Dark Sky Films has set August 6th theatrical + digital release of NIGHT DRIVE, a shocking ride with a wicked sense of humor from the filmmakers behind the cabin-in-the-woods thriller Dead Night.
In the sci-fi thriller, Russell (AJ Bowen – You’re Next, The Signal) is a driver in Los Angeles who’s reeling from a series of bad decisions. While his life seems to be caught in a downward spiral, a business proposition from an alluring but enigmatic passenger named Charlotte (Sophie Dalah – Unbroken, Dead Night) proves too good to turn down. A simple ride turns deadly, catapulting Russell into an even darker place, but Charlotte may be the key to a second chance he thought he’d never have… if he can make it through the night.
Surprising at every turn and with a wickedly dark sense of humor, directors Meghan Leon’s and Bradford Baruh’s Night Drive is an unforgettably shocking ride-along with a seemingly normal man and the most abnormal of passengers.
Produced by Bradford Baruh & Megan Leon, the film is distributed by Dark Sky Films.
Dark Sky Films has set a June 4th theatrical + digital release of THE CARNIVORES, an LGBTQ horror comedy starring Lindsay Burdge (The Invitation, Netflix’ Easy), Tallie Medel (Joy Kevin), and Aiden the dog as Harvie.
The film is Caleb Michael Johnson’s directorial debut, and is written by Johnson and Jeff Bay Smith.
Film Inquiry describes the film “as an effective psychological foray that may be divisive among some but is worth biting into, to really appreciate the talent within. It is successful in being both discomforting and inviting, you won’t know how to look away.”
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
Alice and Bret’s dog Harvie is dying, and he’s ruining everything. What had been a bright little family is quickly being consumed by clouds of self-doubt, suspicion, and a disturbing amount of ground beef. Bret (Lindsay Burdge) is taking the news hard. She’s had Harvie since before the relationship and is startled to find just how much of her sense of self is wrapped up in her history with him. Alice (Tallie Medel) thus finds herself on the outside of a relationship looking in. Bret’s obsession with the dog is getting overtly unhealthy, yet the more Alice attempts to connect, the further Bret retreats.
As the stress on Alice, a vegan, manifests in increasingly strange ways involving sleepwalking and a fascination with meat, she plans to get rid of Harvie to reclaim Bret’s love. But when Alice wakes one night holding an empty leash with no sign of Harvie except his severed ear, she begins to fear she’s become a monster. As each woman sets out in search of what’s been lost, Alice and Bret uncover parts of each other they never suspected, hideous and beautiful alike.
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has unveiled the nominations for the 46th Annual Saturn Awards today.
Due to the unprecedented challenges that face the motion picture and television community during this global crisis, the organization made necessary changes to present this year’s awards show. The Academy extended the nomination period 16 months this year covering a wider selection of submissions between July 15, 2019 through November 15, 2020 and the group extended the eligibility rules to include streaming and VOD in addition to the theatrical release of motion pictures.
This year’s show honoring the best and most significant achievements in genre film, television and theater will be held later this year with details to be announced. The recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards including The Dan Curtis Legacy Award, previously awarded to such luminaries as Vince Gilligan, Bryan Fuller and Sarah Schechter will be announced shortly. The Saturn Awards ceremony will again be produced by the organization and will be honoring the best and most significant achievements in genre film, television and theatre. The Academy was founded in 1972 by Doctor Donald A. Reed and is one year shy of celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
Lucasfilm/Disney’s Star Wars franchise dominated the Saturn nominations with Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker earning 12 noms in features, and The Mandalorian and The Clone Wars in TV/Streaming. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet boasted an impressive 9 nom, Doctor Sleep scared up 8, Knives Out, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, 7 apiece, and Birds of Prey and Disney’s live action Mulan, 6. Directors Gina Prince-Bythewood of Netflix’s The Old Guard and Niki Caro of Disney’s Mulan lead the diverse and talented pack of film nominees, which included such talent as Delroy Lindo (Da Five Bloods), John David Washington (Tenet), Yifei Liui and Donnie Yen (Mulan), Zazie Beetz (Joker),
Jurnee Smollet and Ella Jay Basco (Birds of Prey), Kyliegh Curran (Doctor Sleep) as well as talented screenwriters, editors, costumers and Special FX artists.
