This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies. Some selections reflect a specific day or event in July, and others were chosen at random.
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s offerings feature a giant monster bug, home invaders, a zombie boy, a killer videographer, and a water spirit.
Blue Monkey (1987)
Directed by William Fruet.
As its name suggests, Pandemonium Day (July 14) is all about bedlam. And William Fruet’s Canadian tax-shelter movie Blue Monkey (a.k.a. Insect!) is as chaotic as they come. Originally called “Green Monkey” at one point, this movie’s final title is still a misnomer; there are no monkeys here. Instead, the characters battle a deadly parasite inside a quarantined hospital.
Fruet (Killer Party) delivered a gooey and...
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s offerings feature a giant monster bug, home invaders, a zombie boy, a killer videographer, and a water spirit.
Blue Monkey (1987)
Directed by William Fruet.
As its name suggests, Pandemonium Day (July 14) is all about bedlam. And William Fruet’s Canadian tax-shelter movie Blue Monkey (a.k.a. Insect!) is as chaotic as they come. Originally called “Green Monkey” at one point, this movie’s final title is still a misnomer; there are no monkeys here. Instead, the characters battle a deadly parasite inside a quarantined hospital.
Fruet (Killer Party) delivered a gooey and...
- 6/30/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
The loss of innocence is a recurring motif in horror and cinema at large. A more niche subset of that motif explores the frightening transition from childhood into adulthood through a child’s perspective. Like Pan’s Labyrinth or The Reflecting Skin, these movies feature young protagonists grappling with a grown-up world’s harsh realities through fantasy, leading to disastrous results. The […]...
- 3/4/2021
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the thirty years since he first became a cult favorite with his 1990 debut The Reflecting Skin, multifaceted English artist/director/novelist Philip Ridley has only helmed three features, and only one of those in his native England. Arrow Video resurrects and restores his 1995 sophomore oddity The Passion of Darkly Noon, which resorts to similar religious themes in the American Deep South as a timeless Biblical themed allegory ensconced in the grim fixings of a minimal fairy tale. Despite its pronounced style and impressive production design, Ridley’s second outing is hampered by the stilted performances of its two American lead actors, Ashley Judd and Brendan Fraser, in what otherwise stands as a memorable viewing experience.…...
- 3/24/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
We have a relatively quiet week of home media releases ahead of us this week, but the titles that are coming out are a rad bunch of films nonetheless. Scream Factory is doing the Dark Lord’s work with both the Collector’s Edition of April Fool’s Day and the HD release of Frankenstein: The True Story. If you missed it in theaters back in January, Nicolas Pesce’s The Grudge (2020) is headed to various platforms this Tuesday, and Arrow Video has put together a stellar Special Edition release of Philip Ridley’s The Passion of Darkly Noon as well.
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
Other Blu-ray and DVD releases for March 24th include Endless Night, Cabal, Hunter’s Moon, The Zombinator, and The Wizard: Collector’s Edition.
April Fool’s Day: Collector’s Edition
Good friends...with some time to kill. When Muffy St. John invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded...
- 3/23/2020
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Brendan Fraser and Ashley Judd in The Passion Of Darkly Noon will be available on Blu-ray March 24th From Arrow Video
If You Go Down To The Woods Tonight
Described by critic Mark Kermode as an extraordinary filmmaker and one of the UK s most imaginative talents , visionary British director Philip Ridley followed his sensational debut The Reflecting Skin with another surreal incursion into the dark heart of the ‘American dream’ in The Passion of Darkly Noon.
Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is the sole survivor of a military-style attack on an isolated religious community. Stumbling through a forest in a daze, he is rescued by the free-spirited and enigmatic Callie (Ashley Judd). Darkly finds himself feeling strange new desires for Callie as she nurses him back to health only to watch her jump into the arms of her returning mute lover Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Lost in the woods with only...
If You Go Down To The Woods Tonight
Described by critic Mark Kermode as an extraordinary filmmaker and one of the UK s most imaginative talents , visionary British director Philip Ridley followed his sensational debut The Reflecting Skin with another surreal incursion into the dark heart of the ‘American dream’ in The Passion of Darkly Noon.
Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is the sole survivor of a military-style attack on an isolated religious community. Stumbling through a forest in a daze, he is rescued by the free-spirited and enigmatic Callie (Ashley Judd). Darkly finds himself feeling strange new desires for Callie as she nurses him back to health only to watch her jump into the arms of her returning mute lover Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Lost in the woods with only...
- 3/4/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Film Movement Classics acquires Us rights to little-seen Peter Sellers directorial debut (exclusive)
All five digitally restored classics will play theatrically in 2019, 2020.
Film Movement Classics has acquired North American rights to five renowned or unusual films including Peter Seller’s little-seen directorial debut Mr. Topaze, Luchino Visconti’s final film L’innocente, and Bill Forsyth’s beloved Gregory’s Girl.
The roster includes Bruno Barreto’s erotic comedy Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands, and King Hu’s Raining In The Mountain.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg said all five films will get limited theatrical releases starting this year, followed by release on home entertainment and digital platforms.
Mr. Topaze was recently digitally...
Film Movement Classics has acquired North American rights to five renowned or unusual films including Peter Seller’s little-seen directorial debut Mr. Topaze, Luchino Visconti’s final film L’innocente, and Bill Forsyth’s beloved Gregory’s Girl.
The roster includes Bruno Barreto’s erotic comedy Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands, and King Hu’s Raining In The Mountain.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg said all five films will get limited theatrical releases starting this year, followed by release on home entertainment and digital platforms.
Mr. Topaze was recently digitally...
- 8/12/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
All five digitally restored classics will play theatrically in 2019, 2020.
Film Movement Classics has acquired North American rights to five renowned or unusual films including Peter Seller’s little-seen directorial debut Mr. Topaze, Luchino Visconti’s final film L’innocente, and Bill Forsyth’s beloved Gregory’s Girl.
The roster includes Bruno Barreto’s erotic comedy Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands, and King Hu’s Raining In The Mountain.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg said all five films will get limited theatrical releases starting this year, followed by release on home entertainment and digital platforms.
Mr. Topaze was recently digitally...
Film Movement Classics has acquired North American rights to five renowned or unusual films including Peter Seller’s little-seen directorial debut Mr. Topaze, Luchino Visconti’s final film L’innocente, and Bill Forsyth’s beloved Gregory’s Girl.
The roster includes Bruno Barreto’s erotic comedy Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands, and King Hu’s Raining In The Mountain.
Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg said all five films will get limited theatrical releases starting this year, followed by release on home entertainment and digital platforms.
Mr. Topaze was recently digitally...
- 8/12/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
August’s horror and sci-fi home media releases are kicking off with an eclectic, but fantastic bunch, led by Arrow Video’s special edition release of Alice, Sweet Alice. Raro Video is resurrecting Lucio Fulci’s Touch of Death this week, and if you happened to miss them earlier this year, both The Curse of La Llorona and Charlie Says will be hitting both formats on Tuesday.
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases arriving on August 6th include Room For Rent, The Reflecting Skin, St. Agatha, Division 19, Xenophobia, and Pentagram.
Alice, Sweet Alice: Special Edition
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole. On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over - as...
Other notable Blu-ray and DVD releases arriving on August 6th include Room For Rent, The Reflecting Skin, St. Agatha, Division 19, Xenophobia, and Pentagram.
Alice, Sweet Alice: Special Edition
A young Brooke Shields meets an untimely end in this religious-themed proto slasher par excellence from director Alfred Sole. On the day of her first communion, young Karen (Brooke Shields) is savagely murdered by an unknown assailant in a yellow rain mac and creepy translucent mask. But the nightmare is far from over - as...
- 8/5/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Film Movement Classics Acquires Seven Movies Including John Woo, Viggo Mortensen, Maggie Cheung Pics
Exclusive: U.S. arthouse buyer Film Movement has picked up North American rights to seven movies for its classics label, including John Woo’s first contemporary action film Heroes Shed No Tears (1984) and Viggo Mortensen starrer The Reflecting Skin (1990) by Philip Ridley (U.S. rights only).
Also new to the label are King Hu’s martial arts film The Fate Of Lee Khan (1973); Stanley Kwan’s Hong Kong New Wave drama Center Stage (1991), starring Maggie Cheung; biopic Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (1995) about the charismatic and influential anti-colonial writer and theorist; Véra Belmont’s baroque dramedy Marquise (1997), featuring Sophie Marceau in one of her first starring roles; and Gérard Corbiau’s Oscar-nominated lavish costume drama, Farinelli (1994).
Shed No Tears, Center Stage and The Fate Of Lee Khan were licensed from Fortune Star Media. Farinelli and Marquise came from Screenbound Pictures while The Reflecting Skin was picked up from...
Also new to the label are King Hu’s martial arts film The Fate Of Lee Khan (1973); Stanley Kwan’s Hong Kong New Wave drama Center Stage (1991), starring Maggie Cheung; biopic Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (1995) about the charismatic and influential anti-colonial writer and theorist; Véra Belmont’s baroque dramedy Marquise (1997), featuring Sophie Marceau in one of her first starring roles; and Gérard Corbiau’s Oscar-nominated lavish costume drama, Farinelli (1994).
Shed No Tears, Center Stage and The Fate Of Lee Khan were licensed from Fortune Star Media. Farinelli and Marquise came from Screenbound Pictures while The Reflecting Skin was picked up from...
- 1/16/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Editor’s Note: After a two-week vacation break, we are back with an expanded selection to catch up on what we missed! Enjoy below.
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
13th (Ava DuVernay)
Humanity gave birth to inequality. The American experience is rooted in institutionalized racial inequity. Our forefathers came to this nation either by choice or by force. Once here, this distinction coalesced into a convoluted caste system driven by notions of survival and supremacy,...
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
13th (Ava DuVernay)
Humanity gave birth to inequality. The American experience is rooted in institutionalized racial inequity. Our forefathers came to this nation either by choice or by force. Once here, this distinction coalesced into a convoluted caste system driven by notions of survival and supremacy,...
- 10/21/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
★★★☆☆ Shimmering corn fields and the blazing midday sun may not seem like natural environs for spooky supernatural horror, but Jiří Sádek's The Noonday Witch employs them to suitably disconcerting effect. With a tinge of Philip Ridley's The Reflecting Skin, it re-purposes a traditional Slavonic folktale - popularised both as a poem by Karel Erben and a symphonic ballad by Antonin Dvořák - into the conventions of modern horror. The original tale is laden with psychological potential and Sádek and his collaborators, Michal Samir and Matej Chulpacek, have channelled that into a very contemporary film steeped in dread but ultimately concerned with the twisting of grief and maternal anxiety.
- 7/9/2016
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
An effective horror story about a woman transformed in more ways than one after she undergoes facial surgery
Hats off to Austria for selecting this increasingly alarming chiller from writer/directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (respectively the partner and nephew of film-maker Ulrich Seidl, who produces) as its foreign language entry for the 88th Academy Awards. Opening with an image of Von Trapp family harmony, Goodnight Mommy finds twin boys (Lukas and Elias Schwarz, both brilliant) playing hide-and-seek in the trees and cornfields around a remote modernist house. When their mother (Susanne Wuest) returns from facial surgery, her bandaged visage hides a changed personality. How do they know it’s really her? Suspicion turns to hostility and worse; by the third act, you’ll be hiding your face in wincing terror.
Comparisons with Michael Haneke’s Funny Games and George Franju’s Eyes Without a Face seem inevitable, but...
Hats off to Austria for selecting this increasingly alarming chiller from writer/directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (respectively the partner and nephew of film-maker Ulrich Seidl, who produces) as its foreign language entry for the 88th Academy Awards. Opening with an image of Von Trapp family harmony, Goodnight Mommy finds twin boys (Lukas and Elias Schwarz, both brilliant) playing hide-and-seek in the trees and cornfields around a remote modernist house. When their mother (Susanne Wuest) returns from facial surgery, her bandaged visage hides a changed personality. How do they know it’s really her? Suspicion turns to hostility and worse; by the third act, you’ll be hiding your face in wincing terror.
Comparisons with Michael Haneke’s Funny Games and George Franju’s Eyes Without a Face seem inevitable, but...
- 3/6/2016
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
★★★☆☆ There's a scene around forty minutes into Philip Ridley's cult feature debut in which a boy sees a man fellating a petrol pump before striking a match to his gasoline-covered body. The boy, Seth (Jeremy Cooper), doesn't seem to entirely comprehend what's happening, but he is both deeply unnerved and utterly transfixed. This is fairly analogous to the experience of watching The Reflecting Skin (1990), an uncanny work of overwrought American Gothica which harvests horror from the yellow glow of Midwestern cornfields.
- 12/1/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Stars: Jeremy Cooper, Lindsay Duncan, Viggo Mortensen, Sheila Moore, Duncan Fraser, David Longworth, Robert Koons, David Bloom, Evan Hall, Codie Lucas Wilbee, Sherry Bie | Written and Directed by Philip Ridley
The beauty of loving films is that no matter how many you’ve seen, there are so many out there still to be discovered… One of these for me was The Reflecting Skin which is being released this weel on Blu-ray. It’s a true hidden gem that needs to be seen…
The Reflecting Skin is set in the American Mid-west in the 1950s and takes the viewpoint of Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper) who becomes obsessed with the fact that a widow, Dolphin Blue (Lindsay Duncan) is a vampire. When one of Seth’s friends is found dead, all eyes are on the boy’s father who has a history that puts him under suspicion and the pressure leads him to commit suicide.
The beauty of loving films is that no matter how many you’ve seen, there are so many out there still to be discovered… One of these for me was The Reflecting Skin which is being released this weel on Blu-ray. It’s a true hidden gem that needs to be seen…
The Reflecting Skin is set in the American Mid-west in the 1950s and takes the viewpoint of Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper) who becomes obsessed with the fact that a widow, Dolphin Blue (Lindsay Duncan) is a vampire. When one of Seth’s friends is found dead, all eyes are on the boy’s father who has a history that puts him under suspicion and the pressure leads him to commit suicide.
- 11/29/2015
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
Special Mention: Shock Corridor
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
Written and directed by Samuel Fuller
USA, 1963
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Shock Corridor stars Peter Breck as Johnny Barrett, an ambitious reporter who wants to expose a killer hiding out at the local insane asylum. In order to solve the case, he must pretend to be insane so they have him committed. Once in the asylum, Barrett sets to work, interrogating the other patients and keeping a close eye on the staff. But it’s difficult to remain a sane man living in an insane place, and the closer Barrett gets to the truth, the closer he gets to insanity.
Shock Corridor is best described as an anti-establishment drama that at times is surprisingly quite funny despite the dark material. The film deals with some timely issues of the era, specifically the atom bomb, anti-communism, and racism. It features everything from a raving female love-crazed nympho ward,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
The August bank holiday weekend in London is always cause for celebration for horror fans as the FrightFest horror and genre film festival rolls into the city’s Leicester Square for four days of blood-spattered cinematic mayhem. This year saw the arrival of horror icon and star of Re-Animator and You’re Next, Barbara Crampton, as the Guest of Honour who starred in no less than five of the entries this year including festival favourite We Are Still Here. As always with film festivals it was a real mixed bag, with very few scares but a lot of laughs (some intentional, other not so much) as the filmmakers, many of them horror fans themselves, had a lot of fun playing with the tropes and clichés of the genre while others tried to put fresh new spins on some well-worn material. Here are a few of the highlights:
We Are Still Here...
We Are Still Here...
- 9/4/2015
- by Liam Dunn
- SoundOnSight
It’s always good news to see great films getting the Blu-ray treatment and we’re happy announce today that Philip Ridley’s 1990 film The Reflecting Skin is coming to Steelbook Blu-ray, exclusively from Zavvi, on the 30th of November from Soda Pictures. Newly restored in a high-definition transfer from original elements and packed full of new
The post The Reflecting Skin Comes to Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-Ray) Exclusive to Zavvi appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post The Reflecting Skin Comes to Limited Edition Steelbook (Blu-Ray) Exclusive to Zavvi appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 8/22/2015
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The Reflecting Skin
Directed by Philip Ridley
Written by Philip Ridley
1990, USA
The Reflecting Skin is not your average vampire movie. I’m not even sure if it is a vampire movie, nor am I sure the movie knows what it wants to be. Although, most people easily label it a psychological horror film, The Reflecting Skin is not a film that is easily pigeonholed. It appears to be a film about the trauma of growing up and more importantly, growing up with a dysfunctional family that is haunted by their past. And it’s all told in a series of twisted events.
This independent feature was the directorial debut of Philip Ridley, a British painter-illustrator-novelist who had supplied the script to Peter Medek’s mesmerizing 1990 gangster film The Krays. The Reflecting Skin was celebrated as one of the unique films of its year and received a good deal of favorable reviews.
Directed by Philip Ridley
Written by Philip Ridley
1990, USA
The Reflecting Skin is not your average vampire movie. I’m not even sure if it is a vampire movie, nor am I sure the movie knows what it wants to be. Although, most people easily label it a psychological horror film, The Reflecting Skin is not a film that is easily pigeonholed. It appears to be a film about the trauma of growing up and more importantly, growing up with a dysfunctional family that is haunted by their past. And it’s all told in a series of twisted events.
This independent feature was the directorial debut of Philip Ridley, a British painter-illustrator-novelist who had supplied the script to Peter Medek’s mesmerizing 1990 gangster film The Krays. The Reflecting Skin was celebrated as one of the unique films of its year and received a good deal of favorable reviews.
- 7/25/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Seeing The Reflecting Skin for the first time, the 1990 film by Philip Ridley, starring Viggo Mortensen and Lindsay Duncan, one can't help but wonder how the hell the thing ever got made. I'd previously never even heard of the flick, surely a testament to my lack of knowledge about late century UK/Canadian co-productions. The film would have come out when I was in High School, but it's hard to see that in the year of Home Alone, Dances With Wolves and Total Recall this being the work I'd seek out. Yet with that context the films it most closely echoes are those from only a few years earlier - the sundrenched fields of Days of Heaven providing a more rural backdrop for the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/22/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Considered the world’s largest genre film festival and running over three weeks long, Fantasia is celebrating its 19th edition this year and the lineup is pretty incredible. This year’s fest runs July 14 through August 4 and will see over 130 feature films including more than 20 world premieres. Legendary filmmaker Sion Sono is delivering three new movies with Tag, Love & Peace, and Shinjuku Swan, meanwhile Tales of Halloween and A Christmas Horror Story are bringing horror anthologies back to the big screen. In addition, the festival will offer up the Montreal premiere of Marvel’s highly anticipated Ant-Man, the world premiere of Israeli horror flick Jeruzalem, the world premiere of Assassination Classroom and the first Canadian screening of the Canadian/Kiwi festival hit Turbo Kid. The festival is rounded out with screenings of Big Match, Crumbs, Deathgasm, The Demolisher, Experimenter, Cooties, We Are Still Here, The Editor, Cub, He Never Died,...
- 7/13/2015
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Montreal’s genre film festival to showcase 135 features and almost 300 shorts across its three-week run from July 14-Aug 4.Scroll down for line-up
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up for its upcoming 19th edition which kicks off next Tuesday [July 14].
Over its three-week run, the Montreal-based genre film festival will showcase 135 features, including 22 world, 13 international premieres and 21 North American premieres, and almost 300 short films.
Shinji Higuchi’s Attack on Titan will receive its Canadian premiere as the closing film of this year’s edition on Aug 4. The live-action film is based on Hajime Isyama’s steampunk fantasy war opera manga series.
Additional highlights of the final wave of titles include the world premieres of Malik Bader’s thriller Cash Only and Ken Ochiai’s Ninja the Monster, as well as the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s horror comedy Cooties starring Elijah Wood.
A trio of Sion Sono films will also be shown at this...
Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up for its upcoming 19th edition which kicks off next Tuesday [July 14].
Over its three-week run, the Montreal-based genre film festival will showcase 135 features, including 22 world, 13 international premieres and 21 North American premieres, and almost 300 short films.
Shinji Higuchi’s Attack on Titan will receive its Canadian premiere as the closing film of this year’s edition on Aug 4. The live-action film is based on Hajime Isyama’s steampunk fantasy war opera manga series.
Additional highlights of the final wave of titles include the world premieres of Malik Bader’s thriller Cash Only and Ken Ochiai’s Ninja the Monster, as well as the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s horror comedy Cooties starring Elijah Wood.
A trio of Sion Sono films will also be shown at this...
- 7/7/2015
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
The 19th Annual Fantasia Film Festival is only a week away, beginning July 14 and running through August 4. And as promised for today, they’ve revealed their full line-up of films screening at 2015’s festival in Montreal.
This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.
See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.
****
Fantasia 2015:
36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films
- Including 22 World Premieres,...
This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.
See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.
****
Fantasia 2015:
36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films
- Including 22 World Premieres,...
- 7/7/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Philip Ridley’s 1990 horror featured Viggo Mortensen in one of his first starring roles.
Soda Pictures has acquired UK & Irish home video rights to Philip Ridley’s 1990 cult classic The Reflecting Skin, featuring Viggo Mortensen in one of his first starring roles and Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan.
The UK/Canada co-production, which has never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray in the UK before, will be released by the Anglo-Canadian distributor in a special edition later this year.
This release will be the worldwide video premiere of a new, director-approved high-definition transfer. Exclusive bonus material is currently in production, including newly-filmed interviews with Ridley and Mortensen.
Further details, including release dates, will be announced in the lead-up to the restoration’s UK premiere at Film4 Frightfest in August, which was announced yesterday.
The Reflecting Skin played at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival and went on to win 11 international awards.
Set in the Idaho farmlands of the 1950s, the film...
Soda Pictures has acquired UK & Irish home video rights to Philip Ridley’s 1990 cult classic The Reflecting Skin, featuring Viggo Mortensen in one of his first starring roles and Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan.
The UK/Canada co-production, which has never been released on DVD or Blu-Ray in the UK before, will be released by the Anglo-Canadian distributor in a special edition later this year.
This release will be the worldwide video premiere of a new, director-approved high-definition transfer. Exclusive bonus material is currently in production, including newly-filmed interviews with Ridley and Mortensen.
Further details, including release dates, will be announced in the lead-up to the restoration’s UK premiere at Film4 Frightfest in August, which was announced yesterday.
The Reflecting Skin played at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival and went on to win 11 international awards.
Set in the Idaho farmlands of the 1950s, the film...
- 7/3/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
After the announcement of the Fightfest’s opening and closing films a week ago, the UK’s premiere horror festival has announced its complete line-up… And they’re not making it easy for us to bring you reviews of the majority of the films screening this year!
Yes, not only is Frightfest taking over the Vue cinema on Leicester Square again this year but they’re also taking over an extra screen, Screen 1, at the old home of Frightfest, The Prince Charles Cinema – which will be the location of Another “Discovery” screen strand.
From the press release:
Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen...
Yes, not only is Frightfest taking over the Vue cinema on Leicester Square again this year but they’re also taking over an extra screen, Screen 1, at the old home of Frightfest, The Prince Charles Cinema – which will be the location of Another “Discovery” screen strand.
From the press release:
Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen...
- 7/2/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
The 16th edition of genre film festival unveils full line-up.
Film4 FrightFest will mark its 16th edition with its largest line-up ever, showcasing 76 films across five screens at the Vue West End in Leicester Square from Aug 27-31.
This year’s line-up features 20 world premieres, a record-breaking 16 European premieres and 26 UK premieres, with 18 countries represented. In addition, there will be a further ‘Discovery’ strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, marking a return to the festival’s original home.
As previously announced, the European premieres of Cherry Tree and Tales of Halloween will bookend this year’s edition.
World premieres at this year’s FrightFest include Paul Hyett’s creature feature Howl, anthology A Christmas Horror Story, Steve Oram’s comedy Aaaaaaaah! and Liam Regan’s revenge thriller Banjo, while European premieres include Ben Cresciman’s Sun Choke, Paz Brothers’ Jeruzalem and Adam Mason’s Hangman.
Bernard Rose’s Frankenstein, Ted Geoghegan’s haunted house throwback We Are Still Here, [link...
Film4 FrightFest will mark its 16th edition with its largest line-up ever, showcasing 76 films across five screens at the Vue West End in Leicester Square from Aug 27-31.
This year’s line-up features 20 world premieres, a record-breaking 16 European premieres and 26 UK premieres, with 18 countries represented. In addition, there will be a further ‘Discovery’ strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, marking a return to the festival’s original home.
As previously announced, the European premieres of Cherry Tree and Tales of Halloween will bookend this year’s edition.
World premieres at this year’s FrightFest include Paul Hyett’s creature feature Howl, anthology A Christmas Horror Story, Steve Oram’s comedy Aaaaaaaah! and Liam Regan’s revenge thriller Banjo, while European premieres include Ben Cresciman’s Sun Choke, Paz Brothers’ Jeruzalem and Adam Mason’s Hangman.
Bernard Rose’s Frankenstein, Ted Geoghegan’s haunted house throwback We Are Still Here, [link...
- 7/2/2015
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Shadow people, sharp-fanged co-workers, and insistent sinister spirits will just be a few of the monsters haunting the theaters at this year's Film4 FrightFest. The full lineup for the upcoming event is packed with 76 films aimed to unforgettably frighten audiences.
Press Release: "Film news (UK): Film4 FrightFest serves up a fearsome feast with a record 76 films, embracing 20 world and 42 UK & European premieres
Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen countries representing five continents with a record-breaking sixteen European premieres and twenty-six UK premieres. In addition, there is a further ‘Discovery’ strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, signalling a welcome return to FrightFest’s spiritual home.
Press Release: "Film news (UK): Film4 FrightFest serves up a fearsome feast with a record 76 films, embracing 20 world and 42 UK & European premieres
Bigger, bolder, bloodier…Film4 FrightFest 2015 marks its 16th year with its largest line-up ever. From Thurs 27 August to Mon 31 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will return to the Vue West End, Leicester Square to present seventy-six films across five screens, plus a host of special events. There are eighteen countries representing five continents with a record-breaking sixteen European premieres and twenty-six UK premieres. In addition, there is a further ‘Discovery’ strand at The Prince Charles Cinema, signalling a welcome return to FrightFest’s spiritual home.
