The July installment of Hulu and Blumhouse’s “Into the Dark” is the Independence Day-themed “Into the Dark: The Current Occupant“.

In the Julius Ramsay-directed film, “Trapped in a mysterious psychiatric ward, a man with no memory comes to believe that he’s the President of the United States and the subject of a diabolical political conspiracy. As the asylum’s soul-crushing forces bear down on him, he fights to preserve his sanity and escape so that he can return to power.”

Alston Ramsay wrote the script. Ramsay previously worked as a speechwriter in D.C. for the likes of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, General David Petraeus, and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, and his experiences informed the creation of the film.

The cast includes Barry Watson (“The Loudest Voice”), Sonita Henry (“Krypton”), Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III (“Black Lightning”), Lilli Birdsell (“Doom Patrol”), Kate Cobb (“Scandal”), Ezra Buzzington (“Crossbones”) and Joshua Burge (“The Revenant”).

“The Current Occupant” will be available on Hulu Friday, July 17th.

Check out some images from “The Current Occupant”:

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When a marriage is in trouble, stress brings every existing problem to a nasty head. Jeff (Dylan McTee) and Lindsey’s problems aren’t anything new; financial worries and a cold sex life are heavy contributors to their failing marriage. But a marriage is made up of two separate people with their own issues and as it turns out, Lindsey and Jeff have many. It’s these issues that will be exploited in the events that follow.

When the couple fatally hit a man with their vehicle, marital woes take a backseat. That is, until it’s filled by his bloody corpse. A little tipsy and fully panicked, Jeff and Lindsey drive home to sober up and think about what to do next. As expected, things don’t go to plan and they find themselves fighting for their lives.

Midnighters isn’t a story about how a strong couple can overcome violent adversity. This is the kind of home invasion movie where the foundations of that home are particularly weak. Besides their relationship troubles, the home is under construction, lending an icy backdrop to their already tense lives. Perla Haney-Jardine plays the wild card as Hannah, Lindsey’s younger sister who’s crashing with her while she gets over a particularly rough breakup. Haney-Jardine is most recognizable as young B.B in Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, or as but she’s grown up and so has her talent. Hannah’s presence in the home only adds to the deceit as she serves as a kind of meddling messenger.

The story is intriguing as it unravels, but sometimes trips over its own feet for all its weaves and tangles. Most of the darkness in Midnighters is more about obscuring the truth than unsettling or disturbing its audience, though it could have done well with a little more of both. While it’s easy to question everyone’s motives, the movie never really has us question who the real victim is. All around, the villains and their connections are weak. People might not be who they say they are, but that’s not much of a surprise; everyone has secrets. In almost every case, the darker the better.

What’s more interesting is the question Midnighters inspires. Could the average married couple really go this far? Throughout the ordeal, Jeff and Lindsey are both driven to sadistic acts that are frighteningly out of character – acts they commit together as a team, a bastardization of the devotion of marriage. They’ve grown apart and changed as people, and somehow only their complicity in their crimes is what can bring them together.

The film is full of transformation. Though Lindsey showed empathy for the man they initially hit with their car, by the end of the film she’s gone beyond revenge to cruelty. Jeff is only displaying an exaggerated form of himself, releasing the person he is inside. The flaws in their relationship and in themselves are exacerbated by what they endure and by what they force others to endure.

Essoe isn’t as stretched as her Starry Eyes role, but she’s still the strongest performer of the three and scenes without her suffer. As Lindsey she speaks volumes with her looks, serving and suffering psychological and physical abuse. A handful of squeamish scenes round out the intrigue but gorehounds might be left wanting. Julius Ramsay’s feature-length debut is promising for the future, and his experience in both The Walking Dead and the Scream and Outcast horror TV series lend hope that soon he’ll be able to scare us. He’s just gotta go deeper, darker, and meaner and find a full cast who are willing to do the same.

In Theaters and Available On Demand And Digital HD March 2, 2018

The post [Review] ‘Midnighters’ Is More Than Meets the Eye appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Julius Ramsay’s film about a couple’s strained marriage that faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve – the perfect night to get away with murder. Ramsay talked to us about the true story that inspired this web of terror.

IFC Midnight announced today that it will open in theaters, on VOD, and Digital HD on March 2, 2018. Here’s the previously released festival trailer.

The post Hitchcockian ‘Midnighters’ Goes Insane This March appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We now have a clip from Julius Ramsay’s film about a couple’s strained marriage that faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve – the perfect night to get away with murder. Ramsay talked to us about the true story that inspired this web of terror.

Watch the trailer here.

The LA Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017, headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Santa Monica and more.

The post Mmmmm. This ‘Midnighters’ Clip Hits the Spot appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“The man was impaled on her windshield, and he became stuck in the glass. [The woman drove home and] went about her life…ignoring his screams.”

Alex Essoe, Perla Haney-Jardine, Dylan McTee, and Ward Horton star in Midnighters, which will have its world premiere at the LA Film Festival in their Nightfall category.

Julius Ramsay directs the film about a couple’s strained marriage that faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve – the perfect night to get away with murder.

We spoke with Ramsay who explains his inspirations for the film, which obviously lead directly to “The Master of Suspense”. But it all started with a truly horrific true story.

“My brother Alston Ramsay, who wrote the film, read an article a few years ago about a woman who hit a man with her car,” explains Ramsay. “The man was impaled on her windshield, and he became stuck in the glass. She drove home with him in this position, parked the car in the garage and went about her life in the house ignoring his screams. He eventually died over the course of the next two days. My brother asked himself, ‘What possesses a seemingly normal person to do something so monstrous? Was she inhuman, or did the trauma of the accident cause her to snap in some strange way? What determines our actions, who we are or our circumstances?’ We decided to put a married couple in a similarly extraordinary situation and went from there.”

As explained in the film’s synopsis, Alfred Hitchcock was a huge inspiration for Midnighters. “I think Rear Window was the biggest influence from Hitchcock,” says Ramsay who tells us his favorite Hitchcock films include Psycho, North by Northwest, and The Birds. “The use of minimal locations was a reality for us, and turning that from a liability into an asset was important.

Midnighters takes place on New Year’s Eve because of the emotional load it already brings.

“To me, New Year’s Eve is the most poignant holiday that we celebrate. It’s such an odd juxtaposition of celebration and reflection. It’s different than birthdays since the world collectively goes through the experience together. My brother and I thought that this would be the perfect night to set a thriller film since it’s already so emotionally loaded.”

Emotional or not, there’s plenty of tension and violence to go around. “[There’s] more than ‘Sesame Street’ and less than Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” Ramsay jokes. “At its heart, this is a suspense thriller, and the violence is secondary to the fear that the characters experience.

“I wanted the violence to have a punctuated feel to it,” he continues. “I tried to keep it within the characters’ points of view and gave each sequence a jarring and chaotic tone. The violence of Midnighters is depicted the way it occurs in real life: sudden, bloody, confusing.”

Midnighters premieres tonight at the ongoing Los Angeles Film Festival.

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We now have a new batch of images from Julius Ramsay’s film about a couple’s strained marriage that faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve – the perfect night to get away with murder. The trailer looks expertly directed and looks tense as hell. The trailer was dropped this morning.

The LA Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017, headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Santa Monica and more.

The post ‘Midnighters’ Images Bring the Pain appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Julius Ramsay directs the film about a couple’s strained marriage that faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness on New Year’s Eve – the perfect night to get away with murder.

The LA Film Festival takes place June 14 – June 22, 2017, headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Santa Monica and more.

Here’s a new set of images that are violent, colorful, and filled with torture.

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Now onto my thoughts…

The first Scream film is very near and dear to my heart. The film came out when I was 10 and it was the first real horror icon that was born during my lifetime. While Ghostface may not be on quite the same level as Freddy or Jason and horror legends of that ilk, I’d say he’s pretty darn close. Given that Ghostface was born during my childhood he’ll always hold a special place in my horror loving heart and I assume most people my age feel the same.

As far as the sequels are concerned I’ve only seen 2 and 3, and I like both just fine. I don’t think either is as good as 1, but I find both to be quite enjoyable. For some reason I have yet to watch 4. Not sure why, I’ve had it forever, just waiting to be watched, but I haven’t gotten around to it. Even without having watched 4, I consider myself to be a fan of the franchise, absolutely loving one film and liking two others.

Given my history and relationship with the franchise the thought of a television show excited me, even if I knew it was going to be an MTV production. I wouldn’t say I went into watching this series with high expectations, but I certainly had great interest in what it would be and eventually become.

The pilot makes it very clear what the goal of adapting Scream into a television show is. This isn’t a continuation of the Scream movies, but rather a re-telling of sorts. It’s basically the same story being told with new characters in a new setting with a more modern touch. And the idea of a modern Scream seems crazy to me still since I’ve always viewed Scream as the modern horror film and it’s only twenty years old, but in that twenty years a lot has changed, especially when it comes to technology. Think about this – in the first Scream film having a cell phone made you a suspect. In the Scream TV universe not having a cell phone would likely make you a suspect.

Bella Thorne takes on the Drew Barrymore role becoming our first victim. Instead of receiving a phone call she gets some interesting text messages that eventually result in her bleeding out in a pool. I think this first kill is done quite well and replacing the phone call with text messages makes sense. This kill is quite bloody and gory too. Multiple times throughout the show I found myself surprised at just how bloody it is. I approve of course, but it always managed to catch me off guard somehow.

This death along with a cyber bullying incident kicks starts the entire story for our series. The gruesome murder is reminiscent of slayings that occurred two decades prior and now the entire town is on edge, fearful that a copycat may be on the loose.

The setup works for me. Why wouldn’t it? The overall premise isn’t that different than the first Scream. We meet a handful of teens that are going to be the main group we follow with Emma (Willa Fitzgerald) being our lead. Emma’s mother was the focus of the earlier killings, though she did survive, and it appears that Emma will be the main target this go-around. Cool, this is good enough for me and I’m in.

At the start of this I mentioned how technology has taken huge strides since the first film. In case you didn’t realize that, have no fear because the TV series makes it a point to constantly throw that in your face. Yeah, the killer still makes phone calls but he also sends mass text messages, DM’s, Gifs and uploads videos. Using these new elements is totally fine and makes sense, but it’s the way they’re used that bugs me. Everything is so on the nose and being forced fed to the audience.

The kids at the school seem to always receive mass text messages. That’s a little far-fetched, no? I mean the logistics behind it seem in insane. How is the killer sending these to everybody? A fairly large group of twenty or so people, ok, I can buy that. But the whole school? That seems downright silly! And maybe it’s not even the whole school getting them, but it feels that way.

Then there is an episode where the word “Gif” is used like 40 times. I think its episode two. Every other scene starts with someone saying “Did you see that viral Gif?” “Oh yeah, did you see that viral Gif? I saw that viral Gif. It was a Gif and now it’s viral so it’s a viral Gif alright.” Who says viral Gif? Has any person in real life every said viral Gif? And if you are saying viral Gif, do you ask everyone if they’ve seen said viral Gif? Also, why are you saying viral Gif? Look, I get what they’re going for. The idea is to be hip and appeal to a younger generation, but this seems a bit ridiculous. Don’t force it, guys.

Tied into this use of Gifs and social media, is how the show makes me feel. And I do not care for how Scream the TV series makes me feel. What I’m saying is that it makes me feel kind of like a creep. I’m 30, I grew up with Scream. Why should I feel like a creep watching Scream? I understand I’m not the target audience. They’re trying to appeal to a younger generation, but you could probably do so without alienating people that group up with the franchise.

My generation has very much been big into cell phones and social media and YouTube and so forth. You can use all these same stuff and make it so it appeals to both teens and people similar in age to me. And I think they’re trying too hard to be hip and cool to appeal to kids. I can’t imagine many 16-year olds are watching this and thinking, “yeah, that sounds just like me! Scream gets me.”

Did 30-year olds watching Scream in 1996 feel the way I do now? They couldn’t have right? Am I this out of touch? Have I become Principal Skinner? No, it is the children. They are wrong.

