2017
08.31

Screamfest 2017 Announces First Wave of Movie Premieres!

screamfest

The first wave of movies to be screened at the 17th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival has been revealed. Set to run Oct. 10 – 19 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood, CA, the announced lineup features the North American premiere of Leatherface, a prequel to 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Dominic Monaghan, of groundbreaking ABC series “LOST” and Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, serves as this year’s Screamfest ambassador.

Monaghan said:

I am extremely honored to serve as this year’s Screamfest ambassador. I applaud Screamfest and its Founder and Festival Director Rachel Belofsky for embracing the work of filmmakers and actors in the horror genre. I’m a big fan of this space, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of a fest that truly acknowledges unique and creative work.

Rachel Belofsky said:

We are thrilled to partner with Dominic Monaghan at this year’s Screamfest. He is an amazing actor and filmmaker who understands the vision of this festival. His experience in the industry alone, I am certain, will inspire other actors, filmmakers and horror film enthusiasts.

Screamfest is the biggest and longest-running horror film festival in the U.S. The show is a star-studded event where actors and directors talk horror with each other and the public. Festival badges are now available for purchase at the Screamfest website.

The first seven films announced include a world premiere, two U.S. premieres, and four L.A. debuts. They are as follows:

DEAD ANT (USA) 2017
Directed by Ron Carlson
Written by Ron Carlson
Produced by Ron Carlson and Stephanie Hodos
Cast: Tom Arnold, Sean Astin, Jake Busey, Ryhs Coiro, Leisha Hailey, Cameron Richardson and Danny Woodburn
World Premiere
When the “one-hit-wonder” glam-metal band “Sonic Grave” embark on a trip to coachella in hopes of a comeback, their peyote trip pit stop in Joshua Tree incites an “unworldly” viscous attack, and they must “rock” themselves out of harms way.

LEATHERFACE (USA) 2017
Directed by Julien Maury, Alexandre Bustillo
Written by Seth M. Sherwood
Produced by Carl Mazzocone, Christa Campbell, Lati Grobman, Les Weldon
Cast: Stephen Dorff, Lili Taylor, Sam Strike, Sam Coleman, Vanessa Grasse
North American Premiere
In Texas, years before the events of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in the early days of the infamous Sawyer family, the youngest child is sentenced to a mental hospital after a suspicious incident leaves the sheriff’s daughter dead. Ten years later, the Sawyer teen kidnaps a young nurse and escapes with three other inmates. Pursued by authorities including the deranged sheriff out to avenge his daughter’s death, Sawyer goes on a violent road trip from hell, molding him into the monster now known as Leatherface.

RUIN ME (USA) 2017
Directed by Preston DeFrancis
Written by Trysta A. Bissett, Preston DeFrancis
Produced by Rebecca G. Stone
Cast: Marcienne Dwyer, Matt Dellapina, Chris Hill, Eva Hamilton, John Odom, Cameron Gordon, Sam Ashdown
LA Premiere
Alexandra reluctantly tags along for Slasher Sleepout, an extreme event that is part camping trip, part haunted house, and part escape room. But when the fun turns deadly, Alex has to play the game if she wants to make it out alive.

TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID (MEXICO) 2017
Directed by Issa López
Written by Issa López
Produced by Marco Polo Constandse
Cast: Paola Lara, Hanssel Casillas, Rodrigo Cortes, Ianis Guerrero, Juan Ramón López
LA Premiere
We are in a Mexican City turned into a ghost town by the drug-war. Estrella is 11, and when her mother vanishes, she makes a wish: she wants her mother to come back. And mom does return—from the dead. Terrified, Estrella escapes and joins a rag-tag gang of other children orphaned by the violence, all escaping their own past. But she learns that in a city ruled by death, you can’t simply leave the ghosts behind; they walk with you wherever you go.

TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL: THE END OF THE END (CANADA) 2017
Directed by Craig David Wallace and Rich Duhaney
Written by Charles Picco, Craig David Wallace
Produced by Andrew Rosen, Sarah Timmins, Jonas Diamond
Cast: Alex House, Maggie Castle, Bill Turnbull, Melanie Leishman, Jason Mewes, Chris Leavins
U.S. Premiere
Continuing where the cult TV series left off, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil: The End of The End: The Animated Feature Film returns to Crowley Heights to find Todd, Jenny and Curtis grieving the loss of their dear friend Hannah. The three must reunite to fight evil when the Book of Pure Evil returns to Crowley High, bringing with it some familiar faces as well as some new foes. But these enemies are merely warm-ups to the final battle with their greatest nemesis yet: The New Pure Evil One.

