We're back with another installment of Horror Highlights! In today's feature, we have a look at the trailers for Random Acts of Violence, Lake of Death, and Impetigore, along with details on the 2020 editions of the Blood in the Snow film festival and Grimfest, and a look at Pooka Lives! merchandise:
Watch the Trailer for RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE:
"*Users can sign-up for a 30-day free trial for new members with promo code SHUTIN on Shudder.com*
A cult-hit in the making, Jay Baruchel’s long-anticipated RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE, adapted from the popular 2010 horror graphic novel by the same name, is a force to reckon with. The Canadian filmmaker and actor, best known for his comedic bow in THIS IS THE END and as the voice of Hiccup in the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON series, has long been committed to bringing Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti’s vicious pages to the big screen, and wrote, directed, produced and stars in the upcoming film.
RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE explores ideas of legitimizing cruelty, the responsibility of the artist, and what makes a monster in society. Masterfully lensed by award-winning cinematographer Karim Hussain (HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, Brandon Cronenberg’s POSSESOR), the film holds a ferocious mirror up to art, society, and violence.
Featuring a knock-out cast, iconic kills, and a pulsating score from celebrated punk all-star Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Black Lungs) and composer Andrew Gordon Macpherson (Vice’s Dark Side of The Ring) RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE makes for a truly subversive sophomore feature from Baruchel, and the slasher film of the Summer.
Synopsis: What are the real consequences when life begins to imitate art? Comic book creator Todd Walkley (Jesse Williams), his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson) and best friend, Hard Calibre Comics owner Ezra (Baruchel), embark upon a road trip from Toronto to New York Comic Con and bad things start to happen. People start getting killed.
It soon becomes clear that a crazed fan is using Todd’s “SLASHERMAN” comic as inspiration for the killings and as the bodies pile up, and Todd’s friends and family become victims themselves, Todd will be forced to take artistic responsibility."
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Watch the Trailer for LAKE OF DEATH: "Synopsis: A year after her twin brother mysteriously disappeared, Lillian and her friends head to the old family cabin to say their goodbyes. But soon after they arrive, eerie and gruesome events begin to occur. As the lines between reality and Lillian's nightmares blur, she must fight both an external and internal struggle to stay alive. Is a horrific local legend becoming reality, or is the real enemy among them?
Director Nini Bull Robsahm (Amnesia) took inspiration from Norway’s popular 1942 novel (and later film adaptation) of the same name (De dødes tjern), credited with sparking the country’s interest in horror. Robsahm shot Lake of Death on stunning 35mm and brought on Academy Award-winner Bob Murawski (Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell, The Hurt Locker) to edit. Starring Iben Akerlie, Jacob Andersen Schøyen, Jonathan Harboe, Sophia Lie and Elias Mun. A Shudder Original."
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Watch the Trailer for IMPETIGORE: "After surviving a murder attempt in the city, Maya, a down-on-her-luck young woman, learns that she may inherit a house in her ancestral village. With her friend Dini, Maya returns to the village of her birth, unaware that the community there has been trying to locate and kill her to remove the curse that has plagued the village for years. As she begins to discover the complicated reality about her past, Maya finds herself in a fight for her life. Starring Tara Basro, Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita, Christine Hakim, Asmara Abigail, directed by Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves). A Shudder Original."
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Virtual Edition of Blood in the Snow Film Festival:
"EDMONTON (July 13, 2020) – Super Channel and the Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror films, are pleased to announce that they have partnered to bring a virtual edition of the upcoming 2020 BITS to Canadian horror film fans across the nation, with the Blood in the Snow Film Festival presented by Super Channel.
The virtual festival, which is slated to run Oct 28 to Nov 7, will bring a selection of Canadian horror features and shorts to Super Channel Fuse, just in time for Halloween. Dedicated to promoting the best in independent Canadian horror cinema, BITS is known by fans and filmmakers alike as one of the premier horror festivals available in Canada. For the first time, horror fans across the country will be able to immerse themselves in all the thrills and chills that BITS has to offer.
“We are proud to be partnering with Blood in the Snow to bring another important indie festival celebrating Canadian filmmakers to our viewers. As independent festivals continue to face uncertainty with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we want to continue to do our part to support the Canadian film industry,” said Don McDonald, President and CEO, Super Channel. “With a robust horror offering on our schedule, we saw this as a natural fit that would be a welcome addition for Super Channel’s horror fans over the Halloween week.”
“This will be a great chance to turn Super Channel into an old-style horror show during the Halloween season!”, says Kelly Michael Stewart, Festival Director and Founder of Blood in the Snow. “We are going to do everything we can to bring the spooky spirit you would experience in person at BITS to fans watching from home.”
In addition to exclusive Canadian film premieres, the virtual film festival experience will include pre-recorded film intros, Q&A’s with filmmakers and a post-festival awards show.
Blood in the Snow will also be running its Deadly Exposure industry events on-line from November 4 to 7, 2020 with its mix of industry panels and virtual round table events.
Films and scheduling details for the festival and Deadly Exposure will be announced at a later date.
About Blood in the Snow
The Blood in the Snow Film Festival is a unique and imaginative showcase of contemporary Canadian horror, genre and underground cinema that exists to challenge social boundaries, explore artistic taboos and support and exhibit independent Canadian genre media artists. BITS takes place in Toronto, Ontario and brings together audiences, media coverage, community partnerships and the filmmaking industry to exhibit and celebrate Canadian genre film.
Website: https://bloodinthesnow.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitsfilmfest/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BITSFILMFEST
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitsfilmfest/
About Super Channel Entertainment Network
Super Channel is a national pay television network, offering subscribers exceptional entertainment value, uncut and commercial-free, with four diverse channels – Super
Channel Fuse, Super Channel Heart & Home, Super Channel Vault and GINX Esports TV Canada – plus, access to Super Channel On Demand where available by service provider.
