Exclusives
IFC Inserts Jackson Stewart’s ‘Beyond the Gates’ (Exclusive)
Old-school board games become cool again when audiences press “Play” on Jackson Stewart’s Beyond the Gates, which will screen at the upcoming Bruce Campbell Horror Film Festival as part of Wizard World Chicago.
Bloody Disgusting has learned that IFC Midnight has acquired the film ahead of the fest after its premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this summer. Kalyn Corrigan was at the premiere and offered her thoughts in this review:
‘Beyond the Gates’ is a wickedly fun little trip down memory lane, back into the good ‘ol days of 1980s cult classics, like ‘The Gate’, ‘The Beyond’, and ‘Re-Animator’. Its light and playful atmosphere makes it not only one of the most enjoyable films to play at the Los Angeles Film Festival thus far, but also a film that clearly can be watched over and over again, specifically at home, on the couch with friends, a bowl of popcorn, and the lights dimmed.
“In Beyond the Gates, two estranged brothers reunite seven months after their father’s disappearance to liquidate his anemic video store. While there, they unearth an old VCR board game that acts as an inter-dimensional hub to a nightmare world where their Father’s soul is trapped and can only be saved by playing the game. The film is an adventure horror that pays loving tribute to the VHS format, video stores, and board games of the era.”
Described as throwback paranormal movie in the spirit of horror classics such as Phantasm, The Beyond, and Poltergeist, the film stars horror icon Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Sun Choke, You’re Next), as well as Graham Skipper (Almost Human, The Mind’s Eye), Chase Williamson (Siren, The Guest), and Brea Grant (Halloween 2, “Heroes”).
Matt Mercer (Contracted), Justin Welborn (FX’s “Justified”, The Signal, V/H/S/ Viral), Henry LeBlanc (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”), Jesse Merlin (FDR: American Badass), David Bruckner (co-director of V/H/S, The Signal), Sara Malakul Lane (Kickboxer: Vengeance, Sunchoke) and Pierson Ryan (“Red Team Go”) round out the cast.
Stewart co-wrote the screenplay with Stephen Scarlata (Jodorowsky’s Dune). Destroy All Entertainment’s Amanda Mortimer produced alongside Barbara Crampton.
ICM Partners negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
A bedtime lullaby soothes an unsettling newborn in our exclusive clip from Nightborn, from Hatching filmmaker Hanna Bergholm.
The dark fable makes its debut on Shudder on July 31.
Seidi Haarla (Compartment No. 6) and Rupert Grint (Knock at the Cabin, “Servant”) star as new parents in Nightborn, and this exclusive clip highlights mom’s harrowing transition into motherhood.
In Nightborn, “With dreams of starting a perfect family, Saga and her British husband Jon move to the isolated house where she spent much of her childhood, deep in the Finnish forest. But as soon as their baby is born, despite the reassurance of all around her, Saga knows there’s something terribly wrong with her son. As their marriage starts to crack, Jon struggles to support his wife, but only Saga suspects the terrible truth about her newborn.”
Pamela Tola, Pirkko Saisio, Rebecca Lacey and John Thomson also star.
Bergholm teased of her maternal horror movie, “In Nordic countries, there’s a long-standing mythology of trolls living in the forests. In ancient times, people truly believed that trolls inhabited the woods and had a kind of control over nature. And in Nightborn, the forest reflects Saga’s emotions and the animalistic, primitive physical side of humankind.”
“Hanna Bergholm’s audacious sophomore follow up to Hatching delivers tension and shocking moments surrounding parenthood and self discovery — with a touch of humor,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and production at Shudder. “We are thrilled to share Nightborn with audiences.”
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