Shudder continues to celebrate Women in Horror Month with its latest guest curated collection as chosen by the one and only Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond). The legendary actress and champion for horror films sat down with Shudder and picked her Top 5 films to share with Shudder members.

The full collection is now streaming; click here for more details.

From the Press Release:
Shudder, the premium thriller, suspense, and horror video streaming service service backed by AMC Networks, hosts the legendary actress Barbara Crampton as the guest curator of a new collection of films on Shudder.

Her collection comes just in time for Women in Horror Month. In celebration, Shudder has also created “A Woman’s Touch,” a collection of films honoring women horror directors, including Shudder Exclusives Dearest Sister, directed by Mattie Do, and Blind Sun, directed by Joyce A. Nashawati.

Barbara Crampton is celebrating Women in Horror month by picking out a list of her favorite horror movies, including two of her collaborations with director Stuart Gordon, Re-Animator and Castle Freak, both of which are considered classics within the genre.

The iconic actress knew she wanted to act since the age of five. Crampton’s start in acting came from a role in King Lear; since then, she’s taken the horror scene by storm. Her passion for the industry stems from the first time she watched The Exorcist: “The first time I saw a horror movie was The Exorcist, and I was maybe fourteen or fifteen years old when it came out. I was terrified.”

The full collection curated by Barbara Crampton, now available exclusively on Shudder, is detailed below along with comments from Crampton:

RE-ANIMATOR
The movie I’m most identified with is actually the seminal work of both Jeffrey Combs and Stuart Gordon. This movie surprised critics with its abundance of gory effects, huge laughs, and exploitative nature.

CASTLE FREAK
Continuing Stuart’s successful adaptations of HP Lovecraft, his aim was to make a dark and bleak film about a broken family. Yet, it was the vision of the grotesque freak played by Jonathan Fuller with sad and mysterious intensity that has given people no less than Kristen Stewart haunting nightmares.

THE WOMAN
A gleeful and robust tale of both misogyny and feminism, everyone in this movie floored me with their performances. Sean Bridges is a righteous villain you don’t see coming, and Pollyanna McIntosh is fearless as the captive “woman” who seeks escape and exacts revenge.

COLD FISH
Tragic and relentless psychological tale of the capture of a man’s life and soul. With tortuous scenes of mental cruelty and abundant gore, one sticks out in my mind late in the film. When the character of Murata, played by the fierce Denden, incessantly berates his new accomplice, Syamoto, into doing something more horrific than he could possible imagine, it’s an ominous reminder of what a person is capable of, if pushed to the limit.

THE PERFECT HOST
Fun and light turn that suits David Hyde Pierce perfectly as the consummate host hiding a dark secret and alternative personality. I found this film to be both suspenseful and unexpectedly charming.

The post Barbara Crampton Curates a Shudder Collection for Women in Horror Month appeared first on Dread Central.

The first trailer and batch of images from director Brett Bentman’s The Night Before have come our way ahead of the film’s release this summer.

The Night Before stars Steven Michael Quezada, Rachel G. Whittle and Eric Hanson.

Synopsis
On the night before Halloween, a single mother and her daughter are taken hostage inside a strange man’s home. Starring Steven Michael Quezada (Breaking Bad) and Rachel Whittle (NCIS) THE NIGHT BEFORE was written and directed by two time Texas Filmmaker of the Year Brett Bentman and is slated for it’s release this summer.

The post Images and a Trailer Came from The Night Before appeared first on Dread Central.

Another insane (in a good way) horror-themed music video has come our way in the form of Forest Green’s “Love/Family/Friends”. You can purchase the song from Spotify and from their Bandcamp page.

Band member Nathan Urband offered the following details about how the song and video came about:

Guilt and frustration were strong feelings that inspired the lyrics to this song; we wrote this song about the weight that brings someone down when they’re not enough for somebody. The truth of that might hurt, but it’s something you can’t run away from.

For Love/Family/Friends we went through brainstorming the video pretty fast. Needless to say, with us basically funding everything ourselves we had to come up with a premise that wouldn’t be the most lavishly expensive thing to film. I had the idea to keep the premise pretty simple, someone’s getting chased through the woods. Our band name is sort of a reference to one of The Friday the 13th movies already, so there’s definitely an influence from those that I think came out when we did the video. We also threw some different imagery into the video to make it a little more mysterious just so it can keep people guessing and tie more to the lyrics. It’s funny, people who’ve seen it keep asking us “what happened? Why is the guy getting chased??” and I’m like “I don’t know! why does anyone get chased? It’s scary!”

Our friend Matt Kowalski was kind enough to spend a couple days out in a freezing cold forest with us to shoot and edit the video together, and we borrowed our friends Sara and Spenser to play the victim/ killer. There was definitely this sense of urgency to shooting before we lost too much light throughout the day, but it helped light a fire under everyone’s ass to get everything done. I think everyone had fun taking part in shooting even though we were all cold as hell.

The post New Horror Music Video Explores Love, Family and Friends appeared first on Dread Central.

To  mark a decade since its release, we look at where the cast of the movie adaptation of Steven King’s novella “The Mist” are and what they’ve been up to over the past decade.

The book of which the movie is based is set to be retold in a new series – produced by Spike TV – but don’t expect it to be all that similar to its silver screen counterpart as the show’s executive producer, Christian Torpe, has been quoted saying: “Internally, we talk about it as doing the ‘Fargo’ approach.

