Connect with us

News

A24 Cuts Into American Theaters with ‘In Fabric’

Published

on

In Fabric A24

During it’s premier at the Toronto Film Festival, the North American distribution rights for Peter Strickland’s In Fabric were purchased by art-house film entertainment company A24. While the film has scheduled screening dates within the US for Fantastic Fest and Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (TIFF), a theatrical release was not yet confirmed for Strickland’s consumerist-tale of horror.

Variety reports that A24 has set In Fabric for a 2019 release in American theaters. In Fabric‘s plot is detailed as:

A haunting ghost story set against the backdrop of a busy winter sales period in a department store and follows the life of a cursed dress as it passes from person to person, with devastating consequences.

The dress is sold to victims by a cryptic and malevolent cashier (Fatama  Mohamed (Berberian Sound Studio and The Duke of Burgundy)) of a paranormal department store, watched over by a couple of off-putting bureaucrats. Victims are longing, yearning, helpless souls clawing to fill a void in their hearts, unable to resist the temptation of the baleful dress. With Lynch-ian sound design and cinematography paired with off-kilter comedy, In Fabric aims to entrance audiences with a concept so absurd that they’ll be caught off guard when the terror of the plot finally strikes.

A24 In Fabric

Image via TIFF Talks

Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio and The Duke of Burgundy) disclosed some interesting trivia for In Fabric‘s origins and influence during a Q&A at the Toronto International Film Festival.

While the story primarily circles around the imagery of an enchanted–specifically, cursed–red dress, the dress was not initially the inspirational imagery for the horror film. Mannequins from old department stores, resin dripping from their faces, were a particularly disturbing imagery that Strickland drew from as the original inspiration for the backdrop and imagery of the film. Horror media has used mannequins to serve as some of the most horrifying imagery and creatures, so it’s not far fetched how Strickland could draw inspiration of terror from the uncanny, lifeless, plastic humanoids.

A24 In Fabric

Image via TIFF

Strickland has also stated that In Fabric is a film that, while made as a horror flick, aims to celebrate the life of being a consumer, and specifically to commemorate shopping as a central component to our lives. Oddly enough, Strickland also revealed that ASMR played a role in constructing the sound design and plot for the film, with select scenes focusing on an action’s isolated sound. In fairness, if you’ve seen a film like Eraserhead, ASMR is not the weirdest sound design choice a director could use for a film; however, instead of meshing ambient sounds on top of one another to overbear the viewers hearing, Strickland just has the audience subject themselves to one isolated sound.

Another motif for the film is the essence of being human in the sense of our physical bodies, but more specifically bodily fluids; to elaborate, our interactions with fabrics and clothing often involve various stains we leave as permanent or temporary impressions. This is something Strickland considered heavily when writing and directing the film.

Outside of Strickland’s (artistic) fascination with bodily fluids, ASMR, and reflection of his childhood fears, In Fabric is influenced from Herk Harvey and John Clifford’s Carnival of Souls. Another influence for the film’s creation is the final fight from Lethal Weapon between Riggs and Mr. Joshua; specifically, the part in the fight where Riggs gets Joshua in a judo head lock with his legs. The fight was so intense and raw that Strickland wanted to encapsulate the feeling he had from this scene with the intensity of human nature in his film.

The cast for In Fabric includes Gwendoline Christie (Star Wars and Game of Thrones), Haley Squires (I, Daniel Blake and Southcliffe), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Robocop 2014  and Without a Trace), and Richard Bremmer (The 13th Warrior and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone). While we know the film will release in 2019, no specific date has been listed yet, but In Fabric has so far received positive praise and reviews after it’s viewings.

In Fabric was shown at TIFF alongside a multitude of other huge films, including John Carpenter’s new Halloween. We know most of you have been chomping at the bit to hear more about Michael’s return home, so you can check our review of Halloween at its TIFF screening here!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

on

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.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

on

lizzie borden house

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.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

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.”

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.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

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

Published

on

28 years later

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.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading