Category: Movie news

New movies to watch this Halloween season

The Institute will be available this Halloween on Vudu. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

With Halloween right around the corner, here is a list of movies now available or coming soon that are perfect for the season. (October Coast, 2022)

Croc! – Now available on digital/DVD
Lisa and her family unite at a wedding venue, excited for the big day. However, unknown to the family, a nest of hungry crocodiles has been living in the nearby lake. As the crocodiles crash the wedding in a blood thirsty massacre, the remaining family members must survive the night against these Jurassic beasts.

The Mystery Spot – Now available on digital
A number of lost souls find refuge in a small motel in the middle of nowhere, its only distinguishing characteristic being the ruins of an old Mystery Spot—a long-dead roadside attraction with strange metaphysical powers.

Frost – Now available on digital
The story of a young woman and her father who have to fight for survival after being stranded on a remote mountainside during a storm.

The Murder Podcast – Available on October 26 on digital
Two amateur podcasters start investigating a murder in their hometown only to become wrapped up in a terrifying adventure full of supernatural threats.

The Institute – Available on Halloween on Vudu
The acclaimed supernatural horror film hits Vudu for Halloween. Fixes on a young couple who begin to suspect the fertility clinic they have booked themselves into is up to something sinister. They become suspicious when the medical regimen brings on psychological side effects.

Demons at Dawn – Available on October 26 on digital
Starring John Altman, Ben Silver, Amanda Himsworth, Amber Doig-Thorne, Dani Thompson and Chris Sanders, the frightening, thrilling profusion of The Professional and End of Days follows a retired hitman who is blackmailed into taking one last job. During his mission, he uncovers an elite Satanic cult that uses human sacrifice to summon Demons.

Unnerving Swedish horror film Reportage November set for worldwide release

Reportage November hits digital and Video On Demand worldwide on October 14 from Terror Films. Photo: Terror Films, used with permission.

Carl Sundström’s Reportage November, starring Signe Elvin-Nowak, Jonas Lundström, and Isabel Camacho, will premiere on digital and Video On Demand this October from Terror Films. (Terror Films, 2022)

Reportage November – The mysterious death of a mother and the disappearance of her child leads a group of freelance journalists to the outback of Sweden. The group of four, led by the famous journalist Linn Söderqvist, will make a reportage about the happening and search for leads missed by the police. Equipped with cameras and supplies to survive in the forest for days, they wander out in the woods to find the truth.

The film, penned by Nathaniel P Erlandsson, was shot in Sweden.

“Many years ago when I got my first glance of the second act of Cannibal Holocaust, I felt that faux documentaries was the best ways of touching the audience deep inside. A way to create a genuine feeling through a documentary format and bring the horror out from the screen into the real world. Ever since then I have been an avid found footage fanatic who appreciate the story telling from a POV perspective. To have the slow burn concept where you get to know the characters thoroughly and you are feeling like a part of the story. A style of film where you cannot show more than the characters see. What they know, you know, and what you know, they know. Reportage November is made for found footage lovers and while writing it we had all aspects and rules of what makes this genre great in mind. A film that focuses on suspense and mystery to bring the viewer to the edge of the seat. We have created a film that is just as much about the slow build-up of the story as the horror. I hope that you enjoy this slow burning thrill that takes place deep in the Swedish outback. “ – Director Linn Söderqvist

Reportage November hits digital and VOD worldwide October 14 from Terror Films.

Dark Star Pictures and Bloody Disgusting announce Shinzô Katayama’s Missing

The Japanese crime thriller Missing will have its US theatrical release on November 4, 2022. Photo: Dark Star Pictures, used with permission.

Dark Star Pictures has acquired the North American distribution rights to crime thriller Missing as part of its ongoing collaboration with Bloody Disgusting. Dark Star and Bloody Disgusting plan a US theatrical release for Missing on November 4, 2022, an On Demand release on November 18, 2022, and the Blu Ray release for the film to follow on December 6, 2022. (Dark Star Pictures, 2022)

Missing had its World Premiere at Busan International Film Festival before screening at Fantasia International Film Festival and had its US Premiere at Fantastic Fest in September 2022. It is written and directed by Shinzô Katayama. The movie stars Aoi Ito, Jiro Sato, and Hiroya Shimizu.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Busan International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival.

Missing – Depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, Santoshi (Jiro Sato) tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer “No Name” (Hiroya Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Aoi Ito) cannot take her aloof father seriously but when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst—and must begin looking for him.

After working as an assistant director for Japanese films, including Nobuhiro Yamashita’s works, filmmaker Shinzô Katayama crossed paths with Bong Joon-Ho while shooting “TOKYO!” (2008) and served as his assistant director on “Mother” (2009). In 2019, his debut feature, “Siblings of the Cape ” was selected by numerous domestic and international film festivals. He now is one of the most promising, emerging directors in Japan, and his second feature, Missing (“Sagasu /さがす”) will be his commercial film debut.

Japan, 2021 (In Japanese with English Subtitles)

Dark Star Pictures is a new-age North American distribution company, focused on bringing unique and targeted content to audiences across the country. We are committed to releasing auteur-driven, original cinema in the theatrical, digital, and home video space.

Movie adaptation: ‘Luckiest Girl Alive’ by Jessica Knoll

The movie adaptation of ‘Luckiest Girl Alive,’ the bestselling novel by Jessica Knoll, is now on Netflix. Photo: Amazon

Jessica Knoll is the New York Times bestselling author of “Luckiest Girl Alive” and “The Favorite Sister.” She grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and graduated from The Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. She has been a senior editor at Cosmopolitan and the articles editor at Self. “The Luckiest Girl Alive” follows an unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose her most shocking secret. It has been adapted into a major motion picture from Netflix starring Mila Kunis and is now available for streaming. (Amazon, 2022)

“The Luckiest Girl Alive” – Her perfect life is a perfect lie. As a teenager at the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and a handsome blue blood fiancé, she is so close to living the perfect life she has worked so hard to achieve. But Ani has a secret. There is something else buried in her past that still haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the surface and destroy everything. With a singular voice and twists you will not see coming, “Luckiest Girl Alive” explores the unbearable pressure that so many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart that is bigger than it first appears. The question remains: will breaking her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last, set Ani free?

New supernatural horror movie: Sawed Off

, Sawed Off will be available on digital and DVD on October 11, 2022. Photo: Uncork’d Entertainment, Used with permission.

Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired Sawed Off, a new supernatural horror feature based on a comic anthology story and starring Eva Hamilton, Jody Barton, and Trae Ireland. The movie will be released on digital platforms and DVD October 11, 2022. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)
 
Sawed Off – In the vein of “The Evil Dead meets Groundhog Day,” the movie centers on two hunters, friends for years and vying for the affections of the same woman, who find themselves on cursed land and keep killing each other and coming back to life. Hunter Johnson is the producer and director. The screenplay is by Barton, Johnson, and Chuck Wagner, based on Wagner’s Eclipse Comics story “Bag Limit,” published in Tales of Terror in 1986. Other producers include Cris Hernandez and Richard Trejo along with Barton and Ireland. Jeff Miller executive produces through his company Millman Productions, along with James Cullen Bressack and his company Sandaled Kid Productions. Special makeup effects are by Oliver Poser. Trejo is Director of Photography.

“Sawed Off is a new twist on ‘cabin in the woods’ stories and features great performances from Jody, Trae, and Eva,” says Miller.


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20th Digital Studio’s Bite Size Halloween on Hulu

20th Digital Studio’s Bite Size Halloween on Hulu brings 20 spooky shorts from diverse and emerging filmmakers. Photo: 20th Digital Studio, used with permission.

