And the award for most vaginal artwork of 2015 goes to… Seriously, this one-sheet for Lilin’s Brood is hot, beautiful, and disturbing in all the right ways. Check it out!

Directed by Mansa Mojo Brothas, the film stars Martin Sensemeier, Maxine Goynes, Brent King, Melinda Milton, Alberto Barros, Catherine Paiz, James Wellington, and Sandra Hinojosa.

Look for Lilin’s Brood on iTunes and Amazon on February 12th. Look for weird teenagers to masturbate to the below poster ASAP.

Synopsis:
A “New Media” news coverage team that is stranded near a beleaguered brothel in the middle of nowhere encounter a group of women with a terrifying secret.

The post Lilin’s Brood One-Sheet Snakes the Little Man in the Boat appeared first on Dread Central.

Dinosaurs. You love them. You want them. They’re available on PlayStation 4 in Primal Carnage. Read on for details on a special holiday deal for those with a jurassic mentality!

From the Press Release:
Holiday downloadable content has come to Primal Carnage: Extinction this season with DLC packs for PS4, which are out now until January 5th. There are six different versions of the downloadable packs which all come wrapped into a bundle, all ready to make gamers’ holiday experience even brighter. With limited availability, the packs are only here for a short time, but can be used all year-round. Plus, the Holiday Game Bundle includes the game plus all of the packs wrapped into one package, for those who have yet to jump in on all the action.

Celebrate the season with themed Primal Carnage: Extinction PS4 packs, all for fans to enjoy. There are three packs, with the “Holiday Weapon Packs” featuring themed additions, like festive weapons such as candy cane guns, frosty dart guns, and toy striped tranq rifles. The “Dino Holiday Bling Packs” each contain three sets of holiday-themed earmuffs for the dinosaurs, and the “Santa Pyro Pack” contains a Santa-themed pyro outfit, a Santa hat that can be worn by any humans, and exclusive holiday-themed weapons. With a true holiday feel, the pack offers a merry gameplay experience where users can play as Santa and battle against the dinosaur team, all set with Christmas –themed weapons along with much more.

For a limited time only, the Holiday Game Bundle pack, available in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the United States is up for grabs, which includes the Primal Carnage: Extinction game, all six DLC packs and a hand-painted theme, all for one low price. Primal Carnage: Extinction is the perfect mix of easy, fun and fast-paced action. It features unique dinosaur gameplay, specialized human classes, and an endless amount of thrilling “how will we survive” gameplay situations that are created by the clashes between humans and dinosaurs. Users are able to choose from 10 dinosaur classes, including the mighty T-Rex, deadly Raptors, and high-flying Pteranadon following a survival of the fittest model.

As the game is quickly growing its user base and expanding internationally, the holiday pack offers the chance for users to experience the game in a unique way. A distinctive take on the class-based shooter, users can play as humans and as dinosaurs, but can only play against those in the opposite species to hunt down their prey. Humans can use weapons among shooters to tranq, snipe, shoot, flame, or rocket their way to human superiority while dinosaurs rely on their natural abilities to attack, bite and physically take down enemies. Primal Carnage: Extinction is truly multiplayer, allowing up to 16 players hosted in online and LAN modes. It’s available in 17 countries and in four different languages, English, Spanish, German and French, offering opportunities for everyone to jump right in and enjoy all the game has to offer. With a growing and international user base, the game has also been released in countries throughout Europe.

All of the packs and bundle have gone live, so users can now celebrate the season with merry dinosaur vs. human combat just in time for the holidays. Plus, users will be able to spread the cheer by sharing it with their friends if they’re in the giving spirit. For more information, please see the links below to get the game or visit PrimalCarnage.com.

The post Primal Carnage Bundles Dino-sized Fun for the Holidaze! appeared first on Dread Central.

The spirits abound in the Aokigahara Forest (青木ヶ原, also known as the Suicide Forest or the Sea of Trees), and right now they’re sending out some spectral tidings for the holidays!

Starring Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones,” The Hunger Games), Taylor Kinney (“Chicago Fire”), Eoin Macken (The Night Shift), and Yukiyoshi Ozawa, director Jason Zada’s The Forest hits theaters nationwide from Gramercy Pictures on January 8th and in the UK on February 26th.

Synopsis:
Rising with terrifying grandeur at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan, the legendary real-life Aokigahara Forest is the suspense-filled setting of the supernatural thriller. A young American woman, Sara (Natalie Dormer), journeys there in search of her twin sister, who has mysteriously disappeared. In the company of expatriate Aiden (Taylor Kinney), Sara enters the forest having been well warned to “stay on the path.” Determined to discover the truth about her sister’s fate, Sara will have to face the angry and tormented souls of the dead that prey on anyone who dares come near them. These malevolent spirits lying in wait for Sara at every turn will plunge her into a frightening darkness from which she must fight to save herself.

