Cinefantastique Online

You are browsing the archives of 2009 August.

Adapted from Audrey Niffenegger’s bestselling novel of 2003, Robert Schwentke’s THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, asks us to suspend our disbelief, and if we are to enjoy this film at all, that is exactly what we must do. Starring Eric Bana as the agonised-looking Henry, and Rachel McAdams as Clare, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE demands that [...]

Pascal Laugier’s disturbing, brutal, French horror movie is not always comfortable to watch, but in contrast to the other recent torture-porn films, the torture in MARTYRS has a point.
At the beginning we see young girl Lucie escape from a facility where she has been chained to a chair and brutally tortured. Unable to speak of [...]

Turning a Profit in an Undead Market: Larry Fessenden (left) and Dominic Monaghan ply their trade in I SELL THE DEAD
Thank you, Glenn McQuaid, for letting us laugh at the desecration of holy ground again.
Shot on a tight budget, with New York City — mostly Staten Island — standing in for the British Isles in [...]

Who watches the WATCHMEN? Not nearly enough, if you ask Warner Bros or production partner Paramount. With just over $100 million in domestic grosses (a number that stopped being impressive ever since THE GOLDEN CHILD), the studio bean counters had to pour over the less than impressive foreign grosses and home video before they could [...]

17 Again, The Ninth Gate, Alien Trespass lead this week’s horror, fantasy, and science fiction home video releases
Not much new and exciting for horror, fantasy, and science fiction fans to enjoy on home video this week. The theatrical releases making their debut on disc consist of 17 AGAIN and ALIEN TRESPASS, while Roman Polanski’s satanic [...]

Roman Polanski’s diabolical little thriller may not rise to the level of his acknowledged classics in the horror genre; nevertheless, it represents a return to form for the director of such memorable films as Rosemary’s Baby and Repulsion. Decades later, THE NINTH GATE may not be groundbreaking in the way those films were back in the 1960s, but it features the same sure-handed control of cinematic elements.

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! I have just had more information about The Abertoir Film Festival. Abertoir which takes place in Aberystwyth, Wales, is a bargain at only £40 for the full 5 days. It takes place in a relatively small, intimate theatre, so tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis…..get [...]

Anchor Bay Entertainment gives a platform release to  writer-director Paul Solet grim exploration of the dark side of maternity. Jordan Ladd (GRINDHOUSE) stars as Grace, who opts to carry her stillborn child to term. Miraculous, the baby comes to life when born; unfortunately, it hungers for something other than mother’s milk.
GRACE was produced by Ingo Vollkammer, Cory [...]

Steven Sheil’s 2008 British horror MUM & DAD – shot in seventeen days, on a micro-budget of only £100,000 – stands up as one of the best British horrors in recent years. Not since THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE have we seen a family this insane.
When young Polish airport worker Lena is stranded at work after [...]

It's Just Like Having Your Tonsils Out! No, No It's Not at All Like That, Actually: Paul Giamatti in COLD SOULS.
Will the public option cover soul extractions? As if TOTAL RECALL and THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND weren’t warnings enough that technology should be employed prudently when messing with the human mind, now [...]

NIIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED is an odd-ball artistic experiment, in which various artists and animators were invited to recreate scenes from George A. Romero’s 1968 horror movie classic, using CGI, oil paintings, puppets, etc. The result will be seen at this year’s Mayhem Horror Festival in England. Check out the trailer for a [...]

The Mayhem Horror Festival, running from October 29 through November 1 in Nottingham, will feature a digital installation of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED, an artistic re-envisioning of the 1968 zombie classic, with artists and animators recreating favorite scenes in various media.

Back in January when we wrote up our list of 2009’s anticipated horror movie releases, CIRQUE DU FREAK had no firm date set. Seven months later, Universal Pictures has expanded the title to CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT and scheduled it for October 23.
The trailer initially suggests a modern vamp on Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked [...]