The Lodgers Trailer Release

A gothic ghost story about orphaned twins Edward and Rachel who share a crumbling manor in 1920’s rural Ireland. But they are not alone. They share the house with unseen entities who control them with three absolute rules. As separate fates draw them apart, the twins must face the terrible truth about their family’s ghostly tormentors.

THE FLESH Blu-ray/DVD Coming From Cult Epics 9/12

 MARCO FERRERI’S “THE FLESH” PREMIERES ON BLU-RAY & DVD 

ON SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

Los Angeles, CA (September, 2017.) 

THE FLESH (La Carne) is a romantic black comedy about a divorced piano player named Paolo (Sergio Castellitto) who meets and falls in love with a most beauteously busty woman (bombshell Francesca Dellera), who uses her special powers to turn the man into her sex slave. The film depicts the oftentimes torturous nature of carnal desire and the erotic power of women in a cinematic work where Francesca becomes a symbolic representation of male desire, with her voluptuous figure and sex appeal being intoxicating to Paolo. While he is completely taken by his desire for Francesca, she eventually gets bored with him and decides to leave. Unfortunately for Francesca, Paolo loves her and has no intention of allowing her to go.

Francesca Dellera was once named in real-life, “the most beautiful woman in the world.” She began her career with Tinto Brass’ Capriccio, but it was not until her role in La Carne, when premiered at Cannes, that she received international acclaim. Directed by Italian maestro Marco Ferreri, who is best known for such classics as Tales of Ordinary Madness and Le Grand Bouffe, THE FLESH is presented by Cult Epics for the first time in High-definition from a rare 35mm print, and with exclusive bonus features and a limited edition slipcase with newly commissioned art by Gilles Vranckx, on Blu-ray & DVD.

THE FLESH Blu-ray/DVD Combo

Price:                              $34.95

Street Date:                              September 12, 2017

Production Year:                     1991

Country:                                   Italy

Video run time:                 Approx. 90 Mins

Language:                                Italian, Spanish language w/optional English subtitles

Aspect Ratio:                           1.77:1

Audio:                                      DTS HD-MA 5.1 Surround/Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Label:                                       Cult Epics

Distributor:                              CAV 

Blu-ray Cat.no.                        CE-152

BD UPC:                                 881190015292

Rating:                                     Not Rated

SPECIAL FEATURES

. New HD Transfer (from original 35mm film)

. Behind the Scenes of The Flesh

. Interview with Marco Ferreri, Francesca Dellera & Sergio Castellitto

. Cannes Film Festival 1991

. Original Theatrical Trailer 

. The Flesh Lobby Cards photo gallery

. Original art & Slipcase with newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx-limited to first 3000 copies

GHOST HOUSE (2017)

USA, Thailand/2017
Directed By: Rich Ragsdale
Written By: Kevin O'Sullivan, Jason Chase Tyrrell, Rich Ragsdale, Kevin Ragsdale
Starring: Scout Taylor-Compton, James Landry Hebert, Michael S. New
Streaming On Demand: August 25, 2017

Julie (Scout Taylor-Compton) and Jim (James Landry Hebert) are a young couple taking a vacation to Thailand where they become engaged after Jim proposes. Julie is interested in the local custom of ghost houses which are small house shaped shrines to the spirits and are meant to house troublesome spirits and appease them with candles and other offerings. Julie and Jim meet a pair of young English men named Robert and Billy who show them a good time during the night and promise to take them somewhere special out in the country. When they arrive hours later they trick Julie into taking a piece from an old ghost house as a memento of their adventure and she quickly becomes possessed by an incredibly angry and vengeful spirit who burned to death after finding her husband cheating on her. Local legend says Julie has just a couple of days to rid herself of the evil spirit before it swallows her soul for good.

At its simplest GHOST HOUSE sounds like any number of Asian horror films that saturated the horror market about fifteen years ago and it does share similar traits but it is not just another clone of The Grudge or The Ring. It has a visual style that sets itself apart from the hordes of J-Horror lookalikes. I think the vengeful spirit has a creepy look rendered in black and grey with a menacing face and details like her crooked teeth and slightly sunken in skin. She's seen mostly in short glimpses until the finale where we get a good long look at her and I don't think fleshing it out hurts the design quality. While watching I found myself thinking that this movie looks and feels much more like a version of Sam Raimi's Drag Me To Hell than the standard pale white face, long black hair Asian ghost film of the early 2000s but without the humor Raimi imparted upon his 2009 film. This feeling was cemented when we get to see the evil spirit ecompassed in fire which bore a strong resemblance to a scene out of Drag Me To Hell. It wasn't only the look and feel of the movie but the film shared some key plot points as well including a personal token had to be used to transfer the spirit a coin in DMTH and a piece of scarf here. Even the timeline from initial possession to total loss is almost if not completely the same.