In celebration of Huluween, 20th Digital Studio’s Bite Size Halloween series of spooky shorts is back for a third season. Twenty new shorts from exciting emerging filmmakers premiere October 1 on Hulu, blending genres like horror, comedy, sci-fi, thriller, and more. (20th Digital Studio, 2022)

Shot in seven different countries, this season takes on topical issues such as racism, gender, parenthood, sexuality, and identity. Snatched features Tatiana Maslany (“She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law”) in her first on-screen role with husband Brendan Hines (“Locke & Key”). Misha Osherovich (“Freaky”) stars as their son.
Other shorts feature familiar faces like Brigette Lundy-Paine (“Atypical”), Lin Shaye (“Insidious”), David Costabile (“Breaking Bad”), and former “Glow” co-stars Rebekka Johnson and singer-songwriter Kate Nash who co-wrote/directed/star in a short featuring Nash’s original music.

“As we launch the first feature films developed with our incredibly talented Bite Size Halloween filmmaker alums, we are thrilled to introduce the next wave of dynamic filmmaking talent and their ingenious short films. We take great pride in showcasing these vital, diverse voices and their very personal twists on horror, thriller and sci-fi.” – David Worthen Brooks, SVP – 20th Digital Studio

The goal of 20th Digital Studio’s short film programs is to continue to guide and finance the growth of these artists’ careers and to transition some of the shorts into longer features. The first two films developed in this way will premiere this month on Hulu: “Grimcutty” from John William Ross on October 10 and “Matriarch” from Ben Steiner on October 21. Shorts from past seasons have played at festivals such as SXSW, Sundance, Tribeca, Fantasia, and more.

20th Digital Studio’s focus on diversity and inclusion continues as prestigious filmmakers from the festival world are featured, including Nuhash Humayun (“Moshari,” SXSW Grand Jury Prize), Sam Max (“Chaperone,” Sundance), Michelle Krusiec (“Bite,” AFI DWW), Zoey Martinson (“Cupids,” Tribeca), and many more.

20th Digital Studio focuses on funding and producing award-winning short-form genre content together with up-and-coming filmmakers from the digital and film festival worlds. 20th Digital develops select shorts into longer form content, packaging new voices with established producers and offering opportunities for growth and representation; always with a goal to create innovative character narrative, voice-driven filmmaking with a social message, cultural impact and box-office or streaming success. Set up in 2008 as a nimble entrepreneurial group within Fox Filmed Entertainment, 20th Digital is now a part of Disney General Entertainment Content.

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New movie release: How Dark They Prey

From Film Valor, How Dark They Prey is now available on Amazon Prime Video and Watch Movies Now. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

From Film Valor and directors Jamison M. LoCascio and Adam Ambrosio, How Dark They Prey is now available on Amazon Prime Video and Watch Movies Now. (October Coast, 2022)

How Dark They Prey – Includes four dark tales about the haunting nature of man and the unknown from WWII to Alien investigation, finding the occult, and kidnap with torture. The highly anticipated horror anthology is written by Adam Ambrosio, Anthony LoCascio and Jamison M. LoCascio. Starring Josiah Schneider, Timothy Paul Jobe, and David Johnson.

New movie release: The Mystery Spot

The Mystery Spot releases on digital and Video On Demand on October 7 from Terror Films. Photo: Google

From director Mel House, and starring Graham Skipper (Re-Animator: The Musical), Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4-5), and scream queen Debbie Rochon, experience the terror of The Mystery Spot this October. (Terror Films, 2022)

The Mystery Spot – A number of lost souls find refuge in a small motel in the middle of nowhere, its only distinguishing characteristic being the ruins of an old Mystery Spot—a long-dead roadside attraction with strange metaphysical powers. Nathan and Rachel find solace in one another, both attempting to escape dark pasts that seem to be using the Mystery Spot to go from being painful shadows of their lives to very real entities of the present. Everyone at the Mystery Spot will be affected by its unique properties, but only some will survive its reality-shattering implications.

