Nightmare on 34th Street will be available on digital starting December 5, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
I like the holiday season, but for me, there’s nothing like a good horror/slasher movie to get into the mood, especially if Krampus is involved. That brings me to today’s new movie news: Nightmare on 34th street is coming to digital (Plex) on December 5, 2023 from Wild Eye Releasing. So if you’re not ready to let the creepy season go yet, check it out.
Nightmare on 34th Street– A mysterious and psychopathic Santa Claus visits a small, rural town with a bag full of unusual gifts and twisted holiday stories featuring Krampus, a murderous St. Nick, and killer carol singers that are certain to ruin the Christmas season forever. Caroline Boulton, Lucy Pinder, Dani Thompson, Ewen MacIntosh, Andy Gatenby, Adam Greaves-Neal star in a James Crow film. (October Coast, 2023)
5000 Space Aliens will be available November 21, 2023. Photo: Google
Director Scott Bateman and Producer Lucas A. Ferrara are excited to share the trailer for their new genre-bending animation, 5000 Space Aliens, which is coming to digital download worldwide on November 21,2023. Get ready to meet a new space alien every second in this bonkers and groundbreaking one-of-a-kind animated film. (October Coast, 2023)
Imagine meeting a space alien. Now imagine meeting one space alien every second. This is what happens in Scott Bateman’s groundbreaking animated film 5000 Space Aliens. Scott Bateman has turned found footage, vintage photo studio pictures from Venezuela and Romania, scraps from a 100-year-old psychology textbook, and more into 5000 one-second shots of animated characters.
Instead of a typical narrative, 5000 Space Aliens is more like a ride: You just let the hypnotic rhythm of images wash over you. This one-of-a-kind animated extravaganza was made by just one animator, director Scott Bateman. Bateman also created the electronic-tinged soundtrack.
5000 Space Aliens was Medusa Underground Film Festival’s ‘Best Picture’ and has received multiple ‘official selections’ at a raft of international festivals. Pulled from the mind of Director Scott Bateman whose previous work includes The Bateman Lectures on Depression and You Your Brain & You. Not your average filmmaker, Bateman took the incredible leap to fund his projects via game shows, winning $100,000 (and a cruise) on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, as well as becoming a one-day Jeopardy! champion.
On making the film, Scott Bateman says, “Storytelling is everywhere these days, it’s ridiculous. But not everything has to tell a story. I believe movies can do other things as well, and still be fun and entertaining to watch. So with 5000 Space Aliens, I set out to create an entertaining, non-narrative film.
5000 Space Aliens has a visual rhythm of one shot per second, and it is an absolutely hypnotizing movie-going experience. It’s like a ride: you don’t have to think, you just let it wash over you. The music acts as a thread through the whole film, your friend who’s on the ride with you.
I’m very happy that it all worked. 5000 Space Aliens is a very fun movie to watch with a group of friends at home or in a theater. There are so many ‘What did I just see?’ moments, and it’s highly re-watchable.
But also, I wanted to make a film but had no money at the time. So I was looking for a way I could make a movie all by myself. This was a fun challenge, as it’s been one so rarely. I did all this animation, created all this music, did the editing, all of it. I had a blast making this film, and I’m so happy it’s a blast so audiences can experience this groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind film. There’s never been another film like this.”
“…If you’re looking for something quirky, off-beat, and extremely entertaining, check out this unique film. And while you’re at it, you’d best fasten your seatbelts, as you’ll likely encounter some turbulence as this mesmerizing movie takes you on a fast-paced, high-speed joyride. An engaging alternate reality awaits.” – Lucas A. Ferrara, Producer
Project Z is now available for streaming on Vudu and Apple TV. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In today’s movie news, for true zombie fans, it is always a good day to watch zombie movies. From distributor Dark Star Pictures comes the Norwegian (with English subtitles) comedy horror movie Project Z. It is now available to rent or buy on Vudu and Apple TV. It stars Eili Harboe, Regina Tucker, Vebjorn Enger, Jonis Jesf, Iben Akerlie, and Arthur Berning and is directed by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken. (The Write Way, 2023)
Project Z – A group of film students bring along three out of work actors to an old motel in the Norwegian mountains to make zombie films. When a mysterious asteroid crashes nearby strange things begin to happen, blurring the line between fiction and reality. Suddenly their fiction is turned into reality, as the undead have seemingly began attacking the crew and they must fight for their lives – or is it a part of their story?