The post Holiday Greetings from The Forest appeared first on Dread Central.

If there is one thing that excites me year round, it is watching a horror movie that blatantly wants you to see the social commentary.  After all, horror is the venue for expressing our deepest fears (and what is scarier than a Christmas without Santa?), and presuming that most horror fans would choose Halloween as their favorite holiday, what could we love more than a film where two holidays come together?

NOTE:  A few spoilers follow…

Krampus (review), directed by Michael Dougherty, wants you to understand the following theme over and over again: Appreciate those around you, and not only around the holidays.  And while this point is thrown in the audience’s face multiple times near the ending, I think it is always important to look at why horror movies want to teach us lessons.  While this theme is not original, it is prominent in the world today, where social media controls (most of) our lives.

Dougherty knew what he was doing by including this type of theme in a Christmas movie, with the holidays being a major time when everyone wants to give back to one another.  However, it usually is very short-lived.  The beginning of Krampus highlights this with customers running into stores, knocking down each other, fighting over items—all to get materialistic items.  Flash-forward to the dysfunctional protagonist family during the holidays, fighting over the decorations put up and the dinner provided on the table—basically doing the opposite of everything we should do during the holidays.

Based off the legend, Krampus is a horned figure that punishes misbehaving children during Christmastime.  So naturally, Krampus comes looking for this family because the son (Max) ripped up a letter he wanted to send to Santa, summoning Krampus to their house.  Throughout the film Krampus and his cronies take out Max’s family one by one, until they finally meet Max and he has to make an important decision: allow his family to live by sacrificing himself or be the lone survivor.  The build-up to this scene was a bit cheesy—like any typical Christmas movie would be—as Max stood aside an opening into the earth (presumable Hell) and pleaded for Krampus to save his family.

Max becomes the hero as he “saves” Christmas for his family, and his family is able to appreciate each other by looking past all of their differences and issues.  This is the quintessential “family is more important than gifts” Christmas movie, right?  Well, just when the family thought they were safe, they were given a reminder that Krampus is always watching.

So has the family truly learned a lesson, or will they just do what is necessary to avoid all of that chaos becoming their reality?  To that, I am not sure.  We live in a world where Christmas looks like a beautiful holiday on the outside, but many people will openly voice their complaints about the stress of this holiday—from finding the perfect (read: probably unnecessary) gifts to dealing with a dysfunctional family.

I love that Krampus captures different emotions of the holidays (but obviously on a more dramatic level).  I also love some of the Gothic elements in the film, originating from the British Gothic in the 19th century, one such theme being that there is a monster/ghost/creature chasing people around.

Another Gothic theme seen throughout the film is the setting being mostly in a household.  While a house is supposed to represent love and comfort, for most of Krampus, the house represents hatred and fear (from the dysfunctional family to Krampus and his cronies).  In her novel The Contested Castle: Gothic Novels and the Subversion of Domestic Ideology, Gothic literature scholar Kate Ferguson Ellis talks about the home in horror being a place of danger and imprisonment—and in this film, the home seems to be both… literally and figuratively.

Now, this film will never fall on my favorite holiday horror movies list, but I did appreciate the Gothic elements, the overarching theme, the relevant social commentary, and the unsettling ending.

Did you see Krampus? Let us know what you thought in the comments section below!

The post Dissecting Krampus as a Gothic Christmas Film with Social Commentary appeared first on Dread Central.

I’ve never been a fan of the term “visual novel” as it suggests that you’re in for a prose novel with some illustrations rather than an actual immersive video game. Rest assured that despite being labelled as a visual novel, Libra of the Vampire Princess is indeed a full-fledged video game, albeit one containing more text than over 8 novels combined. This totals over 50 hours of gameplay.

Released this Halloween in Japan, Libra of the Vampire Princess sees a young boy named Shuma discover a secret society of vampires, at risk of becoming one himself. The story is told with a beautiful anime art style that I sure wouldn’t mind looking at for 50 hours.

The English localisation is coming courtesy of the company MiKandi Japan, who are working closely with the developer, XERO. It’s currently being funded via Kickstarter and, if successful, will be released on Steam sometime in the future.

Synopsis:
Shuma Kusanagi was just an ordinary boy…

Until the day he is suddenly abducted by a mysterious girl named Iris who reveals to him a hidden secret about his birth. Coursing through his veins, Shuma has a special kind of blood – vampire blood – passed down from his progenitors. Iris is known as a “ringleader” vampire who has this ancestral blood, too. Her destiny: to “awaken” Shuma.

