The winner of the audience award at the "Midnight Madness" portion of the Toronto International Film Festival, Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones (review) is a creepy, bloody and violent horror thriller in the vein of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and People Under the Stairs. Beyond the break you'll find the first official promo one sheet for the film that follows Brent, a 17 year old student, still grieving for his father, declines an invitation to the school formal from Lola, the quietest girl in school. When Lola and her father kidnap Brent he must fight to survive the macabre celebration they have in store for him. ...Read More
We've got to move on, it's October and Halloween is almost here, so beyond the break you'll find the final three editions of Simon Barrett's "Film Festival Follies: Toronto International Film Festival", which cover all sorts of films including: Vengeance, Mother, The Horde, The Hole, Bitch Slap, Life During Wartime, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, My Dog Tulip, [Rec]2, Micmacs à Tire-Larigot, Soul Kitchen, and Valhalla Rising. These are greats read and I highly recommend taking some time to enjoy! ...Read More
If you guys want a great read you should be keeping up with Simon Barrett's ongoing "Festival Follies", his recap of our epic weeklong adventure at the Toronto International Film Festivals. While I brought you reviews of the most anticipated horror films, Simon is tackling not only horror, but also all of the other films we saw at the fest. Beyond the break you can read "Film Festival Follies: Toronto International Film Festival - Day 3", which cover the insane Symbol, this year's Gran Turino, Harry Brown and the "Midnight Madness" award winning The Loved Ones. ...Read More
With the film arriving in Spain in a few weeks, co-director Jaume Balaguero has posted a bloody new still from REC 2, which premiered at TIFF, before playing to the Fantastic Fest audience. Click here for the first ever review here on BD. It has been just 15 minutes after authorities lost contact with the people locked in the building under quarantine. Nobody knows what happens inside. Outside is chaos...a SWAT unit enters the interior of the house to monitor the situation and determine what is happening. A seemingly quick and easy task. But everyone knows. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving...
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While I personally only cover the horror films that play at the Toronto International Film Festival, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of other films playing at my favorite fest. This year Simon Barrett joined Bloody Disgusting for several days of no sleep, drinks, train rides and MOVIES! Below you'll find "Film Festival Follies: Toronto International Film Festival - Day 2," the third of his ongoing travel journal covering The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Dorian Gray, Deliver Us from Evil, Up in the Air and Survival of the Dead. ...Read More
We have a very, very special interview from the Toronto International Film Festival that should just about round out our coverage. While at the fest we had the rare pleasure of speaking 30 minutes with Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza, the two brains behind both REC and REC 2, which had its world premiere at the "Midnight Madness" portion of the fest. You can read the interview that really goes in depth about creating scares, among other aspects of the film, by clicking here. The Spanish directors stick to the same claustrophobic concept in REC 2, but find new means of transferring fear from the screen to the spectator through the recording lens. ...Read More
It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since directors, Michael and Peter Spierig came out with their debut, Undead. It contained an ambitious epic scale and impressive visual effects which were created by the brothers themselves on their home computers. On their upcoming second feature, Daybreakers, the Spierig brothers now have studio backing (Lionsgate) and reputable names such as Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. You’d think with all this behind their sophomore film that they might have watered down their vision for Hollywood. One couldn’t be more wrong. The brothers have created a truly audacious, imaginative horror/sci-fi hybrid that is everything the “Underworld” franchise tries to be but in less than two hours. We chatted with the directors about their efforts to bring this long in the making effort to the big screen. ...Read More
My personal favorite of all the horror films that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival was Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza's perfect little sequel, REC 2, which had the audience going bananas from start to finish. "REC 2 is the only movie in the entire festival that left me wanting more. It’s a nonstop rollercoaster ride (yeah, I know that’s cliché, but it’s true!) that grabs the audiences by the throat and never lets go. You breathe when the credits hit and not a single second before. Balaguero and Plaza have delivered a rare sequel gem that can be watched hand-in-hand with the first film..." Click the title above for the full review or here for all of our TIFF coverage.
