The 1977 body horror film has been newly scanned in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director David Cronenberg
• Audio Commentary With William Beard, Author Of The Artist As Monster: The Cinema Of David Cronenberg
• Audio Commentary With Jill C. Nelson, Author Of Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, And Marilyn Chambers’ Personal Appearances Manager Ken Leicht

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• Audio Commentary With Writer/Director David Cronenberg
• Audio Commentary With William Beard, Author Of The Artist As Monster: The Cinema Of David Cronenberg
• Audio Commentary With Jill C. Nelson, Author Of Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women Of Classic Erotic Cinema, And Marilyn Chambers’ Personal Appearances Manager Ken Leicht
• Becoming Cronenberg – Interview With Canadian Film Historian And Author Paul Corupe (new)
• Inside Rabid – Interview With Violet Lucca, Author Of David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials (new)
• Archival Interview With Director David Cronenberg
• Young and Rabid – Interview With Actor Susan Roman
• Independent Spirit – Interview With Executive Producer Ivan Reitman
• Northern Exposure – Interview With Co-Producer Don Carmody
• From Stereo to Video – Video Essay By Caelum Vatnsdal, Author Of They Came from Within: A History of Canadian Horror Cinema
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Image Gallery

After undergoing emergency surgery, Rose develops an insatiable desire for blood. Seeking out victims to satisfy her craving, she infects them with an unknown disease that quickly drives them insane — and makes them equally bloodthirsty. Victim by victim, the disease spreads… until no one can escape their grisly fate.

Marilyn Chambers stars with Frank Moore, Joe Silver, and Howard Ryshpan.

The post David Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ Infects 4K UHD in December from Scream Factory appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

I haven’t been foaming at the mouth to highlight Rabid, not because of Cronenberg’s rapidly paced and frantic outbreak thriller. Jen and Sylvia Soska’s Rabid is a messy and underwhelming expansion of Cronenberg’s themes. It’s “modernized through a female perspective,” doing plenty differently, yet the filmmaking duo’s execution is hardly en vogue. As a standalone feature, Nu Rabid is a labor of cringy fashionista dialogue and ill-fitting style over substance that loses its own plot. I can’t in sane mind recommend Rabid (2019) over Rabid (1977)—but that’s not the purpose of this column. Let’s sink our teeth into the original/remake conversation.

The Approach

The Soska Sisters don’t want to recreate Cronenberg’s Rabid. What’s conceptualized is a spiritual remakequel of sorts, mutating Rose’s condition far beyond an armpit tendril. Cronenberg’s doing a small-scale 28 Days Later in Montreal, given how the transmission of “rabies” drives infecteds to violently attack innocents. The Soskas think beyond Dr. Keloid’s oopsie and conjure a medical nightmare that includes monstrous body horror, Silent Hill-twitchy nurses, and Resident Evil evolutions like a Majini shambler. Cronenberg’s spreading disease lends to straightforward representations of almost zombie-like horrors, where the Soskas try to bring visual components to another, more illustratively evil level.

In the remake, Laura Vandervoort stars as Rose Miller 2.0, a young fashion designer for flamboyant Giorgio Armani wannabe Gunter (Mackenzie Gray) and his brand, “House of Gunter.” This version of Rose has makeup caked on her face that’s supposed to be a scar, leading her to be self-conscious around Gunter’s gorgeous models, including bestie Chelsea (Hanneke Talbot). In an act of pity or friendship, it’s not really clear, Chelsea convinces hottie freelance photographer Brad (Ben Hollingsworth) to ask Rose to be his date for Gunter’s latest afterparty. Rose finds out, flees on her motorbike out of embarrassment, and gets in a horrific car accident that leaves her face ugly and disfigured. Enter Dr. William Burroughs (Ted Atherton), his clinic, and an experimental skin graft using “Stem Cell Manipulation.”

By the time Rose reaches the Burroughs Clinic, almost twenty-five minutes have passed—and the Soskas finally remember they’re remaking Rabid.

It’s frustrating because Rabid (2019) mirrors tendencies of notable remakes that reach for originality despite updating someone else’s story. Rose swipes her autonomy back. She’s a career woman who emerges from surgery like a butterfly, hotter and more confident. Dr. William Burroughs supplies his patient with a “Red” superprotein drink that’ll curb hunger cravings and pills that may cause hallucinations, versus Marilyn Chambers’ 1977 Rose Miller, the Patient Zero who feasts nightly until her dead body is discarded by trash cans before the credits roll. Vandervoort’s protagonist believes her feeding scenes are dreamland side effects, leaving her daytime hours to sell Gunter on new designs for his upcoming “Schadenfreude” line. She’s a workaholic and unknowing guinea pig, not just a catalyst for apocalyptic doom.

Does It Work?

As a standalone reinvention of Cronenberg’s white-knuckled cosmetic disasterpiece, Rabid (2019) sets itself apart. You can follow the roadmap of Rabid (1977), but indulge in a new experience. The incorporation of grosser gore gags gives Rabid (2019) a sleazier attitude, especially when Rose’s “hallucinations” intensify. You’ve also got Dr. Burroughs’ mad scientist arc, because he’s permitted to survive until the film’s credits. There’s a cultier vibe, and further development into what’s fueling Dr. Burroughs’ experimental surgeries beyond “Evil Big Pharma.”

Rose’s journey is less victim-coded, per the Soskas’ intention to spin a “feminist” interpretation. She’s not even the catalyst—that’s Dr. Burroughs’ wife, the Lovecraftian cancer casualty now festering in the bowels of his clinic who provides the magical stem cells. Rose encounters workplace drama, relationship woes, and the unfair treatment of societally deemed beautiful people as added context. The problem is, all this filler—which stretches the film to an exhausting 110 minutes—undercuts the feral horrors of Cronenberg’s fiercer perspective. A woman’s desire for attention and success supersedes outbreak paranoia and governmental coverups, failing to replicate the intimate terrors of sci-fi-powered rabies.

Rabid (2019) wants to express this unhealthy The Neon Demon fixation on glamor, but isn’t remotely successful. It might be bloodier and flashier, but the Soskas operate too far out of the box. Random sequences like scumbag daytime actor Dominic (Stephen Huszar) chewing his scene partner apart sell what Cronenberg once established, yet the remake’s overall issue is not wanting to be Rabid (1977). Don’t get me wrong; there’s hardly a reason to try and copy David Cronenberg—why beg for a comparison few can match? But in distancing themselves, the Soskas drift too far into obscurity, questioning why they remade Rabid if they wanted to make a catwalkin’ monster movie instead.

The Result

Unfortunately, Rabid (2019) isn’t anywhere near as conversation-worthy as Cronenberg’s outstandingly superior original. The Soskas desperately try to put their stamp on a Canadian-American horror staple, but their motivations are misguided. It’s a janky interpretation that borrows from Repo! The Genetic Opera, video games, and cancelled-after-one-season CW dramas, none of which scream “Cronenberg.” Credit the Soskas’ special effects team as the most valuable players, because the practical makeup and prosthetics are the only upgrades. Rose’s exposed gums and teeth are vile (think Nemesis T-Type from Resident Evil 3), flesh-tearing is wildly icky, and monster designs on creature actors like “Twisty” Troy James look applaudably gnarly for an indie, yet the surrounding film wastes SFX highlights.

All the investment in Rose’s development is dead air. Vandervoort’s chemistry with Ben Hollingsworth’s persistent whimper of a love interest lacks any spark to make us care about their status. Hanneke Talbot’s portrayal of bestie Chelsea is a caricature of Pretty Little Liars prototypes, given atrocious lines like, “You’re either the food or the thing eating the food.” It’s all juvenilely underwritten, from the Soskas’ cameo as coke-sniffing gossipers in a bathroom stall to Dr. Burroughs’ in-your-face nefariousness. Unsubtle commentaries delivered by Mackenzie Gray’s Eurotrash boss or Rose’s overacting when awaking from “hallucinations” play like a Mad TV sketch, which all boils down to problems in execution.

It’s all pizazz, no focus. Red satin operating garments look exquisite, but there’s nothing under the extravagance. A lame duck take on an actress removing her glasses and becoming a sex idol, with every choice trumping the last’s new low. Maybe it’s the red lighting on the screen to indicate rabies spreads through saliva, because the Soskas don’t trust their audience would catch that, or the paltry patriarchal pushback as cartoonishly toxic men are slaughtered in vengeance without buildup. It’s the kind of film that bills professional wrestler Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) on its poster, but he’s barely on screen for a few minutes. Rabid (2019) might grant Rose a richer role, but that’s moot representation since the film suffers from a distracting identity crisis.

The Lesson

Honestly, there are a few lessons. The Soskas inspire hope by putting space between their Rabid and David Cronenberg’s Rabid, but the gap is like an uncrossable canyon. At what point is a remake even a remake? If you have all these fresh ideas, why remake versus create anew? It’s the conversation that started Revenge of the Remakes, when I pondered why 2019’s Child’s Play didn’t invent its own artificial intelligence horror tale instead of challenging the Child’s Play fanbase. There’s a sweet spot between reverence and reinvention that the Soskas soar past, and that’s their downfall.

So what did we learn?

● There’s such a thing as deviating too far from an original, teetering on the edge of misunderstanding core traits.

● David Cronenberg is infinitely better at remaking other people’s films than the reverse.

● Updated practical effects aren’t enough to save your remake if the story is lackluster.

● There’s no reason to challenge the crown when remaking a famous filmmaker’s works. However, you must understand that comparison is unavoidable and find a balance that’s your vision, but still a healthy homage.

All said, let’s be blunt. The ultimate sin of Rabid (2019) is being a bad movie (generous description). There’s a cheapness and hamminess to everything that feels more attuned to SYFY or Tubi exclusives. It’s a remake that’s already been forgotten, unlike when the Soska Sisters voluntarily appeared on OANN to chat with alt-right celebrity Jack Posobiec about being banned by Twitter for sharing graphic Rabid stills. Further evidence of the film’s identity crisis: using Cronenberg’s legacy to make a movie rooted in feminist intentions, only to publicly thank the despicable male demographic you demonize IN THE MOVIE for a viral boost. Everything on and off screen about Rabid (2019) is just one disappointing head shake after the next.

The post ‘Rabid’ Proves You Can’t Beat Cronenberg at His Own Game [Revenge of the Remakes] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

If you’re already sick of Santa Claus, and all things holiday related, here are ten holiday horror movies – technically – that would rather just cut straight to the horror.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

The Brain

Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant meatball of a mutant brain to brainwash his audience. It’s up to a plucky teen prankster to save the day. Director Ed Hunt and screenwriter Barry Pearson aim for the self-help/self-esteem craze of the period by way of low-budget sci-fi horror that feels apropos of the atomic ‘50s. It’s wacky, “anything goes” type of cheesy fun. While the abundant Christmas décor makes it clear what time of year this story takes place, the holiday never factors into the plot in any meaningful way.

The Conjuring 2

Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a struggling family deal with one terrifying haunting. James Wan’s sequel dials up the terror and introduces a few memorable ghosts. That includes the scene-stealing demonic nun, Valak. As if that’s not enough, it happens to be the holiday season. Ed and Lorraine may be busy fighting evil here, but they also make time to spread some holiday cheer. At least for one quiet, super sweet holiday serenade.

Dawn of the Dead

Nothing screams the holidays more than consumerism, right? George A. Romero’s second entry in his Dead franchise sees a small group of survivors seek refuge in a shopping mall from the zombie apocalypse. While the film isn’t intended to take place over Christmas, Romero and crew filmed in Monroeville Mall during Christmastime. Because it was a functioning, busy mall, filming could only happen after working hours. That meant a lengthy job for the crew in disassembling the holiday decorations before filming, then putting them back up again before the mall opened in the morning. If you look closely, you can spot a store holiday display or two in the background.

The Day of the Beast

Set on Christmas Eve, a Catholic priest teams up with a metalhead and a television occult specialist to stop the Antichrist’s birth, which will trigger the apocalypse. The lengths the trio is willing to go to thwart the end of the world brings the laughs, but the horror equally matches the humor. A sort of spiritual cousin to the earlier works of Sam Raimi but with Alex de la Iglesia’s unique sense of humor, this one should have a bigger audience than it does. The Day of the Beast also made evil goats trendy long before The Witch. While Christmas is vital to the plot, the holiday spirit isn’t, so expect a heavy metal horror ride ahead.

I, Madman

When Virginia (played by Near Dark’s Jenny Wright) receives a package containing pulp horror novel I, Madman, reading it brings the villainous madman into her world. The lines between fiction and reality blur as Virginia becomes the killer’s target and the body count rises. I, Madman was directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate and Gate 2: The Trespassers). The Gate’s SFX artist Randall William Cook provided the stop motion animation and played the monstrous madman. Creatures, kills, and a pulpy feel make this ’80s horror movie a unique slasher. It also happens to offer one of the more covert entries in holiday horror.

Inside

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s debut is one mean sucker punch of a movie. It’s a ruthless entry into home invasion horror that doles out punishment and pain, a peak of New French Extremity. The plot sees a very pregnant but depressed woman forced to fight off another woman determined to claim her unborn baby at any cost. It’s grim and gruesome and happens to be set over Christmas. Does Inside get into the holiday spirit beyond a few tell-tale signs of the setting? No, but you’ll be too busy holding your breath to notice.

Maniac Cop 2

From writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig, this sequel wastes no time dispatching the protagonists of the previous entry. That means a new pair of heroes to battle undead maniac cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), and this time he’s enlisted an ally in the form of a serial killer. Expanded mythology, new characters, and double the baddies are the tip of the entertaining iceberg here. It’s a sequel that manages to top the original, and in true ’90s style, Maniac Cop 2 even comes with a rap theme song. All set over Christmas, of course.

Prometheus

Ridley Scott’s Alien prequel follows an ill-fated crew as they travel to distant moon LV-223 in the hopes of discovering humanity’s origins. Instead, they awaken humanity’s greatest threat. Noomi Rapace leads the all-star cast in this bonkers sci-fi horror movie that sees scientists paying the ultimate price for their mistakes. Expect all sorts of weird alien threats here, save for the iconic xenomorph as we know it. That the crew lands on the moon in December 2093 means that Christmas does briefly enter the equation.

Rabid

After Rose (Marilyn Chambers) is severely injured in a motorcycle accident, her boyfriend Hart (Frank Moore) brings her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor performs experimental plastic surgery. It results in the bizarre development of an armpit stinger and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Rose’s victims wind up becoming blood-thirsty zombies. The outbreak is peripheral, as the focus always remains on Rose’s struggle with what she’s becoming. It’s an engaging, tragic vampire story in only the way David Cronenberg could deliver. The holiday connection is minimal, a memorable and horrifying scene occurs at a mall with Santa Claus.

Sole Survivor

The lone survivor of a plane crash is dealing with a severe case of survivor’s guilt. Haunted feelings of unworthiness become literal when Death comes to finish what it started, sending undead corpses after her. This eerie, atmospheric creepfest plays like a cross between Final Destination and Carnival of Souls, and it’s set during Christmas time. The holiday spirit isn’t alive and well in this atmospheric downer, however.

The post 10 Holiday Horror Movies for Anyone Who Hates the Holidays [12 Days of Creepmas] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This June was absolutely jam-packed with several horror gems hitting our SCREAMBOX streaming service, including the hotly anticipated must-see definitive documentary Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, not to mention Wes Craven’s original A Nightmare on Elm Street, Tobe Hooper’s classic 1995 adaptation of The Mangler (also starring Robert Englund), George A. Romero’s zombie classic Day of the Dead, Marcus Dunstan’s slasher The Collector, the supernatural festival hit Jethica, the SCREAMBOX Original body horror thriller New Religion, and the entire Subspecies franchise!

We’re ending the month with a bang, also dropping both David Cronenberg and the Soska Sisters’ Rabid, which are now streaming on SCREAMBOX.

Interestingly, David Cronenberg’s 1977 masterpiece is actually a Christmas-set horror film. In the film, surgery leaves a Montreal motorcyclist with a bloodsucking appendage in her armpit. Soon she has an insatiable thirst for human blood.

The remake by the Soska Sisters follows aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller (Laura Vandervoort) who has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted?

It may just cost her her humanity.

Meagan reviewed the Rabid remake, calling it “a love letter to Cronenberg and Canada,” and further adding that the “gore and makeup effects are worth the price of admission, and so is this new iteration of Rose.”

ALSO READ: Unsettling and Startlingly Topical: ‘Rabid’ as Prototypical Cronenberg

Oh, and if you’re a new subscriber, don’t forget to check out previous SCREAMBOX Original and Exclusives Project Wolf Hunting, The Barn Part II, Shifted, Living With Chucky, Pennywise: The Story of IT, Family Dinner, Holy Shit!, The Outwaters, Terrifier 2, CreepyPasta, Cube, Welcome to Hell, and much, much more! Subscribe now!

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

The post ‘Rabid’ Remake and David Cronenberg’s Original Shocker Now Streaming on SCREAMBOX! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That makes them perfect watches when you’ve already exhausted the holiday horror classics and want something a little outside the box. Or way out of the box, in some instances.

As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

The Brain – Freevee, Prime Video

Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant meatball of a mutant brain to brainwash his audience. It’s up to a plucky teen prankster to save the day. The Brain is the brainchild of director Ed Hunt and screenwriter Barry Pearson, who’d previously teamed up to deliver the creepy kid slasher film Bloody Birthday. They aim for the self-help/self-esteem craze of the period by way of low-budget sci-fi horror that feels apropos of the atomic ‘50s. It’s wacky, “anything goes” type of cheesy fun. While the abundant Christmas décor makes it clear what time of year this story takes place, the holiday never factors into the plot in any meaningful way.

The Conjuring 2 – HBO Max, Netflix

Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to North London to help a struggling family deal with one terrifying haunting. James Wan’s sequel dials up the terror and introduces a few memorable ghosts. That includes the scene-stealing demonic nun, Valak. As if that’s not enough, it happens to be the holiday season. Ed and Lorraine may be busy fighting evil here, but they also make time to spread some holiday cheer. At least for one quiet, super sweet holiday serenade. 

Inside – The Roku Channel

Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s debut is one mean sucker punch of a movie. It’s a ruthless entry into home invasion horror that doles out punishment and pain, a peak of New French Extremity. The plot sees a very pregnant but depressed woman forced to fight off another woman determined to claim her unborn baby at any cost. It’s grim and gruesome and happens to be set over Christmas. Does Inside get into the holiday spirit beyond a few tell-tale signs of the setting? No, but you’ll be too busy holding your breath to notice.

Maniac Cop 2 – AMC+, Arrow, Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi, Vudu

From writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig, this sequel wastes no time dispatching the protagonists of the previous entry. That means a new pair of heroes to battle undead maniac cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), and this time he’s enlisted an ally in the form of a serial killer. Expanded mythology, new characters, and double the baddies are the tip of the entertaining iceberg here. It’s a sequel that manages to top the original, and in true ’90s style, Maniac Cop 2 even comes with a rap theme song. All set over Christmas, of course.

Rabid – Kanopy, Prime Video, Tubi

After Rose (Marilyn Chambers) is severely injured in a motorcycle accident, her boyfriend Hart (Frank Moore) brings her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor performs experimental plastic surgery. It results in the bizarre development of an armpit stinger and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Rose’s victims wind up becoming blood-thirsty zombies. The outbreak is peripheral, as the focus always remains on Rose’s struggle with what she’s becoming. It’s an engaging, tragic vampire story in only the way David Cronenberg could deliver. Though the holiday connection is minimal, a memorable and horrifying scene occurs at a mall with Santa Claus.

The post 5 Horror Movies to Stream This Week That You Might Not Even Realize Are Christmas Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While he long ago departed from horror, he’s set to return in a significant way with Crimes of the Future. NEON releases Cronenberg’s return to body horror in theaters on June 3.

