Directed by Nosipho Dumisa, "Number 37" is a dark homage to both the noir of a Hitchcockian era and the 90's gritty crime thriller. The film stars Irshaad Ally, Monique Rockman, Ephraim Gordon, Sandi Schultz, Danny Ross, David Manuel, Elton Landrew, and Deon Lotz. It is a clever and sharp introduction to the shady, gangster life in urban Cape Town.
Set in a rough section of Cape Town, Number 37 follows Randal Hendricks, a small-time crook who becomes wheelchair-bound in a drug deal gone wrong, and his hard-working girlfriend Pam
Ismael. To distract Randal during his homebound days of limited mobility, Pam gives him a pair of binoculars. While idly surveying his block, he accidentally witnesses a dirty cop being executed by his gangster neighbor Lawyer. With a loan shark breathing
down his neck, Randal decides to blackmail Lawyer, and enlists the help of both his girlfriend and his friend Warren. When the plan goes horribly awry, Randal’s options get more and more restricted—and not even local detective Gail February, investigating
the death of her partner, may be able to help him.
The story is a stark crime story that plays on suspenseful thrusts of drama and intense characters. The cast give varied but strong performances. At times scenes feel forced against conflicting backdrops but inevitably that slight aspect seems as intentional as Hitchcock's "Rear Window". Dumisa shows a brilliance in this ability to mirror obvious influence of western filmmakers while never coming off as mimicry.
"Number 37" performs as a dark, off-quilter slow burner where action is concerned. There are moments when the suspense builds into actual thrills. However a lot of the violence and bloodshed acts more as aesthetic instead of pressure points in the film. Still enough thriller elements exist to really tease a Tarantino quality. Overall "Number 37" is a strong, contemporary crime thriller worth the watch. (3/5)
"Scarecrows" is a contemporary horror story that takes a classic trope and spins into a macabre tableau. The film is directed by Stu Stone and stars Mike Taylor, Hannah Gordon, Umed Amin, and Maaor Ziv. It is described as a stoner horror throwback.
While on a hike to find a secret lagoon, a group of friends have no choice but to pass through an ominous cornfield. Unbeknownst to them, the farm owner despises trespassers and has vowed to kill anyone who crosses his land by turning them into living
scarecrows, leaving them to rot in his fields. Once one goes up... it never comes down. "Scarecrows" is a straightforward story that incorporates recognizable tropes. The young, dumb kids on a quest, and the psycho killer. Add to it the macabre fascination of a creepy, yet familiar rural mainstay - the scarecrow. It lacks originality but that doesn't stop it from being entertainment. The cast is great at creating likeable characters that add both canon fodder for the killer and protagonists that you root for. The acting is acceptable, although there is some recognized moments of inconsistencies in scene delivery. But still, the quality is good and the suspense is captivating. The special effects are equally quality work. Practical, visceral moments of blood and horror create an almost "Wolf Creek" atmosphere. My only complaint is that the violence and horror seemed restrained a bit too much. I would have liked a little more gruesome and gore. Still the film does more than enough to entertain on that level as well. Overall, "Scarecrows" is a cool, entertaining horror movie with slasher level thrills. The cinematography is excellent, the antagonist is dominating and intimidating. There are a few minor flaws, but nothing that hurts the experience that Stone offers up to horror fans. Check it out. (3.5/5)
Finally we get to see this years highly anticipated film that’s undeniably unlike any other film you’ve seen before. Just in time for the holidays . . . the latest and greatest film from Frolic Pictures . . .
Agalmatophilia, is now available! Find it on Amazon Prime and order the DVD or VHS now, to graciously stuff the stocking of your favorite friend, family member or unusual lover.
