Movies
‘The Mind’s Eye’ Highlights Beyond Fest!
Beyond Fest has announced its full slate of 2015 programming featuring 25 events of mind-bending, movie madness.
Presented by Shudder, Beyond Fest returns to Hollywood’s famed Egyptian Theatre for 11 days of movies, music and mayhem spanning Thursday, October 1st – Monday, October 12th to generate funds for co-presenter, the nonprofit American Cinematheque.
With a diverse slate that includes films from all corners of the globe Beyond Fest is proud to present 18 West Coast premieres including Brian Hegeland’s masterful LEGEND as opening night film and Hsiao-hsien Hou’s breathtaking martial arts ballet THE ASSASSIN, to close. Other hotly-anticipated titles include Kurt Russell’s existential western shocker BONE TOMAHAWK, Miike Takeshi’s gloriously outrageous YAKUZA APOCALYPSE and Karyn Kusama’s terrifying thriller THE INVITATION.
The legend Bruce Campbell takes center stage with Edgar Wright for an EVIL DEAD double bill for the ages featuring both films projected on glorious 35mm. Tickets will be made available to purchase on Saturday, September 5th at noon PST, however, the most die-hard Deadites will be rewarded early as 25 pairs of tickets will be gifted free to those sporting an EVIL DEAD tattoo. Maintaining the theme and commemorating the night Studio City Tattoo will be on-site providing free EVIL DEAD tattoos for the most hardcore fans.
Two wildly different anniversary screenings celebrate two wildly iconic films with Al Pacino sitting in conversation with Brett Ratner for the 40th anniversary of DOG DAY AFTERNOON, while The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail host an epic 30th anniversary reunion screening of BETTER OFF DEAD with director Savage Steve Holland, Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin and more.
Once again, music features prominently in Beyond Fest’s charter with some of the most influential and innovative artists participating. Die Antwoord’s Ninja will be joined by friends as he hosts a rare 35mm screening of ERASERHEAD for ‘A Night of Zef Absurdia.’ Punk icon Henry Rollins is celebrated with the West Coast premiere of his existential cannibal shocker HE NEVER DIED. Post screening, Rollins will be joined by director Jason Krawczyk in a wide ranging conversation moderated by agent provocateur Shepard Fairey. Legendary composer Fabio Frizzi is performing in Los Angeles for the first time in his illustrious 40 year career. Complete with his 8-piece orchestra, the Maestro will perform FRIZZI 2 FULCI LIVE: his magnificent musical-opus highlighting his work with Lucio Fulci. FRIZZI 2 FULCI LIVE will also feature a rare screening of the Fulci’s gothic masterpiece THE BEYOND uncut, uncensored and in scope on 35mm. The original 1925 version of Lon Chaney’s THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA gets the live score treatment courtesy of his grandson Ron Chaney who is screening the masterpiece on 16mm. The 1925 score has remained in possession of the Chaney family since the film’s release and will be performed for one of the first times in 90 years. Ron Chaney will be in attendance to discuss the impact of Cheney’s work. Premiering live, synth superstar Steve Moore will perform his score to horror wunderkind Joe Begos’ THE MIND’S EYE before the telekinetic shocker receives its hometown throwdown premiere. Moore’s performance will be complemented by the release of a limited 7″ courtesy of Death Waltz Records, produced exclusively for the screening.
“Music has been an integral part of Beyond Fest from the very beginning,” said Spencer Hickman, Mondo / Death Waltz Recording Co. Label Head. “The first show we ever booked was Goblin and we’re incredibly proud to build on that foundation with this phenomenal and unique line up.”
Celebrating LA filmmaking remains a priority for Beyond Fest with Karyn Kusama receiving this year’s ‘LA Spotlight’ for her shocking thriller, THE INVITATION. As part of her Spotlight screening, Kusama selected Philip Kaufman’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS to accompany her film citing its malevolent corresponding elements and themes.
