Details On Horror Anthology “Tales From Hell”

“Tales From Hell” is a horror anthology from Silver Shadows Productions’ Kelly Michael Stewart. Bringing together directors Ryan M. Andrews, Navin Ramaswaran, Gabriel Carrer, Chad Archibald the stories are told in the classic format of such genre cults as Night Gallery and Tales From The Crypt being presented in an almost television inspired setting. There will be four original shorts hosted by Robert Nolan as different characters for each of the segments. Check out the concept trailer below.

My Review Of “Bludgeon” 2013

“Bludgeon” comes from Indie director Shawn Burkett and tells the story of a rash of murders that end suddenly in 1992. Then twenty years later more deaths rock the small community just as before. The story is inspired by true events. At least the murders that occurred originally are actual events, I am not sure if the second set of murders are actual events or creative licensing of the story. Either way the story is disturbing to say the least. Burkett’s story is a somewhat dark, cold  view into the nightmarish tale and stars Haley Madison, Erin R. Ryan, Scott Gillespie, Jadie Goodpasture, Liz Wazenegger, Missy Stout, Corey Thrush, Ashley Rice.

First I have to say that the movie is truly surprising as I went in expecting one type of story but was quickly given a different tale all together. The story begins with a very classic montage of dark silent scenes of of young women falling meeting a fatal end as eerie folk music plays out. It sets the atmosphere and somber aspects of what is happening on screen perfectly and right away I am eager to see this film. The start is very reminiscent of 70’s grindhouse or classic gore flicks that I enjoyed growing up. However this is not your classic gore induced slasher fest happening. The film gracefully transforms into an arthouse indie character driven melodrama as the tale picks up twenty years later. The switch almost causes a revolt in my mind about the loss of the gore teasing slasher beginning but soon I found myself focusing once more on the story that unfolds in “Bludgeon”. It becomes more of an emotional story that builds on an abstract sense of chilling dark atmosphere.

I did enjoy the the contrast of of stories as the original gore inspired tale begins showing the brutal events that are obviously the true events that took place in the small town against the more cinema verite influenced story that unfolds in the larger portion of the movie. Both where shot beautifully and create a very sinister atmosphere of suspense. I did feel the film was lacking somewhat in actual story material which provides the arch between the two very different story lines of past and present. It was enough to make me feel conflicted about the overall movie but not enough to make me not enjoy the film or its off-beat aspects. There is not a whole lot of gore in the film but there is a lot of emotion played out here and I have to say that this is one of the first times I have ever felt more sympathetic to the psychopath than I should have for a homicidal maniac.

The Owlman Terrorizes Online Chat Site

Check out the bewildered reaction and fear on these chatter’s faces as the Owlman invades an online chat site. The haunting presence of the strange creature on screen freaked quite a few people out and even those with a bizarre fixation upon discovery found the apparition  quite creepy.

The Owlman of course is the focal point of the dark supernatural thriller “Lord Of Tears”. Directed by Lawrie Brewster, the screenplay was written by Sarah Daily and tells the story  of James Findlay, a school teacher plagued by recurring nightmares of a mysterious and unsettling entity.  Suspecting that his visions are linked to a dark incident in his past, James returns to his childhood home, a notorious mansion in the Scottish Highlands, where he uncovers the disturbing truth behind his dreams, and must fight to survive the brutal consequences of his curiosity. I interviewed Brewster not long ago about the film and the Owlman, read that interview here.

Two New Images From “V/H/S/2”

Two new images have been released for the breakout anthology series “V/H/S” as well as word on a release date. “V/H/S/2” will will be On Demand June 6th, and in theaters on July 12th. Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Edúardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans, and Jason Eisener will feature some sick and demented tales which will star Adam Wingard, Lawrence Levine, L. C. Holt, Kelsy Abbott, Hannah Hughes.

Inside a darkened house looms a column of TVs littered with VHS tapes, a pagan shrine to forgotten analog gods. The screens crackle and pop endlessly with monochrome vistas of static—white noise permeating the brain and fogging concentration. But you must fight the urge to relax: this is no mere movie night. Those obsolete spools contain more than just magnetic tape. They are imprinted with the very soul of evil.

Trailer Released For Sci-fi Thriller “Cloned”

Check out the trailer for Gregory Orr's sci-fi thriller “Cloned” the opening chapter in a sci-fi franchise about identity and the threat of replacement scheduled for release on April 23rd 2013. The film stars Stella Maeve, Alexander Nifong, Jamal Mallory McCree, John de Lancie and Laura Moss. “Cloned”is a teen-orientated suspense film with roots in science-fiction realism and psychological terror. It merges the anxious paranoia of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the killer-next-door quality of Disturbia and the teenage angst of the Twilight series.

Three friends on a camping trip discover a secret laboratory and accidentally trigger a deadly experiment that creates their clones--superior duplicates who plot to kill the teens and take over their identities. The film is the creation of award-winning filmmaker Gregory Orr, who grew up in the shadow of the movie industry. Both his father and his grandfather worked at Warner Bros. (the former was TV producer William T. Orr, and the latter was studio chief Jack Warner,) and his mother was an actress, whose film debut at age 18 was as the Bulgarian refugee Annina Brandel in Casablanca.

“Unlike most people I fell in love with movies not at the movie theater, but on a movie set,” says Orr who is making his feature debut with “Cloned”, after many years producing documentaries for A&E, History Channel, AMC and France’s Canal+. “I witnessed first hand the cooperative nature of a film crew and how it prepared the environment for actors to play a scene.” The film was awarded Best Picture at Philadelphia's Terror Fest, and received its UK premiere in April 2011 at the Sci-Fi-London film festival, where Empire magazine called it, "A witty twist on the mad scientist and teens in peril scenario (and) an eminently enjoyable romp that more than merits a sequel."

Release Date Finally Set For “Maniac”

Finally “Maniac” has been granted a release date. The remake of the 80’s horror classic directed by Frank Khalfoun will hit VOD and limited theatrical viewing on June 21st. It stars Elijah Wood as the psychotic serial killer opposite Nora Arnezeder who plays the object of his obsession. The chances to see this flick have the distribution utilizing all available formats including Amazon Instant, iTunes, SundanceNow.com, Xbox, and Playstation platforms. Fangoria broke the news yesterday on their site.

Trailer Released For “Soul”

The trailer for Mong-Hong Chung’s “Soul” has been released. The Taiwanese director’s psychological horror is not the normal revenge/ evil spirit flick most associated with the Asian horror community but takes a vastly different approach of dealing with the deceased. The movie is a philosophical investigation of possession, looking at what happens when someone is possessed by another soul, and how their family treats them. It stars Jimmy Wang, Joseph Chang, and Leon Dai.

Quiet, 30 year-old A-Chuan is a sous chef at a Japanese restaurant. One day he collapses and is rushed to hospital, where doctors are at a loss to explain what happened to him. They deduce that his sudden disassociated state is a psychological disorder and send him back to his hometown in the mountains to recuperate under the care of his 70 year-old father, Wang.