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Arrow Video’s ‘Kolobos’ Blu-Ray Dives Deep into this 90s Soapish Slasher

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Kolobos

If you told me that Kolobos translated to “pure 90s,” I would believe it one thousand percent. Because, boy does this film perfectly embody the 90s in pitch and straight to video tone. What Kolobos lacks due to some over the top acting choices and overly digitally polished video aesthetic, it makes up for by way of gruesome gags and ultimately being at the forefront of a formula that would later lead to the Saw franchise and My Little Eye.

Kolobos centers around a group of young folks who take part in an anthropological study that places the group in a monitored house for three months. Each with their very 90s personality quirks, they prepare for the undertaking that is on par with the surge of reality shows that were released around that time.

Everything is pretty hunky-dory, until one of them is brutally disemboweled by a very big surprise of a booby-trap. This leaves the rest of the group trapped and scrambling to find out who is responsible, an exit and ways to sidestep the plethora of booby-traps that have been laid out to stop their escape.

It boils down to a psychological, hyperstylized slasher, whodunit that manages to pull of a few surprises along the way all deeply inspired by Argento and Bava.

This obviously had some direct influence on the nature of the Saw franchise and does a few things stylistically that were ahead of their time. For example, there are chunks of the film that play out through surveillance cameras. There are also some great gore gags along the way, one of them sees someone’s teeth meeting a porcelain sink in a very Giallo-inspired and wince worthy kill.

Despite the large amount of respect, I have for this 90s straight to video era title. I do have qualms with the actor’s approaches to the material here. Giant choices are made and while it does work initially on their “audition videos,” it doesn’t work once they are in the house, where there should have been more of a natural vibe. One character in particular is the “horror expert” who spouts off some “facts” that were just plain wrong.

All that said, Arrow put out a great 2K restoration from the original material and added a bunch of great features that explore this strange, and entirely overlooked little film.

Complete list of features includes:

  • Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
  • Original Stereo and 5.1 audio options
  • Audio commentary with co-writers and co-directors Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk
  • Real World Massacre: The Making of Kolobos – brand new featurette on the making-of Kolobos including interviews with Daniel Liatowitsch, David Todd Ocvirk and co-writer/producer Nne Ebong
  • Face to Faceless – a brand new Interview with “Faceless” actor Ilia Volok
  • Slice & Dice: The Music of Kolobos – a brand new interview with composer William Kidd
  • Behind-the-Scenes Image Gallery
  • Super 8 short film by Daniel Liatowitsch with commentary
Head over here to snag yourself a copy of Kolobos.

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The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location

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beetlejuice in Hawaii Movie

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s sequels to hit movies weren’t as linear as they are today. It was more like “let’s re-do the situation but in a different location.” Remember Speed 2, or National Lampoon’s European Vacation? Even Aliens, as good as it is, follows a lot of the plot points of the original; people stuck on a ship, an android, a little girl in peril instead of a cat. So it makes sense that one of the most popular supernatural comedies of all time, Beetlejuice would follow the same pattern.

In 1991 Tim Burton was interested in doing a sequel to his 1988 original, it was called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian:

“The Deetz family moves to Hawaii to develop a resort. Construction begins, and it’s quickly discovered that the hotel will be sitting on top of an ancient burial ground. Beetlejuice comes in to save the day.”

Burton liked the script but wanted some re-writes so he asked then-hot screenwriter Daniel Waters who had just got done contributing to Heathers. He passed on the opportunity so producer David Geffen offered it to Troop Beverly Hills scribe Pamela Norris to no avail.

Eventually, Warner Bros. asked Kevin Smith to punch up Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian, he scoffed at the idea, saying, “Didn’t we say all we needed to say in the first Beetlejuice? Must we go tropical?”

Nine years later the sequel was killed. The studio said Winona Ryder was now too old for the part and an entire re-cast needed to happen. But Burton never gave up, there were a lot of directions he wanted to take his characters, including a Disney crossover.

“We talked about lots of different things,” the director said in Entertainment Weekly. “That was early on when we were going, Beetlejuice and the Haunted MansionBeetlejuice Goes West, whatever. Lots of things came up.”

Fast-forward to 2011 when another script was pitched for a sequel. This time the writer of Burton’s Dark Shadows,  Seth Grahame-Smith was hired and he wanted to make sure the story wasn’t a cash-grabbing remake or reboot. Four years later, in 2015, a script was approved with both Ryder and Keaton saying they would return to their respective roles. In 2017 that script was revamped and then eventually shelved in 2019.

During the time the sequel script was being tossed around in Hollywood, in 2016 an artist named Alex Murillo posted what looked like one-sheets for a Beetlejuice sequel. Although they were fabricated and had no affiliation with Warner Bros. people thought they were real.

Perhaps the virality of the artwork sparked interest in a Beetlejuice sequel once again, and finally, it was confirmed in 2022 Beetlejuice 2 had a green light from a script written by Wednesday writers  Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. The star of that series Jenna Ortega signed on to the new movie with filming starting in 2023. It was also confirmed that Danny Elfman would return to do the score.

Burton and Keaton agreed that the new film titled Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice wouldn’t rely on CGI or other other forms of technology. They wanted the film to feel “handmade.” The film wrapped in November 2023.

It’s been over three decades to come up with a sequel to Beetlejuice. Hopefully, since they said aloha to Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian there has been enough time and creativity to ensure Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will not only honor the characters, but fans of the original.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice will open theatrically on September 6.

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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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