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Fantasia 2020: ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Anthology is an Impressive Delight

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The Mortuary Collection

Horror anthologies are ever-popular and evergreen, giving audiences a chilling collection of tales that allow for fully realized frights without the stories overstaying their welcome. The Mortuary Collection is like a five-course meal, each dish with its own flavour and purpose. Writer/director Ryan Spindell — in his feature film debut, no less — has whipped up an impressive, cohesive storytelling spectacle that will surely satisfy. 

At Raven’s End Mortuary, Montgomery Dark (a heavily made-up Clancy Brown) presides over the funeral rites of corpses whose histories he keeps recorded in the countless books on his shelves. One day, a young woman named Sam (Caitlin Fisher) answers his Help Wanted sign, and her curiosity about death and his past “clients” leads him to relate a few of the most bizarre tales. 

The stories span over four decades — from the 50s to the 80s — and the production design for each is absolutely perfect. The sets? Perfect. The costumes? Perfect. The cinematography, the lighting, the props? All perfect. It’s an undeniably beautiful film that I really want to just curl up and live inside (the house! I die). 

The aesthetic is everything you want it to be, and then a little bit more. Right from the opening moments of the film, you’re drawn in by the detailed setting and enchanting score by Mondo Boys (She Dies Tomorrow, Phoenix Forgotten). There’s a fairytale quality to it all that you immediately want to be a part of. 

The Mortuary Collection

The first story told (in which a savvy pickpocket’s curiosity is ultimately her undoing, set in the 50s) has a gorgeous symmetry in every shot that just makes your brain happy. The second segment (wherein a recklessly promiscuous frat boy learns about safe sex — the 60s) has fantastic comedic timing and brilliant execution of close-up shots. The third (a husband caring for his catatonic wife becomes desperate in the 70s) plays with emotion and tone, right up to its visually stunning conclusion. The fourth tale (a babysitter comes to blows with an escaped asylum patient — naturally, the 80s) was first a short film from which The Mortuary Collection blossomed, delivering all the tropes you know and love before shaking them up for one final showdown. 

Each segment plays differently, but the benefit of having them all behind Spindell’s capable helm is that — despite the variations in tone and even decade — they all form one cohesive film. It would be incredibly easy for this type of feature to become a mish-mash of ideas, but Spindell masterfully weaves everything together so that it doesn’t feel like a spattering of parts. 

It’s a wonderful collection of cautionary tales that deserves a place on the mantle of great horror anthologies. The Mortuary Collection has the vibe of Creepshow with the polished quality of Trick ‘R Treat. You can see a deep love for EC Horror comics and anthology films of the 70s and 80s running through its veins. Above all, it’s just plain whimsical fun with tales that will tickle your horror-loving brain. 

As Montgomery Dark states in the film, it’s not the length of the tale, it’s the quality of the content. If you by any means enjoy horror anthologies — hell, even if you don’t — The Mortuary Collection should find its way onto your watchlist. It’s bloody, it’s beautiful, and it’s got charming character coming out of every creepy crevice.

The Mortuary Collection

You can watch The Mortuary Collection as part of Fantasia 2020’s digital film festival. For more from Fantasia Fest 2020, click here to read my review of Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning. 

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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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