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[Fantastic Fest Review] Somber ‘The Void’ is Both Stunning and Disturbing

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The Void

The struggle of filmmaking is trying to find your audience. Who exactly is your movie for? Astron-6 makes no apologies for their dark and somber The Void, which is strictly for the hardcore horror fanbase.

Directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski of Astron-6 (which also include Adam Brooks, Matt Kennedy, and Conor Sweeney), The Void begins when an officer happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road, which leads him to a rural hospital that is a facade for something sinister.

Having previously helmed Father’s Day, Manborg and The Editor, The Void is the troupe’s first foray into serious filmmaking, channeling John Carpenter’s The Thing and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. It’s a self-contained horror film where people are trapped in a hospital with horrifying creatures – and a crazy doctor pulled straight from Hellbound: Hellraiser II‘s Dr. Channard. And while many have tried before, Astron-6 is one of the few independent filmmakers who actually pull off the body horror insanity we’ve seen in The Thing, delivering some of the most bizarre and grotesque creatures to have ever graced the screen.

[Related] FULL Fantastic Fest Coverage on Bloody Disgusting

While the creature effects will be what wins the hearts of horror fans, the most striking aspect of The Void is the visual effects work (by Intelligent Creatures) that take Barker and Tony Randel’s interpretation of Hell to another level. The CGI is stunning, if not disturbing, and mixed with the gorgeous cinematography it most definitely will leave some viewers with an intense feeling of dread in the pit in their stomach.

The Void is more of a work of art than a great horror film, however, since it’s sprinkled with questionable acting, a weak screenplay, and is so incredibly dense that it will be hard to warrant multiple viewings. Thankfully, the The Void‘s craft is so spectacular that it carries the film on its back.

In the end, there’s something moderately annoying about filmmakers copying great films/filmmakers of the past, but The Void manages to get away with it (probably because Astron-6 take many things from Carpenter, Barker, and even Fulci, and make it their own). Astron-6 have announced themselves with The Void, a dark, demented, and disgusting horror film that’s going to live among the greatest body horror films of all time.

the-void

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

Indie

“Bite Size Short: Her House of Horrors” Announce Short Grant Program!

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Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.

The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.

The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:

“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.

“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.

“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.

“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”

Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.

WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.

To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.

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