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[SXSW '13 Interview] AJ Bowen On ‘You’re Next’, ‘Grow Up, Tony Phillips’ And Not “Faking It” Through Horror

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on March 22, 2013 @ 10:31am
Category: Movies / Exclusives

AJ Bowen (A Horrible Way To Die) had both You’re Next and Grow Up, Tony Phillips at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, TX. While the first film was one of my favorites of 2011 (and one of my favorites of 2013 – it holds up), you probably need no introduction to it – except for the question many of you ask at this point, “where is the trailer?” The answer to that seems to be that it will be paired with Evil Dead in the first week of April. Update: It’s March 28th for the trailer. I’m going to miss not getting that question every day for 18 months!

The latter film, Grow Up, Tony Phillips, is the 4th directorial effort from genre favorite Emily Hagins (My Sucky Teen Romance). While it’s by no stretch of the imagination a horror film – it is a sweet and poignant look at Halloween and what it means to embrace that holiday in an “age appropriate” manner. In that regard it’s almost a (funny) dramatization of a character that might have appeared in An American Scream. If you’re a fan of Hagins’ earlier work, I’d recommend checking it out regardless of genre – it’s definitely a more polished iteration of that aesthetic.

AJ Bowen plays “Pete” in the film, and the role couldn’t possibly be more different from what he achieves in You’re Next. I caught up with Bowen after the fest wound down to talk about what it was like to have two films there and get his thoughts the delicate nature of moving in and out (and back into) the horror genre. I also tried to scoop him on Ti West’s upcoming Eli Roth produced The Sacrament – but he did an expertly friendly job of shutting me down on that one.

Head inside for the interview. READ MORE

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[SXSW '13 Interview] Director Adam Wingard On Making ‘You’re Next’ And His Plans For ‘The Guest’ And ‘Dead Spy Running’!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on March 14, 2013 @ 2:31pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

Lionsgate’s You’re Next screened over the weekend to a packed crowd at this year’s SXSW Festival and, after 18 months of praise, everyone seemed to agree that the film lived up to the hype. One of the reasons behind the film’s creative success is Adam Wingard‘s incredibly assured hand as a director. I’ve always been fond of his work, but You’re Next is unlike anything else currently on his resume – a taut, crowd-pleasing horror film that has a uniquely addictive energy. I sat down with him after the screening to talk about the film’s violence and his approach towards making it feel huge.

In the film directed by Wingard and written by Simon Barrett, (A Horrible Way to Die, V/H/S,V/H/S/2), “One of the smartest and most terrifying films in years, the film reinvents the genre by putting a fresh twist on home-invasion horror. When a gang of masked, ax-wielding murderers descend upon the Davison family reunion, the hapless victims seem trapped…until an unlikely guest of the family proves to be the most talented killer of all.” Sharni Vinson, Nick Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Margaret Laney, Amy Seimetz, Ti West, Calvin Reeder, Larry Fessenden, Kate Lyn Sheil, Barbara Crampton and Rob Moran all star.

You’re Next hits theaters on theaters August 23, 2013. Become a fan on Facebook and head inside for the interview! READ MORE

[Remember This?] When Being Dead The Whole Time Was A Twist?

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on February 08, 2013 @ 3:15pm
Category: Movies / Editorials

I didn’t have enough room in the headline for this article’s subtitle, which is And Remember When “They Were All The Same Person” Was A Twist? This whole thing has been buzzing around in my head since a recent argument regarding the ending to Haute Tension, which I found sort of ridiculous. It’s the standard “The Protagonist Is Insane And Actually The Killer” (aka “The Split Personality” twist). But I have to say it got me thinking that this trope actually doesn’t bug me as much as the other two, since it usually says more about the characters at hand.

Still, I’m not sure what happened to our brains over the past 14 years, but you can’t call something a twist if everyone knows it’s coming. I feel like horror needs to widen its bag of tricks beyond the “they were dead”, the “split personality” and “the protag is crazy” tropes which seem to be the only three ploys in regular use for filmmakers seeking to pull the rug out from under their audience.

The “dead” thing worked for The Sixth Sense, and it sort of worked two years later with The Others. It also worked in 1962′s Carnival Of Souls. But we’ve seen it employed at least twice more recently in Passengers and The Devil’s Ground. I’m not denigrating those films necessarily, but it should probably end there. Similarly the “split ” angle didn’t even quite work in Identity and it certainly didn’t work in The Ward. It was sort of used in Shutter Island as well, but it worked there because it was actually source of catharsis for its character.

Head inside for more… READ MORE

Nick Damici To Go Through Some ‘Late Phases’

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Posted by EvanDickson on February 08, 2013 @ 10:13am
Category: Movies / News

Nick Damici (Stake Land, Premium Rush and the upcoming We Are What We Are remake) is set to play the lead in Late Phases the upcoming production from MPI’s Dark Sky Films and A Horrible Way To Die producer Zak Zeman’s company Site B. The werewolf tale will be directed by Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Penumbra, Here Comes The Devil) and was written by Eric Stolze (Under The Bed) and shooting is scheduled to start shooting in 2013.

“‘Late Phases’ will tell the story of Ambrose McKinley, a blind war veteran, who moves into a community where the residents have been dying in increasing numbers – oddly, all have supposedly been the victims of dog attacks. But after barely surviving his own attack on his first night there, Ambrose discovers that the assailants are not just canines – they are entirely different and far more terrifying.”

Per Zeman, “Nick Damici fits perfectly into this role. Combining forces with MPI and Glass Eye will bring ‘Late Phases’ to a whole new level“.

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‘V/H/S’ Is Available On DVD And Blu-ray Today! The Filmmakers Talk About Their Segments!