What critics are saying:
“Guy (Jared Masters), a lonely and numbers-obsessed office clerk who does "the numbers" for his clients (it's never explained in full), one day realizes he needs a secretary - and pretty much hires the first applicant, Iesha
Stayput, who just happens to be a living, breathing mannequin (voiced by Brittany Ballantyne) - and at first he's only taken in by her professionalism, but soon he starts to have feelings for her as well (thus the title, ‘Agalmatophilia,’ a paraphilia involving
sexual attraction to a statue, doll, mannequin), and he, who has so far mostly been tied to his desk, starts to go out with her and stuff. But there's his client, Veronique (Brittany Ballantyne, in the flesh), who at first only gets friendly with Guy as she's
not able to pay her invoices on time, but before long she starts getting interested in him as a man, too - and even if she's got some weird fetishes on her own for sure, she eventually notices there's something not 100% right with Guy.... Now this is most
certainly a very unusual film, an extremely weird, twisted romance between a man and a shop window mannequin, done very much in a way as if it was a very natural thing, with a minimum of special effects, and without any fantasy or horror motives or even vastly
simplified psychology tagged on - and especially for these reasons it works, it just tells its story, doesn't lose steam in long-winded explanations or fancy effects, just lets us see the world through Guy's and later also Veronique's eyes - but with an extra
shot of irony (rather than moronic humour). If you're into the slightly bizarre, you'll get lots of enjoyment out of this.” - Mike Haberfelner, SearchMyTrash.com
The publishers of this announcement have nothing to gain, or to lose, by your anticipatory entertainment. A show fantastically and strategically composed. It may frighten some of you. It may startle the very nerves
that cause your neck to tingle. It is up to you to decide. Let us explore the deepest desires in every one of us. Let’s come out. See us balloon into our true selves.
Don’t let the star rating fool you! Why let an anonymous individual dictate your thoughts? You are a freethinking individual. Self-respect sold separately. Batteries not included. What works for you will confuse
another. Your mother is unamused. Your ignorant community will ostracize you. Let the film speak for itself. Do not merely support the names you are familiar with and giant ads you read, take yourself on the best date ever. Give art a chance. Discover a life
changing moment, again, and again in . . . Agalmatophilia (in glorious black and white).
See . . . The Prince of Hollywood, Jared Masters, in his feature film debut in a leading role. Also, introducing the fierce and captivating triple threat, Brittany Ballantyne (the quasi-sensational starlet who came
all way from Iowa to cash in on her instincts . . . and charm).
So don’t wait! Cuddle up with your favorite inanimate object . . . and watch . . .
Agalmatophilia. It will titillate and shock the very tentacles of your heart, repeatedly. Find the DVD online (wherever DVDs are sold). Snatch up
a very rare, limited edition (only 1,000 copies made) VHS on eBay, while supplies last. Stream it instantly online, for free (with an Amazon Prime one month trial). The reason why you can’t think of your favorite movie when asked is because . . . you have
yet to see Agalmatophilia, a Frolic Picture.
Mitzi Peirone's psycho-thriller BRAID hits theaters and On Demand via Blue Fox Entertainment February 1st. The film stars Madeline Brewer, Imogen Waterhouse, Sarah Hay, and Scott Cohen. Check out the red band trailer below. Two wanted women decide to rob their wealthy yet mentally unstable friend who lives in a fantasy world they all created as children. To take her money, the girls must take part in a deadly and perverse game of make-believe throughout a sprawling yet decaying estate. As things become increasingly violent and hallucinatory, they realize that obtaining the money may be the least of their concerns.
Lily Smith is a UK based writer/director has released "Ruined – A Hipster Ghost Story", a comedy web series that tells the tale of a duo and their haunted apartment. The series stars Chris Polick as Owen and the aforementioned series creator Lily Smith as Lucy.The entire web series, all six episodes, is available on YouTube. Click here to check it out. Best friends Lucy and Owen have just bought their dream flat – but the resident ghost makes their new lives a nightmare.
