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Hey, what do you know, another After Dark Horrorfest trailer! This one’s for Nick Cohen’s The Reeds–which looks intriguing even though I have no idea what exactly is going on in it. That’s usually not a good sign, but I’m being a “glass is half full” kinda guy today.

Here’s the plot breakdown:

In The Reeds, a weekend boating trip through the Norfolk Broads becomes a deadly ordeal for six 20-something year old friends who lose their bearings in the vast reedy tidewaters. Chances of escape and hopes for survival diminish as inexplicable forces terrorize the lost and terrified group.

This year’s Horrorfest begins on January 29th and will run for one week only in select theaters. A DVD box set of the titles has already been announced for March. Check out the official site for more info.

Another day, another After Dark Horrorfest trailer. As the 4th annual installment of the “8 Films to Die For” series prepares to kick off (it starts on January 29th), we’ve been getting a peek at lots of new trailers for the featured films. This morning, Dread Central scored an exclusive new clip for The Final.

Here’s the brief plot breakdown:

The scenic Workley Ranch in Rocky Branch, TX, becomes the setting for retribution and revenge. In the midst of a wild costume party, five previously powerless and picked upon students are giving a “Final Exam” with just one question: “What did you do to deserve this?”

Directed by Joey Stewart, The Final joins Dread, Lake Mungo, Zombies of Mass Destruction, Kill Theory, Hidden, The Graves, and The Reeds as part of the event, which runs for one week. You can learn more about all of the films featured in this year’s festival by visiting the official website.

With After Dark’s latest Horrorfest right around the corner (January 29th), it’s about time we hear what the final film featured in the “8 Films to Die For” is this year. In case the title of this post didn’t give it away, it’s Chris Moore’s Kill Theory. That’s the official poster art above.

The film sounds like your traditional slasher flick, but with a slight variation. College kids head out to the woods and run into your standard issue psychopath. Rather than having said psycho knock off the kids one by one, Kill Theory instead forces the victims to take part in an unpleasant game where they’re forced to kill each other in hopes of surviving. It’s kinda like Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale crossed with Friday the 13th.

I try to keep my expectations in check when it comes to films, but I have to say that this year’s Horrorfest is really caught my interest. The Graves, Dread, Final Exam, and Kill Theory all sound like potential winners–which is a step up from previous years. Whether they all turn out to be good remains to be seen, but I’m actually looking forward to seeing the festival’s selections this year.

Expect reviews on this and the other entries sometime in February.

One of the films I’m most interested in checking out in this year’s After Dark: Horrorfest line-up is Anthony DiBlasi’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s short story, Dread. One of the best stories in The Books of Blood, Dread examines what happens when a college study on the nature of fear spins horribly out of control.

STYD scored an exclusive first look at the trailer. You can check it out below. I’d say it looks like Dread is shaping up quite nicely at this point. Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Hanne Steen and Laura Donnelly star in the film, which will hit theaters at the end of the month.

I’m really looking forward to checking out Brian Pulido’s The Graves when it makes its theatrical debut as part of January’s After Dark: Horrorfest. That being said, I can’t say that I’m really digging this new poster for the film. I find flies kinda gross, but not in the “oh that’s awesomely sick!” kind of way. Since you can’t judge a book by its cover (at least according to popular wisdom…) I’m not going to allow some mediocre poster art to ruin my hopes for this flick.

In case you missed it before, here’s the plot breakdown:

In The Graves two inseparable sisters, Megan and Abby Graves, are taking one last wild road trip before Megan has to start a new job. The journey includes a trip through remote Arizona in search of a kitschy roadside attraction. Instead, Megan and Abby happen on Skull City Mine, a weather-beaten, abandoned mine town converted into a self-guided tour. What seems like a fun day in the sun turns into a mind-bending fight for survival against menaces both human and supernatural.

Pulido is best known for his comic book work, which includes creating cult characters Lady Death and Evil Ernie.

This  the first year that After Dark: Horrorfest has managed to actually present films that interest me. This year’s line-up has several titles that I’m genuinely interested in seeing, including Anthony DiBlasi’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s Dread. With Horrorfest just a few months away, the Dread crew has started to dole out the goodies. You can find several new photos from the production over at the film’s official Facebook page this morning.

Dread follows three college students making a documentary on fear who become the subjects of an experiment in terror. Dread will be in theaters from January 29th through February 5th–then make it’s DVD debut sometime later next year.

Swing by the official Dread Facebook page to become a fan, check out the new photos, and keep up to date with the latest news on the film.

I posted a trailer from AFM for the upcoming slasher flick, The Final, a few days ago. I thought it looked very cool and was hopeful that someone would pick it up for distribution. Turns out that’s exactly what happened.

A few days ago, the film’s official Facebook fan page stated that the distribution rights had been picked up by After Dark films. I didn’t run that story at the time because I couldn’t get confirmation on it (believe it or not, I’d rather bring you stories that are correct even if it means not being first. Nothing bugs me more than rumors becoming gospel, particularly if I was responsible for the misinformation getting out in the first place), but now STYD is reporting that it’s official.

The Final will play theatrically as one of the 8 Films to Die For for one week starting January 29th. The film joins The Graves, Hidden, Lake Mungo, Dread, and ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction. That means we can look forward to two more announcements if my math skills are on point.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the film from the official press release:

In The Final, the scenic Workley Ranch in Rocky Branch, TX, becomes the setting for retribution and revenge. In the midst of a wild costume party, five previously powerless and picked upon students are giving a “Final Exam” with just one question: “What did you do to deserve this?”

Have another look at the trailer (in case you missed it before) and jump past the break for the full press release.

(more…)

The After Dark: Horrorfest people have officially confirmed that Kevin Hamedani’s ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (not to be confused with the comic that shares the same name) has been picked up and will be the fifth film featured in January’s Horrorfest film festival.

In a departure for the 8 Films to Die for series, ZMD is the first horror comedy to appear in the now annual celebration of the genre.

The film joins Dread, The Graves, Hidden, and Lake Mungo as the announced titles for this year’s show. Expect three more additions before the weeklong event hits theaters nationwide on January 29th.

Here’s a plot synopsis and trailer just so you know what to expect.

Port Gamble, Washington is being overrun with brain eaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. A rag tag band of rebels led by Frida (Janette Armand), an Iranian college student suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom (Doug Fahl), a gay business man who has returned to town with his partner to come out to his mother, tries to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back.

News from Arrow in the Head says that After Dark: Horrorfest has added their fourth film to next year’s 8 Films to Die For festival. The newest addition? A Norwegian film entitled Hidden. Hidden will join Dread, Lake Mungo, and The Graves–along with four other unannounced films–as part of the annual horror film series. This year’s Horrorfest is running from January 29th to February 5th.

Check out the synopsis and a trailer (without subtitles, unfortunately…) below.

Upon the death of his cruel mother, Kai Koss unwillingly returns to the small town he ran away from 19 years ago. He is left in charge of the family home and the dark secrets that come with it. Kai soon finds himself tangled up in a series of murderous events that are beyond anyone’s control, and his troubles begin to overwhelm him. He has spent the past two decades trying to forget a tortured past only to find that there are some things that you just can’t run from.

It’s unusual for me to be actively anticipating a film featured in After Dark’s annual Horrorfest. Sure, I’ve liked some I’ve seen over the past few years, but since the movies tend to be a little more “under the radar”, I never seem to go into them thinking “wow I can’t wait to see this!”. This year’s offerings are a bit of an exception. There are at least two movies I’m genuinely interested in checking out and two others that intrigue me.

One of the two I’m most excited about is Dread, Anthony DiBlasi’s adaptation of a Clive Barker short story of the same name (featured in Barker’s landmark anthology collection The Books of Blood). That’s the official one sheet above (courtesy of Fangoria). I like it–it gives me a great deal of hope that DiBlasi is going to be faithful to the original story. Here’s a very generic plot breakdown:

Dread follows three college students making a documentary on fear who become the subjects of an experiment in terror. Dread will be in theaters from January 29th through February 5th–then make it’s DVD debut sometime later next year.