LEGEND reveals slate of sizzling summer premieres and more horror delights from THE VINTAGE VAULT

 

Horror Channel continues its transformation into new channel Legend with a heady mix of  classic horror, sc-fi, thriller, action, fantasy and suspense titles.

Saturday nights on Legend in August get trigger-happy, with four action-packed premieres, including the UK TV premiere of CODE NAME: GEROMINO, John Stockwell’s explosive military thriller starring Tom Sizemore. There are also channel premieres for AN EYE FOR AN EYE, Michael D. Moore’s classic Western revenge drama starring Robert Lancing and Slim Pickens, BUFFALO BILL & THE INDIANS, Robert Altman’s acclaimed revisionist Western starring Paul Newman, Burt Lancaster, Geraldine Chaplin and Harvey Keitel, and Peter Yate’s  superior crime thriller THE ROBBERY, which stars Stanley Baker, Frank Finlay and Barry Foster

And the popular stand THE VINTAGE VAULT continues, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night. The vault is unlocked on Sunday August 7th with THE CHANGELING, Peter Medak’s classic supernatural horror starring George C. Scott. This is paired with THE BROOD, David Cronenberg’s early body-horror shocker, which stars Oliver Reed and Samantha Eggar.

The following Sundays boast some of the greatest genre movies of all time – John Carpenter’s THE FOG, and Joe Dante’s werewolf cult hit THE HOWLING, David Cronenberg’s body horror masterpiece SCANNERS, Tony Maylam’s THE BURNING,  John Carpenter’s brilliant body-mangling monster horror THE THING and the equally brilliant VIDEODROME Croneberg’s cult-classic with acclaimed performance from James Woods and music legend, Deborah Harry.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 6 August @ 21:00 – AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1966) *Channel Premiere

Talion is on the trail of Ike Slant and his gang, responsible for the murder of his wife and child. He teams up with Benny, a youthful bounty hunter. During a fight with the killers, Benny is blinded and Talion's hand shattered. In order to overcome their handicaps, Benny learns to shoot according to Talion's shouted command.

Sunday 7 August @ 21:00 – THE CHANGELING (1980)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

Months after the death of his wife and child in a car accident, composer John Russell retires to an old mansion which has been unoccupied for years. But John’s hopes of peace and quiet prove unfulfilled, as he finds himself regularly disturbed by a strange and uncanny presence that haunts the house. John begins to research the house’s past, and soon finds secrets more terrible than he ever imagined. 

Sunday 7 August @ 23:05 – THE BROOD (1979)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

Frank Carveth is becoming increasingly concerned about his ex-wife Nola’s secretive treatment at the sinister ‘Somafree Institute of Psychoplasmics. Headed by cult figure Dr Raglan, his controversial and extreme methods seek to unleash his patients' rage, often taking on physical manifestations. As Frank delves deeper he is finally led to an horrific and repellant final confrontation.

Saturday 13 August @ 21:00 – BUFFALO BILL & THE INDIANS (1976) *Channel

Premiere

In 1885, Buffalo Bill's name is the symbol of heroism in America. His famous "Wild West Show", which is known all over the country, is organised by his brilliant manager, Nate Salsbury. But when he is off stage, Buffalo is a show-off who drinks and continually seeks new mistresses, while trying to consolidate his prestige. When he calls Sitting Bull for help to improve his show, he begins to get into trouble…

Sunday 14 August @ 21:00 – THE FOG (1980)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

A Northern California fishing town, built 100 years ago over an old leper colony, is the target for revenge by a killer fog containing zombie-like ghosts seeking revenge for their deaths.

Sunday 14 August @ 22:50 – THE HOWLING (1981)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

A female reporter is attacked by a notorious serial killer and to get over her trauma she is sent to ‘The Colony’, a remote mountain resort. But there her problems really begin, as the residents are werewolves.

Saturday 20 August @ 21:00 – ROBBERY (1967) *Channel Premiere

Based on the infamous Great Train Robbery, we follow Paul Clifton (Stanley Baker) as he forms a team to carry out an ambitious heist of cash from a government mail train traveling from Scotland to London. Everything goes to plan until the very last moment when a series of unforeseen events conspire against them and the police manage to capture the gang. Clifton however tries to escape the country using a counterfeit identity.

Sunday 21 August @ 21:00 – SCANNERS (1981)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

Drifter Cameron Vale is plagued by incessant voices in his head unaware that he is a Scanner, a group of people with extraordinary powers who can not only read minds but literally tear them apart. He is discovered by a scientist aiming to help his kind adapt to society. However an underground movement of Scanners led by the psychotic Derryl Revok have other intentions and the ultimate confrontation of minds awaits.

Sunday 21 August @ 23:05 – THE BURNING (1981)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

At summer camp, some teenagers pull a prank on the camp's caretaker, Cropsy (Lou David). But the joke goes terribly wrong, and the teens leave Cropsy for dead after setting him on fire. A few years later, the burned and disfigured caretaker returns to camp equipped with his trusty shears, ready to unleash his particular brand of vengeance…

Saturday 27 August @ 21:00 – CODE NAME: GEROMINO (2012) *UK Premiere

Seal Team 8 must fight their way through the Congo to defuse one of the greatest threats the world has ever known.