Super Channel's mission is to entertain and engage Canadian audiences by providing a unique and exclusive entertainment experience. With a core foundation of integrity and
accountability, we dedicate ourselves to implementing innovative programming strategies and unparalleled teamwork that provides viewers with exceptional value and variety.
Super Channel is owned by Allarco Entertainment 2008 Inc., an Edmonton-based media company. For a list of service providers, please visit: superchannel.ca/subscribe
Connect with Super Channel:
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Grimfest 2020: Grimmfest 2020 will offer a roster of feature film premieres and shorts programmes across a new online platform.
This year has seen every film festival struggling to find ways to present new films to their audience safely, without risk of infection, in the midst of a global pandemic. And after long and serious discussion, Grimmfest will be going ahead in a new format for 2020.
Grimmfest's live event at the Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, will be postponed until spring 2021. But fear not, a new online alternative “virtual festival” will run from 7 - 11 October 2020 and will feature an exciting array of feature film premieres, shorts programmes, Q&As, talks and much more.
The online event will present over 19 features, two short film showcases, and an exclusive Q&A with the Master of Horror himself, Mick Garris (MASTERS OF HORROR, STEPHEN KING’S THE STAND), who will also be receiving a Lifetime achievement award.
And what’s more, Grimmfest have released info on the first tranche of exciting premieres that will screen as part of the new venture.
A focus on iconic female horror stars will feature Adrienne Barbeau (THE FOG) confronting a Faustian pact with a fracking company in the UK Premiere of UNEARTH. Grimmfest favourite Pollyanna MacIntosh (THE WALKING DEAD) revs up for the European premiere of girl-gang biker revenge flick REVENGE RIDE and, 34 years after TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, Caroline Williams returns to Stretch's midnight DJ slot for the European Premiere of vampire flick for the #Me Too era, TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT.
There's more female-centred horror in the UK premiere of Jose Luis Montesinos’ ROPES in which a wheelchair-bound woman finds herself trapped in an isolated house with a loyal service dog turned rabid.
Grimmfest continues to champion independent voices in horror, with a selection of soon-to-be cult classics. There's the UK premiere of South African psychedelic drug-trip alien possession movie, FRIED BARRY. FATAL ATTRACTION meets THE BLOB as Misogynous sexual mores encounter old school EC Comic style poetic justice in the UK premiere of B. Harrison Smith’s THE SPECIAL.
Body jacking parasites disrupt a polite dinner party with gory consequences in the European premiere of outrageous black comedy AN IDEAL HOST. THE BIG CHILL meets BATTLE ROYALE as a college camping trip turns into a fight for survival in the northern premiere of TRIGGERED. And an African American family on the run collides with cannibal Klansmen in the world premiere of DEATH RANCH, Charlie Steeds' delirious tribute to Seventies grindhouse and blaxploitation cinema, which suddenly feels all-too-uncomfortably topical.
Seventies cult cinema is evoked, too, in the UK premiere of URUBU, Alejandro Ibáñez Nauta's homage to his own father, Spanish genre legend Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, whose most famous work, WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? is ruthlessly reimagined for a new generation.
Grimmfest will also host an exclusive panel on Iconic women in horror, featuring some of the stars of this years selected films, talking about their careers.
Steve Balshaw, chief programmer, said: "We are selecting some fantastic genre movie premieres that people can enjoy from the safety of their own home. With so many titles already confirmed, this is shaping up to be a fine alternative.”
Simeon Halligan, festival director said: “We are indebted to the ODEON, who have worked with us to offer alternative ways to present the festival and are pulling out all the stops to help us make sure Grimmfest 2020/21 is a success. We are also pleased that our key Sponsor ‘Horror Channel’ are able to continue their support throughout 2020, enabling us to put on an amazing post lockdown celebration of genre cinema”.
Grimmfest 2020 full festival ‘Online’ passes are available now, from www.grimmfest.com
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POOKA LIVES! Merchandise: Blumhouse TV has partnered with Felicia Day (Pooka Lives, The Guild) on the creation of exclusive merchandise to be sold in the Blumhouse shop at: shop.blumhouse.com
"The items, which feature a special design inspired by Pooka and created by Day herself, include t-shirts, sweatshirts, notebooks, and mugs and were inspired by her nostalgia and love for “kawaii” - “cute” in the context of Japanese popular culture.
About the Blumhouse Shop:
The official shop of Blumhouse featuring apparel, figures, collectibles, and more from some of Blumhouse’s signature franchises and beloved characters. Shop.blumhouse.com
About Pooka Lives
In Pooka Lives, a group of thirty-something friends from high-school create their own Creepypasta about Pooka for laughs, but are shocked when it becomes so viral on the Internet that it actually manifests more murderous versions of the creature. Directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead) and written by Ryan Copple, the film stars Felicia Day (Supernatural), Wil Wheaton (Stand By Me), Malcolm Barrett (Timeless), Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), Jonah Ray (Mystery Science Theater 3000), Lyndie Greenwood (The Expanse), Gavin Stenhouse (Black Mirror).
Pooka Lives follows the hugely popular installment Pooka directed by Nacho Vigalondo that premiered in the series’ first season and is also available on Hulu.
About Into the Dark
Blumhouse Television’s Into the Dark, a monthly horror event series from prolific, award-winning producer, Jason Blum’s independent TV studio. Each feature-length installment is inspired by a holiday and features Blumhouse’s signature genre/thriller spin on the story."
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
Daily Dead's Official Podcast! Daily Dead's Official Podcast!