There are worse movies to be compared to than Drag Me To Hell as I found hat movie to be a nice return to form for Sam Raimi with his high energy, slapstick influenced style of filmmaking and it had some great scary scenes and visuals. Unfortunately GHOST HOUSE is like the store brand version of it. It loses all of the humor, which is fine, I think this movie could easily work as a straight forward horror film that goes for intense scares but the excitement is fleeting. Some scenes work and others seem totally drained of energy or passion. Scout Taylor-Compton (Rob Zombie's Halloween) is good in the lead role and shows promising growth and ability. Some of the scenes, such as when she's visualizing their hotel is a burned out hollow shell of itself, still engulfed in flames work toward showing how the spirit is affecting her and then there are other scenes, generally those carried by James Landry Hebert that I found to be unconvincing and tiresome. GHOST HOUSE is a mixed bag in that regard. All too often most of what I saw in GHOST HOUSE just seemed sucked of any real energy. A lesson could be learned from Gogo (Michael S. New) who was a joy to watch and should be commended for his character's loyalty. I sure hope he got a big tip at the end.

I do appreciate that the production feels rather large with several changes in setting from the main drag and hotel in Thailand, to the countryside, a small village, the hospital, an abandoned urban complex (a mall perhaps?) where they meet Reno (Mark Boone Jr.) a sleazy man with power and the knowledge of how to help Julie, and finally the secluded Shaman house. GHOST HOUSE feels like it is sprawled out all over Thailand. Between that and the design of the film I never felt like I was watching a cheap movie. And despite my problems and critiques of the film I also can't say I was ever really bored. I may not have been on the edge of my seat the whole time but I didn't lose interest and thought GHOST HOUSE was a passably entertaining film even if it's entirely too familiar and predictable to be any sort of stand out success. When it comes down to it GHOST HOUSE isn't a total waste of time but it is a forgettable experience.

SNAPSHOT - Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray Review

Australia/1979
Directed By: Simon Wincer
Written By: Everett De Roche, Chris De Roche
Starring: Sigrid Thornton,  Chantal Contouri, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Color/92 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: August 29, 2017
Blu-ray/DVD

The Film
Sigrid Thornton stars as Angela, a pretty, young girl having a hard time making enough money while working as a hairdresser when she gets an offer to be the subject of some topless ad campaign photos. She makes friends with many of the agents and photographers in her new world but closest of all is Madeline (Chantal Contouri) a veteran model. Soon after the photo is published Angela finds a small bit of new found fame but at the same time begins to feel she is being stalked. She fears it is her ex-boyfriend who drives an ice cream truck but it could also be someone as close to her as her mother who has written her off after seeing the photos or a new secret admirer. Angela doesn't find out until she's alone with the stalker face to face.

SNAPSHOT was retitled The Day After Halloween in the US and released less than a year after John Carpenter's film Halloween to try and cash in on the success of that slasher masterpiece. This was a totally unfair and misleading title as the film is not a slasher and doesn't even mention Halloween. It's part of the reason that SNAPSHOT is still an underground film in the US. Separating this film and letting it stand on its own to feet is the best thing that could happen to SNAPSHOT as it allows the viewer to go in with no false notions of what it will be. I know when I first saw this film on DVD under the American retitling I was not expecting the film I got but something driven by a body count and violence rather than a growing sense of tension and suspense. SNAPSHOT is a slow burn that eventually flames up and boils over and not a practice of excess like you may expect from a cheap foreign ripoff of Halloween. The pacing of SNAPSHOT is the biggest flaw of the film as it feels like more of a drama for the first half of the film before we get any real sense of danger toward Angela and even then the first couple of uncomfortable moments for Angela are just that. Sadly they're light on scares. This is discussed in the special features on the disc where there's mention that the budget held back from a couple of bigger scare scenes.

The main suspect throughout the film is Angela's ex-boyfriend who drives the ice cream truck and the jingle playing through the truck's speakers are used as a cue to the audience for fear and scares. It's an interesting juxtaposition that gets better and better throughout the film as the ice cream truck and its jingle become almost Michael Myers esque in the way it is filmed, seemingly creeping around corners and down alleyways. The influences from Halloween can certainly be seen but SNAPSHOT takes those influences to create it's own suspense filled thriller. The film is carried by Sigrid Thornton who delivers a wonderful performance as she grows from an under appreciated girl living a mundane existence before the call of a bigger and better life with a chance to escape not only her day to day struggles but her newfound stalker that has totally taken over her thoughts give her reason to leave. Thornton's co-star Chantal Contouri also delivers a great performance with a natural mentor/disciple relationship. Or perhaps veteran/rookie is a better analogy.