Kurt Knight’s period horror filmThe Appearance is available now on VUDU, iTunes, and Amazon Prime Video to rent and own. The film comes courtesy of Gravitas Ventures and stars Jake Stormoen, Kristian Nairn, Adam Johnson, Michael Flynn, and Baylee Self. Check the trailer below. Mateho the Inquisitor and his comrade are summoned to a monastery to investigate a series of mysterious murders and the alleged ‘witch’ accused of the horrific crimes. It soon becomes clear that something evil haunts the church and Mateho must act quickly to stop the dark vengeance from destroying everything in its path.
The supernatural thriller "Don't Leave Home" is currently available on Blu-ray and Digital courtesy of Cranked Up. The film is written and directed by Michael Tully and you can check out the trailer below. "Don't Leave Home" stars Anna Margaret Hollyman, Helena Bereen, Mark Lawrence, Karrie Cox, David McSavage, and Lalor Roddy. After recently unveiling her new sculptural exhibit on Irish urban legends, artist Melanie Thomas is contacted by Father Alistair Burke, a reclusive Irish priest who, legend has it, once painted the portrait of a young girl who later disappeared on the very day her image vanished from the painting. Now, summoned by Burke and his cohort to the Irish countryside for a special art commission, Melanie eagerly accepts the offer, never stopping to consider that some urban legends might be true. Being praised as “GET OUT with Catholic guilt in the Irish countryside.
Three new monstrous posters, released for "Godzilla: King Of The Monsters", feature the iconic and equally beloved kaiju - Rodan, Mothra, Ghidorah. The film lands theatrically next spring. It is directed by Michael Dougherty and stars Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi.
Darren Lynn Bousman’s "St. Agatha" hits theatres February 2019. The film starring Sabrina Kern, Carolyn Hennesy, Courtney Halverson, Lindsay Seim, Hannah Fierman, Trin Miller, Seth Michaels, and Justin Miles hits screens on February 8th. Check out the trailer below. Set in the 1950s in small-town Georgia, a pregnant young woman named Agatha seeks refuge in a convent. What first starts out as the perfect place to have a child turns into a dark layer where silence is forced, ghastly secrets are masked, and every bit of will power Agatha has is tested as she learns the sick and twisted truth of the convent and the odd people that lurk inside its halls.
Dee Wallace (E.T., CUJO) has joined the cast of DOLLS, a new supernatural thriller that started filming in California, from first-time feature director Cuyle Carvin. The first stills have just been released.
DOLLS concerns a struggling children's book author and his rebellious teenage daughter who move into a house they've inherited and find mysterious dolls in the attic. The father and daughter soon learn that the dolls have a sinister -- and deadly – past.
The screenplay is by Justin Hawkins & Josh Hawkins, with Jeff Miller (OUIJA HOUSE, THE TOYBOX) also contributing to the story. Wallace plays a neighbor who knows about the dolls and their ties to the house. The movie also stars frequent Miller collaborator Tom Downey (AXE GIANT: THE WRATH OF PAUL BUNYAN), as well as newcomer Trinity Simpson, Bret Green (CBS's THE INSPECTORS), Elise Muller (BAGHEAD), Melinda deKay, and Robert R. Ryel.
Miller (who had seven features released in 2018, including the recent DEATH KISS) is
producing with Robert Michael Ryan (NECROSIS). Carvin and Ryan previously directed and produced the "Dark Corners" horror anthology series. Josh Hawkins and Ben Demaree are Co-Producers on DOLLS, with Demaree also serving as Director of Photography. Veronica Rodarte is handling the bulk of the makeup FX. Ken Stachnik is Gaffer. Korey Rowe is editing.
“It's my second film in just over a year with Dee, and she truly is an American treasure," says Miller. "The work she did in the ‘80s continues to be seen as classics. I’m so glad we could bring her aboard my friend Cuyle Carvin’s first feature.”
DOLLS should be finished in early 2019. Uncork'd Entertainment is handling worldwide distribution.
