The North American rights to the acclaimed Southern Goth thriller, ‘Holy Ghost People,’ have been acquired by XLrator Media, following the movie’s world premiere last month at South by Southwest. The film, which was helmed by Mitchell Altieri, one half of the Butcher Brothers directing duo, was written by Kevin Artigue, Joe Egender, Altieri and Phil Flores, the other half of the Butcher Brothers. XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon announced ‘Holy Ghost People’s acquisition by the multi-platform releasing company. “Following our great experience working with the Butcher Brothers on the vampire epic ‘The Thompsons,’ we’re thrilled to be releasing Mitchell’s extraordinary new film which created such a sensation at SXSW,”  [ Read More ]

Film fans can now discover facts about their favorite movies through AMC Networks’ new online movie streaming site, YEAH! The site is a unique way for audiences to discover information about their favorite movies by watching extras that offer insight into their making. Among the extras include James Cameron discussing who he originally had in mind for ‘The Terminator,’ and how the famous head spin in ‘The Exorcist’ was created. YEAH!, the first streaming movie service that enhances films with interactive features, was launched by AMC last month at SXSW. In the coming months, such films to be featured on the site include ‘Scream,’ ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ’300,’ ‘Clerks,’ ‘Pulp Fiction’  [ Read More ]

The winner of Best Narrative Feature at last year’s SXSW Festival, writer-director Adam Leon’s “Gimme the Loot” takes a premise seemingly made for dark twists and turns – over the course of two summer days a pair of Bronx graffiti artist teenagers, Malcolm and Sofia, try to hustle, scrape together and possibly steal $500 to pull off a big stunt that will humiliate their rivals and cement their tagger status — and turns it into a keenly observed, vibrant, livewire work coursing with adolescent energy. As a result, the young director has been rewarded with attention as one of the top up-and-coming filmmakers of the under-30 set. For ShockYa, Brent Simon recently  [ Read More ]

There’s a number of online streaming services out there, but YEAH! strives to enhance the experience by pairing full films with interactive features. This additional content appears just below the film in a way that keeps it from interfering with the movie, but also makes this bonus material readily accessible. Every YEAH! film comes with 400 – 500 different pieces of extra content like exclusive interviews, little-known facts, quizzes, polls, and more. And the YEAH! curators managed to snag the films you’d want to have such an experience with – those films you’ve seen time and time again, but just can’t get enough of. The platform launched this month at  [ Read More ]

After finally emerging from the SXSW bubble, it’s time to recognize that the film industry is making moves beyond Austin. After a recap of Shockya.com’s run at SXSW 2013, we dive into loads of casting news, featuring big recruits for the book-to-film adaptation “Divergent” and Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment also dropped a big bomb this week; they’ve hired “Safety Not Guaranteed” director Colin Trevorrow to direct “Jurassic Park 4.” Then, of course, we’ve got the goods on all this “Veronica Mars”/Kickstarter action and speculate on how the arrangement might open the doors to a new format of film financing. You’ve got all  [ Read More ]

Title: VHS 2 Screened At: SXSW 2013 Directed By: Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Gregg Hale, Eduardo Sanchez, Gareth Evans, Timo Tjahjanto, Jason Eisener “VHS 2” isn’t just a step up from “VHS;” it’s leaps and bounds beyond its predecessor – and its predecessor was already a solid entry to the horror anthology subgenre. Sticking with the original format, “VHS 2″ opens with the wraparound component. It features a pair of private investigators on the hunt for a missing kid. Their effort leads them to his home where they sort through journals, his computer and his unusual VHS tape collection, which includes the film’s four subsections – “Clinical Trials,” “A Ride  [ Read More ]

Title: Kilimanjaro Screened At: SXSW 2013 Directed By: Walter Strafford Starring: Brian Geraghty, Chris Marquette, Abigail Spencer, Alexia Rasmussen, Jim Gaffigan “Kilimanjaro” is very clearly labeled a romantic drama, but with a title like that, you expect at least a little suspense, even if it can only exist in the realm of relationship woes. However, Brian Geraghty’s Doug is just too meek, predictable and almost detached to spark much emotion from a viewer. Doug and Clare (Geraghty and Alexia Rasmussen) are the perfect couple. They share a nice apartment, each set of parents approves of the relationship, and they’re right on the cusp of taking that next big step –  [ Read More ]

