SORORAL is an upcoming film billed as Australia's first neo-giallo thriller and from what I've seen so far I am definitely looking forward to it. Read on for the latest teaser trailer titled 'Visions' (courtesy of TwitchFilm) along with the synopsis.
SORORAL is written and directed by Sam Barrett and stars Amanda Woodhams, Liam Graham, Nicola Bartlett, Jeremy Levi and Vito De Francesco.
For further details check the film's official Facebook page.
Synopsis: "Cassie is tormented by visions of murder. Terrifying images flood her dreams and attack her waking hours. Her dreams are her curse and keep her isolated from the everyday world. Cassie's life is thrown into disarray when a mysterious detective comes to her with a bombshell: He tells her that her visions are depictions of real murders, murders that she couldn’t possibly have seen. Cassie’s pain now has a face, and she must stop the killing at all costs. The twisted, childlike killer targets Cassie’s loved ones, and the race is on to stop her. Cassie is thrown together with her former lover as they scramble towards a shocking revelation that will change everything"
While zombie apocalypse films are a dime a dozen nowadays, every now and then one pops up which catches my attention. The latest is this low budget Australian effort THEATRE OF THE DEAD, which takes the zombie siege concept and brings it to quite a unique location.
Directed and written by Patrick J. Gallagher, THEATRE OF THE DEAD focuses on the cast and crew of a theatre production as they rehearse, completely oblivious to the zombie outbreak going on around them.
Developed through the recently formed Canberra Feature Film Coalition, THEATRE OF THE DEAD aims to deliver an intense and gory thrill-ride to its viewers.
THEATRE OF THE DEAD is currently in post production. For more info head to the official website and Facebook page and stay tuned for more goodies and a release date. You can find the first official trailer and poster below.
Synopsis:Locked away in their theatre, the cast and crew of "Angels In Hell" spend seemingly endless hours in rehearsal, unaware of the rapid and shocking changes taking place in the world outside. Now, trapped in the theatre by a horde of the living dead, with limited resources, they must decide between staying put and hoping for rescue, or taking matters into their own hands and making an extremely risky break for it. As debate over the course of action splits the group, and the spreading zombie virus starts to reduce their numbers, they are unaware that the greatest danger to their lives dwells within their ranks.
Hey! QUARANTINE called, they want their poster back.
Ok, so I know it's probably not such a big deal but does anybody else think that this new poster looks a little too similar to the poster for QUARANTINE (also the final scene from QUARANTINE / REC)?
Anyway, check the new poster out below (courtesy of Bloody Disgusting) and look forward to seeing GRAVE ENCOUNTERS 2 when it hits VOD on October 2nd before getting a theatrical release soon after.
Synopsis: “While researching the events depicted in the original film and the subsequent disappearance of its lead ”actor” Sean Rogerson, Alex Wright received a bizarre video from a mysterious blogger named “DeathAwaits666.” Appearing to show Rogerson still alive but trapped inside the Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital from GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, Alex and his friends agree to meet the blogger at the infamous hospital in hopes of learning what really happened. To their horror, they quickly find themselves face-to-face with unspeakable evil. Realizing that they must be smarter and faster than Rogerson and his crew to avoid suffering the same fate, they use their knowledge of the original film to do whatever it takes to survive”
Starring (voices): Matthew Mercer, Courtenay Taylor, Robin Sachs
Aside from Paul W.S. Anderson’s live action
RE films, another franchise has popped up over the last few years in the form
of two full CG animated movies. And if you’re a fan of the RE videogames then
these animated movies will probably be more to your liking than their live
action counterparts. In fact you could even think of them simply as feature
length cut scenes. The second and most recent of these movies is DAMNATION, and
although (like the more recent videogames) it doesn’t contain a single zombie
it still retains the overall feel of the games and is in my opinion much more
enjoyable than any of Anderson’s RE films.
If I were to place DAMNATION somewhere in
the RE timeline it would probably sit comfortably in between RE5 and the
upcoming RE6. It follows BSAA agent Leon Kennedy who has been inserted into the
volatile Eastern Slav Republic, a small country which is currently in the midst
of a civil war. But what Leon is more interested in are the reports that BOWs (Bio-Organic
Weapons) are being used. So obviously that means we are going to see a lot of
the Las Plagas, Ganados, Lickers and so on.