In his attempt to flee her clutches, Iris pounces on him to finish the embrace! Luckily, at the very last moment, the keepsake ring given to Shuma by his mother emits a blinding light that interrupts her vicious attack.  Shuma breaks free and escapes from Iris but soon realizes something inside him has gone amiss. Could he have become an odd, partially-turned vampire?

Now, many girls are entering his life from different directions and complicating the situation. To make matters worse, he is plagued by an overwhelming impulse to suck… their blood.

Introducing the eclectic cast of girls surrounding Shuma…

• A posh aristocratic vampire who’s new in town
• A cunning vampire hunter from the Vatican’s Special Service Agency
• A sassy maid turned werewolf with a “howling” personality
• A ditsy, scyth-wielding, and devilish temptress
• A devious 2,000-year-old vampire ringleader with blonde twin tails
• A curious classmate who loves a juicy story
• A caring friend who’s the closest thing to a sister

Who will you end up with at the novel’s conclusion? Which heroine will you “capture”? Choose from multiple paths, and reveal your destiny!

The post Anime Style Game Libra of the Vampire Princess Promises Over 50 Hours of Gameplay appeared first on Dread Central.

Swamp Thing is a character who is seriously underused by DC. And although Wes Craven’s film and the subsequent sequel and TV series propelled him to stardom outside of the medium of comic books, I still wish that they would give him a bigger role in the scheme of things.

So it’s great to learn that a new Swamp Thing series, written by co-creator Len Wein, is launching next month, drawn by Conan and Batman artist Kelley Jones. The first issue of the 6-part miniseries, which sees former scientist turned hulking monstrosity Alex Holland battling dark magic, will go on sale on the 6th of January for $2.99.

Synopsis:
Swamp Thing returns in an all-new series written by his co-creator, legendary writer Len Wein! Swamp Thing has received an ominous warning, and now he finds himself under attack from the forces of dark magic. These are more than just your average monsters—and there’s something much worse looming on the horizon for Alec Holland!

The post New Swamp Thing Miniseries Coming Next Month from Co-Creator Len Wein appeared first on Dread Central.

Starring Whitney Able, Alexandra Breckenridge, Michael Eklund, Redman

Directed by Nick Basille

Disturbed Kate (Whitney Able) is forced to confront her worst fears and phobias when she finds herself trapped alone in her New York loft during a blackout of the whole city.

We see the beautiful blonde is a bit coo-coo in the very beginning, during a full-on make-out session with her live-in lesbian lover, Leah (Alexandra Breckenridge). Kate tries to get Leah to choke her, but her gal pal is having none of it. The mood is broken.

But the affair is not. Leah professes her love and her jealousy over Kate’s many admirers, but still – Leah has to leave town for a little while. Kate seems relieved to have some alone time, but when the power goes out, things start to get very, very… dark.

Dark has got some heavy hitters behind the scenes. For one thing, it’s executive produced by Joe Dante. The writer is Elias, who enjoyed underground success with his body-horror low-budgeter Gut in 2012. Director Nick Basille hasn’t done much of note before, but I’m impressed by his sense of style and would like to see more.

The true stars of the show are DP Trent Ermes, the editing department, and especially lead actress Able. She’s compelling and mesmerizing, even when doing the most mundane things – which, I’ll tell you… if you’re looking for a scare-a-second, Dark will leave you cold. Able, especially when she starts to seriously unravel, brings to mind a young Jennifer Jason Leigh, not only in looks but in mannerisms and acting style. She’s excellent.

The movie is pretty near excellent too, but only for certain types of fandom. If you enjoy slow-burn, suspenseful, single-character thrillers – think: Repulsion, The Tenant, House of the Devil – then Dark will be right up your alley. I love this kind of stuff, but I will say even for me the flick dragged from time to time, and a few things were unclear even though I was paying attention.

It’s not perfect, but Dark is one of the better arty indies I’ve seen in some time.

The post Dark (2015) appeared first on Dread Central.

This year’s indie horror game Sylvio may not have gotten a whole lot of attention in the media, but don’t fret if you’re a fan and were worried that it would fade into obscurity, as it may be getting a sequel.

For those unfamiliar with the first game, it has you playing as paranormal investigator Juliette Waters, as she examines strange goings-on in an abandoned theme park. It mostly did well critically and was even hailed by some as one of the best horror games of the year, despite not being a major release, so you can check it out on Steam if you’re interested.

The sequel, which is currently on Kickstarter, will see Juliette return, this time with a large open world. Oddly enough, it will also be set primarily in broad daylight, but if this turns you off, rest assured that director Niklas Swanberg is still striving to create as pure a horror experience as possible: “Sylvio 2 is built for the horror game enthusiast and tries to push the boundaries of what has been done in horror games up till this date.”

And with all the action-oriented horror games on the market at the moment, the opening of the video below reminds that horror games can also be slow and downright terrifying when they want to be.

Synopsis:
Sylvio 2 is a single-player first-person, open world horror game, set in full daylight, where you get your missions from the dead as well as the living.

Juliette Waters, ghost recorder and EVP specialist, is back again to face the darkness that resides in Saginaw Family Park. The story takes off where the original Sylvio ended; the park has been ravished by a forest fire and heavy rainstorms, resulting in extensive flooding. Juliette travels the vast park by foot and with the help of a dinghy, solving environment puzzles, searching for spirit activity, and exploring the lands.

The game consists of five distinct parts:

• Main Story – Juliette once again faces the darkness of Saginaw through environment puzzles and challenging objectives.
• Record Ghosts in vision and audio – analyze recordings to find hidden messages and objectives.
• Explore a vast flooded, burnt, foggy world by foot or by dinghy.
• Combat – Black Orbs and Human Forms might hurt you if they get too close. Keep your distance or force them to disappear.
• Lucid Dreaming – Find places to sleep and explore Juliette’s dreams and nightmares.

The post Teaser for Open World Ghost Hunting Game Sylvio 2 Will Give You Nightmares appeared first on Dread Central.

Hey, kids! You may be surfing over here today and thinking to yourself, “Self, where’s the news? How come DC isn’t updated?” Well, we’re using this, the slowest week of the year, to update ourselves from top to bottom.

What does this mean for you? Just that once we’re back, we’ll be sexier than ever. Sit tight as this is gonna take a day or so. In the interim go read any other one of the 100k articles available here.

We’ll be back ASAP!

The post Dread Central Is Updating; Please Stand By! appeared first on Dread Central.

Dimension Films has been behind the Halloween franchise for the past twenty years, ever since producing The Curse of Michael Myers. Needless to say, the company has become synonymous with Michael Myers, and today brings the big news that studio and slasher icon have parted ways.

As originally reported by Bloody Disgusting, Dimension Films has lost the rights to the Halloween franchise, and former parent company Miramax Films is currently shopping the series around Hollywood. Malek Akkad will stay on board as producer, regardless of where those rights end up.

To provide a bit of context, brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein own Dimension Films, which has since 2005 been the genre division of The Weinstein Company. Dimension was originally a label owned by Miramax Films, though the Weinsteins took it with them when they left the company.

In summation, the Weinsteins no longer have any say in the Halloween franchise.

What does this mean for the future of the franchise? For now, all we really know for sure is that sequel Halloween Returns, which was being developed by Dimension Films, is now completely off the table. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan wrote the script, and Dunstan was set to direct.

More on this developing story as we learn it.

The post Future of the Halloween Franchise in Question; Dimension Loses Rights appeared first on Dread Central.

It turns out things are taking longer than we’d like so while the back end stuff continues to be fine-tuned (we are moving 9-1/2 years of content after all), we’re gonna continue to update like usual.

But what about the redesign, you ask? Good question! It should be ready to go within a couple of weeks. We’re on it and are sorry about the delay and any inconvenience it may have caused. In any event… back to business we go.

Look for the new stuff ASAP!

The post Dread Central Site Update – Update appeared first on Dread Central.

“The X-Files” returns early next year, but if you’re in need of a lengthy fix ahead of time, here’s an over 20-minute long featurette regarding the show’s highly anticipated return.

“The X-Files” returns to Fox with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, January 24, 2016 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), following the NFC Championship Game, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, January 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprise their iconic roles as Agent Fox Mulder and Agent Dana Scully in a mixture of stand-alone investigative episodes and those that further the original show’s seminal mythology. In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully take on a case of a possible alien abductee.

The all-new episodes will feature appearances by guest stars including Joel McHale (“Community”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Lauren Ambrose (“Dig,” “Six Feet Under”), Annabeth Gish (“The Bridge”), Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”), Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”), and William B. Davis, who reprises his role as “Cigarette Smoking Man.” Three of the episodes are written and directed by Chris Carter, with the remaining new episodes written and directed by original series veterans Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan, and James Wong.

“The X-Files” originally premiered in September 1993. Over the course of its nine-season run, the influential series went from breakout sci-fi favorite to massive global hit and became one of the most successful television dramas of all time. The show, which earned sixteen Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes, and a Peabody Award, follows FBI special agents Scully (Anderson) and Mulder (Duchovny) as they investigate unexplained cases – “X-Files” – for which the only answers involve paranormal phenomena. “The X-Files” is a production of 20th Century Fox Television in association with Ten Thirteen Productions. Carter is executive producer and creator of the series. Glen Morgan also serves as an executive producer.

The post Spend 20 Minutes Re-Opening The X-Files; Spooky New Image Gallery appeared first on Dread Central.

As this year draws to a close, I’m sorry to report another slow week, folks. While we’ve only got three releases total to speak of this week, the next few months look surprisingly good. January has more than 40 releases dropping throughout the month while February has close to 50.

It’s still too early to be completely sure, but March isn’t looking too shabby either. Keep checking back each week to get the complete rundown.

For anyone who was waiting to pick up the Some Kind of Hate Blu-ray after the DVD came out in November, this is your week.

Bava’s Blood and Black Lace Blu-ray/DVD Combo will be coming to us from Arrow on the 31^st (instead of the 29^th). There appears to be a discrepancy regarding the Steelbook release of this movie, particularly on Amazon. Originally it was listed to be coming out on the 31^st as well but now shows up as unavailable with a release date of December 31^st of next year. Other sites are reporting that both releases have been out for months. In any case, some version of the movie should be purchasable somewhere, sometime during this week. In any case I’ve included links to both versions here.

Lastly is Kurt Russell in Bone Tomahawk, which I have heard good things about but have yet to see. I like the idea of western/horror movies so I’ll probably be picking up a copy of this at some point this week.

I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year. May your 2016 be filled with all the dreams 2015 didn’t deliver on. Pleasant viewing, fiends.

MOVIES

Blood and Black Lace (1964) (December 31^st)

Starring:

Cameron Mitchell, Eva Bartok, Thomas Reiner

Synopsis:

A masked man with a metal-claw glove stalks models at a couple’s fashion salon in Rome.

Purchase:

Bone Tomahawk (2015)

Starring:

Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Lili Simmons, Richard Jenkins

Synopsis:

When a group of cannibal savages kidnaps settlers from the small town of Bright Hope, an unlikely team of gunslingers, led by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), sets out to bring them home. But their enemy is more ruthless than anyone could have imagined, putting their mission – and survival itself – in serious jeopardy. Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight, Tombstone) leads an all-star cast, including Patrick Wilson (Insidious), Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) in this gritty, action-packed thriller chronicling a terrifying rescue mission in the Old West.

Purchase:

Some Kind of Hate (2015)

Starring:

Ronen Rubinstein, Grace Phipps, Sierra McCormick, Spencer Breslin, Michael Polish

Synopsis:

Relentless bullying has turned Lincoln’s life into a nightmare. But he soon learns the true meaning of terror when he is sent to a remote school for troubled teens and the harassment starts all over again. Only this time, someone is watching – a teenage girl named Moira who was driven to suicide by vicious bullying years ago. When Lincoln accidentally summons Moira from the grave, he unleashes a vengeful and unstoppable force on a mission of blood-soaked revenge. Hell on earth has a new meaning in this gruesome shocker “guaranteed to please any and every type of horror fan” (Fangoria).

Purchase:

The post DVD and Blu-ray Releases: December 29, 2015 appeared first on Dread Central.

Entertainment Weekly scored some new details and a new image from Paul Feig’s upcoming reboot of Ghostbusters, and we have the latest for you right here.

Prior to today we didn’t know what the gals in the new flick will be up against other than the obvious; however, now have some idea. The new Busters will be fighting everything from “pilgrims, old-­timey sailors, Revolutionary War spirits, [to] even a couple of zoot­-suited gangsters.”

Dig on the new image below.

In Ghostbusters, Melissa McCarthy is Abby Yates, Kristen Wiig is Erin Gilbert, Leslie Jones is Patty Tolan, and Kate McKinnon is Jillian Holtzmann. Chris Hemsworth co-stars, and also making appearances will be Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts.

Wiig and McCarthy play a pair of unheralded authors who write a book positing that ghosts are real. Flash-forward a few years and Wiig lands a prestigious teaching position at Columbia U. Which is pretty sweet, until her book resurfaces and she is laughed out of academia. Wiig reunites with McCarthy and the other two proton pack-packing phantom wranglers, and she gets some sweet revenge when ghosts invade Manhattan and she and her team have to save the world.

The Ghostbusters reboot will haunt the big screen on July 15, 2016.

The post Ghostbusters to the Rescue in New Still; Villain Details appeared first on Dread Central.

It’s still kind of stunning to us how popular “The Walking Dead” is but the Neilsen ratings are in and they’re nothing short of monstrous.

Per Variety, according to the Nielsen “live plus-7” estimates through mid-November, “The Walking Dead” was the No. 1 entertainment series of the year in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 and trailed only NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” and CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” and “NCIS” in total viewers. It averaged 19.7 million viewers per episode to hold off the year’s hottest newcomer, Fox’s “Empire” (17.8 million).

Head on over to the above link for the complete breakdown.