Sunday 28 August @ 21:00 – THE THING (1982)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

In remote Antarctica, a group of American research scientists are disturbed at their base camp by a helicopter shooting at a sled dog. When they take in the dog, it brutally attacks them and they discover that the beast can assume the shape of its victims. Helicopter pilot (Kurt Russell) leads the camp crew in a desperate, gory battle against the vicious creature.

Sunday 28 August @ 23:05 – VIDEODROME (1983)

PART OF THE VINTAGE VAULT

Creative and idiosyncratic filmmaker David Cronenberg directs this delightfully bizarre film about a television programmer who stumbles onto a sado-masochistic video stream that might just be trying to subliminally effect television viewers everywhere.

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

FRIGHTFEST RECRUITS FOR NEW BLOOD CLASS OF 2022

 

With Arrow Video FrightFest unleashing the fearsome hordes into London’s West End cinemas in late August, the search resumes for new writers in the horror genre through its New Blood initiative. New Blood reunites FrightFest with Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures in its mission to find emerging UK-based writers dedicated to the genre and nurture their projects from script to screen. Queensbury Pictures is ultimately interested in acquiring scripts ready for production rather than just an idea, and so, all successful final candidates, if selected, should be able to send even a rough draft of the first ten pages of their script through with their acceptance.

The successful shortlisted applicants will workshop their ideas in a group setting under the guidance of top industry professionals and genre experts. This year’s panel will be announced shortly.

Applications are open for 10 days from 19th July with potential participants asked to submit a 400 word proposal through the dedicated New Blood page on the FrightFest website and if selected, each writer is expected to submit the first ten pages of their script idea. The deadline is 28th July. All successful applicants will be notified by 29th July and then will be requested to send over their sample script pages. All participants are expected to pay for their own travel to, and accommodation in, London.

To apply: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/NEWBLOOD.html

Arrow Video FrightFest 2022 adds MEAN SPIRITED to line-up

 

Director Jeff Ryan’s thoroughly entertaining found-footage horror comedy MEAN SPIRITED will receive its World premiere at this year’s Arrow Video FrightFest event. It will be screened on Sunday 28 August, 1.15pm at the Cineworld, Leicester Sq., Screen 1.

Synopsis: When two estranged friends reconnect, things buried deep down are bound to surface. Wannabe famous vlogger Andrew Castellano, aka ‘The Amazing Andy’, sets off for a weekend at his former friend turned famous actor Bryce. After receiving the invitation to Bryce’s mountain cottage, Andy has decided to bury the hatchet. Unfortunately he isn't quite himself anymore…

It is exec produced by FrightFest stalwart Shaked Berenson of SLAXX, TURBO KID and TALES OF HALLOWEEN fame.

Arrow Video FrightFest, the UK’s most popular horror and fantasy film festival, is back at London’s Cineworld Leicester Square and the Prince Charles Cinema from Thursday August 25 – Monday 29 August for five days of the very best of global genre cinema.

Single tickets on sale from Sat 23 July, noon

For booking and programme details: https://www.frightfest.co.uk

Graham Humphreys’ stunning poster art for Arrow Video FrightFest 2022 - a celebration of the festival’s past 'trophy' films.

 

Arrow Video FrightFest has revealed Graham Humphreys’ stand-out poster design for 2022, which marks the 14th appearance for his iconic Monster.

Graham revealed today: “The predominant theme is a celebration of past 'trophy' films. I took my inspiration references from an old paperback cover 'Vincent Price presents: The Price of Fear', in which Vincent's head is depicted mounted on a wooden shield. It seemed the perfect way to represent the films, with key portraiture represented as mounted heads. Rather than mount the head of the regular FrightFest monster, I thought it would be fun to turn him into the roaring lion of MGM's familiar mascot!”

This year’s annual Bank Holiday event, the UK’s largest celebration of genre cinema, takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema. between Thurs Aug 25 & Mon Aug 29, 2022.

This year’s line-up of films will be announced on Thursday 14th July at 2pm BST.

Interview with Chris McAuley - By David Kempf

When did you first become interested in writing?
I’ve been interested in crafting stories and worlds since I was very young David. It’s probably a well-known story now but my father would have taken me to the local library. There was one writer whose work I continually sought out, John Peel. John wrote several Doctor Who novelizations, his richness of language and immersive world building often encouraged my imagination. I would find myself sitting at the kitchen table constructing stories about Doctor Who, Dinosaurs and Vampires. As I disclose this, I realize how, now I am almost 40, that everything has come full circle! This love of writing was then rekindled when I was mentored by the creator of 2000AD Pat Mills in 2017. He encouraged me to continue to explore the craft and I started writing some Judge Dredd stories and progressed from there. As an aside, I was lucky enough to write a Dracula novel with the aforementioned John Peel last year. It was entitled ‘Dracula’s Bedlam’.

