Round-Up: GAME CHANGER: THE LEGACY OF SAW, SHUT IN Screening, BOUND TO VENGEANCE Blu-ray, DEEP DARK Q&A

"Would you like to play a game?" Two new clips for Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw, featuring the creators/cast members of the Saw franchise, are below. Also: Shut In screening details, Bound to Vengeance on Blu-ray / DVD info, and a Q&A with Mike Medaglia from Deep Dark.

Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw: "The film that redefined the horror genre, Saw: Unrated, is making audiences shriek all over again. Generations of movie fans have been thrilled and terrified by Saw’s blood-curdling story of a serial killer who traps his victims in a sadistic game of survival. For true horror fans who want a peek behind the scenes of the creation and development of the most successful horror franchise in history, the iTunes digital release of Saw: Unrated and Saw: The Complete Collection now includes a brand-new 3-part, 77-minute retrospective, Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw.

Game Changer: The Legacy of Saw digs into the guts of the successful franchise with all-new interviews with creators James Wan (director of Furious 7) and Leigh Whannell (writer of the Insidious franchise); plus original cast members Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith and Cary Elwes; and producers of the Saw franchise, Mark Burg and Oren Koules. Learn about the inspiration for the film from the creators of Saw; get a closer look at the infamous reverse bear trap mask with Shawnee Smith; hear from directors Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV), David Hackl (Saw V) and Kevin Greutert (Saw IV, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter); and see Eli Roth’s (Hostel). In the famous words of Jigsaw, it is time to “make your choice.” Watch or don’t watch. Choose wisely."

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Shut In: "SHUT IN will be playing TORONTO AFTER DARK on Sunday, October 18th at 4:15 pm. Martin Starr and the film's producers will be on hand for a Q&A.

Directed by: Adam Schindler
Producers: Steven Schneider, Jeff Rice, Lati Grobman, and Erik Olsen
Cast: Beth Riesgraf, Jack Kesy, Martin Starr (Dead Snow), and Rory Culkin
Executive Producers: Christa Campbell, Tommy Vlahopoulos, Brian Netto, Matthew Lamothe, and Rob Van Norden

PANIC ROOM meets YOU'RE NEXT in this gripping home invasion horror-thriller, full of shocks and surprises. After three criminals, including fan favorite Martin Starr break into a supposedly empty house, they find themselves in a deadly game of cat and mouse with the occupant, a shy young woman with a few nasty tricks of her own to play on the invaders.

SHUT IN will be playing TORONTO AFTER DARK on Sunday, October 18th at 4:15 pm. Complete ticket information can be found at: www.torontoafterdark.com"

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Bound to Vengeance: Press Release: "An official selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, Bound to Vengeance is the captivating crusade of one woman’s race against time to free the other captives of a depraved killer. This stylish twist on the revenge exploitation genre will be released as a Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack on November 10th, 2015 from Scream Factory, in partnership with IFC Midnight.

In Bound to Vengeance, Eve (Tina Ivlev) breaks free after being chained in a basement and abused for 9 months by a manipulative psychopath. Instead of escaping, she discovers there are other women just like her scattered around town. Now fueled with rage, she must force her captor to become the captive and lead her to the other women… before it’s too late.

This gritty, high-octane thriller also stars Richard Tyson (Black Hawk Down) and Bianca Malinowski (Halt And Catch Fire). Fans can pre-order their copies now at ShoutFactory.com.

Shout! Factory will continue to present the on-going SCREAM FACTORY™ home entertainment series in 2015 with specific release dates, extras, and key art.

Meanwhile, fans are encouraged to visit Shout! Factory’s website (www.ShoutFactory.com) follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ScreamFactoryDVD) and Twitter (@Scream_Factory) or to view exclusive video content on YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/ScreamFactoryTV/Home)."

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Deep Dark: "The uniquely disturbing Deep Dark, from writer/director Mike Medaglia, comes to DVD and Digital in November.

“Dark, twisted and utterly captivating..." (Horror Cult Films) and featuring  “great performances” (Scream Horror Magazine) from the likes of Sean McGrath (Grimm, Twilight) and John Nielsen (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen),  Deep Dark has played to a resoundingly positive response at film festivals right around the world. It’s highly anticipated DVD and VOD release has been scheduled for November 10th via Uncork’d Entertainment.

Official Synopsis: Hermann, a failed sculptor, is about to kill himself when he finds a strange, talking hole in the wall. The creature in the hole (Denise Poirier, the voice of ÆON FLUX) has the power to fulfill his wildest dreams, but things go horribly wrong and when the killing starts, Hermann is thrust into the worst nightmare of his life. Deep Dark is a twisted tale warning you to be careful what you wish for because it just might get you. 

The trailer that premiered on Shock Till You Drop recently suggests quite a unique movie – what’s the tone?

Mike Medaglia: It’s a psychological horror mixed with a lot of very dark humor. It’s probably more humorous than it comes across in the trailer. While we were making it, one thing I didn’t want to do was signal the audience when it was appropriate to laugh or be scared. I think modern audiences are smarter enough to figure it out on their own. When I watch it with an audience, there is a fair amount of nervous laughter, which seems about right. It’s not incredibly scary so some hardcore horror fans may find it disappointing. It’s more creepy and unsettling. The total death count is actually very low for a horror movie. There is a lot of dismemberment, on the other hand.

How would you describe the film to the unversed?

Mike Medaglia: I would say it’s a very strange tale about a guy who finds a hole in the wall which, you know, um—starts talking to him. And I would say that it’s not suitable for young children.

Is that how you described it to investors and your cast?

Mike Medaglia: I said it was like JAWS in an apartment. Ok, that’s not really what I really said. But I should have said that because we probably would have gotten more money! I think I called it a modern twist on the Faustian myth. Like a Being John Malchovich only with lots more blood. There were definitely some people who turned and walked the other way after hearing my idea. But there were just as many folks who were intrigued. I remember our Producer, Lara Cuddy, who I hadn’t met before we made the film, told me what appealed to her most was the story and how well-written script was. The Special FX Supervisor and Production Designer (Christina Kortum and Rebecca Micciche) were excited about all the visually interesting stuff they were going to create. The cinematographer, Francisco Bulgarelli, is an old friend and he knows the kinds of films I like to make.

There was a similar film, Motivational Growth, were you aware of it when you were lensing? How does this one differ?

Mike Medaglia: No, I hadn’t heard of Motivational Growth until recently. I actually finished the script for Deep Dark in 2008. But the concept of MG sounds amazing and now I want to see it. I bet it’s right up my alley. I imagine the biggest difference is that our sentient inanimate object is a hole, it’s female and there’s a bit of a love-triangle that plays out with it. I don’t want to spoil the rest.

When did you come up with the concept?

Mike Medaglia: At the time when I wrote it, I think I was having a lot of troubles balancing my creative life and my love life. I think many artists feel like this can be a tug-of-war where they’re caught in the middle. The idea for the hole came from the note-pulling scene. I had the idea of the character finding a string and, out of curiosity, he pulls it. He finds a note at the end with a message just for him. The note is worn like it had been there forever, but it’s answering his questions and carrying on a whole conversation with him. This was the seed scene for me. The rest of the film grew out of this. I guess you could say it was like the pod that came out of the hole for me.

Were there any challenges in getting the movie made?

Mike Medaglia: Yes, many. It’s always hard to raise money for a film when it’s your first feature. After we raised the money, shooting it on a tiny budget raised its own challenges. We would lose locations the day before and in some cases I rewrote scenes to fit the new locations. It’s helpful to be the writer/director in these situations. But these are fairly common hurdles for an indie film shoot. I remember the first scene we shot was Hermann entering the apartment for the first time. We were shooting on a set we built in a warehouse. In the scene, he steps inside and closes the door on the camera. On the first take Shawn (McGrath) went inside and slammed the door—and it locked shut! He couldn’t open it and we were all stuck outside. I actually had to climb inside the ‘window’ and it took the two of us to get the door open. I thought ‘wow, this does not bode well for a first take’. But actually the shoot went pretty smoothly. We were able to keep the drama in front of the camera.

Where has it been seen so far? How has the feedback been?

Mike Medaglia: So far pretty good. I think it polarizes audiences a little. Some people really love it. Others maybe not so much. That’s fine. I think it will find it’s audience when it gets released.

What are you doing next?

Mike Medaglia: I’m currently in the middle of writing another screenplay. It’s another fantasy/horror. but it’s a bit more serious than Deep Dark. Also, I’ve been really itching to do an absurdist horror-comic idea I’ve had about math. It will probably not make any money, but I’m kind of obsessed with it so we’ll see what happens."