Horror Highlights: JURASSIC WORLD – THE RIDE at Universal Studios Hollywood, Full Moon at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Q&A with 1BR Composer Ronen Landa

The majestic dinosaurs from the Jurassic period have taken over Universal Studios Hollywood! Continue reading for full details on the new attraction Jurassic World ― The Ride. Also: Full Moon at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 and a Q&A with 1BR composer Ronen Landa.

Universal Studios Hollywood's Jurassic World - The Ride Details: "It’s official: Universal Studios Hollywood’s mega-attraction “Jurassic World — The Ride” opens and It Just Got Real.

Inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s JURASSIC WORLD blockbuster films, this spectacular new thrill ride features the film’s stars, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and BD Wong, who reprise their roles as Owen Grady, Claire Dearing and Dr. Henry Wu, and soars to new heights with the addition of iconic dinosaurs from the movie, including the colossal Indominus rex and the magnificent aquatic Mosasaurus.

“Jurassic World — The Ride” captures the essence of the blockbuster movies and comes to life in collaboration with the award-winning and inspired minds at Universal Creative, the Academy Award®-winning special-effects visionaries at Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm, Ltd., Universal Pictures and acclaimed filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow and Frank Marshall.

The elaborately themed all-new “Raptor Encounter” where Blue, the beloved Velociraptor from the JURASSIC WORLD movies, engages with guests in daring face-to-face encounters, along with the addition of two new dinosaurs – a Baby Raptor with her Raptor Handler and a life-size Triceratops who greet guests outside the “Jurassic World — The Ride” entrance, further enhance the entire experience. Plus, a new interactive “Dino Play” area is designed to inspire children of all ages to explore and excavate giant dinosaur fossils.

Costa Rican-inspired cuisine and flavorful Tiki cocktails served at Jurassic Café and all-new tropical Isla Nu-bar add to the dynamic guest experience while an array of souvenir collectible, limited edition and one-of-a-kind dimensional dinosaur sculptures from the Jurassic Outfitters store invite guests to savor a piece of this exciting thrill ride even after they have gone home.

With so much to see and do at Universal Studios Hollywood, the California Neighbor Pass invites guests to experience 175 days of fun for $149 when purchased online. Visit www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com for more details. Blackout dates and restrictions apply.

More information is available at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com. Like Universal Studios Hollywood on Facebook and follow @UniStudios on Instagram and Twitter.

Universal Studios Hollywood is The Entertainment Capital of L.A. and includes a full-day, movie-based theme park, and Studio Tour. As a leading global entertainment destination, Universal Studios Hollywood delivers highly themed immersive lands that translate to real-life interpretations of iconic movie and television shows. Attractions include “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” which features a bustling Hogsmeade village and such critically-acclaimed rides as “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” and “Flight of the Hippogriff”, and the new mega-attraction “Jurassic World—The Ride.” Other immersive lands include “Despicable Me Minion Mayhem” and “Super Silly Fun Land” as well as “Springfield,” hometown of America’s favorite TV family, located adjacent to the award-winning “The Simpsons Ride” and DreamWorks Theatre featuring “Kung Fu Panda Adventure.” The world-renowned Studio Tour is Universal Studios Hollywood’s signature attraction, inviting guests behind-the-scenes of the world’s biggest and busiest movie and television production studio where they can also experience such thrill rides as “Fast & Furious—Supercharged” and “King Kong 360 3D.” The adjacent Universal CityWalk entertainment, shopping, and dining complex also includes the all-new multi-million dollar, redesigned Universal CityWalk Cinema, featuring deluxe recliner seating in screening room quality theatres, and the “5 Towers” state-of-the-art outdoor concert stage."

---------

Full Moon at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 Announced: "Charles Band's iconic independent film studio Full Moon is set to appear next week at the juggernaut, four-day fest that is the San Diego Comic-Con International!

The 2019 San Diego International Comic-Con runs from July 18-21 at the San Diego Convention Center and Full Moon is pulling out all-the-stops, bringing a slew of wild merchandise and convention-only exclusives that should have weird movie aficionados losing their marbles!

First up, Full Moon's much-hyped DEADLY TEN live-streamed feature film production project continues to swell, having wrapped their first two twisted tales - Danny Draven's WEEDJIES and Chris Alexander's NECROPOLIS: LEGION - and now the studio is prepping their third film, John Lechago's BLADE: THE IRON CROSS! This stand-alone spin-off from Full Moon's legendary PUPPET MASTER franchise goes to camera in August and fans can watch the movie being made LIVE only at www.DeadlyTen.com! And when fans drop by the Full Moon Comic-Con booth, Band (who will appear on all four days) and staff will be giving away FREE packages of limited edition DEADLY TEN collectors cards to every single person that signs up for FREE to the DEADLY TEN site!

The studio will also be teasing their upcoming line of DEADLY TEN comic books from Full Moon Comix! Each issue will feature a sidebar story from each individual feature film's narrative; the ultimate way to go deeper into the DEADLY TEN universe, with stories written and illustrated by today's top comic talents!

On top of all this DEADLY TEN awesomeness, Full Moon will also have LIMITED stock of their AWARD-WINNING "Toulon's Trunk" Blu-ray box sets on hand at a ridiculously low SDCC ONLY exclusive price! Plus, they'll have copies of DELIRIUM #20 - Full Moon's popular cult and horror film magazine - featuring a blow-out cover story feature on the SUBSPECIES films, an interview with Full Moon legend Phil Fondacaro and much, much more!

