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‘The House That Jack Built’ Art Recreates “Dante’s Inferno”

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Director Lars von Trier has shared a new piece of art for his controversial The House That Jack Built that echoes Eugène Delacroix’s “The Barque Of Dante” (1822), which is loosely based on fictional events taken from canto eight of “Dante’s Inferno”.

“A leaden, smoky mist and the blazing City of the Dead form the backdrop against which the poet Dante endures a fearful crossing of the River Styx,” wiki explains. “He is steadied by the learned poet of antiquity Virgil as they plough through waters heaving with tormented souls.”

In the film, Matt Dillon (“Wayward Pines”) stars as a serial killer who views each of his murders as a work of art.

Uma Thurman (Kill Bill), Bruno Ganz (Downfall), and Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) also star with South Korean actor, Yu Ji-tae, best known to us genre fans as the antagonist in Park Chan-wook’s 2003 hardboiled thriller Oldboy.

The House That Jack Built takes place in 1970s USA. We follow the highly intelligent Jack through 5 incidents and are introduced to the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view. He views each murder as an artwork in itself, even though his dysfunction gives him problems in the outside world. Despite the fact that the final and inevitable police intervention is drawing ever near (which both provokes and puts pressure on Jack) he is – contrary to all logic – set on taking greater and greater chances. Along the way we experience Jack’s descriptions of his personal condition, problems and thoughts through a recurring conversation with the unknown Verge – a grotesque mixture of sophistry mixed with an almost childlike self-pity and in-depth explanations of, for Jack, dangerous and difficult maneuvers.”

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.

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‘Humane’ Exclusive Clip Sees Emily Hampshire Weigh Killer Odds in Caitlin Cronenberg’s Feature Debut

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Humane clip - Jay Baruchel and Emily Hampshire

The daughter of horror master David Cronenberg, Caitlin Cronenberg, is making her own mark in the genre filmmaking space with Humane, a dark horror satire set in an overpopulated world with grim government sanctions. We’ve got a new exclusive clip that highlights the intense stakes for a family torn apart by the government’s euthanasia program.

Humane will first be arriving in theaters courtesy of IFC Films on April 26, 2024. The film later comes home to Shudder July 26.

The film is described as “a dystopian satire taking place over a single day, months after a global ecological collapse has forced world leaders to take extreme measures to reduce the earth’s population.”

“In a wealthy enclave, a recently retired newsman has invited his grown children to dinner to announce his intentions to enlist in the nation’s new euthanasia program. But when the father’s plan goes horribly awry, tensions flare and chaos erupts among his children.”

Jay Baruchel (This Is The End), Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Peter Gallagher (Grace and Frankie), Sebastian Chacon (Emergency), Alanna Bale (Sort Of, Cardinal) and Sirena Gulamgaus (Transplant) will star in Caitlin Cronenberg’s Humane.

Watch the exclusive clip below, which sees ruthless older sibling Rachel York (Emily Hampshire) weighing her odds, both for survival and the family inheritance. With the family forced to make an unthinkable choice, the clip sets up the tense scenario and the film’s dark sense of humor.

“Caitlin has crafted a provocative directorial debut exuding a timeliness and evocative social critique that highlights one of the most assured and exciting new voices to contend with,” Scott Shooman, head of AMC Networks’ Film Group, said. “We are honored to distribute Caitlin’s first full-length feature for its theatrical release and presence on our streaming platform, Shudder.”

“With ‘Humane,’ Caitlin has delivered a wickedly smart, humorous and socially relevant thriller with exceptional performances from its outstanding cast,” added Emily Gotto, Shudder’s VP of global acquisitions & co-productions. “We can’t wait to share this chilling, prescient satire with Shudder members.”

Michael Sparaga wrote the script and also produces the movie.

Humane poster

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