Director Simon Wincer really gets the most out of this film that was written in less than a week. He creates as many scares and as much suspense as he can even if the movie would have benefitted from a few more noteworthy scenes. Wincer gets the most out of his entire cast and locations making the film feel a bit bigger than it really is. He brilliantly wraps the film around its own ending, making the climax all the more exciting. And what a claustrophobic finale it is. It is remarkably uncomfortable before it ever becomes deadly. From the moment Angela enters the room that the finale takes place in you're made to feel immediately uncomfortable and uneasy, a feeling that would last a few minutes before things escalate and we're given a sigh of relief from that dirty feeling. It's odd to think that the most explicitly violent scene in the movie can actually be viewed as a reprieve from the scene at hand.

SNAPSHOT is not a perfect film but it is a fine example of a slow burn thriller carried by excellent performances. It may not deliver a ton of action packed moments, lots of gore or excessive nudity (we do get the one scene of Sigrid Thornton showing off her beautiful body) to make this a bit more exploitive as it is an exploitation film at its core but it does deliver on suspense, tension, really solid filmmaking and fine performances.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome gives SNAPSHOT its Blu-ray debut with a rich 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer taken from a brand new 2K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. The picture is sharp with an attractive natural grain structure. Detail level is high and gives way to healthy skin tones, vivid but not artificial colors and deep black levels. A DTS-HD Mono track handles the audio portion of the disc and it sounds pristine with no background noise, popping, cracking or other annoying imperfections. The score and dialogue are mixed perfectly so that neither drowns out the other while allowing both to take the foreground when necessary.

The Extras
Vinegar Syndrome has given us a pretty loaded selection of extras...

-Alternate Australian cut
-Audio commentary with director Simon Wincer, producer Tony Ginnane, star Sigrid Thornton and cinematographer Vincent Monton
-"Producing SNAPSHOT" - Interview with Tony Ginnane
-"Not Quite Hollywood Interviews" - Extended interviews from the documentary on Ozploitation
-TV Spots
-Still Gallery
-Reversible Artwork

The Bottom Line
SNAPSHOT has been overlooked for decades in the US and is ripe for discovery with this release which would get a big deal "Special Edition" or "Collector's Edition" banner at any other label but this is just par for the course with Vinegar Syndrome.

SNAPSHOT is available HERE

THE EVIL IN US - RLJ Entertainment DVD REview

USA/2017
Directed By: Jason William Lee
Written By: Jason William Lee
Starring: Debs Howard, Danny Zaporozan, Behtash Fazlali
Color/91 Minutes/Not Rated
Region 1
Release Date: August 29, 2017

The Film
What happens when a group of attractive coeds get together for any vacation getaway? Well they usually end up partying, cheating on their significant other and eventually they end up dead and covered in blood. At least in horror movies that's how it tends to go. THE EVIL IN US is no different.

A group of six attractive young people reunite for a 4th Of July party at a secluded family cabin but before long old tensions and relationship dramas come bubbling to the surface. Things only get worse when one by one they turn into blood thirsty maniacs because the drugs they took were laced with a bio-virus.

THE EVIL IN US is a standard horror plot that uses political and social commentary as the accelerator for a gory horror film that evokes thoughts of films like The Evil Dead, Cabin Fever and classic slasher films with its final girl survivor formula. Unfortunately THE EVIL IN US is not as scary or original as The Evil Dead, doesn't feature the genuinely funny script of Cabin Fever or the iconic character that you latch on to that a slasher like Friday The 13th offers. The social commentary is somewhat thought provoking but it comes off as hammy and unintentionally comedic at the end. If all you're looking for is a straight forward, blood and guts horror movie you can do worse than THE EVIL IN US. You won't be blown away by the originality but half of its hour and half runtime is filled with gory violence and some interesting special effects makeup. THE EVIL IN US is best looked at as a straight forward horror flick that takes a lot from films that came before it because the scenes taking place outside of the party island take away from the best parts the movie has to offer.

The Audio & Video
RLJ Entertainment presents THE EVIL IN US in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks nice for standard DVD. The image is clear and sharp with a natural color palette that is pleasing to the eye. The English audio is presented in a 5.1 Dobly Digital surround mix that sounds great. The sound is crisp and is free of background noise, hiss, crackling or other distortions.

The Extras
None.

The Bottom Line
THE EVIL IN US doesn't offer anything especially new or groundbreaking but it does have a bit of entertainment to offer less picky horror fans.

THE EVIL IN US is available HERE

Comet TV September Lineup - Godzilla Marathon and From Dusk Til Dawn Trilogy!

