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[Fantasia '12] Lonmonster’s Mini-Reviews #5: ‘Despite The Gods’, ‘Grabbers’ & ‘Game Of Werewolves’

The 16th annual Fantasia Film Festival is finally over in Montreal. It’s been a long three weeks, packed with horror movies, some good, others not so much. Overall it was a great year for the festival with over 160 films playing from a wide variety of backgrounds. Although it would be ideal to write full reviews, it would take way too many days, and way too many cups of coffee. What follows is my final round of mini-reviews for Fantasia 2012 including Despite The Gods, Grabbers, Game Of Werewolves, and Under The Bed.

Check out part one, part two, part three, and part four for dozens more reviews! READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Lonmonster’s Mini-Reviews #4: ‘ParaNorman’, ‘Hidden In The Woods’, ‘Chained’ and ‘Excision’

The 16th annual Fantasia Film Festival is concluded in Montreal, Canada. The festival is so packed this year that it’s overwhelming to even begin looking at the film schedule. The horror lineup spans across subgenres and budgets and this is precisely what makes Fantasia so special. Giving equal attention to major productions and low budget indie films, Fantasia has something for everyone.

In its 16th year, there are over 160 screenings during the three-week festival, and it would be insane to even attempt reviewing them all. I’ve been running to the various theaters to catch each flick, and I still can’t watch them all. Although it would be ideal to write full reviews, it would take way too many days, and way too many cups of coffee. What follows are mini-reviews on what I’ve seen so far at Fantasia 2012 including ParaNorman, Hidden in the Woods, Replicas, Chained, and Excision.

Check out part one, part two, and part three for dozens more reviews! READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Lonmonster’s Mini-Reviews #3: ‘Killer Joe’, ‘Memory Of The Dead’ & ‘Error Of The Human Body’

The 16th annual Fantasia Film Festival is underway in Montreal, Canada. The festival is so packed this year that it’s overwhelming to even begin looking at the film schedule. The horror lineup spans across subgenres and budgets and this is precisely what makes Fantasia so special. Giving equal attention to major productions and low budget indie films, Fantasia has something for everyone.

In its 16th year, there are over 160 screenings during the three-week festival, and it would be insane to even attempt reviewing them all. I’ve been running to the various theaters to catch each flick, and I still can’t watch them all. Although it would be ideal to write full reviews, it would take way too many days, and way too many cups of coffee. What follows are mini-reviews on what I’ve seen so far at Fantasia 2012 including The Victim, The Human Race, Memory Of The Dead, and Error Of The Human Body.

Check out part one and part two. READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Mr Disgusting’s Mini-Reviews #2: The Worst of the Fest

Now that we’ve already shared the best of the Fantasia Film FestivalJuan of the Dead, My Amityville Horror, Sleep Tight, Game of Werewolves, Hidden in the Woods, Resolution, Play Dead, Sushi Girl and Toad Road – along with Lonmonster’s mini-reviews (read part one and part two), I’ve now turned to the dark side.

Inside you’ll find the WORST of the fest (which continued through this weekend), which includes my mini-reviews for The Human Race, The Pact, Excision, Errors of the Human Body, Replicas, A Night of Nightmares, The Cat and White. Fortunately, this year the good outweighed the bad… READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Howling New Imagery From ‘Game of Werewolves’!

One of my favorite films at Fantasia, we’ve scored a hi-res image gallery and batch of posters for Juan Martinez Moreno’s hilarious and gory lycanthrope flick entitled Game of Werewolves (Lobos de Arga), which stars Carlos Areces, Secun de la Rosa, Manuel Manquiña, Mabel Rivera and Luis Zahera.

After 15 years, Tomas, a not very successful writer, comes back to the village in Galicia where his family comes from, Arga, apparently to get an award. But he doesn’t know the real reason why he is there, to end with an old curse that has been haunting the village for the last hundred years.

Check out the massive gallery inside and watch for distribution news as it comes in.

READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Trailer For ‘Texas Chainsaw’ Writer’s ‘Boneboys’!

The 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is taking Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and thrills through August 7. The other week we revealed the full Second Wave announement that included gems such as Sleep Tight and A Fantastic Fear of Everything, now we’ve scored even more.

Scripted by Texas Chainsaw Massacre‘s Kim Henkel, and having its world premiere at the fest is Duane Graves and Justin Meeks’s Boneboys, which now has an official festival trailer. We’ve also added a handful of new posters.