In the film, “As the human species adapts to a synthetic environment, the body undergoes new transformations and mutations. With his partner, Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a celebrity performance artist, publicly showcases the metamorphosis of his organs in avant-garde performances.

“Timlin (Kristen Stewart), an investigator from the National Organ Registry, obsessively tracks their movements, which is when a mysterious group is revealed… Their mission – to use Saul’s notoriety to shed light on the next phase of human evolution.”

The film’s cast also includes Scott Speedman, Welket Bungué, Don McKellar, Lihi Kornowski, Tanaya Beatty, Nadia Litz, Yorgos Karamichos, and Yorgos Pirpassopoulos.

We’re celebrating Cronenberg’s return to the genre by looking back at eight of his most memorable body horror moments.

Rabid – Armpit Stinger

Cronenberg delivered another outbreak horror movie two years after Shivers. This time, the origin is an experimental surgery that causes a horrific mutation in patient Rose (Marilyn Chambers). Poor Rose discovers a newfound thirst for human blood, and her victims become rabid-like aggressors that spread their infection. Leave it to Cronenberg to infuse a vampire with body horror; Rose feeds on her victims with a sharp phallic stinger that emerges from a new opening in her armpit.

Shivers – Bathtub Terror

Cronenberg blends sex and violence in a nightmarish parasitic outbreak in a high-rise apartment complex. Scientifically engineered parasites meant to replace functioning human organs instead renders their hosts sexually violent, hellbent on spreading their infection to others. How the pulsing worm-like parasites infect provides a lot of gnarly body horror moments, including a bloody bathtub moment that sees a parasite force its way into resident Betts’ (Barbara Steele) body while she’s taking a bath. 

Dead Ringers – Mutated Surgery

The body horror is far more understated here to underscore the deteriorating psychological state of Dr. Beverly Mantle (Jeremy Irons) and twin brother Elliot (also Irons). Depression, paranoia, and prescription drug abuse instill delusions in Beverly, creating horrified discoveries of mutated vaginas on the operating table. These mutations are never shown by design; it’s all in Beverly’s head. What Cronenberg instead offers the viewer is the archaic torture devices that Beverly uses as surgical tools. The viewer’s imagination runs wild from there, creating something far more effective and unsettling.

Scanners – Head Explosion

A gruesome horror moment so iconic that it precedes the entire film. In it, antagonist Revok (Michael Ironside) infiltrates a marketing event and volunteers to assist with a ConSec Scanner’s display of power, the latter utterly unaware that Revok himself is also a Scanner. The scene builds in intensity until that brain-splattering pop results in the audience recoiling in terror. 

eXistenZ – Micro Pods

Reality becomes impossible to detect thanks to gaming’s next level “bio-ports,” fleshy biotechnological ports surgically inserted near the spine so players can connect to virtual reality games. Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Pikul (Jude Law) get upgraded with new “micro-pods” so they can enter the game, and Cronenberg gets goopy with it. Extreme closeups of unnatural orifices coated with lubricant so it can slurp up the fleshy pods makes for a very squeamish way to play video games.

The Brood – Nola Gives Birth

A horde of mutant children terrorizes Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) and those around him. The climax reveals monstrous brood is the offspring of his estranged wife Nola’s (Samantha Eggar) rage, but she’s so isolated and psychologically broken that she doesn’t quite grasp what’s happening. She lifts her dress to reveal how these homicidal children have come to exist- Nola’s psychoplasmically-induced external womb. She births one in front of Frank, tearing it out from the fluid-filled sac, and thanks to Eggar’s instinct as an actress, licks the newborn clean like a cat.

Videodrome – “Open Up, Max”

This late scene sees Videodrome’s producer, Barry Convex (Leslie Carlson), insert an undulating tape into a now gaping slit in Max’s (James Woods) torso. The cassette allows Barry and the company to brainwash and control Max, which would be terrifying enough. Cronenberg takes it to a whole new icky level by drawing the tape insertion out to excruciating levels with a visual and aural assault. The pulsing and squelching flesh induce discomfort. Then, Max uses his new wound as gun storage.

The Fly – “I’m Scared”

Cronenberg’s The Fly starts unleashing no shortage of body horror moments the second poor Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) unwittingly merges his DNA with that of a housefly. None is as horrific or heartbreaking as when Ronnie (Geena Davis) returns to his loft to find that Seth’s human side has deteriorated grotesquely. He confesses to her how terrified he is of losing himself, between vomiting digestive enzymes and ears falling off. They hug each other in terror as he begs for help. It’s a visceral moment that repulses as much as it engenders empathy; you’re desperate for these two to find a way through it even as Seth’s journey tests your gag reflex.

Crimes of the Future releases in theaters on June 3. Get your tickets now!

The post 8 Most Memorable Body Horror Moments in David Cronenberg’s Works appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For horror fans, this is the time of the year to watch as many holiday horror movies as possible, and with so many to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Do you revisit all your favorites that you’ve already seen countless times, or do you seek out new gems to add to the rotation? Perhaps a wintry mix of both?

If you’re looking to expand your holiday horror horizons beyond the tried and true staples, like Black Christmas or Gremlins (they’re covered too), we’ve compiled a massive guide to help. What exactly does that mean? Any horror movie that fully embraces the holiday iconography and is set around (or on) Christmas earns a spot, whether naughty or nice.

With over 120 holiday genre titles on this list, well, there’s a lot to unwrap.

So, let’s get straight to it!

A Cadaver Christmas

When the cadaver lab at a university creates a horde of zombies on Christmas Eve, thanks to a nutty professor, the campus’s janitor enlists a bunch of town locals to help him save Christmas. A splatstick indie horror-comedy, A Cadaver Christmas aims to paint the snow red.

A Christmas Horror Story

This horror anthology set on Christmas Eve connects five seasonally themed tales of terror via a radio DJ (William Shatner). High school students investigating a holiday suicide, a son behaving eerily after the family obtains their Christmas tree, another family stalked and terrorized by Krampus, and poor Santa Claus battling zombie elves at the North Pole all put the ho-ho-ho in holiday horror.

A Christmas Tale (2005)

Part of Spanish television series Films to Keep You Awake, Paco Plaza (Veronica, REC) centered his feature-length episode around Christmas. Set in 1985, a group of kids spending their holiday at a coastal village stumble across a woman dressed in a Santa suit trapped in a pit. When they discover the woman is an infamous thief, they decide to keep her trapped and torture her in the hopes she shares where she hid her loot. They realize the error of their ways after the woman frees herself and seeks bloody revenge.

Alien Raiders

A few days before Christmas, shoppers and employees are wrapping up before closing time at a small-town store when masked gunmen burst in, kill a few people and take the rest hostage. They’re not robbers, though, but rogue scientists trying to determine which of the remaining hostages are aliens in disguise. This one’s a low-budget sci-fi horror flick in the vein of The Thing, but at Christmas.

All the Creatures Were Stirring

An awkward first date on Christmas Eve at a bizarre theater unveils multiple tales of yuletide horror all centered around the holiday. Segments about white elephant gift exchanges at the office, last minute holiday shopping and demons, a vengeful Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer and more offer up different twists on holiday horror.

All Through the House

A deranged masked killer dressed as Santa comes to town to wreak havoc and pile up a hefty body count. The blood flows free and the killer leaves a trail of corpses in his wake as he merrily slaughters his way to the town’s most infamous home.

American Exorcist

Paranormal investigator Georgette Dubois investigates reported paranormal activity in a skyscraper on Christmas Eve. Naturally, she finds far more than she bargained for when she becomes trapped by evil on the top floor. Bill Moseley stars.

Anna and the Apocalypse

High school just got a lot tougher for Anna and her friends when a zombie apocalypse threatens her small town. They’ll have to band together to fight, slash, and sing their way through a horde of the undead to reach their loved ones. Yes, this is a high school musical, but for all the Christmas cheer there’s an equal amount of bleakness and bloodshed.

Another WolfCop

The stockings were hung from the, uh, wolf cock with cheer in this holiday set follow up to B-movie romp WolfCop. Alcoholic officer Lou Garou, now far more comfortable in his werewolf skin, and his partner Tina team up to save their town from an evil businessman that seduces the residents with beer and hockey.

ATM

After leaving their office Christmas party, three co-workers find themselves trapped in an ATM booth late at night due to a stalking hooded figure outside. Their fight for survival in the cat-and-mouse game with the serial killer is compounded by the winter conditions.

Await Further Instructions

Christmas day gets weird when a family finds themselves trapped inside their home by a mysterious substance outside. The only clue is a TV message that tells them to “Stay indoors and await further instructions.” Holidays are hell as it is, but paranoia escalates into violence.

Babes in Toyland (1934)

Also known as March of the Wooden Soldiers, this yuletide children’s fantasy film isn’t horror, but some of these characters offer up pure nightmare fuel. Set in a Nursery Rhyme town, an evil landlord tries to marry Little Bo Peep when her mom can’t pay the mortgage. When Laurel and Hardy try to save the day, the landlord unleashes his Bogeyman.

Batman Returns

I know, I know. This is a superhero movie. But it’s directed by Tim Burton, who can’t help but create a lush Gothic atmosphere for Gotham. Set over Christmas, Batman takes on the Penguin (a very horror-centric approach to the character), an evil businessman, and a love/hate battle with Catwoman. The eerie look of the circus gang, the cold set pieces, the sadistic villains; all with Burton’s unique, macabre aesthetic. It’s genre adjacent enough for horror fans to embrace, anyway.

Bikini Bloodbath Christmas

The third entry in the Bikini Bloodbath series that parodies ‘80s slashers sees Jenny and Sharon once again stalked by a killer chef. This time, it’s during Christmas. Debbie Rochon reprises her role as the volleyball coach, Miss Johnson.

Better Watch Out

The suburbs just got a whole lot weirder with this mean Christmas twist on home invasion horror. A babysitter must defend herself and her ward from intruders, but nothing is remotely what it seems. Remember that scene in Home Alone where Kevin McCallister swung paint cans from the upstairs railing to thwart his intruders? Look for writer/director Chris Peckover to take it to the next level.

Black Christmas (1974)

During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger. A seminal holiday horror staple; look for obscene phone calls, Margot Kidder to steal all of her scenes, and one eerie killer.

Black Christmas (2006)

In the first remake of the 1974 classic, Billy gets a backstory. On Christmas Eve, an escaped maniac returns to his childhood home, which is now a sorority house, and begins to murder the sorority sisters one by one. It’s a much bloodier affair this go ‘round.

Black Christmas (2019)

In the newest remake, the formula gets a major shakeup. A group of female students are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break. That is until the young sorority pledges discover that the killer is part of an underground college conspiracy.

The Blackout (2009)

Residents of an apartment building find themselves trapped inside during city-wide blackouts and tremors on Christmas Eve. When something monstrous hatches in the building’s basement, the residents find they’ll have to band together to survive.

Blood Beat (1983)

A young woman decides to accompany her boyfriend when he heads home to rural Wisconsin for Christmas. Probably not a great call, because they have to then contend with a woman possessed by the spirit of a Japanese samurai warrior in this weird sort of holiday slasher. Oh, the ‘80s.

Body (2015)

Holly, Cali and Mel are celebrating the holidays together on Christmas Eve. Cali convinces the friends to head out for a night of fun at her uncle’s mansion, deserted for Christmas. After hours of enjoying the place, it quickly becomes clear that Cali lied. This expansive home doesn’t belong to her family at all, and the night goes catastrophically awry with deadly consequences.

Caesar and Otto’s Deadly Xmas

In the fifth entry in the Caesar and Otto series, Caesar and his half-brother Otto take on the role of Santa and his elf. When a fellow store Santa develops a serious grudge against the pair, the body count starts piling up. Look for appearances by horror vets Linnea Quigley, Felissa Rose, Brinke Stevens, Lloyd Kaufman and more.

Calvaire

Marc is a traveling entertainer on his way home for Christmas when his van breaks down near a backwater town. A town that just so happens to have some very peculiar residents. Marc’s holiday is about to get very depraved and uncomfortable.

Cannibal Claus

A disgruntled mall Santa finds himself without a job on Christmas Eve, so he does what any cannibal does; head out onto the town to find himself some victims to chop up for Christmas BBQ.

The Children (2008)

A relaxing Christmas vacation among friends and family turns into a terrifying fight for survival when a sickness begins spreading among the children. It turns them into homicidal maniacs with grisly designs on their parents.

Christmas Blood

After a 13-year reign of terror on Christmas in Norway, a psychopath is finally caught and kept in solitary for years. That is, until he breaks out and sets his sights on a new little town over the holidays. A group of friends celebrating in that fateful village find themselves on this killer Santa’s naughty list.

Christmas Cruelty!

A killer Santa strikes again in Norway in this holiday horror slasher. It follows both the group of unwitting survivors and the killer as he plots his invasion and murder schemes. Over Christmas, of course.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Also known as La Nuit du Reveillon, this French holiday thriller sees a group of friends gathered for dinner on Christmas Eve. They all seem to lead happy, successful lives until a masked stranger arrives to take them hostage and force them to confess their dark secrets and lies.

Christmas Evil

After a traumatic childhood experience over learning the truth about Santa Claus, a toy factory employee suffers a nervous breakdown. As a result, he dons a Santa suit and embarks on a killing spree.

Christmas Presence

A group of friends gather for the holiday season at a remote lodge, but one of the friends goes missing. The truth behind why the lodge was booked for the holiday comes to light, and chaos ensues. Deadly chaos.

The Christmas Season Massacre

As a child, Tommy was gifted an eye-patch on Christmas as a token of humiliation inflicted by his school bullies. He snapped. Tommy spent years slaying all of his tormentors, until only six remained. Those six decide to band together and attempt to turn the tables in this SOV horror movie.

Christmas Slay

A trio of college friends head to the idyllic Mistletoe Lodge in the Scottish Highlands, but their festive plans are interrupted by a psycho in a Santa suit.

Christmas With the Dead

Calvin seeks to fulfill a promise made to his wife, correct his mistakes, and make it the best Christmas ever. He refuses to let a horde of the undead or the fact that it’s June get in his way. Calvin teams up with a zombie slayer to make his holiday dreams a reality.

The Conjuring 2

Ed and Lorraine Warren head to the London suburb of Enfield to make one struggling family’s holiday bright and merry. Or rather, they’re helping a struggling mother and her four children contend with a seriously menacing supernatural presence in their home. Christmas isn’t as prominent in this one, but it does make its presence known.

The Curse of the Cat People

The sequel to 1942’s Cat People is a very different beast from its predecessor. It’s a yuletide ghost story that follows the young daughter of Oliver and Alice. She’s lonely and friendless, and finds herself befriending her father’s deceased first wife, Irena.

Darkest Night

A family gathers for a reunion and marriage announcement on Christmas Day at an isolated mansion in the Philippine mountains only to encounter a series of bizarre, horrifying, and demonic events. By way of found footage, that is.

The Day of the Beast

A Catholic priest discovers that the Antichrist will be born on Christmas Eve, and so he sets about committing a series of sins in an effort to thwart the birth. He enlists a heavy metal aficionado and an Italian occult expert to aid his quest. Are we all doomed this Christmas? Alex de la Iglesia brings the blasphemous humor.

Dead by Christmas

Christmas Past rears its ugly head when a group of former orphans are reunited for the holidays. Stalking and mayhem ensues.

Dead End

For the first time in 20 years, Frank decides to take a shortcut on his way to his in-laws for Christmas. He and his family wind up getting lost in the middle of nowhere, but that’s not even the worst of it. Things get pretty spooky on Christmas Eve, but there’s also some humor to match.

Dead of Night (1945)

This British horror anthology tells multiple tales of terror, but only one relates to the holiday. “The Christmas Party” spins a chilling story of a ghostly encounter during a children’s Christmas gathering.

Deadly Games

Also known as Game Over and Dial Code Santa Claus, this French horror thriller follows a lonely but resourceful young boy obsessed with Rambo as he’s left alone with his grandfather on Christmas Eve. When a psycho dressed as Santa Claus breaks into his mansion, the boy pulls out all the stops to save himself and his grandpa.

Deadly Little Christmas

An eight-year-old boy slaughters his entire family on Christmas day. He’s locked away in an asylum for fifteen years, until he breaks out with plans to start anew. Now that he’s much older, his Christmas massacre plans are much grander.

Deathcember

A new holiday horror anthology that collects 24 short films from 24 international directors with wide-ranging style. It takes a look at the dark side of the festive season. These shorts are linked by animated segments revolving around the Advent calendar.

Deep Red

Dario Argento’s giallo masterpiece. In it, a jazz pianist and a journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery and death after the jazz pianist witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic. For the most part, Deep Red isn’t a Christmas horror movie, but the holiday is particularly meaningful to the killer- especially in flashbacks.

Dismembering Christmas

A large group of high school kids decide to spend the holidays together at a remote winter lake house. It wouldn’t be holiday horror if they weren’t stalked and killed by a psycho, and so they are.

The Dorm That Dripped Blood

Instead of going home for Christmas, a group of college students volunteers to stay behind to help clear out a dorm for imminent renovations. They find themselves stalked and gruesomely murdered by an unknown assailant. Sometimes going home for the holidays is the better option.

Don’t Open Till Christmas

One serious Christmas grinch is slaying anyone dressed as Santa over the holiday season. The Scotland Yard have their hands full trying to crack the case before Christmas is canceled.

The Elf (2017)

Nick, who witnessed a murder as a child, inherits an old toy shop as an adult. In it he finds an elf doll locked away inside an old chest alongside a list with his family’s names on it. It turns out that the doll is an evil conduit that unleashes a killing spree once freed.

Elves (1989)

A woman discovers that she is the focus of an evil Nazi experiment involving selective breeding and summoned elves, a bizarre attempt to create a race of super elf men. She’s trapped with friends inside a department store with an evil elf on the loose, and only Santa can stop it. If you’re looking for utterly weird ‘80s Christmas horror, add this to the list.

Elves (2018)

The sequel to 2017’s The Elf, and this time there are multiple elves unleashed from old chests. Each elf represents one of the seven deadly sins, and only a woman named Clover can save Christmas.

Feeders 2: Slay Bells

The sequel to Feeders gets into the holiday spirit. Aliens invade Earth over the Christmas holidays, and it’s up to Santa Claus and his elves to save the world.

Follow

A man receives an early Christmas present from his girlfriend and blacks out shortly after. When he wakes up, he finds a gun in his hand and his girlfriend dead. Christmas has just become a waking nightmare.

The Gingerdead Man

After a serial killer is executed by electric chair, his ashes are sent to his mother, a witch. She mixes them into a gingerbread mix, which is then baked into a cookie, and voila. The killer is reborn in gingerbread cookie form to continue his killing spree once more. Gary Busey plays the killer.

Good Tidings

A homeless war vet with an unsavory past is forced to lean into that past when he and his friends are targeted by a trio of psychos in Santa suits on Christmas day.

Gremlins

When a dad brings his son a mysterious new pet for Christmas, the son wastes no time breaking three vital rules in the pet’s care. He unleashes a horde of dangerous and mischievous green minions that threaten to destroy Christmas and the entire town. A holiday classic.

Hide & Seek

Hailing from India, this holiday horror sees five former friends abducted and held captive in a mall by a person dressed as Santa. That person demands they play a deadly game of hide-and-seek.

Holiday Hell

On Christmas Eve, a shopkeeper regales a last-minute shopper with four tales of terror based on items in his shop. Jeffrey Combs plays the shopkeeper in this anthology, and the segments each take aim at a different holiday, including Hanukkah.

Holidays

A horror anthology that features eight segments, each representing a different holiday. The second to last segment, “Christmas,” revolves around the holiday’s hottest gift item- virtual reality glasses. Things get deadly, but perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

Home for the Holidays (1972)

Four sisters have been estranged from their wealthy father for years after their mother committed suicide. Ailing in health, he summons them home for Christmas, but it comes with a proposition. He asks his daughters to kill his new wife, who he suspects is poisoning him.

I Trapped the Devil

Matt and his wife Karen show up unannounced at the home of his estranged brother Steve to celebrate the holidays. They’re worried about Steve’s paranoid mental state, but they become downright horrified when they discover he has a man locked in his basement. A man Steve is adamant is the devil.

I’m Dreaming of a White Doomsday

After an apocalypse, a mother struggles to keep her 8-year-old son alive in their bomb shelter. It’s the holidays; does this bleak landscape offer any Christmas miracles for the pair?

Infinite Santa 8000

A thousand years after war, greed, and famine destroyed the human race, only mutants, robots, and scum are left to fend for themselves. It’s a kill or be killed situation. Including Santa Claus. Infinite Santa 8000 is an animated feature film with a motion comic aesthetic.

Inside (2007)

Still reeling from the loss of her husband, a very pregnant woman is tormented in her home by a strange woman determined to claim her unborn baby. It’s set on Christmas, though the holiday’s presence is minimal.

Inside (2016)

A remake of the 2007 French film, with an identical plot setup; a pregnant woman is stalked by a stranger obsessed with her unborn baby.

Jack Frost (1997)

A freak accident involving a genetic research truck exposes a serial killer to chemicals. Those chemicals cause the killer to dissolve and fuse with snow, turning him into a homicidal snowman hellbent on revenge.

Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman

Killer snowman Jack Frost is back to attack! This time he’s taking on Christmas at a tropical beach resort. Wacky hijinks ensue.

Jaws: The Revenge

Shark revenge is personal in this Christmas-set sequel. Chief Brody’s widow believes that her family is deliberately being targeted by another shark in search of revenge.

Killer Christmas

Six friends decide to explore an abandoned hotel near a Christmas tree lot. It turns out to be a horrible decision, when they find themselves stalked and murdered by a psycho in a Santa mask.

Krampus (2015)

When Max’s dysfunctional family won’t stop fighting and nothing goes as planned, he turns his back on Christmas and accidentally summons Krampus. All hell breaks loose as Krampus and his horde of minions punish Max and his family.

Krampus: The Christmas Devil

As an adult, Jeremy is a police officer still desperate to solve the mystery of his kidnapping as a child. When other children begin to go missing, Jeremy discovers that his kidnapper is none other than Krampus, and it’s up to him to stop the ancient creature from claiming any more victims.

Krampus: The Reckoning

Zoe is a strange little girl with an imaginary friend named Krampus. Only he’s not so imaginary after all; Krampus seeks to punish all the naughty residents of Zoe’s small town.

Krampus 2: The Devil Returns

A sequel to Krampus: The Christmas Devil. Five years after the murder of his wife and disappearance of his daughter, former police offer Jeremy is brought back to hunt Krampus. He learns shocking truths along the way, in his bid to save Christmas.

Krampus Origins

During WWI, a group of soldiers find an artifact that contains the spirit of Krampus. Naturally, they send it to an orphanage, and the orphans accidentally summon Krampus.

Krampus Unleashed

The Christmas demon has been awakened once again thanks to a group of treasure hunters. It turns out that centuries of slumber have left Krampus seriously hungry for blood.

Lake Alice

Ryan decides to accompany his girlfriend on her family trip to their cabin in the woods for the holidays. He’s seeking approval from her father, but instead, the trip turns into a fight for survival when both a blizzard and a killer show up.

Last Stop on the Night Train

Also known as Night Train Murders, this one borrows heavily from The Last House on the Left and The Virgin Springs. The plot sees two girls on an overnight train to Italy for Christmas get brutalized by a trio of criminals. Those criminals unwittingly wind up at the girls’ parents’ home.

The Lodge

A stepmom-to-be tries to bond with her fiancé’s two children over Christmas at the family’s remote lodge. Just when it seems as though icy relations between the trio will thaw, the power goes out and strange things start happening. Sadly, this eerie release was bumped back from November of this year to February 2020, but it’s close enough that it’s going on this list.

Lucky Stiff (1988)

After being left at the altar by his fiancée, a jilted loser is invited by a beautiful woman to celebrate Christmas with her family. Little does he know that her family are cannibals and he’s intended to be Christmas dinner. This horror-comedy was directed by Norman Bates himself, Anthony Perkins.

The Melancholy Fantastic

A slow-burn Christmas tale for the arthouse crowd, this one is a yuletide portrait of grief and loneliness told through the perspective of an isolated girl and her life-sized doll.

Mercy Christmas

Like Lucky Stiff, this horror-comedy follows an unwitting fellow that meets the woman of his dreams. He’s elated when she invites him over to her family’s for Christmas dinner; but he soon learns that he’s on the menu. With a name like Michael Briskett, he’s the main course.

Mother Krampus

Based on the Alpine legend of Frau Perchta, the Christmas Witch. For the 12 days before Christmas, children of a small town went missing. When it happened again, the locals hung a woman they believed to be the killer, and before dying she placed a curse so that Frau Perchta would avenge her death. This Christmas, both children and adult alike are in mortal danger.

Mother Krampus 2: Slay Ride

Four women are completing their mandatory community service over Christmas, which entails making visits to the elderly. On their final stop of the night, a cheery old woman invites them inside for the evening. But this is Mother Krampus 2, and things aren’t what they seem.

Mrs. Claus

A sorority house with a nefarious past is hosting a Christmas party for college co-eds. They find themselves stalked and slayed by a killer, but this time the killer is dressed as Mrs. Claus.

The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas

Poor little Eddie Munster has the blues, and his family is determined to get him into the holiday spirit in this Munsters Christmas special. The feature film is loaded with all the Christmas feels and Munster gags you could ever want.

Nekrotronic

This horror-comedy centers around a man that discovers he’s of a lineage of demon hunters, which proves vital in the modern world where demons have taken over the internet. The epic battle of good versus evil happens to take place over Christmas time.

Night of the Comet

It’s Christmas time in the Valley when a comet passes by, wiping out most of humanity. It leaves two sisters battling against zombies, ruthless scientists, and more. A fun ‘80s classic that doesn’t hang its plot on the holiday, but the iconography is present enough throughout that it definitely counts.

The Night of the Hunter

A terrifying Southern gothic, fairy tale noir film that sees Robert Mitchum as a ruthless killer who terrorizes two young children for the location of hidden money after murdering their mother. Christmas only factors into the plot at the tail end, but it’s worth seeking out.

Night Visitors (1987)

The Whitmore family home is decked out in Christmas décor and all prepped and ready for the holidays. Their holiday cheer is threatened by the arrival of a bizarre gang that takes over the home and forces the family to participate in weird rituals to appease their leader.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

After another successful Halloween, Jack Skellington is looking to shake things up. Upon discovering Christmas Town, he decides to bring Christmas to Halloween Town. It doesn’t just confuse the residents; it threatens to ruin Christmas for everyone. Tim Burton nails Gothic Christmas once again.

Nixon and Hogan Smoke Christmas

Stoners Nixon and Hogan have to help Santa deliver presents on Christmas after Santa accidentally toked some bad weed. Weed that turned him into a zombie.

Once Upon a Time at Christmas

In the twelve days leading up to Christmas, a psychotic Santa and Mrs. Claus go on a murder spree in a small town.

One Hell of a Christmas

Carlitos is released from prison around Christmas after serving hard time. He intends to turn a new leaf and set an example for his son, but his friend involves him in a stolen claw scheme and demonic forces will do anything to get it back.

P2

Workaholic Angela finds herself the lone employee working late at the office on Christmas Eve. When she finally attempts to leave to visit family, an unhinged security guard holds her captive in the parking garage. Co-written by Alexandre Aja and directed by Franck Khalfoun (2012’s Maniac).

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

A family moves into a new house and discovers a video camera and a box of tapes in the garage. When they look through the camera’s lens, they begin to see the paranormal activity happening around them – including the re-emergence of young Kristi and Katie. This not-quite final entry in the popular found footage series happens to take place at Christmas.

Pastorela

Agent Jesus Juarez has always played the Devil in his town’s Nativity Play (Pastorela). This Christmas, the new pastor has recast the part, angering Juarez, and the two men engage in a battle between good and evil.

The Path (2012)

A chess player invites his estranged wife and son to travel with him to a remote cabin in the woods for Christmas. He grows jealous when he thinks his wife is interested in the handyman. He invites that man over for Christmas Eve, and things spiral out of control thanks to a paranoid mind.

Pooka!

An actor lands a seasonal job as a plush, life-sized version of the holiday’s hottest toy. The more he wears the suit, the more he seems to lose track of time. The Pooka suit seems to be taking over his persona. This is the third entry in Hulu’s Into the Dark series.

Psycho Santa

On the drive to a Christmas gathering, a man taunts his wife about a local urban legend of a psychotic Santa. It turns out to be true, and their holiday party becomes a bloodbath.

Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys

This Puppet Master and Demonic Toys crossover event takes place on Christmas Eve. A group of evil toymakers seek to use Andre Toulon’s formula to give life to killer toys; luckily Toulon’s nephew is there with the puppets to stop the sinister plot.

Rabid (1977)

An experimental surgery post-accident leaves Rose with an insatiable thirst for blood. Her victims become crazed zombies, causing a city-wide epidemic in this David Cronenberg favorite. Though the holiday connection is minimal, a memorable scene takes place at a mall with Santa.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

On Christmas Eve, an archaeological dig on a Northern Finland mountaintop unearths Santa Claus. Only this Santa is an ancient yuletide nightmare. When local children begin to disappear, it’s up to young Pietari to save the day. This Christmas, everyone will believe in Santa.

Red Christmas (2016)

Christmas past comes back to terrorize a mother who simply wants a nice Christmas with her family. Instead, she finds herself doing whatever she can to stop the figure from destroying them all.

Santa Claus (1959)

Featured in the fifth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, this oddball film sees the devil Pitch attempting to ruin Christmas. Santa has to team up with Merlin the Magician to save the day.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Featured on both Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Elvira’s Movie Macabre, Santa Claus and two children are kidnapped by Martians and brought back to Mars. The group teach the Martians the joy of the holiday.

Santa Claus versus the Zombies

A suburban family finds themselves barricaded in their homes with couple of elves and an actor who may, or may not, be the real Santa Claus after a zombie outbreak. The president and his advisers concoct a plan to save them all.

Santa Claws (1996)

After a man finds his mom having sex with a Santa, he snaps and kills them both. Years later he’s convinced that he’s Santa and begins stalking the object of his latest obsession; a horror movie star named Raven (Debbie Rochon).

Santa’s Slay

Once upon a time, Santa was an evil demon who made a bet with an angel and lost. As a result, he was forced to become the benign Christmas toy giver he’s associated with. When that bet is off, he returns to his evil ways and the body count starts piling up.

Saint

On the full moon of December 5, the murderous evil spirit St. Nicholas comes to town to unleash terror and mayhem along with his zombie-like Black Peters. From Dick Maas, the mind behind Amsterdamned.

Secret Santa (2015)

A group of college kids stressed over their exams plan an alcohol-infused party with a Secret Santa gift exchange. It’s all fun and games until a killer shows up for some yuletide terror.

Secret Santa (2018)

A dysfunctional family gathering for Christmas turns into a gruesome nightmare when someone spikes the punch with a mysterious drug. It renders them crazed and homicidal. This one is from Jason Goes to Hell’s Adam Marcus.

Scrooged

Frank Cross (Bill Murray) is a cynical, selfish TV executive haunted by the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future in this ‘80s retelling of A Christmas Carol. Sure, it’s a comedy, but some of those ghosts can be pretty spooky. As well as Frank’s dead mentor Lew. A festive gateway horror movie, perhaps?

Sheitan

Translated as Satan, Sheitan follows a group of friends that decide to spend Christmas Eve partying at a club. They run into a shepherd that’s prepared a night of pure insanity and Satan worshipping. Things get disturbing.

Sick for Toys

Roy is a self-identified nice guy tired of coming in last. It prompts him to accept a Christmas dinner invitation by the beautiful and strange Emilia. If you’ve been reading along, then at this point in the list it should come as no surprise that this mysterious dinner won’t end well.

Silent Night

A very, very loose remake, or reimagining, of Silent Night, Deadly Night. A killer dressed as Santa embarks on a murder spree on Christmas Eve, leaving the police scrambling to catch him.

Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)

When a man inherits a mansion, he returns home to sell it. In the process, he discovers harrowing truths about the mansion’s history. It unsettles the locals and sparks horrific consequences.

Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming

A low budget reimagining/remake of 1972’s Silent Night, Bloody Night.

Silent Night Bloody Night 2: Revival

A direct sequel to 1972’s Silent Night, Bloody Night. A pair of siblings head home to pay respects to a deceased loved one and stumble upon the journal of Jeffrey Butler. Once more the dark secrets are unearthed.

Silent Night, Deadly Night

After his grandpa tells him that Santa punishes the naughty, Little Billy witnesses his parents being murdered by someone dressed as Santa. It does a real number on his psyche. Fresh out of the orphanage at 18, Billy picks up the Santa slaying mantle to punish those he deems naughty. One of horror’s requisite holiday staples.

Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2

“Garbage day!” It turns out that Billy’s murderous ways traumatized his younger brother Ricky. After Billy’s death, Ricky decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps to become a serial killer as well.

Silent Night Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out

Ricky (Bill Moseley!) awakens from a six-year coma after being kept alive by a mad doctor that experimented with ESP. As a result, Ricky targets a clairvoyant blind woman that’s on her way to grandma’s house for Christmas. The death toll rises in his wake.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation

A strange case of a woman leaping from her apartment building in flames has a reporter investigating. She gets caught up in a witch coven’s plot that intends to make her their Christmas sacrifice.

Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toymaker

An older toymaker and his son make and deliver toys that are designed to kill their owners. Meanwhile, a boy witnesses his father getting slain by one of these toys and falls mute. His mother is desperate to get to the bottom of it.

Silent Night, Zombie Night

In the days leading up to Christmas, Los Angeles is stricken with a plague that turns its residents into the walking dead. A Police Officer becomes trapped with his partner and his estranged wife.

Slay Belles

On Christmas Eve, a trio of cosplayers cross paths with the evil Krampus. To save the world, they team up with Santa (Barry Bostwick), a biker.

Sole Survivor

The lone survivor of a plane crash is dealing with a serious case of survivor’s guilt. Haunted feelings of unworthiness become literal when the dead come to collect her. Essentially a reworking of Carnival of Souls, this chiller is set over Christmas.

Stalled

Poor maintenance worker W.C. finds himself trapped in a stall in the women’s restroom during a zombie outbreak. On Christmas Eve, no less.

Tales from the Crypt (1972)

This horror anthology kicks off with a yuletide tale, “…And All Through the House.” A woman has just murdered her own husband when a psycho Santa comes along. She can’t exactly call the police, and so things escalate from there. Based on an E.C. Comics story, this tale was also redone for the Tales from the Crypt TV show.

To All a Good Night (1980)

Surprise, surprise, this Christmas slasher sees a group of teens stalked by a maniac dressed as Santa at a holiday party.

The Traveler

Val Kilmer stars as Mr. Nobody, a mysterious man that walks into a police department on Christmas Eve to confess to multiple murders. Of course, his plans are more complicated than that, and the six deputies on duty learn he’s a vengeful killer with a past that threatens them all.

Trees 2: The Root of All Evil

The plot of this movie picks up where its predecessor, Trees, left off. Ranger Cody now has a fear of trees. When killer Christmas trees invade the town of Hazelville, no one believes him.

Two Front Teeth

A tabloid reporter is determined to uncover a Christmas conspiracy involving a flight taken down by a creature with a red nose. His investigation has put him on Santa’s naughty list, and the big guy sends his undead elves to keep the reporter from the truth.

Ugly Sweater Party

An ugly sweater party gets bloody when an evil Christmas sweater possesses its wearer and renders them homicidal. This one stars Sean Whalen and Felissa Rose.

While She Was Out

Out shopping late on Christmas Eve, a woman leaves a note on a double-parked vehicle in the mall parking lot. The owner of that vehicle and his three friends don’t take kindly to the note and decide killing her is the best recourse.

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?

Hansel and Gretel gets a holiday makeover. Shelley Winters plays a demented widow that lures children to her mansion under the pretense of an annual Christmas party. She intends to keep one of the little girls. Things get weird.

Wind Chill

Two college kids share a ride home for the holiday break. The car breaks down on an isolated road, and they’re preyed upon and haunted by the ghosts of those who died there. This one stars Emily Blunt.

XX

This anthology features four segments of horror, but only the first is holiday-related. Jovanka Vuckovic’s “The Box,” based on Jack Ketchum’s short story of the same name, sees a family stricken by an unexplained illness after taking a peek at a stranger’s present on the train. Christmas is bleak for this family.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 20, 2019.

The post Bloody Disgusting’s Massive Guide to Over 120 Christmas Horror Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

One of horror’s most prominent and enduring monsters, there’s an overwhelming selection of genre films dedicated to the vampire. While Dracula might be the most classic take on the blood-sucking creature of the night, there’s no shortage of movies that explore different mythologies and rules to bring refreshing takes. Nor does it begin to cover the various tones and styles of vampire flicks, from action horror to comedies and everything in between. Meaning that narrowing it down to five is tricky. Instead of going with more familiar faves in the subgenre, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to the outliers. These vampire movies break convention and test the definition of a vampire.

If you’ve never seen Blacula and its follow-up, start there. Consider them extra credit assignments. Then, check out these five fantastic vampire horror movies, all available to stream now.

Cronos – Criterion, Kanopy, HBO Max

Guillermo del Toro’s feature debut reframed the vampire mythos at nearly every turn. Antique dealer Jesús Gris discovers a strange mechanical scarab hiding within a statue. It stings him, injecting Jesús with a solution that restores his youth, increases his energy levels, and instills a significant thirst for blood. Throw in a dangerous businessman that’s been after the scarab for years, and Jesús’s newfound vampirism causes a wake of destruction. While vampires are often portrayed as romantic figures of eternal life, del Toro centers his story around an aging grandfather. The more Jesús embraces his thirst for blood, the stranger, and less human he looks. Here, vampirism is caused by alchemy. Cronos also established one of del Toro’s most beloved themes; it’s not monsters that are the villains, but humanity.

The Lair of the White Worm – Tubi

Bram Stoker became a household name thanks to Dracula, but it wasn’t the only vampiric horror novel that he penned. Ken Russell’s loose adaptation makes it easy to see why it didn’t achieve the same level of popularity. It’s weird. That’s not a bad thing. When an archaeologist uncovers a strange skull of what appears to be a massive snake, the locals start to disappear. He suspects it might be related to an ancient worm-god, and that the enigmatic Lady Sylvia Marsh might be connected. It’s hilarious, quirky, and full of camp with a mesmerizing performance by Amanda Donohoe as Marsh. Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant also star.

Rabid – Prime Video, Tubi

It’s easy to categorize this David Cronenberg classic as a zombie movie. It does become a viral outbreak movie full of zombies, after all. But the source of it all belongs to an atypical vampire. After Rose is severely injured in a motorcycle accident, her boyfriend Hart brings her to a nearby clinic, where the doctor performs experimental plastic surgery on her. It results in the bizarre development of an armpit stinger and an unquenchable thirst for human blood. Rose’s victims wind up becoming blood-thirsty zombies. The outbreak is peripheral, as the focus always remains on Rose’s struggle with what she’s becoming. It’s an engaging, tragic vampire story in only the way Cronenberg could deliver.

