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BEYONDFEST 2016 REVIEW: THE VOID

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It seems like just another quiet night on patrol for Police Officer Carter. Until a man covered in blood lurches out of the woods and collapses in front of his cruiser. Carter transports the wounded man to a local hospital on the eve of being shut down, manned by a skeleton crew of staff and patients. Only to find himself and the rest trapped as they become surrounded by a mob of strange robed cultists! But the true terror might be hiding in plain sight… in THE VOID.

THE VOID is a fantastic phantasmagorical movie with FX as astounding as the horror it creates. But before going into the actual raw, bloody meat of the film, let’s take a look back into the history of the production. The brainchild of veteran Astron-6 (Father’s DayManborg) collective members Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. Veteran filmmakers, designers, and FX artists wanted to bring back some of the good old fashioned practical creature FX horror that they, and so many like us, grew up with. Making a proof of concept trailer, they set about running a successful Indiegogo campaign, raising well over their base goal. And with good reason!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAcknEyohpE

 

If that was just the proof of concept, I was on pins and needles waiting to see the final product and simply had to contribute. Citing influences like The Blob ’88Hellbound: Hellraiser 2The Keep, and From Beyond, among others including the more modern Beyond The Black Rainbow. They were invoking that golden age when monsters and visual FX were a thing of beauty as much as fear inducing. While the inspirations are easy to see in some places, THE VOID is completely its own beast. Never outright shouting out to influences, but featuring the right aesthetics. The mood lighting. The grit and gore. All blend together to create a tangible horror along with the spiritual terror. While not exactly striking new ground in terms of plot, the fear itself is unique enough to keep audiences compelled.

grahamhumphreys

While I’ll be keeping this review spoiler free, I will say they delivered what they promised. A cornucopia of creature carnage and a veritable ocean of blood and gore to back it up are let loose. All with a classical Lovecraft-bent along with the above cited 80’s era of bloody horror monster movies. Unlike previous works with Astron-6, this story is all but bone dry in terms of humor. There’s also a focus oncharacter development amongst the endangered cast, especially in a few unexpected sources. Carter himself has several skeletons in his closet that come out to get at him throughout. There’s a claustrophobic sense of fear in the derelict hospital as it is surrounded by deranged cultists that evolves into one of nihilistic and existential dread as the true depravity pushing the monsters made flesh escalates on Carter and his allies. The poster’s memorable tagline “There is a Hell. This is worse.” sets up the bizarre terrors to come as nightmarish abominations come into play.

 

I had the good fortune of seeing THE VOID  at BeyondFest (Along with other great movies) and while it is currently on the festival circuit, I cannot wait to hear when it will be fully unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. There have been a number of movies that have promised to “bring back” practical FX and creature FX, and THE VOID truly is a sinister slice of horror that can.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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