After an encounter with one of the aforementioned Lickers in an underground
parking lot, Leon finds himself captured by a resistance group and
interrogated. But before they can get their answers they are under attack from
the military and in the commotion they scatter. Leon catches up with one of his
captors JD and after saving his life they form an uneasy alliance. Things
escalate when Leon runs into Ada Wong and it soon becomes obvious that
everything is not as it seems. New dominant Las Plagas have been produced which can
create master/slave relationships between humans and BOWs, essentially meaning
that humans can control these monsters, but the organisms are unstable. As he
delves deeper Leon finds that the government and even the country’s president
are involved in the cultivation and production of these dominant Las Plagas.
While the government, the resistance and
the BSAA (in the form of Leon) are the key groups in this story, strangely
there is a noticeable absence of the Umbrella Corporation. It’s not necessarily
a bad thing I just thought it was quite bizarre as it is usually a staple of the
RESIDENT EVIL world.
And while it does sadden me that Capcom have seemingly abandoned those good old
fashioned zombies for the faster and more aggressive Ganados and Majini, this is
probably as close to the videogames as you’re going to get. Indeed it is very
much embedded in the style of the later games like RE4 and RE5 (and probably
RE6) and so it definitely doesn’t have that claustrophobic, creepy feeling that
the earlier games had (the first RE scared the crap out of me when I was a
kid). But despite that it is still quite a good continuation of the RESIDENT
EVIL story.
It’s better than DEGENERATION was, which is
good news (although I didn’t think that DEGENERATION was such a bad movie
either) and it’s better by far than probably all of the live action movies, at
least in my opinion. The action comes thick and fast and relatively early in
the film which is good, and soon it becomes a mélange of Ganados, Lickers
and the daunting Tyrants (I swear those fuckers get bigger every time I see
them). The fight scenes are as well choreographed as their live action
counterparts and the animations look nice and just about as realistic as you
can get with CGI. And I was very impressed with the English voice acting which was surprising.
If I had one main problem it was definitely with
the script, mostly the unnecessarily cheesy one-liners peppered throughout
Leon’s dialogue. And some of the characters were a bit over the top (JD is
almost a parody with his obsession with everything American) but otherwise I
had a good time with this and definitely recommend it if you enjoyed
DEGENERATION. I would still prefer a movie more in the vein of the earlier RE
games but this will have to do for now.
I've been hearing good things about this movie, and the simple fact that it stars Lance Henriksen means that it is most definitely on my must watch list. You may have seen the trailer a while back (included below if you haven't) but now the official poster has been released. IT'S IN THE BLOOD also has a VOD release date which is set for October 26th.
Synopsis:“It’s In the Blood is a wholly unique cinematic movement. At its core a father-son story, the film is a deconstruction of the prototypical “creature feature”, incorporating elements of mystical realism and psychological thriller. We call it a Psyche-Saga. Lance Henriksen stars in this nightmarish descent into the Wilderness, the very heart of darkness where more than your guilt can eat you alive.
When a father and son become stranded in the wild, they must confront the horrors of their past to escape with their lives”
Starring: TJ Trinidad, Carmina Villaroel, Barbie Forteza
I've never before watched a Filipino movie of any kind let alone a horror film, but THE ROAD seemed like as good a place as any to start. And while it wasn't exactly what I was expecting or hoping for in terms of horror, it was still quite an entertaining and original movie that I'm glad I watched.
THE ROAD tells the story of a cold cold case concerning two missing girls, but not quite in the way that you would expect. It is actually told in three distinct parts which span across three decades from 1988 through to 2008. The first part is set in 2008 and follows two girls and a boy who take a detour down an old closed off road in order to avoid the cops. They have a run in with a driver-less car which seems to be harassing them. This ghost car then crashes and when they go to investigate they find an old burned out shell of a car which looks as though it has been there for years. Soon the children find themselves haunted by ghostly apparitions and they are sent running, but not before one of them can call their father to tell him where they are. When the father and the police turn up they find two of the children dead and the third missing. They also find the burned out car which matches the victim of the previously mentioned cold cold case.
