There’s something about a doppelganger that feels uniquely cinematic. A person who looks like you, thinks like you, and maybe even lives like you has always been a subject of fascination and dread in literature and philosophy, a concept that raises questions about individuality and the collective. But on the screen, seeing the effect of one person mimicked and duplicated proves all the more uncanny and unnerving. Science fiction, horror, and a multitude of other genres have used duality as a means to terrify, unsettle, and provoke.
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
And then, of course, there’s the acting challenge. For an experienced actor or an up-and-comer alike, playing dual roles is the ultimate flex, a way to show your range in a single project. Whether playing twins or identical strangers, an actor who takes on a dual role has to manage the trick of being both an individual and a duo, of...
- 4/19/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
For the uninitiated moviegoers who catch The First Omen this weekend, Nell Tiger Free’s performance will be something of a revelation. For fans of M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ series Servant, her performance will further expand on what they saw for four seasons.
The English actor, who’s also known for memorable roles on Game of Thrones and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young, plays American novitiate Margaret Daino in Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic The Omen. The story centers around Margaret’s arrival at a Rome orphanage and her discovery of a wicked plot to spawn the antichrist. But as Free’s character dives deeper into the disturbing conspiracy, her own personal demons begin to resurface, leading to a scene that pays homage to Isabelle Adjani’s famous subway scene in Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981).
Free ultimately needed just...
The English actor, who’s also known for memorable roles on Game of Thrones and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young, plays American novitiate Margaret Daino in Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic The Omen. The story centers around Margaret’s arrival at a Rome orphanage and her discovery of a wicked plot to spawn the antichrist. But as Free’s character dives deeper into the disturbing conspiracy, her own personal demons begin to resurface, leading to a scene that pays homage to Isabelle Adjani’s famous subway scene in Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981).
Free ultimately needed just...
- 4/2/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nell Tiger Free (“Servant”) finds herself embroiled in a terrifying conspiracy as American novitiate Margaret Daino in The First Omen, which 20th Century Studios will unleash in theaters on April 5.
The prequel to The Omen is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).
The First Omen sees the shy Margaret sent to Rome in 1971 and explores the events surrounding the birth of the Antichrist. Ahead of the film’s release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with actor Nell Tiger Free about the film and the tribute she pays to 1981’s Possession with an impressive physical performance.
In The First Omen, Margaret finds herself drawn to an isolated young woman, Carlita (Nicole Sorace). In her bid to comfort and befriend the young girl, Margaret notices something may be...
The prequel to The Omen is directed by Arkasha Stevenson, based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (“Bleed”) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).
The First Omen sees the shy Margaret sent to Rome in 1971 and explores the events surrounding the birth of the Antichrist. Ahead of the film’s release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with actor Nell Tiger Free about the film and the tribute she pays to 1981’s Possession with an impressive physical performance.
In The First Omen, Margaret finds herself drawn to an isolated young woman, Carlita (Nicole Sorace). In her bid to comfort and befriend the young girl, Margaret notices something may be...
- 4/2/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Plot: A young nun (Sydney Sweeney) accepts a position at a secluded convent in Italy. While there, she mysteriously becomes pregnant, despite being a virgin, and soon the convent becomes convinced she’s carrying the resurrection of Christ. However, something much more sinister might be happening.
Review: For most of its running time, Immaculate is a decent throwback to Dario Argento-style Italian horror movies, with it getting a lot of mileage out of its picturesque Italian scenery and cast of old pro actors from the region. It’s a slow-burn and not particularly scary, but it builds up to an incredibly strong final scene, which is good enough that it really makes the entire film worth seeing just for the superb payoff.
Too bad then that the eighty-minute build-up to the dazzling final sequence is such a mixed bag, with it really feeling like the writer, Andrew Lobell, and director,...
Review: For most of its running time, Immaculate is a decent throwback to Dario Argento-style Italian horror movies, with it getting a lot of mileage out of its picturesque Italian scenery and cast of old pro actors from the region. It’s a slow-burn and not particularly scary, but it builds up to an incredibly strong final scene, which is good enough that it really makes the entire film worth seeing just for the superb payoff.
Too bad then that the eighty-minute build-up to the dazzling final sequence is such a mixed bag, with it really feeling like the writer, Andrew Lobell, and director,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Netflix on Tuesday unveiled two new European series with A-list stars, announcing the Dutch crime drama Amsterdam Empire to star X-Men alum Famke Janssen and an unnamed French thriller series toplined by gallic veteran Isabelle Adjani (Camille Claudel, The Story of Adele H.).
