“Your soul for a sweet?” If you summon him, don’t take him up on his offer. The Man in the Rabbit Mask short film, an entry in the Storyhive contest, can be viewed in today’s Horror Highlights, which also includes The Room at the Top of the Stairs, Game of Thrones pens, The Field Guide to Evil, and the Famous Monsters Party in San Jose.
The Man in the Rabbit Mask Short Film: “A poem spoken over candlelight by two girls invites an unexpected visitor, offering a gift… for a price. As the allure of the ultimatum invokes their better judgement, the illusion of safety begins to fade in the presence of the masked stranger.
Director: Ariel Hansen
Actors: Iris Truong, Holly Burr, Chris Walters, Catherine Slingsby”
To learn more and to vote for The Man in the Rabbit Mask in the Storyhive competition, visit:
http://www.storyhive.
The Man in the Rabbit Mask Short Film: “A poem spoken over candlelight by two girls invites an unexpected visitor, offering a gift… for a price. As the allure of the ultimatum invokes their better judgement, the illusion of safety begins to fade in the presence of the masked stranger.
Director: Ariel Hansen
Actors: Iris Truong, Holly Burr, Chris Walters, Catherine Slingsby”
To learn more and to vote for The Man in the Rabbit Mask in the Storyhive competition, visit:
http://www.storyhive.
- 2/8/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Is Universal on its way to botching its planned series of Universal Monster reboots? Based on a piece published yesterday in Variety, it's certainly starting to sound that way. According to the article, which features interviews with Universal head Donna Langley and writers Alex Kurtzman ("Transformers") and Chris Morgan ("Furious 7"), the studio has hired a stable of storyboard artists, designers and writers to bring such characters as Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy and the Wolfman to life for contemporary audiences. The iconic monsters, each of which has a specific writer or writers attached, will inhabit a "shared universe" in a series of interconnected films set in modern day. As Kurtzman put it: “The idea is that we have a deep bench of brains to consult with about how their monster fits into our world as we go forward." Added Morgan: ““This is not a heightened world. We’re exploring...
- 11/19/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Special Mention: Clean, Shaven
Directed by Lodge H. Kerrigan
Screenplay by Lodge H. Kerrigan
1993, USA
Genre: Crime / Psychological Thriller
Lodge H. Kerrigan’s Clean, Shaven is not an easy film to watch. Kerrigan, who wrote, produced and directed this unsettling psychological thriller, traps us inside the mind of a madman for the entire viewing experience. Peter Winter (Peter Greene) appears to be a killer–even worse, a child killer–but not much about him is objectively clear, and we are never sure if what we are seeing is real or a product of his tormented imagination. The film heightens the tension by restricting its focus to Peter’s unsettling, confused, and angry view of the world. The most gruesome violence inflicted on Peter comes by his own hand. In the most unforgettable scene, Peter slowly mutilates his body in order to remove what he believes are a receiver in his...
Directed by Lodge H. Kerrigan
Screenplay by Lodge H. Kerrigan
1993, USA
Genre: Crime / Psychological Thriller
Lodge H. Kerrigan’s Clean, Shaven is not an easy film to watch. Kerrigan, who wrote, produced and directed this unsettling psychological thriller, traps us inside the mind of a madman for the entire viewing experience. Peter Winter (Peter Greene) appears to be a killer–even worse, a child killer–but not much about him is objectively clear, and we are never sure if what we are seeing is real or a product of his tormented imagination. The film heightens the tension by restricting its focus to Peter’s unsettling, confused, and angry view of the world. The most gruesome violence inflicted on Peter comes by his own hand. In the most unforgettable scene, Peter slowly mutilates his body in order to remove what he believes are a receiver in his...
- 10/23/2015
- by Ricky Fernandes
- SoundOnSight
Jennifer Kent’s disturbing directorial debut The Babadook arrives on Blu-ray this week, scoring some of the most critically acclaimed notices ever for a recent psychological horror film. With The Exorcist director William Friedkin’s glowing praise splashed over the front and back cover, proclaiming that he has “never seen a more terrifying film,” and that it will “scare the hell out of you as it did me,” (horror master Stephen King also submits his stamp of approval), Kent’s film has reached a level of unprecedented cultural saturation since premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Though pulling in a surprisingly paltry sum at the domestic box office in Australia, foreign markets embraced the film, including in France, the UK, and the Us, bringing its worldwide box office to just under five million.
Satisfying genre films are generally few and far between these days, so it’s with absolute delight...
Satisfying genre films are generally few and far between these days, so it’s with absolute delight...
- 4/14/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
April 14th Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include The Babadook, Class of 1984, Long Weekend, Tales of Terror
The second week of April is a big one for horror fans, as one of the most buzzed-about indie genre films of 2014—The Babadook—is finally coming home this Tuesday courtesy of Scream Factory and IFC Midnight. There are also a multitude of classic cult titles arriving in high-def on April 14th as well, including Long Weekend, Tales of Terror, the sequels to both The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ’Em High, and Class of 1984.
Several new titles are also being released this week including Jinn, Roadside, and Echoes, and 20th Century Fox is unleashing their terror-filled sequel, The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death, on both Blu-ray and DVD.
The Babadook (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
Amelia (AFI Award winner Essie Davis, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Slap) is a single mother plagued by the violent death of her husband.
Several new titles are also being released this week including Jinn, Roadside, and Echoes, and 20th Century Fox is unleashing their terror-filled sequel, The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death, on both Blu-ray and DVD.
The Babadook (Scream Factory/IFC Midnight, Deluxe Edition Blu-ray & DVD)
Amelia (AFI Award winner Essie Davis, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Slap) is a single mother plagued by the violent death of her husband.
- 4/14/2015
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Scream Factory is teaming up with IFC Midnight to bring The Babadook to Blu-ray. They’ve announced release plans that include a standard Blu-ray and DVD edition, along with a special edition version with deleted scenes and additional bonus features:
“If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of The Babadook. This chillingly prophetic refrain haunts the worldwide sleeper hit The Babdook, the engrossingly eerie tale of a widowed mother and her troubled young son. On April 14th, 2015, this critically acclaimed psychological thriller makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut from Scream Factory, in partnership with IFC Midnight. The Special Edition Blu-ray, housed in a striking limited run pop-up package, comes loaded with bonus features, including theatrical trailers and an in-depth look behind-the-scenes of the making of The Babadook with cast and crew interviews (Creating The Book with illustrator Alex Juhasz, A Tour of the House Set,...
“If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of The Babadook. This chillingly prophetic refrain haunts the worldwide sleeper hit The Babdook, the engrossingly eerie tale of a widowed mother and her troubled young son. On April 14th, 2015, this critically acclaimed psychological thriller makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut from Scream Factory, in partnership with IFC Midnight. The Special Edition Blu-ray, housed in a striking limited run pop-up package, comes loaded with bonus features, including theatrical trailers and an in-depth look behind-the-scenes of the making of The Babadook with cast and crew interviews (Creating The Book with illustrator Alex Juhasz, A Tour of the House Set,...
- 1/30/2015
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
This can't be good news for Whiplash by way of splintered votes. Mark Harris, who is married to an Academy Award nominated writer remember, reported on Grantland that on the e-ballot reminder list Whiplash is officially considered an Adapted Screenplay by the Academy. The film's campaign always listed it as an Original Screenplay (see Fyc ad left). The confusion, as also detailed on Deadline, stems from the Sundance winning short of the same name, also made by Damien Chazelle and starring J.K. Simmons. The short, according to the team, was made solely to get the feature funded. So if anything the short is an Adaptation of the feature which was made later if you will.
But the Academy rules on this are ever blurry. And technically they aren't "rules". You can vote for anything you'd like after all on your paper ballot (where this isn't a "pulldown menu" of course...
But the Academy rules on this are ever blurry. And technically they aren't "rules". You can vote for anything you'd like after all on your paper ballot (where this isn't a "pulldown menu" of course...
- 1/7/2015
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
25 Best Horror Films of 2014
We here at Sound On Sight believe horror transcends explicit gore, jump scares or supernatural content, which is why you’ll soon notice our list ranges from independent art films to psychological thrillers to parodies, satire and more. Surprisingly, vampires lead the pack this year, along with found footage flicks, but there are a few comedies, one remake and even some strange love stories as well… read the full article.
The Best Documentaries of 2014
As is usually the case, 2014 held a rich vein of great nonfiction cinema … that went mostly untapped by any wide audiences. But just because documentaries are perpetually under-served by popular (and even critical) attention doesn’t mean that we should neglect these films. This is a celebration of all the best docs to come out this year… read the full article.
30 Best TV Series of 2014
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television,...
We here at Sound On Sight believe horror transcends explicit gore, jump scares or supernatural content, which is why you’ll soon notice our list ranges from independent art films to psychological thrillers to parodies, satire and more. Surprisingly, vampires lead the pack this year, along with found footage flicks, but there are a few comedies, one remake and even some strange love stories as well… read the full article.
The Best Documentaries of 2014
As is usually the case, 2014 held a rich vein of great nonfiction cinema … that went mostly untapped by any wide audiences. But just because documentaries are perpetually under-served by popular (and even critical) attention doesn’t mean that we should neglect these films. This is a celebration of all the best docs to come out this year… read the full article.
30 Best TV Series of 2014
2014 has been yet another fantastic year for television,...
- 12/14/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent made an astonishing contribution to the horror genre this year with The Babadook, her feature debut that has had critics raving since it first premiere at Sundance back in January. The film is an exceptionally well made psychological thriller about a woman horrified by her impulses to murder her extraordinarily difficult six-year-old son. The Babadook is a compassionate and alarming film about misplaced blame and the heavy burden of being a single mom. It relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares, touching on more serious themes of loss, grief and other demons that cannot be so easily overcome.
The Babadook rivals mainstream hits such as The Conjuring and Insidious in its ability to scare an audience with a thick atmospheric score, creepy sound effects, and the power of suggestion. And than there’s the actual monster, a black-hatted, long-taloned, monochrome figure who looks like...
The Babadook rivals mainstream hits such as The Conjuring and Insidious in its ability to scare an audience with a thick atmospheric score, creepy sound effects, and the power of suggestion. And than there’s the actual monster, a black-hatted, long-taloned, monochrome figure who looks like...
- 12/9/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
From low-budget dystopias to grungy horror, here are 12 shorts that became films such as Evil Dead, Twelve Monkeys and The Babadook.
The best story ideas are often the simple and pure ones. It's little wonder, then, that so many filmmakers and storytellers start by making short films - after all, if you can tell a good story in just a few minutes, you might be talented enough to make a feature.
Cinema history is full of stories about young filmmakers getting their start by making low-budget shorts. James Cameron famously made Xenogenesis, a sci-fi short which contained lots of things that would appear in his later feature films: a giant robot with big tank tracks, a cyborg, and a heroine at the helm of a hard-hitting mecha.
The short films below vary wildly, from two-minute chillers to 30-minute post-apocalyptic science fiction, but each of them are watchable for their own reasons,...
The best story ideas are often the simple and pure ones. It's little wonder, then, that so many filmmakers and storytellers start by making short films - after all, if you can tell a good story in just a few minutes, you might be talented enough to make a feature.
Cinema history is full of stories about young filmmakers getting their start by making low-budget shorts. James Cameron famously made Xenogenesis, a sci-fi short which contained lots of things that would appear in his later feature films: a giant robot with big tank tracks, a cyborg, and a heroine at the helm of a hard-hitting mecha.
The short films below vary wildly, from two-minute chillers to 30-minute post-apocalyptic science fiction, but each of them are watchable for their own reasons,...
- 12/2/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Just saying Babadook can gives any viewer the chills.
From IFC Midnight, “The Babadook” is a truly scary film about a mythical creature leaping out of a children’s story to haunt a mother and her son.
Here’s the synopsis:
Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he's been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of...
From IFC Midnight, “The Babadook” is a truly scary film about a mythical creature leaping out of a children’s story to haunt a mother and her son.
Here’s the synopsis:
Six years after the violent death of her husband, Amelia (Essie Davis) is at a loss. She struggles to discipline her 'out of control' 6 year-old, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), a son she finds impossible to love. Samuel's dreams are plagued by a monster he believes is coming to kill them both. When a disturbing storybook called 'The Babadook' turns up at their house, Samuel is convinced that the Babadook is the creature he's been dreaming about. His hallucinations spiral out of control, he becomes more unpredictable and violent. Amelia, genuinely frightened by her son's behavior, is forced to medicate him. But when Amelia begins to see glimpses of...