A gut-wrenching, non-stop roller coaster ride through the hellish underbelly of inner-city America. A birthday celebration at an upscale restaurant sets in motion events that bring Sissy, her brother, Mikey, and friends, Kenny and Barbie, face to face with the macabre world of the Boneboys. Inspired by Jonathan Swift’s cannibalistic tale A Modest Proposal, the Boneboys are international predators who deal in human flesh – dead or alive. Their hunting grounds are the cities of the world.READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Mr Disgusting’s Mini-Reviews #1: The Best of the Fest!

Even though our man on the scene, Lonmonster, has already delivered two batches of mini-reviews out of the Fantasia Film Festival (read part one and part two), I too was on hand watching dozens of horror movies.

While I’m proud to report two sellouts for our V/H/S and Under the Bed, there were a handful of excellent horror films running alongside us that I’m more that ecstatic to tell you about.

Inside you’ll find the BEST of the fest, which includes my mini-reviews for Juan of the Dead, My Amityville Horror, Sleep Tight, Game of Werewolves, Hidden in the Woods, Resolution, Play Dead, Sushi Girl and Toad Road. The WORST comes next… READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Magnolia and Phase 4 Acquire Tarantino-esque ‘Sushi Girl’

Magnolia Home Entertainment and Phase 4 Films have jointly acquired North American rights to the Mark Hamill’s pretty great revenge thriller Sushi Girl, reports Variety. The film, which premiered July 21 at the Fantasia International Film Festival, will have a theatrical release in the U.S. and on cable VOD by Phase 4 Films in late 2012.

Directed by Kern Saxton, who is co-writer along with Destin Pfaff, “The film centers on a man just released after six years in jail after successfully not ratting on those involved in the robbery that sent him to prison. The men he protected with silence celebrate his freedom with a congratulatory dinner of sushi, served off the naked body of a young woman who seems catatonic, trained to ignore everything in the room, even if things become dangerous.

Hamill and Tony Todd (“Candyman”) lead a cast of including Noah Hathaway (“The NeverEnding Story”), James Duval (“Donnie Darko”), Andy Mackenzie (“MacGruber”), David Dastmalchian (“The Dark Knight”) and Cortney Palm (“Superbad”) with appearances by Michael Biehn, Sonny Chiba, Jeff Fahey and Danny Trejo.

Magniolia will handle Blu-ray, DVD and digital VOD release under the Magnet Releasing label in early 2013. Phase 4 Films will also distribute the film theatrically and on home video in Canada. READ MORE

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Indie

[Fantasia '12] Michael Biehn To Star In Remake Of ‘Hidden In The Woods’

Patricio Valladares‘ Chilean Hidden in the Woods hasn’t even premiered yet! It plays the The 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival on August 6th. But that doesn’t mean there’s not already a remake in the works! One that Valladares himself will direct.

Michel Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens) will star in and new version will be written by original writers and creators of the Spanish version of the film which was shot in Chile by Valladares and Andrea Cavaletto. Jennifer Blanc Biehn and Michael Biehn will produce. Production begins at the end of 2012 and will shoot on location in Chile. “I am thrilled to be working with Patricio – I’ve been waiting a very long time for a project like this to cross my path!” says Biehn. The remake will be a joint production for Valladares Films (Patricio Valladares and Evelyn Belmar) and Blanc Biehn Productions (Jennifer Blanc Biehn and Michael Biehn).

In the original film, “This raw slice of demented energy, inspired by true events, is the terrifying story of two sisters raised in forest isolation and subjected to torments from their abusive drug dealer father. When they finally report him, he chainsaws the two investigating cops to death and is jailed before he can tell psychotic drug lord Costello the exact location of his remaining stash. So Costello sends violent henchmen to find the missing merchandise hidden somewhere in the woods. Reaching heights of deranged frenzy unlike anything seen before, director Patricio Valladares is yet another exciting talent to emerge from the current hotbed of South American horror.

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[Fantasia '12] Lonmonster’s Mini-Reviews #2: ‘The Pact’, ‘Citadel’, ‘Resolution’ & ‘Toad Road’

The 16th annual Fantasia Film Festival is underway in Montreal, Canada. The festival is so packed this year that it’s overwhelming to even begin looking at the film schedule. The horror lineup spans across subgenres and budgets and this is precisely what makes Fantasia so special. Giving equal attention to major productions and low budget indie films, Fantasia has something for everyone.

In its 16th year, there are over 160 screenings during the three-week festival, and it would be insane to even attempt reviewing them all. I’ve been running to the various theaters to catch each flick, and I still can’t watch them all. Although it would be ideal to write full reviews, it would take way too many days, and way too many cups of coffee. What follows are mini-reviews on what I’ve seen so far at Fantasia 2012 including The Pact, Citadel, and Toad Road. READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12 Interview] Director Jason Banker On Drug Use And Paranormal Experiences In ‘Toad Road’

Jason Banker’s debut feature film, Toad Road, had its world premiere this past Friday at Fantasia Film Festival. Banker has quite the impressive cinematographer portfolio, working on many documentaries such as My Name Is Faith, and All Tomorrow’s Parties, but with Toad Road, Banker delivers a realistic portrayal of a drug induced paranormal world. The film explores an urban legend about The Seven Gates Of Hell, and it follows a group of misled party-goers who venture a bit too far into the rabbit hole.

Jason Banker took the time to chat with me about his first feature film, his past relationship with drug use, urban legends, and a lot more. READ MORE

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Contests

[Fantasia '12] Win A Copy Of ‘Schoolgirl Apocalypse’ Right After It Premieres!

Fantasia Fest selection Schoolgirl Apocalypse will premiering at the fest on Monday, July 30th and will be available on iTunes on Tuesday, July 31st. And we happen to have a pair of download codes that we’re giving away!

In the film from writer/director John Cairns, “A Japanese schoolgirl, Sakura, has her idyllic small-town life turned inside-out when the local males start savagely killing the females. Armed with only her kyudo bow for protection and an English textbook for comfort, Sakura journeys through an apocalyptic world of mayhem. As trauma from witnessing the violent deaths of friends and family drives her toward madness, Sakura takes refuge in an animated dream-world where she meets Billy, a character from her English text! Billy helps her survive murderous zombies, as well as an even more formidable foe in Aoi (Tsujimoto), as she races to find real-world Billy and answers to the questions: Why is all this happening? And who or what is behind it?

Check out the trailer inside and shoot us an email at [email protected] with YOUR FULL NAME to win a code! READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Lonmonster’s Mini-Reviews #1: ‘The Tall Man’, ‘Sushi Girl’, ‘Black Pond’ & ”The Devil’s Carnival’

The 16th annual Fantasia Film Festival is underway in Montreal, Canada. The festival is so packed this year that it’s overwhelming to even begin looking at the film schedule. The horror lineup spans across subgenres and budgets and this is precisely what makes Fantasia so special. Giving equal attention to major productions and low budget indie films, Fantasia has something for everyone.

In its 16th year, there are over 160 screenings during the three week festival, and it would be insane to even attempt reviewing them all. I’ve been running to the various theaters to catch each flick, and I still can’t watch them all. Although it would be ideal to write full reviews, it would take way too many days, and way too many cups of coffee. What follows are mini-reviews on what I’ve seen so far at Fantasia 2012 including The Tall Man, Sushi Girl, Black Pond and The Devil’s Carnival. READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Korean ‘The Cat’ Creeps Into Festival

Is there anything less terrifying than a cat (unless it’s a tiger)? It comes as a shock that Korean director Byeon Seung-wook took the little feline and tuned it into the source of fear in The Cat, which comes off a bit like The Ring. The film will pay the the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival. We’ve landed the official trailer, posters and creepy imagery, all after the break.

So-yeun is an animal groomer who works in a pet shop. One day she gets stuck with a Persian cat named Silky when its owner suddenly dies. From then on, So-yeun is constantly haunted by a bobbed hair girl with green cat-like eyes who turns her life into turmoil. So-yeun desperately seeks help from the people around, but no one listens to her. The presence of the girl and the sound of Silky’s cries start to choke in around her life more and more. Not only that, people around So-yeun get killed one by one. Soon So-yeun comes face to face with the bobbed hair girl at the scene of a horrific death. So-yeun gets rid of Silky, hoping her troubles will come to an end, but Silky keeps coming back to her like a boomerang. Terrified she could be the next to die, So-yeun sets out to find out the identity of the girl with the help her dead friend’s ex-boyfriend, Jun-seok, who is a cop. Later So-yeun finds out the truth to the tragic incident that took place in the past.READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Crazy Body Horror ‘Henge’ Playing At Ongoing Festival!

After pushing through festival rounds, a must-see Japanese trailer has been released for Hajime Ohata’s Henge, which is being described as a psycho-sexual body horror movie in the vein of Tetsuo (and evoking David Cronenberg). It will screen at the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival.

Aizawa Kazunari and Morita Aki both star as “A young couple whose lives take a turn for the worse after a mysterious attack on the husband leaves him suffering from some bizarre after effects.

Already released in Japan, hopefully someone will have the courage to release this 54-minute bad boy here in the States.

Watch the trailer below.

henge040612 1024x460 [Fantasia 12] Crazy Body Horror Henge Playing At Ongoing Festival! READ MORE

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‘Pontypool Changes’ Art Promises “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!”

You’ve HEARD it all before, but you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Hanging outside a theater during the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal is the official sales art for Pontypool Changes, courtesy of Twitch.

Bruce McDonald returns to direct the sequel to the Pontypool adaptation. Penned by Tony Burgess, “Pontypool, named after the small town in which it’s set, features veteran character actor Stephen McHattie, (Watchmen, 300, A History of Violence), as a cantankerous radio DJ trapped within the station’s walls as a deadly virus consumes the town, turning its citizens into cannibalistic zombie-like creatures.READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Take A Trip Down ‘Toad Road’

Black Out Films and Random Bench Productions are excited to announce the world premiere of Toad Road at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montréal. The Fantasia Festival kicked off July 19th and continues on through August 7th in Montréal, Canada, with the Fantasia Film Market making its debut from July 26-29, 2012. Jason Banker directed and produced his first narrative feature, Toad Road, in collaboration with producers Liz Levine and Adrian Salpeter. Toad Road displays a disturbing portrait of contemporary youth culture where the lines between perception and reality are blurred with often frightening results.

Inspired by an urban legend, Toad Road is an intimate meditation on lost youth evocative of Gus Van Sant (with a racy touch of Larry Clark) and a radical deconstruction of genre cinema, a devastating and brilliant object of contemplation and dread, and a journey down unexpected paths.

Inside we’ve added the trailer while below you’ll find the official festival poster and stills.

READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12 Interview] Cast And Creators Talk Insane ‘Sushi Girl’!

If you grew up watching movies in the 80s and 90s, you’ll be in awe of the dream-team cast of Kern Saxton’s debut feature film, Sushi Girl. Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame, Tony Todd AKA Candy Man, James Duval, Andy Mackenzie, Noah Hathaway, Jim Fahey, Danny Trejo, Sonny Chiba, the list goes on. The film aligns itself with B-list 80s films and it follows a group of criminals who reunite for sushi dinner six years after their last heist went bad.

Sushi Girl had its international premiere at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal on Saturday, and I was fortunate enough to sit down with the entire cast and creative team to discuss their gritty grindhouse throwback. READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] A Trio Of New ‘Errors of the Human Body’ Imagery

Having its premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival is the sci-fi thriller Errors of the Human Body, which we’ve now scored an official poster and news stills to go alongside yesterday’s clip.

Written and directed by Eron Sheean, who penned last year’s The Divide, Errors is an unsettling, stylistically bold look at the personal and ethical horrors of modern genetic engineering, oscillating quite ambiguously between pure science and terrifying science fiction. It stars Michael Eklund.

Bloody Disgusting, along with our friends at Twitch, has scored an exclusive clip from the flick having its world premiere in Montreal July 28th. Watch the cringe-worthy footage inside and get tickets here.

Seeking a new laboratory to pursue his controversial genetic research, Dr Geoff Burton takes up a position at the world-renowned Institute for Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics in wintry Dresden, Germany. His contribution to their most top-secret project – a human regeneration gene – has the potential to make something extraordinary out of a personal tragedy that has haunted him for years. But when he uncovers a conspiracy amongst his colleagues, he finds instead something quite different: a terrifying new virus, with potentially both devastating and miraculous consequences for humanity – and for Geoff, who is not only its first victim, but its unwitting source.

READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Lose A Tail In Cringe-Worthy ‘Errors of the Human Body’ Clip!

One of my own personal most anticipated films playing at the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival is the sci-fi thriller Errors of the Human Body.

Written and directed by Eron Sheean, who penned last year’s The Divide, Errors is an unsettling, stylistically bold look at the personal and ethical horrors of modern genetic engineering, oscillating quite ambiguously between pure science and terrifying science fiction. It stars Michael Eklund.

Bloody Disgusting, along with our friends at Twitch, has scored an exclusive clip from the flick having its world premiere in Montreal July 28th. Watch the cringe-worthy footage inside and get tickets here.

Seeking a new laboratory to pursue his controversial genetic research, Dr Geoff Burton takes up a position at the world-renowned Institute for Molecular Cell Biology & Genetics in wintry Dresden, Germany. His contribution to their most top-secret project – a human regeneration gene – has the potential to make something extraordinary out of a personal tragedy that has haunted him for years. But when he uncovers a conspiracy amongst his colleagues, he finds instead something quite different: a terrifying new virus, with potentially both devastating and miraculous consequences for humanity – and for Geoff, who is not only its first victim, but its unwitting source.READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] ‘My Amityville Horror’ Poster And Trailer

Gearing up for it’s premiere at the ongoing Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, below we’ve added the trailer and poster for Eric Walter’s My Amityville Horror, which stars Daniel Lutz, Laura DiDio, and Lorraine Warren. It will be screening Sunday, July 22nd, at 10:10 PM at the Salle J.A. De Seve Theatre (Address: 1400 de Maisonneuve O.).

For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975. George and Kathy Lutz’s story went on to inspire a best-selling novel, and the subsequent films have continued to fascinate audiences today. This documentary reveals the horror behind growing up as part of a world famous haunting, and while Daniel’s facts may be others’ fiction, the psychological scars he carries are indisputable.READ MORE

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[Fantasia '12] Trio of New Images From IFC Midnight’s ‘Replicas’

We’ve landed a trio of new stills from IFC Midnight’s Replicas, the Jeremy Regimbal-directed home invasion thriller that stars Josh Close, James D’Arcy, Selma Blair and Rachel Miner. No release is set, but it’s sure to go to a New York theater day-and-date with VOD. IFC acquired out of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New New York.

After the accidental death of their six-year-old daughter, the Hughes family escape their busy upscale suburban life and head to their isolated cottage for some quality time. An evening with their friendly neighbors is suddenly interrupted when one man’s obsession with perfection escalates into a violent struggle, forcing the families to go beyond what they ever thought they were capable of in order to survive.

READ MORE

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Images

[Fantasia '12] Teller Brings Live Performance Terror To The Screen With ‘Play Dead’

The 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and thrills starting July 19 and running all the way through August 7. Yesterday we revealed the full Second Wave announement that included gems such as Sleep Tight and A Fantastic Fear of Everything. Now we’re revealing new imagery from a handful of titles…

Directed by Teller (of Penn & Teller) comes a new horror out of left field entitled Play Dead, which has definitely piqued my interest.

Thrill seekers, spiritualists, lovers of magick and the occult, have we got a show for you. Behold: PLAY DEAD, an enormously entertaining live performance film directed and co-written by the legendary Teller (of Penn & Teller), shot by DARK STARS RISING author Shade Rupe and performed by the supernaturally charismatic and brilliantly funny illusionist/sideshow performer Todd Robbins. What is it? A no holds-barred recreation of the live midnight spook shows of yesteryear!

This will be a world premiere!

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[Fantasia '12] More Dirty Horror ‘Hidden in the Woods’

The 16th annual Fantasia International Film Festival is gearing up to take Montreal by storm with three weeks of inspiration and thrills starting July 19 and running all the way through August 7. Yesterday we revealed the full Second Wave announement that included gems such as Sleep Tight and A Fantastic Fear of Everything. Now we’re revealing new imagery from a handful of titles…

Patricio Valladares’s Chilean Hidden in the Woods, which also screens at Frightfest in the UK, looks absolutely insane. While we’ve already shared a poster and image, we now have several new looks at the film that are rustic, dirty and bloody. I’m IN.

This raw slice of demented energy. Inspired by true events, is the terrifying story of two sisters raised in forest isolation and subjected to torments from their abusive drug dealer father. When they finally report him, he chainsaws the two investigating cops to death and is jailed before he can tell psychotic drug lord Costello the exact location of his remaining stash. So Costello sends violent henchmen to find the missing merchandise hidden somewhere in the woods. Reaching heights of deranged frenzy unlike anything seen before, director Patricio Valladares is yet another exciting talent to emerge from the current hotbed of South American horror.READ MORE