News

Movie Pulled From Amazon

Published

7 years ago

March 13, 2017

A movie writer cannot fathom why their indie horror movie was pulled from Amazon Prime because it showed a penis, when the film is full of nude women.

The user “littletoyboat” posted in the Dreadit forum on the social media site, to proclaim that the movie “Other Halves” they co-wrote was pulled, then was made less accessible to viewers because of a seven-second full-frontal shot of a nude male.

The “micro indie” film, about a dating app which unleashes the violent and unpredictable id within the person who uses it, contains female nudity in line with the film’s narrative.

“We liked the idea of playing around with horror movie tropes,” the co-writer posted in the forum. “Frequently, there’s a hot girl who takes off her top and then gets stabbed. Instead, we have a hot guy (played by Carson Nicely, and yes, that’s his real name) walking around shirtless for most of the movie. Whether or not he gets stabbed is something you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.”

Throughout the film female nudity is abundant, but this tactic is coupled with exposé on major plot points.

This “my eyes are up here” approach was applauded by some reviewers saying it “sort of made nudity cool again.”

Other Halves had been made available to Amazon subscribers for months before the retail and digital streaming giant decried it offensive.

The company said the filmmakers would have to edit out seven-seconds of the film before it could be re-added to the catalog.

“Why? Because we showed a man’s penis in the opening scene,” wrote the filmmaker. “We also showed a nude woman full-frontal in the same shot, but Amazon didn’t mention her, nor the fact that they were both covered in blood. Shower scene? That’s cool. Scalping? Totally okay. Dick pic? NO WAY.”

They eventually complied with Amazon’s demands, however those changes cost them feedback and word-of-mouth in the comments section, the life’s blood of a VOD nuanced title.

Further they claim that the streaming service put the edited film behind an “age gate.”

“Meaning, if you searched for “Other Halves” on Amazon Video, it wouldn’t show up,” they write. “There was a tiny line of text reading ‘Excluding adult and mature items,’ followed by a link that read ‘Show all results.’’’

Doing this made the film almost obscure to searchers, “I didn’t even know it was there when I was searching for my own movie,” the filmmaker said.

The filmmaker says many have asked them why other films which do show male nudity are still available on Amazon, to this they have no answer.

“…there was nothing sexually explicit about the shots in question,” they said. “The two characters weren’t even touching each other. They were just lying on their backs.”

Reddit users also questioned Amazon’a actions in the comments.

One user even posted Amazon’s policy on what they deem appropriate:

“Offensive Content:

What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. We reserve the right to determine the appropriateness of all content and to accept or reject any videos because they are offensive or otherwise at our discretion. In addition, we do not allow titles containing persistent or graphic sexual or violent acts, gratuitous nudity and/or erotic themes (“adult content”) to be included in the Amazon Prime catalog or made available as a Free with Pre-Roll Ad offer.

Sexually Explicit Content:

Content containing depictions of pornography or explicit depictions of sexual acts or nudity.Content that glorifies illegal sexual acts.Content primarily intended to sexually stimulate.”

Mostly, reddit users were supportive of the filmmaker and pointed out the double-standard.

“A lot of American men are not comfortable with their sexuality and cannot accept any male nudity. It’s really sad,” said welcome2primetime

“Yeah that’s crap and it’s censorship. Amazon should have taken the better road. I wonder if “The Greasy Strangler” would get the same treatment? I haven’t seen your film but just knowing they made you cut it feels wrong. Perhaps this could give you some publicity though… sorry to hear.” DLConspiracy

iHorror recently devoted an article to female nudity in horror films and how that has changed over the years.

You can watch the unedited version of Other Halves on Google Play, Vudu, and iTunes.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

4 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.

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.”

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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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Movies

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

Published

7 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

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.