Connect with us

News

Exclusive: ‘Lifechanger’: The Making of a Shape-Shifting Horror-Thriller

Published

on

Lifechanger, an upcoming horror-thriller film from writer-director Justin McConnell, has wrapped filming in Toronto.  As was previously reported, Lifechanger tells the story of a murderous shape-shifter who embarks on a blood-soaked mission to make amends with the woman he loves.

McConnell promises genre fans that Lifechanger will deliver something they haven’t seen before.  “It’s definitely a horror film, but it isn’t your traditional jump-scare fest or bump-in-the-night story,” says McConnell, who also served as a producer on the independent production.  “You are with the monster, so it’s hard to find that dread when you always know when the threat is going to come, because you’re watching the threat the whole time.  Was Frankenstein frightening?  What this film is, I’d say, is suspenseful.  I’m talking about an old-school, bomb-under-the-table type of suspense, to quote Alfred Hitchcock.  That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with hack-and-slash, and this film definitely has some of that.”

McConnell says that the twenty-day filming schedule resembled a non-stop marathon.  “With a film like this, where you have some budget but not as much as you really would hope to have to pull of something this ambitious, you rely heavily on your cast and crew giving 110 percent every day,” says McConnell.  “I can say that they really did step up, top to bottom.  We had a lot of long, hard days.  We shot in November and December in Toronto, and a lot of the shooting was outdoors, so it was really, really cold.  We had more locations than shooting days, and I did everything they tell you not to do on a low-budget film.  We had kids, animals, exterior night shooting, stunts, firearms, fire, practical effects, and animatronics.”

Although McConnell brought a wide variety of genre influences to the making of Lifechanger, the writer-director now describes the look and tone of the film as being reminiscent of the television series Mindhunters and the film The Silence of the Lambs.  “We shot it to play more like a traditional thriller, with clean, steady camerawork and a lot of detail paid to composition and lighting depth,” says McConnell.  Tonally, it’s a pretty unique beast.  It floats between drama, dark comedy, full-on horror, and even some action beats.”

Lifechanger, which is being represented by American distributor Uncork’d Entertainment and Toronto-based distributor Raven Banner Entertainment, has yet to be given a 2018 release date.

Photos courtesy of Shawn Goldberg.

 

'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