“Where the movie and the TV show is the same, but it’s different. It’s like a weird, twisted cousin to the original source material. Fans of the movie and of the book and of Mr. King’s work will certainly see elements from it.”

Speaking of the movie; what exactly are the actors of whom portrayed David Drayton, and his son, Billy, and the rest of the central cast, doing with themselves nowadays?

Thomas Jane (David in the movie) has been busy since appearing in the horror flick; highlights including appearances in Dark Country, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Punisher: Dirty Laundry.

His most exciting work however is of recent; Jane starred as Ray Drecker in HBO series “Hung,” ultimately being nominated for Golden Globe and Satellite Awards for his work.

He is also set to feature in the upcoming reboot of The Predator movie series; it’s unconfirmed what role he has been given as the movie is in pre-production.

Marcia Gay Harden (Mrs Carmody in the movie) hasn’t been as busy as her former colleague but she, too, has been successful, winning a Golden Nymph Award in 2016 for her role of Dr Leanne Rorish in Code Black.

But there is one role that a certain ilk of people will have recognised her from immediately, had they seen The Mist in 2007, and that is for her portrayal of Christian Grey’s adoptive in the two movies in the Fifty Shades movie series.

She is penned in to reprise her role as Grace Trevelyan Grey in the 2018 movie Fifty Shades Freed.

Laurie Holden (Amanda Dumfries in the movie) has been a household name in the horror scene of recent, appearing in over 30 episodes of “The Walking Dead” as Andrea over three series

Holden, however, has walked herself around to the other side of the lens from time to time; appearing in as many movies as she has played a part in the production of, the most notable perhaps being an executive producer on feature film Honeytrap.

Andre Braugher (Brent Norton in the movie) has enjoyed a brilliant TV acting career since his supporting role in The Mist, appearing in “House,” “Law & Order,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “New Girl” over the last ten years.

He’s probably best known for his portrayal of Captain Ray Holt in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” winning two Critics’ Choice TV Awards and one Satellite Award – and also being nominated for another eight – for his role in the show.

William Sadler (Jim Grondin in the movie) has been in a spattering of TV series since 2007 and has also plied his trade in video games too – you may recognise his voice if you’ve played through Bethesda’s Fallout: New Vegas as Sadler was brought in to voice the character of Victor – the friendly Securitron from Goodsprings.

He has also appeared in such popular productions as Iron Man 3, Machete Kills, Man on a Ledge, “Hawaii Five-0,” “Homeland,” “The Flash,” “Z Nation” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

Toby Jones (Ollie Weeks in the movie) has seen an increased workload over the last decade, appearing in at least three movies per year in eight of the last ten years.

His most notable role is probably as Alfred Hitchcock in the 2012 TV movie The Girl or as Gilderoy in Berberian Sound Studio, the first of which he was nominated for various awards and winning a BIFA Award for the latter.

Samuel Witwer (Private Jessup in the movie) will likely see The Mist as his big break; it’s his first notable movie role and since then he has been nominated for two awards.

Witwer was nominated for a Gemini Award for his portrayal of Aidan Waite in “Being Human” and, for playing the part of Darth Maul in Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, he also earned a nomination for a Daytime Emmy Award.

Nathan Gamble (Billy in the movie) is now 19 and has followed in the footsteps of other actors that come onto the scene pretty early on, playing the role of Sawyer Nelson in both the first and second Dolphin Tale movies.

Gamble was nominated for a Young Artist award for his portrayal of Sawyer in the first Dolphin Tale but, beyond the odd minor appearance in TV series, hasn’t seen any success of recent.

Being still so young, if he’s still interested in acting – and he seems to be, as he appeared in an episode of “Bones” this year – his best years are surely still to come.

The post Ten Years On Where Are the Cast of The Mist? appeared first on Dread Central.

Starring Jim O’Rear, Scott Tepperman, Todd Bridges

Directed by Jim O’Rear and Scott Tepperman

Who says gritty, grimy, sleazy and slimy cop movies can’t be fun all along the way? From co-directors Jim O’Rear and Scott Tepperman (affectionately known as Los Bastardz Productions) comes Nightblade, a crime-thriller that echoes an 80’s sentiment, while delivering some pretty decent laughs along the way.

Following the tragic loss of both his wife and daughter, a dishonored police detective named Andy (Tepperman) ditches his old profession to take up a new one at the request of his seedy pal, Nicky (O’Rear) – the job, you ask? Well, turns out Andy will be the new co-manager of The Pleasure Dome: a less-than-desirable establishment that houses exotic dancers…ah hell, it’s a strip club! The attempt to keep Nicky’s criminalistic activities on the down-low is an honorable one, and it would be even more of a success story if Nicky were an honorable person. In any event, Andy’s got a new job, one that hopefully will take his mind off of past traumas, that is until some of his scantily-clad employees begin to turn up all over town cut up like origami projects – could there be a new Jack The Ripper on the loose? Help is desperately needed, and who you gonna call? Better yet, what you talkin about, Willis? Yes sir, Mr. Todd Bridges comes in guns-a-blazing as Detective Francesco, and I know what you’re thinking: just what in the blue hell is going on here? Good question indeed, but actually the film itself is laid out in very followable fashion – former friends on opposite sides of the law brought back together to combat a serial killer wiping out some valuable commodities…now if someone could only figure out who in tarnation is slaying the chesty lasses, we’d be all set.