Part 2 is set a decade previously in 1998 and follows two girls who are the victims of said cold case. They are driving along the road (apparently before it had been closed off) when their car overheats. They ask a passing boy where they can get some water and he directs them to his house. When they arrive they are attacked and chained up inside the house.
Part 3 goes back a decade further to 1988 and is all about the teenage boy who attacks the two girls in part 2. He is obviously a lot younger and living at home with his abusive mother and spineless father. His mother forbids him to leave the house and if he misbehaves she locks him in a wardrobe. She threatens to leave the boy's father and the next day has mysteriously disappeared. The boy however is still haunted by his mother's voice.
Small segments from 2008 are interspersed through the story and by the end everything ties together quite nicely. There is somewhat of a twist at the end but it's honestly not that hard to figure out.
Dividing movies into segments before combining them all together at the end is hardly a new concept, but it is done considerably well here and each part is different enough to keep you from getting bored. Having said that, it is quite a slow burn type of film and you will have to be patient.
As a horror movie THE ROAD unfortunately isn't scary, in fact I wouldn't really consider it much of a horror film at all. It's more of a thriller / drama with some supernatural horror elements thrown in, but there are a few nice creepy moments and a little disturbing imagery as well.
Having the story broken down and spread across three decades has of course caused a fair number of plot holes but not so many to really distract or worry viewers. Unfortunately the writing and acting range from poor to average, but the cinematography and lighting are exceptional. The opening credits and accompanying music are really good at setting the right mood too.
SCARY? Unfortunately no. Some supernatural elements have been thrown in which some may find a bit creepy, but scary? Nope.
SHOCKING? Not much in the way of gore although some of the practical effects look quite good, but nothing shocking here.
SEXY? Nope.
SIDE-SPLITTING? Nope.
SO, WHAT'S THE VERDICT? A nicely crafted story, but not really as scary as it could or probably should have been. And it's definitely not as scary or disturbing as it has been marketed. Worth seeing if you're a fan of foreign films, but it's nothing ground-breaking. I still enjoyed it.
The last 10 years have given birth to 5 RESIDENT EVIL feature films (7 if you include the two animated movies) and I can only imagine that there will be more to come. I actually thought the first film was a decent effort, but then with each progressive sequel the franchise quickly became tired and it was all just more of the same. But one thing is certain with the RE films, and that's the fact that Milla Jovovich will spend almost all of her screen time kicking ass in a skin-tight outfit. I mean that's the only reason half of us go to see these films right?
Beginning with a fancy slow-motion reverse action sequence, RETRIBUTION picks up from where AFTERLIFE left us. We are then treated to an unnecessary recap of the entire freaking franchise before the reverse slo-mo action sequence we just watched plays through again, this time at full speed and the right way around. Somehow Paul W.S. Anderson has managed to turn a 30 second action sequence into a 5 minute spectacle. But anyway, back to the 'story'. Alice (Jovovich) is knocked out and wakes up to find herself in a secret Umbrella facility, her old pal Jill Valntine (Guillory) is interrogating her. Soon somebody hacks the computers and Alice is busted out of her chamber only to find herself strangely in the centre of what looks like Tokyo. Zombies attack, she kills them and so on and so forth. She meets Ada Wong who tells her that Albert Wesker is helping her escape, and she isn't in Tokyo but instead a secret underwater Umbrella facility where bioweapons tests are carried out. The facility is used to simulate cities like Moscow, New York and Tokyo. Wesker has sent a team down to help free Alice because they need her to help save mankind or something.
In short, Alice and friends are trapped in an underground facility, and they have to escape. It's as simple as that really. There's some stuff about clones and a little girl Alice becomes attached to but those things aren't really important. Otherwise though this is just the same as the previous franchise entries, albeit a lot bigger.
RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION could almost be called the ultimate RE film because they have tried to cram absolutely everything they could think of into it. Fight scenes across New York City, Moscow and Tokyo, zombies, Las Plagas, lickers (giant motherfucking lickers), those humongous axe-men and bullets flying all over the damn place. They've even recycled some elements from previous films, that slice-and-dice laser grid from the first movie is back, the Red Queen makes another appearance, and even characters who died are back for more. It's completely over-the-top fucking ridiculous. But is that a bad thing? Well not really, because I'm assuming most people aren't expecting Oscar winning performances or character driven storylines when they go see an RE film. When you see one you expect slow-motion, physics-defying action sequences, guns that never run out of ammo, hordes of zombies, explosions and Milla kicking serious ass.
And that's exactly what this film delivers.
Having said that, it still isn't a great movie. Although it's probably one of the best in the franchise (and that's not really saying much) it still has plenty of flaws. Too much CGI, terrible acting (Sienna Guillory is most guilty of this), and too many added elements which really don't need to be there. It also uses the 3D to throw lots of things towards the screen, but that's about it. It's not very immersive. But as I said, this is exactly what you'd expect from one of these movies, nothing more, nothing less. And at least it's better than AFTERLIFE which is a step in the right direction. And of course the ending is just begging for yet another sequel so stay tuned for that.
I don't know about you but I'm pretty psyched to see this one. SMILEY hits theatres October 12th but in the meantime you can check out the new trailer below.
Synopsis: “The story of the film follows a mentally fragile college student named Ashley (Caitlin Gerard from “Magic Mike” and “The Social Network”) who, after learning of an urban legend in which a mysterious serial killer named “Smiley” can be summoned through the Internet, must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley’s next victim.”
Starring: Gretchen Lodge, Johnny Lewis, Alexandra Holden
Eduardo Sánchez's only real claim to fame is the fact that he wrote and directed THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I will leave for you to decide, but personally I thought that movie was complete crap so obviously I went into LOVELY MOLLY with more than a little trepidation.
The movie starts off with a short scene which could be called a nod to Sanchez's BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, in the form of a woman crying into a video camera about some no doubt terrible things which we will soon be witness to. After this initial scene blacks out we find our Molly (Lodge) and her husband Tim (Lewis) suddenly awaken from their slumber by the harsh wailing of their house's security alarm. The police soon arrive and do a sweep of the house only to find nothing besides the open back door, which shows no signs of forced entry. The cop offers a no-nonsense reason as to why the door may be open even though Tim is insistent that he locked it before going to bed. Crisis now averted, we are able to be introduced to our main characters. Molly and Tim have just moved into their inherited new home three months earlier after the death of Molly's father. Tim is a truck driver and so is away from home for long stretches at a time, leaving Molly all alone in the new house. During these times when she is by herself she is witness to some strange occurrences around the house which manifest themselves as voices, doors banging, footsteps and all of that kind of haunted house stuff. At the same time this is going on we are treated to some handheld camera work by an unknown person as they spy on neighbours and visit what seems to be some strange underground shrine. One day Tim comes home to find Molly sitting naked on the bed. She utters the words "He's alive" and it's from here on in that things start to get more strange and more violent.
LOVELY MOLLY is really quite a multi-layered film, but perhaps this is where its biggest problems lie. When we first realize that something is very wrong with Molly it isn't obvious exactly what is wrong. Is it really some supernatural entity? Is she being possessed? Why can't Tim see the things she sees? Are these just hallucinations brought on by her drug use? Is she just a straight up fucking nutcase? Even by the time the credits roll these are still mostly unanswered questions. I'm by no means against movies which leave you with unanswered questions, but here I felt that there were just too many and the movie answered hardly a single one.
The other big problem for me was just how bizarrely and unrealistically the characters in LOVELY MOLLY react to the things going on around them. Obviously Molly's actions can be explained away with the fact that she's crazy or possessed or whatever, but what of the others? Tim find himself violently assaulted by his wife before she runs off into the woods, shortly thereafter Molly's sister Hanna (Holden) arrives and somehow tries to rationalize Molly's behaviour and talks Tim out of calling the police. I don't know about you, but if my wife tried to bite my fucking mouth off I would be calling the cops pronto.
And when weird shit is going down in the house while Molly is home alone, why doesn't she go stay with her sister like she is asked to? And why does Tim seem content to leave her alone after finding her naked and incoherent in the bedroom? I know most horror movies are guilty of lacking logic, but really this is a bit too ridiculous.
On a positive note Gretchen Lodge does give a great performance as Molly and there is some nice camera work, but this is far from enough to outweigh the negatives of the movie.
As much as I didn't like THE COLLECTOR, I have to say that I'm pretty damn psyched for its sequel after seeing this trailer. Check out the first official trailer for THE COLLECTION below and get ready as it hits theatres November 30th, 2012.
Synopsis: “When Elena’s friends take her to a secret party at an undisclosed location, she never imagined she would become the latest victim of The Collector, a psychopathic killer. The Collector kidnaps and transports her to an abandoned hotel he’s transformed into his own private maze of torture and death. Upon learning of his daughter’s disappearance, Elena’s wealthy father hires a group of mercenaries to retrieve her from the vicious grips of The Collector. These mercenaries coerce Arkin, the only man to have escaped the wrath of this heinous monster, to lead them through the gruesome labyrinth. Now, Arkin finds himself fighting for his own life in order to save Elena"
Well it certainly has been a while since I've heard any news on this movie, but it seems that Matt Gibson's upcoming 9/11 zombie horror is now in post production and has just released a new poster and an official trailer. Check them both out below and for more info make sure you check the official site and Facebook page.
Synopsis: "Two groups of twenty-somethings decide to race to the top of each of the twin towers on September 11, 2001. The towers are hit by terrorist attacks, but the terrorists don't die in the plane crash; they resurrect as zombies hell-bent on their mission to destroy America. These undead jihadists hunt down the characters one by one with box-cutters and nail-clippers in dual 110 story bloodbaths!" The film features an ensemble cast headed by horror queen Shannon Lark (Retardead, Psychic Experiment) and newcomer Aleksander D'Avignon (Misdirection), as well as Blakely Bunnell (The Watermen), Brett Culbert (Vampire Diaries Parody), and Betsy Landin (Dolphin Tale). Special effects are being handled by Morb X Fx (Space Truckers, Face Off) and Rafael Oriente Mendes (Vorgon, Divista Dos Corvos). This is the first feature by writer/director Matt Gibson.
When I first read the synopsis for SINISTER I wasn't particularly excited, but after seeing this badass looking trailer I've done a complete 180. Check it out below and prepare yourself as SINISTER is coming your way October 5th, 2012.
Synopsis:“Found footage helps a true-crime novelist realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity”
SINISTER stars Ethan Hawke, James Ransome, Vincent D'Onofrio, Fred Dalton Thompson, Juliet Rylance & Clare Foley.
Directed by: Gareth Evans
Starring: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah
If anybody tried to tell me that an almost plotless Indonesian action movie was going to be one of the best and most exciting films of the year I probably would have told them that they were fucking crazy. First of all the only other Indonesian movie I can recall seeing was RUMA DARAH (MACABRE) and that was decent at best. And secondly, as much as I enjoy a good action movie I will be the first to admit that they are rarely ever brilliant. But now all of a sudden THE RAID has come along and blown my fucking mind.
As I mentioned there's barely anything you would call a story here, but what there is of a story revolves around a group of 20 SWAT officers who are preparing to infiltrate an apartment building. But this is not just any building, it's a hive of scum and villainy which is reigned over by a crime lord named Tama. Tama is the kind of guy who thinks that he's invincible, as the building has been fought over by warring factions many times in the past and he's still top dog. He dispatches his men (and his two right hand men Andi & Mad Dog) to take out the cops while he sits on the 15th floor monitoring everything. There is some subplot involving cop Rama (Uwais)'s brother but that's really not too important. Basically this is a big building filled with an assload of bad guys carrying knives, machetes and guns.
I also mentioned earlier that this is an Indonesian movie and therefore no it isn't in English and yes it you will have to read subtitles. I know this gets some people upset and there will no doubt be people saying things like "But I can't read at the same time that I'm watching stuff happen!" Don't despair though, because since there is minimal plot the dialogue isn't really that important for the most part, and while the movie is running along at full throttle (basically all the time) there is hardly any dialogue to worry about. So basically what I'm saying is that you can still watch THE RAID while ignoring the subtitles and still know exactly what's going on. Perfect.
Now since this is an action movie I suppose I should say something about the action sequences. First I will say that they fucking kick ass. Then if you were to ask me which ones were the best I would reply by saying "all of them!" That's right, every single fight scene or shoot-out in this movie is amazing. This is a very punchy, stabby, shooty movie chock full of violence and some of it is actually pretty brutal. I don't mean in the sense that there are people tearing each others limbs off or biting out throats of anything like that. (there aren't) but I mean simply in the way that everything is done without hesitation. A cop unflinchingly shoots a kid. Another has a bad guy on the floor and pumps not one, or two but three bullets into his skull. You know, just to make sure. And another repeatedly slams a guy's head against a concrete wall.
Everything about the action sequences is brilliantly done. The choreography, the way everything is framed and there are even some kickass super slow motion parts. One scene where the muzzle flare from a shotgun lights up a pitch black room and you see shadows moving across the walls in slo-mo is just fucking excellent. And the Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat really adds a nice flavor to the whole film.
But surely THE RAID has its negative points too, right? Well yes and no. You could easily criticise the weak plot and the imperfect acting and dialogue, but that would be like criticising a drama for having shitty action scenes. This kind of movie doesn't need top shelf acting or a deep plot, in fact a more in depth story would have just slowed things down, and that's exactly what THE RAID doesn't need. And just to prove how awesome this movie is, a US remake is already in the works (I'm not saying that's a good thing, just that it proves how good the original is). Go see this movie. Now.
Personally I'm a huge fan of the original NOTLD (probably my all time favorite zombie movies in fact) and I didn't really like the 1990 remake. But then again it was approved by Romero himself and if he liked it then I guess it's not so bad. Either way, it's finally getting a Blu-ray release (limited to 3,000 copies) and is currently available for pre-order through ScreenArchives. Check out the artwork and details below.
Special Features:
Isolated Score Track
Audio Commentary with Filmmaker Tom Savini
Original Theatrical Trailer
Synopsis:“Night of the Living Dead (1990)—a George Romero-approved remake of his 1968 cult horror classic, directed by makeup wizard Tom Savini—tells once again the chilling tale of seven people holed-up in a farmhouse besieged by armies of the un-dead. As the terrified little group fights for their lives, they begin to find themselves as plagued by the evil lurking within as by the ravening flesh-eaters battering on hastily boarded-up windows and doors. “Splatter King” Savini keeps things moving—and the blood flowing—as the survivors dwindle one by one”
Ok so I don't know about you, but for me the upcoming TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D isn't exactly something I'm really looking forward to. Nevertheless the first official trailer is here and I'm surprised to say that in my opinion it doesn't look too bad at all. But we all know how deceptive trailers can be right? In any case you can check it out below and hopefully there will be more to come before the film hits theatres on January 4th, 2013.
Synopsis:“Lionsgate’s TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D continues the legendary story of the homicidal Sawyer family, picking up where Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic left off in Newt, Texas, where for decades people went missing without a trace. The townspeople long suspected the Sawyer family, owners of a local barbeque pit, were somehow responsible. Their suspicions were finally confirmed one hot summer day when a young woman escaped the Sawyer house following the brutal murders of her four friends. Word around the small town quickly spread, and a vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer stronghold, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family–or so they thought. Decades later and hundreds of miles away from the original massacre, a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from a grandmother she never knew she had. After embarking on a road trip with friends to uncover her roots, she finds she is the sole owner of a lavish, isolated Victorian mansion. But her newfound wealth comes at a price as she stumbles upon a horror that awaits her in the mansion’s dank cellars…”
Finally the wait is over! The full line-up for MONSTER FEST has been announced and I am very fucking impressed. Not only will the festival be showcasing some of the greatest horror films from around the world but there will also be special appearances from some exciting guests. MONSTER FEST begins October 31st at Cinema Nova in Melbourne and runs through until November 9th. That's right, 10 full days of movies, special guests and events including an opening night Halloween party and of course a big closing night party.
"MONSTER FEST is not your normal film festival. It is “gorgeousness and gorgosity made flesh” – a genre love-in for drooling cinema fiends with a fetish for the fantastic.
What started in November 2011 as the Fantastic Asia Film Festival (FAFF) has miraculously transformed into this larger, more imposing, more aggressive beast called MONSTER FEST. The opportunity to open up FAFF into a monster-sized celebration of genre cinema in all its gruesome glory was just too good an opportunity to miss.
Horror, fantasy, science-fiction, action and erotica from every corner of the globe – premiere screenings, special guests, master-classes, parties, events, short filmmaking competitions and much more… MONSTER FEST proudly pits itself as the ultimate celebration of all that is weird & wonderful in the international cult cinema palette.
