Latest Articles
The Meg Jumps The Shark Into Cynema
Summer is dying and Warner Brothers took a page from Universal Studios in 1983 and did a hit and run with a really bad shark movie. The Meg has more comparisons to “Jaws 3D” than it does with “Jaws” even though the filmmakers thought they were clever in their not so subtle “Jaws” references. “Jaws” All shark movies bow to the altar of “Jaws.” While Cynema is not about movie reviews, I propose that this film is important for one Cynematic reason: “The Meg” crosses us over into the big budget SyFy Channel movie and from the reaction of the audience I watched this film with, people just don’t get it. There is a Meg-sized difference between a bad movie and a “so bad it’s good” movie. It’s a wide area to cover but look at Joe Dante’s “Jaws” ripoff, “Piranha.” While indeed a clone, it was made with heart and creativity and fun. It was low budget zaniness…so much
Continue reading →
‘Ghost Stories’ Will Haunt Blu-ray And DVD This September
This September the horror anthology Ghost Stories will haunt Blu-ray and DVD. This frightening flick hails from directors Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman and stars Martin Freeman ( Sherlock, Black Panther). Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman, Black Death) has devoted his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural claims. His skepticism is tested, however, when he receives a case file on three chilling and inexplicable incidents: a night watchman (Paul Whitehouse, Corpse Bride) haunted by disturbing visions as he patrols an abandoned asylum; an edgy young man (Alex Lawther, Freak Show) involved in a hellish car accident deep in the woods; and a wealthy former banker (Martin Freeman) visited by the spirit of his unborn child. Even more disturbing is that each of these macabre stories seems to have a sinister connection to Professor Goodman’s own life. Will they make a believer of him yet? Pick up your copy of Ghost Stories on Blu-ray or DVD on September 4, 2018,
Continue reading →
Watch: It’s Alive Films Unleashes Short Horror Film ‘Replicator’
Michigan based company It’s Alive Films has released their film Replicator for free on YouTube which you can watch below. The short satirical horror film clocks in at 34 minutes and 52 seconds, and originally debuted at Sunrise 45 Film Festival in 2017, later playing at Spooky Empire’s International Horror Film Festival. I wrote Replicator after reading about yet another remake being made of a beloved film, and finally snapping. I imagined the creators and studio execs being incredibly unoriginal, and thought of how useless they must be outside of a film studio. Then I thought about how scary it would actually be if one of these producers was put into the real world, with no actual skills other than remaking what already works just fine. The rest fell into place after that.” The film’s title, as well as its tagline ‘Anything can be remade’, serves to hint at the concept that the film tackles: a power hungry film producer
Continue reading →
The Haunting Indie Horror The Nursery Arrives On Digital And DVD
The indie horror film The Nursery (review) arrived on DVD this week, featuring exclusive content and extras, including feature-length audio commentary by the filmmakers and a behind-the-scenes “making of” featurette. Making a truly independent, micro-budget horror film so far from Hollywood has been an incredible journey,” The Nursery’s Executive Producers—Glenn Chung, Chris Micklos, and Jay Sapiro—said in a joint statement. As first-time filmmakers, we wanted our behind-the-scenes extras to take our fans behind the curtain and give them a sense not only of how we managed to navigate this journey ourselves, but also how they can do, too.” During our interview with directors Christopher Micklos and Jay Sapiro, the two filmmakers went into detail about how the film came to life and how each scene was personal. The Nursery is now available on DVD from Family Video, Amazon.com, and more. In addition, it is available for sale or rent on a broad range of video-on-demand platforms, including Amazon Instant Video,
Continue reading →
Not A Downer! Review Of ‘We Happy Few’ For The Xbox One
It’s beginning to look a lot like “1984” in 1964 in Compulsion Games and Gearbox Publishing’s long-awaited stealth RPG, “We Happy Few”. The story follows three characters whose tails are interconnected as they all wish to leave England that’s become a dystopian nation after the Second World War. In this alternative universe, Germany invaded England but it’s hinted that they were eventually forced out. Since then citizens have forgotten the past by taking pills known simply as Joy. While on Joy characters will see the world as a colorful and pleasant place where your past is not even a memory at all, except when you become a Downer, a person who has not taken their Joy pills in some time allowing the effects to wear off. Once the effects wear off you see the world as it really is; falling apart, no food, disease, and strangely…childless. There are no children, which is the main point in the plot of the
Continue reading →
The New ‘Lizzie’ Poster Has An Ax To Grind
Earlier this month, the trailer for Lizzie was released on the 126th anniversary of the infamous 1892 ax murder of the Borden family in Fall River, Massachusetts. Today we have the official poster to share with you. Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry, “Big Love”) stars as Lizzie Borden, the notorious woman at the heart of one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. After a lifetime of loneliness, Lizzie finds a kindred spirit in housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart) and their secret intimacy sparks an unthinkable act. Director Craig William Macneill (The Boy), “Channel Zero: Candle Cove”) explores the days leading up to the savage crimes in a dark tale of repression, exploitation and thwarted dreams. Written by Bryce Kass (“13 Reasons Why”), this dark tale’s all-star cast includes Sevigny who stars along with her fellow “American Horror Story” alum Denis O’Hare, as well as Stewart (Twilight), Jamey Sheridan (“Arrow”), Fiona Shaw (Channel Zer0: Butchers Block),
Continue reading →
New Fan Film Asks What If ‘Georgie’ Didn’t Die In Stephen King’s IT
Creepy Kingdom has just announced their next short film, Georgie, an unofficial fan sequel to the 1990 IT miniseries, from writer-director Ryan Grulich. What if Georgie never died? Tony Dakota, the actor who originally portrayed young Georgie Denbrough in the 1990 made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, makes his return to film for the first time in 25 years to reprise his iconic role. “Near the intersection of Witcham and Jackson, Georgie Denbrough’s young life came to an abrupt and tragic end. His paper boat–assembled from a Derry News newspaper with care by his older brother, Bill–had careened down a sewer drain and into the hands of what, not who, would be his killer. Its maiden voyage into death. But what if Pennywise the Dancing Clown hadn’t killed Georgie after all? What if Georgie had somehow escaped death and managed to live some semblance of a normal life in the not-so-normal town of Derry? What might his world look like?
Continue reading →
MMA Fighter Steve Mowry Cast In The Harvester
Horror Equity Fund, Inc. has announced that MMA star Steve Mowry has joined the cast of The Harvester as the film’s villain. Written by HEF’s Brian Herskowitz and based on the graphic novel series “Rise of the Harvester” by renowned graphic artist Steve McGinnis, The Harvester revolves around a hell-spawned, malevolent killer who is tasked with “harvesting” souls by his father, the king of Hell. The Harvester sets his sights on one very special child and it’s up to a courageous mother to keep her offspring safe. Pittsburgh native Mowry turned pro in 2016 and is currently undefeated in the MMA. He recently signed with Viacom-owned promotor, Bellator MMA. As a fan of film and horror culture, I was ecstatic to be able to be a part of a project such as this. After reviewing Steve McGinnis body of work and learning of his strong cult-like following, I look forward to bringing his character to life. I promise not to
Continue reading →
Dive Into The Trailer For ’47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter’
Prepare to dive into the first teaser trailer for 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter, the sequel to writer-director Johannes Roberts‘ 2017 hit 47 Meters Down. The sequel follows five backpackers who go diving in the ruins of an underwater city and quickly learn they are not alone. During our interview with the filmmaker, who also directed Strangers: Prey at Night, Roberts warned us that the sequel, originally titled 48 Meters Down, will be “pretty scary”. 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter sinks its teeth into theaters in June of 2019, from Entertainment Studios.
Continue reading →
Movie Review: Summer of ’84 (2018)
Remember the days when kids looked at girly mags, swore a lot, and went on neighborhood adventures that got them BD in danger with the quickness? I sure as fuck do, and so does RKSS (the directorial team that brought us post-apocalyptic ’80’s homage Turbo Kid), and boy are horror hounds all the better for it! Summer of ’84 begins with four neighborhood chums (all archetypes; the fat kid, the nerd, the average Joe, and the leather-clad bad boy) playing a modified hide and seek game…a childish diversion in an environment that has the dark cloud of a rash of missing children hanging over it like a pitch black cloud. The “average Joe” of the group, Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere), begins to suspect that something is amiss with his police officer neighbor Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer)…an outwardly friendly sort that just so happens to have a padlocked room in his basement. Now it’s up to our heroes to put the
Continue reading →More latest articles
The Meg Jumps The Shark Into Cynema
Summer is dying and Warner Brothers took a page from Universal Studios in 1983 and did a hit and run with a really bad shark movie. The Meg has more comparisons to “Jaws 3D” than it does with “Jaws” even though the filmmakers thought they were clever in their not so subtle “Jaws” references. “Jaws” All shark movies bow to the altar of “Jaws.” While Cynema is not about movie reviews, I propose that this film is important for one Cynematic reason: “The Meg” crosses us over into the big budget SyFy Channel movie and from the reaction of the audience I watched this film with, people just don’t get it. There is a Meg-sized difference between a bad movie and a “so bad it’s good” movie. It’s a wide area to cover but look at Joe Dante’s “Jaws” ripoff, “Piranha.” While indeed a clone, it was made with heart and creativity and fun. It was low budget zaniness…so much
Continue reading →
‘Ghost Stories’ Will Haunt Blu-ray And DVD This September
This September the horror anthology Ghost Stories will haunt Blu-ray and DVD. This frightening flick hails from directors Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman and stars Martin Freeman ( Sherlock, Black Panther). Professor Goodman (Andy Nyman, Black Death) has devoted his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural claims. His skepticism is tested, however, when he receives a case file on three chilling and inexplicable incidents: a night watchman (Paul Whitehouse, Corpse Bride) haunted by disturbing visions as he patrols an abandoned asylum; an edgy young man (Alex Lawther, Freak Show) involved in a hellish car accident deep in the woods; and a wealthy former banker (Martin Freeman) visited by the spirit of his unborn child. Even more disturbing is that each of these macabre stories seems to have a sinister connection to Professor Goodman’s own life. Will they make a believer of him yet? Pick up your copy of Ghost Stories on Blu-ray or DVD on September 4, 2018,
Continue reading →
Watch: It’s Alive Films Unleashes Short Horror Film ‘Replicator’
Michigan based company It’s Alive Films has released their film Replicator for free on YouTube which you can watch below. The short satirical horror film clocks in at 34 minutes and 52 seconds, and originally debuted at Sunrise 45 Film Festival in 2017, later playing at Spooky Empire’s International Horror Film Festival. I wrote Replicator after reading about yet another remake being made of a beloved film, and finally snapping. I imagined the creators and studio execs being incredibly unoriginal, and thought of how useless they must be outside of a film studio. Then I thought about how scary it would actually be if one of these producers was put into the real world, with no actual skills other than remaking what already works just fine. The rest fell into place after that.” The film’s title, as well as its tagline ‘Anything can be remade’, serves to hint at the concept that the film tackles: a power hungry film producer
Continue reading →
The Haunting Indie Horror The Nursery Arrives On Digital And DVD
The indie horror film The Nursery (review) arrived on DVD this week, featuring exclusive content and extras, including feature-length audio commentary by the filmmakers and a behind-the-scenes “making of” featurette. Making a truly independent, micro-budget horror film so far from Hollywood has been an incredible journey,” The Nursery’s Executive Producers—Glenn Chung, Chris Micklos, and Jay Sapiro—said in a joint statement. As first-time filmmakers, we wanted our behind-the-scenes extras to take our fans behind the curtain and give them a sense not only of how we managed to navigate this journey ourselves, but also how they can do, too.” During our interview with directors Christopher Micklos and Jay Sapiro, the two filmmakers went into detail about how the film came to life and how each scene was personal. The Nursery is now available on DVD from Family Video, Amazon.com, and more. In addition, it is available for sale or rent on a broad range of video-on-demand platforms, including Amazon Instant Video,
Continue reading →
Not A Downer! Review Of ‘We Happy Few’ For The Xbox One
It’s beginning to look a lot like “1984” in 1964 in Compulsion Games and Gearbox Publishing’s long-awaited stealth RPG, “We Happy Few”. The story follows three characters whose tails are interconnected as they all wish to leave England that’s become a dystopian nation after the Second World War. In this alternative universe, Germany invaded England but it’s hinted that they were eventually forced out. Since then citizens have forgotten the past by taking pills known simply as Joy. While on Joy characters will see the world as a colorful and pleasant place where your past is not even a memory at all, except when you become a Downer, a person who has not taken their Joy pills in some time allowing the effects to wear off. Once the effects wear off you see the world as it really is; falling apart, no food, disease, and strangely…childless. There are no children, which is the main point in the plot of the
Continue reading →
The New ‘Lizzie’ Poster Has An Ax To Grind
Earlier this month, the trailer for Lizzie was released on the 126th anniversary of the infamous 1892 ax murder of the Borden family in Fall River, Massachusetts. Today we have the official poster to share with you. Academy Award® nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry, “Big Love”) stars as Lizzie Borden, the notorious woman at the heart of one of the most enduring mysteries in American history. After a lifetime of loneliness, Lizzie finds a kindred spirit in housemaid Bridget Sullivan (Kristen Stewart) and their secret intimacy sparks an unthinkable act. Director Craig William Macneill (The Boy), “Channel Zero: Candle Cove”) explores the days leading up to the savage crimes in a dark tale of repression, exploitation and thwarted dreams. Written by Bryce Kass (“13 Reasons Why”), this dark tale’s all-star cast includes Sevigny who stars along with her fellow “American Horror Story” alum Denis O’Hare, as well as Stewart (Twilight), Jamey Sheridan (“Arrow”), Fiona Shaw (Channel Zer0: Butchers Block),
Continue reading →
New Fan Film Asks What If ‘Georgie’ Didn’t Die In Stephen King’s IT
Creepy Kingdom has just announced their next short film, Georgie, an unofficial fan sequel to the 1990 IT miniseries, from writer-director Ryan Grulich. What if Georgie never died? Tony Dakota, the actor who originally portrayed young Georgie Denbrough in the 1990 made-for-TV adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, makes his return to film for the first time in 25 years to reprise his iconic role. “Near the intersection of Witcham and Jackson, Georgie Denbrough’s young life came to an abrupt and tragic end. His paper boat–assembled from a Derry News newspaper with care by his older brother, Bill–had careened down a sewer drain and into the hands of what, not who, would be his killer. Its maiden voyage into death. But what if Pennywise the Dancing Clown hadn’t killed Georgie after all? What if Georgie had somehow escaped death and managed to live some semblance of a normal life in the not-so-normal town of Derry? What might his world look like?
Continue reading →
MMA Fighter Steve Mowry Cast In The Harvester
Horror Equity Fund, Inc. has announced that MMA star Steve Mowry has joined the cast of The Harvester as the film’s villain. Written by HEF’s Brian Herskowitz and based on the graphic novel series “Rise of the Harvester” by renowned graphic artist Steve McGinnis, The Harvester revolves around a hell-spawned, malevolent killer who is tasked with “harvesting” souls by his father, the king of Hell. The Harvester sets his sights on one very special child and it’s up to a courageous mother to keep her offspring safe. Pittsburgh native Mowry turned pro in 2016 and is currently undefeated in the MMA. He recently signed with Viacom-owned promotor, Bellator MMA. As a fan of film and horror culture, I was ecstatic to be able to be a part of a project such as this. After reviewing Steve McGinnis body of work and learning of his strong cult-like following, I look forward to bringing his character to life. I promise not to
Continue reading →
Dive Into The Trailer For ’47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter’
Prepare to dive into the first teaser trailer for 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter, the sequel to writer-director Johannes Roberts‘ 2017 hit 47 Meters Down. The sequel follows five backpackers who go diving in the ruins of an underwater city and quickly learn they are not alone. During our interview with the filmmaker, who also directed Strangers: Prey at Night, Roberts warned us that the sequel, originally titled 48 Meters Down, will be “pretty scary”. 47 Meters Down: The Next Chapter sinks its teeth into theaters in June of 2019, from Entertainment Studios.
Continue reading →
Movie Review: Summer of ’84 (2018)
Remember the days when kids looked at girly mags, swore a lot, and went on neighborhood adventures that got them BD in danger with the quickness? I sure as fuck do, and so does RKSS (the directorial team that brought us post-apocalyptic ’80’s homage Turbo Kid), and boy are horror hounds all the better for it! Summer of ’84 begins with four neighborhood chums (all archetypes; the fat kid, the nerd, the average Joe, and the leather-clad bad boy) playing a modified hide and seek game…a childish diversion in an environment that has the dark cloud of a rash of missing children hanging over it like a pitch black cloud. The “average Joe” of the group, Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere), begins to suspect that something is amiss with his police officer neighbor Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer)…an outwardly friendly sort that just so happens to have a padlocked room in his basement. Now it’s up to our heroes to put the
Continue reading →