While the film does its damndest to mirror the 1980’s cop-show/movie etiquette, with its pastel colors and “Miami Vice”-like bravado, one negative point here (for me at least) was the severe depletion in the gore department. Hey, if someone is claiming to have that “slice-and-dice” attitude, you’d better prepare to shower me in crimson…or at least splash a little bit around. Performances were solid, with both O’Rear and Betsy Rue commanding the most attention for their characters. Perennial tattooed tough guy Robert Lasardo holds down his role like he always does: intimidating, convincing, and generally someone you’d crap your britches over if he walked up on you in a dark alleyway – fine casting, gentlemen. The thrills are here, the humor is scattered (but admirable), and it all adds up to a fun watch for those looking to grab a hold of that 80’s magic…now if someone can PLEASE tell Mr. O’Rear to keep his bleached butt out of the camera shots in the future, we’d all sleep a little more soundly.

The post Nightblade (2017) appeared first on Dread Central.

With filming now under way in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on the third Jeepers Creepers flick, THR is reporting that the Creeper has found someone new to terrorize.

Brandon Stacy has been cast in Jeepers Creepers 3, the long-awaited third installment of writer-director Victor Salva’s cult horror series. Stacy will play Miller, a deputy who in his off-hours leads a band of people on the hunt for the Creeper.

The original 2001 movie starred Justin Long and Gina Philips as a brother and sister who run across a creature known as the Creeper, who feasts on body parts to make them part of his own. The sequel Jeepers Creepers 2 followed in 2003.

UPDATE:
According to CinemaRunner the full cast joining Stacy, Gina Philips, and Jonathan Breck is as follows:

Chester Rushing (“Stranger Things“), Ryan Moore (Pitchfork), Patrick Thomas Cragin (“How to Be a Vampire”), Brandon Smith (“From Dusk Till Dawn”), Gabrielle Haugh (Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?), and Justin Hall (Django Unchained) co-star. Adrienne Barbeau, Stan Shaw, Michael Papajohn, Megan Elizabeth Wright, Jason Bayle, Cade Burk, Joyce Giraud, Jordan Salloum, Don Yesso, David Davis, Casey Hendershot, Thomas Francis Murphy, and Carrie Lazar also have roles in the production.

The third film sees Philips return as Trish, who now worries that years later, the Creeper (once again played by Jonathan Breck) will take her son, just as it did her brother. Her solution is to go after the Creeper herself.

The post UPDATE: Full Cast Announced for Jeepers Creepers 3 appeared first on Dread Central.

Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford

Written and directed by Jordan Peele

I’m of the following mindset – it doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, yellow, purple, orange, gay, straight, Republican, Democrat, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, whatever… there are only two types of people in the world: those who think for themselves and idiots. Unfortunately I’m also in the minority. Stupidity and racism, though not as bad as it was decades ago, are still alive and well in this world; and that’s very much a frightening thing.

Rose and Chris (Williams and Kaluuya) are a great couple. They give us hope of finally transcending the racial boundaries that prevent some from living and loving fearlessly. Things are going so well for our duo that it comes time to meet the parents (Keener and Whitford). There’s just one thing; Rose’s parents have no idea that Chris is black. This fact is met with some trepidation on his part, but for love of his girl and against some of his better instincts, Chris throws caution to the wind, packs up, and heads for the country.

Upon arrival Chris is met, much to his relief, with open arms from Rose’s family; but as the days and nights drag on, it becomes apparent that all is not what it seems. It’s not long before things turn deadly, and the intensity of the situation eclipses the film’s many laughs.

On its surface Jordan Peele’s Get Out is extremely socially aware of many issues facing society today, but there’s so much more to it. It’s easy to say this movie is all about race, but without spoiling anything, I’d say the white family in the film, though nefarious in every sense of the word, is more guilty of objectifying African-Americans than hating them.

Peele has delivered a world in which each character has both motivation and distinct intention, and that paints a great and vivid picture for the audience to get sucked into. There are no throwaway moments, and the film ticks along at a furious pace thanks to a good combination of slick direction, wonderful performances, and perfectly timed editing.

Get Out will have you laughing one moment, gasping the next, and cheering the whole way through. See it with a good, rowdy audience; and magic will happen. In my theater people were shouting, screaming, and stomping! It was a roller coaster of the best kind, as Get Out is the PERFECT blend of frights and thrills. It will also have you examining your own moral compass, and these days it’s best to be reminded to keep that in check. This flick is one hell of a fun way to do just that!

Bravo, Peele! More please!

The post Get Out (2017) appeared first on Dread Central.

SXSW is upon us and one particular Midnighter flick that’s resolutely dead set on causing a bloody stir amongst festivalgoers this March is Sebastien Landry and Laurence Morais-Lagace’s Grand Guignol Game of Death.

Whilst touted as Jumanji meets Natural Born Killers, the first trailer has me predicting Game of Death is about to do for “Simon” what Jackson Stewart’s Beyond the Gates did for “Nightmare” this time last year.

Starring Sam Earle, Victoria Diamond and Emelia Hellman, the film finds a bunch of partying teenagers compelled to embrace their killer-instincts when they unwittingly unbox a retro electronic game with evil intentions: The only way to win is to kill or be killed. As is gloriously portrayed in the trailer below, things get gruesomely out of hand and I’m dying to see just how far the filmmakers dare to push those bloodshed boundaries.