The Transfiguration – Shudder, Kanopy

Michael O’Shea’s feature debut, in many ways, is a spiritual successor to George A. Romero’s Martin. It follows Milo, a troubled teen obsessed with vampires. When he meets equally disturbed teen Sophie, their budding friendship transforms Milo’s obsession with vampiric lore from fantasy into grim reality. A dark coming-of-age story set against a backdrop of a dangerous neighborhood. Milo is surrounded by visceral violence, and The Transfiguration is a powerful exploration of how that affects Milo’s psyche. This take on the vampire contains no supernatural elements; think introspective character study. And that’s what makes The Transfiguration stand out.

Vamp – Tubi

This highly entertaining horror-comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get near enough attention as she should; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper. All to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Jones’ riveting portrayal.

The post Stay Home, Watch Horror: 5 Unconventional Vampire Movies to Stream this Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This week, the Double Murder crew debates the original (1977) and remake (2019) of the film Rabid. If you like your podcast content to feature dialogue around armpit vaginas, adult movies, flying moose, professional wrestler CM Punk, and what a young David Cronenberg brings to an almost-certainly underfunded film, then this episode is for you!

So like pornstar-turned-actress Marilyn Chambers does in the original film, take a trip with us through the strangely perfect horror movie setting of Quebec as Double Murder discusses both films.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or listen in the web player below! And make sure to follow Double Murder on Facebook! And many thanks to Sam Gillmer for helping us put this episode together!

The post Double Murder Podcast: ‘Rabid’ (Original vs. Remake) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Rabid, aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller (Laura Vandervoort) has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted? It may just cost her her humanity.

Benjamin Hollingsworth, Phil Brooks (C.M. Punk), Ted Atherton, Hanneke Talbot, Mackenzie Gray, Stephen McHattie, AJ Mendez, Kevin Hanchard, and Greg Bryk also star.

Meagan reviewed Rabid, calling it “a love letter to Cronenberg and Canada”, further adding that the “gore and makeup effects are worth the price of admission, and so is this new iteration of Rose.”

Here’s the U.S. trailer:

The post ‘Rabid’ Finally Infects Canadian VOD Platforms and DVD appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the last installment of Maple Syrup Massacre, we looked at how David Cronenberg helped to pave the way for genre films in Canada, a baton that was eventually picked up by Vincenzo Natali with Cube in the late 90s. Consider that piece a primer because we’re headed back to the Godfather of Canadian genre to discuss Cronenberg’s follow-up to Shivers, 1977’s Rabid.

In some ways Rabid feels like Cronenberg giving elitists and, more broadly speaking, the Canadian public (whose outrage fueled the notorious debate about Shivers) the finger. Not only is Rabid another gratuitous horror film about a viral contagion, but the lead actor is none other than famed American porn star Marilyn Chambers. If Cronenberg was courting outrage with his feature directorial debut, he was practically begging for controversy with his sophomore effort.

None of this should suggest that Rabid isn’t a great film, though. Of the famed auteur’s early “body horror” works, it tends to get overlooked in favour of heavy hitters like The Brood, Videodrome and The Fly, but Rabid is actually a perfect continuation of the personal and thematic interests that Cronenberg first explored in Shivers.

Online plot summaries are often misleading: reviews tend to fixate on Chambers’ character, Rose, because of the actress’ real life notoriety and because the character instigates the film’s outbreak. The reality, however, is that Rabid is less about a single character and more about the failed public response to the crisis (trigger warning for rampant parallels to our current lived reality).

Early in Rabid, Rose and her boyfriend Hart Read (Frank Moore) are involved in a motorcycle accident just outside of the Keloid private hospital, named after its founder Dr. Dan Keloid (Howard Ryshpan). Hart’s arm is broken, but Rose is critically injured and must undergo an experimental surgery in order to save her life. Shortly thereafter, Rose – in a kind of hungry fugue state – begins to attack and drain blood from strangers using a phallic stinger hidden inside a vaginal slit in her armpit. Her victims become sick with rabies-like symptoms, eventually falling into comas and dying; but not before they attack, bite and infect others. In this way, the illness begins to spread uncontrollably, charted throughout the film via news reports, quarantines, check points and no shortage of public attacks.

Like Shivers, Rabid is innately interested in the physical (and often sexual) nature of the transmission of the virus. In order to quench her bloodlust, Rose is often framed embracing or pulling her victims in close and the physical struggle when she inevitably strikes at them (with her doubly sexual appendage) bears a strong resemblance to coitus. This is classic, even familiar Cronenberg territory: mad scientists, boundary pushing technology/medical procedures and horrifying body modifications that cause death and destruction.

What could be more Canadian than weird sex?

Unlike Shivers, however, Cronenberg is less interested in characters in Rabid than he is about societal breakdown. Whereas Shivers chronicles primarily aggressor/victim encounters, many of which can be read as explicitly sexual, Rabid chronicles the breakdown of society from normal to chaotic, focusing on the ill-preparedness of all levels of government and individuals.

This can be construed as a callback to the mishandling of the October Crisis by the (Pierre Elliot) Trudeau government at the turn of the decade, which began when members of an extremist political group known as the Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped James Cross, the British trade commissioner, as well as Minister of Immigration and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte. Laporte was eventually killed and Prime Minister Trudeau ultimately invoked the War Measures act, resulting in the arrest and detention of 450 citizens without charge. It’s arguably one of the darkest chapters in Canadian political history.

While it is tempting to read Chambers’ Rose as a cipher for the crisis itself (or even an American threat to Canadian society), the reality is that Rose, despite being patient zero, is first and foremost also a victim herself. Unlike in the 2019 Rabid remake, 1977 Rose is an unwilling science experiment gone wrong. She did not consent to the surgery, which was okay’d by her boyfriend and performed on her unconscious body by Dr. Keloid and his team.

Even when Rose is attacking and infecting others throughout the film, in a sense her body is acting of its own accord. This plot point sets up the entire harrowing climax as Rose inadvertently dies by suicide in a misguided effort to prove to Hart that she is not responsible for the spread of the virus by trapping herself in her apartment with a man she has recently attacked. In this moment, as Hart pleads with Rose to run away before she is consumed, Cronenberg briefly hints that he actually cares about his human characters and their micro-level drama, but in reality it is the final scene that confirms his grim, nihilistic thesis. Rose’s corpse has been deposited in a back alley and picked at by a stray dog, awaiting pick-up by hazmat-suited garbage men who proceed to throw her body away like trash.

In this way, Rose embodies the classic dualism of Cronenberg’s early female characters: as William Beard outlines in his chapter on the film in The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg, Rose is both a fantasy object of desire and a sympathetic victim of men and institutions. This is partially in keeping with the gender characteristics discussed in the first entry in this series on Backcountry, where Canadian female characters have greater agency than their male counterparts. This is also evident in the character of Hart, who adheres closely to the characteristics of Canadian men: ineffectual and unable to improve the situation, despite his best efforts.

In spite of recent real life developments that have robbed the film of its escapist elements, Rabid remains both emblematic of Canadian cinema, as well as a prototypical Cronenberg film. In 1977 the genre auteur was still refining his filmmaking craft and his storytelling capacity en route to more polished productions, but the themes and character archetypes explored here (and Shivers) would dominate his later works such as The Brood, Videodrome, Dead Ringers, and The Fly.

Looking back, Rabid is a little messy in parts, but it’s a key stepping stone in Cronenberg’s evolution and an essential entry that helped to establish a genre film industry in Canada.

The post Unsettling and Startlingly Topical: ‘Rabid’ as Prototypical Cronenberg [Maple Syrup Massacre] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rabid comes to Blu-ray from Scream Factory on February 4, 2020, and includes an audio commentary with directors & writers Jen & Sylvia Soska plus more.

Bonus Features

• Audio Commentary With Directors & Writers Jen & Sylvia Soska
• Interview With Actress Laura Vandervoot
• Theatrical Trailer

In Rabid, aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller (Laura Vandervoort) has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted? It may just cost her her humanity.

Benjamin Hollingsworth, Phil Brooks (C.M. Punk), Ted Atherton, Hanneke Talbot, Mackenzie Gray, Stephen McHattie, AJ Mendez, Kevin Hanchard, and Greg Bryk also star.

The post Jen and Sylvia Soska’s Remake of David Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ Comes to Blu-ray in February appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Rabid, aspiring fashion designer Rose Miller (Laura Vandervoort) has her dreams turned into a nightmarish reality when a freak accident leaves her horribly disfigured. After receiving a miracle procedure involving an experimental skin graft from the mysterious Burroughs Clinic, Rose is transformed into the beauty of her dreams. But nothing comes without a cost and Rose begins to feel terrifying side effects that tear at her last threads of sanity. What price will Rose have to pay to have everything she ever wanted? It may just cost her her humanity.

Rose develops a taste for blood in the exclusive clip you’ll find below.

Benjamin Hollingsworth, Phil Brooks aka C.M. Punk, Ted Atherton, Hanneke Talbot, Mackenzie Gray, Stephen McHattie, AJ Mendez, Kevin Hanchard, and Greg Bryk also star.

The post [Exclusive] Clip from Jen and Sylvia Soska’s Remake of Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ Has a Thirst for Blood appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Scream Factory! is kicking up the hype by sharing an ultraviolent clip in which a rabid patient chows down on some flesh, gobbling up several fingers.

Meagan reviewed Rabid, calling it “a love letter to Cronenberg and Canada”, further adding that the “gore and makeup effects are worth the price of admission, and so is this new iteration of Rose.”

In the film, “After aspiring fashion designer Rose (Laura Vandervoort) suffers a disfiguring traffic accident she undergoes a radical and untested stem-cell treatment. The experimental transformation is a miraculous success, transforming her into a ravishing beauty. But she soon develops an uncontrollable sexual appetite, resulting in several torrid encounters, which sees her lovers become rabid carriers of death and disease. As the illness mutates and the contagion spreads out of control, all hell breaks loose as the infected rampage through the city on a violent and gruesome killing spree.”

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The above photo comes courtesy of DreadCentral.

The post ‘Rabid’ Patient Snacks on Several Fingers [Video] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While we really would have enjoyed an October release for Rabid, the film will open in theaters and on VOD platforms Friday the 13th of December.

Meagan reviewed Rabid, calling it “a love letter to Cronenberg and Canada”, further adding that the “gore and makeup effects are worth the price of admission, and so is this new iteration of Rose.”

Here’s a brand new trailer.

In the film, “After aspiring fashion designer Rose (Laura Vandervoort) suffers a disfiguring traffic accident she undergoes a radical and untested stem-cell treatment. The experimental transformation is a miraculous success, transforming her into a ravishing beauty. But she soon develops an uncontrollable sexual appetite, resulting in several torrid encounters, which sees her lovers become rabid carriers of death and disease. As the illness mutates and the contagion spreads out of control, all hell breaks loose as the infected rampage through the city on a violent and gruesome killing spree.”

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post Gnaw on the Remake of David Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ This December [Trailer] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In this version, Rose is an aspiring fashion designer working for a renowned fashion mogul Gunter (Mackenzie Gray). Played by Laura Vandervoort, this Rose is meek, introverted and portrayed as a bit of an ugly duckling. Her adoptive sister and closest friend Chelsea (Hanneke Talbot), a model working at the same firm, tries to push Rose out of her shell by manipulating a date with Rose’s crush Brad (Benajmin Hollingsworth), a fashion photographer. When Rose finds out, she flees in embarrassment and right into the streets, which leads to a catastrophic accident that causes severe disfigurement. Luckily an experimental plastic surgeon reaches out to Rose, and offers up a unique stem cell procedure that turns Rose from ugly duckling to gorgeous swan. It also comes with a host of bizarre side effects, including a hunger for flesh. Cue the outbreak left in Rose’s wake.

The Soska sisters’ biggest update to the story is giving Rose the agency she never had before. In Cronenberg’s story, Rose was a tragic figure who never had a say in her own life. It was her boyfriend driving the motorcycle involved in her disfiguring accident. It was her boyfriend who left her in the care of Dr. Keloid, who performed the experimental procedure that irrevocably changed her life for the worse. Rose never seemed to have a say, and the tragedy of that was compounded with the desperate struggle to grasp what was happening to her body. The Soskas and Vandervoort give Rose ambition, a firm voice, and a strong moral compass. She’s the one at the wheel of the accident. She’s the one that consents to the procedure, and she’s the one driving the entire story forward. That key update changes the entire trajectory; Rose doesn’t feel like a passive voice in this larger epidemic happening around her. Rose is the epicenter of the horror and we see it almost entirely through her lens. Whereas the original captured tragedy, the Soska sisters take aim at rage.

The downside, though, is that this change affects her relationships to the characters around her. Or rather, they’re extremely underdeveloped. Brad is the love interest that keeps trying to shove his way into Rose’s life and make amends, no matter how often she pushes him away. She’s so effective at it, that the emotional punchline of that relationship falls flat. The true emotional tether of the film is her relationship with Chelsea, the caring cheerleader perpetually in her corner. But Chelsea isn’t developed enough for this sisterly bond to resonate near as strongly as it should.

Whether through overt visual homages or subtle references in seemingly throwaway dialogue, the Soska twins pay tribute to Cronenberg’s work throughout. From a minor Shivers mention to a major surgical scene that feels right out of Dead Ringers, they want to make sure it’s clear how much they respect and love the Canadian horror master. That respect and love extends to Canada, especially Toronto, as well. The city is a key character in this update, and they ensure its personality is on display. It’s reflected in the cast and crew, too.

Special makeup effects and vfx have come a very long way in the decades since the original film’s release, and so has the budget. Meaning, this is one major upgrade in the remake. With creature and prosthetic design by MASTERSFX and Steve Kostanski (The Void) serving as creature creator, you can expect the rabid outbreak to be far more ghoulish and gorier. Rabid takes some unexpected twists and expands on the mythology in exciting ways, though it never fleshes out those ideas as much as it should.

This is the slickest production by the Soska sisters yet. Jen and Sylvia Soska have worn their hearts on their sleeves in their love letter to Cronenberg and Canada, while giving their own spin to the story. So much of this update is funneled into Rose’s transformation and agency, though, that all other supporting characters are largely forgotten. Including the characters we’re meant to care about. The finale is an exciting promise of go for broke body horror that leaves you with more questions than you went in with. But the gore and makeup effects are worth the price of admission, and so is this new iteration of Rose. Unpredictable transformation, flaws, and all.

The post [FrightFest Review] ‘Rabid’ Remake Pays Tribute to Cronenberg and Canadian Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the film…

“After aspiring fashion designer Rose (Laura Vandervoort) suffers a disfiguring traffic accident she undergoes a radical and untested stem-cell treatment. The experimental transformation is a miraculous success, transforming her into a ravishing beauty. But she soon develops an uncontrollable sexual appetite, resulting in several torrid encounters, which sees her lovers become rabid carriers of death and disease. As the illness mutates and the contagion spreads out of control, all hell breaks loose as the infected rampage through the city on a violent and gruesome killing spree.”

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

Rabid has already courted controversy getting the Soska Sisters banned from Twitter for sharing an image from the film.

FrightFest presents the World Premiere of Rabid on August at 26th.

The Soska Sisters will also introduce a screening of a new-to-the-UK 2K restoration of David Cronenberg’s original Rabid (1977) at FrightFest on Sunday, August 25th.

Buy FrightFest tickets here.

The post New Photos and Poster Get ‘Rabid’ Ahead of FrightFest Premiere appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars in the film as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

Watch the trailer here.

The post The Soska Sisters Got Banned from Twitter for Promoting Their ‘Rabid’ Remake appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars in the film.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

Watch the trailer here.

The post Two New ‘Rabid’ Images Get Infected and Curl Up in Pain appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Check it out below!

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars in the film.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post [Trailer] The Soska Sisters Tackle David Cronenberg With Their Own Version of ‘Rabid’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s a breakdown of the first film’s announced from the press release:

As previously announced, this year’s festivities begin with the UK premiere of Ant Timpson’s deviously edgy stunner COME TO DADDY, starring Elijah Wood and reaches its bloody conclusion with the World premiere of Abner Pastoll’s superbly crafted crime story, A GOOD WOMAN IS HARD TO FIND. Other main screen international attractions include producer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal’s SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, producer Sam Raimi and director Alexandre Aja’s gruesome ‘gator yarn CRAWL, the Radio Silence gang’s lethal thriller READY OR NOT, director Kiah Roache-Turner’s futuristic Ozploitation classic NEKROTRONIC, Pedro C. Alonso’s startling captive chiller FEEDBACK, with a career-defining performance from Eddie Marsan, Kirill Sokolov’s splatterpunk action comedy WHY DON’T YOU JUST DIE! and Jason Mewes’ insanely brilliant MADNESS IN THE METHOD, starring Mewes, Vinnie Jones, Kevin Smith, Teri Hatcher, Dean Cain and with a final on-screen appearance from Stan Lee.

Making their second, very welcome appearance at the festival will be The Soska Sisters, attending for the World Premiere of RABID, their eagerly anticipated re-imagining of the Cronenberg classic. The sisters will also introduce a special retrospective screening of the original. Also attending is the legendary Dario Argento, here for a special screening of his giallo masterpiece TENEBRAE. He’ll also be in conversation with Festival co-director Alan Jones and signing copies of his book, ‘Fear’, which Jones has adapted and edited. More attending guests will be announced later this month.

FrightFest’s 20^th year sees the return of directorial alumni like Adam Egypt Mortimer with his provocative psychological horror DANIEL ISN’T REAL, Christian Alvart with his twisted blockbuster CUT-OFF, Lucky McKee with the startling KINDRED SPIRITS, starring Thora Birch, Joe Begos with his terror trip BLISS, Larry Fessenden with DEPRAVED, a post-modern take on the Frankenstein legend, Padraig Reynolds with belligerent creature feature DARK LIGHT, producer Eli Roth with the grindhouse-inspired HAUNT, The Pierce Brothers’ bring us their chiller THE WRETCHED, Dan Bush is back with seat-edge shocker THE DARK RED, Jordan ‘Zombeavers’ Rubin teases us with tongue-in-chic horror comedy THE DRONE and ‘Level 16’ director Danishka Esterhazy gives us her fun-packed body-counter THE BANANA SPLITS. There is also the UK premiere of GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR, the directorial debut from returning producer Travis Stevens and DARLIN’, the directorial debut of past FrightFest ‘darling’ Pollyanna McIntosh  Plus, those fur balls with teeth are back. CRITTERS ATTACK!, with original star Dee Wallace, will enjoy its UK Premiere.

FrightFest continues to present the films that are currently shaking up the genre scene and allowing it to transform and continually excite. Like Michael Goi’s MARY starring Gary Oldman and Emily Mortimer, the inventive EAT BRAINS LOVE from Rodman Flender, Seann William Scott’s stunning serial killer turn in BLOODLINE, Chelsea Stardust’s hilarious SATANIC PANIC, the unforgettable coming-of-ager KNIVES AND SKIN, THE BLACK STRING, marking the comeback of Frankie Muniz, Kelola Racela’s lustfully demonic  PORNO, the incredible animation attraction TO YOUR LAST DEATH, Emma Tammi’s critically acclaimed THE WIND, Fernando Alle’s Troma-inspired MUTANT BLAST. and the two craziest Midnight Movies you will ever see – Valeri Milev’s fabulously inventive BULLETS OF JUSTICE and Fabricio Bittar’s Brazilian gorefest GHOST KILLERS VS. BLOODY MARY.

The genre scene in the UK continues to innovate and thrive, reflected in this year’s FIRST BLOOD strand. Life coaches become dead coaches in Staten Cousins-Poe’s gem of a feature debut A SERIAL KILLER’S GUIDE TO LIFE and Graham Hughes’ viral mockumentary DEATH OF A VLOGGER, gives the found footage format a much-needed shot in the arm. Then there’s Samuel Gridley’s darkly funny CRIMINAL AUDITION, Magnus Wake’s cleverly plotted and heart-pounding DARK SENSE and making up the fearsome five is Fredi Nwaka’s ARE WE DEAD YET, a cleverly crafted supernatural comedy-crime thriller.