Orwo Studios and Black Hanger Studios (JEEPERS CREEPERS: REBORN) announced today that they have acquired the remake rights to the seminal slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night. The original film’s producers Scott Schneid and Dennis Whitehead of Wonderwheel Entertainment will join Orwo in bringing an exciting new vision of this cult classic to modern movie audiences in 2022.
The project was brought to Orwo by producer Anthony Masi of MasiMedia. Schneid, Whitehead, and Masi will produce along with Jake Seal, Terry Bird, and Jamie R. Thompson of Orwo Studios/Black Hangar. Orwo Studios is financing and representing the film for worldwide sales rights.
Declared as the most controversial film of the 80s – Silent Night, Deadly Night tells the story of a child who is traumatized after seeing his parents killed by a man dressed as Santa Claus. Years later, he dons a Santa suit himself and gets bloody revenge on the naughty list.
Wonderwheel says, “The continued desire for horror content and the ongoing success of the genre meant it was the perfect time to be able to offer up this chilling revival of the iconic title.” Masi adds, “We are thrilled to be working with the original producers as well as Orwo and Black Hangar and are committed to honoring nostalgia for the original while offering surprises for new audiences to discover and embrace.”
Dark Sky Films has announced that the March 5th VOD/Digital release of CONCRETE PLANS. See trailer and synopsis below.
The film stars Goran Bogdan (FX’s Fargo), Kevin Guthrie (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films), Chris Reilly (Everest), Amber Rose Revah (TV’s The Punisher), Charley Palmer Rothwell (Dunkirk, Darkest Hour), Steve Spiers (Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace) William Thomas (Torchwood), James Lance (Apple TV’s Ted Lasso).
“Concrete Plans” was written and directed by William Jewell. The film features a score by Paul Hartnoll of the legendary Orbital.
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
A disparate and rugged crew of builders has been gathered to renovate an opulent mansion belonging to the last heir of a once-wealthy military family. The crewmen are each at their wit’s end – broke, living in squalor, and facing their own personal demons. So when it’s discovered that their employer plans to cheat them out of what might be their last chance at making ends finally meet, tensions begin to rise to a fever pitch. Soon one by one the men snap, turning first on their boss and then on each other, leading to an explosion of violence that will reveal their darkest motives and ensure that none of them will return home the same, if they return home at all.
Written and directed by Keith Thomas, The Vigil stars Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig and Lynn Cohen.
The supernatural horror film is set to open in select theaters, on digital platforms and VOD on February 26th.
Here’s the film’s synopsis
Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, THE VIGIL is supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn’s Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov (Dave Davis) reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante (Menashe Lustig) to take on the responsibility of an overnight “shomer,” fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed’s dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.
Julia Ormand (TV’s The Walking Dead: World Beyond, My Week With Marilyn), returns in the psychological thriller “Reunion”, from Dark Sky Films. See new trailer below.
The film is set for releasee in theaters, VOD and digital platforms on February 5th, 2021.
Written and directed by Jake Mahaffy (Free in Deed), the film also stars Emma Draper (Wellington Paranormal), Cohen Holloway (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do In The Shadows), Ava Keane (Daffodils), Gina Laverty (Wellington Paranormal), John Bach (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King)
Here is the film’s official synopsis:
A pregnant woman returns to her recently deceased grandparents’ old family home to spend time with her estranged mother. What begins as a tenuous reunion slowly turns terrifying.
A psychological thriller that preys upon perception, REUNION sees veteran actress Julia Ormond (TV’s The Walking Dead: World Beyond, My Week With Marilyn) deliver a tour-de-force performance of threateningly quiet intensity and features a twisty narrative that will burrow itself into the darkest corners of your mind.
Written and directed by Dean Kapsalis, “The Swerve” will be available on VOD/Digital Tuesday, September 22, 2020. The film stars Azura Skye, Bryce Pinkham, Ashley Bell, and Zach Rand.
Holly seems to have it all: two kids, a nice house, a good job as a teacher, and a husband with his career on the way up. But there are troubling signs that all is not right in her world. The insomnia. The medication for the insomnia. The dreams from the medication for the insomnia. The arrival of her estranged sister and a mouse invading her home don’t help either. Add the weight of a dark secret, and her already delicate balance collapses, sending her spiraling out of control.