- 7/2/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Your daily movie bulletin bringing you the lowdown on 30 August
News today
Happy Friday! Let's celebrate the end of the week with the news that Uwe Boll ("the worst director alive", (c) The Village Voice) has taken to Kickstarter for his new film, Postal 2.
The fabulously larger-than-life director - the man behind video game-to-film transplant House of the Dead and the under-rated Blubberella ("An action comedy centered on an overweight woman whose footsteps cause explosions" - IMDb) - has taken to crowd-funding in his typically brash style. Postal 2 will have a bodycount that's "higher as Hiroshima and Dancing with the Stars combined". And where will donors money go? "The money goes all for cocaine for the stars down the nose." Godspeed Uwe! If Spike Lee can do it, why can't you?
Today's other news ...
- James Spader will play the villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, while Justin Timberlake has...
News today
Happy Friday! Let's celebrate the end of the week with the news that Uwe Boll ("the worst director alive", (c) The Village Voice) has taken to Kickstarter for his new film, Postal 2.
The fabulously larger-than-life director - the man behind video game-to-film transplant House of the Dead and the under-rated Blubberella ("An action comedy centered on an overweight woman whose footsteps cause explosions" - IMDb) - has taken to crowd-funding in his typically brash style. Postal 2 will have a bodycount that's "higher as Hiroshima and Dancing with the Stars combined". And where will donors money go? "The money goes all for cocaine for the stars down the nose." Godspeed Uwe! If Spike Lee can do it, why can't you?
Today's other news ...
- James Spader will play the villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron, while Justin Timberlake has...
- 8/30/2013
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Philip Ridley's fairytale for the disenfranchised is a gothic masterpiece with a dreamlike quality and a nightmarish narrative
• More from the Why I Love ... series
Why we love … the confident evil of Tony Montana … the first five minutes of Dead or Alive … the supporting cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
There are many reasons to love Philip Ridley's stunningly beautiful film The Reflecting Skin, a gothic masterpiece that is often strangely overlooked.
Seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper), the film is populated by the damaged denizens of a small town in rural Idaho. As it opens, Seth's family is on the brink of collapse, his mother slipping into religious insanity, his father deeply depressed by some dark secret. His elder brother, Cameron, played by a young Viggo Mortensen, has returned from military service traumatised and suffering from a mysterious physical affliction. Cameron...
• More from the Why I Love ... series
Why we love … the confident evil of Tony Montana … the first five minutes of Dead or Alive … the supporting cast of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
There are many reasons to love Philip Ridley's stunningly beautiful film The Reflecting Skin, a gothic masterpiece that is often strangely overlooked.
Seen through the eyes of 10-year-old Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper), the film is populated by the damaged denizens of a small town in rural Idaho. As it opens, Seth's family is on the brink of collapse, his mother slipping into religious insanity, his father deeply depressed by some dark secret. His elder brother, Cameron, played by a young Viggo Mortensen, has returned from military service traumatised and suffering from a mysterious physical affliction. Cameron...
- 8/30/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Philip Ridley is a renaissance man: he is an artist, photographer, novelist, children's author, playwright, and a filmmaker. His work, especially in theatre, has caused some controversy and even at times been banned. He's only made three films in 22 years; his first film, The Reflecting Skin, gave Viggo Mortensen one of his first starring roles; The Passion of Darkly Noon featured Brenden Fraser is his creepiest role; and Heartless made a successful festival tour a couple of years ago. Ridley's work is raw, passionate, strange, and at least one of the films features exploding frogs. The first two films are hard to find, which is why it's great news for Londoners that Savage Cinema is screening them and that Ridley himself will be in...
- 9/15/2012
- Screen Anarchy
You won't find an actor more respectful of the craft and his colleagues than Viggo Mortensen. The gifted actor, poet, painter, musician and photographer made his acting debut in 1985's Witness and has made an impression in films of wildly varying budgets and scopes, including Carlito's Way, G.I. Jane, The Reflecting Skin, Vanishing Point and, of course, as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. After that role made him a familiar face well beyond Middle Earth, Mortensen has had acclaimed roles in two David Cronenberg fims—A History of Violence and Eastern Promises—and most recently starred in the film adaptation of the post-apocalyptic drama The Road. We caught up with Mortensen during his one night off a week starring in the play Purgatorio in Madrid, Spain and chatted...
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- 11/23/2011
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
You won't find an actor more respectful of the craft and his colleagues than Viggo Mortensen. The gifted actor, poet, painter, musician and photographer made his acting debut in 1985's Witness and has made an impression in films of wildly varying budgets and scopes, including Carlito's Way, G.I. Jane, The Reflecting Skin, Vanishing Point and, of course, as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. After that role made him a familiar face well beyond Middle Earth, Mortensen has had acclaimed roles in two David Cronenberg fims—A History of Violence and Eastern Promises—and most recently starred in the film adaptation of the post-apocalyptic drama The Road. We caught up with Mortensen during his one night off a week starring in the play Purgatorio in Madrid...
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- 11/22/2011
- by Robert B. DeSalvo
- Movies.com
Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of 5): ****
Philip Ridley is back to theatrical movie-making after nearly fifteen years. In Heartless, he's come up with something so strange and frightening, marvelous and moving, apocalyptic and chilling -- and perhaps undecipherable (but you probably won't mind) -- that all I can say is: See it. (I’ve just seen it for a second time, and, yes, it’s still undecipherable, though I may be getting closer.) The man who made the cult movie The Reflecting Skin (sadly not on DVD) and who wrote The Krays (also not on DVD) is an artist, and I don't think that it's so much that he won't compromise his vision, as it is that he can't. Just as well, too -- when one’s visions are this original.
Rating (out of 5): ****
Philip Ridley is back to theatrical movie-making after nearly fifteen years. In Heartless, he's come up with something so strange and frightening, marvelous and moving, apocalyptic and chilling -- and perhaps undecipherable (but you probably won't mind) -- that all I can say is: See it. (I’ve just seen it for a second time, and, yes, it’s still undecipherable, though I may be getting closer.) The man who made the cult movie The Reflecting Skin (sadly not on DVD) and who wrote The Krays (also not on DVD) is an artist, and I don't think that it's so much that he won't compromise his vision, as it is that he can't. Just as well, too -- when one’s visions are this original.
- 4/18/2011
- by underdog
- GreenCine
We live in a golden age for cinematic beasties. Vampires and zombies have been so ubiquitous in pop culture lately that they threaten to outnumber the living. Demons haven’t fared as well, though a handful of souls are willing to give the devil his due. First, Guillermo del Toro brought Hellboy to the big screen. Now, after a long hiatus, novelist and filmmaker Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin) returns to directing with Heartless, a moody, portentous tale of demons running amok on the streets of London. Across The Universe heartthrob Jim Sturgess stars as a melancholy young shutterbug with ...