TRAGEDY GIRLS (USA) 2017
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre
Written by Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre
Produced by Armen Aghaeian, Tara Ansley, Anthony Holt, Edward Mokhtarian, Craig Robinson, Cameron Van Hoy
Cast: Brianna Hildebrand, Alexandra Shipp, Kevin Durand, Jack Quaid, Craig Robinson
LA Premiere
Best friends Sadie and McKayla are on a mission to boost their social media fandom as amateur crime reporters hot on the trail of a deranged local serial killer. After they manage to capture the killer and secretly hold him hostage, they realize the best way to up get scoops on future victims would be to, you know, murder people themselves. As the @TragedyGirls become an overnight sensation and panic grips their small town, can their friendship survive the strain of national stardom? Will they get caught? Will their accounts get verified?

TRENCH 11 (CANADA) 2017
Directed by Leo Scherman
Written by Matthew Booi, Leo Scherman
Produced by Tyler Levine
Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Robert Stadlober, Charlie Carrick, Shaun Benson, Karine Vanasse
U.S. Premiere
In the final days of WWI a shell-shocked tunneller must lead an Allied team into a hidden German base…100 hundred feet below the trenches. The Germans have lost control of a highly contagious biological weapon that turns its victims into deranged killers. The Allies find themselves trapped underground with hordes of the infected, a rapidly spreading disease and a team of German Stormtroopers dispatched to clean up the mess. The only thing more terrifying than the Western Front… is what lies beneath it.

2017
08.26

Deborah Ann Woll Runs ‘The Maze’

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“True Blood” alumna Deborah Ann Woll is set to star in The Maze, a psychological thriller from Adam Robitel, director of the truly creepy and frightening thriller The Taking of Deborah Logan. Described in the vein of David Fincher’s The Game, the film finds six strangers caught in a dangerous struggle to survive.

The Maze is set to shoot in South Africa and co-stars Logan Miller (“The Walking Dead”) and Taylor Russell (“Falling Skies”).

Woll, best known for her role as sexy, impetuous teen-vamp Jessica Hamby on HBO’s vampire soap “True Blood,” is currently part of the Marvel universe on Netflix, starring as Karen Page on the network’s original series “Daredevil,” “Punisher,” and “Defenders.”

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2017
08.26

Who’s Ready to Experience a ‘Little Evil’ w/ Evangeline Lilly?

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Evangeline Lilly (“LOST”) stars in Little Evil, a new horror-comedy from writer and director Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) premiering on Netflix Sept. 1. Lilly plays a recently wedded MILF whose six-year-old son is the antichrist – a fact threatening to strain her relationship with her new hubby (Adam Scott).

Lilly is best known for playing fugitive Kate Austen on the greatest TV series ever “LOST.” She has most recently starred as Hopevan Dyne (aka: The Wasp) in Marvel’s Antman and woodland elf Tauriel in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit sequels, The Desolation of Smaug and Battle of the Five Armies.

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2017
08.25

Tourist Trap: ‘Wolf Creek’ Season 2 Looks Fair Dinkum Mad, Mate!

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Australian streaming service Stan has released a teaser for season two of its series “Wolf Creek,” an adaptation of Greg McLean’s 2005 slasher, starring John Jarratt as colorful outback killer Mick Taylor. POP, a joint venture between entertainment giants CBS and Lionsgate, will broadcast the show in the U.S.

Running six episodes deep, the series finds Mick Taylor terrorizing a bus load of vacationing tourists. Jarratt reprises the role of Taylor. New blood includes Matt Day, Ben Oxenbould, Stephan Hunter, Chris Haywood, Laura Wheelwright (“Animal Kingdom’s”) and Tess Haubrich (Alien: Covenant).

Our review of “Wolf Creek” season one can be read here.

