Exclusives
[Video Interview] Gore Verbinski and Dane DeHaan Talk ‘A Cure For Wellness’
Getting studio support for an R-rated horror film can be a difficult task, especially when said horror film is a 146 minute-long homage to the slow burn horror films of the late 1960s and early 1970s. While many of those films (Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now) are classics, they’re not exactly big moneymakers when it comes to modern audiences. Director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films) likes a challenge, and sought out to make that very film. That film is called A Cure for Wellness and will be released in theaters nationwide this weekend.
I managed to snag an interview with Verbinski and the film’s lead actor Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) during their brief press tour in Austin, Texas. In a surprising move, 20th Century Fox taped the interview and let me keep the footage. This isn’t something I am used to, so if I sound nervous it’s only because it’s not something I’m used to. I may also sound nervous because the first thing I said to DeHaan before the interview started was “you look tired” (What? He was yawning as I walked up to shake his hand!). It wasn’t the best first impression. I suppose I could have asked him if he was tired, as opposed to telling him that he looked tired, but I digress.
In the 10-minute interview, which you can watch below, we discuss the film’s runtime (which is something our own Benedict Seal has already written about), getting a film like A Cure for Wellness off the ground, CGI vs. practical effects, eels, the most difficult scenes to shoot and much more. Also, feel free to enjoy the particularly crass moment towards the end where I bring up the hilariously awful deer scene in Hideo Nakata’s The Ring Two. Verbinski wasn’t really having it. So that’s two bad first impressions! Ah well, c’est la vie.
A Cure for Wellness opens in theaters nationwide on February 17, 2017.
Exclusives
New Documentaries Explore the Cult Legacies of ‘The Keep’ and ‘Wolfen’; Watch the Trailers Now [Exclusive]
Undersung werewolf gem Wolfen and Michael Mann’s The Keep get the spotlight in a pair of feature documentaries acquired by Antenna Releasing.
A World War II Fairy Tale, which covers the infamous production of and reception to The Keep, will receive a limited theatrical release in October, followed by a TVOD release on Apple/Amazon. The Keep will also screen as a double feature for some showings.
For Uncovering Wolfen, Antenna eyes a limited theatrical release for 2027. Both films are currently available for booking via Antenna prior to their theatrical and digital releases.
Both documentaries are directed by Stewart Buck, who co-helms with Stéphane Piter on A World War II Fairy Tale.
“We at Antenna are obsessed with film history,” said Chief Acquisitions Officer Billy Ray Brewton. “Stewart has done such a remarkable job of really diving into the deepest recesses of how these films were made and, in doing so, has created the definitive histories of both projects.”
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Antenna Releasing!” said director Buck. “It’s refreshing to see a filmmaker-friendly approach to distribution with people who know what it’s like to be in the trenches with independent projects that struggle to find a home in the crowded marketplace.”
Check out our exclusive trailer and poster reveal of both documentaries below.
Released in 1983, Michael Mann’s The Keep was a notorious box office bomb, critically lambasted and all but forgotten for years, save for the fascination with Tangerine Dream’s iconic score. In recent years, the film has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence and is widely considered a cult classic, though director Michael Mann and many cast members refuse to acknowledge it.
Wolfen, on the other hand, was critical success but was overshadowed heavily by its flashier 1981 siblings An American Werewolf in London and The Howling. It’s also a trailblazer for socio-political horror, and the doc will explore that via the craftspeople who made it.
Look for them both in theaters soon. Stay tuned for more as it arrives.
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