And what’s the deal with the mask? I understand wanting to change the mask for the show, but this is the best they could come up with? It looks terrible and makes me angry.

So at this point the show has made me feel like a creep and has angered me. Obviously, I hate it, right? Not so fast!

Despite the show’s many flaws, I kind of dig it. As I made myself throughout each episode I found I kept wanting to continue and watch more, even when I thought the show was getting too stupid. The characters aren’t written great, but I find them all the be pretty engaging. I suppose that’s a testament to the actors. John Karna as Noah is probably the best part.

Noah is obviously here to get the interest of the genre geeks. He’s essentially supposed to be us. This is the Jamie Kennedy role. And for the most part he’s a success. He’s a likable dude that you want to see come out on top. I do take issue with his comments about romance being forced into genre films though, specifically his comments regarding Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor hooking up in Terminator. If they don’t have sex there is no John Connor and if there is no John Connor there is no one to lead the resistance. And if there is no resistance than Kyle Reese wouldn’t even be able to travel back in time! Come on Noah, you should know this! Side note: do not try and make sense of the Terminator timeline, it will not end well!

The show is very meta, which is important and in line with the film series. Noah is responsible for a lot of this and in the first episode speaks about how horror is in right now but there could never be a television show that is a slasher because main characters would be killed in every episode. Sure enough, Scream manages to kill off characters in every episode. And even though I expected main characters to be offed some were still quite shocking and there was one that I was a little upset by. If you ask me one person dies a little too soon.

Scream has a pretty good look. It doesn’t look cheap at all, which is sort of what I expected. Everything is shot and staged pretty well, likely a result of bringing in some pretty established talent to direct the episodes. It’s a good mix of directors too. Brian Dannelly directed 2 episodes in the first season and while he doesn’t have much of a background in horror, he has dealt with the gossipy teen element in his past work. Also doing 2 episodes in season one was Tim Hunter, and personally I think he did the best. Not only did Hunter direct River’s Edge, but the guy has been around the block a few times when it comes to TV. Joining Dannelly and Hunter are veterans Rodman Flender (Idle Hands) and Ti West (The House of the Devil) and relative newcomers (at least from the director’s chair) Leigh Janiak, Julius Ramsay and Scott Speer.

These director choices were very smart. They brought in a good mix of people that were able to touch a lot of different bases. The result is a show that looks pretty good. Well done, MTV.

Scream isn’t nearly as cool or hip as it so desperately wants to be. It tries way too hard and just needs to relax a little. With the proper adjustments season 2 could be a whole lot better. Re-work the dialogue a bit and allow the use of YouTube and texting and all that other stuff to come in more naturally. Also we deserve a much better season finale in season 2. The season 1 finale was kind of stupid and a generally disappointing conclusion after I had managed to get invested in the show. My overall thoughts on the first season of Scream is that it is most definitely flawed, but it does play around with some fun ideas creating a few little jump scares while building good tension. Not close to perfect, but good enough that I want to keep watching and I’m more interested in season 2 than I was season 1.

Also you have to remember what you’re dealing with. This is a teen soap opera with some horror elements worked in. Judge it for what it is and you can find enjoyment with it. Sure it’ll piss you off, but you’ll still have some fun.

As far as the DVD goes, it’s fun. There are a few deleted scenes, a gag real and a promotional gallery. This is all ok. It’s  a 3-disc set with four episodes on the first two discs and two episodes and special features on the third disc. Some interviews or commentaries with the cast or directors would have been cool. I would have really been interested in hearing what the cast had to say about the show and their prior relationship to Scream. The set does come with a slipcase though and I know some collectors are crazy about slipcases so that may be a bonus for some. As far as I know it’s only getting a DVD release which is a bit disappointing. This is a fairly major release so a Blu-ray would have been nice. For what this is though, it’s fine. The list price is $35 but it looks like Amazon and a few other places have it for $19.99. If you snag it for $19.99, it’s worth it.

Be sure to check out all of Trace Thurman’s individual episode reviews!

Episode #1 Review
Episode #2 Review
Episode #3 Review
Episode #4 Review
Episode #5 Review
Episode #6 Review
Episode #7 Review
Episode #8 Review
Episode #9 Review
Episode #10 Review

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Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now, with the help of the Reverend Anderson, a preacher who has personal demons of his own, the young man embarks on a journey to find answers and regain the normal life he lost. But what Kyle discovers could change his fate — and the fate of the world — forever.

Based on the Skybound/Image comic title by creator Robert Kirkman (“The Walking Dead”) and artist Paul Azaceta, Patrick Fugit (“Gone Girl”) stars as Barnes, a man searching for answers, and redemption, who sequesters himself from those he loves for fear of causing greater hurt.

Philip Glenister (“Life on Mars”) stars as Reverend Anderson, a West Virginia evangelist who believes he is a soldier in God’s holy war against the forces of evil on Earth. An inveterate drinker and gambler, he doesn’t believe God intends people to sweat the small stuff.

Gabriel Bateman (“Stalker”) stars as Joshua Austin, an eight-year-old who lives across town from Kyle. To his family’s dismay, he appears to be in the clutches of demonic possession, but there’s something very different about this possession and its connection to Kyle Barnes.

Other cast members include: Wrenn Schmidt (HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) as Kyle’s adopted sister, Megan Holter, a child psychologist who makes it her mission to fix the people around her; Reg E. Cathey (HBO’s “The Wire”) as Rome’s Chief of Police, Chief Giles, who has seen enough to know there’s some truth to his friend Rev. Anderson’s assertions about demons; Kate Lyn Sheil (“House of Cards”) as Kyle’s former wife, Allison Barnes, who has lingering doubts about what happened in their marriage; Julia Crockett (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”) as Kyle’s mother, Sarah Barnes, whose apparent mental illness tainted his childhood; David Denman (“13 Hours”) as Megan’s husband, Mark Holter, a by-the-book small town cop whose temper can get him in trouble; and Brent Spiner (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) as Sidney, whose dapper appearance and smiling demeanor hide malevolence.

Episode #1: “A Darkness Surrounds Him”

Debut: FRIDAY, JUNE 3 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other CINEMAX playdates: June 3 (11:00 p.m., midnight), 4 (9:00 p.m., 11:35 p.m.), 5 (5:15 p.m.), 6 (11:00 p.m.), 7 (1:30 a.m.), 8 (10:00 p.m.), 9 (9:00 p.m.) and 23 (7:00 p.m.)

Kyle Barnes (Patrick Fugit) confronts a possession case and begins to delve into the secrets of his past.

Written by Robert Kirkman; directed by Adam Wingard.

Episode #2: “(I Remember) When She Loved Me”

Debut: FRIDAY, JUNE 10 (10:00-10:45 p.m.)

Other CINEMAX playdates: June 10 (11:00 p.m., midnight), 11 (9:00 p.m., 11:25 p.m.), 12 (5:50 p.m.), 13 (11:00 p.m.), 14 (1:35 a.m.), 15 (10:00 p.m.), 16 (9:00 p.m.) and 23 (8:00 p.m.)

Kyle questions his family history.

Written by Jeff Vlaming; directed by Howie Deutch.

Episode #3: “All Alone Now”

Debut: FRIDAY, JUNE 17 (10:00-10:50 p.m.)

Other CINEMAX playdates: June 17 (11:00 p.m., midnight), 18 (9:00 p.m., 11:30 p.m.), 19 (5:40 p.m.), 20 (11:00 p.m.), 21 (1:55 a.m.), 22 (10:00 p.m.) and 23 (8:50 p.m.)

Kyle and Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister) confront an unusual possession.

Written by Chris Black; directed by Howie Deutch.

Episode #4: “A Wrath Unseen”

Debut: FRIDAY, JUNE 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Other CINEMAX playdates: June 24 (11:00 p.m., midnight), 25 (9:00 p.m., 11:50 p.m.), 26 (5:25 p.m.), 27 (11:00 p.m.), 28 (1:45 a.m.), 29 (10:00 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.)

The intrigue in Rome intensifies as Anderson discovers shocking information about someone close to him. Megan (Wrenn Schmidt) conceals a secret.

Written Robert Kirkman; directed by Julius Ramsay.

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