Game of Death will be debuting at SXSW this March 13th, with a couple of encore screenings on the 14th and the 17th. In the meanwhile, we’ll leave you to soak up the blood spatter in the following new stills.

The post Eye Candy for SXSW Midnighter Game of Death Bodes Buckets of Blood appeared first on Dread Central.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered Friday the 13th: The Game, you’d better get onto that shit immediately. That’s because makeup maestro Tom Savini is designing his very own custom version of Jason for the game, which will be available for $6.

And before you ask, no, we don’t know what this version of Jason will look like, because the trailer only gives us a brief glimpse at a shadowy silhouette. Although I think it’s safe to say that his eyes look pretty damn hot.

You can pre-order Savini’s Jason skin alongside the full game and a ton of other cool shit including an art book and the soundtrack on its official website.

The post Tom Savini Designing a Custom Jason Skin for Friday the 13th: The Game appeared first on Dread Central.

The first poster and a few images have been released for the new film from Jason Flemyng, Eat Local, and we have the early goods right here for your perusal.

Flemyng directs the film, which stars “Daredevil‘s” Charlie Cox alongside Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean, “Game of Thrones”), actor/writer/director Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle), Freema Agyeman (“Doctor Who”), and Eve Myles (“Doctor Who,” “Torchwood”). Danny King, a BAFTA nominee for Wild Bill, penned the script.

Eat Local revolves around unwitting Essex boy Sebastian (newcomer Billy Cook), whose promise of a night of passion with a ravishing cougar quickly turns into a fight for survival after she decides to introduce him to some of her friends — a coven of hungry vampires — at a remote farmhouse. Added to the mix, a heavily armed band of mercenary vampire hunters crashes the party.

The post Eat Local When You DI(n)E appeared first on Dread Central.

The Raid is a true favorite amongst fans, and with a remake on its way, Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan know all too well that they HAVE TO deliver. Recently Collider caught up with the actor and director to get their take on the project.

In terms of the differences between the original and the remake, Carnahan offered the following:

“It’s [about] heightening elements of The Raid that were already there. I’m taking these story elements and kind of weaponizing them. Just giving them a shot of steroids, because again everything is about zagging—where The Raid zigged, we’ll zag.”

He went on to explain that the level of violence WILL NOT be toned down…

“There’s a level of brutality, a level of violence. If our movie felt like the knife fight between Adam Goldberg and the German in Saving Private Ryan the entirety of the movie, then we’ve done exactly what we need to do. Something that grueling and tough.”

Why remake The Raid and not something new? Grillo explains:

“First of all, we’re not the Hollywood version of anything. We come through the back door all the time. I’m not Tom Cruise. I’m not the Hollywood version. I’m not knocking Tom Cruise, but he’s Tom Cruise. He gets to do whatever he wants. So my point is we don’t have to do this. We can do anything we want to do. We want to do this because there’s something we see that we want to show to American audiences and audiences globally. Many people have not seen The Raid.”

From the Prior Press Release:
WarParty and XYZ Films have announced that they will partner on the reimagining of the hit Indonesian action film THE RAID, which Joe Carnahan (The Grey, Narc) will direct and write and Frank Grillo (The Grey, The Purge: Anarchy, The Purge: Election Year) will star in. The film will be produced by WarParty and XYZ. Gareth Evans, the martial arts auteur who directed the original Raid film, will executive produce.

Premiering in 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Indonesian martial-arts movie THE RAID (also known as THE RAID: REDEMPTION) secured unanimous critical praise, rocketing to cult film status across the world and making stars out of the leads Iko Uwais (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Joe Taslim (Fast & Furious 6). The movie captured audiences with its boundary-pushing, inventive choreography and a lightning-paced narrative where a lone, isolated SWAT team is trapped by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs inside a tenement block, and they have to fight through to the top.

Directed by Gareth Evans and produced by PT. Merantau Films and XYZ Films, the high-octane franchise has garnered great success since its release. The first film won the People’s Choice Award in the Midnight Madness section of TIFF in 2011 and had 10 nominations at the 2012 Maya Awards.

“I am extremely excited about Frank and I boarding this property and hopefully doing something fresh and inventive with it,” says Carnahan. “The original is masterful, so we’ve given ourselves a pretty big mountain to summit. But I have great faith in the story and approach to the material that we’ve taken.”

“Joe and Frank are ideal creative partners for this film,” XYZ added. “They want to pay homage to THE RAID, not do a paint-by-numbers remake.”

More as it comes.

The post Frank Grillo and Joe Carnahan Talk Remaking The Raid appeared first on Dread Central.

For over 10 years we’ve done our best to give you guys the greatest possible content we could here at Dread Central. It’s because of you and your support via our Patreon initiative that we have been able to weather the myriad of financial storms of the past several months, and we cannot thank you enough.

You carried us through the toughest time in our history, and your dedication and passion are things we’ll always value.

The time you gave us to continue on has also given us an opportunity to grow both personally (we did LOTS of soul searching) and – I’m happy to say – professionally. Though we’re not completely out of the woods yet…

WE ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE ANY TIME SOON!

In fact, something really cool is on the horizon for us, and you’ll be learning more about that over the coming weeks as things continue to take shape.

Now, regarding our Patreon initiative: We STILL need your support until this next step for us can be finalized so please continue to have our backs, and we promise we will always have yours.

On behalf of everyone here at Dread Central,

Thank you… Thank you… THANK YOU!

