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‘Art of a Hit’ – Aughts Rock Music and Horror Collide in Psychological Movie

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Art of a Hit - Ryan Donowho
Pictured: Ryan Donowho in 'Beyond Paranormal'

The unholy union of rock music and horror is alive and well in Art of a Hit, a psychological horror movie set to begin production soon according to Deadline.

Formerly titled Excelsis, Art of a Hit is set in 2003 and “follows a bygone rock band as they journey to a 1000-year-old French chateau to record with a reclusive super-producer in hopes of rebooting their career. But as tensions rise and tempers flare, they realize they are up against more than just the pressure to succeed.”

Deadline reports that “Indie rock pioneer Adam Lasus is music directing the ’90s alternative-heavy soundtrack alongside music supervisor Linda Cohen (Licorice Pizza).”

That exciting tidbit not only highlights that music will be prominent to this rock horror story, but it’s 2003 eschews the conventional ’80s hair metal movement frequently explored in this niche subgenre. I suppose the real question at this point is just how Faustian will the movie’s band get in order to achieve fame.

The indie psychological horror film directed by Gaelan Draper will begin shooting in France this month under a SAG Interim Agreement.

Musician and actor Ryan Donowho (“The O.C.,” Altitude) toplines the rock infused horror movie. Rob Raco (Riverdale), Charlie Saxton (Hung), Tim Jo (This Is Us), Allie MacDonald (Under the Silver Lake), James Earl (White Men Can’t Jump), and David Valdes (Speechless) also star.

Draper and Saxton co-wrote and are co-producing under their Dewey & Bug banner.

Stay tuned for additional details on the project as they arrive. In the meantime, throw up a pair of devil horns for new rock-infused horror on the way.

 

Horror journalist, RT Top Critic, and Critics Choice Association member. Co-Host of the Bloody Disgusting Podcast. Has appeared on PBS series' Monstrum, served on the SXSW Midnighter shorts jury, and moderated horror panels for WonderCon and SeriesFest.

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The Birthday Murders: Viral Marketing Website Launches for ‘Longlegs’

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NEON has been absolutely slaying the marketing game for their horror output this year, and they’re kicking the Longlegs campaign into high gear with one more month until release.

A cryptic ad in The Seattle Times today (seen below) has led clever horror fans to discover TheBirthdayMurders.net, the brand new official viral marketing website for Longlegs.

The in-universe website details the victims of the serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), described as a “Satan-worshipping psycho” who has terrorized families throughout the Pacific Northwest for nearly three decades.

The website details, “A bloody trail of bodies here in the great state of Oregon attests to the depraved savagery of this one-of-a-kind serial killer. With over three dozen victims that we know of, LONGLEGS is one of the most prolific mass murderers ever to have graced the region, and his gruesome endeavors are the stuff of nightmares. At first, all of the killings appeared to be straightforward murder-suicides: the handiwork of average men who suddenly snapped and slaughtered their wives and children. But a series of eerie coded messages left at the crime scenes indicate that someone – or something – is influencing these horrific crimes. The cryptic letters are signed by someone calling himself LONGLEGS.”

“With thirty-eight kills to his name, LONGLEGS has torn apart the lives of eleven different families throughout the Beaver State. His victims were good people: honest fathers, decent mothers, innocent little children.”

The website is loaded with secrets, clues, and gruesome (faux) crime scene photos, and you might even find a mention of yours truly nestled in there. Poke around. Stay a while.

Longlegs arrives in theaters July 12.

The upcoming serial killer horror movie marks the return of director Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel). Nicolas Cage stars alongside Maika Monroe, with Monroe playing an FBI agent and Cage playing a serial killer.

In the film, “FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) is a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer (Cage). As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.

The film is rated “R” for “Bloody violence, disturbing images and some language.”

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