CategoryFilm Festivals
Horror film festivals worldwide — lineups, awards and the titles that break out of the festival circuit.
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The Sites Rotten Tomatoes ruined the summer 2017 boxoffice. The New York Times published this article on film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes (read here). The site has been around almost twenty years. I was first introduced to it back in 2003-2004. As the Internet gained more of a foothold, Rotten Tomatoes expanded its base; and now, according to this article, its power to influence box office performance. Sounds like those parents who subscribe to the “not my kid” mentality. Couldn’t possibly be US, it has to be the school, society…anyone but us and the bad product we made. I wrote a similar article, which could be a companion piece (here) a few months earlier when another finger pointing article on RT got some press. Can a website that amasses critical reviews have so much impact on a film’s box office performance? Hollywood spins it both ways whenever convenient. When it comes to a franchise like Transformers, the studios love
Continue reading →
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Early Saturday morning at 1:30 a.m. a crowd of attendees celebrating at this year’s DragonCon witnessed a frightening event. The crowd was pummeled by objects thrown down from the tenth floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel by one or more people. It has been reported that at least four ambulances arrived on the scene. Police say that chairs and bottles were purposely thrown into the crowd below, the Atlanta Journal reports. One of the victims, a woman by the name of Kelli McDaniel, was hit in the head by a chair and was taken to the hospital where she had to have staples to close a wound on her head. The director of public relations made the following statement: Two women at Dragon Con were injured at the convention early Sunday morning when two chairs were dropped from an outside balcony on the 10th floor in the Marriott to a landing below. The women were treated and released at separate
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Wow! The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival drops its second announcement with wave two of the program, locals only showcase, shorts and more! Bringing the best of horror to Brooklyn from October 12 till the 15th. Horrorfuel.com is thrilled to report on the unveiling the full lineup of films and events. Here is a partial list of the films, and it looks awesome! BHFF TO CLOSE WITH THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE MESMERIZING, ALL-FEMALE CASTED THE BOOK OF BIRDIE ‘THE BOOK OF BIRDIE’ UK | 2017 | 90 min | Dir. Elizabeth E. Schuch NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE First-time director Elizabeth E. Schuch impressively blends psychological horror, whimsical fantasy, and feminist ideals in one-of-a-kind THE BOOK OF BIRDIE. Shy and fragile teenager Birdie’s unusual hallucinations, dark obsessions and fascination with blood are triggered as she’s forced into a remote convent and faced with what her fate will be. ‘MAYHEM’ USA | 2017 | 86 min | Dir. Joe Lynch NEW YORK
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This September, the Women in Horror Film Festival will be taking over Atlanta and it is one you don’t want to miss. Come to enjoy the films, panels or meet your favorite actors, writers, directors, and more. The festival has already announced some of the amazing guests that will be there, like Jen and Sylvia Soska, Heather Langenkamp, Lynn Lowry, Amanda Wyss, Marianne Maddalena and more. The Walking Dead’s Greg Nicotero will also be there as a special guest along with others. And let’s not forget about vendors. More details will be announced as the WIFF draws closer and we will make sure you hear them. Be sure to visit the Women in Horror Film Festival website to see the schedule of events for September 21, to the 24th, and to buy your tickets.
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Universal Cable Production has just announced this year’s slate of genre projects as well as the lineup for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that will run from July 20th to the 23rd. Notable upcoming Projects Include: Maggie Stiefvater’s New York Times bestselling series “The Raven Cycle”with Andrew Miller (“The Secret Circle”), Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”), and Michael London of Groundswell Productions (“The Magicians”). Hugh Howey’s renowned post-apocalyptic series “Sand” with Gary Whitta (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Marc Forster (“World War Z”) and Imperative Entertainment. “Sirens of Titan” With Dan Harmon (“Rick & Morty”) and Evan Katz (“Small Crimes”) UPC announces Evan Spiliotopoulos (“Beauty and the Beast”) has signed on to write the highly anticipated “Welcome to Hitchcock” series. They have also optioned the iconic Hugo Award-Winning science fantasy novel “Lord of Light”. From the Press Release: UNIVERSAL CITY, CA- July 18, 2017– As the annual gathering of TV and comic’s most loyal fans at San Diego’s Comic-Con International 2017
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Film Festivals
The final lineup has been announced for this year’s 21st annual Fantasia Film Festival, running from July 13th through August 2nd. Yet again, they have an amazing lineup, featuring some of 2017’s most highly anticipated films in multiple genres. From the Press Release: Horror highlights in our final announcement include the North American Premiere of the ultra-dark Cannes sensation GOOD TIME, with directors in attendance; a Lifetime Achievement Award for Mexican luchador film legend Mil Máscaras; a Special Screening of ATOMIC BLONDE; Canadian Premieres of the ultra-brutal BUSHWICK, Dick Maas’ killer lion movie PREY, and the splatter comedy sequel ANOTHER WOLFCOP; the Quebec Premieres of the acclaimed Pyscho doc 78/52 and the Christmas horror classic in the making BETTER WATCH OUT; the North American Premiere of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 3D; the World Premieres of the female-driven exploitation films BLOOD HEIST and BLOOD RIDE (both produced by James Franco!); and the World Premiere of Synapse Films’ long-awaited 4K restoration of
Continue reading →
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June is here, and Days of the Dead is nearly upon us. IS nearly upon us? Yes my Little Monsters, I know it sounds grammatically incorrect, but it’s not…trust me. The reason why it is, in fact, correct is because I happen to be referring to a singular event, the annual horror convention that will be returning to Indianapolis at the end of June. Of course since it’s a three day event, I could refer to it in the plural form…but let’s not get hung up on semantics. Days of the Dead will officially kick off the weekend’s festivities at 5 PM Friday June 30th and run through Sunday July 2nd. As per usual, the fine folks at Days of the Dead will make it possible for fans to meet genre icons and mingle with fellow horror junkies. The banner above may whet your appetite with the likes of the creator of the Living Dead himself, George Romero, as well
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoClipsFilm FestivalsHalloweenHoliday HorrorIndieInterviewsMoviesNetflixProductTrue Crime
Actress and well known horror star, Caroline Williams tweeted an article this morning that dovetailed with several previous Cynema posts. Director Brett Ratner called out the dangers of aggregate film score sites like Rotten Tomatoes or the similar Metacritic in an article that devolves into a promo for his upcoming films. You can read it here: https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/23/ratner-tomatoes-scores/
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
I spent this past weekend (Feb 3- 5) at the Days of the Dead convention in Atlanta. This is the second DOTD I have attended in the past few years and once again, it did not disappoint. First, I would like to tell you about my favorite part of the convention. No, it’s not the parties, or the other events, it is the people. To say that horror fans are the best would be an understatement. You will not find a friendlier group of people. Stand by a booth, in a line, by an elevator, or outside smoking and in with seconds there is a conversation happening. It is nothing to be asked “How far did you traveled?”, “Are you having fun?”, “Did you see….?”. As for the celebs, every single celebrity I talked to was pleasant. Some were as excited about the convention as I was. No joke, Derek Mears, who has played Jason, the Predator, and more, was
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