Janssen will star and executive produce Amsterdam Empire, about a big-time cannabis dealer whose personal betrayal of his wife threatens the future of his pot imperium. Nico Moolenaar, Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys, creators of Netflix Dutch crime series Undercover, created the new show, which Jonas Govaerts (H4Z4RD) will direct. The plot follows Jack van Doorn, the rich and notorious founder of the Jackal coffee shop empire in Amsterdam, who has an affair with a well-known journalist, drawing the ire of his wife Betty, who is looking for payback and knows all Jack’s dirty secrets. Pupkin Film will produce Amsterdam Empire together with A Team Productions.
Janssen will star and executive produce Amsterdam Empire, about a big-time cannabis dealer whose personal betrayal of his wife threatens the future of his pot imperium. Nico Moolenaar, Bart Uytdenhouwen and Piet Matthys, creators of Netflix Dutch crime series Undercover, created the new show, which Jonas Govaerts (H4Z4RD) will direct. The plot follows Jack van Doorn, the rich and notorious founder of the Jackal coffee shop empire in Amsterdam, who has an affair with a well-known journalist, drawing the ire of his wife Betty, who is looking for payback and knows all Jack’s dirty secrets. Pupkin Film will produce Amsterdam Empire together with A Team Productions.
- 3/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Everyone has done jobs they're not particularly proud of in their past. For actors, any of these past works are in the public eye, even if some go on to be largely forgotten. This includes the fan-favorite horror genre, from cheap, grindhouse and direct-to-video schlock to big-budget misfires. Beyond the quality of the movies, some actors just didn't have particularly pleasant experiences behind-the-scenes, leading them to distance themselves from their projects after completion. Every actor has a handful of films that they wish they hadn't signed on for, and with the benefit of hindsight, several have gone public with their regrets.
From established genre icons disappointed at their respective franchise returns to newcomers trying to get their start, horror has no shortage of movies Hollywood stars want off their resume. In a particular instance, one actor's horror movie experience led them to not only regret their participation, but quit acting altogether.
From established genre icons disappointed at their respective franchise returns to newcomers trying to get their start, horror has no shortage of movies Hollywood stars want off their resume. In a particular instance, one actor's horror movie experience led them to not only regret their participation, but quit acting altogether.
- 3/18/2024
- by Samuel Stone
- Slash Film
Mubi has unveiled next’s streaming lineup, featuring notable new releases, including Felipe Gálvez’s The Settlers, Éric Gravel’s Full Time, C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata, and Benjamin Mullinkosson’s The Last Year of Darkness.
This March also brings Elaine May’s Ishtar, four features by Mia Hansen-Løve, and a collection of films shot by women cinematographers, with Claire Denis’ Bastards, shot by Agnès Godard, and more. Next month’s collection also features retrospectives of radical German director Margarethe Von Trotta, experimental animator Suzan Pitt, and additions to their continuing retrospective of Takeshi Kitano.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
March 1st
The German Sisters, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Promise, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three...
This March also brings Elaine May’s Ishtar, four features by Mia Hansen-Løve, and a collection of films shot by women cinematographers, with Claire Denis’ Bastards, shot by Agnès Godard, and more. Next month’s collection also features retrospectives of radical German director Margarethe Von Trotta, experimental animator Suzan Pitt, and additions to their continuing retrospective of Takeshi Kitano.
Check out the lineup below, and get 30 days free here.
March 1st
The German Sisters, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three by Margarethe von Trotta
The Promise, directed by Margarethe von Trotta | Radical Intimacy: Three...
- 2/22/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
This week’s streaming picks will have you seeing double. Doppelgangers are inherently terrifying, or at the very least alarming, for a variety of reasons. In mythology, a doppelganger often acts as a foreboding harbinger of bad news or luck. On a biological level, there’s something unsettling about the discovery of an unrelated person or entity sharing your face.
Then there’s the matter of identity theft, something horror exploits when it comes to doppelgangers. It’s eerie enough to see what appears to be your clone in the wild, but it’s a whole new level of scary when they attempt to take over your entire existence as their own.
This week’s streaming picks highlight the perils of doppelgangers.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Body Snatchers – Criterion Channel
Abel Ferrara’s Invasion of the...
Then there’s the matter of identity theft, something horror exploits when it comes to doppelgangers. It’s eerie enough to see what appears to be your clone in the wild, but it’s a whole new level of scary when they attempt to take over your entire existence as their own.
