Connect with us

News

The Long Strange Journey of ‘Friend Request’

Published

on

Can Friend Request do what Unfriended couldn’t?

The fall movie lineup is filled with clowns, maniacal serial killers, and haunted cameras. But Simon Verhoeven’s “Friend Request” is one that we are keeping our eyes on, it has already seen a semi-successful German theatrical run in 2016 with over $2M at the box office in its first week.

The social media horror film has undergone a few different titles throughout its lifetime. At one point it was called “Unknown Error,” so as not to be confused with Levan Gabriadze’s stateside “Unfriended,” in 2014.

And even more convoluted, Friend Request was once itself called Unfriended because the American film was released over there as Unknown User, so no copyright infringement there.

Unlike the U.S film, Verhoeven’s doesn’t appear to be told through the “Live cam” feature on your laptop.

That gimmick may have run its course starting with Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) before being warmed-over by Unfriended.

Friend Request is an international release, it was filmed in Cape Town South Africa, and despite its German production roots, the cast speaks English, no subtitles needed.

For everything that the film makers try to do to set it apart, Friend Request also shares a plot point with the other film: a high school outsider commits suicide, getting vigilante justice from beyond the grave.

While Unfriended is told through Skype, and the supernatural entity plays BFFS against each other, Friend Request takes place in the outside world.

Our heroine Laura is very popular on social media and in an act of compassion adds an outcast named Marina to her friend’s list. When Laura inadvertently omits Marina from a social function she kills herself, setting into motion a series of strange deaths among Laura’s friends and prompting her to find out why.

The conceptualization of  2014’s Unfriended was a good one, a story told through the pop-up Skype and PM windows was a stylish filming gimmick. And having the entity force friends to reveal their true natures was a nice touch. But there were some hitches along the way. A few of the self-kills seemed overly exaggerated and clearly, the players were pantomiming as one would if they were trying to scare a younger sibling.

With Friend Request taking place in an open world, there is enough room for the director to show more by way of the monster and how each friend dies. He’s not limited to the computer screen to tell his story.

Although Friend Request may seem like another attempt at trying to scare audiences with something we use every day, this film has already been a  minor hit abroad and it’s rare those titles get a wide release in the U.S.

Friend Request opens nationwide on September 22.

 

'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