HORROR AT SUNDANCE: COOTIES Opens Strong, Lionsgate Swoops in For Distribution Rights!

  

Cooties, the pre-pubescent zombedy (and debut film) from Elijah Wood's SpectreVision, opened at Sundance on Sunday night to great reception. So good in fact, that Lionsgate is making their bid to acquire North American distribution rights. 

SpectreVision is a new production company, focusing on genre films (primarily horror), that was started by Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh Waller. They've got quite the year mapped out for the company, with Cooties only being the first. The story was penned by Leigh Whannel (Saw, Insidious), and this Lionsgate deal marks quite the anniversary. It was 10 years ago, at Sundance 2003, that Lionsgate swooped in and bought Saw which then went on to become one of the biggest horror franchises in recent times. 

Starring Elijah Wood and written by Leigh Whannel, “Cooties follows a struggling writer/substitute teacher whose first day at an elementary school sees him dealing with a virus that turns the kids into mindless killing cannibals. The teacher bands with the survivors — played by Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer and Leigh Whannell, among others — to figure out an escape from the school.”

Also appearing in the film are Rainn Wilson, Leigh Whannell, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Nasim Pedrad and Jorge Garcia.

HORROR AT SUNDANCE: COOTIES Are a Very Real Threat To Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson In a New Dark Comedy!

Elijah Wood does not stop and I love it! Since making a huge impact on the horror world in last year's seminal remake of Maniac, Elijah Wood has made it very clear that he plans on making horror his new home. It's so exciting to see such a mainstream star take such a huge interest in the genre that we all know and love, and I for one, am very happy to have him among us. 

We've already talked about his John Cusack co-starred thriller, Stage Fright; he is heading up a new horror production company called SpectreVision that will be releasing an Iranian Vampire flick entitled A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (that looks amazing), and he will be teaming up with John Landis to produce Bad Vibes, a werewolf film set in the "psychedelic music scene of the 1960's". While all of these are exciting, the film that's currently on everyone's lips is his starring role in the Leigh Whannell scripted exploitation film, Cooties. 

"A mysterious virus hits a small Illinois town, affecting only the prepubescent population, transforming them into violent, feral little monsters.  The virus centralizes in the town’s elementary school, and quickly the infected students have the teaching staff under siege, acting out deadly revenge fantasies with an eerie sense of childlike glee.  Finally, the teachers band together, led by a hapless substitute who grew up in the town, realizing they must do the unthinkable if they hope to survive."

Awesome much? The cast is also pretty damn impressive, while Wood is headlining, we also have Rainn Wilson, Leigh Whannell, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Nasim Pedrad and Jorge Garcia. While it's not exactly something that I keep hidden on here, I am not the biggest fan of Whannell's work but I am very excited to see this film. I think this could be a turning point for my opinion's on the guy. 

Below you can see the poster (which I am in love with, see the previous article on Almost Human for reasons) and a new still that has just been released. Cooties heads to Sundance where it will make it's world premiere on January 18th! And trust me, I will be keeping you posted on when and where you can see it yourself as that information makes the rounds.

Elijah Wood Learns The True Meaning of Stage Fright in GRAND PIANO

I like classical music, Elijah Wood and thrillers, so combining all three should surely make for a great movie for me! Elijah Wood took the horror world by surprise earlier this year when he starred in the brutal remake of the controversial cult classic Maniac, and he's made it very clear that horror is going to be his new forte. The trailer for his latest film, Grand Piano, has hit the internet and I have to say, it looks pretty damn good. 

John Cusack is co-starring, who was pretty damn great in the adaptation of Stephen King's novella 1408. Magnet Releasing is behind distribution, and they have a very impressive horror roster behind their name. They've already released Bad Milo, the V/H/S franchise, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, The Innkeepers, The ABC's of Death and John Dies at the End and that's just from the past couple years. 

Grand Piano tells the story of Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood), the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. - Shock 'til You Drop

The trailer looks amazing, but I'm excited to hear what YOU think.

Dig it!

Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. - See more at: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/grandpiano/#sthash.POGcOR3k.dpuf

Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. - See more at: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/grandpiano/#sthash.POGcOR3k.dpuf

Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. - See more at: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/grandpiano/#sthash.POGcOR3k.dpuf

Wood plays Tom Selznick, the most talented pianist of his generation, who has stopped performing in public because of his stage fright. Years after a catastrophic performance, he reappears in public for a long awaited concert in Chicago. In a packed theater, in front of an expectant audience, Tom finds a message written on the score: “Play one wrong note and you die.” In the sights of an anonymous sniper (Cusack), Tom must get through the most difficult performance of his life and look for help without being detected. - See more at: http://www.magnetreleasing.com/grandpiano/#sthash.POGcOR3k.dpuf

Own MANIAC Today on Blu-Ray, DVD and VHS!

Bloody Disgusting calls it the best horror movie of the year, and to be honest, it's hard to think of many that could dispute that. Maniac, the Elijah Wood fronted remake of the controversial 80's slasher flick, hits store shelves TODAY and you can take it home on DVD, Blu-Ray and (yes, you read it right), VHS, thanks to Mondo Video.

A viscerally terrifying film, “In this 21st century Jack the Ripper story set in present-day Los Angeles, Frank (Elijah Wood, The Lord of the Rings) leads a deceptively peaceful life. To the outside world, he’s a withdrawn and somewhat eccentric owner of a mannequin store. But his quiet façade masks an inner rage that forces him to brutally kill and scalp the women who get too close to him. When a young artist named Anna (Nora Arnezeder, Safe House) appears one day at Frank’s shop and asks for his help with her new exhibition, Frank develops an obsession with her that threatens to completely destroy his already fragile psyche. Soon the streets become unsafe for any woman after dark as this newly awakened Maniac begins to stalk and kill."

I loved the film, especially for a remake. You can dig on my review here, and I'll say this, I'm excited that I can now add it to my own collection.

HORROR ON DVD - MANIAC Carves It's Way Into Your Collection On 10/15

One of my favorites of the year is slashing it's way onto Blu-Ray and DVD next month, on October 15th. 

Franck Khlafoun's brilliant remake of the controversial slasher will include a few special features, such as a making of, trailers and a photo gallery. The film stars Elijah Wood and Nora Arnezeder. Find my review here.

"Just when the streets seemed safe, a serial killer with a fetish for scalps is back and on the hunt. Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank's obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion to stalk and kill." 

Maniac (2012) - A Review

I warned you not to go out tonight…

In this remake of the 1980 cult classic, Elijah Wood stars as Frank Zito, a mentally disturbed mannequin conservator who has a mean mommy complex and a fascination with women’s hair. In this modern day revisioning, we are introduced to a whole new format for the horror genre, in that the entire film takes place in the viewpoint of the killer. We are not following the victims here, we are looking at them through Frank’s eyes. The only time we actually see Wood is either in his own reflection or in the rare instance of 3^rd person viewing. 

This film has been receiving rave reviews since its release at last years’ Cannes Film Festival, however it was only up until last Friday that the American audience was able to see it in select theaters and nationwide on VOD platforms. I have been anticipating this film for a while, so I was excited to finally feast my eyes on the pure and savage brutality that it promised. 

Read on, for the full synopsis and review!

New Review Coming - MANIAC (2012)

Hello folks, I'm back. 

On Sunday night I finally got to see Maniac, the much raved about remake of the cult classic, and the review will be coming shortly (Spoiler Alert: I fucking loved it). Keep your eyes peeled!

-Rg Lovecraft

Elijah Wood's MANIAC Hits VOD, Here's a Making Of for Post-Viewing Pleasure

Maniac appears to be the talk of the town and it hits VOD platforms TODAY. I am very excited about this, I have been waiting for this one for a while. I can't wait to see how Elijah Woods handles the reins of the villain. He's been in a few horror flicks, The Faculty and The Oxford Killings, but always on the opposite end of the coin. I've read nothing but good things, so I'm sure it's going to be brilliant. You can surely be expecting a review early next week with my thoughts.

For all of you who do watch it this weekend, or don't, whatever, there is a "Making-Of" featurette on YouTube that you can check out as well. The link is below, dig it!

Another AMAZING Poster Comes to Us From the MANIAC Camp.

Welp, we've got another badass one sheet for Maniac to make us salivate in anticipation for what is being called the best horror movie of the year (and what seems to be, the last 10 years). It's gotten rave reviews over at Bloody-Disgusting, and it seems like I've been excited about this one for forever. 

Head past the jump to check out the full poster and see the synopsis. Maniac hits VOD platforms this Friday (holy fuck yes), June 21st. 

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