able to do Ghostface justice?

-Rg Lovecraft

Netflix to Resurrect Twin Peaks and Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

News courtesy of Mr. Disgusting (bloody-disgusting.com)

This is big news for me, as you guys know I am a huge fan of Twin Peaks and for the past (what seems like forever) several years there has been word of David Lynch reviving the series and picking up where he left off. While there’s no word on David Lynch’s involvement quite yet, Mr. Disgusting informs the masses that Netflix’s Ted Sarando’s has given a positive “Abosolutely!” in response to the question of Netflix producing a Twin Peaks revival. Insert my girlish squeals here.

Other shows that were mentioned are: Arrested Development, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Skies and (another I’m excited about) Stephen King’s Dark Tower. Let the nerds begin their rejoicing. I know I have.

-Rg Lovecraft

READER REQUEST

NOTE: This post is backdated, and was posted several months ago in response to a request from a Tumblr reader. 

This blog is a few weeks old, so it’s exciting to have people start to take interest in it. I hope to get more of these, I will do as many as I can while still maintaining the post calendar I’ve created for the next couple months.

Now, onto the post, user chibitized made a request:

“I’d like to read your opinion on the Friday the 13th franchise. Which one is your favorite? Least favorite?”

This is one I wasn’t anticipating doing for a while. I was planning on sticking to current and modern film reviews, news and articles and keeping the classics for special occasions such as anniversaries and special edition releases, but I’m excited to dig my teeth into this one because I have a varied opinion on this franchise. 

As you may have seen me mention already, I’m not a huge fan of slasher flicks. There are some that I love but for the most part I lose interest with any franchise. After the 3^rd installment I normally become disenchanted, annoyed and just bored with it. The Friday the 13^th franchise is one of the three holy grails of slasher films. There are three names that come to people’s minds when they think of slasher films, or even horror films in general, and they are Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and, of course, Jason Voorhees (more commonly known, simply as Jason). Out of the three, Jason is probably my least favorite but that does not mean that I do not find worth in the franchise as a whole. Here are my thoughts: