Interview with Ayvianna Snow

 

Is there a horror film that scarred you as a child?
I have always been terrified by 'The Shining.'

What is your favourite horror film, and why do you love it?
My favourite horror film is 'Little Joe', directed by Jessica Hausner. The cinematography has a Kubrickian quality; lots of long, slow pans zooming into two characters talking and then creepily continuing past the actors, focussing on the background as if the actors are only incidental to the scene. The camera is forever peering round corners, giving us the impression of eavesdropping on conversations we weren't meant to hear.

What I love about this film is that it's a slow burner; it's not all jump cuts and gory, bloody deaths; instead, Hausner manages to build a growing sense of unease. The film is disturbing and unsettling rather than flashy. There is a question over whether the lead character, Alice, can truly trust her own perceptions.

In terms of working in independent film, what are the most creative or funny things you or cast colleagues have had to do to make a scene work / be scary?
When I made 'The Lockdown Hauntings' with Howard Ford, he was acting as a one-man camera crew to comply with the Covid restrictions, which meant he had to do every job himself. I remember him having to pull a bit of string to make a door close on cue while also having to operate the camera, record the sound and say the other actor's lines! When the ghost appeared behind me briefly in one scene, he had to set the camera up, put the mask on and then play the ghost himself!

What appeals to you about working in the horror genre?
I think it is such a versatile genre. Many different topics can be explored through a horror lens. And horror has traditionally featured strong leading roles for women.

You recently narrated Orchestrator of Storms, a documentary about the life and work of Eurocult director Jean Rollin…
As an actress who works mainly in the horror genre, I am thrilled to be involved in Orchestrator of Storms, as Jean Rollin is, in many ways, the father of modern horror. His influence on horror has been so far-reaching.

What else do you have coming up?
'Video Shop Tales of Terror' is out in January 2023

Links
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayviannasnow/
Spotlight: https://www.spotlight.com/5817-5640-0092
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6757384/

COMPETITION: Win The Last Thing Mary Saw on DVD

The Last Thing Mary Saw - Released on 19th September

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

Synopsis: 

Every family has its secrets, and The Last Thing Mary Saw is a frightening secret audiences will want in on. From Edoardo Vitaletti, in his directorial debut, this gothic horror features a stand-out cast, including horror favourite Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan), Rory Culkin (Signs), Stefanie Scott (Insidious 3) and Judith Roberts (Orange Is the New Black, You Were Never Really Here), who give showstopping performances. Having premiered at the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival, this dark and enchanting Shudder Original is now set to arrive on DVD and digital on 19 September 2022 from Acorn Media International.

We begin in Southold, New York, 1843, where we meet a young Mary (Stefanie Scott) with blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, as she is interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s mysterious death.

As the story flashes back, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious and eerily claustrophobic household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), the family’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination to be dealt with as severely as possible, inflicting brutal punishments.

The couple attempts to carry on in secret, but someone is always watching or listening, and the wages of perceived sin threaten to become death, with the tension only heightened by the arrival of an enigmatic stranger (Rory Culkin) and the revelation of greater forces at work...

The Last Thing Mary Saw oozes with palpable oppression, suspense, and sin. This dark and dread-filled horror promises to sate genre fans' thirst for supernatural twists and innate terror. Audiences should get ready to witness The Last Thing Mary Saw, a painfully tense, heart-wrenching, and impossible-to-forget film.

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

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 26-09-22
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 David Kempf - By Jon Donnis

So this is lucky Number 13?

Yes, Jon, it is. Counting all the plays and the kids' books plus the novels...this is my 13th book. 

Starting with Dark Fiction all those years ago, this is my 13th book. The Wager of Sin is the sequel to Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction. It is the conclusion of the trilogy. Although it does have the character of Andrew from Travel Bug who is somewhat loosely based on my son Andrew. It also has Christopher from Dark Fiction and Damned Fiction.

And of course, Dr. Henry David Wells. 

Yes, of course. He is my most heavily used character. He is a professor, a writer, has lived an unnaturally long life, and holds many deep, dark secrets. He is a mystery that is gradually solved over the course of every book and this one is no exception I promise you. The first one (Dark Fiction) was about his Faustian deal with the Jinn. The second book (Damned Fiction) was about his competition (with his former student Sarah Nolan) to write the Devil's life story. This one continues the tale of the last story but it also concludes the trilogy. 

That is some title. 

Coming from Romans 6:23 in the Bible, "the wages of sin is death," I think it was an interesting play on words for their competition to write the Devil's life story. The story gives the full meaning of the title at the conclusion. 

Sounds like a twist. 

Yes, and I consider it the best twist ending to a novel or short story that I have ever written. 

Is the character of Satan as important in this one?

No, it is actually much more about the inner minds and souls of our competitors Dr. Wells and Sarah Nolan. The short stories featured in the novel also reflect what is going on in our world now. The relationship problems between men and women, economic uncertainty, freedom of speech, and the way horror films have deteriorated into the masked boogieman who, of course, has nothing to do with us.

Does this book feature more or less humor than Damned Fiction?

Less humor and more pure horror to speak of. It feeds off exhilaration and terror as Ray Bradbury might have said once. My last novel They Laughed at Me was very dark but filled to the brim with humor because it was about a comedian on house arrest. The horror within these pages is more about the human condition than the supernatural elements of some of my other stories. It would be like a haunted house story but one that was more concerned with haunted people than what invisible forces occupy the house itself. 

I assume there are still supernatural elements within the story.

Oh, yes, sinister forces are at work indeed. 

Do you have a favorite blurb?

"Two writers vie to tell the Devil's story. One pens the tale, the other dies horribly. The writer who dies is the lucky one."

— Gary Raisor, author of The Old Black Hat and Occupational Hazzard 

That's a good blurb.

Your blurb is also my favorite.  

"With The Wager of Sin, David completes his trilogy with a remarkable twist ending worthy of Psycho and The Twilight Zone."

— Jon Donnis, Editor Masters of Horror U.K. 

Speaking of humor. We never did an interview for your novel They Laughed at Me.

Well, that was a fun book to write. It was a novel that concentrated on humor, but is a dark sort of gallows humor. It was a story about an alcoholic comedian on house arrest. He snuck out of his apartment to do his comedy routines even when he was on house arrest. Jack Lively the main character was featured briefly in my novel Damned Fiction but They Laughed at Me is a prequel and he is in every conceivable way the center of attention here. It was very cathartic to me and I quit drinking myself around this time. And, of course, Dr. Wells has a little cameo in it as he does in almost all of my books. 

Finally getting a review from Kirkus was nice, and thank goodness it was a good one.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-kempf/they-laughed-at-me/

Tell us about Four Murder Mystery Plays and your interview with NBC Radio's House of Mystery

Well, I am a huge fan of Ira Levin's DeathTrap and Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap. It's no secret what a huge fan I am of Edgar Allan Poe so the detective character in the play is a distant relative of Dupin. Poe is, after all, the father of the modern detective story. That way I could put some gothic horror moments in the four stories, they are all different one-act plays but all feature that one character. Andre Dupin is sort of my theatrical equivalent of Dr. Henry David Wells in my novels of fiction. The amazing thing is that people who are actually in rehab have been enjoying reading these plays in group and that means a lot to me since all four stories deal with addiction in some form. The plays have received mostly positive reviews but the best I have done in play competitions is winning semi-finalists. My friend Jeffrey Oliver helped me get connected to Al Warren and David North Martino to be on their radio show NBC's House of Mystery. It was a great experience to talk about my plays as well as my favorite authors, and of course my own novels.

https://shows.acast.com/houseofmysteryradio/episodes/david-kemp-four-murder-mystery-play

A sense of accomplishment. 

Yes. In concluding the trilogy, there is a great sense of accomplishment. 

Your book covers are getting more and more amazing. Why is that?

My cousin Heather started a publishing company called Graylyn Press. She does book covers and editing. She's also a writer. She wrote a murder mystery trilogy called The Element Mysteries. They are Element of Secrecy, Element of Danger, and Element of Truth. You actually interviewed her and it is on this site. I love the cover she did for this new novel. 

What's next?

Well, I've worked with some wonderful people like you, Jon. I already mentioned my cousin Heather who is a great editor and collaborator.  My other editors have been wonderful as well—A.L.Sirois, a wonderful writer as well, Erin Potter, a great talent, and the playwright Colette Freedman who helped me write four plays I am quite pleased with. 

Ultimately, this trilogy and my other work have been the fulfillment of a dream to tell the best stories about the human condition that I could. I loved horror books and movies as a kid and when my number is up someday, I am happy to say that I did it. I told the best stories that I could. In the meantime, I will be working on a box set of my trilogy with Graylyn Press. Other than that, we will just have to see. I go wherever my imagination and my muse guide me.  

https://www.graylynpress.com

Get The Wager of Sin Kindle Edition by David Kemp at the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BCS7D1CH/

COMPETITION: Win Hellbender on DVD

Hellbender - Released on 5th September

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

Synopsis: 

FRESH, RAW and bewitching indie folk horror Hellbender will grip fans with a story that has real bite, promising one hell of a ride. As unnerving and gruesome as it is beautiful and enticing, this captivating, unsettling and hellish feature will push audiences to the brink.

16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams) lives in isolation with her mother (Zelda’s real-life mum, Toby Poser) in the quietly eerie mountains of New York State. Cut off from the outside world, Izzy is home-schooled and prohibited from leaving the house because she suffers with a rare auto-immune disease which prohibits her from being around other people. Or so she’s been told...

After befriending Amber (sister Lulu Adams), Izzy questions the reality of her disease. And, when she eats a live worm as part of a teenage game, she develops an insatiable hunger for living things...

The first taste of blood awakens Izzy’s powers, and she soon learns that she and her mother are the latest in a line of Hellbenders, a hybrid of witches, demons, and predatory animals. While Izzy’s mother is convinced that she has her powers under control, when Izzy learns of her new abilities, a dark and dangerous mother-daughter power struggle collides with a battle of bloodlust.

What ensues is an inventive and exhilarating occult coming-of-age story imbued with a uniquely female narrative. With breath-taking cinematography and astounding performances, the film is a product of the Adams Family's home-grown aesthetic and ushers something spellbinding, shocking, and refreshingly unexpected into the horror genre.

Dark, disturbing, and full of depth, Hellbender is a must-watch for all genre fans. 

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3Kr0jzI

For your chance to win just answer the question below.

Who stars as 16-year-old Izzy in Hellbender?

Send your name, address and of course the answer to competition365@outlook.com

Quick Terms and conditions - For full T&C click here
1. Closing date 12-09-22
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.

Neil Marshall leads FrightFest's New Blood panel

 

The search is over as this year’s New Blood participants have been unearthed and will be attending Arrow FrightFest for a special mentoring session in a Central London venue at the start of festival on Thursday 25th August where they will pitch their feature script ideas to a panel of industry professionals

After a record number of submissions, eight projects have been chosen to be presented to the four mentors. They come from all over the UK and amazing imagination unleashed in their script ideas.  The grateful eight and their respective projects are Hail Santa by Jonny Grant, She Knows Why!!! by Alix Austin and Keir Siewert (AK), Caravanserai by Ayad Andrews , Crave by David Yorke, This House Is Fucked by James M. Macleod, Crawl To Me by Penelope Yeulet & Ruby Abbiss, Ovipositor by Elizabeth Parikh, and Vessel by Ellena Loughrey

The successful shortlisted applicants will workshop their ideas in a group setting under the guidance of top industry professionals and genre experts. Regular mentor Queensbury Pictures’ Giles Edwards is joined this year by Neil Marshall, Emmy-nominated director of Dog Soldiers and this year’s opening film, The Lair; Aaron Koontz, producer of Pale Horse, and the Scare Package franchise, and James Moran, prolific screenwriter of Severance,  TV’s Curfew series as well as FrightFest’s very own Turn Your Bloody Phone Off campaign

Following the selection, Giles Edwards, Head of Development at Queensbury Pictures, said: "I'm thrilled with our, once again, fabulously diverse torrent of New Blood for 2022. This year's crop is as wild and wicked as ever. It proves that the creativity of the UK's undiscovered genre talent is a roaring, rampaging river of pure, palpable and delectable terror...."

New Blood is the new writer’s initiative jointly held by Arrow FrightFest with Giles Edwards of Queensbury Pictures with its mission to find emerging UK-based writers dedicated to the genre and nurture their projects from script to screen.

Arrow FrightFest 2022 runs 25th to 29th August at the Cineworld, Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema.