- 11/28/2014
- by Gig Patta
- LRMonline.com
The votes have been counted and the audience at this year's Toronto After Dark Film Festival has spoken. After an massively successful year including an unprecedented thirteen sold out screenings (twelve and both screenings of The Babadook) the winners were announced on Sunday. Dead Snow 2, Predestination and horror doc Why Horror? took home the Audience Choice Awards for Best Feature Film. Dead Snow 2 won four other Audience Choice awards rounding the number up to five: Best Make-up, Best Film To Watch With A Crowd, Best Fight (Nazi zombies vs Russian zombies) and Best Gore. And the Aussie fright flick The Babadook took home five awards as well, including Best Director (Jennifer Kent), Best Leading Actress (Essie Davis), Best Monster/Creature (The Babadook), Scariest Film and...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/3/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Genuinely horrific and deeply scary in a way that draws on the most primal of emotions. A horror flick with rare emotional and psychological resonance. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): I’m not generally optimistic about horror movies these days
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
I’m trying to remember the last time an actual, straight-up horror film frightened me. And… I got nuthin’. The Cabin in the Woods comes close, but that was scary in ways that were about undercutting traditional horror tropes. The movies that scare the crap out of me tend to be things like the nuclear-war nightmare-inducer Threads, or the lost-at-sea panic attack Open Water.
But now there’s The Babadook, which is, basically, yer standard haunted-house flick with a bit of demonic-ish possession tossed in for spice. Except it’s genuinely horrific and deeply scary.
I’m “biast” (con): I’m not generally optimistic about horror movies these days
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
I’m trying to remember the last time an actual, straight-up horror film frightened me. And… I got nuthin’. The Cabin in the Woods comes close, but that was scary in ways that were about undercutting traditional horror tropes. The movies that scare the crap out of me tend to be things like the nuclear-war nightmare-inducer Threads, or the lost-at-sea panic attack Open Water.
But now there’s The Babadook, which is, basically, yer standard haunted-house flick with a bit of demonic-ish possession tossed in for spice. Except it’s genuinely horrific and deeply scary.
- 10/23/2014
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Before you see The Babadook, check out the short film director Jennifer Kent helmed that paved the way for the feature film opening November 28th (October 30th on DirectTV only). The 10-minute tale is called Monster and it's a creepy, strong piece of work in its own right. Watch it via the player here.
The post See the Short Film Jennifer Kent Directed Before The Babadook appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
The post See the Short Film Jennifer Kent Directed Before The Babadook appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.
- 10/20/2014
- by Ryan Turek
- shocktillyoudrop.com
We chat to the director of the magnificent Australian horror The Babadook about filmmaking, genre snobbery and more...
If you're looking for proof that a horror film can do something more than just make you jump, then you have to see The Babadook. Essie Davies stars as Amelia, a recently-bereaved mother with a boisterous and imaginative young son, Robbie (Noah Wiseman). When Robbie becomes convinced that a monster from a story book - The Babadook of the title - is going to come out and eat them both, Amelia ignores the boy's ramblings. But gradually, she too begins to fear that The Babadook might be real...
Although laden with all the terror you'd expect from a good horror flick, The Babadook has all kinds of things brewing under its surface: the corrosive effects of depression and trauma, the exhausting experiences of being a mother, the vulnerability of being a child.
If you're looking for proof that a horror film can do something more than just make you jump, then you have to see The Babadook. Essie Davies stars as Amelia, a recently-bereaved mother with a boisterous and imaginative young son, Robbie (Noah Wiseman). When Robbie becomes convinced that a monster from a story book - The Babadook of the title - is going to come out and eat them both, Amelia ignores the boy's ramblings. But gradually, she too begins to fear that The Babadook might be real...
Although laden with all the terror you'd expect from a good horror flick, The Babadook has all kinds of things brewing under its surface: the corrosive effects of depression and trauma, the exhausting experiences of being a mother, the vulnerability of being a child.
- 10/10/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
As is the case with most horror films, especially those that rely on scares not-so-based in reality, suspension of disbelief on the viewer’s part is crucial to the audience’s susceptibility to be terrified. If you let yourself, director Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut, The Babadook, will revert you to a small child, wishing you had a blanket under which to hide as you try to disappear into your seat.
Essie Davis stars in the film as Amelia, a still-grieving widow whose husband died on the same day on which her now 7-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), was born. Samuel has a hard time fitting in with other children, probably because he can’t stop talking about “the monster” and bringing homemade monster-killing weapons to school.
One night when Samuel is allowed to choose which storybook to read before bed, he picks something unexpected off the shelf: a mostly unmarked,...
Essie Davis stars in the film as Amelia, a still-grieving widow whose husband died on the same day on which her now 7-year-old son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), was born. Samuel has a hard time fitting in with other children, probably because he can’t stop talking about “the monster” and bringing homemade monster-killing weapons to school.
One night when Samuel is allowed to choose which storybook to read before bed, he picks something unexpected off the shelf: a mostly unmarked,...
- 1/22/2014
- by Emily Estep
- We Got This Covered
All kids are scared of monsters hanging out under their beds and hiding in their closets. But what happens when a parent is afraid of the very same monster as their child, and knows that it's not just a figment of a childhood imagination?
That's the set-up for a new Australian horror film that's been scaring audiences at the Sundance Film Festival this month. An Official Selection at the festival, The Babadook is the debut feature film of Jennifer Kent, which is based on a short film that she made back in 2005. Early reviews have seen the words 'terrifying' and 'disturbing' attached to the movie, and if the creepy trailer is any indication, those are descriptive words that it indeed does earn.
The film centers around mother Amelia and her six-year-old son Samuel, whose father was killed while Amelia was on the way to the hospital to give birth to him.
That's the set-up for a new Australian horror film that's been scaring audiences at the Sundance Film Festival this month. An Official Selection at the festival, The Babadook is the debut feature film of Jennifer Kent, which is based on a short film that she made back in 2005. Early reviews have seen the words 'terrifying' and 'disturbing' attached to the movie, and if the creepy trailer is any indication, those are descriptive words that it indeed does earn.
The film centers around mother Amelia and her six-year-old son Samuel, whose father was killed while Amelia was on the way to the hospital to give birth to him.
- 1/22/2014
- by John Squires
- FEARnet
Psychological-thriller The Babadook, starring Essie Davis, has begun filming in South Australia.
It marks the debut feature film from writer/director Jennifer Kent and follows a single mother who battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, only to discover a sinister presence all around her.
As well as Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; The Slap; cloudstreet), the film also stars Daniel Henshall (Snowtown), Hayley McElhinney, Ben Winspear and six-year-old Noah Wiseman. In a statement, Davis said she was ready to tackle the complex role.
"It's such a complex, intense and intriguing character to be playing and a lot of responsibility to carry a film like this, but I've known director Jennifer Kent for 20 years now so I'm totally ready to surrender and take the plunge with her into this incredible and terrifying world."
The Babadook was inspired by Kent's short horror film, Monster, and developed...
It marks the debut feature film from writer/director Jennifer Kent and follows a single mother who battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, only to discover a sinister presence all around her.
As well as Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; The Slap; cloudstreet), the film also stars Daniel Henshall (Snowtown), Hayley McElhinney, Ben Winspear and six-year-old Noah Wiseman. In a statement, Davis said she was ready to tackle the complex role.
"It's such a complex, intense and intriguing character to be playing and a lot of responsibility to carry a film like this, but I've known director Jennifer Kent for 20 years now so I'm totally ready to surrender and take the plunge with her into this incredible and terrifying world."
The Babadook was inspired by Kent's short horror film, Monster, and developed...
- 9/3/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
Psychological-thriller The Babadook, starring Essie Davis, has begun filming in South Australia.
It marks the debut feature film from writer/director Jennifer Kent and follows a single mother who battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, only to discover a sinister presence all around her.
As well as Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; The Slap; cloudstreet), the film also stars Daniel Henshall (Snowtown), Hayley McElhinney, Ben Winspear and six-year-old Noah Wiseman.
The Babadook was inspired by Kent's short horror film, Monster, and developed at the Binger Lab in Amsterdam with assistance from Screen Nsw, Screen Australia, Waking Dreams Productions, the Screen Australia Enterprise Program and experienced Australian producer Jan Chapman. It won the Talent Highlight Pitch Award at the Berlinale Co-production Market in February 2011.
The film is being produced by Kristian Moliere and Kristina Ceyton. "Our team are committed to creating a new and captivating visual world,...
It marks the debut feature film from writer/director Jennifer Kent and follows a single mother who battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, only to discover a sinister presence all around her.
As well as Davis (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; The Slap; cloudstreet), the film also stars Daniel Henshall (Snowtown), Hayley McElhinney, Ben Winspear and six-year-old Noah Wiseman.
The Babadook was inspired by Kent's short horror film, Monster, and developed at the Binger Lab in Amsterdam with assistance from Screen Nsw, Screen Australia, Waking Dreams Productions, the Screen Australia Enterprise Program and experienced Australian producer Jan Chapman. It won the Talent Highlight Pitch Award at the Berlinale Co-production Market in February 2011.
The film is being produced by Kristian Moliere and Kristina Ceyton. "Our team are committed to creating a new and captivating visual world,...
- 9/3/2012
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
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