The post #SaveDreadCentral Update #4 appeared first on Dread Central.

For a while there, French horror was the big thing. We horror fans were getting genre flicks that were so gruesome and grotesque, it almost boggled the mind.

Films like Inside, Frontier(s), Trouble Every Day, and the like were shocking viewers with their visceral and almost gleeful demonstrations of gore and terror. Remember when High Tension was considered to be one of the goriest films ever seen? Or how about the shock factor – not just visually but also content-wise – of Martyrs? These are films that have stuck with us because they have damn good reason to.

But one film seems to have slipped through the cracks and is continuously left out of discussions. As the headline would obviously suggest, I’m talking about Les Rivières Pourpres, aka The Crimson Rivers.

Directed by Matthieu Kassovitz, whose next film was the poorly received Gothika, the film features the inspired cast of both Jean Reno (The Professional) and Vincent Cassel (Brotherhood of the Wolf). Both are detectives who team up with a local student/glaciologist to investigate a series of murders that seem to be centered around a prestigious university located in the small town of Guernon, high up in the French Alps. The victims each seem to have some relationship with the university, leading Reno and Cassel into a strange and dizzying conspiracy that involves Nazi-like eugenics. While that may seem absurd when read, the execution of the story is surprisingly well done; and it seems entirely and eerily plausible.

While The Crimson Rivers is nowhere near as blood-soaked as Martyrs or High Tension, it uses sporadic scenes of gore to great effect, really driving home the macabre nature of these murders. When we see the body of Remy Callois, there is a miasma about the scene that makes it extremely uncomfortable. The description of the horrors he endured, as explained by the forensic pathologist, is nothing short of chilling.

An interesting phenomenon in The Crimson Rivers is that it uses stunning cinematography that makes full use of the beautiful locale while simultaneously managing to evoke an interesting sense of claustrophobia amidst the vast openness of Guernon. There may be beautiful shots of mountain ranges that stretch as far as the eye can see, but that only serves to make the viewer feel as though the town is completely cut off, that everyone living there is on their own.

Now, I would be remiss if I were to not discuss the beautiful score by composer Bruno Coulais, whom you might have heard in Henry Selick’s 2009 stop-motion film Coraline. Half of the reason that this movie feels so effective is because of the music, which feels as cold as the winter the story takes place during. The melodies weave sinuously through various instruments, leaving the listener on the edge of his seat wondering what will come next, much like the story of the film.

The Crimson Rivers is a film that I find myself coming back to with frequent regularity. It’s a fun story that has great music and fantastic performances from the main characters. It plays with the viewer and offers teases that we want but don’t necessarily need, preferring instead to use the power of suggestion so as to ignite the imagination. While a Neo-Nazi fight scene relatively early in the movie feels wildly out of place, the rest of the film has a consistent tone that builds to a thrilling ending.

As a bonus, if you enjoyed The Crimson Rivers, there’s a sequel called Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse that ain’t half bad, to put it mildly! Reno is still on board although Cassel is nowhere to be seen. That being said, we instead get horror legend Christopher Lee as the villain! How cool is that?!

All right, I hope this inspired you to check out or potentially revisit this gem. If you’ve seen it, let me know your thoughts on the film in the comments below. If you haven’t seen it, check it out and then weigh in with your opinion!

The post Recollecting The Crimson Rivers, a Seemingly Forgotten French Horror/Thriller appeared first on Dread Central.

Ready for a treat? 20th Century Fox dropped a new teaser for Alien: Covenant during tonight’s episode of FX’s “Legion” as promised, but we have something even better… a whole four minutes better!  Settle in, and enjoy “Prologue: Last Supper,” a short film that introduces the crew of the mission.

Set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew (all couples) and their android, Walter, enjoy one last meal together before cryosleep.

It was conceived by Ridley Scott and 3AM, directed by Luke Scott, and produced by RSA Films.

Sci-fi thriller Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, hits theaters on May 19, 2017. The cast includes Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Amy Seimetz, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Benjamin Rigby, and James Franco.

Synopsis:
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

The post Alien: Covenant Prologue Feeds Us a Last Supper appeared first on Dread Central.

We’ve all played with toys. Hell, despite our age, some of us still do. Sometimes we can get too attached to them. Sometimes… they can get too attached to us! Sound spooky? You betcha! On episode 34 of Brainwaves Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio, we had David Weatherly talking about haunted toys!

It’s radio without a safety net, kids. It’s Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio.

PLEASE SUPPORT BRAINWAVES: HORROR AND PARANORMAL TALK RADIO ON PATREON!

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is available to subscribe to on iTunes. Not an iTunes user?  You can also listen right here on the site.

Spooky, funny, touching, honest, offensive, and at times completely random, Brainwaves airs live every Wednesday evening beginning at 8:00 PM Pacific Time (11:00 midnight Eastern Time) and runs about 3 hours per episode.

Knetter and Creepy will be taking your calls LIVE and unscreened via Skype, so let your freak flags fly! Feel free to add BrainWavesTalk to your Skype account so you can reach us, or call in from a landline or cellphone – 858 480 7789. The duo also take questions via Twitter; you can reach us at @BrainwavesRadio or @UncleCreepy and @JoeKnetter using the hashtag #BrainWaves.

Have a ghost story or a paranormal story but can’t call in? Feel free to email it to me directly at UncleCreepy@dreadcentral.com with “Brainwaves Story” in your subject line. You can now become a fan of the show via the official… BRAINWAVES FACEBOOK PAGE!