So come and meet Full Moon founder and living weird movie legend Charles Band, sign up for DEADLY TEN and get INSANE deals on loads of wicked Blu-rays, DVDs, comics, magazines, box sets, toys, clothing and MUCH, MUCH more! Only at SDCC 2019!

ABOUT FULL MOON FEATURES

Founded in 1989 by iconic independent film producer and director Charles Band, Full Moon is the successor to Band's groundbreaking Empire Pictures Studio from the 1980s. With Empire, Band created now-classic horror films like RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND and GHOULIES. Band's films helped launch the career of many of Hollywood's biggest stars including Demi Moore (PARASITE), Helen Hunt (TRANCERS), and Viggo Mortensen (PRISON), to name a few. With Full Moon, Band has produced over 150 films, including the PUPPET MASTER franchise, SUBSPECIES, PIT AND THE PENDULUM, CASTLE FREAK, DOLLMAN, DEMONIC TOYS, PREHYSTERIA!, EVIL BONG and many more. As well as feature films, Full Moon produces original series, toys, collectibles, merchandise, comic books and publishes the popular horror film magazine DELIRIUM."

---------

Q&A with 1BR Composer Ronen Landa: "David Marmor’s new horror/thriller 1BR is premiering at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival and ahead of the premiere the filmmakers just released a clip from the film that will make you want to sleep with the light on. Every good horror film needs to be accompanied by a chilling score, 1BR is no exception thanks to composer Ronen Landa. You may remember Landa from his scores to IFC Midnight’s At the Devil’s Door or The Pact, which garnered attention after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Horror film scores can be hard to master, but with credits like these, it’s exciting to see what Landa will bring to the genre next with 1BR. Read the full interview with Landa below.

In a few words, how would you describe your score to the upcoming horror film 1BR?

Ronen Landa: We wanted to score this movie from Sarah’s POV, so it’s always reflecting her state of mind. Her optimism at the beginning of the film, her pain, and confusion, her gears turning. In that way, the music is really an extension of her character and it’s meant to draw you into her disturbing experience.

We read you suggested some ideas for the temp score when first meeting 1BR Director David Marmor. What were those ideas specifically?

Ronen Landa: There were a bunch of scores we listened to together— some of my previous work but also other composers I admire. In one instance they hit a bit of a roadblock while editing one scene; it was clear that the music was going to be a critical part of the solution so I mocked up a blueprint that helped guide the narrative structure. All that was before I started writing new music, and it was a golden opportunity to develop a great collaboration with David.

Did those ideas make it into the final film?

Ronen Landa: The temp ideas were guideposts and were a very useful starting point for us to begin crafting our original music. Ultimately the score was even more carefully tailored to the images and story.

What was your inspiration for the 1BR score?

Ronen Landa: Sarah walks into an everyday scenario— renting an apartment at a fairly typical Los Angeles apartment complex— and finds out that the reality is not what she expected. So a lot of our signature sounds for this score were fairly typical musical gestures like a simple strum on the guitar, a single vocal note, etc— the challenge was to twist them just enough so they still felt familiar but strange and disorienting.

When a film like 1BR has a psychological aspect to it, does that allow you to experiment with bigger sounds and really “go for it”? Because in the film one doesn’t know what’s reality?

Ronen Landa: I’d like to think I’m really going for it whether it’s big or small! In fact, that’s the real key, balancing the intimate moments with the explosive ones so the audience is drawn in but also on their toes. When Sarah is in an overwhelming situation the natural instinct was to go big, but in one key moment we totally subverted that and the horror gives way to deeply personal and emotional musical territory. That was one of my favorite dramatic moments in the score because we clearly understand that she’s crossed a psychological threshold without a single line of dialog. But the huge moments are fun to work on too and offer so much room for sonic exploration.

Horror is a tricky genre, musically. The composer has to find a nice balance of creating suspense, but also not being too overbearing. But then sometimes the story calls for a more musical presence like It Follows. What was your approach to this project?

Ronen Landa: You are absolutely right about that! That balance matters to every film but in this genre, the entire experience can ride on hitting that balance just right.

The score in 1BR is definitely a big part of this film and it covers a lot of ground. I think we have around an hour of original music, and we were very mindful throughout about blending into the emotional fabric in some scenes. That helped the big musical moments land hard. At the mix I probably suggested they bring the score down more than I asked them to turn it up!

There has been a lot of horror remakes lately such as Child’s Play, Pet Sematary and Halloween. Is there another horror remake that hasn’t been made that you would really like to score?

Ronen Landa: I read something about a remake of Hitchcock’s The Birds at one point, a project like that would be amazing! Leigh Whannell is a person I really admire and I’m excited to see what he does with The Invisible Man, too.

I’m drawn to stories with a strong emotional center— horror films that go beyond the shock value of a jump scare and delve into the psychology of fear. If we can do that with a remake then consider me game to score one! At the end of the day collaborating with filmmakers who care about telling great stories is what gets me interested in a new project.

Do you have any upcoming projects you can discuss?

Ronen Landa: A dark comedy feature I scored called Yinz will be released soon, and I’m so proud of that film and the score. The movie is brilliantly written and directed, and it’s just not often that you get to compose a full orchestral score for a small indie. It’s a very special project.

I recently released a mixed media album with visual artist Sheila Darcey called Art on a Loop. Sheila created artwork while listening to my music, and I then scored the time-lapse videos she made of her process. The album is a charity fundraiser for Education Through Music - Los Angeles which does amazing work bringing music education to disadvantaged children.

And there are, of course, some horror projects in the works too! I hope I’ll have more to say about those in the near future."