Weekly Horror Round up - Saturday 30th May 2015

Brains on fire, Kung fury to Islands of death Bradley Hadcroft’s Weekly Horror Roundup is with us once again, delve into the macabre….

– Brain on Fire
According to Deadline Thomas Mann star of the impending Amityville: The Reawakening has ed the cast of this fascinating memoir adaptation.

Here is a synopsis of the book cleansed of any major spoilers from Goodreads and it scans like a cinematic diamond mine in of source material.

“A gripping memoir and medical suspense story about a young New York Post reporter’s struggle with a rare and terrifying disease, opening a new window into the fascinating world of brain science.

One day, Susannah Cahalan woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. Her medical records—from a month-long hospital stay of which she had no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier she had been a healthy, ambitious twenty-four year old, six months into her first serious relationship and a sparkling career as a cub reporter.

Susannah’s astonishing memoir chronicles the swift path of her illness and the lucky, last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving her life.

With sharp reporting drawn from hospital records, scientific research, and interviews with doctors and family, Brain on Fire is a crackling mystery and an unflinching, gripping personal story that marks the debut of an extraordinary writer.”

There is a demonic possession angle to this story that will give the film an easy into the horror camp so this is one project we will be following very closely.

– Felt

Pitching us very firmly into the realms of the bizarre comes the first official trailer for the intense new movie from Jason banker(Toad Road).The director was responsible for the exceptional cinematography in indie horror hit Summer of Blood and it is this visual panache that appears to be the driving force behind this surreal semi docudrama.

The film is based on the real life experiences of artist and feminist Amy Everson and you can find out more about her by visiting Amy’s Room and checking her art out including a rather natty line in totally NSFW clothing that will really get people talking !!!!!

Here is a synopsis courtesy of The American Film Institute:

“Amy, a San Francisco artist, is haunted by a recent trauma that was inflicted by men in her life. As she veers dangerously close to a complete emotional and psychological breakdown, she plunges into the world of her art as a coping mechanism. She re-appropriates the male form by creating an alter ego that assumes power and domination. When Amy meets Kenny, a seemingly nice, down-to-earth guy, she decides to open herself up to him, hoping he can restore her faith in mankind. Blurring the line between narrative and documentary, director and co-writer Jason Banker uses the real-life art and experiences of co-writer and actress Amy Everson to craft a feminist film, which confronts rape culture and the micro-aggressions that women face on a daily basis in male-dominated spaces.”

Felt is aiming for a late June cinema release in America with late July digital and VOD to follow.

– The Onania Club

Tom Six found himself buried beneath an avalanche of critical vitriol following the online release of The Human Centipede 3 this week.His jet black horror satire has received more of a panning than the river Klondike during the gold rush but undeterred he found time to give an interview with Bloody Disgusting. Below is an extract in which he discusses his next project that promises to expose and explore the world of chronic masturbation addiction.

“Again it will be a film that will explore the dark side. No romantic comedies for me,” said Six. “I am now in pre-production of The Onania Club, a very original, highly perverted black comedy that will shake up the world yet again.”

– Poltergeist

In an interview with Collider this week director Gil Kenan revealed that the Blu-ray release of this entertaining popcorn horror flick will contain an extended cut.With an added 7-8 minutes up for grabs there is a slim chance of stronger gore but it is more likely to be exposition and back story that receives a fleshing out.

– Kung Fury

The much talked about Kickstarter funded flick is now available online !!!

“During an unfortunate series of events a friend of Kung Fury is assasinated by the most dangerous kung fu master criminal of all time; Adolf Hitler, a.k.a Kung Führer. Kung Fury decides to travel back in time, to Nazi , in order to kill Hitler and end the Nazi empire once and for all.”

Watch the full movie below.

– Rick Baker

This week brought the bad news that the special effects legend was calling it a day and stepping away from the movie industry.One of the most influential voices in practical effects work over the last 45 years gave he stated his case in an interview with 89.3KPCC and it’s indicative of the horribly inevitable shift towards CGI.

“First of all, the CG stuff definitely took away the animatronics part of what I do. It’s also starting to take away the makeup part. The time is right, I am 64 years old, and the business is crazy right now. I like to do things right, and they wanted cheap and fast. That is not what I want to do, so I just decided it is basically time to get out. I would consider deg and consulting on something, but I don’t think I will have a huge working studio anymore.”

Sad times indeed.