How did you get involved with Fantasy/Horror?
The love of both came from childhood cartoons. I grew up with Thundercats, Dungeons and Dragons and Ghostbusters. These all had fantasy and horror motifs. Later I became a fan of Doctor Who and I do have a very distinct memory of reading Dracula when I was seven years old. Vampiric imagery fascinated me growing up. It’s a very Irish myth, the vampire, a lot of vampirologists miss that. We have the creatures that emerge from the bogs, Carmilla was the creation of an Irish writer, Sheridan Le Fanu. Growing up I was steeped in the old stories and myths of the old Irish world, kings and demons fighting with sword and claw. I think that is a very deep ancestral connection to Fantasy and Horror. I started writing these genres a few years ago, Horror with several US published comic books featuring werewolves, mummies and of course Dracula. I crafted a fantasy universe with Claudia Christian (the Babylon 5 actress) and we have several titles being released in that range this year across various media.

How would you classify the genre you write?
That’s actually difficult, I have touched detective stories with Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Fantasy, Cosmic Horror, Science Fiction…Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I write about the grotesque. I’m extremely comfortable with that. There’s something that transfixes me about the disturbing aspects of humanity, flukes and magnified flaws. Is there a genre that describes looking unwavering at your own soul and using its perceived failings to craft characters? I’m not sure but I think that’s what I do. An equal amount of self-realization and projection.

Please tell us about your work with video games.
It all started when I began to write games, by that I mean I was coding them in C# and C++. I was employed to do that by various companies. I worked on code, animation, visual design and even 3D artwork. I was in the trenches so you learn to become proficient at many aspects of crafting a game that way. My first work on game narrative was with Tiny Rebel Games and their Doctor Who Legacy mobile game. I scripted some of the dialogue and scenarios. I moved on from that and worked on attempting to craft a cohesive narrative for Bioware’s Anthem title. That was difficult as the game had already shipped. I managed to help create a more engaging introduction but I think the studio knew that it was too late. The audience for the game had disappeared. In the last few years, I’ve worked with retrogames for an amazing cloud-based Arcade company Antstream which is taking the industry by storm and now am employed by Amazon Games as lead narrative designer to work on several franchise titles for games being release on Web 3.0. Also, I mustn’t forget that I am working on a Dracula video game as a narrative consultant (with my wonderful business partner Dacre Stoker)

Why do you think Horror and Fantasy Books remain so popular?
They tap into powerful escapism and a unique way of using imagination. The possibilities offered by each genre are endless. There’s also the ability to discuss many sensitive issues within the framework of these genres and also be entertained.

Why do you think the vampire myth, particularly Dracula remains so popular?
Why was the Horus myth for the Egyptians popular? Or the Vampiric Aset Ka- who was a form of Isis? They tap into something primal which we have never forgotten. The early Judeo-Christian texts forbid the drinking of blood for example yet the established Christian church approves of it (in a symbolic fashion). Tradition in some cultures (including the ancient Irish) thought that by drinking blood you would extend your natural life. For the Dracula myth it’s the thumbing the nose at traditional religion, desire to live forever and (thanks to the movie interpretations) sex.

What Inspires your stories?
Thoughts that pop up in my head. Powerful imagery from art books. Poor films that I rewrite to make better. The desire to create something that people enjoy and remember fondly.

What do you think the difference between American horror and British horror is?
Pushing boundaries and cultural context. American horror generally seems more comfortable with graphic nature of horror. British horror is very comfortable in the traditional gothic tale, the art of suggestion. That’s a terrible generalization and I think now there’s more of a blurring of that.

What are your favourite horror books?
I would be in trouble if I didn’t say Dracula. Honestly, I think that was the first horror novel I read. James Herberts Rats, Candace Nolan’s Bishop, Elizabeth Massey, Jeff Strand and Clive Masterson’s works. Anything that makes me pause or gives a powerful sense of dread or situation.

What are some of your favourite horror movies?
Terminator – the first two films, that sense of relentlessness and the dark side of technology. American Werewolf in London for atmosphere, humor and amazing special effects. Anything Hammer or that has Vincent Price in it. The actors and their presence really make the film at times. My friends Claudia Christina and Bruce Campbell would be upset if I didn’t mention Maniac Cop or Evil Dead – they are fun, Schlocky horror films I watched as a kid.

What would you consider your greatest accomplishment as an author?
People reaching out to me and telling me they had a good time when reading my work. Primarily I am writing for entertainment.

Do you have any advice for new writers?
Never be afraid to reach out to your heroes to seek guidance and inspiration. Most authors want to help others find their path. I am a mentor in the Horror Writers Association and I know from experience that established writers want to help up and coming talent. Never be afraid of ‘failure’, its part of the process. Don’t look back too critically on your previous work, but remember fondly the experiences you had when writing it.

What is your opinion of the new self-publishing trend?
If it works for the author – go for it. As for myself, I know I need a good editor for my work and have always found that the publishers I work with to be helpful in this regard. If you are self-publishing make sure you have a good marketing plan. Readership needs to know that your work exists!

What are your current projects?
Working on the Terminator franchise in gaming and in prose, managing several StokerVerse game and comic book projects. Writing Doctor Who stories for anthologies … To be honest there’s so many things going on. I’m also a submission editor for Crystal Lake Publishing and editor of The Horror Tree magazine as well as technical editor for game programming books from O’Reilly publishing.