This week’s streaming picks highlight the perils of doppelgangers.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Body Snatchers – Criterion Channel
Abel Ferrara’s Invasion of the...
- 12/18/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Isabelle Adjani has been found guilty of tax fraud in Paris courts.
The “Possession” actress was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined €250,000, as Variety reported. IndieWire has reached out for comment.
The court found that Adjani set up her permanent residency in Portugal between 2016 and 2017 to avoid paying €236,000 in taxes. Additionally, the star did not declare €120,000 when depositing the funds into a U.S. bank account, and also disguised a €2 million donation into a loan. The investigation was opened in 2016, with a case of alleged fraud in business expenses leading to a second investigation in October 2020. A business associate had filed a complaint against Adjani in 2015 leading to the case.
Adjani’s attorney Olivier Pardo told Variety that they will be filing an appeal after the courts “relentlessly” prosecuted the actress. In October 2023, financial prosecutors had requested a suspended sentence of 18 months as well as a €250,000 fine; the...
The “Possession” actress was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and fined €250,000, as Variety reported. IndieWire has reached out for comment.
The court found that Adjani set up her permanent residency in Portugal between 2016 and 2017 to avoid paying €236,000 in taxes. Additionally, the star did not declare €120,000 when depositing the funds into a U.S. bank account, and also disguised a €2 million donation into a loan. The investigation was opened in 2016, with a case of alleged fraud in business expenses leading to a second investigation in October 2020. A business associate had filed a complaint against Adjani in 2015 leading to the case.
Adjani’s attorney Olivier Pardo told Variety that they will be filing an appeal after the courts “relentlessly” prosecuted the actress. In October 2023, financial prosecutors had requested a suspended sentence of 18 months as well as a €250,000 fine; the...
- 12/14/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Since launching in beta in the U.S. in 2015, the horror-focused streaming service Shudder has developed a unique reputation for quality in streaming, even as its parent company AMC Networks has grappled with the same financial ills affecting the landscape at large.
One of the most well-known and celebrated brands in AMC’s portfolio of niche streamers, Shudder was conceived as a destination for horror consumers of all kinds, from the most seasoned to the most nascent. Per VP Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions Emily Gotto, one of the platform’s principal architects, the hope has been to be very intentional in onboarding new titles, programming in such a way as to cultivate an appreciation of the “length and breadth” of the genre.
Like more deep-pocketed services, Shudder ramped up on exclusive acquisitions and originals after building its foundation on a slew of library titles. But given its relative lack of resources — in comparison to,...
One of the most well-known and celebrated brands in AMC’s portfolio of niche streamers, Shudder was conceived as a destination for horror consumers of all kinds, from the most seasoned to the most nascent. Per VP Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions Emily Gotto, one of the platform’s principal architects, the hope has been to be very intentional in onboarding new titles, programming in such a way as to cultivate an appreciation of the “length and breadth” of the genre.
Like more deep-pocketed services, Shudder ramped up on exclusive acquisitions and originals after building its foundation on a slew of library titles. But given its relative lack of resources — in comparison to,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Isabelle Adjani on the ‘Great Violence’ of ‘Possession’: ‘It’s Something I Could Never Accept Again’
Isabelle Adjani considers herself a “survivor” after controversial thriller “Possession.”
The film, which places among IndieWire’s list of top ’80s films, was directed by Andrzej Żuławski and stars Adjani as a woman who decides into madness after running away from her marriage, causing her husband (Sam Neill) to discover the sinister nature of her infidelities. Adjani won the Best Actress award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival but allegedly attempted suicide following the film’s release due to the extreme emotional and psychic demands of her performance.
Adjani revisited the legacy of “Possession” during an Interview magazine discussion alongside “Passages” and “Blue Is the Warmest Color” star Adèle Exarchopoulos.
“I often wonder, when a person is an actress, if they’re capable of overcoming everything that’s inflicted on them,” Adjani said. “I remember — if you’ll allow me to offer a comparison from my own career and some situations...
The film, which places among IndieWire’s list of top ’80s films, was directed by Andrzej Żuławski and stars Adjani as a woman who decides into madness after running away from her marriage, causing her husband (Sam Neill) to discover the sinister nature of her infidelities. Adjani won the Best Actress award at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival but allegedly attempted suicide following the film’s release due to the extreme emotional and psychic demands of her performance.
Adjani revisited the legacy of “Possession” during an Interview magazine discussion alongside “Passages” and “Blue Is the Warmest Color” star Adèle Exarchopoulos.