Beyond Fest welcomes the horror streaming platform Shudder as its Presenting Sponsor, a partnership that provides 10 screenings (9 West Coast premieres) absolutely free to film fans. Every night, the 100-seat ‘Shudder Theatre’ will feature a brand new film selected from across the world including a demented Mads Mikkelsen’s in Anders Thomas Jensen’s unbelievably black comedy, MEN AND CHICKEN, manga favorite / insanely-mental-live-action-madness of ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, the hyper-violent remake of Mario Bava’s Euro-crime nasty, RABID DOGS, the creepy debut shocker from Oz Perkins, FEBRUARY, Majid Al Ansari’s electrifying cat and mouse thriller, ZINZANA and the over-the-top martial arts sequel, SPL 2.
“These are some of the best and most provocative films of the year,” said American Cinematheque and Beyond Fest programmer, Grant Moninger. “That we can provide them completely free of charge is very important to us, we’re thankful to Shudder for being a part of our mission to bring great films to the great genre fans of this city.”
See below for the full lineup of newly announced film titles for Beyond Fest 2015.
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BEYOND FEST 2015 PROGRAM
EGYPTIAN THEATRE
THE ASSASSIN
China, 2015
LA Premiere, 105 min
Director – Hsiao-hsien Hou
BETTER OFF DEAD – 30th Anniversary Reunion Hosted by The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail
United States, 1985
97 min
Director – Savage Steve Holland
wi. Jonah Ray, Kumail Nanjiani, director Savage Steve Holland + cast in person
THE BEYOND
Uncut, uncensored director’s cut in scope on 35mm
Italy, 1981
35mm, 87 min
Director – Lucio Fulci
BONE TOMAHAWK
United States, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 133 min
Director – S. Craig Zahler
wi. director S. Craig Zahler and actor Matthew Fox in person
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
United States, 2015
35mm, 125 min
Director – Sidney Lumet
wi. actor Al Pacino and director Brett Ratner in person
THE DEVILS
Original US X-rated cut on 35mm
England, 1971
35mm, 111 min
Director – Ken Russell
wi. introduction by director Bernard Rose
Ninja Presents ERASERHEAD: A Night of Zef Absurdia
United States, 1977
35mm, 89 min
Director – David Lynch
wi. Ninja and friends in person
THE EVIL DEAD (wi. EVIL DEAD II)
Co-presented with Starz and Ash vs. The Evil Dead
United States, 1983
35mm, 87 min
Director – Sam Raimi
wi. Bruce Campbell and Edgar Wright in person
EVIL DEAD II (wi. THE EVIL DEAD)
Co-presented with Starz and Ash vs. The Evil Dead
United States, 1987
35mm, 84 min
Director – Sam Raimi
wi. Bruce Campbell and Edgar Wright in person
FRIZZI 2 FULCI LIVE (wi. THE BEYOND)
Italy, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 100 min
wi. Fabio Frizzi and 8-piece orchestra performing live
HE NEVER DIED
United States, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 99 min
Director – Jason Krawczyk
wi. director Jason Krawczyk and actor Henry Rollins, moderated by Shepard Fairey in person
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (wi. THE INVITATION)
United States, 1978
115 min
Director – Philip Kaufman
THE INVITATION (wi. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS)
United States, 2015
Special Screening, 97 min
Director – Karyn Kusama
wi. director Karyn Kusama, writers Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi and actor Logan Marshall-Green in person
LEGEND
United States, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 131 min
Director – Brian Hegeland
wi. director / writer Brian Hegeland in person
THE MIND’S EYE
United States, 2015
US Premiere, 87 min
Director – Joe Begos
wi. live performance by Steve Moore before screening
wi. director / writer Joe Begos, editor Josh Ethier and actors Graham Skipper, Noah Segan in person
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
United States, 1925
16mm, 101 min (1925 original release)
Director – Rupert Julian
wi. live score performance of the original 1925 composition
wi. Ron Chaney in person
TOO LATE (free screening)
United States, 2015
35mm, 107 min
Director – Dennis Hauck
wi. director / writer Dennis Hauck in person