- 11/18/2010
- avclub.com
Directed by Philip Ridley
Starring Jim Sturgess, Clemence Poesy, Noel Clarke, Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan, Luke Treadaway, Timothy Spall
It’s been 14 years since the cult UK director Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin, The Passion of Darkly Noon) has made a film. Heartless marks the director’s triumphant return to the screen and fortifies his status as being one of the most visionary directors of our time. Recently winning the Best Independent Film Award at the Toronto After Dark Festival, Heartless is a captivating tale of the darker side of life. A film that takes us places instead of a film that keeps us in our seats. A film that forces us to think and that makes us want to re-watch it immediately after it’s over.
The film follows Jamie Morgan (Sturgess), born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London.
Starring Jim Sturgess, Clemence Poesy, Noel Clarke, Joseph Mawle, Eddie Marsan, Luke Treadaway, Timothy Spall
It’s been 14 years since the cult UK director Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin, The Passion of Darkly Noon) has made a film. Heartless marks the director’s triumphant return to the screen and fortifies his status as being one of the most visionary directors of our time. Recently winning the Best Independent Film Award at the Toronto After Dark Festival, Heartless is a captivating tale of the darker side of life. A film that takes us places instead of a film that keeps us in our seats. A film that forces us to think and that makes us want to re-watch it immediately after it’s over.
The film follows Jamie Morgan (Sturgess), born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London.
- 11/12/2010
- by Andre Dumas
- Planet Fury
Those lucky sods who live across the pond have already experienced the psychological joy that is Philip Ridley’s “Heartless”. From what I understand, it’s one of the better horror flicks to come out of the UK in quite some time. Of course, that’s what everyone says when a snazzy genre picture gets any sort of critical praise, so who knows if they’re telling the truth or not. Fortunately for those of us living in the United States, “Heartless” is coming to a theater near you beginning November 19th. Granted, you may have to drive several miles out of your way to catch it, but that’s a small price to pay to see the latest creation from the mastermind behind “The Reflecting Skin”. For the uninitiated, a handy synopsis: Jamie Morgan was born with a disfiguring birthmark across his face, which leaves him an outcast in rough East London.
- 10/30/2010
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Writer / director Philip Ridley doesn't make all that many films, but considering his work on titles like The Krays and The Reflecting Skin, he's a name that should certainly stand out when you're perusing the film festival guides. Mr. Ridley's latest is called Heartless, and if his name in the credits hadn't been enough to pique my interest, then the film's strange premise and its rather excellent British cast certainly would have. Perhaps best described as a vigilante thriller / melodrama with a colorful dash of the occult, Heartless tells the tale of a "marked" man called Jamie Morgan. (Marked as in he has a rather large and noticeable birthmark across most of his face.) Jamie's family is...
- 10/22/2010
- FEARnet
IFC Midnight, the new genre label of IFC Films, has announced its first partnership with Fantastic Fest! Four brand new IFC Midnight acquisitions will screen at Fantastic Fest (Sept 23-30) and will simultaneously be available nationwide via the movies-on-demand platform of major national cable systems, including Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable and Bright House, and will be available in approximately 40 million homes. The films include: Philip Ridley’s demonic thriller Heartless (making its Us debut); Abel Ferry’s mountain climbing nightmare High Lane (making its Us debut); Josh Reed’s Ozploitation horror flick Primal (making its Us debut); and Simon Rumley’s hard-core Red White & Blue.
IFC Midnight will also make three acclaimed films from Fantastic Fest 2009 available on demand as part of this initiative including: Tom Six’s The Human Centipede, Kim Ji-Woon’s The Good The Bad The Weird, and Jake West’s Doghouse. Primal...
IFC Midnight will also make three acclaimed films from Fantastic Fest 2009 available on demand as part of this initiative including: Tom Six’s The Human Centipede, Kim Ji-Woon’s The Good The Bad The Weird, and Jake West’s Doghouse. Primal...
- 9/15/2010
- by George Bragdon
- OriginalAlamo.com
Two of the biggest names within the world of film distribution and film festivals are set to team up for what appears to be another step in the ever growing popularity of video on demand and film festival partnerships.
Following experiments like YouTube’s attempt at bringing in new viewers by streaming a collection of Sundance films, IFC and their genre label, Midnight, are set to team up with Fantastic Fest, to release four films, premiering at the festival, on their on demand channel.
The Philip Ridley film, Heartless will join High Lane (Abel Ferry), Primal (Josh Reed) and Red White & Blue (Simon Rumley) as the four feature films that premiere day and date at both the Austin, Texas based festival, as well as the IFC Midnight on demand channel.
Midnight has played home to films like The Human Centipede and Doghouse, as well as upcoming releases like Enter The Void...
Following experiments like YouTube’s attempt at bringing in new viewers by streaming a collection of Sundance films, IFC and their genre label, Midnight, are set to team up with Fantastic Fest, to release four films, premiering at the festival, on their on demand channel.
The Philip Ridley film, Heartless will join High Lane (Abel Ferry), Primal (Josh Reed) and Red White & Blue (Simon Rumley) as the four feature films that premiere day and date at both the Austin, Texas based festival, as well as the IFC Midnight on demand channel.
Midnight has played home to films like The Human Centipede and Doghouse, as well as upcoming releases like Enter The Void...
- 9/15/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
[Our sincere thanks to the Fantasia Festival and Kier-La Janisse for offering up some of the excellent, exclusive materials from the festival blog for wider consumption here at Twitch.]
Fantasia is extremely proud to be hosting the North American premiere of Philip Ridley's Heartless, his first return to the big screen since The Passion of Darkly Noon in 1996. Genre fans know Ridley primarily for The Reflecting Skin - an unsettling and unconventional horror film that was universally praised as one of the best films of the 1990s - and with Heartless, he returns to the folklore-infused psychological terrain of The Reflecting Skin, and the murky physical terrain of The Krays, which he wrote in 1990. He was kind enough to offer his thoughts on some of the recurring themes in his work.
You've been hailed as a cinematic visionary by countless film critics and yet film is a medium you turn to infrequently. Why is that?
Well, the kind of films I've been interested in making are not very easy to get off the ground. They don't fit into a neat box or category.
Fantasia is extremely proud to be hosting the North American premiere of Philip Ridley's Heartless, his first return to the big screen since The Passion of Darkly Noon in 1996. Genre fans know Ridley primarily for The Reflecting Skin - an unsettling and unconventional horror film that was universally praised as one of the best films of the 1990s - and with Heartless, he returns to the folklore-infused psychological terrain of The Reflecting Skin, and the murky physical terrain of The Krays, which he wrote in 1990. He was kind enough to offer his thoughts on some of the recurring themes in his work.
You've been hailed as a cinematic visionary by countless film critics and yet film is a medium you turn to infrequently. Why is that?
Well, the kind of films I've been interested in making are not very easy to get off the ground. They don't fit into a neat box or category.
- 7/18/2010
- Screen Anarchy
It’s been five days since we last checked in, and despite watching movies every day, there’s been little to report. Maybe it’s just the exhaustion talking, but this thought just keeps pounding through my Fantasia addled brain - “Where are all the good horror movies at this year?” It’s not like it’s a problem with the festival programming. Fantasia has an impenetrable track record of picking nothing but the best, most innovative, and most extreme horror so what’s going on?
Part of the issue is the popularity of certain titles. For example, we still haven’t seen Rubber due to its constant sell-out status. Other films, like The Revenant (which everyone seems to love), we’ve missed due to Fantasia-fatigue brought on by too many three-movie days followed up by all-night discussions (and uh, beer). Other whole categories seem to have dried up. Compared to years past,...
Part of the issue is the popularity of certain titles. For example, we still haven’t seen Rubber due to its constant sell-out status. Other films, like The Revenant (which everyone seems to love), we’ve missed due to Fantasia-fatigue brought on by too many three-movie days followed up by all-night discussions (and uh, beer). Other whole categories seem to have dried up. Compared to years past,...
- 7/16/2010
- by EvilAndy
- DreadCentral.com
[Philip Ridley's Heartless is screening atFantasia today, and thus we should all revisit Eight Rook's take on the film from Sitges.]
Love is trite, pedantically speaking. The idea we profit from performing simple acts of kindness for the benefit of our fellow human beings has been worn down and dulled through over-use. People flock to torture porn, visions of the apocalypse and similar examples of genre voyeurism which have been done to death in turn. Even the conservative fantasy of the decline and fall of Western civilisation is a tired, empty stereotype.
The first feature in fourteen years from cult director Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin, The Passion of Darkly Noon), Heartless is a story about learning to love and accept love; a hallucinatory fantasy; a study in pain and terror, both physical and mental; a violently explicit horror movie and a stark warning modern society is on the verge of collapsing in on itself. That it manages to take so many potentially disastrous clichés and mash them together into what...
Love is trite, pedantically speaking. The idea we profit from performing simple acts of kindness for the benefit of our fellow human beings has been worn down and dulled through over-use. People flock to torture porn, visions of the apocalypse and similar examples of genre voyeurism which have been done to death in turn. Even the conservative fantasy of the decline and fall of Western civilisation is a tired, empty stereotype.
The first feature in fourteen years from cult director Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin, The Passion of Darkly Noon), Heartless is a story about learning to love and accept love; a hallucinatory fantasy; a study in pain and terror, both physical and mental; a violently explicit horror movie and a stark warning modern society is on the verge of collapsing in on itself. That it manages to take so many potentially disastrous clichés and mash them together into what...
- 7/14/2010
- Screen Anarchy
One film that's been kicking around for a while now will soon be gracing the big screens at the Fantasia Film Festival 2010 and we've got two one-sheets for it that are absolutely Heartless!
Fantasia Description
"Philip Ridley, iconoclastic director of The Reflecting Skin, is back with his first film in 14 years, a Satanic odyssey whose tones settle somewhere between the haunted universes of Clive Barker and David Lynch, filtered through the horrific truths that have spiked every work in his filmography. Young hobbyist photographer Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess) needs nobody to tell him that life is cruel. Born disfigured with a heart-shaped birthmark pulling across one side of his face, Jamie is regularly taunted and has lived a life of loneliness, long trying to make sense of the day-to-day brutalities he observes. Poverty is everywhere and the current news story in his East End London neighbourhood involves a pack of hooded youths randomly attacking strangers,...
Fantasia Description
"Philip Ridley, iconoclastic director of The Reflecting Skin, is back with his first film in 14 years, a Satanic odyssey whose tones settle somewhere between the haunted universes of Clive Barker and David Lynch, filtered through the horrific truths that have spiked every work in his filmography. Young hobbyist photographer Jamie Morgan (Jim Sturgess) needs nobody to tell him that life is cruel. Born disfigured with a heart-shaped birthmark pulling across one side of his face, Jamie is regularly taunted and has lived a life of loneliness, long trying to make sense of the day-to-day brutalities he observes. Poverty is everywhere and the current news story in his East End London neighbourhood involves a pack of hooded youths randomly attacking strangers,...
- 7/7/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Fantasia 2010 Poster
The Fantasia Film Festival is hosted throughout Quebec each year and the event is in to its 14th showing. This year the festival gets under way July 8th and a slew of darker, horror fare will be highlighting this creative extravaganza. Included in this year's film line-up are Black Death, The Devils, Heartless, The Last Exorcism, Possessed, The Shrine, A Serbian Film, The Life and Death of Porno Gang, Tears for Sale, Technotise and several more under the categories "New Blood" and "Between Death and the Devil." A short synopsis for each of these films is provided below, with more info' on the films to be launched at the Fantasia homepage shortly
The synopsis for Black Death here:
"With the Black Death sweeping across England, a witch-hunting knight (Sean Bean) leads a pack of mercenaries across the country in search of a village that has somehow been spared the plague,...
The Fantasia Film Festival is hosted throughout Quebec each year and the event is in to its 14th showing. This year the festival gets under way July 8th and a slew of darker, horror fare will be highlighting this creative extravaganza. Included in this year's film line-up are Black Death, The Devils, Heartless, The Last Exorcism, Possessed, The Shrine, A Serbian Film, The Life and Death of Porno Gang, Tears for Sale, Technotise and several more under the categories "New Blood" and "Between Death and the Devil." A short synopsis for each of these films is provided below, with more info' on the films to be launched at the Fantasia homepage shortly
The synopsis for Black Death here:
"With the Black Death sweeping across England, a witch-hunting knight (Sean Bean) leads a pack of mercenaries across the country in search of a village that has somehow been spared the plague,...
- 6/29/2010
- by 28DaysLaterAnalysis@gmail.com (Michael Ross Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Several press releases went out today featuring some huge news coming out of Canada's Fantasia Film Festival including the first batch of films that will be populating this massive three-week long event. Pull up your chair, kids! You're gonna be here for a while!
Dig on the wealth of information below from today's releases and look for more announcements and of course full coverage soon!
Spotlight: Between Death And The Devil
Recent times and crimes have seen extraordinary levels of disillusionment with organized religion, particularly with the Catholic Church, and genre cinema has mirrored this anger with startling impact. In the face of this, we’ve put together this troubling spotlight focused on the abuse of faith, the horrors of ideology and the corruption of Godliness. Several of these films will absolutely stagger you.
