Cinehouse of Horrors #3

News

For those of our community who enjoy biopics and have an undying love for all things Hitchcock, you’ve probably heard all about the upcoming film centred on the infamous suspense director’s life at the time of filming Psycho. Directed by Sacha Gervasi and starring the fantastic Anthony Hopkins as the man himself, Hitchcock is going to be a must for anyone interested in one of the greatest directors of all time. At last, we have a poster for the film and know it will have limited release November 23rd and fully released early 2013.

On the subject of Hitchcock, the new A&E prequel TV series to Psycho; Bates Motel, is pulling together quickly with the announcement that Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will be starring as Norman Bates. Highmore definitely has the element of surprise over an audience used to his less erratic portrayals and playing everyone’s favourite mummy’s boy could be an incredible turning point in his career. No matter what, this is something to keep an eye out for.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Mama now flaunts a full trailer and we’re pretty excited about that. Directed by Andres Muschietti, and based on one of his short films of the same name, it is the story of two children under the care of their aunt and uncle after living in the forest alone for five years, only how alone they really were comes into question. The maestro of haunting and beautiful tales is in the executive producer’s chair helping give the film a budge in the right direction with his seal of approval so we can only imagine that it’s going to be something special.

A couple of weeks ago we showed you the gruesome poster for Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton’s The Collection, the sequel to their 2009 trap horror The Collector. Well, now there’s a trailer and the film looks awesome. As long as it keeps a distance from the Saw franchise, The Collection could very well be a terrific and inventive piece of horror. See the trailer here.

It’s a pleasure to announce that Rob Zombie’s latest cinematic effort The Lords of Salem has been picked up by Anchor Bay amidst some wonderful early reviews. Word that this is the rocker’s most inventive and stylish flick yet have got us pretty excited considering the original and riveting style he has crafted through his Halloween Re-imagining, and the subsequent sequel, along with his serial killer epic The Devil’s Rejects.

The immensely successful zombie epic The Walking Dead has had a busy couple of weeks, with numerous stills, a new poster, and trailer for the third season appearing online. Also this week AMC has announced that a fourth season is green lit so there’s plenty more of the show to keep ravenous fans content. Adapted from the graphic novels of the same name and instigated by Frank Darabont, the show has run since 2010 and changed the way most consider horror serials. The show primarily follows police officer Rick Grimes as he ventures across a decimated country to reunite with his family and then how his small band of survivors continues to exist in a dangerous new world. Think Neighbours against a backdrop of zombie apocalypse, but better. See the trailer below.





 Special Announcement
Fans of the Granddaddy of zombie films, George A. Romero, may be interested to hear about the re-release of Document of the Dead; Roy Frumkes’ intimate documentary on Romero’s creative process and the filming of Dawn of the Dead, now almost unarguably the greatest dead-epic ever filmed. Romero’s very particular brand of politically charged cynicism has helped cement his original trilogy (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead) in the horror canon and Frumkes’ award-winning peek at the legend behind those films is no doubt going to be even better in its reissued DVD/Blu-Ray format. The Definitive Document of the Dead is limited and available only through the Synapse website from November 13.


Trailers

Mama

Directed by: Andres Muschietti.
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier
Synopsis: Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they?


The Walking Dead Series 3

Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus
Synopsis: With the world growing increasingly more dangerous and Lori's pregnancy advancing, Rick discovers a potentially safe haven. But first he must secure the premises, pushing his group to its limit.







Upcoming Releases

The Victim - 24th of September
Genre veteran and cult favourite, Michael Biehn makes his directorial feature debut with the grindhouse inspired, The Victim. Biehn shows a clear competence behind the camera and this is a highly watchable, gritty little debut from the Planet Terror star. It also features fanboy favourite, Danielle Harris in a smaller role.Read our review / Win film on blu-ray

The Pact - 1st of October
Based on director's Nicholas McCarthy's short film of the same name, The Pact proved successful enough to be made into a full length feature. Starring Caity Loitz and Casper van Dien, The Pact sees a grieving woman haunted by a mysterious ghostly presence. This subtle, creepy horror boasts a chilling, well-crafted atmosphere, rather than a reliance on gore filled antics.

Twixt - 1st of October
Francis Ford Coppola makes a truly welcome return to the horror genre with his upcoming feature, Twixt. Val Kilmer stars as a struggling novelist who gets caught up in the middle of a murder mystery in a small American town, whilst on a book tour. Response to Twixt may have been patchy, but surely a new Francis Ford Coppola horror film is something for genre fans to take notice of.

Faces In The Crowd - 1st of October
Everyone loves Milla Jovovich and her latest horror, Faces In The Crowd looks set to be an interesting one. Already a box office success in South Korea, the Resident Evil star's feature is coming straight to DVD in the UK. Faces In The Crowd follows a woman who develops prosopagnosia (the inability to recognise faces) after being attacked and repeatedly stalked by a twisted serial killer.

Prometheus - 8th of October
It may have split opinion amongst fans, but one cannot deny Ridley Scott's "kinda Alien prequel" was a distinct, beautifully crafted piece of science fiction horror.

Halloween 1-5 Collection - 15th October
The first five Halloween features are being rereleased in a handy little collection just in time for the big day. Included are Carpenter's stellar original and the equally brilliant sequel which introduce the legendary Michael Myers and his long-struggling foe, Dr. Loomis. The collection is also a chance to get hold of the rare, Halloween III: Season of the Witch which takes us out of Myers territory for a refreshing and equally enjoyable horror tale. Halloween IV & V may dip in quality when compared to their predecessors but are still a cut above most horror sequels.

Andrew McArthur & Scott Clark