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‘Gehenna: Where Death Lives’ – Indie Horror Movie is a Practical Effects Masterpiece

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You have got to see this! As I was killing time doing my weekly scroll of Kickstarter (KS) my eyes immediately halted at a project called GEHENNA: Where Death Lives. Maybe it was the eerie image of a decrepit humanoid creature, or the wording used in the opening statements that grabbed my interest, I’m not sure. What was obvious to me from the get-go, is that this is not your ordinary KS project.

Here at the iHorror.com offices, the gang will discuss new crowd-funded projects at length on a daily basis. Mainly due to the fact that horror is a prominent genre within these circles and after all they give us movies like The Babadook. Unfortunately, there are a lot of duds on said communities that never come to fruition. But I believe GEHENNA: Where Death Lives is going to make its mark in the horror world.  The mainstream industry giants who have never before worried about the little man should pay attention to this up-and-coming ensemble of movie makers.

Hiroshi Katagiri with one of his creations

The brains behind it all is Hiroshi Katagiri (image above) and he is a legend in the practical effects world; combining sculpting, makeup, and classic on-screen effects to get a “realer than real” result. Katagiri, having worked as the special effects guy on movies such as The Hunger Games and Cabin in the woods (see image above), and rubbing elbows with legends like Steven Spielberg,  clearly feels it is his time to take to the seat and show his peers how it is done. Check out his IMDb here.

Reading further on into the project info on KS, I was delighted with another little gem. Clearly GEHENNA: Where Death Lives is a horror movie with great practical effects – which means creatures of some sort, and who better to embody the characteristics of such a creature? None other than Doug Jones!  I am a huge fan of Doug’s work and if you don’t know who I am referring to, shame on you, as you sure as hell would have seen a creature he has played. He’s in Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Fantastic Four, Men in Black 2, and the list goes on.

Doug Jones in makeup

(Image above is Mike Elizalde, owner of Spectral Motion, working on Jones as The Creepy Old Man, as Hiroshi looks on. Mike and Spectral Motion are both fully on board with the film.)

Finally, the plot for this film sounds original, not a spin on something we have already seen.  If you look at Hiroshi’s bio pages, he really has a grip on what makes a good movie and just as importantly what makes it scary.  And he is clear on the point that you do NOT need excess gore and vulgarity to scare people, instead, you immerse your audience in the story with uses of traditional techniques; the scares will come from his ability to bring his creatures to life with practical effects, not computer ones.

Personally, after reading the info on the Kickstarter page I am excited to see what is made of this project. With a few hundred backers already I have no doubt it will reach its goal.  If you would like to be part of Hiroshi and the team’s creation, get your ass over to the KS page and back the project.  You might even get a sculpture of your own head done personally by Hiroshi himself.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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