One of the most anticipated world premieres at this year's Toronto International Film Festival was George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead, his latest zombie opus that this time heads to an island. "There’s nothing here in his latest film as the message is forced and empty. It’s a movie that was made “just because.” Although horrible on nearly every aspect, the movie is quite entertaining to watch, which is more than I can say for most films. But that doesn’t mean I recommend watching it." Click the title above for the full review or here for all of our TIFF coverage.
Beyond the break you'll find an exclusive look at the final Spanish trailer for Filmax's REC 2 (review) featuring English subtitles! In addition, here's the plot crunch from the Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza directed sequel, which opens in Spain next month: It has been just 15 minutes after authorities lost contact with the people locked in the building under quarantine. Nobody knows what happens inside. Outside is chaos...a SWAT unit enters the interior of the house to monitor the situation and determine what is happening. A seemingly quick and easy task. But everyone knows. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving... ...Read More
While I personally only cover the horror films that play at the Toronto International Film Festival, there are literally hundreds upon hundreds of other films playing at my favorite fest. This year Simon Barrett joined Bloody Disgusting for several days of no sleep, drinks, train rides and MOVIES! Below you'll find "Film Festival Follies: Toronto International Film Festival - Day 1", the second of his ongoing travel journal covering A Serious Man, Enter the Void, Solomon Kane and Daybreakers. ...Read More
Beyond the break you'll find a very cool new vampire pic from Peter and Michael Spierig's hotly anticipated Daybreakers (review), which finally arrives in theaters January 8, 2010 from Lionsgate. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world's population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race. ...Read More
At the Toronto International Film Festival "Midnight Madness" premiere of Rec 2 (review), co-director Paco Plaza had teased that maybe we'll be seeing a third film in the 2010 festival. Late last week Bloody Disgusting caught up with the Spanish director who explained that they would NOT director, but would produce, assuming Filmax goes forth with a third film. In addition, he also broke the news on what his next film could be. Read on for the skinny. ...Read More
While we were disappointed with Solomon Kane, the big shocker was Joe Dante's children's horror fantasy The Hole, a film that is sure to make 80's film lovers happy. "While most of the iconic horror directors are drifting into the abyss, Dante has somehow reinvented himself and delivered a solid and scary children’s horror film that will be remembered years to come." Click the title for the full review or here for all of our ongoing TIFF coverage.
One of the biggest disappointments at this year's "Midnight Madness" portion of the Toronto International Film Festival was Michael J. Bassett's Solomon Kane, which in my eyes entered Uwe Boll territory. "While the set designs and wardrobe were beautifully done, there’s really nothing else good about the film. In fact, I would say that Solomon Kane is one of the worst movies of the year. An unfocused mythology, with underdeveloped characters and bad acting make this an unbearable theater experience." Click the title for the full review or here for all of our ongoing TIFF coverage.
Incredible news out of the Toronto International Film Festival as the Cadillac People's Choice Award – "Midnight Madness" goes to Sean Byrne's The Loved Ones (review), a film we've been pushing pretty heavy here on BD over the past few months. In the pic, a troubled teen’s prom dreams are shattered by a series of painful events that take place under the mirrored disco ball, involving syringes, nails, power drills and a secret admirer in this wild mash-up of Pretty in Pink and Misery. The runner-up was Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig's Daybreakers (review) from Lionsgate.
Another interesting premiere at this year's TIFF was the vampire rock comedy Suck, which featured cameos by Alice Cooper, Moby, among others. How did it par up to classics like Trick or Treat and Black Roses? Here's a taste: "If you’re looking for some high concept, original vampire film, you won’t find it in 'Suck', but at least you’ll burn through an hour and half without regret. I’d say bust out some popcorn and grab this one for date night." Click the title above for the full review or here for all of our ongoing TIFF coverage.
Here's another review from this year's Toronto International Film Festival. From the director of Block Sheep comes Under the Mountain, am H.P. Lovecraftian horror fantasy. "There is not a single redeemable thing about 'Under the Mountain' as it’s neither charming nor cute, and is painstaking to watch. Go watch 'Black Sheep' again and remember the Jonathan King who entertained us." Click the title for the full review or here for all of our ongoing TIFF coverage.
