Thanks to Neil Marshall’s 2005 horror film The Descent, about a group of spelunking women attacked by hideous carnivorous bat-boy monsters, my wife is now afraid of caves, Weekly World News covers, and girls’ nights out. If Marshall’s latest film Centurion, in which a Roman legion is attacked by Picts in 2nd century England, is [...]
Don’t worry. Though director Chris Smith—who made a name for himself with tense, tightly scripted genre gems Creep, Severance, and Triangle—may be tackling lofty themes of right, wrong, and the religions in between with his new film Black Death. But there’s still plenty of necromancy and “heads on sticks,” he promises. Which is great. I’ve [...]
Initially, I was somewhat wary of Chad Archibald’s Neverlost, the Guelph-shot genre film premiering at Fantasia tomorrow. After all, its story of a failed screenwriter living in squalor while struggling with insomnia and depression sounds like a documentary about my early twenties, except with fewer Star Trek conventions. But the film ended up being an [...]
Over the years, Meir Zarchi’s 1978 rape-revenge film I Spit on Your Grave (aka Day of the Woman) has been labeled everything from an expression of raw, feminist rage to a cinematic sex offense. And there’s no doubt that Steven R. Monroe’s 2010 remake be equally polarizing, as it’s more graphically violent by at least [...]
——————— The amazing thing about the horror films of Herschell Gordon Lewis is not that they were shocking in 1960s. From what I gather from classic rock radio stations and Partridge Family reruns, vibrantly coloured juice raised eyebrows prior to at least 1975. No, what’s amazing about films like 1963’s Blood Feast and 1964’s Two [...]
2010 World Wide Shorts Film Festival! Where: downtown Toronto When: June 1-6th 2010 Visit: www.shorterisbetter.com Now in it’s 16th year, the World Wide Shorts Film Festival, brought to you by the Canadian Film Centre, is more than just a festival for emerging filmmakers. It boasts one of the largest film markets in North America, master [...]
By William S. Gooch At first glance, Anthony Fabian draws a strong resemblance to Alan Cummings, so I expected him to be funny, which he was; witty, which he undoubtedly is, and a bit irreverent, which I saw shades of as well. Maybe because he’s British, I was slightly offset by his relaxed charm and [...]
A conversation with Gerard Johnson By Nick Martin Movies about serial killers have an odd niche in our cultural lexicon. A sub-genre that was first embraced by cult filmists now walks a fine line between obscurity and mainstream. Films such as Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs and David Fincher’s Se7en seem to strike an [...]
SOS: This is your second short film. What would you say was the most difficult part of the entire process? SA: I think each film presents its own unique challenges, and like our previous short The Merciful Death of Jonas Blake, major hurdles presented themselves at each stage of production. It’s difficult to pinpoint one [...]
By William S. Gooch At first glance, Anthony Fabian draws a strong resemblance to Alan Cummings, so I expected him to be funny, which he was; witty, which he undoubtedly is, and a bit irreverent, which I saw shades of as well. Maybe because he’s British, I was slightly offset by his relaxed charm and [...]
In the past ten years MODERNCINÉ has been dedicated to making high-quality, groundbreaking and edgy horror films avoiding clichés and complacency in favor of original ideas and memorable performances. Founded by Andrew van den Houten during his college years, Andrew began producing and directing a number of award-winning short films including the 2005 multiple award [...]
George A. Romero knows what scares you. He also knows what your insides look like, and since 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, he’s been putting both on display in what’s now an epic six film zombie series. The first three films in the hexalogy, widely regarded as classics of the horror genre, were released [...]
The director of several well-received horror films (Habit, The Last Winter) and producer of many others, Larry Fessenden has also made scores of appearances in mainstream films from the likes of Kelly Reichardt and Neil Jordan. Simon sat down with him at a bar here in Montreal to discuss his latest producing and acting gigs, [...]
In 1964, while the rest of the world was watching Mary Poppins take school kids on acid trips, Brazil was thrilling to the exploits of Coffin Joe, a character mixing the best parts of Anton LaVey, Count Dracula, and a homeless old man. Considered Brazil’s first horror film, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul was [...]
Ricky D interviewed director Barbara Bell on the subject of her new feature doc, Graphic Sexual Horror, which is making its debut at the Fantasia Film Fest here in Montreal. Horror explores the world of online hardcore bondage porn, with a focus on a specific, controversial site called Insex, and its founder, who goes by [...]
The American: Visions of damnation
A look back at “Wings Of Desire”
Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes)
8: The Mormon Proposition
This Movie is Broken
The Last Exorcism: A surprisingly invigorating horror film
A Look Back At Spielberg’s Masterpiece “Jaws”
Fausta: The Milk of Sorrow
MIFF2010: The Illusionist
Piranha 3d
The Switch
Afterschool
Rampage
Stonewall Uprising
Toronto After Dark 2010: Doghouse (Review #1)
The Expendables
Toronto After Dark 2010: Last Lovecraft (Review #1)