New poster has been released for "Us". The film is written and directed by Peele, and stars Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss, Winston Duke, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tim Heidecker, Anna Diop, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Madison Curry, Evan Alex, Cali Sheldon, and Noelle Sheldon. It is scheduled for release March 15th.
A mother (Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o from Black Panther, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 12 Years a Slave) and a father (Winston Duke from Black Panther) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Emmy winner Elizabeth Moss from TV series The Handmaid’s Tale). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.
Sci-Fi Horror Comedy to Haunt iTunes February 2019
"Dunn beats the odds and delivers an impressive horror comedy that hurls the classic duo dynamic into '90s slacker culture" --
Film Threat
Los Angeles, CA - Mandao Films has announced a resurrection of Halloween spirits with the
Digital HD debut of writer/director Scott Dunn's Mandao of the Dead. The spectral sci-fi comedy is
now available exclusively on Amazon Instant Video, ahead of an iTunes release in February 2019.
The second feature from filmmaker Scott Dunn and producer Gina Gomez, Mandao of the Dead combines temporal hijinks with chills from beyond the grave in a film Horror Fuel calls "a charming winner of a flick."
The unambitious Jay Mandao lives frugally off his late father's cereal royalties. He wants nothing more than to live in solitude, but is duped into taking in his adult nephew-in-law, Jackson.
As Halloween approaches, Jay begins having odd dreams, and comes to find that he has the ability of astral projection. Jay and Jackson are approached by a ghost who has a small window of opportunity to reverse his death at the hands of Jackson's murderous
ex-girlfriend.
“If this gene is in your DNA, you will commit a violent crime”.
In the tradition of Dominion and The Mortal Instruments, and from director Jenni Ivers (The Cabin) comes the sci-fi thrill-ride
Loophole, premiering on VOD January 8, 2019 from High Octane Pictures.
The gene for violence is discovered, setting off a demand for world-wide testing, promoting the belief that these people will commit a violent crime. College student Lexi Smith finds herself in the middle of a collision between science and religion where all
of humanity hangs in the balance.
Chloe Lukasiak (Center Stage: On Pointe), Kera O'Bryon and Bubba Ho-Tep’s Timothy E. Goodwin star in a Jenni Ivers film, out this January!
The official trailer has dropped for Netflix apocalyptic thriller "Bird Box". The film, directed Susanne Bier, will have a limited theatrical release December 13th followed by a December 21st Netflix premiere. It stars Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson. When a mysterious force decimates the population, only one thing is certain — if you see it, you die. The survivors must now avoid coming face to face with an entity that takes the form of their worst fears. Searching for hope and a new beginning, a woman and her children embark on a dangerous journey through the woods and down a river to find the one place that may offer sanctuary. To make it, they’ll have to cover their eyes from the evil that chases them — and complete the trip blindfolded.
The first full trailer has been released for scifi horror "Captive State". The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt and stars John Goodman, Madeline Brewer and Vera Farmiga. It hits theatres March 29th.
Set in a Chicago neighborhood nearly a decade after an occupation by an extra-terrestrial force, “Captive State” explores the lives on both sides of the conflict – the collaborators and dissidents.
Production is underway for indie, found footage movie "Dead Residence". The paranormal horror is directed by Sean Donohue and is being produced by Gatorblade Films and Reaper Films. Recently completed casting. Dead Residence is a found footage film about a young couple that buys a house with intention of “flipping it”. Mysterious activities start happening to them while they are repairing the home. Is someone there with them or is it their imagination??? Dead Residence Facebook
The first teaser trailer has been released for "Her Name Was Christa". The psychological thriller is directed by James L. Edwards. It stars Shianne Daye, James L. Edwards, Drew Fortier, Rick Jermain and Kaylee Williams. Love Conquers All….Sometimes Even Death.
Based on the internationally best-selling series of books by Lemony Snicket (aka Daniel Handler), the third and final season of the Peabody award-winning Netflix original premieres worldwide January 1, 2019.