– Trailer Watch

– Cop Car

What better way to kick of this weekends trailer binge than with a Bacon goes bat-shit killer cop road movie.Coming across like Stand by Me meets The Hitcher this looks like a prime slice of Midnight madness mayhem.The flick from Jon Watts director of Frightfest pick Clown should finish it’s extensive festival run in time for an August cinema release.

– Gutterballs 2 : Balls Deep

As the latest assault on good taste from Plotdigger films and director Ryan Nicholson Gutterballs 2 : Balls Deep nears it’s release date this NSFW trailer was unleashed this week.Watch it below after a synopsis for the film as featured on Beneath the Underground.

“10 years after the original bowling alley massacre, Stacy, a victims relative, is finishing up her shift when her co-workers decide to put Stacy in touch with her dead Dad and Sister. With the shake of a magic 8-ball, BBK appears and the blood starts to flow.Ryan Nicholson delivers a truly original and jaw-dropping experience that takes the viewer on a wild ride into multiple realities. Bizarre and depraved, “Gutterballs 2: Balls Deep” will bowl you over and strike you down in the Summer of 2015.”

The Edinburgh International Film Festival released the line up for it’s Night Moves strand this week and here are the trailers for the pick of them.The synopsis for each film comes from the official festival site.

– Redeemer

“Enter Chilean martial arts expert Marko Zaror as “Pardo”, an ex-hitman turned vigilante seeking redemption for his sins by taking on a vicious drug cartel and facing deadly assassin “The Scorpion”.

Co-ordinating the unbelievably fast, brutal fight sequences, as well as partaking in them, Zaror works without the aid of wires or CGI, and the results are breathtaking. This explosive action is harnessed in style by director Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, and confirms Zaror’s place as one of the most exciting exponents of the martial arts in international cinema today.”

– Narcopolis

“An ambitious debut sci-fi film for British director Justin Trefgarne, Narcopolis stars Elliot Cowan as grizzled cop Frank Grieves, who struggles to keep his family together against a futuristic backdrop where recreational drugs are legal. When he delves too deeply into a case involving an unidentified corpse, he finds himself caught in a dangerous conspiracy and finds that drug legalisation comes at a deadly price. Great effects and a thoughtful script are accompanied by strong from Jonathan Pryce and Robert Bathurst.”

– Hellions

“A horrifying tale of mayhem, madness, murderous evil munchkins and a young girl home alone at night. Unaware that her pregnant condition has piqued the interest of the evil pumpkin field spirits, teenager Dora needs some time alone to think. Very soon the evil trick-or-treaters arrive to claim their prize, and Dora finds herself fighting for her life. Beautifully shot in an unearthly magenta glow, and set against a creepy, atmospheric score, this is Halloween horror at its best.”

Blu-ray release of the week :

Arrow Films have seen fit to give this nasty little exploitation flick the HD treatment so you can enjoy it’s extensive range of perversions in crystal clear clarity.Presenting this buffet of all things seedy and malicious in a 2K restoration from the original camera negative is sure to result in the need for hotter and longer post viewing showers.

Any film that throws down the exhibition and willful flaunting of incest as an opening gambit and features random Bovidae rape deserves a special place in your exploitation horror heart.

Here is the official synopsis :

“Welcome to Mykonos, the holiday destination of choice for sun, sea and slaughter! From cult director Nico Mastorakis, Island of Death is a travelogue of atrocities with scenes so strong that the British Government was once compelled to ban it as a “video nasty”.

Arriving on the idyllic Greek island, Christopher and Celia appear to be every inch the perfect, handsome young couple. Little do the welcoming locals realise that they are in fact a pair of murderous degenerates, determined to spread their own particular brand of perversion across the island. DIY crucifixions, opportunistic bestiality, sexual peeing and murder by all conceivable forms ensue – including death by makeshift blowtorch, samurai sword, dump truck and more!

Shocking, brutal and totally politically incorrect in its outlook, Island of Death is a gruelling cinematic experience devised by director Mastorakis to out-do the excesses of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which he was hugely inspired by. Now fully uncut and newly-restored from the original negative, fans can enjoy Island of Death in all its sleazy, lurid glory.”

The special features are of the same exhaustive quality we have come to expect from this peerless release company and this is a fantastic chance to purchase one of THE must own shock classics.Lock up the goats and buy it now.

I believe in god ! It’s too late my friend ……he doesn’t believe in you anymore.