With her riveting and acclaimed performance as Holly, Azura Skye effortlessly crafts a portrait of a struggling mother on the edge. Writer/director Dean Kapsalis’s powerfully heart-wrenching feature debut explores a week in the life of a woman on the verge in this haunting meditation on mental illness.
THE SWERVE celebrated its world premiere at the 2019 Cinepocalypse Film Festival, and screened at the 2019 Panic Film Festival; winning both awards for Best Actress for Azura Skye. The film will be releasing on major VOD/Digital platforms beginning Tuesday, September 22, 2020.
“The Swerve is such a mesmerizing film from the perspective of someone we should call more often, Mom. A woman’s happiness is often an afterthought and it’s something so beautifully captured in this film.” – Yulissa Morales, Epic Pictures and Dread’s Director of Distribution
Directed by Chris Green & Steven Morana, and featuring Steven Morana, Holly Deveaux, Ari Millen, and Colm Feore, “Beast Within” is how now been released on VOD and Digital.
August, a lead gaming developer, is looking forward to finally meeting his online girlfriend, Cheyenne, at a launch party for his new gaming app ‘Werewolves Awaken’. They plan to meet at the VIP event, which is being hosted by an eccentric billionaire at his country estate. However, the festivities are interrupted by a priest who condemns the party guests as “marked for the beast.” Convinced it’s a publicity stunt, the party-goers disregard the protest until a dead body is discovered. August and Cheyenne, along with the remaining guests, become players in a deadly version of the game. Tensions and body counts begin to rise as all question who among themselves could be the ferocious killer – as everyone is a suspect.
BEAST WITHIN made its world premiere at the 2019 Lusca Fantastic Film Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico — winning a Special Recognition Award. The film also screened at the 2019 Spooky Empire Film Festival — winning Best Special Effects and screened at the 2019 ZedFest — winning Outstanding Acting Performances. BEAST WITHIN additionally screened at 2020 Hell’s Kitchen NYC — winning “Best Horror Film,” and Hexploitation Film Festival — winning “Best Monster Award. “
Heavy Metal Entertainment has announced the release of the first full episode of WonderWerk, a scripted anthology series, featuring upcoming episodes written by David Arquette & Cliff Dorfman, Dan Fogler, George C. Romero, Brendan Columbus, and Ron Marz. The podcast was created in collaboration with Heavy Metal Entertainment, as part of the ongoing partnership between Heavy Metal and DIGA Studios. The debut episode, The Black Ruins of Aramoor, was written by Bart & Michelle Sears can be seen here: https://wonderwerk.ffm.to/ep01
“WonderWerk is the sci-fi, fantasy and horror prowess of Heavy Metal in audio form. This is a pure, immersive experience for genre lovers, not a passive, time-killer podcast,” says Heavy Metal CEO Matthew Medney. “We’ve created an experience not unlike a movie, one that demands your focus and allows you to disappear within the folds of your mind.”
“We wanted to create something that combined the best qualities of audiobooks and podcasts–something that felt cinematic in the audio space,” said Patrick Smith, Lead Alternative Programming Producer for DIGA Studios. “WonderWerk does just that. Each week is a surprising, unexpected story inspired by the scary tales we’ve been telling around the campfire for centuries, and we can’t wait for the world to listen.”
When asked, Bart & Michelle Sears said this about the Episode:
The Black Ruins of Aramoor was birthed from every sword and sorcery story we consumed growing up, filled with blood and dark magic and death, imbued with a fatalism not often found in other genres, but common as the gore splattered pages filling any good, dark, barbaric saga. The amazing thing about writing this story wasn’t the writing, it was the listening, WonderWerk has done a brilliant job realizing our tale of gloom into, well, I guess what can be best described as a one-man radio play that is simply mesmerizing. The story of Barran, a Gundishman, a slayer and hunter, who appears like a revenant out of the icy blizzard, is a thriller, so pull your stump up to the fire, fill your mug with grog, and settle in for a wee bedtime tale… Continue reading →
Dark Sky Films has set August 6th theatrical + digital release of NIGHT DRIVE, a shocking ride with a wicked sense of humor from the filmmakers behind the cabin-in-the-woods thriller Dead Night.