Brainwaves: Horror and Paranormal Talk Radio is hosted live (with shows to be archived as they progress) right here on Dread Central. You can tune in and listen via the FREE TuneIn Radio app or listen to TuneIn right through the website!

For more information and to listen live independent of TuneIn, visit the Deep Talk Radio Network website, “like” Deep Talk Radio on Facebook, and follow Deep Talk Radio on Twitter. And don’t forget to subscribe to Brainwaves on iTunes.

The post #Brainwaves Episode 34: Paranormal Investigator David Weatherly Talks Haunted Toys LISTEN NOW! appeared first on Dread Central.

A grizzled demon hunter (is there any other kind?) played by Dolph Lundgren joins forces with a reluctant FBI agent (Kristina Klebe) to battle an ancient evil that can possess whoever kills it. It’s the latest offering from one of our fave directors, Mike Mendez (Big-Ass Spider, Lavalantula), and a fine return to form in the pure horror genre.

We got a chance to sit with Mike and ask him all about it.

Dread Central: We know that indie filmmakers have projects come to them in a variety of ways – so was Don’t Kill It already a go and you were hired to direct, or did you help develop the script and so on?

Mike Mendez: The script came to me about 4 years ago. At that time there was nothing attached. The producer, Robert Yocum, had found this wonderful script by Dan Berk & Bobby Olsen, but nothing was in place. Robert had seen a film of mine many years ago called The Convent and felt my frenetic energy would be a good fit for the project. I was totally into the concept, but I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to really happen. So began the 3-year process of trying to bring it to the screen. I have to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if it was ever going to happen. In fact I doubted it quite severely at times. But credit to Robert Yocum, he persevered and he was the one that continued pushing that boulder uphill.

We went through a few actors being attached that would drop in and out of the project. Then I had heard that Dolph Lundgren read it and liked the project. I felt it was a great choice. From there it was still another year before Michael Slifkin & Scott Martin of Archstone Pictures came along and rescued the project. Once they got on board it was a quick run to the finish line. Very quick in fact. Once it was officially financed and greenlit, I would say it went at a breakneck pace.

DC: In the case of Don’t Kill It, you didn’t write the script, but as long time fans of your work, we still see a lot of you in the story – tell us how you do that, while also remaining true to someone else’s vision.

MM: Well I think the script found its way to me because it was up my alley. It was dark but quirky and had a high body count. It rarely happens, but I could see where someone would think of me for this project. Once I got involved, Dan and Bobby were gracious enough to allow me to collaborate with them and tailor it a little further to my sensibilities. I think it was a good combination, but I can’t stress enough that it started with their very cool script.

DC: When it comes to genre, this movie is the first non-sci-fi, all horror, movie you have done in a while… did you miss the giant mutants and spaceships?

MM: Not at all. To be honest, this type of movie is much truer to who I am as a filmmaker. I think it’s very important to try to expand your sensibilities as a filmmaker, and while Big Ass Spider! was a wonderful experience, this is closer to the Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson films I grew up with as a kid. I think it’s really important to be trying different things. It’s important to always surprise the audience a little bit. If anything, I hope to go a little darker and scarier with whatever I do next.

DC: For true aficionados of horror, can you tell us what some of your inspirations were? I mean, I thought I noticed an homage to The Hidden… am I right?

MM: Yes, for sure The Hidden was a huge inspiration on my end. What’s funny is I often hear comparisons to the Denzel Washington film Fallen and the TV show “Supernatural,” both of which I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t seen. So they may have been influences, but not on my end. Evil Dead 2 and Raiders of the Lost Ark are two of my favorite movies; I think those influences can be felt in this film. For one thing the character of Jebediah Woodley, for me, was a cross between Indiana Jones meets The Exorcist. So I’d say those were two massive influences. My films tend to always be influenced by a lot of things, but it’s influenced by whatever works best to tell the story.

DC: Dolph Lungren was really perfect as your hero in Don’t Kill It… what was it like to direct him, and can you share any funny / cool stories?

MM: I love Dolph. We had a great time. The most important thing was that I had Dolph’s trust and that made a massive difference in the outcome of this shoot. He is an imposing man, and there was no way I was going to overpower him in any way. I mean, he is almost literally an 800-pound gorilla, with a 160 IQ. If he thought I wasn’t competent or up for the challenge of making this movie, I have no doubt he would have steamrolled right over me. He’s a sharp guy and he does not suffer fools.

So I was very fortunate that I earned his trust early on, and he was one of my main collaborators on this film. We were in it together, and if we weren’t in sync creatively this could have gone very poorly. Thankfully we were and it went very smoothly.

Funny / cool stories? Well he became the grand marshal of the Christmas parade in the town that we shot in while we were there. The town of Lexington, Mississippi. opened themselves to us and we became their very special guests. In return, Dolph became part of the town’s parade. It was very cool of him.

DC: Kristina Klebe is also great. You have worked with her before; what is it about her that keeps you coming back?

MM: You know, it takes a special kind of lady to act opposite Dolph Lundgren. He is a very imposing man and it takes a special someone to be able to stand up to him and look him in the eye and fire back at him. Kristina was totally capable and up for the challenge. She has a strong nature about her, but certainly can be vulnerable if the scene called for it. Plus we get along, so it’s always nice to have friends around when you’re tackling a project. Kristina is great and a very solid actress. I’d be happy to have her on my team anytime.

DC: Is being able to edit a movie you directed helpful, or is it harder to kill your darlings because they are yours?

MM: Well, here are the positive things about it. Because I know how I’m going to edit it, I pretty much know what I’m going to need while we’re shooting it. It also adds an extra layer of control where you can really put more of yourself into the film. It’s oddly addictive. You really get to a point where you’d rather not have anyone else touch the film. I’m more than open to collaborating with producers and taking notes; in fact i think it’s a necessary part of the process to have someone push back and question some of your choices. It forces you to look at things in a different way, which I think is invaluable. But it’s great to really be able to control the pace, mood and rhythm of a film. There is nothing more disheartening than having someone come in after you and arbitrarily redo and recut your work. Thankfully, that hasn’t happened too often.

The downside is simply, it’s a lot of work. I feel making a feature is climbing a mountain, and then editing it is like climbing another mountain immediately after. It must be great to sit on a couch and be sort of a backseat driver and collaborate with an editor. I haven’t gotten to do that in a long time. Largely because of financial reasons. With the current state of independent film, it’s just cheaper if I do it myself.

However, I do really have to thank the producers of this film for allowing me the time to edit and finesse the film properly. It was the one area where I didn’t feel totally rushed, and I truly thank them for allowing me the time and space to get it right. I think it made a big difference in the end product.

DC: Finally, tell us what horror fans will love about Don’t Kill It…

MM: I honestly think horror fans are going to have a good time with this. For one thing we got a chance to revisit something you don’t see so often in modern horror, gore! This is one bloody and violent movie, and I love that we got an opportunity to make a movie like that. It was great to collaborate with f/x legend Robert Kurtzman and bring some old school practical bloodshed back to the screen.

Secondly, it’s fun. It’s a good time at the movie. Dolph Lundgren I feel really knocks it out of the park with this one. I don’t think audiences have ever seen him do anything quite like it, and I think they’re going to dig what they see.

Directed by Mike Mendez and written by Dan Berk along with Robert Olson, Don’t Kill It stars Dolph Lundgren, Kristina Klebe, Tony Bentley, James Chalke, and Miles Doleac. The film is produced by Scott Martin, Robert Yocum, and Michael Thomas Slifkin. Cinematography by Jan-Michael Losada.

Archstone Distribution will release Don’t Kill It (reviews here and here) in limited theaters on March 3rd and Digital VOD via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the same day.

Synopsis:
An ancient evil is unleashed in a small Mississippi town leaving a trail of death and destruction as it passes from host to host. The only hope of survival lies with a grizzled demon hunter (Dolph Lundgren) who has faced this terror before. Together with a reluctant FBI agent (Kristina Klebe) he has to figure out how to destroy a demon with the ability to possess its killer.

The post Exclusive: Mike Mendez Talks Don’t Kill It appeared first on Dread Central.

A few days ago we got word on when Terror Films is releasing Savageland, a film that tackles the very topical subject matter of illegal immigration wrapped around the disappearance of an entire town, and shared the first clip.

Now we’re back with the official artwork, trailer, and another sneak peek into this eerie and very realistic faux documentary about the mysterious mass murder of fifty-seven people.

The disappearances took place in the off-the-grid Border town of Sangre de Cristo, Arizona, just a few miles north of Mexico. The police arrest the lone survivor, an illegal immigrant named Francisco Salazar. He is found covered with the blood of a number of his fellow residents.

The film, which was co-directed by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert, and David Whelan, has swept the festival circuit, racking up 8 Best Feature Film Awards. Beginning this Friday, February 24th, you can find it across multiple digital and VOD platforms.

It will be available on iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play/YouTube, Vudu, Xbox Live, Sony PlayStation, Vimeo on Demand, I Bleed Indie, and 3 Roku channels (Free Flix Tonight, 24 Hour Movie Channel, and Free Grindhouse Flix Tonight).

The company will work on expanding the release in the coming months; stay tuned!

The post Go Off the Grid with the Savageland Trailer, Poster, and Another Clip appeared first on Dread Central.

Coming in March on Shudder… Among several other great offerings, horror icon Barbara Crampton appears in the Shudder UK exclusive title Sun Choke. Barbara has rededicated herself to the genre and currently works as both an actress and producer.

Read on to see what else will be available next month!

Related Story: Dread Central Readers Get a FREE Month of Shudder!

SUN CHOKE (Dir. Ben Cresciman) – Exclusively on SHUDDER UK from 9th March
As Janie (Sarah Hagan) recovers from a violent psychotic break, she is subjected to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker (Barbara Crampton). But when she develops an obsession with a stranger, Janie’s buried demons begin to surface.

COLD PREY RESURRECTION – Coming this March on SHUDDER
The only survivor from Cold Prey, the smash hit original Norwegian slasher, wakes up in hospital. As she walks through the dark corridors, she thinks she is alone. But the nightmare isn’t over – the mountain madman has returned.

HIDDEN – Coming this March on SHUDDER
Alexander Skarsgard stars in this post-apocalyptic thriller about a family surviving a deadly outbreak by hiding out in a bomb shelter. Concealed from the “Breathers,” the fate of the family twists and turns towards a shocking, unexpected climax.