Starring Emmy and Tony Award-winner Neil Patrick Harris, A Series of Unfortunate Events recounts the tragic tale of the Baudelaire orphans – Violet, Klaus, and Sunny – whose evil uncle Count Olaf (Harris) will stop at nothing to get his hands on their inheritance. After foiling his many dastardly plans and disguises, the young siblings might finally discover the truth about their parents’ mysterious death, while unraveling the layers of a clandestine organization, and revealing the secrets of the coveted, missing sugar bowl.
The first look image from "THE SHOW" based on an original story by revered graphic novel creator Alan Moore has been released. Production is currently underway in Northampton, UK.
The ensemble cast is led by Tom Burke and includes a line-up featuring Siobhan Hewlett (Show Pieces), Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals, The Nutcracker And The Four Realms), Sheila Atim(Girl From The North Country), Richard Dillane (The White Princess, The Last Post)and Alan Moore himself.THE SHOW follows FLETCHER DENNIS (Burke) who has been hired to track down a stolen artefact, an investigation that brings him into contact with the most unusual and dangerous elements in Moore & Jenkins’ hometown Northampton. THE SHOW is directed by Mitch Jenkins from a script by Alan Moore, his first original feature film screenplay to be realised. Jim Mooney & Mike Elliott of EMU Films and Lex Films’ Tom Brown are producing. Finance is provided by BFI, awarding funds from The National Lottery, along with Lipsync. Protaganist Pictures will handle worldwide sales. A frighteningly focussed man of many talents, passports and identities arrives at England’s broken heart, a haunted midlands town that has collapsed to a black hole of dreams, only to find that that this new territory is as at least as strange and dangerous as he is. Attempting to locate a certain person and a certain artefact for his insistent client, he finds himself sinking in a quicksand twilight world of dead Lotharios, comatose sleeping beauties, Voodoo gangsters, masked adventurers, unlikely 1930s private eyes and violent chiaroscuro women… and this is Northampton when it’s still awake. Once the town closes its eyes there is another world entirely going on beneath the twitching lids, a world of glittering and sinister delirium much worse than any social or economic devastation. Welcome to the British nightmare, with its gorgeous flesh, its tinsel and its luminous light-entertainment monsters; its hallucinatory austerity. Welcome to The Show.
Craig Sheffer stars in the chiller adapted and directed by Gregory Lamberson. Armand John Petri and Joe Rozler are currently scoring the film, which features special visual effects by Chris Cosgrave and John David Vincent, and special makeup effects by Kate Sharun. Petri and Piazza are associate producers, along with Bruce and Vicki Liebowitz. The producers anticipate seeking distribution early in 2019. Sheffer plays Thomas Livingston, a down on his luck author who spends a weekend locked in a haunted lighthouse as a publicity stunt to promote his next book. As he uncovers the lighthouse’s terrifying history, Livingston becomes a target for powerful, otherworldly forces hell bent on his destruction.
Chris Sun's horror movie "Boar" will be available on DVD in February. The film stars Bill Moseley, John Jarratt, Roger Ward, Steve Bisley, and Nathan Jones. Frightfest Presents will release Boar on DVD and Digital HD on February 25th.
In the harsh, yet beautiful Australian outback lives a beast, an animal of staggering size, with a ruthless, driving need for blood and destruction. It cares for none, defends its territory with brutal force, and kills with a raw, animalistic savagery unlike any have seen before.
Believed nothing more than a myth, a legend brought to life by a drunken hunter, the beast ventures closer to civilization. When the bodies of two of its most recent victims are discovered, it is up to a locals, and an out-of-town family caught in the carnage, to halt the creature in its tracks.
Epic
Pictures and Dread Central Presents can't wait
to release the film that will have you doubting your own sanity: DRY BLOOD. Make sure to schedule your interviews with director, Kelton Jones, stars,
Clint Carney (System Syn), and Rob Galluzzo
(Blumhouse's Shock Waves), and SFX makeup artist, Sioux Sinclair before it's too late!