A Paragraph about my work
I am a writer of graphic novels, audios, novels, short stories, tabletop RPG’s, board and video games. I work in several franchises such as Terminator and Doctor Who. I’ve been partnered with Legendary Disney Imagineer Teri Hardin Jackson for Star Wars narratives; we also did a Batman comic together. I co-created the StokerVerse with Dacre Stoker and Dark Universes, a science fiction franchise with Babylon 5 actress Claudia Christian. My style is mostly visceral and I’m a plotter not a pantser!

NEWS: RAW 'contender for best horror movie of the decade' gets Standard Ed. Blu-ray release 8 August from Second Sight Films

Get ready for a second helping of Raw, as the deliciously dark tale of a strict vegetarian who discovers a taste for human flesh after heading to a brutal veterinary college where initiation ceremonies are the norm, gets a Standard Edition Blu-ray release thanks to Second Sight Films. This horror hit will be dished up on 8 August 2022. Pre-Order at https://amzn.to/3amweUr

BAFTA nominated and Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau's (Titane) shocking feature film debut was acclaimed by critics after a barnstorming debut at Toronto International Film Festival, where paramedics had to be called after audience members fainted at the film's premiere. Now, after wowing audiences on its initial release and its hugely successful Limited Edition, Second Sight has once again pulled the Raw ingredients together for the brilliant Raw Standard Edition release, that has a full menu of extras.

Shy student Justine (Garance Marillier – Warning, Titane), heads to a veterinary school and is subjected a tough series of hazing rituals from fellow students. And it's even tougher for vegetarian Justine as she is covered in blood and forced to eat raw meat. But after tasting the flesh, Justine finds herself craving even more meat - and it doesn't matter if it's animal or human as her uncontrollable desires lead to a horrific outcome.

Second Sight has produced a sumptuous buffet for your delectation, with features including interviews with star Garance Marilier and producer Jean des Forets, commentary from critic Alexandra West, as well as interviews and commentaries from Julia Ducournau and plenty more, this is a dish that tastes as good as it looks.

Pre-Order at https://amzn.to/3amweUr

Horror Channel rebrands as Legend

Horror Channel has rebranded and is now Legend. Legend will still be showing classic horror and sc-fi but its eclectic mix of movies and TV series will now broaden out to include more thriller, action, fantasy and suspense titles.

Saturday nights on Legend gets deadly in July, with four Channel premieres - Don Mancini’s criminally entertaining CULT OF CHUCKY, starring Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif as the voice of the iconic deadly doll of destruction, Walter Hill’s neo-Western action thriller, EXTREME PREJUDICE, starring Nick Nolte, Paul Aaron’s murderous crime drama DEADLY FORCE, and Richard Fleischer’s epic sword and sorcery fantasy RED SONJA, starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Plus, returns with the channel premieres of Season 4 and FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER’S WARS, which, following the original series’ cancellation, wraps up the series cliff-hanger with a two-episode conclusion. This Australian-American Sci-Fi TV series, created by Rockne S, O’Bannon, has proved s big hit with LEGEND audiences.

And THE VINTAGE VAULT is back, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night.

The vault is unlocked on Sunday July 3rd with Terence Fisher’s irresistibly lurid, THE MUMMY (1959), starring Peter Cushing and Christopher. This is paired with 13 GHOSTS, the infectious 1960 supernatural classic, directed by William Castle. Then on Sunday July 10th, we have two of the great British Sci-Fi thrillers, ISLAND OF TERROR, starring Peter Cushing, followed by QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, based on the BBC TV series and directed by Roy Ward Baker.

On Sunday July 17th, the deliciously sinister DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE directed by Roy Ward Baker, hits our screens, followed by another of Hammer Film’s greatest hits, the sensually daring COUNTESS DRACULA, starring Ingrid Pitt. Sunday July 24th sees another stylishly impressive Hammer production double-bill, kicking off with BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB, the swan song for director Seth Holt, . This is paired with TWINS OF EVIL, widely recognised as a masterpiece of gothic and erotic horror.

Finally on Sunday July 31st, the satanic cult masterpiece, TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, is unleashed on the channel. This adaptation of the 1953 novel of by Dennis Wheatley, stars Christopher Lee, Richard Widmark, Honor Blackman and Nastassja Kinski. This is followed by DOOMWATCH, an eco sci-fi thriller based on the 1970s BBC series, starring Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson.



Full film details in transmission order:

From Thurs 30 June @ 18:00 – FARSCAPE: SEASON 4 (2002) *Channel Premiere

Continuing work on his theories of wormhole technology, Crichton ekes out an existence on board Elack - an old, dying Leviathan. The peace is shattered by the intrusion of a female alien, Sikozu, and a squad of Grudek mercenaries intent on harvesting Elack's neural tissue. Crichton fights to save his new home, his struggle hindered by the Grudeks' pet: a vicious and deadly alien canine called the Brindz Hound.

Sat 2 July @ 21:00 – CULT OF CHUCKY (2017) *Channel Premiere

Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic "tool" to facilitate his patients' group sessions — an all-too-familiar "Good Guy" doll — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), Chucky's now-grown-up nemesis, races to Nica's aid. But to save her he'll have to get past Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything to help her beloved devil doll.


Sat 9 July @ 21:00 – EXTREME PREJUDICE (1986) *Channel Premiere

In a small border town between Texas and Mexico, Jack Benteen has a hard time fighting a drug trafficking ring led by his childhood friend Cash Bailey. Wen the town becomes the battlefield between traffickers and mercenaries, the two former friends will finally settle their differences. One on one, they will duel.

Saturday 16 July @ 21:00 – DEADLY FORCE (1984) *Channel Premiere

Stoney who has been fired from the Los Angeles police force and has parted from his wife. He settles down as a freelance detective in New York but his past comes back to challenge him when a friend calls him for help: his niece has become the 17th victim of a serial killer and the Los Angeles police are at deadlock. Stoney's old colleagues are unhappy about his arrival but Stoney persists, determined to hunt the murderer down.

Sat 23 July @ 21:00 – RED SONJA (1985) *Channel Premiere

The peaceful life of Sonja is shattered when her parents are murdered by Queen Gedren, who rules by terror and carries a talisman with which she can annihilate the planet. Sonja sets out to avenge her parents’ death and is granted extraordinary powers by a mysterious vision. But she must vow never to fall in love with a man unless he is stronger than her.

Sat 30 July @ 13:00 – FARSCAPE: THE PEACEMAKER WARS (2004) *Channel Premiere

In this two-part miniseries John Crichton (Ben Browder) is back. A living starship harbours an ensemble of alien fugitives, including a human astronaut in the wrong place at the wrong time. Add the birth of his new starchild, a half-human with untold secrets, and an enemy race set to destroy and conquer them all, and this can only be the beginning of the end.


THE VINTAGE VAULT


Sunday 3 July @ 21:00 – THE MUMMY (1959)

In 1895 Egypt, a team of British archeologists led by John Banning, opens the tomb of Princess Ananka, despite warnings of a death curse which will fall upon any desecrators. Three years later in England, a vengeful Egyptian man arrives and unleashes the living mummy Kharis on the men. This superior Hammer Films production reunites the director, Terence Fisher, with stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.


Sunday 3 July @ 22:45 – 13 GHOSTS (1960)

When occultist Dr Plato Zorba leaves a huge ramshackle house to his nephew Cyrus and his impoverished family, they are shocked to find the house is haunted. Their new residence comes complete with Doctor Zorba’s housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides, plus a fortune in buried treasure and twelve horrifying ghosts. However, there is someone in the house who is also looking for the money and is willing to kill for it…


Sunday 10 July @ 21:00 – ISLAND OF TERROR (1966)

A meteor crashes in the desert, leaving behind huge black chunks. While being analysed in a science lab, the crystalline stones are accidentally drenched with water and begin to grow to gargantuan dimensions. A sudden rainstorm further exacerbates the situation, causing the monoliths to grow to hitherto unimagined heights. Can the world be saved by the saline solution which the scientists are hurriedly developing in the lab?


Sunday 10 July @ 22:45 – QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967)

An ancient Martian spacecraft is discovered buried in the ground at the site of an extension to the London Underground. Also uncovered nearby are the remains of early human ancestors more than five million years old. Now uncovered the craft begins to exert a malign influence, resurrecting Martian memories and instincts buried deep within the human psyche. Mayhem breaks out on the streets of London as the alien force grows in strength. Can Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) and his team save the day?

Sunday 17 July @ 21:00 – DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE (1971)

It’s London in the 1800’s and Dr Jekyll is experimenting on newly deceased women, determined to discover an elixir for immortal life. Success enables his spectacular transformation into the beautiful but psychotic Sister Hyde who stalks the dark alleys of Whitechapel for female victims, ensuring continuation of the bloodstained research. With each transformation Sister Hyde becomes the more dominant personality, determined to eventually suppress the frail, ineffectual Dr Jekyll forever.

Sunday 17 July @ 22:55 – COUNTESS DRACULA (1971)

When the aging Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Ingrid Pitt) discovers that bathing in the blood of virgin girls will keep her eternally young and beautiful, she devises a master plan. But Bathory's plan goes awry when she runs out of blood and begins to change back into her former self. What will she do next and who will be able to stop her?

Sunday 24 July @ 21:00 – BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY’S TOMB (1971)

An expedition led by Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir), finds the cursed tomb of an evil Egyptian princess. He takes her preserved, still-bleeding severed hand – which sports a dazzling ruby ring. Several years later, Fuchs gives the ring to his young daughter Margaret (Valerie Leon), whereupon she begins to take on the malevolent traits of its original wearer.


Sunday 24 July @ 22:55 – TWINS OF EVIL (1971)

After being orphaned, two beautiful identical twins move from Vienna to the village of Karnstein. There they are to live with their Uncle, a fanatical Puritan (Peter Cushing). Nearby, the Count of the village is performing a sacrificial rite which raises his ancestor, the vampire Countess. He turns his attention to the twins. One of them is destined to fall under the castle's spell, but which one?


Sunday 31 July @ 21:00 – TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER (1976)

Henry Beddows (Denholm Elliott) asks occult novelist John Verney (Richard Widmark) to protect his 18 year-old daughter, Catherine (Natasha Kinski), who has attracted the attention of ex-communicated priest Father Michael Rayner (Christopher Lee). Rayner wants Catherine to become the incarnation of one of the crowned princes of Hell, Astaroth. Pitted against black magic, ancient rituals and a clan of Satanists, Verney battles to save the young girl from a diabolical fate.