The Mystery Spot releases on digital and VOD October 7 worldwide from Terror Films.

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Upcoming new creature horror movie: The Wild Man

The Bigfoot horror movie will have a digital release on September 30, 2022. Photo: Google

Terror Films will release the Michael Pare-starring Bigfoot horror movie The Wild Man this September. Developed during the pandemic, the film stars Michael Pare, and is directed by Tampa Bay native Ryan Justice (Followers). Lauren Crandall, Julian Green, and Mike Reed also help make up the cast. (Terror Films, 2022)

“We used our downtime to create and develop projects. The Wild Man happened to be the perfect project to make at the time. As a Florida Native the Legend of the Skunk Ape (Florida Bigfoot) always had our interest. We wanted to do a fun movie around the legend and do something different with the bigfoot movie genre.”

The Wild Man – Young women have been going missing in Ochopee, FL, without a single suspect in custody. A young journalist, Sara, convinces her crew to join her investigation as she travels to Ochopee to document her discoveries, but they soon realize their presence in this town is not welcome. Determined to find her story, Sara convinces her friends to stick with her, because they are onto something big. Upon meeting Dale, the town’s notorious conspiracy theorist, she is convinced he knows more than he is willing to share. The crew humors Dale’s ridiculous theories, even accompanying him into the Florida swamps on his quest to show them “The Wild Man,” hoping he will somehow reveal his guilt. But what the crew discovers is a secret much deeper than fairy tales and legends. What they discover is much darker and more sinister than they bargained for.

The Wild Man will first premiere on digital platforms September 30 ahead of plays on the Terror Films and Kings of Horror YouTube Channels.

TERRITORY: NORTH AMERICA
RELEASE DATE 1: 9/30/22 – DIGITAL
RELEASE DATE 2: 10/7/22 – TERROR FILMS CHANNEL
RELEASE DATE 2: 10/14/22 – KOH CHANNEL

Award-winning documentary Our American Family opens this month

Our American Family opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles and Video on Demand. Photo: Giant Pictures, used with permission.

Our American Family will be released in the United States theatrically in New York (Cinema Village), Los Angeles (Laemmle Monica) on September 2 and on Video On Demand in the United States, Canada, UK, and major territories on September 6, both timed to National Recovery Month. Video on Demand platforms include US – Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Canada- Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play, and UK- Apple TV/iTunes. (Giant Pictures, 2022)

Winner of the Woodstock Film Festival 2021- Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Addiction is an all-encompassing force, in not only of the lives of the afflicted, but also those around them. Our American Family provides an honest, unfiltered look at a close-knit Philadelphia family dealing with generational substance abuse. Captured at a pivotal “nothing to lose” moment, for over the course of a year, five family members tired of life with addiction on center stage, each struggle to transcend their crippling histories.

What will it take to shift this entrenched, wrenching pattern in their lives? Will they be able to make significant shifts to help their next generation? The members of Our American Family invite us into their lives to find hope and to explore what is possible. Though they often falter, their familial loyalty is powerful, demonstrating how through love and dedication people can rise out of the deepest depths. For a touching, eye-opening look into one of America’s most pressing crises, look no further.

Our American Family opens in September timed to National Recovery Month, a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible.

Hallee Adelman is a writer, filmmaker, and co-founder of World of HA Productions. She is an executive producer on the Emmy-winning documentary “The Social Dilemma,” and the Oscar-nominated international film “Writing with Fire.” Other titles include the Academy shortlisted, “The Truffle Hunters,” the Sundance premiere “UsKids,” and the soon to be released, “Art & Krimes by Krimes.” Recent festival premieres, “Aisha,” “Broadway Rising,” and “Your Friend, Memphis.” Adelman is a Board Member of the International Documentary Association. Adelman co-directed and produced Our American Family after a writing project deepened her connection with the brave participants featured in the film.

Feature Length Documentary / (USA) / 87 mins

Photo: Giant Pictures, used with permission.