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BEYONDFEST 2016 REVIEW: THE VOID

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It seems like just another quiet night on patrol for Police Officer Carter. Until a man covered in blood lurches out of the woods and collapses in front of his cruiser. Carter transports the wounded man to a local hospital on the eve of being shut down, manned by a skeleton crew of staff and patients. Only to find himself and the rest trapped as they become surrounded by a mob of strange robed cultists! But the true terror might be hiding in plain sight… in THE VOID.

THE VOID is a fantastic phantasmagorical movie with FX as astounding as the horror it creates. But before going into the actual raw, bloody meat of the film, let’s take a look back into the history of the production. The brainchild of veteran Astron-6 (Father’s DayManborg) collective members Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. Veteran filmmakers, designers, and FX artists wanted to bring back some of the good old fashioned practical creature FX horror that they, and so many like us, grew up with. Making a proof of concept trailer, they set about running a successful Indiegogo campaign, raising well over their base goal. And with good reason!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAcknEyohpE

 

If that was just the proof of concept, I was on pins and needles waiting to see the final product and simply had to contribute. Citing influences like The Blob ’88Hellbound: Hellraiser 2The Keep, and From Beyond, among others including the more modern Beyond The Black Rainbow. They were invoking that golden age when monsters and visual FX were a thing of beauty as much as fear inducing. While the inspirations are easy to see in some places, THE VOID is completely its own beast. Never outright shouting out to influences, but featuring the right aesthetics. The mood lighting. The grit and gore. All blend together to create a tangible horror along with the spiritual terror. While not exactly striking new ground in terms of plot, the fear itself is unique enough to keep audiences compelled.

grahamhumphreys

While I’ll be keeping this review spoiler free, I will say they delivered what they promised. A cornucopia of creature carnage and a veritable ocean of blood and gore to back it up are let loose. All with a classical Lovecraft-bent along with the above cited 80’s era of bloody horror monster movies. Unlike previous works with Astron-6, this story is all but bone dry in terms of humor. There’s also a focus oncharacter development amongst the endangered cast, especially in a few unexpected sources. Carter himself has several skeletons in his closet that come out to get at him throughout. There’s a claustrophobic sense of fear in the derelict hospital as it is surrounded by deranged cultists that evolves into one of nihilistic and existential dread as the true depravity pushing the monsters made flesh escalates on Carter and his allies. The poster’s memorable tagline “There is a Hell. This is worse.” sets up the bizarre terrors to come as nightmarish abominations come into play.

 

I had the good fortune of seeing THE VOID  at BeyondFest (Along with other great movies) and while it is currently on the festival circuit, I cannot wait to hear when it will be fully unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. There have been a number of movies that have promised to “bring back” practical FX and creature FX, and THE VOID truly is a sinister slice of horror that can.

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Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

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Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

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‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

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Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

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Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

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Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

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