Sunday 31 July @ 22:50 – DOOMWATCH (1972)

Dr. Del Shaw (Ian Bannen), part of the government's investigative environmental organisation Doomwatch, travels to the island of Balfe to examine the potentially adverse effects of a recent oil spill. The villagers are all suspicious of Shaw, especially the menfolk, who seem to have transformed into near-Neanderthals. After teaming up with a local teacher, Shaw discovers that the transformation of the men is due to a disease called acromegaly.

TV: Sky 148 / Virgin 149 / Freeview 41 / Freesat 137

COMPETITION: Win Martyrs Lane on DVD

Martyrs Lane DVD - Released from 4th July

And to celebrate we have a great competition for you and 2 copies to give away.

Synopsis: 

FOR A night of haunting dread and claustrophobic terror visit Martyrs Lane if you dare. Acclaimed writer and director Ruth Platt (The Black Forrest) brings the chills in this powerful ghost story starring respected actor Denise Gough (Too Close, Guerrilla), that has been certified fresh with 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Now this Shudder Original is set to arrive on UK DVD and digital courtesy of Acorn Media International on 4 July 2022.

Leah (Kiera Thompson – The Emily Atack Show) feels like a stranger in her own home – a large, creaky, old Victorian vicarage where she lives with her distant mother Sarah (Gough) and distracted father Thomas (Steven Cree – Outlaw King, Outlander). Leah’s days are spent tip-toeing the house in isolation, where during the night, the dark empty spaces provide plenty of room for her nightmares to creep in.

One night, Leah is visited by a mysterious young girl in a white dress (Hannah Rae – Carmilla, City of Tiny Lights), who offers her a sense of comfort. In the hope that her shadowy guest might be able to answer some questions about Leah’s absent mother, the two girls begin to play a game. But fun quickly becomes fearsome as Leah realises that her guest holds knowledge that could be incredibly dangerous...

Boasting compelling performances from two young actresses, Platt’s ghostly gothic fairy-tale is a highly atmospheric and breathtakingly evocative exploration of loss, grief, and fear. Conjuring the sense of dread of childhood bad dreams, this unsettling yet deeply moving psychological thriller promises exhilarating anxiety and foreboding fear.

Take a trip down Martyrs Lane for a hauntingly intense cinematic fearfest.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3OtXj70

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

COMPETITION CLOSED

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 11-07-22
2. No alternative prize is available
3. When the competition ends as indicated on this page, any and all entries received after this point will not count and emails blacklisted due to not checking this page first.
4. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be informed via email.

5. Entries that come directly from other websites will not be accepted.

Interview with Chris Sivertson, director of Monstrous

 

Ahead of the UK digital release of his feature film MONSTROUS, writer / director Chris Sivertson talks about the joy of working with Christina Ricci, monstrous inspirations and why horror films are our modern day fairy tales.


What drew you to take the helm on MONSTROUS, given that you usually direct films you’ve either written or co-written?

Christina Ricci was already attached to the script when it came to me so that was a huge draw. I’ve loved her as an actress for decades and have always admired the interesting choices she makes in material. Then I got even more excited when I read the script. I just thought it was a beautiful and emotional story and it clicked perfectly with my sensibilities. I saw pretty clearly what I could bring to it as a filmmaker.


You drew a magnificent performance from Christina Ricci. What was it like directing her?

I had a fantastic time working with Christina. She has extensive experience and is such a great talent. Her instincts about the character were deeply intuitive. It’s an intense role because the material is pretty heavy. And on a practical level it was very demanding because she is essentially in every scene of the movie. It’s a true character study and the character is put through an emotional rollercoaster. Christina is able to delve into deep and dark emotions very quickly and then she’s able to let go of those feelings just as quickly - at least that’s how it seemed from my perspective. That ability of hers made for a very enjoyable working experience. Even when we were dealing with some pretty depressing stuff, her professionalism and wicked sense of humour kept things fun on set. That was important because we had so many logistical challenges in making a pretty ambitious low budget movie during the height of the pandemic. The crew loved her.


You’ve described the film as an emotional fairy-tale. Can you elaborate?

I’ve always loved fairy tales. I started my first movie ‘The Lost’ with a “Once upon a time” title card to make it clear that it doesn’t take place in the real world. I was talking to Kate Dolan (‘You Are Not My Mother’) at FrightFest Glasgow and she said she considered horror movies to be our modern fairy tales and I completely agree. Fairy tales vacillate between being beautiful and horrific. The laws of normal logic don’t apply - it’s the emotional truth to the stories that’s important. That’s what I responded to when I first read the script for Monstrous - the emotional truth of the main character Laura’s journey. There’s a scene where she’s reading Billy Goat’s Gruff to her son before bedtime - and that was the feeling I wanted the whole movie to have - a bedtime story with a very clear emotional arc to it.



What were the challenges of setting a film in the 50s?