Other home-grown selections include the European premiere of TALES FROM THE LODGE Abigail Blackmore’s portmanteau shocker, starring Mackenzie Crook and Johnny Vegas, Carl Strathe’s disturbing DARK ENCOUNTER, starring Laura Fraser and Alice Lowe, and the world premiere of Charlie Steeds’ flesh-eating horror THE BARGE PEOPLE. There are also world premieres for Justin Edgar’s nail-biting suspense thriller STALKED (AKA ‘Unseen’), Tom Paton’s heightened horror STAIRS and producer/director Lawrie Brewster’s FOR WE ARE MANY, in which directors from around the world unleash a legion of demons. And let’s not forget director Jack McHenry, who makes a welcome return with his crowd-pleasing HERE COMES HELL, which made huge waves at our Glasgow edition earlier this year.

Over the years FrightFest has showcased the best genre films Canada has to offer and this year a special strand has been created – ‘Canadian Chills’ – to highlight an exceptional bumper crop, which, apart from RABID, embraces the International premiere of Colin Minihan and director Kurtis David Harder’s smart chiller SPIRAL and the UK premieres of Tony Dean Smith’s sci-fi mind-bender VOLITION, Ray Xue’s entertainingly nasty EXTRACURRICULAR, starring Luke Goss, Chad Archibald’s deadly thriller I’LL TAKE YOUR DEAD, Cameron Macgowan’s dark comedy chiller RED LETTER DAY and Jordan Barker’s unrelenting assault of pure terror, WITCHES IN THE WOODS. Then there are World premieres for Jay Dahl’s malevolent HALLOWEEN PARTY and Braden Croft’s compelling TRUE FICTION, Completing the line-up are Zack Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein’s FrightFest Glasgow hit FREAKS, the International premiere of Rob Grant’s sick, sea-faring adventure HARPOON and the UK premiere of the sinister and challenging HAPPY FACE, this year’s Duke Mitchell presentation.

Another country with a fine FrightFest pedigree is Argentina and this year is no exception; with the World Premiere of producer Javier Diment’s chilling chamber piece ROCK, PAPER SCISSORS, plus the European premiere of Herman Finding’s IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES and the UK premiere of Pablo Pares’ apocalyptic powerhouse I AM TOXIC.

The global cabinet of fear holds more…Tunisia is represented for the first time with the UK premiere of DACHRA, an intense folk horror that has broken box office records in North Africa and Japan offers up a forgotten musical cult gem from 1985 – THE LEGEND OF THE STARDUST BROTHERS. Ireland’s entry is Paddy Murphy’s THE PERISHED. Mixing horror and pertinent social issues, the film marks the debut of a new Irish genre voice.

Further indie discoveries on the monstrous menu are: Australian chase chiller THE FURIES, the elegantly scary THE SONATA, social media shocker DEADCON, DRIVEN, a smart, meter-running battle against evil, Eric Pennycroft’s brooding SADISTIC INTENTIONS, with Larry Fessenden, the horrifying Christmas cracker I TRAPPED THE DEVIL, the quirky, cutting FINGERS and THE DEEPER YOU DIG, a Coen-Brothers-esque story of grief and survival  from Toby Poser and John Adams.

Documentary lovers will enjoy Dima Ballin’s THE MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION OF MICHAEL REEVES, charting the life and early death of the man who gave us WITCHFINDER GENERAL and two documentaries from director David Gregory, MASTER OF DARK SHADOWS , an in-depth look at the talents of Dan Curtis, the ‘King of TV horror’ and SICK! SAVAGE! SENSUAL! THE REEL LIFE AND GHASTLY DEATH OF AL ADAMSON, which tells the bizarre and grim demise of one of Hollywood’s exploitation bad boys.

Festival passes will go on sale here Sat, July 6 at noon and will only be available to buy online. Single tickets will go on sale on Sat, July 20 from 9am.

The post The ‘Rabid’ Remake Will World Premiere at FrightFest; First Wave Revealed! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As reported by THR, the “Twisted Twins” have inked a first-look deal with Martin Katz’s Prospero Pictures, the production house behind recent Cronenberg films A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis and Maps to the Stars. The site notes, “Under the pact, the Soska twins’ Twisted Twins Productions will give Martin Katz’s production shingle the exclusive first right to develop and produce film and TV properties originated, written and directed by the sisters.”

“The Soska sisters have set a new standard for female-driven genre filmmaking and we are so excited to be in business with them for the long-haul,” Katz said in a statement.

“Marty and Karen just viscerally understand the kind of elevated genre we’ve been making all our lives. We want to make all our movies with them,” the Soska Sisters added.

Rabid is expected to arrive on the festival scene later this year.

The post With ‘Rabid’ on the Way, Soska Sisters Ink First Look Deal With Cronenberg Producer Prospero Pictures appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From romantics to vicious beasts, here’s a condensed history of vampires in film.

Late 19th to early 20th Century

While 1922’s silent film Nosferatu, an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, is widely regarded as a masterpiece and an early adaptor of the vampire on screen, it’s far from the first vampire film in existence – though it is the first widely known vampire film. Technically, that honor belongs to a 1896 short film titled The House of the Devil, or Le Manoir du Diable, a French silent film by Georges Méliès. Though, in this version, it was a vampiric Mephistopheles, which transformed from bat to devil. 1913 brought The Vampire, an American silent film based on the 1897 poem of the same by Rudyard Kipling, and featured a femme fatale vampire type named Sybil. Silent films Dracula’s Death and Drakula also beat Nosferatu to the punch in terms of adapting Bram Stoker’s work, but both are considered lost films with not much known about them save for that they perhaps didn’t share much in common with Stoker’s novel past Count Dracula.

The other notable vampire film that arrived just before the first official Dracula adaptation was Tod Browning’s London After Midnight in 1927. Starring Lon Chaney as The Man in the Beaver Hat, it follows a mysterious abandoned household post the suicide of its owner. Five years later it appears to have been taken over by ghoulish figures. London After Midnight featured striking makeup, Chaney’s character rendered iconic that’s to his top hat, bat cape, and creepy rows of pointed teeth, but a 1965 MGM vault fire meant the film as it was original seen/intended was lost. Browning remade the film in 1935, titled Mark of the Vampire, which starred Bela Lugosi as Count Mora. The vampires in this one was simply a hoax.

Then came Universal’s 1931 Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula and directed by Tod Browning. Loosely based on Stoker’s novel, it’s the first legally authorized adaptation though it borrows more from the Broadway stage play and Nosferatu. Up until this point, vampires had been mostly devilish and “other.” This iteration made Dracula a Gothic figure of aristocracy and power. Lugosi’s presence and take on the character meant this was the decisive version, and the extreme popularity of the film meant many more appearances by the actor in the role in subsequent Universal horror films. Throughout, Dracula remained a snazzy dresser, retained an air of dangerous mystery, and a regal presence that made him a leader of evil.

The Hammer era

The next major wave in the evolution of vampires in film came from Hammer Horror, the first of which being 1958’s Dracula. For the most part, the Hammer era of vampires kept vampires, and Dracula, very close to the Universal blueprint. This wasn’t much of a change in form. Gothic, regal, and exudes mystery and power, the only initial notable departure was that these films were in color. It wasn’t until the ‘70s that they really started to experiment with the formula, delivering unique takes on the vampire with films like 1972’s Vampire Circus, which brought the Gothic approach to a strange carnival setting, or Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, which was a collaboration between Hammer and Hong Kong’s the Shaw Brothers that resulted in a wild Kung-fu take on Van Helsing versus Dracula mythology.

The 1970s

The horror genre itself was undergoing a massive change during the ‘70s, paving the way for modern horror as we know it. This is the decade that really started to experiment with the rules and structure behind the vampire. The turn of the decade kicked off with a slew of vampire films that took the romantic leanings of Hammer’s vampire films and went full-blown erotic.  Jess Franco’s Vampyros Lesbos, Harry Kumel’s Daughters of Darkness, and Jean Rollins’ trio of sexual infused vampire films The Shiver of the Vampires, The Rape of the Vampire, and The Nude Vampire all focused on the sexuality of the vampire.

The blacksploitation subset of exploitation cinema that emerged in the early ‘70s meant new a new take on Dracula, with Blacula in 1972 followed by Scream Blacula Scream. Both excellent films that used Dracula as a launch point for their own mythologies. Then came Ganja & Hess, an experimental, arthouse horror film that created an entirely new take on the vampire altogether; an ancient ceremonial dagger wound leaves Dr. Hess Green (Night of the Living Dead’s Duane Jones) perpetually hungry for blood. Vampirism was brilliantly used as a metaphor for addiction.

David Cronenberg further tested the boundaries of what a vampire could be with 1977’s Rabid. A radical new surgery performed on Rose (Marilyn Chambers) post motorcycle accident leaves her with a mutation – a red stinger that emerges from her armpit that is used to feed on human blood. Part body horror and part zombie film, not much at all about this one resembles the classic vampire we knew, save for Rose’s insatiable need for blood as sustenance.

The following year brought George A. Romero’s Martin, a psychological horror film that followed a young man who believed himself to be a vampire. Martin has no pointy fangs, isn’t susceptible to garlic or holy water, he simply wants to slice open his victims with a razor and drink.

The decade closed out with a trio of memorable entries that returned to more familiar form: Dracula, ‘Salems Lot, and Nosferatu the Vampyre. The former of which, starring Frank Langella, opted for romance and elegance while the latter two kept its central vampire a menacing plague bringer. All three share deep roots in Bram Stoker’s original novel.

The 1980s

This decade, the golden age of practical effects, meant vampires were more about attitude, style, and a new look thanks to great special effects. The overall trademarks of the vampire were there, but this decade reflected personality based on setting and tone. Fright Night playfully poked fun at familiar vampire tropes while giving us a final battle with Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) in suburbia. The Lost Boys injected youth and rock and roll attitude to its boardwalk vamps, boosted by bat-like design (and yes, glittery blood). And Near Dark wasn’t afraid to get ruthless and bloody with vicious Wild West style vamps. Vampires in an urban setting that use a strip club to feed? That’d be Vamp. Vampires even existed in space, thanks to Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce.

Surprisingly, this decade was light on actual Dracula inspired vamps. The biggest, notable take on Count Dracula appeared in The Monster Squad– a lighthearted ode to Universal Classic Monsters. As was traditional, this version of Count Dracula (Duncan Regehr) wasn’t just the leader, but the most terrifying monster of the bunch.

Modern Vampires

Though the ‘90s kicked off with a stunning, period take on Dracula in Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1992, and an adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire in 1994, it quickly turned toward more action-oriented vampires that held strong throughout the early aughts. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino brought stylish action to their extremely fun and monster-filled From Dusk Till Dawn. John Carpenter brought neo-Western flair to his action-horror Vampires. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, both the film and series, injected pop culture savvy and humor into its high energy story. Wesley Snipes brought the Marvel comics character Blade to life, which helped set the stage for future Marvel films and elicited many sequels of his own. As did Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a leather-clad warrior vamp fighting on the frontlines of a war between vampires and werewolves in the Underworld series.

The popularity of the Twilight series, a YA romance between mortal and immortal glittery vamp, marked a turning point in the modern age. The action-heavy vampire films waned, though never gone completely, and a more introspective, drama heavy take on the folklore from across the globe took center stage. Let the Right One In introduced a foreboding romantic tale between a bullied child and ancient child-like vampire. Park Chan-wook explored what it would mean for a priest to accidentally be stricken with vampirism in Thirst. Stake Land eschews a zombie apocalypse in favor of a vampiric post-apocalypse. Only Lovers Left Alive questions how immortality affects a vampire and their relationships to others. And What We Do in the Shadows humorously answered the question of what would happen if you had a bunch of different styles of vampires living together as roommates.

As the attempts to revive the Universal Classic Monsters catalog are well underway, we’ll inevitably see a new take on 1931’s Dracula. But the truth is, it’s never really gone away. Bram Stoker’s Dracula wasn’t the first written works on vampires but it became the backbone of vampire cinema. Even while auteurs, filmmakers, and writers have explored what it means to be a blood-sucker, Dracula is a permanent fixture that’s always lurking in the background, no matter the trend. Vampires have been metaphors for addiction, for loneliness, for sexuality, and everything in between. From the embodiment of evil to romantic lovers, from monstrous creatures to elegant immortals, the versatility of the vampire makes it the granddaddy of all movie monsters.

The post The Blood is Life: A Brief History of Vampires in Film appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Soska Sisters tweeted today…

“Honored to work with the iconic Twisty Troy in a Steve Kostanski designed creature from the MasterFX team. Do you think weird body horror? We got you covered!”

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars in the film.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post [Image] Twisty Troy is Playing a Body Horror Nightmare in the Soska Sisters-Directed ‘Rabid’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

“An aspiring model suffers a disfiguring traffic accident and undergoes a radical untested stem-cell treatment. The experimental transformation is a miraculous success, leaving her more beautiful than before. She finds her confidence and sexual appetite is also strangely increased resulting in several torrid encounters. But she unknowingly sets off a spiraling contagion, and within 24 hours her lovers become rabid, violent spreaders of death and disease. As the illness mutates, it spreads through society at an accelerated rate causing an ever-increasing number of people to rampage through the city in a violent and gruesome killing spree.”

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”.

Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post Laura Vandervoort Has ‘Rabid’ Nightmare In New Remake Photo appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We officially can’t wait for 2019 – the release calendar looks ridiculously stacked. There’s an insane amount of horror on the horizon, from highly anticipated reboots, sophomore efforts by breakout voices in horror, festival darlings, and so, so much more. As this decade is winding down, it’s clear horror intends to end it with a bang.

Here’s what we’re most looking forward to:

Escape Room – January 4

The first major theatrical release of the year is the latest by director Adam Robitel (The Taking of Deborah Logan, Insidious: The Last Key). Six strangers are lured to a mysterious room, and are forced to rely on their wits and each other to solve a series of traps in a game of life or death. Escape Room stars Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Logan Miller, Taylor Russell, and Adam Robitel.

Glass – January 18

Two years after M. Night Shyamalan surprised audiences with the tease of Unbreakable’s David Dunn (Bruce Willis) at the end of Split, he brings the unwitting superhero back in a major way by pitting him against not just former foe Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), but Split’s Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy) as well. Anya Taylor-Joy’s Casey Cooke returns to the fold, too. More Crumb and Dunn sounds great, and it’ll be interesting to see how these characters collide. It’s a safe bet that Shyamalan has more surprises in store.

The Final Wish – January 24

Co-written by Jeffrey Reddick (Final Destination) based on his story, The Final Wish stars Lin Shaye, Tony Todd, Spencer Locke, and Melissa Bolona. Shaye and Todd would be enough to pique our interest, but the plot follows a son returning home to help his grief-stricken mother after the death of his father and finds a mysterious object while going through his dad’s things. That object grants wishes, albeit in the nastiest way possible. Be careful what you wish for.

Jacob’s Ladder – (TBD)

This reboot is currently slated for February 1 release, but it’s been so quiet that I wouldn’t be surprised if it changes. Jacob’s Ladder is supposed to “honor the spirit and concept (of the original), while telling a different story.” The original followed a Vietnam vet returning from war and struggling to maintain his sanity as he’s plagued by hallucinations and surreal flashbacks. David M. Rosenthal directs the re-imagining, which stars Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening), Guy Burnet (“Ray Donovan”), Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder) and Nicole Beharie (“Sleepy Hollow”).

Piercing – February 1

Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore feature is a very different beast than his debut The Eyes of My Mother, and draws heavy influence from gialli films. Based on a novel by Ryu Murakami, it follows Reed (Christopher Abbot), a family man who decides to channel his frustrations by checking into a hotel and plotting to murder a prostitute. But when call girl Jackie (Mia Wasikowska) arrives, Reed realizes he may be in over his head. Stylish as it is twisted, and definitely violent, this is another film that makes Pesce a director to watch.

The Prodigy – February 8

A mother grows increasingly concerned about her son’s disturbing behavior and begins to believe something supernatural may be responsible. Taylor Schilling stars as mom Sarah, and It’s Jackson Robert Scott plays her son Miles. But the biggest reason The Prodigy is a horror film we can’t wait to watch? It’s directed by Nicholas McCarthy who brought us gems like The Pact and At the Devil’s Door.

St. Agatha – February 8

The latest by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera) is a period horror film set in the 1950s, and follows a pregnant unwed woman seeking shelter at an isolated convent. Unfortunately, the strict nuns are a lot more sinister than they initially appear, and Bousman revives the nunsploitation genre with nerve-fraying tension and primal rage.

Happy Death Day 2U – February 14

This sequel to 2017’s surprise hit Happy Death Day sees poor Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) getting sucked back into the vicious time loop that has her dying on repeat in order to solve who’s behind the baby-faced mask. In other words, much more fun and more Rothe letting loose as Tree, both a huge plus. Happy Death Day 2U is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.

Climax – March 1

On paper, this plot doesn’t exactly sound like horror – a group of dancers gather together in an empty school building to rehearse and cut loose. But someone has spiked their sangria with LSD, and their night descends into a hallucinatory nightmare. I should also mention that this is written and directed by Gaspar Noe (Irreversible, Enter the Void), so it doesn’t get much more horrific than Climax. Brutal, mesmerizing, and disturbing.

The Hole in the Ground – March 1 (January 31 DirecTV)

Acquired by A24 ahead of its Sundance premiere, The Hole in the Ground will be available on January 31 for DirecTV subscribers. The rest of us will have to wait until March. This Irish horror film stars Seána Kerslake as a mother attempting to build a new life for her and her son in a rural home at the edge of a forest that happens to have a massive sinkhole. When her son disappears into the forest one night only to reappear unharmed soon after, she begins to suspect that whatever returned isn’t her son.

Us – March 22

Arguably the most anticipated film of the first quarter, Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort promises to bring the horror. Starring Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker, Us follows a family’s vacation gone wrong when uninvited visitors arrive. What begins as a seeming home invasion film turns into something more with Peele’s The Tethered – terrifying doppelgangers of the family. This one looks intense, and new monster mythology potential is always a plus.

Pet Sematary – April 5

One of Stephen King’s scariest novels gets a new adaptation, this time by directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes). The Creed family will discover that sometimes dead is better when they move to a rural home along a dangerously busy road and tragedy strikes. Kölsch and Widmyer are serious King fans, and we can expect them to bring something new and different to the story than the 1989 adaptation. Pet Sematary stars John Lithgow, Jason Clarke, and Amy Seimetz.

Hellboy – April 12

Actor David Harbour (Stranger Things) bears the Right Hand of Doom this time, for the reboot adaptation of Mike Mignola’s beloved comic series. Directed by Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers), expect a bloodier take on the comic character that promises to more closely align with its comic roots. Hellboy also stars Milla Jovovich, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim, and Ian McShane.

The Curse of La Llorona – April 19

This is the feature film debut by Michael Chaves, who has since been tapped to helm the next entry in The Conjuring series. It’s about time we got a major horror movie about the creepy folktale of The Weeping Woman, a ghost of a woman who lost her children and weeps while in search of them. Linda Cardellini stars as a social worker and single mother who catches the attention of La Llorona when she investigates a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment.

BrightBurn – May 24

What if Superman crashed on Earth as a baby, but wasn’t such an upstanding superhero? What if he was evil, instead? That’s the concept explored in this horror film produced by James Gunn, and co-written by Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn. The film stars Elizabeth Banks, a woman so desperate for a child that she quickly assumes the role of mother when one crash lands from another planet in her backyard. She soon discovers that this alien child might not be the friendly kind.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters – May 31

Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Gidorah, all in one stunning film, as evidenced by the trailer. Do we really need anything more to be sold? Oh yeah, it’s also co-written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Krampus, Trick ‘r Treat) and boasts a cast with Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., David Strathairn, and so many more.