Title: Big Ass Spider Screened At: SXSW 2013 Directed By: Mike Mendez Starring: Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar, Clare Kramer, Ray Wise, Patrick Bauchau, Lin Shaye With a name like “Big Ass Spider,” all you can really ask is that the filmmakers make due on the title, and Mike Mendez gives you that big ass spider and then some. Greg Grunberg leads as Alex, your friendly neighborhood exterminator. After suffering a nasty spider bite, Alex takes a quick trip to the hospital for a routine shot to clear up the problem, but, just before he can get on his way, his nurse volunteers his services to clear up the hospital’s own  [ Read More ]

Title: Loves Her Gun Screened At: SXSW 2013 Directed By: Geoff Marslett Starring: Trieste Kelly Dunn, Ashley Spillers, Francisco Barreiro, Jennymarie Jemison, John Merriman, Chris Doubek Similar to real life, “Loves Her Gun” has its more profound moments and its duller ones, but Trieste Kelly Dunn gives the lead character everything she’s got, giving the film as a whole the best possible chance of holding your attention through to the bold, unforgettable finale. After a vicious mugging in Brooklyn, Allie (Trieste Kelly Dunn) decides her best chance of putting the incident behind her is by escaping. She hitches a ride with an Austin-based band and is starting a new life  [ Read More ]

Even if you have the ideal SXSW experience, there’s always that one you wished you would have made time to catch and for me, that was Dennis Iliadis’ “Plus One” and that guilt was only intensified after hearing the ultimate pitch from Iliadis and his cast. Ashley Hinshaw, Rhys Wakefield and Logan Miller lead as a trio of college friends gearing up for the ultimate party. That same evening a small meteor hits and while it doesn’t cause much damage, the impact conjures a supernatural phenomenon that leaves everyone with a duplicate of themselves. Whereas you start with the familiar college kids looking for a good time scenario, “Plus One”  [ Read More ]

You’ve never seen a horror movie heroine like Sharni Vinson’s Erin in “You’re Next.” Erin and her boyfriend Crispian (AJ Bowen) are taking the next step in their relationship – meeting Crispian’s family. Despite arriving with the best intentions, good old sibling rivalry sets back in and their classy reunion dinner is drowned in passive aggressive bickering. Petty differences are finally pushed aside when their house is ambushed by a brigade of vicious intruders wearing animal masks. Each and every family member puts up a valiant fight for his or her life, but no one fights quite like Erin. She doesn’t hide in the basement or run around screaming for  [ Read More ]

“Big Ass Spider” may be the talk of SXSW courtesy of that outrageous title and downright wild central concept, but the film also sends a strong message to budding filmmakers – limitations are fading and you’re totally capable of making your movie, even if it features a big ass spider. While major studios are spitting out a slew of epic adventures with budgets north of $200 million, director Mike Mendez simply assembled an exceptionally dedicated cast and crew to make his movie about an enormous spider that attacks Los Angeles on a far more affordable scale. The film features Greg Grunberg as Alex Mathis, a local exterminator who loves his  [ Read More ]

Title: Kiss of the Damned Screened At: SXSW 2013 Directed By: Xan Cassavetes Starring: Joséphine de La Baume, Milo Ventimiglia, Roxane Mesquida, Michael Rapaport, Anna Mouglalis Heavy on the sex and seduction, light on the character and plot development, “Kiss of the Damned” offers up curious characters and an intriguing world, but leaves it at that, making the experience entirely one-dimensional. In an effort to help him finish up his latest script, Paolo’s (Milo Ventimiglia) agent sends him out of the city to a quieter location. While there, Paolo finds distraction in the form of Djuna (Joséphine de La Baume), a beautiful woman who happens to be a vampire. Even  [ Read More ]

Youssef Delara and Victor Teran gave themselves quite the challenge with “Snap.” Not only does the story have roots in disturbing true events and a touchy mental condition at the core, but then they infuse it with an exceptional dose of style and set it all to a beat, ultimately making the film feel as though it has a pulse. Jake Hoffman leads as Jim, an antisocial shut-in who expresses himself through music, making beats, uploading them to the web and amassing a following all from the comfort of his own home. When Jake gets a gig fixing an office computer and crosses pathes with Wendy (Nikki Reed), she inspires  [ Read More ]

New stills from the upcoming acclaimed horror thriller sequel ‘V/H/S/2′ have been released by its distribution company, Magnet Releasing. The film, which premiered on Friday night at SXSW, is set to be released On Demand on June 6, and in theaters on July 12. Magnet Releasing and the Collective, in association with Bloody Disgusting, present the follow-up to last year’s horror anthology, ‘V/H/S.’ The sequel was directed by Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans and Jason Eisener. The movie follos two private investigators who break into an abandoned house, as they search for a missing student. However, instead of the student, they discover  [ Read More ]