Black Death (UK) Dir: Christopher Smith – North American premiere. Hosted by Director Christopher Smith
With the Black Death sweeping across England,...
Dig on the wealth of information below from today's releases and look for more announcements and of course full coverage soon!
Spotlight: Between Death And The Devil
Recent times and crimes have seen extraordinary levels of disillusionment with organized religion, particularly with the Catholic Church, and genre cinema has mirrored this anger with startling impact. In the face of this, we’ve put together this troubling spotlight focused on the abuse of faith, the horrors of ideology and the corruption of Godliness. Several of these films will absolutely stagger you.
Black Death (UK) Dir: Christopher Smith – North American premiere. Hosted by Director Christopher Smith
With the Black Death sweeping across England,...
- 6/29/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Death and religion have long been a staple of genre film and Fantasia 2010 is proud to present an entire program devoted to exactly that.
Montreal, June 29, 2010 -Recent times and crimes have seen extraordinary levels of disillusionment with organized religion, particularly with the Catholic Church, and genre cinema has mirrored this anger with startling impact. In the face of this, we've put together this troubling spotlight focused on the abuse of faith, the horrors of ideology and the corruption of Godliness. Several of these films will absolutely stagger you.
Black Death (UK) Dir: Christopher Smith - North American premiere
Hosted by Director Christopher Smith
With the Black Death sweeping across England, a witch-hunting knight (Sean Bean) leads a pack of mercenaries across the country in search of a village that has somehow been spared the plague, allegedly due to the inhabitants practicing satanic rituals. Black Death is a nightmarish morality play...
Montreal, June 29, 2010 -Recent times and crimes have seen extraordinary levels of disillusionment with organized religion, particularly with the Catholic Church, and genre cinema has mirrored this anger with startling impact. In the face of this, we've put together this troubling spotlight focused on the abuse of faith, the horrors of ideology and the corruption of Godliness. Several of these films will absolutely stagger you.
Black Death (UK) Dir: Christopher Smith - North American premiere
Hosted by Director Christopher Smith
With the Black Death sweeping across England, a witch-hunting knight (Sean Bean) leads a pack of mercenaries across the country in search of a village that has somehow been spared the plague, allegedly due to the inhabitants practicing satanic rituals. Black Death is a nightmarish morality play...
- 6/29/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Down in the Hug-bunker, we’ve been getting quite excited about forthcoming Brit-flick, Heartless. Directed by Philip Ridley, and starring Jim Sturgess, and the lovely Clémence Poésy, the film is set to be one of the first British features to benefit from near-simultaneous multi-platform release, coming out at cinemas on Friday 21st May, and being available to buy the following Monday (24th).
We recently spoke with the film’s producer, Richard Raymond, who provided some insight into just how hard it was to get the film off the ground, and just why he and Ridley decided to cast Sturgess.
Transcription by Ted Leighton.
HeyUGuys: If you could begin by talking about Heartless and how the project came about, and your involvement with it.
Richard Raymond: I’d known Philip Ridley for about ten years. What happened was, when I was about twenty two, I read a short story that...
We recently spoke with the film’s producer, Richard Raymond, who provided some insight into just how hard it was to get the film off the ground, and just why he and Ridley decided to cast Sturgess.
Transcription by Ted Leighton.
HeyUGuys: If you could begin by talking about Heartless and how the project came about, and your involvement with it.
Richard Raymond: I’d known Philip Ridley for about ten years. What happened was, when I was about twenty two, I read a short story that...
- 5/11/2010
- by Ben Mortimer
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Warning: If you haven’t seen writer/director/artist extraordinaire Philip Ridley’s “The Reflecting Skin”, get off this interconnected series of computers and snag a copy as soon as possible. It’s a tough yet remarkably brilliant film, and should be experienced by anyone who has a serious interest in cinema. Lions Gate, however, is foolishly withholding a Region 1 release of the movie, a fact that frustrates me to no end. How much longer will my tattered VHS copy withstand the destructive powers of my dated Vcr? I shudder at the very thought. Let’s move onto something else, shall we? I’m starting to sweat a little. “Heartless” is Ridley’s first film in roughly fifteen years. Jim Sturgess stars as Jamie, a man who discovers that the impossibly thoughtless street gangs plaguing London are, in fact, nothing more than a roving band of bloodthirsty demons hellbent on death and destruction.
- 4/9/2010
- by Todd
- Beyond Hollywood
Philip Ridley's Heartless has won a lot of love in these pages and now there's a little more to ogle, thanks to the arrival of a second full trailer.
The latest from the director of The Reflecting Skin is, in some ways, a very literal spin on Faust with Jim Sturgess swept up into a deal with the devil. And we all know how those tend to work out ...
Check the trailer below!
The latest from the director of The Reflecting Skin is, in some ways, a very literal spin on Faust with Jim Sturgess swept up into a deal with the devil. And we all know how those tend to work out ...
Check the trailer below!
- 4/8/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Philip Ridley is an interesting sort of director. He's an artist, sketches with charcoal, and also writes children's books. He's written and directed two films before now, The Reflecting Skin and The Passion of Darkly Noon, each of which were highly praised and won all manner of awards. After a 15-year hiatus, he returned to directing with Heartless, a modern urban horror film that came out of last summer's Frightfest with a lot of good word of mouth. It's got a nice cast too: Jim Sturgess, Clemence Poesy, and even Noel Clarke of "Doctor Who" fame.
The trailer isn't up anywhere embeddable yet so we're stuck with a link to the yahoo page where it's at:
It's got a delicious mood to it, with a dark and gritty feel like something out of classic Hellblazer or Clive Barker. No slashers hunting yuppie bred teenagers here, we've got a kid with...
The trailer isn't up anywhere embeddable yet so we're stuck with a link to the yahoo page where it's at:
It's got a delicious mood to it, with a dark and gritty feel like something out of classic Hellblazer or Clive Barker. No slashers hunting yuppie bred teenagers here, we've got a kid with...
- 2/4/2010
- by Steven Lloyd Wilson
I first ran into the work of Philip Ridley when I was about nineteen and found his first feature, 1990's The Reflecting Skin, in a Calgary video shop. I don't love his wild little rural coming of age tale tinged with horror, but I have to respect it for having the ambition to be something rather unique. A young Viggo Mortensen gives a good performance there, too. Ridley has made one other film since then (The Passion of Darkly Noon, in 1995) and is finally poised to return to screens with a strange-looking horror tale called Heartless. The film opens soon in the UK, and the first trailer has finally appeared online. We've covered Heartless a bit in the past, as Brendon saw and enjoyed the film at last year's FrightFest. Brendon ranked the film at the top of his FrightFest experience, and said: Heartless blends magic realism and social realism...
- 2/3/2010
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
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