Exclusives

Vincenzo Natali Constructs Terror on ‘High Rise’

Published

14 years ago

January 19, 2010

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend is Vincenzo Natali’s Splice, his highly anticipated sci-fi thriller that looks like a modernized Species. We caught up with Natali (made famous by his mind-bender Cube) prior to the event where he revealed to Bloody Disgusting that he’s developing a thriller that takes place in the “perfect High Rise.” Read on for the scoop.
“Yeah. At certain times, it’s necessary to develop and kind of juggle a bunch of projects all at once,” Natali tells us when asked about future projects. “There’s a whole roster of things, but one thing that’s public knowledge and which is very exciting for me is an adaptation of a J.G. Ballard novel called HIGH RISE.”

“Essentially, HIGH RISE is a book – I guess it was written over 30 years ago – that was very much ahead of its time because it posited a sort of vertical city, a super high rise, where everything you could ever possibly want or need is in the building, and there’s really no requirement to leave at all. And here we are in 2010, at the opening of the Burj building in Dubai, which is the world’s tallest building, which I think in many respects mirrors what J.G. Ballard was writing about. Essentially, the story of HIGH RISE is how that insular society ultimately collapses, and how even in luxurious, beautiful surroundings, human beings are still capable of reverting to the worst kind of savagery. (Laughs) So it’s another feel-good film.”

Sounds very similar to George A. Romero’s themes in LAND OF THE DEAD. I look forward ot seeing what Natali delivers.

Exclusives

‘Dancing Village: The Curse Begins’ – Exclusive Clip and Images Begin a Gruesome Indonesian Nightmare

Published

16 hours ago

April 24, 2024

John Squires

Indonesian filmmaker Kimo Stamboel (Macabre, Headshot, The Queen of Black Magic) is back in the director’s chair for MD Pictures’ Badarawuhi Di Desa Penari (aka Dancing Village: The Curse Begins), a prequel to the Indonesian box office hit KKN Curse Of The Dancing Village. Lionsgate brings the film to U.S. theaters on April 26.

While you wait, whet your appetite for gruesome horror with a gnarly exclusive clip from Dancing Village: The Curse Begins below, along with a gallery of bloody exclusive images.

In the horror prequel, “A shaman instructs Mila to return a mystical bracelet, the Kawaturih, to the ‘Dancing Village,’ a remote site on the easternmost tip of Java Island. Joined by her cousin, Yuda, and his friends Jito and Arya, Mila arrives on the island only to discover that the village elder has passed away, and that the new guardian, Mbah Buyut, isn’t present.

“Various strange and eerie events occur while awaiting Mbah Buyut’s return, including Mila being visited by Badarawuhi, a mysterious, mythical being who rules the village. When she decides to return the Kawaturih without the help of Mgah Buyut, Mila threatens the village’s safety, and she must join a ritual to select the new ‘Dawuh,’ a cursed soul forced to dance for the rest of her life.”

Kimo Stamboel directs from a screenplay by Lele Laila.

Aulia Sarah, Maudy Effrosina, Jourdy Pranata, Moh. Iqbal Sulaiman, Ardit Erwandha, Claresta Taufan, Diding Boneng, Aming Sugandhi, Dinda Kanyadewi, Pipien Putri, Maryam Supraba, Bimasena, Putri Permata, Baiq Vania Estiningtyas Sagita, and Baiq Nathania Elvaretta star.

KKN Curse Of The Dancing Village was the highest grossing film in Indonesian box office history when initially released in 2022. Its prequel is the first film made for IMAX ever produced in Southeast Asia and in 2024, it will be one of only five films made for IMAX productions worldwide. Manoj Punjabi produces the upcoming Indonesian horror prequel.