AIRING ON COMET in September

YOU DON’T NEED A SUBSCRIPTION TO WATCH THESE GREAT MOVIES…

THEY’RE AIRING FOR FREE ON COMET!

GODZILLA DOIN’ WORK MOVIE MARATHON

This Labor Day, join COMET for a movie marathon on a monster scale. Starting at 10am/9C, we'll be screening eight (yes, EIGHT!) classic Godzilla movies back-to-back. It's an all day party that features legends like Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla, and your name is right at the top of the guest list.

Godzilla VS. King Ghidorah (1991)

10A/9C

Godzilla VS. Mothra (1992)

12:30P/11:30C

Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

2:30P/1:30C

Godzilla VS. Spacegodzilla (1994)

4:30P/3:30C

Godzilla VS. Destoroyah (1995)

7P/6P

Godzilla 2000 (1999)

9:30P/8:30C

Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack (2001)

MIDNIGHT/11C

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)

1:30A/12:30C

Godzilla 2000

Godzilla Wears a Tinfoil Hat: Did you know Godzilla is a UFO believer? Unfortunately, years upon years of reading about alien abduction conspiracies on the internet can't prepare the King of Monsters for what happens in Godzilla 2000....When a UFO is awoken from a million-year slumber deep in the Earth's crust, it employs a series of sneaky tactics (gene-snatching, reckless driving, and more) to give Godzilla a real extraterrestrial beat-down. 

Monday September 4 at 9:30P/8:30C

Saturday September 23 at 4P/3C

and Saturday September 30 at 5P/4C

Godzilla: Final Wars

Godzilla's Futuristic Birthday Bash: Godzilla sure knows how to throw a wild birthday party. For the King's 50th anniversary, legends from the last five decades of monster mashing return for a futuristic kaiju feast. Godzilla: Final Wars takes us to the 28th century where Earth has been ravaged by giant monsters, giving the Xiliens (a group of aliens who dress like they're in a 90's goth rock band) a chance to claim our planet as their own

Saturday September 23 at 1A/MIDNIGHT

Saturday September 30 at 5P/4C

Catch Godzilla Films all month on COMET TV

GODZILLA DOIN’ WORK Movie Marathon 

Labor Day, Monday September 4 starting at 10A/9C

Every Saturday

starting at 2P/1C

Weekdays, September 25-29

starting at various times

Classic Films all Month, Fridays on COMET TV

Starting at 8/7c

9/01 From Dusk Till Dawn

9/08 From Dusk Till Dawn 2

9/15 From Dusk Till Dawn 3

9/22 Cypher

9/28 Futureworld

2017 Screamfest Horror Film Festival First Wave Lineup

SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL

ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE OF 2017 LINE UP

Dominic Monaghan to Serve as Festival Ambassador

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – August 29, 2017 – America’s largest and longest running horror film festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, is proud to announce the first wave of its official 2017 film line up.  In its 17^th year, the festival, which will run from Oct. 10-19, 2017 at the TCL Chinese in Hollywood, has launched careers - providing a platform for filmmakers and actors to showcase their latest work to enthusiasts and general audiences. Actor and producer Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings trilogy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, TV’s “Lost”) will serve as this year’s festival ambassador.

“I am extremely honored to serve as this year’s Screamfest ambassador,” said Monaghan.  “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.”

Screamfest Horror Film Festival will offer unique access to some of the most creative forces in the horror genre through film screenings, Q&As and conversations with some of the most captivating artists working in the industry today.

“We are thrilled to partner with Dominic Monaghan at this year’s Screamfest,” said Belofsky.  “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.”

The festival is best known for discovering Paranormal Activity in 2007. Other past premieres include 30 Days of Night, Let the Right One In, The Grudge, The Fourth Kind, The Collection, Trick ‘r’ Treat, The Human Centipede and Diary of the Dead. Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Clive Barker, Eli Roth, James Wan, Zack Snyder, William Friedkin, John Landis and James Gunn are just some of the filmmakers who have supported the festival year after year.

Film festival badges are currently on sale at www.ScreamfestLA.com and individual film tickets will be available end of September 2017. All screenings are open to the general public. Winners will receive a 24 karat gold dipped skull trophy designed by the legendary, Academy award-winning special make-up effects creator, Stan Winston, who partnered with the festival until his passing.

Screamfest Horror Film Festival is proud to announce that the following films have been admitted to the festival – the first wave of the 2017 line up.

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.

ABOUT SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL

Formed in August 2001 by film producer Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror and science fiction genres a venue to have their work showcased in the film industry. Among the numerous films that have been discovered and/or premiered at the festival include “Paranormal Activity,” “30 Days of Night,” “Trick ‘r Treat” and “The Human Centipede.” For more information, visit www.ScreamfestLA.com or email info@screamfestla.com.