“The Walking Dead” stars Andrew Lincoln, Steven Yeun, Norman Reedus, Chandler Riggs, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Sonequa-Martin Green, Michael Cudlitz, Ethan Embry, Merritt Wever, Xander Berkeley, and Tom Payne.

“The Walking Dead” will resume on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2016.

To stay up-to-the-minute on all things walker related, follow @WalkingDead_AMC on Twitter and visit “The Walking Dead” on Facebook. For more info be sure to hit up the official “The Walking Dead” page on AMC.com.

The post The Walking Dead Devours TV Competition appeared first on Dread Central.

As someone who shamelessly devours Japanese cinema on a fairly regular basis, I’ll pretty much watch anything with the word “yakuza” in the title. Big budget, low budget, micro-budget — doesn’t matter. As long as I get to see a Japanese gangster and a few guns, I’m a happy camper. Which may explain why Mondo Yakuza has ensnared my attention. Although the cast and crew are operating on a tiny budget, that isn’t stopping them from delivering something potentially cool.

This handy synopsis explains what the story’s all about:

Ichiro Kataki, a violent Yakuza gang member travels to Melbourne, Australia after his beloved sister Yuko is brutally murdered by a group of criminals. Hell bent on vengeance he teams up with Cassidy Arizona, a lady of the night with a vendetta of her own.

Written and directed by Addison Heath and produced by Black Forest Films and Team littleBIG, Monda Yakuza is aiming for a 2016 release. While we’re waiting, this stylish black-and-white trailer should keep us busy. Swing by the official Facebook page for more info.

The post Mondo Yakuza Delivers a Stylish Black-and-White Trailer appeared first on Dread Central.

We’re looking ahead to a whole lot of exciting horror flicks headed our way next year, and one of the first on tap is The Boy. It’s about a super creepy doll, and if super creepy dolls are your thing, we think you’re going to like this one. While we wait for the release, check out a brand new clip!

William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside) directed the Stacey Menear-penned project, which is being released January 22, 2016. Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”), Jim Norton (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Diana Hardcastle (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Ben Robson (“Vikings”), Rupert Evans (Hellboy), and James Russell (“Blue Bloods”) star.

Producing are Lakeshore’s Gary Lucchesi and Tom Rosenberg, Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Adam Stone, along with Jim Wedaa.

Synopsis:
Greta (Cohan), a young American woman looking to escape a troubled past, takes a job in a small England village as a nanny for a wealthy couple’s 8-year-old son while they take a long vacation. She arrives at the remote manor to discover that things are not quite right. The surprisingly elderly Mr. and Mrs. Heelshire (Norton and Hardcastle) have a list of strict rules for her to follow in caring for their son, Brahms, and they mysteriously warn Greta that not following them precisely could result in something terrible. But the most disturbing realization of all is that Brahms is not an actual 8-year-old boy… he’s a life-sized porcelain doll, whom the doting parents care for and deeply love, just like a real boy.

“If you love him,” Greta is sternly instructed, “he will love you back.”

Isolated and alone, Greta notices that every time she breaks a rule, something strange happens in the house, and the doll reappears in different places and positions than where she put him. Compelled to uncover the mystery behind Brahms, Greta enlists the help of the local grocery delivery man, the only human being she sees for weeks, who shares horrifying details about the Heelshire family’s disturbing past, leading Greta to realize that she wasn’t just hired – she was chosen.

The post The Boy Finds a Playmate in New Clip appeared first on Dread Central.

Today is the 70th birthday of Troma Entertainment co-founder Lloyd Kaufman. For those unfamiliar with Troma (which is nigh impossible if you’re visiting this site), Troma is the world’s oldest truly independent movie studio. For over 40 years, Troma has made, acquired, and distributed more than 1,000 independent films. Troma has legions of undying fans, dubbed Tromatics, who will eagerly devour anything and everything with a Troma logo on it, and the studio’s best and most well known films are those directed by Kaufman himself.

Troma fans are disparate, worldwide, and many; but we’re all united by our undying love and support of Lloyd. I too am a Tromatic, but my fervor runs deeper than just liking the films. I truly believe that Troma is in my blood, and all that I am, I am because of the Toxic Avenger. Strong statement, I know, but bear with me and I’ll explain.

My undying passion for Troma Studios began not with a film but rather a film box. I was 13 years old and perusing the shelves at local mom-and-pop shop Videoflicks. As per usual, I would walk up and down the rows of the new release wall, looking for something interesting to capture my imagination. Suddenly, as if peering into the eyes of Medusa, I glimpsed a certain title and was instantly transfixed. It was The Toxic Avenger Part II. The painted cover featured this strange muscle-bound creature with a malformed face wearing a tutu. One hand held a mop/American flag and the other a buxom blonde in a bikini brandishing a machine gun. I picked up the box to let the image soak in for a minute or two, then flipped it over and was even more astounded by the images on the back.  This was truly a movie unlike anything I had ever seen before, nor would I for a few more years at least as there was no way in hell a barely pubescent whipper-snapper such as myself would be allowed by either my parents or the store to rent such a film (and believe me, I tried – repeatedly!)