Action thriller King of Killers. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In today’s movie news, if you like action thrillers, King of Killers is now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Written and directed by Kevin Grevioux, the cast includes Alain Moussi (Nobody), Marie Avgeropoulos (“The 100,” 50/50), Georges St-Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Stephen Dorff (Blade, Old Henry), Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and Kevin Grevioux (Underworld). (EG-PR, 2023)
Based on a graphic novel by writer-director Kevin Grevioux, King of Killers follows former Agency hit man Marcus Garan (Alain Moussi) as he attempts to unravel the mystery behind a tragic incident. When offered a $10 million contract to eliminate the world’s greatest assassin, Marcus travels to Tokyo to meet the client (Frank Grillo), but discovers other professional killers have been invited as well. Now Marcus and the others must confront this deadly, mythical assassin or die trying.
15 Cameras is available On Demand and limited theater release. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Voyeuristic style films explore society’s insatiable thirst to watch and be watched. If you’re a fan, this new horror release might be a good fit for you. 15 Cameras is a sequel to 13 Cameras and 14 Cameras but it does well as a stand alone movie, so you don’t necessarily have to see the first two films to enjoy this one. On Friday October 13, it is coming to On Demand and in theaters in Los Angeles. 15 Cameras, directed by Danny Madden and written by PJ McCabe stars Will Madden, Angela Wong Carbone, Hilty Bowen, James Babson, Shirley Chen, Hannah Mckechnie, Skyler Bible, Courtney Dietz, Erik Leupp, Donna Allen, Brianne Moncrief, Jim Cummings, and Stephen Ruffin. (October Coast, 2023)
15 Cameras – When Cam and Sky bought their duplex, it seemed like the perfect investment opportunity for the young couple; a starter home, a mortgage offset by renters, and even a guest room for Sky’s sister, Carolyn. But as Sky and Cam slowly uncover hidden cameras and secrets of the duplex’s previous owner, obsession consumes their marriage and they both fall into destructive forms of voyeurism. When new tenants move in downstairs, their fixation with observing others has deadly consequences and they are forced to confront the very things they have been consumed by.
Karen Lam’s highly anticipated horror movie is out now on digital platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Karen Lam‘s highly-anticipated The Curse of Willow Song, starring Jennifer Body’s Valerie Tian, has been picked up by Uncork’d Entertainment. The horror picture, receiving great early buzz thanks to its strong special effects, is now available on digital formats including iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google, YouTube movies, and more. (October Coast, 2023)
The Curse of Willow Song – Willow Song, a recovering addict, is released on probation after serving her prison term for arson. Struggling to start over, she faces systemic racism and eviction. Willow finds herself in a concrete wasteland. Facing isolation and displacement, shadows creep into Willow’s mind and her nightmares become too real. Against the backdrop of a city seen in vacant properties and people left behind. Willow can’t escape the nightmares, as the shadows come to life.
“The Curse of Willow Song has so much to offer. It will appeal for the genre audience but also the Asian community – as represented in front of and behind camera”, said Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment. “Karen Lam is truly one of the most exceptional filmmakers out there, and The Curse of Willow Song reiterates that.”
From Terror Films, Grieve will be out on digital platforms on Friday October 6, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
It’s officially spooky season! Looking for a horror movie to stream next weekend? Here is a new one from Terror Films.
The new atmospheric horror thriller Grieve, written and directed by Robbie Smith and starring Paris Peterson and Danielle Keaton, hits digital platforms Friday October 6 in North America. It will be available on JOBLO MOVIES, iTunes, and more.
Grieve – A man engulfed in the suffocating grip of loss finds his life fragmented. Struggling to navigate through his emotional fog, his mother suggests a retreat to her cabin – but an ancient entity that thrives on sorrow has taken root. The New England winter punctuates this love letter to creeping horror and slow cinema, like a marriage of Chantal Ackerman and Kiyoshi Kurosawa. (October Coast, 2023)
Clint Eastwood. Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay, used with permission.
Sometimes a certain type of movie becomes trendy. This leads to various film studios creating their own variations in order to cash in on this trend. Some trends last a couple years while others last a generation. In most cases, they have a certain decade in which they peak. Below are just some of the biggest trends that have taken over Hollywood throughout the years and what made them so popular.
1930s: Creature Features
Creature features are typically horror movies that revolve around a single monstrous creature. There have actually been many creature feature waves throughout cinema history – Hollywood went through a sci-fi alien monster phase in the 1950s with movies like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and The Blob, while Japan released numerous movies about giant monsters (‘kaiju’) throughout the 1960s including the Godzilla and Gamera movies. However, the peak of creature feature movies was all the way back in the 1930s and included movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, King Kong and The Werewolf of London. Nowadays, creature features are rarer in favor of more supernatural horror movies or more human villains. Recent reboots of Godzilla and King Kong have typically been more action-oriented than horror-based.
1950s: Westerns
The most iconic movie trend is arguably the ‘western.’ These movies about cowboys and life on the frontier would gain popularity in the 1930s and reach their peak in the 1950s. The Gunfighter, Oklahoma, High Noon and The Searchers are some of the most iconic movies from this period. The success of westerns during this period is thought to be due to the nationalism and need for escapism caused by the Cold War. Ultimately however, the market would become saturated causing individual westerns to earn less money at the box office in the late 1960s, paving the way for a new style of action movies. Of course, the genre would never truly die – there have been many cowboy movies released since and every few years a director like Tarantino or the Coen Brothers will release an epic western blockbuster.
1960s: Beach party films
In 1963, AIP released a movie titled Beach Party which would spawn a series of beach-themed comedies aimed at teen audiences (although you could argue Gidget in 1959 was the film that truly kickstarted the genre). The 60s was a period of teen rebellion and these movies appealed to the attitudes of the time by being centered around the adventures of teens. By the end of the 60s, beach party films were overdone however and biker movies briefly took over as the new teen-based movie of choice.
1970s: Disaster movies
The 1970s was the peak of disaster movies. Airport, The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure and Earthquake are just some of the classics produced during this decade. Why were disaster movies so popular in the 1970s? Some critics have suggested that it was a reflection of the political and economic chaos of the time. These movies played to audiences’ fears and made huge amounts of money at the box office, leading to increasingly bigger budget films until they became played out. Disaster movies would make a comeback in the 90s due to the birth of CGI, but became less popular after 9/11.
1990s: Teen ‘gross-out’ comedies
Teen comedies would gradually evolve from the fairly innocent beach party films of the 1960s to more overtly sexual movies (such as the ‘brat pack’ movies in the 1980s) and eventually gross-out comedies in the 1990s. These films relied on shock value and toilet humor to push the boundaries of comedy and included franchises such as Dumb and Dumber, American Pie and Scary Movie. These comedies would continue to remain popular in the 00s but increasingly began being aimed at young adults rather than teens.
2000s: Found footage horror
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project was released – a movie that would kickstart the found footage horror trend. This movie trend aimed to make horror movies feel more realistic by filming them in the style of a camcorder recording. Found footage horror movies peaked in the 00s with the release of films like Paranormal Activity, REC and Cloverfield. Endless sequels and reiterations of the genre have since reduced its novelty and nowadays found footage horror movies – while still continuing to be frequently made – don’t do as well at the box office.
2010s: Superheroes
The most recent notable movie trend has definitely been superhero movies. These movies dominated the 2010s – particularly superhero movies based on Marvel and DC comics. The creation of Marvel studios and its purchase by Disney in 2009 would ultimately lead to superhero movies being churned out at an alarming speed compared to previous decades. Avengers: Endgame in 2019 remains the highest grossing superhero movie and the second highest grossing movie of all time. Since then, superhero movies have been underwhelming at the box office and the likes of Disney have been slowing down releases. Is the superhero movie fad coming to an end?
SA Examiner 