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2017
08.24

Carla Gugino Is Set to Play ‘Gerald’s Game’ in September!

carla-gugino-cuffed

Netflix has set a Sept. 29 premiere date for Gerald’s Game, director Mike Flanagan’s (Ouija: Origin of Evil) film adaptation of the 1992 Stephen King novel. Stunner Carla Gugino (Sin City) stars as Jessie Burlingame – unhappy trophy wife of successful attorney Gerald, played by Bruce Greenwood (I, Robot).

In an attempt to rekindle their love life, the couple take to their cabin in the woods to indulge in a weekend of kinky BDSM play. Things go terribly wrong when Gerald unexpectedly croaks, leaving his hot and scantly clad wife cuffed to the bed to face her demons and survive the elements.

Gugino is coming off the M. Night Shyamalan produced mystery series “Wayward Pines” and the natural disaster thriller San Andreas. She will next be seen in the Netflix original series The Haunting of Hill House, based on Shirley Jackson’s 1959 ghost novel and helmed by Flanagan, and San Andreas 2.

2017
08.20

rachel-nichols-inside-remake

Nostromo Pictures has released an English language trailer for its much maligned remake of the 2007 overrated and silly French slasher, Inside. The much needed redo is helmed by Spanish director Miguel Ángel Vivas and penned by [REC] franchise scribes Jaume Balagueró and Manu Diez.

Laura Harring

Laura Harring

Inside stars Rachel Nichols (P2) as a young and pregnant widow tormented on Christmas by a mysterious woman determined to cut out her unborn child and take it as her own. Laura Harring, Naomi Watt’s gorgeous lover in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, plays the murderous MILF.

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2017
08.20

We’re So Ready to Go ‘Beyond Skyline’

Bojana-Novakovic

XYZ Films has released a trailer for Beyond Skyline, a sequel to the highly underrated 2010 alien invasion thriller Skyline. Original scribe Liam O’Donnell pens and directs the new film, starring Frank Grillo (Purge: Anarchy), Iko Uwais (The Raid), and Serbian-Australian babe Bojana Novakovic (Devil).

Beyond Skyline takes place during the same alien invasion of the original film, but at a different location where a detective (Grillo) risks his life to rescue his son from an alien warship.

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2017
08.19

Yvonne Zima Really Sucks at ‘The Monster Project’

yvonne-zima

The Monster Project is now available on VOD. The film stars Yvonne Zima – Dr. Greene’s daughter on “ER” and real life sister of “Californication’s” Madeline Zima – as one of the subjects interviewed by a group of young filmmakers documenting tales of people who claim to be monsters for YouTube fame.

Things get out of hand when the three subjects the crew speak to turn out to be a skinwalker, a demon, and a vampire (Zima) – all having a bad day on the eve of a lunar eclipse. Victor Mathieu (CarnieVille) directs the found-footage thriller for Epic Pictures.

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2017
08.16

Annalynne McCord Is One Sexy Psychopath in ’68 Kill’

annalynne-mccord-sexy
Annalynne McCord (“90219”) stars in Deadgirl scribe Trent Haaga’s 68 Kill, a bloody heist flick based on the novel by Bryan Smith. McCord plays a trashy psycho-bitch who uses her God-given gifts of pussy, tits, and ass to manipulate the men around her to do her bidding, including her boyfriend whom she convinces to help her steal 68K.

Matthew Gray Gubler (“Criminal Minds”) plays McCord’s doting boyfriend, Chip, and looker Alisha Boe (“13 Reasons Why”) co-stars as a lingerie-clad abduction victim-turned-troublemaker, Violet. Producers on the film include the rich folks that brought us acclaimed horror indies Starry Eyes and Trash Fire. 68 Kill is now available from Snowfort Pictures and IFC Midnight.

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2017
08.13

Alyssa Julya Smith Is One Foxy Psycho in ‘Jackals’

Alyssa-Julya-Smith-hot-af

Scream Factory Films has set a Sept. 1 VOD and limited theatrical release date for Jackals, an 80’s era home invasion thriller from director Kevin Greutert (SAW VI). The film centers on a family under siege at their cabin home by a cult looking to claim back their estranged son as one of their own.

Deborah Kara Unger (The Game) plays the boy’s hot mother and model-turned-actress Alyssa Julya Smith (pictured) is Fox Girl, the hottest mask-wearing psycho since Gemma Ward’s Dollface in The Strangers. Jackals marks Smith’s horror debut and we can only hope to see more of her!

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