Title: Maniac Director: Starring: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder (‘Safe House,’ ‘The Words’) and Megan Duffy (TV’s ‘Mad Men,’ ‘Criminal Minds’) Instinctively creating sympathy for a seemingly deranged killer who commits horrific, violent crimes against women is not an easy job many people would rightfully consider taking. That task is even more difficult when it’s done through the reimagination of a famed cult horror thriller. But horror director Franck Fhalfoun did both with ‘Maniac,’ the new independent remake of the hit 1980 film of the same name by helmer William Lustig. Not only did Fhalfoun captivatingly and uniquely chronicle the emotions of a crazed serial killer through his point of view,  [ Read More ]

Title: World War Z Directed By: Marc Forster Starring: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Sterling Jerins, Abigail Hargrove, Fana Mokoena, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale, Elyes Gabel, Pierfrancesco Favino, Fabrizio Zacharee Guido “World War Z” is formulaic and predictable, but the thrill of watching Brad Pitt survive the impossible and do his part to save the world makes it a satisfying offering for the summer season. It’s a typical day for the Lane family – until they drive their car straight into a hoard of ravenous zombies. Even with the bitten turning in seconds all around him, Gerry (Brad Pitt) manages to get his wife (Mireille Enos) and two young girls  [ Read More ]

Adam Green’s finale in his horror saga, “Hatchet III,” is now playing select theaters and is also available On Demand and iTunes! The film, written and produced by Green, is directed by BJ McDonnell and stars Danielle Harris, Kane Hodder, Zach Galligan and Caroline Williams. Here’s more on the film: “Concluding the saga begun in Adam Green’s hit 2006 thriller, Hatchet III follows the vengeful Marybeth (Danielle Harris) as she continues seeking out a way to destroy Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder), a hulking, seemingly-invincible sociopath rampaging through a sleepy Louisiana swamp. While a heavily-armed team of mercenaries takes to the bayou surrounding Crowley’s home, Marybeth finds herself begrudgingly teaming up  [ Read More ]

John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis have reunited for new commentary for the upcoming 35th anniversary Blu-ray release of their acclaimed 1978 horror thriller, ‘Halloween.’ Anchor Bay, which will distribute the Blu-ray, has confirmed the news that they’re currently working with the filmmakers of the film on the new release. Anchor Bay hasn’t released anymore details on the Blu-ray, other than the fact that the director and actress are involved. The Blu-ray and DVD release is expected to be released in October. An official 35th Anniversary ‘Halloween’ convention is also expected to be held on November 15-17 in Pasadena, California, and details are set to be released soon on the  [ Read More ]

In honor and celebration of fathers nationwide, FilmDistrict has unveiled two new creepy Father’s Day cards and a teaser poster for its anticipated horror thriller, ‘Insidious Chapter 2.’ The sequel, which was directed by James Wan, who helmed the hit first film in the series, will be released in theaters by FilmDistrict on September 13. The follow-up, which was written by ‘Insidious’ scribe Leigh Whannell, features the cast from the original film, including Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey and Ty Simpkins. FilmDistrict has released the following synopsis for ‘Insidious Chapter 2′: The famed horror team of director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell reunite with the original  [ Read More ]

I had a chance to visit Spectral Motion for a tour of their amazing workshop where creatures and effects are created for movies like Hellboy, X-Men Last Stand and Looper. During the visit we got a rare look into how these amazing feats go from idea to reality and got to go hands on by making own own body molds, operating a pair of giant hands, and even getting turned into a witch from the movie! I got to talk face to face with Academy Award nominee effects master Mike Elizalde and monster veteran Derek Mears about their work on Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters which is out now on  [ Read More ]

Title: Hatchet III Director: BJ McDonnell Starring: Kane Hodder (‘Jason X’), Danielle Harris (‘Halloween (2007)’, ‘Stake Land‘), Zach Galligan and Caroline Williams Creating a satisfyingly gory and humorous conclusion to a fan favorite horror comedy film trilogy can be a difficult process for even the most experienced directors. But first-time feature film helmer BJ McDonnell easily stepped into the helmer’s chair for ‘Hatchet III.’ McDonnell, who worked as a camera operator on the first two films in the ‘Hatchet’ franchise, naturally took on the helm from Adama Green, who also penned all three movies. The new director satisfyingly created a comedic, horrifying conclusion to the fan favorite series. ‘Hatchet III’  [ Read More ]