Child’s Play – June 21

At first glance, it seems the only real update in this remake is that Chucky is now Buddi, a high-tech doll for the modern era that has voice recognition, English language comprehension, and a different origin story than serial killer Charles Lee Ray. Aubrey Plaza stars as single mother Karen Barclay, who gifts the doll to her son Andy for his birthday. And if it turns out that this isn’t much more than a modern update, we still win- Don Mancini is working on a Child’s Play TV series with Chucky.

Grudge – June 21

Mark June 21 as a day for horror reimaginings, as the Takashi Shimizu horror movie about a cursed house with vengeful ghosts dooming any who enter to a violent end, is getting a new iteration. Directed by Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother, Piercing), this iteration promises to be very different than the franchise we’re used to. Moreover, the cast is impressive; Grudge stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy), William Sadler, Demian Bichir, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver, Betty Gilpin, and John Cho. This looks to be the dark horse of June 21 releases.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged – August 16

It wouldn’t be summer without a shark horror movie, and director Johannes Roberts returns for the sequel to sleeper hit 47 Meters Down. This time the plot follows five divers exploring ruins of an underwater city, and quickly discover they’re not alone in the underwater caves. If Roberts can land another terrifying scare like the flare scene in the first film, this sequel will be golden. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged stars Nia Long and John Corbett.

Annabelle 3 – June 28

Currently untitled, the latest entry in the Annabelle spinoff series brings the Warrens into the fold, as the creepy doll wreaks havoc from her display case in the Warrens’ artifact room and awakens many other evil spirits resting there. The Haunting of Hill House’s Mckenna Grace stars as Judy Warren, and Madison Iseman as Judy’s babysitter Mary Ellen. Look for Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga to reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren in a smaller capacity, as well. Gary Dauberman, who penned the previous two Annabelle films, will be making his directorial debut.

The New Mutants – August 2

This film has gotten bumped back so many times that it’s plausible to happen again. Following a group of young mutants discovering their powers while held at a secret facility against their will, initial trailers indicated this would be a straight-up horror take on the superhero story. But the actual film didn’t really have much in the way of horror at all, so it was bumped for reshoots to add the horror. If it succeeds, The New Mutants could be just as exciting as the initial trailer suggested. Guess we’ll find out. Eventually.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark – August 9

Based on Alvin Schwartz’s internationally best-selling book series, the movie follows a group of young teens solving a string of murders in their town. Produced by Guillermo del Toro, who has been working to get this movie made for a while now, Andre Ovredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) directs from a script by Daniel Hageman, Kevin Hageman and del Toro. Between Ovredal and del Toro, we’re sold, but if they can even partially capture the essence of illustrator Stephen Gammell’s creepy artwork, we’re in for a major treat.

It: Chapter Two – September 6

The highly anticipated conclusion to 2017’s It is finally here! Set 27 years after the events of the first film, most of the Loser’s Club have grown up and moved out of Derry. But the return of It has them returning to fulfill their promise to finish It off once and for all. The young cast of the Loser’s Club returns in flashback form, while the adult Loser’s Club is played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Jay Ryan, Bill Hader, Isaih Mustafa, James Ransone, and Andy Bean.

Zombieland 2 – October 11

Ten years after the first film, we finally get a sequel. The core cast returns, along with original director Ruben Fleischer. This time, Wichita, Little Rock, Tallahassee, and Columbus have to contend with growing pains within their makeshift family, new survivors, and evolving zombies. The real question is – can they top the Bill Murray cameo?

Are You Afraid of the Dark? – TBD

The beloved Nickelodeon 90’s anthology show that featured a group of teens gathering around the campfire to tell each other scary stories is getting a feature film adaptation, but plot details are scarce as of now other than it’ll be a completely original story. Gary Dauberman (Annabelle) penned an earlier script, and BenDavid Grabinski wrote the most recent draft. D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) was only recently tapped to direct, so the Paramount targeted release date of October 11 can potentially change. Either way, we’re in.

Doctor Sleep – November 8

Director Mike Flanagan takes on the works of Stephen King once more, and this time it’s for the sequel to The Shining; Doctor Sleep. A now adult Danny Torrence (Ewan McGregor) meets a young girl with very powerful Shining abilities unlike anyone he’s ever met. It’s the very thing that makes her a target from the dangerous True Knot, a vampiric group that preys on children like her to remain immortal. Dan must overcome his personal demons to protect her. Look, this had us at Flanagan, who’s proved uncanny at developing literary horror masterpieces. But we also really can’t wait to delve into the world of The Shining once again. That the release date was bumped up from January 2020 to the holiday season this year is also a great sign.

In the Tall Grass – Late 2019

Based on the novella by Stephen King and Joe Hill, In the Tall Grass follows a brother and sister driving through rural Kansas on a road trip. When they stop to investigate cries for help, they find themselves lost in a field of, you guessed it, tall grass. Directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube, Splice), and based on King and Hill’s story, you can expect things to get weird. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Rachel Wilson.

TBD

These films currently have no release date but are expected to arrive in 2019:

3 From Hell

This highly anticipated follow up to The Devil’s Rejects is going to be a very different experience, while still reuniting fans with the surviving members of the Firefly clan. Do we really need to know anything else? Take my money now, please.

Body at Brighton Rock

Written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin (Southbound), this survival thriller follows an inexperienced park ranger as she’s stuck guarding a dead body overnight on a remote mountain trail until authorities can arrive. It causes her to confront her deepest, darkest fears.

Depraved

Written and directed by Larry Fessenden, Depraved looks to be a new, twisted take on the Frankenstein story. In it, a field surgeon suffering from PTSD makes a man out of body parts and brings him to life, but this is Fessenden at the helm, so we know there’s much more to it than meets the eye.

Eli

To be released on Netflix, Ciaran Foy (Citadel, Sinister 2) directs this supernatural story about a young boy battling an auto-immune disorder while stuck in a house that might be haunted. Eli stars Kelly Reilly, Lili Taylor, and Sadie Sink.

The Lighthouse

Robert Eggers follow up to The Witch is another period piece, this time set in 1890 Nova Scotia. It’s about an aging lighthouse keeper named Old, and stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. That’s really all we have to go on, other than the actors reported that their time on set was one of the most grueling experiences. So, you can bet we’re very curious.

Midsommar

What begins as a summer road trip movie for a young woman and her boyfriend turns into an absolute nightmare as the couple falls prey to a Pagan cult in Sweden. Oh yeah, and it’s Ari Aster’s immediate follow up to Hereditary. So, we want Midsommar in our eye holes immediately, please.

Rabid

A remake of David Cronenberg’s original 1977, with Sylvia Soska and Jen Soska at the helm, Rabid sees central character Rose (Laura Vandervoort) aspiring to become a fashion designer until a gruesome accident leaves her so horribly disfigured that she turns to an experimental, untested treatment. As a result, it alters her personality from shy to extroverted, but it also comes with some horrific side effects.

What are you looking forward to in 2019?

The post Over 30 Horror Movies We Can’t Wait to See in 2019 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars in the film.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post Gruesome New Image from the Soska Sisters’ Remake of ‘Rabid’ Covers Rue Morgue Magazine appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Body horror is a reminder that sometimes death is better, as we watch in disgust while the victims are trapped inside their own bodies as it degenerates and mutates into something unfamiliar and unidentified. On a visceral level, it disturbs because it’s disturbing and gross to look at. On an emotional level, though, body horror instills a deeper level of fear because we tend to fear losing who we are as people. Seth Brundle’s slow mutation into the Brundle-fly monster in The Fly visually repulsed as his teeth fell out and he vomited digestive enzymes to eat, but his story evoked sympathy due to his desperation to cling to whatever humanity he had left. His transformation was consuming him body and soul.

Body horror as we now know it really began to emerge in the 1950s, with The Fly and The Blob. Both standouts of horror for its time, both a showcase of practical effects, and both would eventually get remade decades later. The most prominent entry in body horror in the ‘60s was, surprisingly, Rosemary’s Baby. Roman Polanski’s classic horror film explored the fears of motherhood, and poor Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) never truly had autonomy over her own body. Her own husband drugged her and offered her up to Satan, and the resulting pregnancy was controlled at every turn by the surrounding witches. Even when the Antichrist baby in her womb was making her very ill.

1977 propelled body horror forward in a major way with David Lynch’s Eraserhead, William Sachs’ The Incredible Melting Man, and Cronenberg’s Rabid. Cronenberg had already began his exploration of body horror with 1975’s Shivers, but Rabid broadened the scope of the horror as lead Marilyn Chambers’ Rose found herself patient zero for a zombie outbreak thanks to an experimental procedure that was thrust upon her post motorcycle crash. The Incredible Melting Man followed astronaut Steve West (Alex Rebar) slowly melting away upon his return to Earth following serious radiation exposure in space. Narratively, the film is rather dull, but it’s memorable for Rick Baker’s fantastic makeup effects work that makes West’s slow disintegration so gnarly. Lynch gave a surreal twist to body horror with Eraserhead, as Henry Spencer (Jack Nance) learns to care for and cope with a deformed child. It’s strange and dreamlike.

The golden age of practical effects in the ‘80s, meant body horror exploded. 1980 saw another entry in the surreal, with Ken Russell’s Altered States. Starring William Hurt in his debut role, he played Dr. Eddie Jessup, a professor seeking an alternate plane of existence by way of drugs and deprivation chambers. Jessup morphs and transforms with each experiment in the chambers. Two years later brought John Carpenter’s The Thing, a masterclass in paranoia and practical effects, as the Antarctic research team is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims. Cronenberg’s Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, and Dead Ringers firmly established the director as a defining voice in body horror. But there’s also one oft-overlooked voice that played an integral role in ‘80s body horror; H.P. Lovecraft.

Stuart Gordon’s love of Lovecraft delivered gooey, slimy, gory body horror in the form of Re-Animator and From Beyond. Re-Animator, loosely based on short story Herbert West-Reanimator, followed the exploits of Jeffrey Combs’ Herbert West as his reanimating agent leads to serious undead trouble. From Beyond sees Jeffrey Combs once again in the lead as Dr. Crawford Tillinghast, a survivor of Dr. Pretorius’ alternate reality experiments gone wrong. Pretorius’ machine opens the portal to an alternate world that leaves humans in extended close proximity forever morphed. Gordon’s producing partner Brian Yuzna would tackle gooey body horror of his own in 1989’s Society, though the body horror would remain subtle into the surreal final act infamously known as the “shunting.”

Clive Barker merged body horror with hell in 1987’s Hellraiser, as Frank Cotton’s reverse resurrection was the gory stuff of nightmares. Throw in sadomasochism and self-mutilation, and Hellraiser further broadened the scope of body horror. Japan was also experimenting with body horror in the late ‘80s, exploring government tests via animation in Akira and extreme metal meets man body horror in Tetsuo: The Iron Man.

If you thought the ‘90s were a wasteland of body horror, then seek out Braindead (Dead Alive) and Body Melt. The former takes a comical approach to the zombie outbreak and injects it with an insane amount of gore and body horror. The latter sees residents of a small town being used as test subjects for a drug that causes painful death by way of rapid decomposition. Both films take body horror to gag-worthy levels and it’s recommended that you skip out on eating while watching.

It wasn’t until the following decade, though, that body horror would return in a big way. Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever made you afraid of infection with the flesh-eating virus at the center of the film. James Gunn injected humor in body horror with Slither, its alien invasion leading to all forms of grotesque mutations. Then there’s The Human Centipede, a horror film that seeks to offend based on premise alone; a mad scientist seeks to create a human centipede by stitching his kidnapped victims together, rectum to mouth.

A new trend in body horror started to emerge; the coming of age horror story. Teeth, Ginger Snaps, Raw, and Blue My Mind all took the horrors of female puberty and twisted it further with strange body transformations. In Ginger Snaps, the onslaught of puberty was represented with Ginger’s oncoming infection of lycanthropy, while transitioning into womanhood meant transforming into a wholly different beast in Blue My Mind. Teeth and Raw interpreted sexual awakening with monstrous results.

Body horror overlaps and blends well with other sub-genres of horror, and offers more internal depth than just outward body transformations. It may have begun rooted in conscious fears of losing control of our own bodies as the characters on screen lost control of theirs via mutilation, transformation, or decomposition. Now it can reflect our medical fears, unwanted change, technological fears, and even fears of natural growth. This is only a tip of the iceberg, so be afraid. Be very afraid.

The post Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: An Intro to Body Horror! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rose is a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

The post Laura Vandervoort Shares New ‘Rabid’ Photo: “Self Doubt Has Consequences” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

Thanks to Fabian M. for the hat tip.

ALSO READ: The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

The post Early UK Date Suggests ‘Rabid’ Remake Arriving in March 2019 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

ALSO READ: The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

The post ‘Rabid’ Remake Photos Juxtaposed to Cronenberg’s Original appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

ALSO READ: The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

The post Alternate ‘Rabid’ Art Gets Fleshed Out with Neon appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth also stars as “Brad”, a fashion photographer with Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portraying Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

ALSO READ: The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

The post Nasty ‘Rabid’ Remake Sales Art Gets Infected appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident. “My character Rose goes through hell and back,” she previously explained, although perfectly segueing into the following video.

In this special news item on female directors, the Soska sisters reveal the first footage from their Rabid remake and explain the background behind it. Told from a female perspective, Vandervoort’s character is being harassed by a man and gets what’s coming to him. One of the gifts of getting more female directors behind the camera is that we’ll be treated to new interpretations of material through the “female gaze”. Rabid appears to be such a film and I’m pretty stoked to see it.

ALSO READ: The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

The post Soska Sisters Share Empowering First ‘Rabid’ Footage appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Returning to Los Angeles for the first time in a decade, David Cronenberg will be in attendance for three, special event screenings at the legendary Egyptian Theatre where he will be joined by actors, collaborators, and guest moderators.

Cronenberg on Cronenberg opens on Saturday, September 29^th with The Shaping of Rage, an all-day marathon of David Cronenberg’s early films, Shivers, Rabid, The Brood and Scanners, presented sequentially and on 35mm. That evening, Cronenberg will be joined by long-time collaborator Howard Shore for a 30^th anniversary screening of Dead Ringers with director Mick Garris moderating a post-screening Q&A.

A spotlight shines on giant bugs on Sunday, September 30^th with a double bill of The Fly and Naked Lunch where Cronenberg will be joined with The Fly’s Geena Davis and the composer of both films, Howard Shore.

Cronenberg’s groundbreaking approach to the distorted world of virtual reality is examined on Monday, October 1^st with a double bill of Videodrome and Existenz. Cronenberg will be joined in person by composer Howard Shore and his two lead actresses, Debbie Harry and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Director Leigh Whannell will moderate the Q&A between films.

In addition to the screening events at the Egyptian Theatre, there are two double bills at the Aero Theatre: A History of Violence & Eastern Promises and Crash & Spider. All 13 films screened during Cronenberg with Cronenberg: A Retrospective of the New Flesh will be on 35mm film.

Tickets for Cronenberg with Cronenberg: A Retrospective of the New Flesh will be made available for purchase through Fandango and the American Cinematheque at 10 a.m., Saturday, September  1^st.

The remaining slate for Beyond Fest 2018 will be announced shortly.

CRONENBERG WITH CRONENBERG: A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE NEW FLESH PROGRAM
EGYPTIAN THEATRE

SHIVERS
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada
Runtime: 87 min.
Year: 1976

RABID
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada / USA
Runtime: 91 min.
Year: 1977

THE BROOD
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada
Runtime: 92 min.
Year: 1979

SCANNERS
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada
Runtime: 103 min.
Year: 1981

DEAD RINGERS
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: USA
Runtime: 102 min.
Year: 2017
GUESTS: David Cronenberg, Howard Shore

THE FLY
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: USA / UK / Canada
Runtime: 96 min.
Year: 1986
GUESTS: David Cronenberg, Howard Shore, Geena Davis

NAKED LUNCH
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canad / UK / Japan
Runtime: 115 min.
Year: 1991
GUESTS: David Cronenberg, Howard Shore, (Geena Davis)

VIDEODROME
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada
Runtime: 87 min.
Year: 1983
GUESTS: David Cronenberg, Howard Shore, Debie Harry (Jennifer Jason Leigh)

EXISTENZ
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada / UK / France
Runtime: 97 min.
Year: 1999
GUESTS: David Cronenberg, Howard Shore, Jennifer Jason Leigh (Debbie Harry)
AERO THEATRE

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: USA / Germany / Canada
Runtime: 96 min.
Year: 2005

EASTERN PROMISES
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: UK / Canada / USA
Runtime: 101 min.
Year: 2007

SPIDER
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada / UK / France
Runtime: 98 min.
Year: 2002

CRASH
Director: David Cronenberg
Country: Canada / UK
Runtime: 100 min.
Year: 1996

The post Beyond Fest Will Host the Greatest Cronenberg Retrospective We’ve Ever Seen! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Star Laura Vandervoort (Jigsaw) shared this second image over on Twitter this week, writing “My character Rose goes through hell and back. She was hard to shake after we wrapped. Cannot wait for you to meet her and her demons.”

Vandervoort stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth has also joined the cast as “Brad”, a fashion photographer; Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portrays Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

[Related] The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

Rabid is written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and John Serge.

A71 Entertainment will distribute Rabid in Canada with 101 Films handling the United Kingdom, Back 40 Pictures orchestrating theatrical distribution duties in the United States, and Shout! Studios’ Scream Factory imprint distributing the film across multiple platforms in the U.S. Rabid is produced by Back 40 Pictures in conjunction with Telefilm Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation and London based, Media Finance Capital. Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde and John Vidette are serving as producers.

The post Laura Vandervoort Is Looking Worse for Wear in New Image from Soska Sisters’ ‘Rabid’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The image introduces Jigsaw star Laura Vandervoort‘s lead character, Rose.

Check it out below.

Vandervoort stars as Rose, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Ben Hollingsworth has also joined the cast as “Brad”, a fashion photographer; Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portrays Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) is arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife, New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

[Related] The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

Rabid is written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and John Serge.

A71 Entertainment will distribute Rabid in Canada with 101 Films handling the United Kingdom, Back 40 Pictures orchestrating theatrical distribution duties in the United States, and Shout! Studios’ Scream Factory imprint distributing the film across multiple platforms in the U.S. Rabid is produced by Back 40 Pictures in conjunction with Telefilm Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation and London based, Media Finance Capital. Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde and John Vidette are serving as producers.

The post First Look at Laura Vandervoort in the Soska Sisters’ Remake of Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We previously reported that Jigsaw star Laura Vandervoort will lead the cast of the remake, which is to be helmed by the “Twisted Twins” aka, the Soska Sisters (American Mary, Dead Hooker In a Trunk).

Vandervoort stars as “Rose”, a demure seamstress who goes through a radical transformation after electing for plastic surgery following a disfiguring accident.

Now, Bloody Disgusting has first word that Ben Hollingsworth (pictured below; “Code Black”) has also joined the cast as “Brad”, a fashion photographer; Hanneke Talbot (“Playing Dead”) portrays Rose’s best friend Chelsea; and Mackenzie Gray (“Legion”, “Riverdale”) as arrogant fashion designer “Gunter”. Rabid will also feature WWE superstars CM Punk as “Billy” and his wife New York Times best-selling author AJ Mendez as “Kira”.

Drawing influence from the original movie, the remake will follow Rose (Vandervoort), a young woman who, after an accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition, undergoes a radical untested stem-cell treatment. While turning Rose into the belle of the ball, the experimental transformation comes at a price.

[Related] The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

Rabid is written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and John Serge.

A71 Entertainment will distribute Rabid in Canada with 101 Films handling the United Kingdom, Back 40 Pictures orchestrating theatrical distribution duties in the United States, and Shout! Studios’ Scream Factory imprint distributing the film across multiple platforms in the U.S. Rabid is produced by Back 40 Pictures in conjunction with Telefilm Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation and London based, Media Finance Capital. Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde and John Vidette are serving as producers.

The post The Soska Sisters’ Remake of David Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ Now Filming in Canada appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody Disgusting learned this morning that Jigsaw star Laura Vandervoort will lead the cast of the remake, which is to be helmed by the “Twisted Twins” aka, the Soska Sisters (American Mary, Dead Hooker In a Trunk).

Drawing influence from the original movie, the remake will follow Rose, a young woman who, after an accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition, undergoes a radical untested stem-cell treatment. While turning Rose into the belle of the ball, the experimental transformation comes at a price.

[Related] The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective

Rabid is written by Jen Soska, Sylvia Soska and John Serge.

From Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment, Rabid has already been sold to 101 FILMS in the UK, Shout! Studios in the US and A71 in Canada.

Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde and John Vidette of Back 40 Pictures are producing.

The post ‘Jigsaw’ Star to Topline ‘Rabid’, Remake of David Cronenberg’s Horror Classic! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As Director

Shivers

After two art-house features and numerous shorts, Cronenberg went into partnership with producer Ivan Reitman and unleashed Shivers upon Canadian audiences. Also known as The Parasite Murders or They Came from Within, Cronenberg’s first major feature followed a strain of parasites infecting residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building, turning them into rage-filled, sex-crazed fiends that in turn infect others with sexual contact. The violence and sexual content meant the release was met with a lot of controversies. Shot in a short 15 days, Cronenberg’s major debut may have infuriated critics, but from a horror perspective, it’s a brutal, bleak voyage through terror that marks the beginning of the director’s gross-out body horror.

Rabid

A unique twist to the zombie formula in a way only Cronenberg could deliver, in which a young woman undergoes experimental plastic surgery after a severe crash, leaving her with a hunger for human blood. Her victims then turn into rabid zombies that then infect others, causing an epidemic. Cronenberg keeps to his intimate storytelling and body horror; the young woman stricken with newfound bloodthirst feeds by way of a stinger that emerges from her armpit. Cronenberg initially wanted to cast Sissy Spacek as the woman, but the studio overruled because of her accent. So, porn star Marilyn Chambers was cast instead.

The Brood

Considered by Cronenberg to be one of the most classic horror films that he ever did, it’s also very autobiographical. During development, Cronenberg was fighting for custody of his daughters from his first marriage. Starring Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar, this twisty sci-fi psychological horror film follows a psychologist’s therapy on his institutionalized wife during a series of brutal murders committed by a brood of mutant children. It grossed out the critics at the time of release, particularly for the scene that featured Eggar eating her own afterbirth. A great horror classic, it also marks the score debut from Howard Shore.

Scanners

A futuristic sci-fi thriller that centers around industrial conspiracy and espionage as a scientist sends a man, Revok, with extraordinary psychic powers to hunt down others like him. The head explosion scene is forever iconic, but Cronenberg has called this one the most frustrating film he’d ever made due to the forced rush job through production. Filming had to begin without a finished script, making the director write and direct simultaneously. The first of Cronenberg’s films that spawned sequels, though he wasn’t involved.

Videodrome

One of Cronenberg’s most beloved films by fans, it follows James Woods as a sleazy cable TV programmer whose life begins to spiral out of control once he stumbles about a broadcast signal featuring extreme torture. The concept stemmed from Cronenberg’s childhood when he used to pick up television signals from Buffalo, New York after Canadian channels had gone off air and his childhood worry of seeing something not meant for public eyes. The surreal imagery combined with special effects master Rick Baker’s work on the film combined to create one of the strangest, entrancing horror films way ahead of its time.

The Dead Zone

One of only three of Cronenberg’s films to not have been scored by Howard Shore, and the first major studio film directed by Cronenberg, The Dead Zone was adapted for the screen by Jeffrey Boam based on Stephen King’s novel. Even as a major studio film, Cronenberg still filmed in his home province of Ontario. Christopher Walken plays the empathetic Johnny Smith, a teacher with a future ahead of him until an accident lands him in a coma. When he wakes years later, life has moved on without him, and the discovery that he now has a psychic ability becomes a blessing and a curse.

The Fly

The only film directed by Cronenberg to win an Oscar (for Best Makeup), this magnum opus is one of the best horror movies of all time. A tragic love story that plays out like an opera, Seth Brundle’s transformation into a grotesque human fly while his lover, Veronica Quaife, helplessly watches on was made more compelling by Cronenberg’s revisions to Charles Pogue’s original screenplay. He kept the basic concepts the same, but injected his trademark themes of sexuality, personal identity crisis, and body horror. So much more body horror. Thank you, Cronenberg.

Dead Ringers

The last of Cronenberg’s true horror films follow twin gynecologists who spiral out of control in drug addiction and codependency once a new woman enters their life. Jeremy Irons played the dual role of twin brothers Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Checking off all the requisite Cronenberg boxes, from intimacy, sexuality, and downbeat tone, Dead Ringers is more subdued than previous efforts in that the director delves more into the psychological over shocking imagery- though there is that here too. A deep character study with masterful double performances by Irons, Dead Ringers is extremely unsettling, and often overlooked.

eXistenZ

Though classified as sci-fi, this 1999 release still bears Cronenberg’s characteristic body horror and is a great thrill ride that genre fans will love. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a game designer on the run from assassins, who must play her latest VR game with a marketing trainee to test if the game has been tampered with. A mind-bending psychological examination of how humans interact with surrounding technology, or in this case, video games, Cronenberg delivers on the weird and surreal. It may sound all techno-pulp, but the gooey body horror still applies.

As Actor

Cronenberg can often be spotted in cameo roles, from the Gynecologist in a nightmare sequence in The Fly to small appearances in John Landis’ comedy Into the Night. But when he steps into a more prominent role on screen, the director proves to be a jack of all trades. Some of his more notable horror acting roles include:

Nightbreed

It’s not the monsters that you should be afraid of in this Clive Barker film, but the cool, calculated Dr. Phillip K. Decker, a psychotherapist who moonlights as a masked serial killer. Cronenberg is chilling as the film’s antagonist, his intelligence translating on-screen in making Decker a formidable, deadly foe for Midian and its inhabitants. In a film full of creatively designed creatures, Cronenberg’s Decker stands out.

Resurrection

Russell Mulcahy (Highlander) reteams with Christopher Lambert in this Canadian production of a grisly serial killer procedural by way of Se7en. This film’s killer is one that uses missing body parts to rebuild the body of Christ in the nick of time for Easter, and Cronenberg this time plays a priest, Father Roussell.

Jason X

Before Jason Voorhees was cryogenically frozen and ended up in space, he was captured and kept in stasis by the U.S. government. Cronenberg played Dr. Wimmer, a scientist researching Jason’s cellular regeneration. Of course, this is the beginning of the movie, so Dr. Wimmer and his military team don’t last long at all. Yup. Cronenberg gets slaughtered by Jason Voorhees in this over-the-top sequel.

The post The Master of Body Horror: A David Cronenberg Horror Retrospective appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The remake will portray Rose, a young woman who, after an accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition, undergoes a radical untested stem cell treatment. While turning Rose into the belle of the ball, the experimental transformation comes at a price.

Jen and Sylvia Soska will direct this new feature from a screenplay they adapted with John Serge from the original Cronenberg classic. Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde, and John Vidette are serving as producers.

Shout! Studios will be working closely with filmmakers and producers in the production process. The Rabid feature remake is currently in the pre-production phase. Principal photography is expected to begin in April.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be re-imaging David’s 1977 body horror classic, Rabid, with such incredible support behind us,” said Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska. “We are not fans of soulless remakes as seems to be the trend these days as they disrespect the fans and the original body of work. Our Rabid is a continuation of the thoughts and conversation David started with his original piece and modernized through a female perspective. This film will truly honor not only the original but Cronenberg’s entire body of work.”

The post Shout! Studios Acquires Remake of David Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Therefore, I feel it only proper to give any aid I can muster to these powerful women who are changing the world, and slowly, but certainly surely, making a difference in cinema. Read on, learn their names, do your research, and prepare for the change. Women filmmakers are only increasing in volume every year, and soon, the tables will be more than balanced. Until then, here are some great titles on the horizon from a few noteworthy female filmmakers.

THE NIGHTINGALE by Jennifer Kent

Jennifer Kent came on the scene and blew everyone else out of the water immediately with her 2014 gothic fairytale The Babadook. Based around the idea of grief literally manifesting as a monster, Kent’s vision in her first full length feature film is razor sharp, as she manages to frighten her audience while simultaneously reaching them on an emotional level as they pray for the well being of this damaged family, all the while capturing a moody persona via charcoal gray walls and German Expressionist architecture. To say her first time up at bat was a true feat is a grave understatement. To be blunt, this lady knows her shit. The Nightingale will be brilliant. It just has to be. Set in 1825 Tasmania, the story of The Nightingale tells the tale of a young Irish convict who witnesses the brutal murder of her husband and child by her soldier master and his cronies. Unable to find lawful justice, she takes it upon herself to hire an Aboriginal male tracker to aid her in seeking revenge against those who have wronged her. She couldn’t be less prepared for the results. The film hits theaters August 10^th, 2018.

THE DARKEST MINDS by Jennifer Yuh Nelson

Based on the novel by Alexandra Bracken and starring Gwendoline Christie, Amandla Stenberg, and Mandy Moore, The Darkest Minds is set in a futuristic universe where a disease has killed off 98% of children in the United States, and the surviving 2% are left with supernatural powers, deemed dangerous, and placed in internment camps. Set on surviving, a sixteen-year-old girl manages to escape, bands together with a group of others like her, and sets out on foot to escape the government that seeks to claim and cage them. The movie is set to hit theaters everywhere on September 14^th, 2018.

THE STRANGE ONES by Lauren Wolkstein and Christopher Radcliff

Written and directed by Lauren Wolkstein and Christopher Radcliff, The Strange Ones follows two travelers as they make they way across a remote American landscape, avoiding trouble at every turn. At first, all is as it should be, the boys enjoy themselves as they hunt and trap and trek across beautiful sights, making memories that’ll last a lifetime. Unfortunately, they’ll soon realize that they’re not alone in this forest, that there are eyes watching from afar, and soon, these two predators of the earth will become the prey in enemy territory.

DESTROYER by Karyn Kusama

Karyn Kusama was unjustly sent to movie jail after her big-budget Hollywood film Aeon Flux didn’t perform as intended, but that didn’t slow her down. After unleashing Jennifer’s Body, a wholly undervalued film which luckily, seems to be finding the attention it deserves as time goes on, Kusama wowed audiences with her low key moody domestic thriller The Invitation, a shadowy picture about a dinner party gone awry. Now, she’s back and stronger than ever before, with her latest feature in the works, a modern-day crime thriller titled Destroyer, set in Los Angeles and starring Nicole Kidman. According to the synopsis, the movie tells the story of LAPD Detective Erin Bell (Kidman) who comes face to face with a dangerous gang member from her past, one whom she knows from her dark days as an undercover agent, and one who will make her pay for what she did so many years ago. A release date has yet to be set for this film.

RIOT GIRLS by Jovanka Vuckovic

Vuckovic recently made a splash in the horror genre with her addition of “The Box” to the all female-helmed horror anthology XX, but her name has been known for quite a long time now. Before she was well known for writing screenplays, Vuckovic made her name as a journalist, managing Rue Morgue magazine as the editor in chief for six and a half years. Now, she’s back with her first full-length feature film titled Riot Girls, a “post-apocalyptic queer romance survivalist story” as described by the filmmaker herself to Variety in 2016. The movie depicts a world where all the adults have died and teenagers are left in charge, one of whom is on the hunt to retrieve her kidnapped brother and return him to safety – or, as safe as it gets in this brutal life. A release date has yet to be set for this film.

REVENGE by Coralie Fargeat

Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, Revenge is not your typical tale of vengeance. When an unsuspecting young woman goes on a ‘guys only’ hunting trip with three married men, including the one she’s currently having an affair with, the tides take a turn for the worse when the men in question take advantage of their isolated surroundings and turn on Jen like a pack of wild dogs. Beaten, but not defeated, Jen takes it upon herself to exact cold revenge upon the men who hurt her, and she will stop at nothing to hunt down every last one of them until they’re all dead in the hard soil beneath her boots. The film is set to be officially released later in 2018, and will play at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival.

THE PARTY by Sally Potter

What started as an evening of celebration quickly elevates into uproarious debauchery when a group of friends come together for a night of drinking and unexpected announcements in Sally Potter’s latest, The Party. Potter made her first film on 8mm when she was fourteen years old, and she’s been working to deliver picture after picture ever since. Some of her features include Thriller, The Tango Lesson, The Man Who Cried, and Rage, as well as several short films in between. Now, at the age of sixty-eight and on her fifteenth title, Potter is back with a black comedy loved across the board by film festivals far and wide, including the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival. On February 16^th, 2018, her black comedy will be unleashed in the States, and everyone will witness how a night that was uncorked with a bottle of champagne will overflow into gunfights and delusions of grandeur.

RABID by Jen & Sylvia Soska

Based on the 1977 David Cronenberg picture by the same name, Rabid tells the tragic story of a young girl named Rose who required emergency plastic surgery when her boyfriend’s motorcycle crashed, but paid her price for penance with a lust for human blood. Genre favorites and identical twins Jen and Sylvia Soska are set to direct the remake of Cronenberg’s cult classic, known best for their gruesomely feminist take on torture in their 2012 sophomore feature American Mary, in addition to their work on the game show Hellevator and See No Evil 2. The duo has also recently made an appearance on Shudder’s The Core, as well as popping up in various cameos across the indie board, like Suburban Gothic and ABCs of Death 2. This pair has already proven that they know how to shoot action sequences and they aren’t shy when it comes to the gore, so it will be very interesting to see their take on Cronenberg’s ghoulish nightmare, especially considering they’ve already made a film largely based on taboo plastic surgery practices. A release date has yet to be set for this film.

The post 8 Essential Upcoming Genre Movies Directed By Women appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The remake will portray Rose, a young woman who, after an accident leaves her scarred beyond recognition, undergoes a radical untested stem cell treatment. While turning Rose into the belle of the ball, the experimental transformation comes at a price.

Michael Walker, Paul Lalonde and John Vidette of Back 40 Pictures are producing.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be re-imagining Rabid. Ten years into his career, David re-imagined The Fly and it was perhaps his most successful film. Now ten years into our directing careers, we take on his 1977 classic,” the Soska sisters said in a statement.

Jen and Sylvia Soska are repped by Chris Ridenhour and Sheryl Peterson at APA, managed by Andrew Wilson at Zero Gravity Management, and also Joel Vanderkloot at Nelson Davis.

The post Could the ‘Rabid’ Remake Film in 2018?! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Speaking with Rue Morgue, the Soska Sisters noted that the Rabid remake is very much still on – and they’re planning on going all-out with body-horror madness.

“MastersFX is on board, and we’ve been designing some really amazing stuff. I think we’re gonna scare the shit out of people,” Sylvia told the site. Jen added, “We want to do some body horror that’s like, ‘What the fuck is this?’—that you’ve never seen. That has been a challenge for us, because I’ve seen a lot of weird Japanese movies that go way past what most normal people watch. But we’ve got a lot of surprises in RABID, and I think people are going to be impressed.”

“I’m very excited for RABID, because not only is it kind of an extension of AMERICAN MARY, it’s really a study of all of David Cronenberg’s work,” Jen also said. “I just want to impress him. If other people like it, I’ll be happy, but all I want is for him to love it.”

Casting is underway, with production beginning soon.

In the 1977 film, a young woman (Marilyn Chambers) develops a taste for human blood after undergoing experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into rabid, blood-thirsty zombies who proceed to infect others, which turns into a city-wide epidemic.

The post Soska Sisters Update On ‘Rabid’ Remake; “We’ve Got a Lot of Surprises” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the 1977 film, a young woman, Rose (Marilyn Chambers), develops a taste for human blood after undergoing experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into rabid, blood-thirsty zombies who proceed to infect others, which turns into a city-wide epidemic. The film was told from the perspective of Hart (Frank Moore), Rose’s boyfriend. The Soska sisters aren’t huge fans of remakes but are excited to tell the story from Rose’s perspective. They also feel that there’s social commentary to be intertwined:

“We are very honored to have been the team chosen to take on the remake of Cronenberg’s ‘Rabid’,” said Sylvia. “Normally, I’m not a huge fan of remakes but that’s if they don’t have anything new to bring to the story. We have a unique perspective just because of who we are to tell the story from Rose’s eyes as well as make a commentary on the increasingly rabid world that we live in.

“Also, we’ve been dying to get back into body horror. Ten years into David’s filmmaking career, he remade ‘The Fly’ and it brought him to this new level. This is ten years into our career and this will be our first film that gets a wide theatrical release, so it feels like a good pairing. We just have to make sure we don’t let down our country, our fanbase, and our hero,” she explained, while jokingly adding, “No pressure.”

The Soskas, who are identical twin sisters from British Columbia, directed American Mary, Dead Hooker in a Trunk and See No Evil 2.

Rabid was one of Cronenberg’s first films. He followed it with Fast Company, Scanners, The Brood, Videodrome, The Dead Zone and even The Fly.

The post The Soska Sisters’ ‘Rabid’ Remake Will Have New Perspective, Social Commentary appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But there are some that don’t get revisited as often as others. For any filmmaker who has made more than three films, there will always be a black sheep in the family. A film that is not as beloved, is lesser known, or simply never achieved the critical or cult status of their other works.

While we want to recognize the greatest work these pantheon filmmakers have created, it’s sometimes fun and illuminating to look at the black sheep in the family, to see what went wrong, to look at it through the lens of the filmmaker’s otherwise stellar career, and sometimes just to decide if we feel the black sheep status is unjustly applied or understandably forgotten. So who are the first five filmmakers, and what are those black sheep films?

The Filmmaker: Wes Craven

The Body of Work:
A college professor whose career began when he was 33, he didn’t waste any time in creating a huge impact with Last House on the Left, one of the most notorious horror/revenge films of all time. He followed it with The Hills Have Eyes a few years later, and joined the ranks of horror icon history when he created Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. He revisited his own creation in 1994, helping give birth to meta-horror with New Nightmare, and codified the new subgenre by directing every entry in the successful Scream franchise.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because it isn’t a horror film, we shouldn’t include Music of the Heart, a drama starring Meryl Streep as an inner-city violin teacher. The same goes for his early-era porn film, The Fireworks Woman (yes, that’s real). There is no lack of opinions from Craven fans about certain films like Swamp Thing, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, Deadly Friend, and Vampire in Brooklyn; they’re not forgotten films as much as third rails of the Craven filmography that might kill you if you step on them in the wrong company. Deadly Blessing and The People Under the Stairs have earned legitimate cult status to varying degrees, so what does that leave?

Maybe his black sheep is in his television work. Chiller, Stranger in Our House, Invitation to Hell, and Night Visions are all films Craven made for television in the years between Last House on the Left and returning for New Nightmare. But they’re early films that had spotty home releases, often in quickie discs that plastered his more famous horror titles across the top in an effort to peddle the films to unsuspecting viewers. If rarity and weirdness were the only criteria for a TV black sheep, we might as well nominate the “Casebusters” episode of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. No, the true black sheep of Craven’s family is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…My Soul to Take.

A film that isn’t truly terrible enough to gain laughable cult status, and nowhere near good enough to stand as a strong example of his work, the 2010 film had a lot going against it. A post-conversion to 3-D to cash in on a fad, poor box office performance, worse reviews; even things that had been boons in Craven’s other films, like a cast of up-and-coming teen actors, a central whodunit mystery, and a sprinkling of Catholic themes and imagery, were largely uninspired and fell flat.

The Verdict:
Understandably Forgotten.