More Jennifer's Body news you say? Beyond the break you'll find our exclusive video interview with stars Megan Fox, Johnny Simmons, Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody, thanks to long-time Toronto stringer Mike Pereira. In addition to the brief interview, it's now time to write your own review for the film and tell all of Bloody Disgusting what YOU think. The film tells the story of a cheerleader who is possessed by a demon and starts feeding off the boys in a Minnesota farming town. Her "plain Jane" best friend must kill her, then escape from a correctional facility to go after the Satan-worshiping rock band responsible for the transformation. ...Read More
As some of you know, we just got back from a lengthy trip to Toronto for this year's Toronto International Film Festival and it's "Midnight Madness" event. While I personally took on the task of seeing every horror-themed film at the event, my good friend Simon Barrett strayed into other realms. So you guys get the skinny on everything that went on during this epic festival, we decided it could be fun to have him do a full event report, including both horror and non-horror tiles. Below you'll find "Film Festival Follies: Toronto International Film Festival - Day 0", which includes his thoughts on Jennifer's Body and the doc The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. ...Read More
We learned this evening at the Toronto International Film Festival that Sony Home Entertainment has also acquired the rights to distribute Rec 2 (review) on DVD. Maybe this time they'll put it on Blu-ray? The film world premiered last night at "Midnight Madness" and will open in Spain next month. The action continues from [Rec], with the medical officer and a SWAT team outfitted with video cameras are sent into the sealed off apartment to control the situation. ...Read More
Bloody Disgusting just scored your exclusive first look at the brand new one sheet for Joe Dante's 3D family horror film The Hole (review), which Teri Polo, Haley Bennett, Chris Massoglia, Nathan Gamble, Peter Shinkoda and Merritt Patterson. In the film that just premiered at TIFF, after moving into a new town, brothers Dane and Lucas and their neighbour Julie discover a bottomless hole in their basement that brings their nightmares to life. With shadows lurking around every corner, they must face their darkest fears in order to put an end to the mystery of the hole. Click here for tons of our ongoing TIFF coverage. ...Read More
Some shocking news came out of the TIFF screening of The Hole 3D when a fan asked Joe Dante why he didn't direct Dimension's Piranha 3-D remake. Dancing off of the idiotic question, Dante somehow flipped the conversation onto the way Alex Aja filmed it, revealing that it's not actually shot in 3D. The iconic director, whose film The Hole was shot on set in 3D, explained that Aja filmed the remake with one camera and will be digitally making it 3D in post, while adding CGI piranha that will be "Pixar-like 3D." How does that make you feel? Kinda hurts, doesn't it? I guess we'll see how good 2D-turned-3D looks come April 16, 2010.
Just getting back to the hotel after the Midnight Madness premiere of REC 2, where Spanish directors Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza were on hand to introduce the sequel to their groundbreaking horror film that has already spawned a remake. While the sequel is arriving in Spanish theaters next month, the duo reveal that they are already thinking about doing a third. "We swore we wouldn't make second one," Paco Plaza jokes after explaining how they swore up and down they would never continue the story, "but I think we want to make it. Maybe next year we are here with a third? I don't know." Could we be seeing a third REC at the Toronto International Film Festival come 2010? Let's cross our fingers. Watch this spot for a review of REC 2 soon. ...Read More
In the first of three reviews, Tex chimes in with his thoughts on 20th Century Fox's Jennifer's Body, which arrives in theaters this Friday. "Diablo Cody will certainly not replicate the critical success and accolades that were bestowed upon JUNO with the categorically narrow appeal of a teen horror-comedy. But, that doesn't mean she hasn't delivered a satisfying film that will no doubt hold up to (and perhaps even age gracefully with) repeat viewings." Click the title for the full review and check back to write your own reviews this Friday. Check here for all of our ongoing TIFF coverage.