Taking on the directorial reins of a popular horror franchise that’s beloved by devoted genre fans can be a difficult task for many established helmers, let alone a new one. But first-time director BJ McDonnell, who has made a name for himself as a camera operator on large studio films, such as ‘This Is the End’ and ‘Star Trek Into Darkness,’ as well as horror hits, including ‘The Devil’s Rejects’ and ‘Halloween (2007),’ easily stepped into the helmer’s chair for ‘Hatchet III.’ McDonnell, who worked as a camera operator on the first two films in the horror comedy franchise, naturally took on the helm from Adama Green, who also penned  [ Read More ]

Haunting Melissa is an episodic ghost story app from the Producer of Mulholland Drive and The Ring Neal Edelstein. It’s written by best-selling author Andrew Klavan and unfolds the events surrounding the disappearance of a girl named Melissa and the mysterious room her mother died in. The app’s most interesting feature its innovative approach to releasing content.  It takes the episodic video concept and takes it a step further with some unique features. Just as stories change in new ways when they are told again, downloaded videos may play back differently when watched another time. If you revisit past chapters you may notice subtle changes, added details, or new paths  [ Read More ]

Jump from your fears with the new theatrical trailer, stills and poster from Gravitas Ventures’ supernatural-horror-thriller, ‘Apartment 1303 3D.’ The distributor has also announced that the film, which was written and directed by Michael Taverna, will be the first indie title to play in 3D in theatres and on Video on Demand simultaneously. The movie will have a special VOD release on June 17, before being released in theaters on July 25. ‘Apartment 1303 3D,’ which is based on a novel by Kei Ôishi and is a remake of a Japanese horror title of the same name, stars Mischa Barton (‘The O.C.’), Rebecca De Mornay (‘The Hand That Rocks the  [ Read More ]

After two weekends of underperforming new releases, “Man of Steel” should be in excellent shape. Last weekend neither “Now You See Me” nor “After Earth” earned enough to trump “Fast & Furious 6” and that could be the case this time around too with both “The Internship” and “The Purge” heading towards subpar starts. “The Internship” should be in better shape than Vince Vaughn’s summer 2012 release, “The Watch,” but not by much, probably only matching “Friends with Benefits” with about $18 million. As for “The Purge,” it’s had one heck of a promotional push, but it’s just not the right time for a horror film. It’ll likely wind up  [ Read More ]

Title: The Purge Directed By: James DeMonaco Starring: Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Adelaide Kane, Max Burkholder, Edwin Hodge, Rhys Wakefield, Arija Bareikis The year is 2022 and the country’s crime rate is at an all time low thanks to an event known as The Purge. From 7pm on March 21st to 7am on March 22nd, all crime is legal. There’s no police, fire departments, or emergency medical services. For a 12-hour stretch you’re on your own and it’s up to you whether you want to lay low and hide or arm up and take advantage of the purpose of the event, to use it as a catharsis. “The Purge” focuses  [ Read More ]

Anchor Bay Films’ “The Demented” is coming to horrify movie lovers July 30 on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and DVD. The film stars Sarah Butler (“I Spit on Your Grave”), Brittney Alger (“21 Jump Street”), Kayla Ewell (“The Vampire Diaries”), Richard Kohnke (“The Carrie Diaries”) and Michael Welch (The “Twilight Saga” franchise) and follows six young adults who must somehow survive against a deadly virus that has infected the town. “THE DEMENTED follows six college friends as they meet up for a carefree weekend in a beautiful rural home. A terrorist missile attack in a nearby town infects much of the townspeople with a deadly virus that induces rabies-like symptoms…with devastating  [ Read More ]

While little information has been revealed so far for the anticipated horror thriller sequel ‘Insidious: Chapter 2,’ the first official trailer for the film has been released. The trailer offers an idea of how the Lambert family, who was first introduced in the 2011 hit ‘Insidious,’ continues to find themselves mysteriously haunted by a secret from their past. While the majority of the sequel’s plot line is being kept secret by director James Wan and writer Leigh Wannell, who worked on the first film together, most of the original cast did returned for the follow-up. ‘Insidious: Chapter 2′ picks up where the first film ends, where it was revealed that  [ Read More ]

Anchor Bay Entertainment is holding horror audiences after class for the July 23 DVD release of the horror comedy, ‘Detention of the Dead.’ The film, which was written and directed by Alex Craig Mann, stars Jacob Zacher, Alexa Nikolas, Christa B. Allen, Jayson Blair, Max Adler and ‘The Twilight Saga’s Justin Chon. The SRP for the ‘Detention of the Dead’ DVD is $19.98, and will be available for pre-book on June 26. The DVD will include several bonus features, including an audio commentary by Mann and the ‘Detention of the Dead: Behind The Scenes’ featurette. The film, which has been a hit at such festivals as FrightFest, Glasgow Film Festival  [ Read More ]