The Stranger With My Face International Film Festival, which takes it’s name from the title of a young adult horror fiction novel written by Lois Duncan, is returning May 4th – 7th for its fifth edition. The four day festival will be held in Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart, and will include screenings, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and a number of year round “satellite events”. The festival specifically showcases the work of women directors, as well as exploring female perspectives within the realm of genre film. It has also become an important resource in Australia for genre film, and takes great pride in its involvement with the Women in Horror movement. Festival Director Briony Kidd expressed just how relevant of such a festival is in this day and age, when she said, “Events like this are needed more than ever, with women’s rights under threat around the world. Women are angry, and they have a lot to say. Genre filmmaking is
Continue reading →
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The Sites Rotten Tomatoes ruined the summer 2017 boxoffice. The New York Times published this article on film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes (read here). The site has been around almost twenty years. I was first introduced to it back in 2003-2004. As the Internet gained more of a foothold, Rotten Tomatoes expanded its base; and now, according to this article, its power to influence box office performance. Sounds like those parents who subscribe to the “not my kid” mentality. Couldn’t possibly be US, it has to be the school, society…anyone but us and the bad product we made. I wrote a similar article, which could be a companion piece (here) a few months earlier when another finger pointing article on RT got some press. Can a website that amasses critical reviews have so much impact on a film’s box office performance? Hollywood spins it both ways whenever convenient. When it comes to a franchise like Transformers, the studios love
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Early Saturday morning at 1:30 a.m. a crowd of attendees celebrating at this year’s DragonCon witnessed a frightening event. The crowd was pummeled by objects thrown down from the tenth floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel by one or more people. It has been reported that at least four ambulances arrived on the scene. Police say that chairs and bottles were purposely thrown into the crowd below, the Atlanta Journal reports. One of the victims, a woman by the name of Kelli McDaniel, was hit in the head by a chair and was taken to the hospital where she had to have staples to close a wound on her head. The director of public relations made the following statement: Two women at Dragon Con were injured at the convention early Sunday morning when two chairs were dropped from an outside balcony on the 10th floor in the Marriott to a landing below. The women were treated and released at separate
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
Wow! The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival drops its second announcement with wave two of the program, locals only showcase, shorts and more! Bringing the best of horror to Brooklyn from October 12 till the 15th. Horrorfuel.com is thrilled to report on the unveiling the full lineup of films and events. Here is a partial list of the films, and it looks awesome! BHFF TO CLOSE WITH THE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE MESMERIZING, ALL-FEMALE CASTED THE BOOK OF BIRDIE ‘THE BOOK OF BIRDIE’ UK | 2017 | 90 min | Dir. Elizabeth E. Schuch NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE First-time director Elizabeth E. Schuch impressively blends psychological horror, whimsical fantasy, and feminist ideals in one-of-a-kind THE BOOK OF BIRDIE. Shy and fragile teenager Birdie’s unusual hallucinations, dark obsessions and fascination with blood are triggered as she’s forced into a remote convent and faced with what her fate will be. ‘MAYHEM’ USA | 2017 | 86 min | Dir. Joe Lynch NEW YORK
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
This September, the Women in Horror Film Festival will be taking over Atlanta and it is one you don’t want to miss. Come to enjoy the films, panels or meet your favorite actors, writers, directors, and more. The festival has already announced some of the amazing guests that will be there, like Jen and Sylvia Soska, Heather Langenkamp, Lynn Lowry, Amanda Wyss, Marianne Maddalena and more. The Walking Dead’s Greg Nicotero will also be there as a special guest along with others. And let’s not forget about vendors. More details will be announced as the WIFF draws closer and we will make sure you hear them. Be sure to visit the Women in Horror Film Festival website to see the schedule of events for September 21, to the 24th, and to buy your tickets.
Continue reading →
ConventionsEventsFilm FestivalsStreaming TV
Universal Cable Production has just announced this year’s slate of genre projects as well as the lineup for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that will run from July 20th to the 23rd. Notable upcoming Projects Include: Maggie Stiefvater’s New York Times bestselling series “The Raven Cycle”with Andrew Miller (“The Secret Circle”), Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”), and Michael London of Groundswell Productions (“The Magicians”). Hugh Howey’s renowned post-apocalyptic series “Sand” with Gary Whitta (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Marc Forster (“World War Z”) and Imperative Entertainment. “Sirens of Titan” With Dan Harmon (“Rick & Morty”) and Evan Katz (“Small Crimes”) UPC announces Evan Spiliotopoulos (“Beauty and the Beast”) has signed on to write the highly anticipated “Welcome to Hitchcock” series. They have also optioned the iconic Hugo Award-Winning science fantasy novel “Lord of Light”. From the Press Release: UNIVERSAL CITY, CA- July 18, 2017– As the annual gathering of TV and comic’s most loyal fans at San Diego’s Comic-Con International 2017
Continue reading →
Film Festivals
The final lineup has been announced for this year’s 21st annual Fantasia Film Festival, running from July 13th through August 2nd. Yet again, they have an amazing lineup, featuring some of 2017’s most highly anticipated films in multiple genres. From the Press Release: Horror highlights in our final announcement include the North American Premiere of the ultra-dark Cannes sensation GOOD TIME, with directors in attendance; a Lifetime Achievement Award for Mexican luchador film legend Mil Máscaras; a Special Screening of ATOMIC BLONDE; Canadian Premieres of the ultra-brutal BUSHWICK, Dick Maas’ killer lion movie PREY, and the splatter comedy sequel ANOTHER WOLFCOP; the Quebec Premieres of the acclaimed Pyscho doc 78/52 and the Christmas horror classic in the making BETTER WATCH OUT; the North American Premiere of TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 3D; the World Premieres of the female-driven exploitation films BLOOD HEIST and BLOOD RIDE (both produced by James Franco!); and the World Premiere of Synapse Films’ long-awaited 4K restoration of
Continue reading →
BooksConventionsFilm Festivals
June is here, and Days of the Dead is nearly upon us. IS nearly upon us? Yes my Little Monsters, I know it sounds grammatically incorrect, but it’s not…trust me. The reason why it is, in fact, correct is because I happen to be referring to a singular event, the annual horror convention that will be returning to Indianapolis at the end of June. Of course since it’s a three day event, I could refer to it in the plural form…but let’s not get hung up on semantics. Days of the Dead will officially kick off the weekend’s festivities at 5 PM Friday June 30th and run through Sunday July 2nd. As per usual, the fine folks at Days of the Dead will make it possible for fans to meet genre icons and mingle with fellow horror junkies. The banner above may whet your appetite with the likes of the creator of the Living Dead himself, George Romero, as well
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoClipsFilm FestivalsHalloweenHoliday HorrorIndieInterviewsMoviesNetflixProductTrue Crime
Actress and well known horror star, Caroline Williams tweeted an article this morning that dovetailed with several previous Cynema posts. Director Brett Ratner called out the dangers of aggregate film score sites like Rotten Tomatoes or the similar Metacritic in an article that devolves into a promo for his upcoming films. You can read it here: https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/23/ratner-tomatoes-scores/
Continue reading →
EventsFilm Festivals
I spent this past weekend (Feb 3- 5) at the Days of the Dead convention in Atlanta. This is the second DOTD I have attended in the past few years and once again, it did not disappoint. First, I would like to tell you about my favorite part of the convention. No, it’s not the parties, or the other events, it is the people. To say that horror fans are the best would be an understatement. You will not find a friendlier group of people. Stand by a booth, in a line, by an elevator, or outside smoking and in with seconds there is a conversation happening. It is nothing to be asked “How far did you traveled?”, “Are you having fun?”, “Did you see….?”. As for the celebs, every single celebrity I talked to was pleasant. Some were as excited about the convention as I was. No joke, Derek Mears, who has played Jason, the Predator, and more, was
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
The Stranger With My Face International Film Festival, which takes it’s name from the title of a young adult horror fiction novel written by Lois Duncan, is returning May 4th – 7th for its fifth edition. The four day festival will be held in Tasmania’s capital city of Hobart, and will include screenings, conferences, workshops, exhibitions and a number of year round “satellite events”. The festival specifically showcases the work of women directors, as well as exploring female perspectives within the realm of genre film. It has also become an important resource in Australia for genre film, and takes great pride in its involvement with the Women in Horror movement. Festival Director Briony Kidd expressed just how relevant of such a festival is in this day and age, when she said, “Events like this are needed more than ever, with women’s rights under threat around the world. Women are angry, and they have a lot to say. Genre filmmaking is
Continue reading →