LEGEND reveals slate of horror and action premieres for September

Friday and Saturday nights in September on Legend are premiere-packed, headed up by the UK TV premiere of Doug Liman’s (director of The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow), deadly psychological thriller THE WALL, staring John Cena and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. There are also Channel premieres for horror-mystery THE FINAL WISH, dark comedy vampire horror THE SHED, Walter Hill’s neo-noir crime thriller THE DRIVER, starring Sam O’Neill and Bruce Dern and Sam Peckinpah’s gritty action-comedy CONVOY, starring Kristofferson and Ali McGraw. Plus, IRON EAGLE II and IRON EAGLE III are on the weekend menu, both starring Louis Gossett Jr.

And the popular strand THE VINTAGE VAULT continues, once again presenting double-bills of classic sci-fi and horror films every Sunday night. The season premieres on Sunday September 4th with BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, the celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic with Boris Karloff reprising his role as the monster. This is paired with Christy Cabanne’s frightening chiller masterpiece THE MUMMY’S HAND. Then on Sunday September 11th we have FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, featuring the original Wolfman, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster, followed by THE INVISIBLE MAN, in which Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut.

Sunday September 18th brings us pulp-horror favourite TARANTULA twinned with  REVENGE OF THE CREATURE, the sequel to Universal's fabulously successful The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Finally, on Sunday September 25th mutant octopus-rampaging favourite  IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA hits our screens, followed by the heart-pounding Alien invasion classic IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE

Plus, the immortal KNIGHT RIDER is back! The cult TV series starring the legendary David Hasselhoff receives its channel premiere on Legend.

Full film details in transmission order:

Saturday 3 September @ 21:00 – IRON EAGLE II (1988) *Channel Premiere

The United States and the Soviet Union must work together to destroy a nuclear missile. The real challenge in this mission is to get the pilots from both countries to work as a team. They are more used to fighting each other rather than alongside each other. But when Chappy and the Soviets discover that an American General may sabotage their mission and his plans may kill hundreds of innocent people, they finally unite.

Sunday 4 September @ 21:00 – BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

This celebrated sequel to the 1931 classic finds Mary Shelley's monster alive and well and forcing the good baron to create a mate. Horror film icon Boris Karloff reprises his role as Dr. Frankenstein's fabled creation and Elsa Lanchester co-stars as his monstrous lady love.

Sunday 4 September @ 22:30 – THE MUMMY’S HAND (1940)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Two broke archaeologists, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford), head to Egypt to uncover the legendary sarcophagus of Princess Ananka. Not only is the tomb cursed, it has its own guard - an eternal mummy named Kharis! When expedition members start dying at the mummy’s hand, it’ll take wits and courage to survive the undying horror uncovered under the sands.

From Monday 5 September @ 19:00 – KNIGHT RIDER, Season One (1992) *Channel Premiere

Knight Rider is a fantastic thrill-ride starring David Hasselhoff as a mysterious loner who fights crime with the aid of a super-advanced car equipped with artificial intelligence named K.I.T.T.. An invaluable tool in combatting injustice in the shadowy underworld of America, It has the ability to think and talk, often offering up hilarious witticisms that are remarkably clever considering he's a 1982 Pontiac Trans-Am. Great action! Great fun! Great car!

Saturday 10 September @ 21:00 – IRON EAGLE III (1992) *Channel

Premiere

Colonel Charles "Chappy" Sinclair teams with three retired maverick fighter jocks from England, Germany and Japan as they fly souped-up World War II airplanes to combat a ruthless German drug lord and his high tech weaponry in the lawless South American jungles.

Sunday 11 September @ 21:00 – FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Two of the silver screen's most fearsome creatures battle it out when the Wolfman (Lon Chaney reprising his role) seeking to end his curse, looks to the notorious Dr Frankenstein for a cure. However, his mission pus him on a collision course with Frankenstein’s monster, played by Bela Lugosi.

Sunday 11 September @ 22:30 – THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Claude Rains plays a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. But the same drug that renders him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Wells' classic novel and directed by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man not only fuelled a host of sequels, but also features some special effects that are still imitated today.

Friday 16 September @ 21:00 – THE WALL (2017) *UK TV Premiere

U.S. Sergeants Allen Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals, Godzilla, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Shane Matthews (WWE's John Cena) are investigating a pipeline construction site in a desert of Iraq. When he heads into open space, Matthews is shot by an Iraqi sniper, leaving Isaac to take cover and form a rescue plan behind an unsteady, crumbling wall. What unfolds is as much a battle of will and wits as it is of lethally accurate marksmanship in the toughest of conditions.

Saturday 17 September @ 21:00 – THE DRIVER (1978) *Channel Premiere

Ryan O'Neal plays a get-away driver. Bruce Dern plays the relentless detective who sets out to trap him and Isabella Adjani plays the mysterious gambler who goes along for the thrill of the game. It is a tale of confrontation between two men of iron will. Each of the characters is the best at what they do; each is committed to a lifestyle that thrives on competition. Who will come out on top?

Sunday 18 September @ 21:00 – TARANTULA (1955)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

This classic science fiction film featuring screen legend Clint Eastwood, tells the story of a scientist who, while researching the effects of a new synthetic nutrient, releases a giant spider in the American Southwest. Directed by Jack Arnold and starring John Agar, Mara Corday and Leo G. Carroll.

Sunday 18 September @ 22:35 - REVENGE OF THE CREATURE (1954)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

Two oceanographers (John Bromfield and Robert B. Williams) capture the creature and put him on display. Here the hapless Gill-Man is taught a few words of English by compassionate ichthyologists, John Agar and Lori Nelson. Eventually, however, the creature reverts to type, kills one of his captors and goes on a rampage, managing to abduct the heroine and carry her off. Intense underwater photography and practical effects make "The Revenge of the Creature" a horror classic.

Friday 23 September @ 21:00 - THE SHED (2018) *Channel Premiere

When you're the outcast, the underdog; they all think they can mess with you. But what happens when you have a vampire in your shed? The game changes and everyone becomes a target. Make a choice, who lives, who dies? Who enters THE SHED?

Saturday 24 September @ 21:00 - CONVOY (1978) *Channel Premiere

A mighty convoy of dust-raising trucks heads for a State Line in south-western America. The massive collection of vehicles of all shapes and sizes is led by 'Rubber Duck', a legendary trucker who has gathered this vast army together in protest against police corruption, federal and state laws and shady politicking.

Sunday 25 September @ 21:00 – IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1956)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

While on a routine mission, Cmdr. Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) runs into trouble when his submarine is nearly sunk by an unknown creature, which is identified as a giant octopus from the nether reaches of Mindanao Deep. The beast has been awakened by nearby nuclear testing and now, radioactive and monstrously huge, the rampaging leviathan is heading toward the North American Pacific Coast.

Sunday 25 September @ 22:35 – IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953)

*Part of The Vintage Vault

John Putnam (Richard Carlson), an amateur astronomer, is looking at the skies with his fiancée, schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush), when they see what looks like a huge meteor crash into the desert. As events unfold, various townspeople start to disappear, including Ellen, to be replaced by alien ‘duplicates’ As the townspeople become aware of the danger, the likelihood of bloodshed becomes apparent. Based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

Friday 30 September @ 22:45 – THE FINAL WISH (2018) *Channel Premiere

Be careful what you wish for because every wish comes at a price. Following the death of his father, Aaron (Michael Welch) returns to his hometown to help his devastated mother (Lin Shaye) pack up his father's belongings. Discovering one item of unknown origin, Aaron soon comes to believe his wishes are coming true but the more wishes he makes the more danger he puts those closest to him in. What will happen when Aaron makes 'The Final Wish'?

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

COMPETITION: Win Dog Soldiers on Blu-ray

Dog Soldiers Blu-ray - Released from 22nd August

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

Synopsis: 

The brand-new restored version of Neil Marshall’s wickedly wild werewolf feature Dog Soldiers gets a big screen outing at FrightFest 2022 on 28 August tickets and info here and the director is in attendance too.

 

This follows the Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray and Standard Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray single releases courtesy of Second Sight Films.

On a routine training mission in the Scottish Highlands, a small squad of British soldiers come across the bloody remains of a Special Forces team with a sole survivor. They soon discover the savage attackers are werewolves, and as the full moon rises they face a long night ahead and a fight for their lives.

Special Features:

A new restoration from the original camera negative approved by Director Neil Marshall and Cinematographer Sam McCurdy

Archive audio commentary by Director Neil Marshall

Archive audio commentary with Producers David E. Allen and Brian O’Toole

New audio commentary by writer and Associate Professor of Film Alison Peirse

Werewolves, Crawlers, Cannibals and More: a new 40-minute interview with Neil Marshall

A History of Lycanthropy: author Gavin Baddeley on Werewolf Cinema

Werewolves, Folklore and Cinema: a video essay by author Mikel J. Koven

Werewolves vs Soldiers: The Making of Dog Soldiers with Neil Marshall, Producers Christopher Figg and Keith Bell, Actors Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd, Darren Morfitt, Leslie Simpson and Emma Cleasby, Special Effects Artist Bob Keen and more!

A Cottage in the Woods: an interview with Production Designer Simon Bowles

Combat: a short film by Neil Marshall

Deleted Scenes and Gag Reel with optional commentary by Neil Marshall

Trailers and Photo Gallery

Optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3QJf2bk

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 29-08-22
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.

Arrow FrightFest 2022 returns to London this month

 

Arrow 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. With tickets starting from £15, this is one festival you don't want to miss.

Celebrating its 23rd blockbuster edition with thirty-two world, twenty-two International / European and eighteen UK premieres, the world renowned event leads the way in attesting to the versatility of the genre and this year is no exception, with seventeen countries represented, spanning five continents.

The festival opens with the World premiere of THE LAIR, an action-packed gore shocker from Neil Marshall, who calls his latest monstrous creation “The Dirty Half Dozen meets THE THING”. Neil will be attending with star Charlotte Kirk and will also introduce a special 4K restoration screening of his modern classic, DOG SOLDIERS.

The Closing night film is the European premiere of Scott Mann’s FALL. Get ready for a pulse-pounding, vertigo-inducing experience as two best friends, stranded at the top of a remote, abandoned 2000-feet high radio tower, fight for survival.

One of this year’s special guests, making a welcome return, is horror icon Dario Argento, introducing the UK premiere of his latest giallo DARK GLASSES, which compares to the extreme thrillers he pioneered in the 1970s with THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE and DEEP RED. 

SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, from Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (SYNCHRONIC, MOON KNIGHT) is a fusion of DIY science fiction, pre-apocalyptic vibes and overwhelming paranoia. The visionary dream-weavers are currently filming Loki in the UK and SciFiNow will be hosting, and running Q&A's, at the UK premiere screenings of their latest title, SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, on August 27th. 

Also attending the festival is Brea Grant, here as director of twisted rock horror TORN HEARTS and star of NIGHT SKY, Jacob Gentry’s provocative indie science fiction fantasy.

Tom Felton, star of the Harry Potter franchise as Draco Malfoy, will be appearing to present his role in the latest Ben Parker film, BURIAL, which has it's World premiere on Monday the 29th.

This year’s main screen line-up is chock-a-block with shock and awe, grindhouse style classics Ryûhei Kitamura’s sensational THE PRICE WE PAY and John Swab’s extraordinary CANDY LAND, the UK premiere of buzz title BARBARIAN, starring Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård, the World premiere of anticipated slasher sequel TERRIFIER 2, continuing the gory misadventures of Art the Clown, Dominic Brunt’s hair-raising WOLF MANOR, also a world premiere, the Sundance sensation PIGGY, Travis Steven’s Tribeca hit A WOUNDED FAWN, Cannes Film Festival opener FINAL CUT, the French remake of ONE CUT OF THE DEAD, and H4Z4RD, the turbo-charged, splatter action movie of the year.

It’s a rich year for ambitious and quirky sci-fi movies and the main screens light up with Mali Elfman’s warm-hearted science fiction epic NEXT EXIT, the sensational sci-fi horror hybrid THE VISITOR FROM THE FUTURE, Quentin Dupieux’s quirky comedy time travel fantasy INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE.

Other main screen World premieres include TERRIFIER 2, continuing the gory misadventures of Art the Clown, MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW, a twisted portmanteau threesome exploring the nightmare side of psychosexual fantasy, horror anthology sequel SCARE PACKAGE II: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE, Andy Mitton’s menacing supernatural horror, THE HARBINGER, Erik Bloomquist’s coming-of-age horror SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS, starring Cara Buono and stylish psychological chiller MASTEMAH from director Didier Daarwin, who will be attending. Also attending is THE CHAMBER director Ben Parker, for his latest thriller BURIAL. He will be bringing along the cast, including Tom Felton.

The documentary strand is as bright and bold as ever and FrightFest welcomes French cult icon Brigitte Lahaie, who will introduce the fascinating in-depth Jean Rollin documentary ORCHESTRATOR OF STORMS. The subversive and explicit is also explored in CULT OF VHS, which takes a trip down Memorex lane to nostalgically relive the allure and passion for straight to video titles and yes, those Video Nasties. Another cult favourite is Chucky, who is the subject of Kyra Gardner’s LIVING WITH CHUCKY. Kyra, daughter of FX designer Tony Gardner, explores what it was like growing up amongst this creative family of stars, eccentrics, technicians and a serial killing doll.

Blood-thirsty hounds, rampaging reptiles, a teacher-eating pupil and a gore-filled talent show…Brit horror hits a bloody sartorial vein this year with the World premiere of HOUNDED, starring Samantha Bond and Larry Lamb, Liam Regan’s EATING MISS CAMPBELL, Pat Higgins’ POWERTOOL CHEERLEADERS VS. THE BOYBAND OF THE SCREECHING DEAD and Paul W. Franklyn’s CROC! Also, there are outings for Paul Wilkins’ THE GHOST WRITER, Steve Johnson’s STALKER, and Christopher Hatton’s RAVEN’S HOLLOW.

Plus, we have the UK’s ‘First Blood’ class of 2022 – THE CREEPING, starring Sophie Thompson, Scott Lyus’s apocalyptic vision WALKING AGAINST THE RAIN, BITE a horror story of entrapment and cannibalism, Will Hugo’s THE GROUP and CEREBRUM starring Steve Oram.

The festival has a proud track-record for the depth and diversity of its Discovery Stand and this year three screens will be devoted to bringing the best new films from around the world. From Luxembourg there is the savage thriller WOLFKIN, from Mexico and Peru is the much anticipated HUESERA from director Michelle Garza Cervera and FrightFest’s first entry from Cyprus is the World premiere of paranormal thriller THE GHOSTS OF MONDAY. Other World premieres in the Discovery strand include Japan’s bold, unique fantasy NEW RELIGION from director Keishi Kondo, the subversive mockumentary EVERYBODY DIES BY THE END, and DAUGHTER, which marks the distinctive feature film debut for Corey Deshon and stars Casper Van Dien.

Plus, there are UK premieres for erotic spookfest HYPOCHONDRIAC, real-time black comedy thriller HOLY S**T!, gruesome murder mystery THE BREACH, serial killer drama THE LAST CLIENT, SUPER Z, which injects new blood into the zombie genre, FAMILY DINNER, which puts gut-punching shocks on the menu and THE ONCE AND FUTURE SMASH + END ZONE 2, Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein’s spoof documentary and END ZONE sequel in a double bill that is simply fake GRINDHOUSE heaven.

FrightFest was one of the first festivals to focus on the fresh and delightful work of Austin-based director Emily Hagins when it premiered MY SUCKY TEEN ROMANCE in 2011. Now she’s back big time with SORRY ABOUT THE DEMON, a supernatural horror comedy that is movingly funny. Having always embraced dedicated genre directors returning with new films we also welcome back Patrick Rea with his haunting domestic abuse chiller THEY WAIT IN THE DARK, Eric Pennycoff with THE LEECH, starring FrightFest favourite Graham Skipper, BUTTBOY’s Tyler Cornack with TINY CINEMA, a weird, fun and twisted look at humanity, and Alexis Bruchon with THE EYES BELOW, the second in his noir trilogy following THE WOMAN WITH LEOPARD SHOES

The monstrous and macabre line-up of films go on with a record entry of International and European premieres, which includes BITCH ASS, Bill Posley’s black exploitation horror, with Tony Todd, Tom Ryan’s award-winning frightener SPLINTER, kickass rocking gore-fest PUSSYCAKE, dark Faustian morality tale THE SUMMONED, home-invasion thriller, WHO INVITED THEM?, psychological family horror THE ONES YOU DIDN’T BURN, Spain’s EVERYONE WILL BURN, starring SEXY KILLER’s Macarena Gomez, John Ainslee’s human flesh-eating DO NOT DISTURB, new body horror SWALLOWED from Carter Smith (THE RUINS), Grégory Beghin’s survival horror DEEP FEAR, and packed shocker NIGHT OF THE BASTARD, from Erik Boccio and London May, creators of the multi-award winning BRUTAL REALITY, INC.

Plus, the live streaming age is given deadly digital treatment in Hannah Barlow’s SISSY, Joseph Winter’s DEADSTREAM and twisted social media thriller FOLLOW HER. Director Sylvia Caminer will be attending.

There are plenty of special events taking place this year – THE DEVIL’S HOUR is an upcoming six-part mind-bending thriller for Amazon Prime Video and FrightFest will be hosting a special exclusive preview with talent in attendance. The cast and crew will also be gracing the FrightFest stage for a special exclusive preview of WRECK, an upcoming comedy horror series coming soon to BBC Three. And even more talent will be on display when director Simon Sheridan reveals exclusive footage from his upcoming saucy 70s documentary series, KEEPING THE BRITISH END UP!

For the first time ever Alan Jones and national treasure Mark Kermode bring their stage show DUELLING EGOS: AN AUDIENCE WITH ALAN AND MARK to the Prince Charles Cinema, and Alan also takes the stage in his role as artistic director of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, to introduce the World premiere of CONTROL, the first Canadian sci-fi thriller to use real-time virtual production tools, and which will also play at Trieste.

Could it get any better? Well, yes, after three years THE DUKE MITCHELL FILM PARTY is back, so expect trailers, scary PSA's, delightful celluloid discoveries but most importantly: utter chaos. There’s also a welcome return of the ARROW VIDEO PODCAST with co-host Dan Martin live at FrightFest to chat to the great and the bad.

Finally, there’s an extra pre-festival treat this year…Do you know your Cronenberg from your Carpenter? Your Pinhead from your Pumpkinhead? THE EVOLUTION OF HORROR, the UK's biggest horror podcast, will be hosting a special horror pub quiz on the Wednesday night at the Phoenix club. So come join host Mike Muncer and podcast pals for the ultimate evening of horror trivia!

Festival co-director Paul McEvoy said today: “We are absolutely delighted with this year’s fantastic Arrow FrightFest line-up. This is the wildest and most diverse selection we have ever assembled. The mix includes a stunning variety of the latest must-see SF, thriller, fantasy and horror titles from around the world. With a vast array of premiere screenings, special events and incredible guests the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema will be the ONLY places for film lovers to be over the late August Bank Holiday weekend and we cannot wait to unleash our prime selections to our wonderful audience.”

Arrow FrightFest is pleased to announce two new presenting sponsors – SHUDDER and 101 FILMS. The Super screen at the Cineworld Leicester Square will be known as The Shudder Screen and the three Discovery screens will be known as 101 FILMS Discovery Screens 1, 2, & 3.

Arrow FrightFest will take place between 25th - 29th August.

For tickets and more information head to frightfest.co.uk

COMPETITION: Win Monster Limited Edition Blu-ray

Monster Limited Edition Blu-ray - Released from 15th August

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

Synopsis: 

Charlize Theron gives a tour-de-force performance as America’s first female serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), from director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), that earned her accolades galore, including the prestigious best actress Oscar® in 2004. Now almost 20 years on from its original, lauded theatrical release, the film is set for the Limited Edition treatment from Second Sight Films.

Based on true events, this darkly chilling, gripping drama will be released on Blu-ray in a stunning Limited Edition Box set, presented in a rigid slipcase, with new artwork by Daniel Benneworth-Gray.  It comes with a soft-cover book, featuring brand new essays and a host of special features; from brand new interviews to archive commentaries that take you behind the scenes and into the mind of a real-life Monster.

Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron – Mad Max Fury Road, Bomb Shell) has had it tough, but when the down-on-her-luck sex worker moves to Florida she unexpectedly finds love and is determined to get her life back on track.

Befriending Selby Wall (Christina Ricci – Buffalo ’66, Yellow Jackets), a sweet but reserved young woman, a romance soon blossoms. But things take a dark turn when a john tries to assault Aileen. She fights back and kills him and decides it’s time to give up the game.

But Aileen quickly discovers going straight isn’t that easy and is sucked back into a world of violent crime that escalates from petty theft to serial murder. As more and more men turn up dead, Selby starts to suspect the woman closest to her is responsible.

Order from Amazon at https://amzn.to/3A4xcid

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 22-08-22
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.

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