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on December 04, 2012 @ 8:00am
Category: Movies / Exclusives

Magnolia releases V/H/S (write your reviews) DVD/Blu-ray TODAY, December 4th! Extras include deleted scenes, a featurette on the visual effects, a behind the scenes featurette, an AXS TV: A Look at V/H/S feature, a filmmakers’ commentary and trailers. If you’re not into physical media, it’s also available on iTunes – though I’m not sure if all of the extras come with that version.

In the film “When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn’t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.”

To celebrate we’ve got some (in most cases) new/previously unpublished quotes from filmmakers Adam Wingard (You’re Next, A Horrible Way to Die, Pop Skull), Simon Barrett (You’re Next, Dead Birds, Red Sands), Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Roost, The Innkeepers), David Bruckner (The Signal), Joe Swanberg (Silver Bullets), Glenn McQuaid (I Sell the Dead), and Radio Silence.

Head inside for some brief reflections on their segments. READ MORE

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[Interview] AJ Bowen On Mixing Genres In ‘Rites Of Spring’, Considering Found Footage And Laughing At Joe Swanberg In ‘You’re Next’

Movies
Posted by EvanDickson on July 24, 2012 @ 3:00pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

Writer/director Padraig Reynolds’ mixed genre kidnapping slasher/creature feature Rites of Spring plays kind of like a modern day From Dusk Till Dawn in that it totally switches gears midway through (not a spoiler, the film tips its hat to this early on). Of course, there aren’t any vampires and the film is much more serious than that early Tarantiono/Rodriguez collaboration. An early kidnapping segment really struck me with its unflinching brutality, as did some of the film’s more “sacrificial” moments. Rites stars AJ Bowen (The Signal, House of the Devil, A Horrible Way to Die, Hatchet 2, You’re Next) who plays embattled kidnapper Ben Geringer.

I recently hopped on the phone with Bowen to chat about how his character in Rites was a welcome break from some of the more thoroughly evil types he’s played. We also talked about his upcoming film Silent Night Of The Living Dead as well as the status of You’re Next. Oh, and we find out if he’s reconsidered his longstanding aversion to doing a found footage film.

In the film, “A group of kidnappers abduct the daughter of a wealthy socialite and hide out in an abandoned school on the edge of town. But feelings of guilt soon overtake the kidnappers, dividing the group and putting their entire plan in jeopardy. The evening further spirals out of control when their poorly chosen hideout becomes a hunting ground for a mysterious creature that requires springtime ritualistic sacrifices.” The creature, “Wormface”, was designed by Aaron Sims (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, Wrong Turn, The Mist, I Am Legend, Clash of the Titans, The Thing).

IFC Midnight releases Rites Of Spring July 27 on VOD and in limited theaters. Head inside for the interview! READ MORE

Behind-the-Scenes Clip from ‘A Horrible Way to Die’

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on August 17, 2011 @ 3:26pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

Arriving on both DVD and Blu-ray September 6 (and in limited theaters this Friday, August 19) from Anchor Bay Entertainment comes Adam Wingard’s (Pop Skull, You’re Next!) A Horrible Way to Die, which comes rockng a commentary track and behind-the-scenes doc. It stars genre fav AJ Bowen (The House of the Devil, Hatchet 2, The Signal).

Inside you’ll find our exclusive behind-the-scenes clip featuring interview with director Adam Wingard and star Joe Swanberg.

“Forget everything you’ve ever seen in a serial killer movie and get ready for the chiller that stunned festival audiences around the world: Notorious murderer Garrick Turrell (AJ Bowen) has escaped from police custody and resumed his killing spree. His former girlfriend Sarah (Amy Seimetz) is a recovering alcoholic trying to put her life back together in a new town with a new man (Joe Swanberg). Her past continues to haunt her. And now her ex-boyfriend is leaving a trail of slaughter in his hunt to find her.”

Behind the Scenes Clip from A Horrible Way to Die

Movies
Posted by MrDisgusting on August 11, 2011 @ 10:34pm
Category: Movies / Home Video

Arriving on both DVD and Blu-ray September 6 (limited theaters August 19) from Anchor Bay Entertainment comes Adam Wingard’s (Pop Skull, You’re Next!) A Horrible Way to Die, which comes rockng a commentary track and behind-the-scenes doc. It stars genre fav AJ Bowen (The House of the Devil, Hatchet 2, The Signal).

Check out a chilling new scene, along with an opening scene clip and trailer inside.

Chilling New Clip from A Horrible Way to Die

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Fantasia ’11 [Interview] ‘A Horrible Way to Die’ Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett

Movies
Posted by Lonmonster on August 01, 2011 @ 4:49pm
Category: Movies / Exclusives

This year Fantasia Film Festival is paying tribute to one of the leading indie horror directors, Adam Wingard, by showing a wide array of his works. On top of Adam’s many short films being played this year, Fantasia is showcasing Wingard’s indie classic Pop Skull, as well as his two newest films A Horrible Way to Die and What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape.

Wingard not only directs, but edits, co-writes, and does the majority of camerawork for all his films. Adam is quickly rising to the top, as one of the most visionary and influential indie filmmakers in recent years, and he’s 28 years old to boot. Wingard is known for his dark approach to cinema, psychedelics imagery, and low-budget handheld style. If you haven’t had a chance to check out his works, I highly recommend you seek them out as soon as possible.

I had a chance to sit down with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett (writer of A Horrible Way to Die and What Fun We Were Having) to discuss their psychotic new films. Read on for the skinny…

Fantasia 11 [Interview] A Horrible Way to Die Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett