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‘Alive’ Creative Team Discusses the Road to the Big Screen

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It’s difficult to talk about Canadian horror filmĀ Alive without giving away the film’s big twist. The character-driven film almost requires you to go in completely blind to appreciate its subtle complexity.

After seeing Alive at this year’s Nightmares Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio, I knew that I had to write about the film and so I set out to chat with writers Chuck McCue and Jules Vincent and director Rob Grant who came together to make bring this particular creation to life.

“We had been discussing horror movie ideas,” McCue explained, “but we were being really budget conscious. We wanted a story that could be confined to just one or two sets.”

“It almost seems too good or too stupid to be true,” Vincent chimed in, “but during our brainstorming session, this NFL commercial came on in the background and they were using this old [horror] trope for the ad. We weren’t even really watching it but we both kind of looked up and the idea clicked.”

And that was howĀ AliveĀ was born.

In the film, a man (Thomas Cocquerel,Ā Table 19)Ā and woman (Camille Stopps, Killjoys), both seriously injured, awake in an abandoned hospital and find themselves at the mercy of a seriously sadistic caretaker (Angus Macfadyen,Ā Braveheart) who seems obsessively focused on keeping them alive, though he refuses to tell them who they really are or how they came to be there.

The anxiety over their identity was central to McCue and Vincent’s script, but as the latter pointed out in our chat “sometimes the answer to who you are can be the real slap in the face.”

With script in hand, the writers set out to find a director, and after approaching 775 Media, they were introduced to Rob Grant, a young Canadian director who has been making waves with interesting projects like last year’sĀ Fake Blood.

“I read the script and really responded to it,” Grant said. “We got on the phone and talked about our goals and visions of the story and I think Chuck and Jules decided I was the right fit for them.”

The project presented the director with a new set of challenges.

He’d never directed a film for which he hadn’t written the script before, and the process of really getting to know someone else’s writing well enough to take charge took longer than he expected. Still, the story appealed to him on multiple levels and he knew that he wanted to take this journey.

“I have always been a fan of isolated characters and dark mysteries,” he says, “and I felt like I could bring something to the reveal of that story. I was also interested in that sustained suspenseful tone and I took that as an exciting challenge.”

With a director attached, it was soon time for casting and McCue and Vincent were both over the moon that an actor like Angus Macfadyen was interested in the project.

“Angus is so charming,” McCue said. “We needed that. In his character’s mind, he’s doing a great thing, and Angus brings this sort of Scottish charm to everything he does. It’s really hard to dislike him.”

“He’s a top of the list kind of guy for casting,” Vincent added. “His manager told us when he read the script he was like ‘Oh shit, Angus is going to want to do this!’ It was the best kind of back-handed compliment!”

Angus Macfadyen as the mysterious Man in Alive

As far as the other two leads were concerned, the writers both felt like lottery winners.

They had both recently seenĀ Table 19, in which Cocquerel had played a rather charming nice guy, but he had the kind of presence that they knew would lend itself to the role of the male patient.

As for Stopps, she had already worked with director Rob Grant, and he was the one who suggested the casting directors check out her work and reach out to her.

What impressed everyone was the actors’ dedication to the project and their work ethic for bringing the film to life.

“They showed up with very little time before shooting,” Vincent explained. “There was no formal time for rehearsal, so they got together on their own and worked things out building those character relationships.”

“It was pretty incredible to see them spend their weekends off rehearsing the week’s scenes to make sure they were ready,” McCue said. “That time they spent together helped them work out the speed bumps ahead.”

The production lucked out again when it came to their shooting location when the producers at 775 Media suggested an old abandoned hospital for their setting. It was an impressive structure that had been used previously in television shows like “Fargo” and “Heartland”.

“It’s a two story building,” McCue pointed out. “The top floor is really in good shape but the ground level was really beat up and it just really worked for what we needed.”

One pivotal scene involves a meat locker located in the hospital’s basement which the location managers told the crew was reportedly haunted. It was located at the bottom of a set of steep cement stairs, and had once been the location for the hospital’s backup generators.

The crew agreed to keep the stories about the room being haunted from the cast in order to keep things running smoothly, but it seems that one of the actors tuned into it almost immediately.

“Angus walked down into the basement, hit the bottom step, and said, ‘Oh I’m not not staying here. This place is haunted,'” Vincent recalled, laughing. “He immediately turned around and went back upstairs. He tuned into the vibe of the place pretty well.”

After only 16 days of shooting, mostly in sequence, the production wrapped and Grant recalls that it was much the same as any independent film in the end.

“All indie projects seem to possess the same problems…not enough time or money to execute what you have in your head, so you have to adapt,” Grant said. “Without being able to shift the schedule, even just shooting our only two exterior days in weather that suddenly went from hot and dry to wet and freezing was a battle.”

And then there was the post-production process where, Grant says, the challenge became just how much information to include or hold back to make the film’s twist ending work.

Still, if audience reactions are any indication, all of the work has paid off, and both McCue and Vincent said that it’s been amazing to watch that twist land with a live audience.

“It’s reward to see people react and hear that audible gasp,” Vincent said. “What’s really interesting, though, is watching them walk out of the theater talking about all the clues that were there and putting it all together right after the rug is pulled out from under them.”

Alive is currently making its way along the film festival circuit and just recently won the Audience Choice award in the Dark Matters category at the Austin Film Festival, and for those who don’t regularly get to attend festivals, never fear. Jon Sheinberg and Matt Feige of The Machine are currently handling sales and distribution rights are available so there will most likely be more opportunities for you to see the film in the near future.

For more information onĀ Alive you can visit the film’s official website and check out the trailer below!

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Childhood Memories Collide in New Horror Film ‘Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble’

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It looks like ITN Studious and Jagged Edge Productions are going the Avengers: Infinity War route with their upcoming film Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. From the deranged mind of Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey) comes this belligerent mash up of beloved childhood icons.

According to an article out of Variety today, Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will consist of Winnie the Pooh, Bambi, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tigger, Piglet, The Mad Hatter, and Sleeping Beauty. All of these iconic figured will be warped into nightmarish versions of their former selves. Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble is set to be released upon the world sometime in 2025.

Poohniverse

Actor-producer Scott Chambers (Malevolent) had the following to say about Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. “As horror fans, we would love an Avengers that is all villains. Itā€™d have Freddy Krueger, Jason, ā€˜Halloween,ā€™ ā€˜Scream,ā€™ all of those. Obviously that will never happen, but we can make it happen in our own little way, and thatā€™s where this film has been born.ā€

Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble will be a part of The Twisted Childhood Universe. Just like the MCU, each character will first get a standalone film. After introductions are made, they will be reunited in an Avengers style film. Although they will be killing off the survivors from the previous films, they won’t be working together.

Chambers describes this as an “epic sequences of monster vs. monster.ā€ And I don’t know what more fans could ask of the studio. This fantastical idea is a huge risk but Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble sounds amazing.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Check back here for more updates on Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble. If you haven’t already, check out the trailer for Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 below.

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Blumhouse’s ‘The Wolf Man’ Reboot Kicks Off Production with Leigh Whannell at the Helm

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Blumhouse Productions has officially commenced filming its reboot of the Universal Monsters legend, “Wolf Man”. Under the direction of Leigh Whannell, known for his acclaimed work on “The Invisible Man” (2020), the project promises to breathe new life into the iconic tale. The film is slated for a theatrical release on October 25th, marking a new chapter in the storied franchise.

Wolf Man

The journey of a “Wolf Man” reboot began in 2020 when actor Ryan Gosling presented a fresh take on the classic story to Universal. This concept quickly evolved into a screenplay crafted by the talented duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, who are known for their work on “Orange Is the New Black,” alongside contributions from Whannell and Corbett Tuck. The narrative is set in contemporary times, drawing inspiration from the atmospheric tension of Jake Gyllenhaalā€™s “Nightcrawler,” albeit with a distinct supernatural twist.

The film has seen its share of directorial and casting shifts, with Whannell initially signing on to direct in 2020, only to step away and then return to the project after Ryan Gosling and director Derek Cianfrance exited. The lead roles have been filled by Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner, both of whom bring significant talent to the screen. Abbott portrays a man whose family faces the terror of a lethal predator, with Garner likely playing his wife, sharing in the familial peril. The storyline also hints at a daughter named Ginger, adding a layer of depth to the family’s harrowing experience.

Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott

This reboot represents a collaboration between Blumhouse and Motel Movies, with Jason Blum producing. Ryan Gosling remains involved as an executive producer, alongside Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner, and Whannell himself. The announcement of the film’s production start was made by Jason Blum, who shared an exciting glimpse of Whannell on set, signaling the beginning of what is hoped to be a memorable addition to the horror genre.

As the “Wolf Man” reboot moves forward, fans and newcomers alike are eager to see how this modern interpretation will pay homage to its roots while offering a fresh and thrilling experience. With a talented cast and crew at the helm, the film is poised to reintroduce the timeless tale of transformation and terror to a new generation.

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‘Immaculate’ Stars Reveal Which Horror Villains They Would “F, Marry, Kill”

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Sydney Sweeney is just coming off the success of her rom-com Anyone But You, but she’s ditching the love story for a horror story in her latest film Immaculate.

Sweeney is taking Hollywood by storm, portraying everything from a love-lusting teenager in Euphoria to an accidental superhero in Madame Web. Although the latter got a lot of hate among theater-goers, Immaculate is getting the polar opposite.

The film was screened at SXSW this past week and was well-received. It also gained a reputation for being extremely gory. Derek Smith of Slant says the, “final act contains some of the most twisted, gory violence this particular subgenre of horror has seen in years…”

Thankfully curious horror movie fans won’t have to wait long to see for themselves what Smith is talking about as Immaculate will hit theaters across the United States on March, 22.

Bloody Disgusting says that the movie’s distributor NEON, in a bit of marketing smarts, had stars Sydney Sweeney and Simona Tabasco play a game of “F, Marry, Kill” in which all their choices had to be horror movie villains.

It’s an interesting question, and you might be surprised at their answers. So colorful are their responses that YouTube slapped an age-restricted rating on the video.

Immaculate is a religious horror movie that NEON says stars Sweeney, “as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Ceciliaā€™s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.”

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