I AM ZOZO – Coming this March on SHUDDER
Shot entirely on Super 8mm, a weekend retreat of occult tomfoolery for five thrill-seeking students turns nasty as a malicious entity known as ZoZo is summoned…

BEREAVEMENT – Coming this March on SHUDDER
This atmospheric chiller follows 17-year-old Allison, who comes to live with her uncle (Michael Biehn) and disturbs a hornet’s nest of evil that once torn open, can never be closed.

DON’T LOOK UP – Coming this March on SHUDDER
In this remake of the original Japanese shocker, a film crew unleashes a malevolent supernatural force after discovering disturbing footage of a murder. As the production gets underway, director Marcus gradually realises that his set is cursed, and begins digging to get to the bottom of the bloody mystery.

CHOOSE – Coming this March on SHUDDER
An aspiring journalist enlists the help of her detective father to track down a vicious serial killer. Look out for Kevin Pollock and Bruce Dern in starring roles.

DEATH BELL – Coming this March on SHUDDER
Saw meets Battle Royale as an elite South Korean high school’s brightest students are shown a terrifying television broadcast announcing that a fiendish examination will determine whether they live or die.

HAROLD’S GOING STIFF – Coming this March on SHUDDER
After an experimental new treatment fails to stop him turning into a zombie, lonely pensioner Harold ends up on the run from a group of violent vigilantes who are out for blood in this funny and endearing addition to the undead canon.

HELLBENDERS – Coming this March on SHUDDER
A group of elite, highly-trained exorcists live in a constant state of debauchery, ready to go to Hell at any moment. When an infernal demon escapes into New York City intent on cracking open the gates of Hell, these “Hellbenders” must use every ounce of their immorality to battle the demon and save the planet from eternal damnation.

HUSK – Coming this March on SHUDDER
Things go from bad to terrifying as a group of friends become stranded following a horrific car accident and encounter a psychotic scarecrow while searching for help. Someone light a match!

GOAL OF THE DEAD – Coming this March on SHUDDER
Returning to his hometown for the first time since his big money move to the professional leagues, football player Sam expects a joyful homecoming and a routine cup-game victory. But with a zombie outbreak fueling bitter rivalries, the players and their entourage are dragged into a brutal game of survival.

For more info visit the official Shudder website, “like” Shudder on Facebook, and follow Shudder on Twitter and Shudder on Instagram.

The post New on Shudder – March 2017 appeared first on Dread Central.

It’s hard to believe that the majesty of Turbo Kid has been with us for 2 years now. While we all wait patiently (and excitedly impatiently) for the sequel, Epic Pictures Group has exclusively shared the following music video with us which celebrates the film, its fans, and of course fan art from around the world.

Haven’t seen the flick yet? You need to fix that like yesterday! Click here to order the special edition of the Blu-ray and DVD, which has already sold out twice over! Seen it and loved it? Relive it, man! Show your support and get your Turbo Kid T-shirts from Fright Rags!

We’re being told some special goodies will be available in time for San Diego Comic-Con so keep it locked here for the 411 as we get it!

Okay, ready! Set!! GO!!!!

Following its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Turbo Kid won a series of awards, including an Audience Award at 2015’s SXSW Film Festival, the Audience Award at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival, and the Best Feature Audience Award at Fantaspoa 2015, and was recently honored at The Saturn Awards. The film was released in August 2015 by Epic Pictures Releasing, Epic Pictures Group’s U.S. distribution division, and is currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Turbo Kid follows “The Kid” (Munro Chambers), an orphan left to survive on his own through drought-ridden nuclear winter, traversing the Wasteland on his BMX, scavenging for scraps to trade for a scant supply of water in a 1997, ruined post-apocalyptic world. When his perpetually chipper, pink-haired new best friend Apple (Laurence Leboeuf) is kidnapped by a minion of evil overlord Zeus (Michael Ironside), The Kid summons the courage of his comic book hero and prepares to deliver turbocharged justice to Zeus, his buzzsaw-handed sidekick Skeletron, and their vicious masked army.

The post Exclusive: We Celebrate 2 Years of Turbo Kid with this Epic Video! appeared first on Dread Central.

Earlier this month it was announced that Netflix had locked down a “Castlevania” animated series that would be executive produced by Adi Shankar (The Grey, Dredd). Now, Shankar has released the first poster for the series, and it clearly pays homage to the game series the show is based on.

The poster shows Dracula’s Castle in red and black, the various spires seemingly hanging against gravity while bats circle the surreal, Gothic structure. If this is where the series will take place and the visual style that they’re going for, I’m even more excited than I was before! As a child who grew up playing the Castlevania games pretty regularly (Simon’s Quest was my jam), this series is a long time coming; and I can’t wait to see what they do with it!

Shankar recently spoke with us about the upcoming series, saying: “I’m a gamer. I’m a comic book guy and I’m a video game guy. It’s amazing to see all of the comic book tales beyond just origin stories get treated with respect. Video game adaptations are where comic book adaptations were in the mid-Eighties. We still need our Blade moment, our X-Men moment, our Spider-Man, and then our Avengers moment. ‘Castlevania’ will be the best video game adaptation to date.”

“Castlevania” Season 1, Part 1 will be coming to Netflix in 2017!

Inspired by the classic video game series, “Castlevania” is a dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself. The animated series is from Frederator Studios, a Wow! Unlimited Media company, written by best-selling author and comic book icon Warren Ellis and executive produced by Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert, and Adi Shankar.

The post Netflix’s Castlevania Series Gets a Fittingly Grim Poster appeared first on Dread Central.