Beginning on Halloween night 2012, MONSTER FEST is a partnership between Melbourne’s iconic Cinema Nova and Monster Pictures, Australia’s most notorious film distributor.
Get ready, cinemaniacs... MONSTER FEST will light up the city with thrills, spills and chills the likes of which have rarely been seen in Melbourne cinemas ever before..."
Here is just a small selection of the films on offer during the festival:
THE ABCS OF DEATH
GRABBERS
INBRED
REC 3: GENESIS
MANBORG
FATHER'S DAY
EXCISION
AMERICAN MARY
And of course much more.
And as for special guests there will be a Larry Cohen master class on THE STUFF, Laurene Landon will present a screening of MANIAC COP, the Soska twins will be there to show off their latest offering AMERICAN MARY and of course the Mistress of the Dark herself; ELVIRA will be attending.
Add to that a cocktail party, a performance by Gorelesque and heaps more. This is going to be one hell of a festival! For full details visit the official MONSTER FEST site and be sure to check out Monster Pictures on Facebook.
And if you don't live in or near Melbourne then don't despair because Monster Pictures will be taking the 'Best of Fest' around Australia!
"Although born in Melbourne, this monster of a film festival is just too good and too ambitious for the likes of one town. Immediately after the Melbourne season, MONSTER FEST ‘BEST OF FEST’ will travel the length and breadth of the country delivering the finest genre cuts to patrons gagging for the ultimate in big screen genre extravagance.
Over the coming months, we urge you to stay tuned to the MONSTER FEST website, as well as the Monster Pictures Australia Facebook page and Twitter feed, for official venue and screening information, and the occasional program leak.
Horror, fantasy, science-fiction, action and erotica from every corner of the globe – MONSTER FEST ‘BEST OF FEST’ proudly hits the road with the ultimate celebration of all that is weird & wonderful in the international cult cinema palette"
INBRED is definitely one to look out for this year. It hits UK theatres on September 21st before getting a DVD & Blu-ray release on October 15th. In the meantime check out this brand new NSFW trailer below courtesy of DreadCentral.
Synopsis:"Four young urban offenders and their care workers embark on a community service weekend in the strange, remote Yorkshire village of Mortlake, which prides on keeping itself to itself. Visiting the local pub, ‘The Dirty Hole,’ which serves home-made (and suspiciously hairy) pork scratchings, they quickly realise they’ve made the wrong holiday choice. A minor incident with some local inbred youths rapidly escalates into a blood-soaked, deliriously warped nightmare for all involved, and it’s just a case of who will survive and what will be left of them?"
There's nothing quite like an Italian zombie flick, and one of the best is of course Lucio Fulci's ZOMBI 2 (aka ZOMBIE, aka ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS etc etc). But while I've seen it more than a few times, it occurred to me recently that I've never had the pleasure (or perhaps displeasure) of watching any of the sequels. But last night changed all that as I sat myself down with some bourbon and snacks to treat myself to a 4-film Zombi-thon.
It's not something I plan on doing again. Ever.
ZOMBI 2 (1979)
While it definitely isn't his best film, ZOMBI 2 is probably Lucio Fulci's most well known contribution to the horror genre and basically reinvented him as a horror icon. There was controversy about the film being unofficially linked to Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD when the opening and closing scenes were added, but nevertheless ZOMBI 2 is still a great standalone film. There's not much to the plot, it's essentially about a cursed island called Matool where the dead are rising from their graves. But since when does a zombie movie need a plot? The film showcases some quite good make-up and practical effects (well good by 1979 standards at least) and also includes two of the most badass and iconic scenes in horror; the underwater zombie vs shark fight and of course that extreme close-up shot of eyeball vs splinter. In contrast to the zombie films of Romero, this is devoid of any kind of social commentary and is basically just a straight up gory, gross-out flick. While definitely not the goriest zombie movie, it was extreme enough to make the infamous video nasties list.
Essential viewing for any fan of the zombie sub-genre.
