Indie horror THE HUMAN RACE gets picked up for release

Well didn’t say we could spot a winner when we see one, and its no surprise to us that The Hollywood Reporter has just dropped the news that Paul Hough’s narsty little indie horror The Human Race has just picked up a swathe of sales at Cannes; for release in the U.S., Germany, Australia and Japan. No doubt there will be more to come.

Synopsis: 80 people are ripped out of their daily lives and all re-appear in an undisclosed location. These people are from all walks of life: young and old, athletic and disabled, white-collared and homeless. The rules to a race boom in their heads, in their own voice and language, laying out what will become a horrific race of terror: “If you are lapped twice, you die. If you step off the path, you die. Race...or die."

 

 

Human Race trailer

New poster for HK horror TALES FROM THE DARK: Part 1

Omnibus horror movies are still all the rage in Asian it seems and Tales From The Dark part 1 is the latest offer to fuel the fanboy flames. Based on the best-selling horror novel written by Hong Kong author Lilian Lee, it comprises of six segments adapted from the stories.

Good so far but its even better when you see who’s directing. The six segments will be directed by Fruit Chan, Lee Chi Ngai, Lawrence Lau, Teddy Robin, Gordon Chan and actor Simon Yam in his directorial debut. Part 1 opens in July and Part 2 will be hot on its heels in August.

Part 1 synopsis: One chilly night, Chu meets an uncommon client, a pretty 20-ish girl who pays her to curse 4 villains without knowing their names. Mysteriously, with each cursing ceremony performed delivers a gruesome death of a victim. When it comes to the last victim, or villain, it also unfolds a chilling, intolerable secret.

 

Dark Side poster

Dark Side teaser trailer

TV spot for Hideo Nakata’s THE COMPLEX

Hideo Nakata’s latest foray into the horror, The Complex, opened in Japan yesterday so we thought we’d round off our coverage (until some bright spark of a buyer finally gets off their butt, and buys it for distro in an English speaking territory) with a peak at the latest TV spot for the film. It’s short, but definitely packs a punch and we for one cant wait to see it!

 

 

 

The Complex TV spot

The Complex official site

This new clip from Neil Jordan’s BYZANTIUM

We’re never ones to turn our nose up at good Vampire flick and Neil Jordans (who you will remember brought us the excellent film version of ‘Interview with a Vampire’) latest offering - the Vamp horror Byzantium - looks very good indeed. There’s a new clip just out for your viewing pleasure, but to be frank, we were pretty much sold from the first trailer. Byzantium opens in the UK May 31.

Synopsis: Eleanor and Clara, two mysterious and penniless young women, flee the scene of a violent crime and arrive in a run-down coastal resort. They try to find money and refuge along the tawdry seafront and in the dilapidated hotels. Clara, ever-practical, sells her body. She soon meets shy and lonely Noel, who provides a roof over their heads in his seedy guesthouse, Byzantium. Clara, always looking towards the future, turns it into a ‘pop-up’ brothel. Meanwhile Eleanor, the eternal schoolgirl, meets Frank, a kindred spirit who unwittingly prompts her to tell the truth about her life. She tells him that Clara is her mother; yet Clara is only a few years older. She says that she was born in 1804; yet she is just sixteen. She confesses that she must drink human blood to stay alive – and so must her mother. In the small, quiet town, people start to die. And the past that the girls have been running from for so long, finally catches up with them – with astonishing consequences.

Byzantium new clip

 

Full program for 13th Nippon Connection Film Festival

The program for - one of Germany’s premiere Asian film festivals - the 13th edition of the Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is complete! Over the course of six festival days, the audience will have the chance to discover more than 130 short and feature films from Japan, with many German, European, and world premieres, from 4 – 9 June 2013.

The genres range from subtle dramas and wild comedies to anime and critical documentaries. Many filmmakers and artists from Japan will be present at the biggest festival for Japanese cinema worldwide. An extraordinary cultural program will top off the festival, offering a rich experience of this outstanding country.

The wide and multi-faceted film program invites both veteran Asian film fans and curious newcomers to cinematic discoveries. Including Sion Sono’s science fiction drama Land of Hope, and Hajime Hashimoto’s erotic fantasy horror Princess Sakura - to name but a few. Full details, as always, on the fests official site. Looks quite a ride!

Teaser poster for Korean horror thriller DOCTOR

If there’s ever one particular type of professional that could do a LOT of damage if they go off the mental rails, its physicians, and that’s just the ride we’re in for in Kim Seong-hong’s horror thriller Doctor. Actor Kim Chang-wan plays a psychopathic plastic surgeon who goes well off the deep end, when he discovers his wife is having an affair - And it looks like anyone and everything might be fair game in his quest for revenge. Doctor opens in Korea in June. No sign of a trailer yet, but we’re keeping em peeled for a first trailer, big time.

 

 

 

Doctor stills

Korean blockbuster MASQUERADE on US DVD

It broke box office records galore in Korea last year and won more awards than you can shake a little golden statue at, and now Choo Chang-Min’s lavish historical drama Masquerade is debuting on DVD from CJ Entertainment America...on June 11.

Synopsis: Amid national chaos and fear for his life, tyrannical King Gwanghae orders his trusted counselor to find a royal body double. He recruits a crude, working-class peasant, Ha-seon, a village performer who bears a startling resemblance to the ruler. When the king falls into a coma from poisoning, he is secreted away to recover and Ha-seon reluctantly assumes the throne, forced to pull off history’s biggest masquerade. Narrowly evading exposure or yet another assassination attempt by his power-hungry court, he stumbles through his daily rituals and onerous royal duties … covertly coached by the king’s stoic chief advisor and chief eunuch. Soon, however, Ha-seon finds he must follow his own heart – no matter what the price – to save his country from collapse and its oppressed people from despair.

Masquerade is presented in widescreen 16x9 (aspect ratio: 2.35:1) and 5.1 Dolby Digital sound with English dub and subtitles. Special features include: “Lighting and Cinematography” and “Production Design” featurettes, deleted scenes and trailers.

Masquerade U.S site

Masquerade full trailer

 

English trailer for Chinese chiller THE INCREDIBLE TRUTH

It’s always good when a movie we’re interested in hits an English (or in this case multilingual) territory because that means subs! The movie in question is director Sam Leong’s horror thriller The Incredible Truth and the territory that’s very smartly picked up for release is Singapore, and it opens there 16 May. On to the chills.....

Synopsis: An artist named Jiajia promised to show her boyfriend, Wei Ling, around Japan but eventually fails to show up for no reason. After Wei Ling goes and gets accommodated in a family-run host spring hotel of Shimizu, Jiajia’s Japanese boyfriend, she brings her endless weird experience as if she’s haunted, and the hotel even sinks into a series of horrible homicides, in which the victims are all members of Shimizu’s family. Every clue found is connected to Jiajia. Shimizu’s servant Tadao begs Wei Ling to help them discover who the murderer is - But whether Jiajia is dead or alive, along with the identity of murderer remains a secret, until the very end.

 

The Incredible Truth trailer

New posters for Korean fright flick HORROR STORY 2

News on any upcoming Korean horror movies has been decidedly thin on ground of late, so how about a new theatrical one sheet (and character posters) for 4 part omnibus frightener Horror Story 2, to tide us over while we wait for the main even...the full trailer? The film opens on June 5, so it won’t be long now.

Plotlines

444: Department Head Park and new employee Se-Young walks into the secret basement storage room to take out old files. Park knows Se-Young possesses a freaky talent, which is to communicate with the dead. Park orders Se-Young to draw out secrets from cases which are suspected of insurance fraud. At 4:44 AM, when their stories about to end, a dark shadow is cast over them.

Cliff: Dong-Wook and Sung-Kyun are stuck on a dizzying cliff, where they can't see the ground. They only have one candy bar. In order to live, one of them has to die.

Accident: Ji-Eun, Mi-Ra and Sun-Joo fail a teacher certification examination. To cheer themselves up, they set out on a road trip but an accident soon turns their fun trip into a nightmare.

Escape from school: On his first day as a trainee teacher, Byeong-Shin is humiliated by his students. He follows a strange story told by his student Tan-Hee, who is possessed by black magic. He then becomes locked in the entrance to Hell.  

Horror Story 2 posters

 

THE KING OF PIGS: DVD Review

Director: Yeun Sang-ho. Review: Adam Wing.

There’s a good chance Uncle Walt won’t be getting in line to adapt this ultra-violent Korean animation, available for the first time in the UK courtesy of Terracotta Distribution. The King of Pigs premiered at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival and has played at various international festivals since then, including the Director’s Fortnight 2012, making it the first animated Korean film to screen at the Festival de Cannes.

It’s a darkly disturbing thriller, brutal and brilliant, complex and compelling. There is a talking cat that pops up from time to time, but I wouldn’t want to give Eddy Murphy the wrong idea about this one. Directed by Yeun Sang-ho, with the voice talent of Yang Ik-june and Kim Kkobbi (Breathless), The King of Pigs is a harrowing experience from start to finish, a startling vision that refuses to shy away from the harsh truths of teen violence. A song and dance routine would’ve most likely ruined the mood.

After murdering his wife, a businessman on the verge of bankruptcy, Hwang Kyung-min, finds an old classmate, Jung Jong-suk, an old acquaintance he hasn’t seen in fifteen years. During a reunion dinner they look back on their school days, hiding away from their present day misgivings. Back then there were class distinctions among the pupils. You had the rich and successful students (The Dogs) who ruled the school with intimidation and violence, and the weaker, poorer children (The Pigs) who’s lives they made a misery...Continue reading review.  

King of Pigs trailer

LA CARA OCULTA aka THE HIDDEN FACE: DVD Review.

Director: Andres Baiz. Review: Adam Wing.

Sometimes you watch a film that reawakens your love of cinema. Other times you’ll watch a movie you know nothing about, with zero hype, limited expectations and no knowledge of what to expect. The Hidden Face, A Spanish thriller starring Quim Gutierrez, Martina Garcia and Maria Soledad Rodriguez, is the type of film that punches you in the face repeatedly with cinematic joy. So do yourself a favour. Dodge the trailers and avoid the spoilers. Just sit back and enjoy one of the most riveting thrillers of the year, and I’ll do my best not to give too much away.

After the sudden disappearance of his girlfriend, a young composer (Gutierrez) is left in a new home with his life in pieces and the suspicions of the local police force at his door. He gets over the heartbreak a little too quickly for their liking, and it’s not long before his new girlfriend becomes a permanent fixture in the house. She also dated one of the investigating officers who still has a soft spot for her, so convincing them he’s innocent is going to take some time. It’s not long before new squeeze Fabiana (Garcia) starts to notice strange occurrences in the house, but before you can say What Lies Beneath, director Andres Baiz pulls the rug from under your feet.

That’s all you’re going to get from me about the plot, because the less you know about The Hidden Face the better. The opening act – with it’s leisurely pace and supernatural air – suggests that a chilling ghost story is on the cards, but writers Baiz and Infante aren’t interesting in going over old ground. A neat twist puts a fresh spin on the first act, casting new light on the lead characters while toying with your preconceptions of them. Loyalties change in an instant, and not for the last time either, with each of our protagonists getting the chance to play hero and villain, perpetrator and victim...Continue review here.

Hidden Face trailer

First trailer for Japanese slash horror IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Nothing says “F*ck You” like and axe in the face, which is what you get and a whole lot more (of the red stuff) in the first trailer for Japanese slash horror It’s a Beautiful Day. The story follows a group of Japanese students lured to a remote for - something tells it wasn’t to take part in a self improvement seminar - dubious reasons, and yes you guessed it, soon after they turn up, the blood starts flying. The main name drop in the movie is that it stars Akihiro Kitamura of ‘The Human Centipede (First Sequence)’ fame, and it opens June 8.

 

 

 

Beautiful Day trailer

THE ABCs of DEATH: Film review

Director: Various. Review: Adam Wing.

Stephen R. Covey once said, “Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.” That’s certainly the case with The ABCs of Death, a 2012 American anthology horror film produced by Ant Timpson and Tim League. Their plan was simple, one movie consisting of 26 short films, shot by up and coming directors from 15 countries. Each director was assigned a letter of the alphabet and given free rein in choosing a word to create a story involving death.

While the individual chapters were always going to be a little hit and miss, depending on your taste in horror, the quality of filmmakers is undeniable. Marcel Sarmiento (Deadgirl), Noboru Iguchi (The Machine Girl), Yudai Yamaguchi (Tamami), Ti West (The Innkeepers), Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter), Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die) and our very own Ben Wheatley (Kill List) lend their skills to a disjointed, occasionally offensive, often engaging and highly recommended movie going experience.

Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo is an ideal choice to get the ball rolling, having directed the sublime time travel thriller, Time Crimes. His entry, A is for Apocalypse, sets an awkward tone that ABCs never quite recovers from, but then one might argue that’s also the reason why it remained so captivating. Apocalypse is a darkly comic offering that sets a relatively high standard, one that the following two chapters fail to live up to...Continue review.

ABCs of Death trailer

Gritty Korean mob thriller NEW WORLD on U.S DVD

If gritty, hard core gangland thrillers are your bag (and we cant think of any reason why not?!) then news that Director Park Hoon-Jeong’s critically acclaimed - international box office hit - New World is to debut on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from the good folks at Well Go USA Entertainment, on July 23rd will be of great interest. Speed through the synopsis and then on to the action packed trailer.

Synopsis: The head of the Goldmoon crime syndicate is dead, leaving his top two lieutenants. Seizing the opportunity, the police launch an operation called “New World.” The boss’ right hand man, Ja-sung (Lee Jung-jae), has been a deep-cover operative for 8 years, closely watched by Police Chief Kang (Choi Min-sik). With a baby on the way and living in mortal fear of being exposed as a mole, Ja-sung is torn between his duty and honor as a cop, and the fiercely loyal gang members who will follow him to hell and back. Using inside information from Ja-sung to damage the relationship between the two feuding contenders, suspicions grow that a traitor lives in their ranks. Ruthless Jung (Hwang Jun-min) escalates the game by hiring hackers to search the police database. As the stakes climb higher and a guaranteed gangland bloodbath among those that remain, Ja-sung makes a final, shocking decision no one could have predicted.

 

Irish horror comedy GRABBERS: Review

Director: Jon Wright. Review: Mark Appleton.

Grabbers sees a small Island off the coast of Ireland invaded by bloodsucking aliens. Called Grabbers, as they shoot out a tongue-like appendage and suck the blood from their prey, or they leap at you and grab your face, the residents discover that in order to fend off the attack, all they need to do is get drunk.

Sounds simple enough and, in truth, the film doesn’t stretch boundaries, it doesn’t give us anything we haven’t seen before, I mean, who hasn’t seen an Irishman drunk (that’s a joke by the way). But what it does give us is a horror comedy that makes a refreshing change from recent UK films that have gone all serious and Kings Speech on us.

Where Grabbers succeeds is in the good cast led by Richard Coyle as the alcoholic local police man, Ruth Bradley as the newcomer to the Island and Russell Tovey who shines as the posh, English, local marine ecologist. There are also some, surprisingly excellent, special effects that help the movie stand out from the usual low budget dross we have come to expect. The CGI ensures that when you’re laughing at the movie it’s at the right parts, not the dodgy effects.

And laugh you will as the residents get drunker and drunker to fend off the invasion even bringing weapons to the party such as a flame-thrower, a super-soaker filled with petrol, and a gun, a pellet gun with no pellets. Needles s to say neither work particularly well! There’s also a love story running throughout the film which gets more screen time then you’d expect but doesn’t take away from what is an excellent comedy horror movie.

Grabbers won’t surprise you in terms of story, it doesn’t push boundaries or break the mould, but for an hour and a half of your time it will make you laugh, it will make you smile and it will delight. Even if it’s just to hear an old Irish woman try and stand up, fall back down and announce: “I’m pissed”.

Grabbers official site

Recent Entries