This past weekend, the 2017 Dances With Films festival wrapped up here in Los Angeles, and before we said goodbye to the fest’s impressive slate of indie genre projects, we had the opportunity to check out the stellar short film, Alfred J. Hemlock, from co-writer/director Edward Lyons and co-writer/producer Melissa Lyons. It stars Tristan McKinnon as the titular character who stalks a young woman named Emily (Renaye Loryman) one night down a darkened alley and terrorizes her, only to have Emily push back against her supernatural antagonizer in some unexpected ways.
This weekend marks the final days of the 2017 Dances With Film festival being held at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. Later tonight, director Adam Ripp’s supernaturally themed thriller Devil’s Whisper will be enjoying its world premiere at the historic cinema.
Now in theaters everywhere is The Mummy from director Alex Kurtzman, and earlier this week, Daily Dead had the chance to speak with the filmmaker about his approach to resurrecting the classic Universal Monster for modern audiences, marrying horror and action, his experiences collaborating with Tom Cruise, and more.
On Friday, June 9th, Aaron B. Koontz’s Camera Obscura hits theaters before making its way onto VOD platforms everywhere just a few days later on the 13th. The psychological horror film stars Christopher Denham (Money Monster, The Bay), Nadja Bobyleva (Bridge of Spies), Noah Segan (Looper, Starry Eyes, Brick), and also features some other stellar supporting talent that should be familiar to genre fans, including Chase Williamson (John Dies at the End, Beyond the Gates), Andrew Sensenig (We Are Still Here), and Gretchen Lodge (Lovely Molly).
Arriving in theaters this weekend is Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy, kicking off Universal’s upcoming Dark Universe that hopes to resurrect all of the studio's classic monsters for modern audiences. During the press day earlier this week, Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Jake Johnson (Jurassic World, New Girl) about taking on his most action-oriented role to date, collaborating with Tom Cruise as well as Kurtzman, and more.
This Friday, June 9th, Trey Edward Shults’ It Comes At Night arrives in theaters everywhere. The pandemic-themed horror/domestic hybrid thriller stars Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Riley Keough, and Christopher Abbott, and explores how paranoia and fear can tear apart even the strongest of families and exploit our own psychological cracks, most of all when we least expect it.
I’ll be the first to admit I was rather skeptical going into Alex Kurtzman’s The Mummy, as the trailers seemed to be far more focused on the action instead of the horror to the story. But thankfully, my fears about the direction this new Mummy would take were quickly quelled about 25 minutes into the film, when I realized that this brand new Dark Universe that Universal is set to unleash was starting off on the right foot, because I was having a helluva fun time and was completely immersed in this world.
The first time I ever met Paul Davis was at a HorrorHound convention back in 2007. He was there presenting some footage from his amazing documentary, Beware The Moon, a celebration of all things An American Werewolf in London. His passion and enthusiasm for John Landis’ film, as well as for the horror genre as a whole, immediately struck me, and I’ve been following his career in the realms of filmmaking and writing ever since.
On Tuesday, June 6th, writer/director Natasha Kermani’s science fiction-fueled exploration of identity, Imitation Girl, will celebrate its Los Angeles premiere at the 2017 Dances With Film festival being held at the Chinese Theaters in Los Angeles. To mark the occasion, Daily Dead had the chance to speak with Kermani about collaborating with Imitation Girl star Lauren Ashley Carter (Darling, The Mind’s Eye, Pod), using genre elements to explore the themes of identity and humanity, and creating a film with grandeur while working within the constraints of a tight budget.
Enjoying its world premiere later today at the 2017 Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles, writer/director Justin Reinsilber’s Central Park is an ambitious slasher hybrid that interweaves several different storylines which all coincide on one fateful night in the titular, iconic New York City location. During our interview, Reinsilber chatted about what inspired his unusual approach to his ambitious story, the challenges of shooting in New York and creating a compelling masked killer for modern audiences, and why it was important to him to go all practical with Central Park’s effects.
Later today, writer/director Tyler Savage’s psychological thriller Inheritance will celebrate its world premiere at the 2017 Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles. Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Savage earlier this week, and he discussed the inspirations behind his story, collaborating with his stellar ensemble, and more.
Before tackling the Spider-Man trilogy, Master of Horror Sam Raimi gave the world his own unique brand of superhero storytelling with his 1990 neo-noir/horror/romance mash-up, Darkman, which paid homage to the larger-than-life characters and worlds of comic properties like Dick Tracy and Batman, as well as the tortured titular character in The Phantom of the Opera.
Arriving in theaters this weekend, and subsequently on Blu-ray/DVD/VOD next week is writer/director Tommy Stovall’s unique vampire tale, Aaron’s Blood, which follows a struggling single father (James Martinez) who will stop at nothing to try and help his son Tate (Trevor Stovall), who has begun to exhibit signs of vampirism after an accident sends him to the hospital.
On August 11th, David F. Sandberg’s latest project, Annabelle: Creation, will arrive in theaters everywhere courtesy of Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema. Last summer, Daily Dead had the opportunity to take part in an extensive set visit for the sequel, which was held shortly after Sandberg’s feature film debut, Lights Out, was finding much success at the box office.
Earlier this week, film enthusiast and writer Kory Davis held a special 15th anniversary screening for Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil, which was perfectly timed to coincide with the home entertainment release of the last installment in the franchise, The Final Chapter. Before the packed event got underway, Daily Dead had the chance to chat briefly with both Anderson, as well as producer Jeremy Bolt, who has collaborated with the director on numerous projects over the last few decades.