Synopsis: In a rural mountain town, an unstable drug addict must unravel a surreal murder mystery as he’s terrorized
by malevolent ghosts, a deranged sheriff, and the frightening hallucinations from his withdrawal.
DRY BLOOD is directed by Kelton Jones, written by Clint Carney and
starring Clint Carney, Jaymie Valentine, Kelton Jones, Robert V. Galluzzo, Graham Sheldon, Rin Ehlers, and Macy Johnson.
Netflix has released the first trailer for series 'The Umbrella Academy". The series is based on the award-winning Dark Horse Comics’ graphic novel created and written by Gerard Way. It stars Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castañeda, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, andEllen Page. 'The Umbrella Academy' is set to premiere on Netflix February 15th.
The live-action series centers on the estranged members of a highly dysfunctional family of superheroes as they work together to solve the mysterious death of their father Reginald Hardgraves and attempt to save the world.
Check out the trailer released for inventive superhero horror film "Brightburn". The film is directed by David Yarovesky and stars Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, Jackson A. Dunn, Matt Jones and Meredith Hagner. "Brightburn" will be released on May 24th. What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
A new poster has been released for "Godzilla: King Of The Monstets". Directed by Michael Dougherty, the film stars Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi. "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX on May 31st.
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
Weird Pretty Pictures is pleased to announce the release of their latest cinematic outing, In A Stranger's House. Centred on the strange and horrific goings-on of a man housesitting in the middle of nowhere, the found footage film sets the nerves on edge as the situation gets more and more harrowing. Every year, hundreds of people go missing after using online classified ads. No case is as bizarre and unexplainable as this.
In November of 2017, a broken video camera and smart phone were recovered from a recycling centre. The camera houses a memory card that contained disturbing and unexplainable material. This is that material. The following is not for viewers of a sensitive disposition.
The first poster and trailer have been released for horror anthology "Terror Tales", set to turn up the terror in January.
TERROR TALES, bringing together cast from
Friday the 13th, Maniac Cop 1 & 2, George Romero's The Crazies, Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs, Sleepaway Camp, Critters 2 and more, premiering this
January! A who’s who of horror and sci-fi team for a brand-new Creepshow,
TERROR TALES! From writer-director Jimmy Lee Combs, a film that brings together cast from
Friday the 13th, Maniac Cop 1 & 2, George Romero's The Crazies, Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs, Sleepaway Camp, Critters 2 and more, on VOD January
8 from High Octane Pictures! When Michael wakes up he is horrified to find that he is riding shotgun with a psychopath (Christopher Showerman, “Supergirl”) who reveals to him that his wife and daughter are held captive in the attached cargo trailer.
The trailer is rigged to release a deadly toxin when triggered by a switch in the car. Thinking of his family’s safety, he cooperates with everything the psychotic driver asks him to do even if it means breaking the law.
During this bizarre ride, the driver subjects Michael to three horrific tales of the macabre including a demon that takes a mother (Lynn Lowry, “Shivers”) on a journey of self-discovery and reveals to her the horrifying
truth behind her son’s suicide. The next tale transpires in the '80s where a Detective is hot on the trail of a serial killer known as The Sledgehammer (Jonathan Tiersten, “Sleepaway Camp”) who is terrorizing a video store owner and his wife. In the final
tale, an evil deity (Yan Birch, “Wes Craven's The People Under the Stairs”) is using the human body as a host to possess its victims. When the deity destroys one victim it jumps to another causing an epidemic of possessions being reported. With a burning desire for the truth behind his abduction and the safety of his family, will Michael have the will to survive the madness? Your sanity will be tried and tested in
Terror Tales. Laurene Landon (Maniac Cop), Jennifer Runyon (Ghostbusters),
Ari Lehmann (Friday the 13th), Ashley Park (“Rosewood”), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway
Camp), and Helen Udy (The Dead Zone) also star.
In the tradition of Creepshow, Terror Tales turns up the terror this January!