The Filmmaker: John Carpenter

The Body of Work:

Do I need to waste your time with this? He redefined indie horror success with Halloween, reinvented a classic terror with The Thing, turned weather into a villain with The Fog, amalgamated Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft with In the Mouth of Madness, and made us afraid of nice cars, vats of green goo, and sunglasses (Christine, Prince of Darkness, and They Live, respectively).

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because John Carpenter is such a singular filmmaker, his movies tend to run hit and miss, but even the misses have their loyal supporters. Body Bags is a guilty pleasure for many (possibly because of his fun on-screen performance); Someone’s Watching Me is a surprisingly assured early TV film, though it is missing Carpenter’s signature score; and Vampires is a mediocre film elevated by a couple of unbelievably committed performances.

There is certainly an argument to be made for The Ward as deserving of the Black Sheep award. The only reason it escapes that designation is because it is (as of this writing) the last feature film that John Carpenter has made. We all fear it is possible that it will be the last film he makes, if the number of cigarettes Carpenter lights during every commentary track is any accurate measure of how long he will remain with us; and like Jimmy Stewart’s career ending with an uninspired voice-over in An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, we live in fear of it being the anticlimactic end to a fantastic run. No, the film that takes the award is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Village of the Damned.

If rumors are to be believed, it was a film John Carpenter didn’t even particularly want to make. Legend goes that he directed the remake of the intellectual property in order to get a crack at one that he liked even more: The Day the Earth Stood Still. When Village of the Damned did poorly at the box office, the film he really wanted to make magically never materialized.

The lackluster performances from Christopher Reeve and Kirstie Alley matched Carpenter’s general level of disinterest, and although a few of the child performances show promise, the tension in the film’s pacing and plot dry up a few minutes after the intriguing opening premise. Add to that a nomination for Worst Remake at the Golden Raspberrry Awards and the fact that 1995 was the last year for Christopher Reeve before an accident confined him to a wheelchair, and it’s understandable why this film has been allowed to vanish quietly.

The Verdict:
Understandably Forgotten.

The Filmmaker: George A. Romero

The Body of Work:
Just add your choice of words to the beginning of the phrase “of the Dead.” Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. He may have made some films about things that were living, too.

Oh, and Creepshow. A high-water mark in anthology horror and a loving tribute to the morbid comics everyone’s parents blamed for their disturbed children.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
This is a difficult list to create. Aside from certain entries in the Dead series, many horror fans consider movies like Martin and Monkey Shines some of his most interesting and accomplished work, thanks to committed performances and offbeat stories not found in mainstream horror fare.

Two Evil Eyes is nowhere near the brilliant anthology film that Creepshow was, but it dodges Black Sheep status because Romero and Argento working together on a film is valuable for sheer curiosity. Knightriders and There’s Always Vanilla escape judgement because they’re not horror films, and Season of the Witch (or Hungry Wives or Jack’s Wife) was so ahead of its time thematically that I believe its most appreciative audience is actually still finding it. No, Romero’s Black Sheep award goes to…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Bruiser.

What an unusual film. A frumpy nothing of a man who is marginalized at his job, humiliated by his wife, and is spending a lot of time fantasizing about suicide and worse. After being unable to paint a blank white mask to express himself, he wakes up the next morning to find the mask now covering his own face. He is erased, unreal, nothing. And with that comes the luxury of casting of societal norms. Watch out world, Henry Creedlow is pissed off.

Weird, uneven, and overly symbolic… but still, there’s something scrappy about this obtuse and completely uncommercial film. With an interesting lead character portrayed by “That Guy” Jason Flemyng, and over-the-top performance from Peter Stormare (including a cameo from his penis), and an appearance from punk band The Misfits, I understand why people have forgotten it, but… I just can’t.

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The Filmmaker: David Cronenberg

The Body of Work:
‘Body’ is the right word to describe his work. Since he started altering physiology back in Shivers, Cronenberg has made a critically well-received and moderately profitable career off of the slow changing of the human body: Rabid, The Brood, The Fly. Even his more popular and less horror-driven films, like Eastern Promises and the play adaptation M. Butterfly, deal with the rigorous physical changes that his protagonists put themselves through.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
Because he came out of the gate so strongly in the horror arena, there are few misses in his work. Sure, we have some questions about why Cronenberg made a 1979 car racing exploitation film called Fast Company, but it’s not horror, so we let it go.

Somehow, the less commercial Cronenberg’s films are, the more cult famous they seem to be. Videodrome, Naked Lunch, and Crash are extremely weird and idiosyncratic, and they have garnered him some of his most die-hard fans. His emotionally reserved and coldly calculating films like Dead Ringers and The Dead Zone have found crossover love from even non-horror fans due to their performances and meticulous direction. In this case, the award for David Cronenberg’s most under-remembered film is…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Spider.

And frankly, it makes no sense. Unlike Eastern Promises and A History of Violence, Spider was somehow not nominated for an Academy Award for Ralph Fiennes’ stunning, complex performance as a mentally ill man trying to slowly work his way back into society. This film almost didn’t make the list because it barely registers as a horror film, but some of the subject matter, the frankness of content, and the truly disturbing nature of the story allow for a certain leeway (not to mention that the film is fantastic and criminally underrated).

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The Filmmaker: Tobe Hooper

The Body of Work:
The most unusual of the filmmakers on the list, Tobe Hooper exploded out of the gate with his first feature film, the notorious and surprisingly beautiful artsploitation film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. His subsequent output was a varied as it was interesting: a TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot; a darkly comedic sequel in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2; the box-office super-success Poltergeist that was (rumored to be) mostly directed by Hooper’s producer, Steven Spielberg; and the “definitely directed by Hooper” one-two punch of Lifeforce and Invaders from Mars.

The Black Sheep Nominees:
The rest of Hooper’s career is a mixed bag that is equal parts candy, nails, hot air, and sawdust. He worked with Robert Englund twice in a row with Night Terrors and The Mangler, which is enough to keep them from relative obscurity. His most recent feature, Djinn, is a mildly interesting story that has a very interesting premise; the same can be said for his remake of Toolbox Murders, where he injected a supernatural thread that livened up the proceedings. He even directed one segment of the aforementioned Body Bags, which is possibly the best sequence in the film.

The Black Sheep could be the 2005 film Mortuary, or the 1990 Spontaneous Combustion, both of which barely reached my radar when they were released initially and haven’t done anything to work themselves back into my thoughts since. But the last mention in this article should be a high note, so let’s end with a Black Sheep award for Tobe Hooper’s work on…

The Black Sheep Winner:
…Eaten Alive.

So much of what worked in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre returned in this film because so many of the people who made it returned for this one. Wayne Bell was back to create weird sounds that were sort of a musical score; Marilyn Burns was back on the screen, and Kim Henkel helped commit more disturbing words and actions to paper.

The film isn’t quite as beautiful as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre due to the absence of cinematographer Daniel Pearl (who went on to win many awards in the world of music videos), but the sleazy grindhouse charm is still present and accounted for.  Add to that the first pairing of Hooper with Robert Englund and an appearance from a young lady who would grow into one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and we have a film with multiple reasons to be remembered that doesn’t get remembered enough.

The Verdict:
Unjustly Applied.

The post The Outliers: Horror’s Greatest Directors and Their Black Sheep Films, Volume One appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

…

…

…

Ok, I’m back. Now where was I? Oh yes, Dead Ringers and Rabid are coming to Blu-ray! Dead Ringers gets the ball rolling on November 15th with Rabid set to follow a week later on November 22nd. Both films can be pre-ordered now directly from ShoutFactory.com. Full details below!

Synopsis:
Claire Niveau (Geneviève Bujold) is in love with handsome Beverly. Or does she love Elliot? It’s uncertain because brothers Beverly and Elliot Mantle are identical twins sharing the same medical practice, apartment and women – including unsuspecting Claire.

In a role that won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor Award, Jeremy Irons plays twin gynecologists whose emotional dependency collapses into mind games, madness and murder.  Cronenberg won the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards Best Director honors for melding split-screen techniques, body doubles and Iron’s uncanny acting into an eerie, fact-based tale.

Bonus Features

DISC 1(1.78:1 version)
•NEW Audio Commentary with writer William Beard, author of The Artist As Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg
•Audio Commentary with actor Jeremy Irons

DISC 2
•NEW 2K scan at the director’s preferred aspect ratio (1.66:1)
•NEW Carey’s Story – an interviews with Heidi Von Palleske (19 minutes)
•NEW Working Artist – an interview with Stephen Lack (24 minutes)
•NEW Connecting Tissues – an interview with special effects artist Gordon Smith (19 minutes)
•NEW Double Vision – an interview with director of photography Peter Suschitzky (12 minutes)
•Vintage interviews with Jeremy Irons, director/co-writer David Cronenberg, producer Marc Boyman and co-writer Norman Snider (17 minutes)
•Vintage Behind the Scenes Featurette (7 minutes)
•Theatrical Trailer

Rabid
Release Date: 11/22/2016

Synopsis:
After undergoing radical emergency surgery, Rose (former adult film star Marilyn Chambers in her first leading role in a mainstream film) develops an insatiable desire for blood. She searches out victims to satisfy her incurable craving, infecting them with an unknown disease which, in turn swiftly drives them insane… and makes them equally bloodthirsty.
 
Follow the lovely but deadly Rose through her terrifying ordeal as victim by victim, the spreading circle of casualties grows… until no one can escape their grisly fate of becoming… Rabid.

Bonus Features
•NEW 2K scan from the negative at the director David Cronenberg’s preferred aspect ratio (1.66:1)
•NEW audio interview with author Jill C. Nelson (Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema, 1968-1985) and Marilyn Chambers’ personal appearances manager Ken Leicht
•NEW Young and Rabid – an interview with actress Susan Roman (33 minutes)
•Audio Commentary with writer-director David Cronenberg
•Audio Commentary with William Beard, author of The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg
•Archival interview with David Cronenberg (21 minutes)
•Interview with executive producer Ivan Reitman (13 minutes)
•Interview with co-producer Don Carmody (16 minutes)
•From Stereo to Video – A video essay by Caelum Vatnsdal, author of They Came from Within: A History of Canadian Horror Cinema (26 minutes)
•Theatrical Trailer
•TV Spot
•Radio Spots (U.S. and U.K.)
•Still Gallery

The post Cronenberg Classics Get the Scream Factory Collector’s Treatment! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Below is all the movies that Shout! announced at their panel and on Twitter. They include such gems as Black Christmas, Slumber Party Massacre II, Bubba Ho-Tep, Dreamscape, Willard, The House That Screamed, and two films from the legendary David Cronenberg!

If we know anything about Shout! Factory and their horror arm Scream, it’s that they’re passionate about delivering the best product imaginable so that fans feel like every penny was worth it. I know that I haven’t gotten anything from them that I felt didn’t meet my expectations.

To Live and Die in L.A.

Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Willem Dafoe, William Peterson, John Panknow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro
Two cops in Los Angeles try to track down a vicious criminal. Then, one of them is killed and the other one swears revenge no matter what the cost. After that, the hunt becomes an obsession and the law he once swore to uphold becomes meaningless to him. (Source)

Dead of Winter

Director: Arthur Penn
Starring: Mary Steenburgen, Roddy McDowall, Jan Rubes
A fledgling actress is lured to a remote mansion for a screen-test, soon discovering she is actually a prisoner in the middle of a blackmail plot.

The House that Screamed

Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador
Starring: Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbó, John Moulder-Brown
Lilli Palmer owns and runs a school for wayward girls in France. Her absolute discipline has fostered a social order among the girls with rampant sex, lesbianism and torture the norm. Palmer also has an adolescent son (Moulder Brown) she tries to keep isolated from the young women lest he be tainted by sexual relations; She explains that he must wait for a girl “just like his mother”. Meanwhile, girls are “running away” (being murdered) one by one, with their corpses and any evidence of their outcome not to be found. (Source)

Slumber Party Massacre II

Director: Deborah Brock
Starring: Crystal Bernard, Jennifer Rhodes, Kimberly McArthur
Courtney Bates, the younger sister of Valerie, and her friends go to their condo for a weekend getaway, but Courtney can’t get rid of the haunting feeling that a supernatural rockabilly driller killer is coming to murder them all.

Slumber Party Massacre III

Director: Sally Mattison
Starring: Keely Christian, Brittain Frye, Michael Harris
After a hard day of volleyball at the beach, a teen whose parents are away decides to have a slumber party with her girlfriends. Their boyfriends predictably show up to scare them, but a stranger from the beach is also seen lurking around the house. Soon the group begins experiencing an attrition problem. (Source)

Dead Ringers

Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske
Twin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.

Rabid

Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Marilyn Chambers, Frank Moore, Joe Silver
A young woman develops a taste for human blood after undergoing experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into rabid, blood-thirsty zombies who proceed to infect others, which turns into a city-wide epidemic.

Dreamscape

Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer
A young psychic on the run from himself is recruited by a government agency experimenting with the use of the dream-sharing technology and is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of the U.S. president.

Poltergeist II

Director: Brian Gibson
Starring: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke
The Freeling family have a new house, but their troubles with supernatural forces don’t seem to be over.

Poltergeist III

Director: Gary Sherman
Starring: Heather O’Rourke, Tom Skerritt, Nancy Allen
Carol Anne is staying with her aunt in a highrise building, and the supernatural forces that have haunted her previously follow her there.

Black Christmas

Director: Bob Clark
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder
During their Christmas break, a group of sorority girls are stalked by a stranger.

Willard

Director: Daniel Mann
Starring: Bruce Davison, Elsa Lanchester, Sondra Locke
A social misfit uses his only friends, his pet rats, to exact revenge on his tormentors.

Ben

Director: Phil Karlson
Starring: Lee Montgomery, Joseph Campanella, Arthur O’Connell
A lonely boy befriends Ben, the leader of a violent pack of killer rats.

Bubba Ho-Tep

Director: Don Coscarelli
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce
Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy.

The post Shout! Factory Announces Several Must-Have Horror Titles at #SDCC appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Lose Your Fingernails (The Fly and Contracted)

Why is it always the fingernails? Does anyone  immediately look away from the screen the second the fingernails start peeling off? The sound effects behind them are just gross!

Grow a Phallic Stinger (Rabid and Slither)

One of the more unrealistic symptoms on this list is growing a phallic stinger. Whether it be one from your armpit (David Cronenberg’s Rabid), or two from your stomach (James Gunn’s Slither), it can’t be a pretty feeling. That being said, it would be a pretty good defense mechanism.

Have Vines Crawl Around Inside You (The Ruins)

No. Just no. The mere thought of having a living organism crawl around under your skin is enough to….get under your skin (sorry). The Ruins is an extremely underrated film (it’s not perfect, but it is one of the best evil plant movies in existence and it’s based on a fantastic novel) that works as well as it does because of the paranoia it instills within the viewer. Have you ever known someone with lice? Or scabies? Or had a dog with fleas? You immediately start scratching thinking that the little bastards are all over you. That is the effect that The Ruins has on you.

Get Raped and Impregnated By the Devil (Rosemary’s Baby)

In what is arguably one of the most horrifying scenes ever put on film, young Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) is raped by Satan himself. This one doesn’t really need any further explanation, but suffice it to say it’s absolutely despicable.

Be Reborn Out of Your Mother’s Vagina (Dead Alive)

Sure, Peter Jackson’s 1992 gorefest is plenty silly, but it’s still incredibly disgusting. I’ve gone into my issues with pus in the past, but Lionel’s (Timothy Balme’s) rebirth out of his mother’s enlarged vagina-stomach takes the cake in terms of grotesquerie. Blech.

Shave Your Skin Off (Cabin Fever)

Other than the leg-fingering scene, no moment is more cringe-worthy in Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever than the scene when Marcy (Cerina Vincent) runs her razor up her leg only to peel layers of skin off, revealing a bunch of open sores. No thank you!

Grow a VCR Vagina in Your Stomach (Videodrome)

One of the more bizarre entries on this list is courtesy (again) of David Cronenberg. Truth be told, I’m one of those people who just doesn’t “get” Videodrome, but that stomach VCR vagina still sent chills up my spine. Just imagine shoving a VHS into that orifice and wiggling in around in there.

Grow Teeth in Your Vagina (Teeth)

Full disclosure: I’m a man and thus do not have a vagina, so I can’t really imagine what this would feel like, but I can’t imagine it feels good. Granted, if you’ve seen the movie Teeth, you probably already know that Dawn (Jess Weixler) puts her “gift” to good use, but it could still be a fairly unreliable superpower. What if you were having angry sex? Accidents can happen!

Penis Turning Into a Giant Drill (Tetsuo: The Iron Man)

Now this is something that I can imagine. Maybe not the whole “slowly morph into a machine” part, but the sheer thought of my penis turning into a large drill is certainly horrifying. The sound effects and foley work of grinding metal are enough to make you cover your ears, but when the lead character rapes his girlfriend to death with his drill-penis, it almost becomes too much to handle.

Chest Morphs Into a Set of Jaws (The Thing)

I had to save the best for last, didn’t I? In what is arguably the greatest body horror film of all time, The Thing also features one of the most shocking set pieces when Norris (Charles Hallahan) appears to suffer a heart attack and Dr. Copper (Richard Dysart) attempts to revise him. Suddenly, Norris’ chest cavity opens up and becomes a giant mouth, chewing off Copper’s hands.  On a list of things of awful things that can happen to your body in a body horror film, this one ranks pretty high!

What are some other gross-out moments from body horror films that have made you turn away from the screen? What is that one thing that you just wouldn’t be able to handle if it happened to you? Let us know in the comments below!

The post The 10 Worst Things That Could Happen to You in a Body Horror Film! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Of the three releases the big one for me is The Seventh Sign from director Carl Schultz and starring Demi Moore and Michael Biehn. This late 80’s film deals with the apocalypse as told by the Book of Revelation. What has me so excited about this release is that I’m pretty sure it’ll be the first Blu-ray release of this film anywhere in the world. The more films that make it to Blu-ray, the better.

Joining The Seventh Sign will be 2002’s The Mothman Prophecies. Surprisingly this has never received a US Blu-ray and to the best of my knowledge has only been released on Blu-ray in Germany. This is a bit odd for a movie that is fairly new and was a pretty mainstream release.

And finally rounding things out will be the Cronenberg Collection. This 3-film set will feature The Dead Zone, Rabid and Shivers all from the legendary David Cronenberg. All three of these films have received previous Blu-ray releases throughout the world but not a single one has been released in the US yet.

If you’re wondering what the region coding is on these, I don’t know yet. The safe bet is to assume they are region B like most Australian releases, however, I’ve gotten a number of releases from Via Vision that have been region free. The possibility does exist that these are region free. Once I find out more, I’ll pass that info along. If they are region free that would be huge as none of these are currently available in the US.

The Seventh Sign
Around the world, the signs of the apocalypse–as outlined in the Book of Revelation–seem to be coming to pass in the wake of a mysterious wanderer. Father Lucci, the Vatican Emissary assigned to investigate, dismisses the occurrences as natural, but Abby Quinn, a young American woman, has reason to fear they’re real–and that the unfolding events may spell disaster for her unborn child.

The Mothman Prophecies
A reporter is drawn to a small West Virginia town to investigate a series of strange events, including psychic visions and the appearance of bizarre entities.

The Dead Zone
The chilling story of a man who emerges from a five-year coma possessed with the extraordinary power to see visions of the past, present and most frighteningly, the future ….

Rabid
A young woman develops a taste for human blood after undergoing experimental plastic surgery, and her victims turn into rabid, blood-thirsty zombies who proceed to infect others, which turns into a city-wide epidemic.

Shivers
The residents of a suburban high-rise apartment building are being infected by a strain of parasites that turn them into mindless, sex-crazed fiends out to infect others by the slightest sexual contact.

The post ‘The Seventh Sign’ and More Coming to Blu-ray from Australia’s Via Vision Entertainment appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.