YAKUZA APOCALYPSE
Japan, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 115 min
Director – Takashi Miike
SHUDDER THEATRE
ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM (free screening)
Japan, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 110 min
Director – Eiichiro Hasumi
DER BUNKER (free screening)
Germany, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 85 min
Director – Nikias Chryssos
FEBRUARY (free screening)
United States/Canada, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 93 min
Director – Oz Perkins
wi. director / writer Oz Perkins in person
IN SEARCH OF ULTRA SEX (free screening)
France, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 60 min
Directors – Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine
MEN AND CHICKEN (free screening)
Denmark, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 100 min
Director – Anders Thomas Jensen
RABID DOGS (free screening)
France, 2015
West Coast Premiere,99 min
Director – Eric Hannezo
SPL 2 (free screening)
China, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 120 min
Director – Pou-Soi Cheang
ZINZANA (free screening)
United Arab Emirates, Jordan, 2015
West Coast Premiere, 91 min
Director – Majid Al Ansari
Tickets for Beyond Fest 2015 are will be made available for purchase through Fandango and the American Cinematheque on 9/3/15. EVIL DEAD tickets will be available through Brown Paper Tickets on 9/5/15 at noon pt.
A contemporary reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story Herbert West: Reanimator is on the way, and Deadline has unveiled the first look at the new Herbert West and the pathologist drawn to his orbit.
Adam Simon (The Haunting in Connecticut, “Salem”) and Tim Metcalfe (The Haunting in Connecticut, Kalifornia) penned the script. The original screenplay and storyline come from Jade Sandberg Wallace.
Michael Grossman (“The Originals”, “Pretty Little Liars”) directs.
The new images introduce star Joseph Morgan (“Vampire Diaries“), who plays “brilliant surgeon and scientist Herbert West, who is obsessed with creating a serum to reanimate the dead.” Katie Cassidy (Speed Demon) stars opposite as the pathologist with a troubled past who joins his efforts.
Together, they prove that conquering death may be the ultimate sin against life itself.
The film’s official synopsis: “As a child, Herbert West watches his father Peter reanimate his dead mother Judith in a secret basement lab — only for Judith to mortally wound Peter and nearly kill Herbert before Peter shoots her. The trauma leaves its mark on Herbert, but so does one final image: his mother’s finger, twitching after death. Thirty years later, Herbert West is a brilliant, secretive surgeon still chasing his father’s obsession.
“Pathologist Kate Locke arrives in town and is drawn into his orbit — first through a spark at a hospital fundraiser, then through his secret lab, where he reveals a serum capable of reanimating severed tissue. Kate, hiding a dark past of her own, is thrilled rather than horrified, and moves into West’s mansion to work alongside him. Their early experiments on a cadaver succeed only briefly. West concludes that dead tissue is the problem — they need something fresher.”
Supporting cast includes Scott Aiello, Ira J Amyx, Randall Newsome, Emma Reinagal, James D. Bryce, Kathryn A Bentley, Jack Lancaster, Amy Holland Pennell, John Pierson, Mindy Shaw, Eric Dean White, Tristan Wilder Hallet, Adrienne Lamping, Aaron Crippen, and Drew Patterson.
Makeup artist Jeff Lewis (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and cousin Roger Lewis are heading the production via their newly established Woodlake Entertainment.
Lovecraft’s short story, first serialized in Home Brew magazine in 1922, is the first among his works to mention the fictional Miskatonic University. It was most famously adapted into a 1985 horror movie from Stuart Gordon, starring Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West.
Herbert West: Reanimator is set in Alton, Illinois, where production is now underway.
Herbert West: Reanimator. Photo credit: Matt Lief Anderson
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