The main challenge was figuring out how to create believable 50s sets on our small budget. We spent a lot of time location scouting and found some great places to use. But then it was up to our Production Designer, Mars Feehery, to actually transform them into beautiful 50s sets. There were several points during pre-production where it seemed impossible to pull off what we needed with the money we had, but Mars worked tirelessly to make this a reality. Morgan DeGroff, our Costume Designer, made a lot of the gorgeous outfits that Christina wears by hand. And our cinematographer Senda Bonnet’s work is stunning. The whole team put in so much attention to detail. Being on set once we started shooting felt magical. It was like we were in our own little 1950s fantasy world.


What inspired your monster creation?

The monster first comes out of a pond, so the initial inspiration was water itself and also aquatic creatures - both real and imaginary. Water and liquid were important because the creature is a shape-shifter. It is able to take on different forms out of water. That gave us license to not just have one single monster look, but to create several different looks that the creature could inhabit. We also got to make a movie-within-the-movie that we see parts of on TV - a 50s creature feature in the vein of ‘Creature From the Black Lagoon’, so that movie was a definite influence as well.

You burst on the genre scene with The Lost (2006), your superb adaptation of Jack Ketchum’s crime novel. Do you intend to do any more literary adaptations?

Definitely. Over the past year or so I have adapted some really awesome twisty thrillers written by novelist Adele Parks. I don’t know when those will be made, but Adele is a great writer and I’m excited to see those stories come to life. And years ago I wrote an adaptation of a horror novel written by an author that fans of Jack Ketchum will know well. I’m still hoping that movie will see the light of day eventually, but I can’t say the title right now because certain rights issues need to be worked out again before it can move forward.


You further gained cult fandom with your Lindsay Lohan starring film I Know Who Killed Me. Why do you think that has happened, given its initial negative reception?

It was such a bizarre movie, released by a major studio during the peak of the summer movie season. I consider that one a fairy tale too. We even had Lindsay busting open a Snow White sort of glass coffin at the end of the movie to be reunited with her long lost sister - straight out of a fairy tale. The movie is filled with strange tonal shifts - there’s melodrama, humour and extreme violence - sometimes all within the same scene. I think all of the things that people hated about it when it came out are what some people embrace now. Of course there are plenty of people who still think it’s terrible, and that’s a fair opinion, but I think the fact that it’s so strange has given it a much longer life than anyone expected.


You’re known for your collaborations with Lucky McKee (All Cheerleaders Die). Any plans to work together in the future?

I imagine we will work together in some capacity sooner or later. We always read each other’s scripts and watch various cuts of each other’s movies. We have a couple scripts and stories that we’ve worked on over the years that have yet to be made - including one unfinished project that is more epic in scope than anything we’ve done before.


Is it important to you to remain an indie director?

Not really. Indie productions don’t necessarily offer more creative freedom than studio productions. They definitely can in some cases, but indies can be plagued with all the same politics and interference that studio productions are known for. Studios obviously offer more resources and a larger canvas to work on, so that’s a huge appeal. But indies still tend to be the current place where the more interesting and unexpected material is made - but that’s certainly not always the case.


Finally, what’s next?

As a director, I’m not sure what will happen next. As a writer I have plenty to keep me busy. I’ve had my hands full with writing assignments and I also have my own original scripts that I’m developing - some of which I’ve been toying with for years. It’s kind of nice when an older project that I thought was dead suddenly becomes a possibility again. That’s been happening recently, so we’ll see what the future holds!


MONSTROUS will be released in the UK on Monday 11h July, courtesy of Koch Films. It will be available via Amazon, as well as Sky Store, Virgin Movies, Apple TV / iTunes, Google Play, Rakuten TV and Xbox.

Pre-order link: https://amzn.to/3zTzscw

Interview with Layton Eversaul By David Kempf

When did you first become interested in horror movies?

I’ve loved horror from a terribly young age (probably around 6 or 7-years-old), and my parents really didn’t monitor what I watched whatsoever. Growing up in the 1990s, while even the tamest of horror movies would scare me back then I couldn’t help but want to see more. So, I guess you could say that it’s been a life-long obsession.  

What gave you the idea for your channel and getting on YouTube?

Obviously I’m not alone in making retrospective videos, and several other Youtubers definitely inspired and influenced me to start my own channel on the subject, but I’ve also loved behind the scenes documentaries ever since I was a child, which is probably the result of the very nature of VHS, because they would usually stick the bonus content in front of the movie - my parents probably had no idea I was even consuming all this. But, at the core of it, I find the personal experiences from cast and crew, as well as the studio politics aspect endlessly fascinating, and I believe that you can’t truly know the story of how a film was made without exploring these aspects.  

I love the behind the scenes information. How do you research?

My research method has definitely evolved over the years, but it always starts the same: Wikipedia. While Wikipedia is somewhat unreliable and usually ends up leaving out a whole lot of context, it’s a great place to start to help structure my video and find the “bones” of the story. As I move through the paragraphs on Wikipedia I independently research each name and subject that is mentioned through deep Google searches, sometimes finding what I’m looking for in the most obscure places (old blogs, chat boards, galleries, etc.). Once I’ve gone through the information on Wikipedia, and have weeded out any misleading or incorrect statements, I jump over to another basic but valuable resource: IMDb. There, I basically perform the same method, including using the Trivia page. Sometimes if there’s a discrepancy between the two resources, then I have to turn to a third resource (like Box Office Mojo or whatever is appropriate) to reconcile the difference. I also come across quite a bit of interesting information while researching clips and pictures to use in the video, so this always ends up adding the final touches to my script. In some cases, I’ve even had to check out a book from the library, but that’s not as common. After all of my online research is completed, I usually turn to the DVD or Blu-Ray. If there’s an audio commentary then I always listen to that first and take notes, otherwise I take notes from the behind the scenes features.

