News
A24’s Approach to Viral Marketing for ‘Hereditary’ is a Little Creepy
Currently, “hype-trains” seem to be in abundance, with movies being “so scary that people just can’t finish them.” This is a marketing tactic that has been around for ages, and has never seemed to fail in getting crowds to flock en masse to the next biggest fright-fest.
While there have been some marketing strategies that have promoted outside the ads within computer and TV screens, it seems safe to say that few advertisements will literally stay with you. This is, until A24 launched their recent viral marketing campaign with their newest horror film, Hereditary.
No animals were harmed. @HereditaryMovie #SXSW pic.twitter.com/ENRXtbty63
— A24 (@A24) March 12, 2018
A24’s Hereditary premiered at SXSW this past week, with reviews swarming onto the web praising how unnervingly terrifying it is, along with the film fairing noticeably well among critical acclaim.
However, while the praise is certainly welcomed by A24, the studio wanted to send some chillingly lasting impressions outside of the reviews. But how would they do this? Reported by A.V. Club, A24 decided to promote the film immediately after its premier at SXSW by sending petit, unnerving, unsettling dolls to select viewers.
Got home to find this creepy @HereditaryMovie shit on my front porch! No postage!!!! Someone hide me! pic.twitter.com/MpO1iQ6Rv4
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 12, 2018
Following the night of the Hereditary premier, viewers opened their doors to find these tiny, little, hellish “toys” sitting upon their door steps. The dolls were accompanied with tags and labels inscribed with the viewers name, along with “Will you take care of me?” Pictures of the dolls have been circulating the “Twitter-sphere,” but it would seem there are many more in stock than the ones sent out.
A24 uploaded a photo to their twitter displaying their collection of nightmare-fuel dolls, one of the tweets saying “collect them all.”
collect them all #Hereditary pic.twitter.com/64gwGLehyO
— A24 (@A24) March 12, 2018
While there is no confirmation yet as to how each doll ties to the film, or if A24 will be sending more of these films out, one doll in particular does stand out in its relevance to Hereditary.
Barry Jenkins received a doll after his viewing of the film, and while this is speculation, his doll stands out among the rest for a certain reason.
Man @A24 play too much 😭 After seeing the TERRIFYING @HereditaryMovie at a midnight screening last night (and checking every shadow of my room before going to bed), I woke up with THIS waiting outside my hotel room. Y’all play WAAAAAAY tew damn much 😭 pic.twitter.com/sKHQuuuIWa
— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) March 13, 2018
Jenkins’ has an affiliation with A24 since his film Moonlight was distributed by the company, but this ties into the interest in this particular doll. The doll Jenkins’ posted appears to be a bird with sea shell wings, a severed bird head, and gold-ish beads that are arranged in a way to look like blonde hair.
Why this stands out is due to the daughter’s room in the trailer, which features a plethora of bird themed decorations, as well as the scene where a bird smashes into her classroom’s window and is then followed by the scene of her decapitating it with scissors. The hair-beads arguably bear resemblance to the daughter and mother’s hair style (the daughter’s blonde hair being hereditary, in this case).
Whether this specific doll is meant to pay homage to small details in the film, and if it was meant to be sent to Jenkins’ due to his association is (of course) speculation, but viral marketing has certainly proven its efficiency for A24 and their film.
For those who are “infected,” by this viral marketing, then it’s important to know Hereditary will be released in theaters nationwide on June 8th of this year.
I you would like to know more about Hereditary, you should absolutely read up on our review it from the SXSW premier! However, if you want to go into the film completely blind, but want more A24 related news, check out our article on A24 purchasing the horror script based on the popular short story for “Cat Person.”
Sources: A.V. Club
'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?
Follow our new YouTube channel "Mysteries and Movies" here.
News
Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel
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. “
'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?
Follow our new YouTube channel "Mysteries and Movies" here.
Movies
New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie
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.
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.
'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?
Follow our new YouTube channel "Mysteries and Movies" here.
News
Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film
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.
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.”
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
'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?
Follow our new YouTube channel "Mysteries and Movies" here.
-
News6 days ago
This Horror Film Just Derailed a Record Held by ‘Train to Busan’
-
News5 days ago
Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers
-
News6 days ago
Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween
-
Movies7 days ago
Watch ‘Immaculate’ At Home Right Now
-
News3 days ago
Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role
-
Strange and Unusual4 days ago
Man Arrested for Allegedly Taking a Severed Leg From Crash Site And Eating It
-
Movies5 days ago
Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released
-
Movies6 days ago
‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt
You must be logged in to post a comment Login