ZOMBI 3 (1988)While Lucio Fulci is credited as its director, ZOMBI 3 was in fact only partly directed by him. After a few weeks of filming Fulci stepped back and Bruno Mattei took over. The result is a film consisting of approximately 60% footage from Fulci and the rest from Mattei (and Claudio Fragasso), and therefore does resemble Mattei's films more than Fulci's. A sequel in name only, ZOMBI 3 only resembles it's predecessor in that it has zombies in it. Its plot revolves around a top secret bacteriological military weapon known as Death One, which has been released and infected a man. Once the man is found dead his body is burned, the ashes float up into the atmosphere before spreading and falling back to earth, infecting people and animals alike. After dying, their corpses come back to life and they attack the living. This movie (as you might expect) is a huge disappointment after watching the original film. It has almost no redeeming qualities whatsoever and is really only worth watching for the gore and to laugh at the horrible acting and even more horrible music.
ZOMBI 4: AFTER DEATH (1989)
Directed by Claudio Fragasso (who also helped direct ZOMBI 3) this movie somehow manages to be even more ridiculous and trashy than it's predecessor. It focuses on a zombie outbreak which occurs on a tropical island. A team of researchers trying to find a cure for cancer test out their serum on a young girl but to no avail. She dies and her father - a Voodoo priest - curses the researchers and the entire island by opening a gate to hell and unleashing the undead. From the terrible (yet somehow awesome) 80s electro theme song all the way to the closing credits, this movie stinks. The acting is abysmal, the English dubbing is horrible and distracting, the characters are stupid and the movie even recycles a couple of actors from ZOMBI 3. The gore and effects are decent when you take into consideration the low budget but everything else is crap. Also worth noting is that somebody thought it would be a good idea to have pornstar Jeff Stryker star in this.
ZOMBI 5: KILLING BIRDS (1988)
This movie was never supposed to be a part of ZOMBI franchise and was initially released in Italy under the title UCCELLI ASSASSINI. But when ZOMBI 4 made money (somehow) upon its US release, this was released as ZOMBI 5. I won't even try to explain the 'plot' because it is so incoherent. There's something about a guy killing his wife then being blinded by a bird, some students looking for woodpeckers and a house in the middle of a swamp. The title is extremely misleading since zombies only appear towards the end and nobody is killed by any birds. ZOMBI 5: KILLING BIRDS is by far the worst of the franchise. The acting is somehow worse than in all of the previous films, the screenplay makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and the gore and effects are cheap and nasty. The characters all wander around making the stupidest decisions possible and some scenes completely contradict others. Don't watch this movie. Ever.
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, India Eisley
Let’s be honest, nobody goes to see an UNDERWORLD movie expecting to see great acting or a spellbinding story do they? I know I don’t, in fact there is really only one reason I have seen any of them at all. Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight black latex is that reason. She’s also the reason I completely skipped the third film. Sure, it still had an attractive female lead clad in latex but it wasn’t Kate so it wasn’t for me. AWAKENING is the fourth film in the franchise so by now audiences should have a good idea of what to expect. Vampires, lycans, gunfights, explosions and physics-defying action scenes have been a staple of the previous films and AWAKENING is not much different.
Selene (Beckinsale) explains through narration her plan to meet up with her hybrid lover Michael so that they can escape together, but unfortunately things don't go to plan. A grenade explodes and everything turns black. Cut to the present where we see Selene frozen in a lab, but it looks as though somebody is trying to free her. After thawing out she manages to escape the Antigen laboratory where she has been trapped for 12 years. Soon she begins having visions, as though she is seeing through somebody else's eyes and so she assumes it is Michael and goes to look for him. Along the way she is pursued by both lycans and humans but soon runs into another vampire David who helps her look for Michael. But instead of finding him, they discover somebody else who has a strong connection to Selene.
The biggest difference between AWAKENING and the previous films is that the existence of vampires and lycans is now common knowledge and during the time Selene has been imprisoned, vampires and lycans have almost been wiped out. Now not only does Selene need to worry about the threat of the remaining lycans but also her human pursuers.
Just like the previous movies, AWAKENING is very visually focused. And the 3D elements are done really well. Lots of well choreographed, flashy, over the top fight scenes, heaps of muzzle flare and explosions, shattering glass etc. It's probably just to distract people from the scant plot. The movie travels at a rather quick pace and is action packed almost the whole way through. What there is regarding story is pretty weak and just seems like a way to hold the multitude of action sequences together, but then again story has never been a strong point in the UNDERWORLD films. What people want to see is Kate Beckinsale looking sexy and kicking some ass, and she does both of these things well.
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