How did you develop an interest in fantasy/horror?

The earliest movies I remember watching in these genres were 1933’s “King Kong” and the original “Jaws”, but I was also into comic books and comic book movies, especially Batman and Superman, so it was likely a combination of all these early influences. However, there was also this T.V. show on Nickelodeon called “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, which was a children’s horror anthology show from Canada, and I watched that religiously every Saturday night in the early 90’s.  

Is this a full time job?

Unfortunately not; it’s primarily supplementary income right now. Many of my videos are un-monetized due to copyright claims, and even though my content falls under Fair Use, it’s often not worth it to fight the studios on the matter, although I have before and won. I also have a Patreon account where I receive monthly donations from pledged supporters, which really helps.   

Do you have any plans to make films or write fiction yourself?

Yes, definitely. I’ve been writing novels or scripts since I was twelve-years-old and don’t see that changing anytime soon. As far publishing goes, however, I haven’t worked up the courage to do that quite yet (I’m kind of a perfectionist). To no one’s surprise, I mostly enjoy writing in the horror/fantasy genre, but I have dabbled in literary fiction, as well. I’d say I’ve made more attempts at novel writing than screenwriting, but if I ever write a script worth producing I’d rather direct it myself.  

Why do you think horror and fantasy books remain so popular?

When it comes to horror, everyone likes being scared, and whether they want to admit it or not, everyone has some level of morbid curiosity - we all want a peak behind the curtain of death. Fantasy is raw escapism, like dreaming, and even liberating in some ways. The idea that you can just make up your own world, from top to bottom, and tell a meaningful story within it is far too enticing to ever fall out of popularity. I don’t think either genre, of which there are numerous blends, are going anywhere - they are born from what we are on a primal level and you can’t get rid of that. 

What inspires you?

Seeing someone else’s accomplishment and wondering if I could do it too. I think that’s the very foundation of why I became interested in the world filmmaking. It wasn’t just enough for me to see Oz, I had to meet the Wizard.   

What do you think the difference between American horror and British horror is?

American horror, in its most consumable form, is much more action-focused and bombastic in general, usually packaged as some kind of thrill ride. British horror tends to lean more heavily into atmosphere and mystery-building, an element often left undercooked in U.S. horror. To put it musically, American horror is rock n’ roll and British horror is a string quartet. 

What are your favorite horror books?

As cliched as it is, Stephen King is at the top of my list in horror fiction - I mean, how can he not be? And I’ll be covering plenty of his adaptations on my channel. That being said, Jonathan Mayberry, Dean Koontz, Victor LaValle, and even King’s son, Joe Hill, are really fun reads, as well. I also enjoy reading the classics, Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” being among my all-time favorites, along with the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe.

What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Oh boy. Just to name a few off the top of my head:

The Thing

The Howling

Let the Right One In

Interview with the Vampire

Hour of the Wolf

The Exorcist

The Exorcist III

Psycho (1960)

An American Werewolf in London

The Prowler

Evilspeak

Nosferatu (1922 and 1979)

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Halloween (most of them)

Friday the 13th (even the bad ones)

Creepshow

Deep Red

The Stuff

Killer Klowns form Outer Space

Do you have any advice for folks who want to create a YouTube channel?

First and foremost, be yourself. It sounds simple, but if you are true to yourself and you believe in your own voice, then people will want to watch. Don’t follow trends and don’t pander, and always put quality before quantity. And, lastly, don’t worry about making mistakes, that’s how you learn and grow.    

           

Do you have any advice for new writers or filmmakers?

Break the rules. 

What is your opinion of the new self-publishing trend?

It’s a fantastic way for independent authors to have their voices heard and to get a seat at the table. I have no idea how this is effecting the publishing companies, but the more writers getting their work out there the better. 

What are your current projects?

As far as videos go, I’m currently working on two: “The Story of Friday the 13th Part II” and, for a change, a martial arts movie, “The Story of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” “Friday the 13th” will probably be out before “Crouching Tiger”. I’ve got so many video ideas and yet so little time. 

As far as my writing is concerned, I’m always bouncing back and forth between a million ideas - some take flight and some don’t. Creatively, I just like to go where the wind takes me.  

Please in your own words, write a paragraph about yourself & your work. 

Layton Eversaul has been creating Youtube film reviews and analysis’s since 2014, as well as in-depth film retrospectives since 2017. While his channel mostly focuses on horror, he has covered a wide variety of cinematic genres, and hopes to provide both entertaining and educational content for those who match his eclectic movie tastes. Layton’s channel continues to evolve as he strives to make each video to a higher standard than the last, and wants his channel to be a resource for those interested in the process and history of filmmaking.

Check Out Layton's Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/c/DoctorFilmReviews/

And Layton's Facebook page is at https://www.facebook.com/LaytonReviews/