This was back in 1989, and I could not get Toxie (as the character is affectionately known) out of my head. I would keep staring at that box plus the the two other Toxic Avenger movies each and every time I went to the store, wishing I could rent them and truly see what madness was contained therein. Thankfully, in 1991, Marvel comics published a short-lived Toxic Avenger comic series. I still hadn’t seen the movies, but I was getting my first fix of Toxie through four colors. Then, in 1994, I finally managed to rent a copy of the first Toxic Avenger film. It was here that my world divided into two distinct parts – B.T and A.T. (Before Troma and After Troma.)

To say the film blew my mind would be a severe understatement. Rather, my mind was blasted into an infinite number of fragments. And when I picked up and rearranged the pieces, just like the titular hero from New Jersey, I was transformed. This film was insanely wonderful, unlike anything I had ever seen up to that point. And I loved every fucking second of it! The over-the-top violence, the comedy, the melon-heavy breasts! I had just had my first taste of a drug that would hook me for life. The Toxic Avenger was my gateway into the weird and wonderful world of Troma. More than twenty years later and I’m still hooked.

When I pressed “play,” before the film began, there was this funny little man in a bow-tie who exuberantly introduced the film. Turned out this enthusiastic nut was Lloyd Kaufman, co-founder along with Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment. And if Toxie was Troma’s Mickey Mouse, Lloyd was the studio’s Walt Disney. Gleefully introducing each film in the Troma canon in his own unique, vaudevillian P.T. Barnum meets Rodney Dangerfield meets Lenny Bruce way, Lloyd was the profane but lovable uncle whom you couldn’t wait to see at family gatherings. Shit…Lloyd became family to me. Uncle Lloyd.

In 1998, Lloyd, along with co-writer James Gunn (future writer and director of Slither and Guardians of the Galaxy), wrote and released the book All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger. I devoured that shit with a spoon. Not only was the book extremely informative and funny, but there was also a handy section in the back listing every Troma-produced and distributed film thus far. The video store I worked for at the time had a surprising amount of Troma movies. In quick succession I watched films as disparate as Troma’s War, Redneck Zombies, Class of Nuke ‘Em High Parts II and III, Bloodsucking Freaks, When Nature Calls, Stuck On You!, Hollywood Zap!, Killer Condom, and Combat Shock. Speaking of Combat Shock, if you haven’t seen it, drop everything this instant and do so! It’s the bastard child of Eraserhead and Taxi Driver and it will fucking wreck you!

I was also heading downtown on a weekly basis to purchase more Troma. Rabid Grannies, Toxic Avenger Part II (finally) and III, the first Class of Nuke ‘Em High, Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., Cannibal! The Musical, and Troma’s most accomplished masterpiece up to that point, the James Gunn-written Tromeo and Juliet (featuring the late and very much lamented Lemmy from Motörhead as The Narrator, the first of several appearances he made in Troma films).

The first time I met Lloyd was when he was appearing at our local HMV superstore for an indie film symposium and book signing. I remember being on the bus when I saw the ad for his appearance in a local alternative weekly and audibly squealing with glee. Finally, I was gonna meet Uncle Lloyd!!! Not knowing what sort of crowd to expect, I made sure to get there extra early (like three hours early). I was outside the store having a smoke when I peered in the window and saw Lloyd himself walking about. Shit…I couldn’t believe it! There he was, and there was no one else around.

I tentatively approached him and offered my hand. Now, we all know what they say about meeting our heroes, but in this case Uncle Lloyd did not disappoint. He was warm, friendly, gracious, and hilarious. We chatted for a good ten minutes or so, he signed my book, and we snapped a couple of photos together. I was riding on a fucking cloud. The symposium was great, but those ten or so minutes chatting with Lloyd Kaufman was an experience I will never, ever forget.

Soon after, what I call the “Troma Renaissance” began. In-house production Terror Firmer was a kick-ass meta masterpiece. Lloyd quickly followed up his first directed film in three years with the unbelievable Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV – the “real” sequel to The Toxic Avenger (admittedly, Toxies II and III were  not as accomplished as the first).

I’ve subsequently met Lloyd a number of times at screenings, conventions, and events and have even had the honor of interviewing him. He always remembers me and my name, which is extremely impressive considering he meets tons of fans. I’ve attended his Make Your Own Damn Movie Masterclass and have read every book he’s written. I’ve seen The Toxic Avenger musical three times and recently purchased my seventh copy of the original Toxie flick, this time on Blu-ray.

I’m certainly not alone in my “Trovotion.” There are legions of Tromatics just like myself who cover themselves in Troma tattoos, volunteer to be Toxies, Kabukimen, and Trometes at Lloyd’s numerous appearances, and will buy anything Troma sight unseen. What is it about Troma that inspires such devotion?

I think it’s the fact that Troma’s in-house productions are more than just mindless exploitation films. Yes, they feature the hallmarks we expect from exploitation flicks, but they are really so much more than that. The best Troma flicks are incredibly incise pieces of social satire. Take Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead. The 2006 film gleefully and savagely mocks every sacred cow, breaks every code of sexual decency, and spits in the face of every social taboo. But like all the best social satirists, from Mad Magazine to Kurt Vonnegut, Lloyd doesn’t tell the audience what to think. He bombards their sensibilities with wit, concepts, and ideas (and lest we forget, melon-heavy breasts) while trusting the audience to make up their own damn minds.

Happy birthday, Lloyd! I and the legions of Tromatics whom you inspire every day to think, to create, to buck the status quo, to question and protest against the tactics of soul sucking-devil worshiping-mega corporate conglomerates salute you!

May Troma reign for 40 more years.

The post Happy Birthday Lloyd Kaufman! appeared first on Dread Central.

From “Full House” to “The X-Files,” it seems that beloved TV shows from the 1990s are fresh and new again. And they’re not the only ones coming back into our lives. In 2017, “Twin Peaks” gets a revival in the form of a limited series, and I don’t know about you, but we cannot wait.

One super fan by the name of Matt Smith has taken it upon himself to celebrate the original series in style, drawing up a poster that depicts all of the characters we first met back in the early ’90s – 60 of them, to be exact. The 12″ x 18″ print is now available in his Etsy shop, selling for just $12.

It’s a damn fine poster, and you can check it out below.

The critically acclaimed, groundbreaking television phenomenon “Twin Peaks” returns as a limited series to Showtime in 2017. Currently in production, “Twin Peaks” is written and produced by series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost and is directed entirely by Lynch. While the full mystery awaits, fans can expect many familiar faces, including Golden Globe winner and Emmy Award nominee Kyle MacLachlan, who reprises his role as FBI Agent Dale Cooper.

Widely considered one of the most influential broadcast series of all time, “Twin Peaks” followed the inhabitants of a quaint Northwestern town who were stunned after their homecoming queen Laura Palmer was shockingly murdered. The town’s sheriff welcomed the help of FBI agent Dale Cooper, who came to town to investigate the case. As Cooper conducted his search for Laura’s killer, the town’s secrets were gradually exposed. The mystery that ensued set off an eerie chain of events that plunged the inhabitants of Twin Peaks into a darker examination of their very existence. Twenty-five years later, the story continues…

The post Awesome Twin Peaks Poster Features Every Single Character appeared first on Dread Central.

All of us here at Dread Central were sad to hear the news this past Monday that legendary Motorhead lead singer Lemmy Kilmister had passed away at the age of 70 after a short battle with a very aggressive form of cancer. Not the news we wanted to end our year with, to say the very least.

Friends and fans alike have been posting their own personal tributes this week, and today we wanted to share Doug Bradley’s with you. Bradley is of course known for playing Pinhead in the Hellraiser films, and his connection to Kilmister is that they once made a music video together.

It was back in 1992 that Motorhead recorded a video for the single “Hellraiser,” and in it Bradley played poker with Lemmy in his full Pinhead costume. Yeah. Pretty awesome. The song ended up being used in sequel Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth and was included on the album March or Die.

Here’s what Bradley posted on his Facebook page in tribute to Lemmy…

Sad to hear of Lemmy’s passing.

“Icon” is a word perhaps thrown around too easily-Lemmy fits it like a glove. I said that as someone who was not much of a fan of Motörhead, though I stepped aboard his Silver Machine with great pleasure 40 years and more ago.

Then, of course, came the day I spent shooting the “Hellraiser” video with him in an abandoned theatre in downtown LA. It was a memorable day in many ways, not least for the time spent sitting across a card table from him, waiting to shoot the scene. I sipped water while he drank whiskey at an alarming rate, we swapped memories of The Goons and Spike Milligan and laughed a lot together. In spite of the liquor and the god-knows-what-else, a gentle, charming, funny man.

Peace and Pain,

Doug

Relive the awesome vintage video below!

The post Hellraiser Star Doug Bradley Pays Tribute to Lemmy Kilmister appeared first on Dread Central.