We have another installment of Horror Highlights, showing you the trailers for Sator and Climate of the Hunter, catching up with the composer of Hunter Hunter, and giving you a heads up on Cryptids joining forces with Dark Matter TV!
Watch the trailer for SATOR: "Secluded in a desolate forest home to little more than the decaying remnants of the past, a broken family is further torn apart by a mysterious death. Adam, guided by a pervasive sense of dread, hunts for answers only to learn that they are not alone; an insidious presence by the name of Sator has been observing his family, subtly influencing all of them for years in an attempt to claim them.
The uniquely spectral horror-thriller SATOR teases the line between fact and fiction as it’s core story, of a demon making contact with an intimate family, is inspired by director Jordan Graham’s own life. “Sator is quite personal to me,” says Graham. “It delves into my family’s dark history with mental illness surrounding a supernatural entity, and uses home video footage to create an interwoven piece between documentary and fiction.”
For years generations of his family, including his grandmother, have claimed to make contact with a mysterious presence by the name of Sator, and the film features her own haunting accounts of contact.
The film is written, directed, produced, edited, scored, and lensed by Graham, who took seven years to complete the feature, and stars newcomers Michael Daniel, Aurora Lowe, Gabriel Nicholson, and Rachel Johnson alongside Graham’s late grandmother, June Peterson.
Called “simultaneously heartbreaking and chilling” by Dread Central and “strikingly atmospheric” by Variety, SATOR is a masterful dive into psychologically driven horror and a shockingly real meditation on mental illness, generational trauma, and the occult."
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Watch the Trailer for CLIMATE OF THE HUNTER: "Dark Star Pictures has acquired critically acclaimed indie auteur Mickey Reece’s award-winning and super stylish vampire feature Climate of the Hunter. The film, lauded by critics as a “gloriously quirky cinematic feat” (Rue Morgue) and “an instant cult classic” (Film Freak Central), releases in select theaters this December ahead of an On Demand release January, 2021.
Two sisters, Alma and Elizabeth, along with a dog who’s described as a “philosopher,” have come to Alma’s remote house to reconnect with Wesley after twenty years. Alma is recently divorced, Elizabeth is a workaholic in Washington, D.C., while Wesley lives in Paris dealing with a wife recently struck with a fatal disease. When the three come together for dinner it has all the makings of a lovely adult melodrama about loneliness, and the desire to connect and share our lives with someone… but we must add to the mix one otherworldly piece of information: Wesley could be a vampire.
Ginger Gilmartin, Mary Buss, Ben Hall, and Jacob Ryan Snovel star in a Mickey Reece (Arrows of Outrageous Fortune, Mono) film."
Climate of the Hunter is in select theaters December 18 and On Demand January 12, 2021.
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Composer Kevon Cronin Discusses Scoring the Horror Film Hunter Hunter: "IFC Midnight’s Hunter Hunter is being released December 18th in theaters and On Demand. The official synopsis reads: Joseph and his family live in the remote wilderness as fur trappers, but their tranquility is threatened when they think they are being hunted by the return of a rogue wolf, and Joseph leaves them behind to track it. Ahead of the release, we had composer Kevon Cronin break down the film’s pulsating score in the below exclusive interview.
How has your experience on Hunter Hunter been different from other films you have worked on?
Hunter Hunter allowed me the opportunity to stretch my musical muscles in different ways that I haven’t in the past. The quality of cinematography, acting and storytelling really drew my attention to the film and afforded me the opportunity to challenge myself to create a score that could live up to these other elements.
Hunter Hunter is a unique type horror film. What do you think audiences will like most about the film?
Like all great horror films, Hunter Hunter relies heavily on environment and leaves a lot up to the audiences’ imagination. Because of these elements, it creates a wonderful atmosphere for the audiences’ imaginations to wonder. The greatest horror films to me are the ones that mess with your head and let you picture things that might not even be there. Because once they show you something, you are less afraid of it, then if you imagine something there.
What instrument did you use in the film to make the most menacing sounds?
The cello. To reflect the director’s vision of creating an ode to the predatory spirit, I knew that my score had to be primal and stark in nature. This led me to work with a wonderful cellist, Norm Adams. I developed a unique musical signature for the film through the use of his cello. After that, it was a process of integrating these sounds and experimenting against the picture to create the unique score for Hunter Hunter.
Your score is in the background a lot during the more dramatic scenes, was the goal during these scenes to amp up the intensity?
The use of the score for Hunter Hunter varied from scene to scene. Through experimentation and working alongside Shawn, we found that the acting and story were more than successful at creating the intensity that the film needed. The music was able to take a backseat to the other elements and maintain a sense of tension and propulsion throughout the more dramatic scenes.
Did you compose the heavy metal type song in the final scene of the film or was that by the sound supervisor? It has a pretty different vibe then the rest of the film. Was the goal for that song to be very jarring, because of the picture it was accompanying?
No, I didn’t compose the heavy metal song in the final scene. That song was already in place. I think that song worked very well against the violent images. And helped to create juxtaposition with my score that had been featured up to that point.
What initiated your exploration of music and what aspects of your environment informed the development of your artistic voice?
Music has always been a part of my life. Growing up in northern Canada, with such a harsh winter, there weren’t many things to do besides play hockey and study music. I was fortunate to do both. I was blessed to be enrolled in music lessons at a young age. It was only when I saw the film Star Trek: First Contact with a beautiful score by Jerry Goldsmith, did I come to understand the true power of combining film with music. It was from that point on, that I knew what I wanted to do.
You are a fan of horror films. Have there been any recent horror film scores that have stuck out to you?
One horror film that comes to mind is Sinister, a fantastically disturbing film starring Ethan Hawke and featuring a score by Christopher Young. His use of musique concrète, or found sound, really struck a chord with me and left a lasting effect on my psyche.
Is there a horror title you would like to score if it were to be remade?
I’m a particular fan of science fiction horror, Event Horizon comes to my mind. I would love the opportunity to score a remake of that film, as it would allow me to explore the depths of horror and combine elements of science fiction and horror scoring to create a horror identity. That or a good old fashioned zombie movie."
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Sci-Fi Mystery Podcast, Cryptids, Joins Forces with Dark Matter TV: "Los Angeles, CA (Dec. 11, 2020) – Dark Matter TV welcomes Cryptids to the dark side.
The go-to streaming app for the best horror, sci-fi, true crime and action entertainment, Dark Matter TV, is excited to host the first season of the sci-fi mystery podcast, Cryptids, with an innovative visual element.
Creating a further enhanced experience, listeners will dive deep into the mysterious monster hunt of lunar dimensions, following the story of a conspiracy radio show host and an avid listener who are in search of an afterlife. But instead, they find a truth beyond their wildest nightmares. In this female driven, sci-fi audio drama, you'll meet monsters, aliens... and the ultimate grim reaper.
Watch here: https://www.darkmattertv.com/shows/cryptids.
For more information about Cryptids, follow them on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cryptidspodcast) or visit https://www.cryptidspodcast.com/.
Dedicated to bringing the best of horror, sci-fi, action and true crime entertainment to your home for free, download the Dark Matter TV app on any smart device here on the app store, on Google Play or by visiting: http://www.darkmattertv.com.
Containing over +500 titles of the best curated horror, sci-fi, action and true crime entertainment, the Dark Matter TV app is available on smart phones, tablets, OTT devices, connected television and desktops like Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, Apple iOS, Android, Google Play, Samsung and LG – and has also launched onto Vizio – a leading HDTV brand in America.
Follow Dark Matter TV on Twitter @TVDarkMatter (https://twitter.com/TvDarkmatter), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DarkMatterTV/) and Instagram (@DarkMatterFreeTVapp). Please contact Dark Matter TV at info@tricoasttv.com for more information."
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