“I often wonder, when a person is an actress, if they’re capable of overcoming everything that’s inflicted on them,” Adjani said. “I remember — if you’ll allow me to offer a comparison from my own career and some situations...
- 8/14/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Above: 2019 art poster by Maks Bereski aka Plakiat for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.The artist known as Plakiat, real name Maks Bereski, is one of a couple of incredibly talented poster designers currently spearheading a revival in the art of the Polish movie poster. The heyday of the Polish poster was from the early 1950s through the late 1980s, but the demise of Communism and the opening of borders brought about the end of a movement that used metaphor and surrealism as a form of subversion. In the age of the internet, however, appreciation of classic mid- to late-century Polish movie posters has only increased and there seems to have been a revival of the art form within Poland itself. Bereski, who has a Master of Fine Arts from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland, began in 2010 making his own fan art posters and is now much...
- 6/16/2023
- MUBI
Long live horror on the big screen! After a few years of experimentation, the success of movies like Smile, M3GAN and Barbarian have made it crystal clear that horror audiences like to watch their films on the big screen. That’s why Disney and 20th Century Studios decided to put The Boogeyman, their adaptation of the classic Stephen King short story, in theatres this weekend. Initially set for Hulu, excellent test audience scores elevated the film to become a major release, and having caught the movie at a packed CinemaCon screening in April, I can see why. Audiences love it.
With the movie coming out this weekend, I was lucky to get the opportunity to speak with the movie’s talented director Rob Savage, as well as the film’s star Sophie Thatcher, who seems on the verge of a big career between this and Yellowjackets. Both were a...
With the movie coming out this weekend, I was lucky to get the opportunity to speak with the movie’s talented director Rob Savage, as well as the film’s star Sophie Thatcher, who seems on the verge of a big career between this and Yellowjackets. Both were a...
- 5/31/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
When Rigoberto Duplas, the worrying conceptual artist and antagonist of Amat Escalante’s new film, tells Emiliano, our steadfast lead, that the cheap glass in his modernist mansion has a tendency to “rattle,” it sounds like a dig. Luckily, it’s a tendency our hero doesn’t share. Played with furrowed seriousness by Juan Daniel García (a standout in the recent Robe of Gems), Emiliano is the most convincing part of Escalante’s muddled mystery: a film about a young man on a mission to avenge his mother who disappeared after protesting the sale of a local mine.
After breaking out in Un Certain Regard with Blood in 2005, Escalante’s ascension on the festival circuit has been nothing if not steady: awarded best director for Heli by Steven Spielberg’s jury in 2013, the director followed that success with a Silver Lion in Venice for The Untamed in 2016. That agreeably slimy...
After breaking out in Un Certain Regard with Blood in 2005, Escalante’s ascension on the festival circuit has been nothing if not steady: awarded best director for Heli by Steven Spielberg’s jury in 2013, the director followed that success with a Silver Lion in Venice for The Untamed in 2016. That agreeably slimy...
- 5/18/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Locarno Film Festival runs August 2-12.
French actor Lambert Wilson has been named president of the jury at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The prolific actor and his fellow jurors will award the summertime Swiss festival’s Golden Leopard Pardo d’oro to one of the yet-to-be-ennounced titles in the festival’s international competition.
Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro said Wilson, who has worked with top French filmmakers during his decades long career including Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy, Andrzej Żuławski and André Techiné, “has left a lasting mark on European and international cinema” and called him “ versatile performer,...
French actor Lambert Wilson has been named president of the jury at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival (August 2-12).
The prolific actor and his fellow jurors will award the summertime Swiss festival’s Golden Leopard Pardo d’oro to one of the yet-to-be-ennounced titles in the festival’s international competition.
Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro said Wilson, who has worked with top French filmmakers during his decades long career including Claude Chabrol, Jacques Demy, Andrzej Żuławski and André Techiné, “has left a lasting mark on European and international cinema” and called him “ versatile performer,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Lambert Wilson Named President Of Locarno Jury
The Matrix franchise actor Lambert Wilson will be the President of the Jury at the 76th Locarno Film Festival this year. The French star will chair the panel, which will award the Pardo d’oro (Golden Leopard) to the winning film on the final night of the Switzerland fest. Wilson has worked with many top European directors, such as Claude Chabrol, Andrzej Żuławski and André Téchiné, and is best known in the U.S. for his role as the Merovingian in The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Resurrections. His acting credits include Julia, La Boum 2 and Five Days One Summer. Recently he appeared in Prime Video series Totem and starred in Éric Besnard’s Les Choses Simples. The Locarno Film Festival will run from August 2-12.
Cineflix Launches First Fast Channels
UK-based Cineflix Rights is the latest distributor to...
The Matrix franchise actor Lambert Wilson will be the President of the Jury at the 76th Locarno Film Festival this year. The French star will chair the panel, which will award the Pardo d’oro (Golden Leopard) to the winning film on the final night of the Switzerland fest. Wilson has worked with many top European directors, such as Claude Chabrol, Andrzej Żuławski and André Téchiné, and is best known in the U.S. for his role as the Merovingian in The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions and The Matrix Resurrections. His acting credits include Julia, La Boum 2 and Five Days One Summer. Recently he appeared in Prime Video series Totem and starred in Éric Besnard’s Les Choses Simples. The Locarno Film Festival will run from August 2-12.
Cineflix Launches First Fast Channels
UK-based Cineflix Rights is the latest distributor to...
- 5/18/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Sam Neill reveals he’s being treated for stage-three blood cancer in his forthcoming memoir.
“The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying,” he writes in chapter one of the book, Did I Ever Tell You This? “I may have to speed this up.”
“I found myself with nothing to do,” The Jurassic Park star told The Guardian in an interview ahead of the release. “And I’m used to working. I love working. I love going to work. I love being with people every day and enjoying human company and friendship and all these things. And suddenly I was deprived of that. And I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’
“I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realised it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow…...
“The thing is, I’m crook. Possibly dying,” he writes in chapter one of the book, Did I Ever Tell You This? “I may have to speed this up.”
“I found myself with nothing to do,” The Jurassic Park star told The Guardian in an interview ahead of the release. “And I’m used to working. I love working. I love going to work. I love being with people every day and enjoying human company and friendship and all these things. And suddenly I was deprived of that. And I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’
“I never had any intention to write a book. But as I went on and kept writing, I realised it was actually sort of giving me a reason to live and I would go to bed thinking, ‘I’ll write about that tomorrow…...
- 3/17/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Film
Rococo Hussy.
After four weeks of nothing but “Weird Sex” films, including David Cronenberg’s “the medium is the message” Videodrome, Andrzej Żuławski’s tentacle divorce film Possession, Kevin Smith’s “creature feature” Tusk, and Mike Nichols’ genre mixing Wolf, Trace and I are venturing into more subdued territory with Robert Wise‘s 1963 black and white classic, The Haunting.
In the film, sexually repressed Nell (Julie Harris) escapes from her sheltered life when she receives an invitation by Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) to stay at the infamous Hill House. She’s joined by telepath and explicit lesbian Theo (Claire Bloom), as well as disbeliever Luke (Russ Tamblyn) for a scientific experiment to confirm the existence of the supernatural. But, as the opening voice over tells us, Hill House is evil and it will stop at nothing to ensure Nell, its next victim, sticks around the house forever.
Be sure to...
After four weeks of nothing but “Weird Sex” films, including David Cronenberg’s “the medium is the message” Videodrome, Andrzej Żuławski’s tentacle divorce film Possession, Kevin Smith’s “creature feature” Tusk, and Mike Nichols’ genre mixing Wolf, Trace and I are venturing into more subdued territory with Robert Wise‘s 1963 black and white classic, The Haunting.
In the film, sexually repressed Nell (Julie Harris) escapes from her sheltered life when she receives an invitation by Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) to stay at the infamous Hill House. She’s joined by telepath and explicit lesbian Theo (Claire Bloom), as well as disbeliever Luke (Russ Tamblyn) for a scientific experiment to confirm the existence of the supernatural. But, as the opening voice over tells us, Hill House is evil and it will stop at nothing to ensure Nell, its next victim, sticks around the house forever.
Be sure to...
- 3/6/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
A meek misogynist?
Weird Sex Month is coming to an end, but here’s a quick recap of our coverage: we started things off with David Cronenberg’s Videodrome before moving into some divorce troubles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession. We then headed up to the Great White North to discuss Kevin Smith’s polarizing Tusk. Closing us out is Mike Nichols‘ baffling 1994 romantic horror drama: Wolf!
In the film, aging book editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is bitten by a wolf in rural Vermont and finds himself full of youthful vigor. Will then discovers that he’s been replaced at his job by Stewart Swinton (James Spader), a vicious young executive. As Will struggles to regain his position, he becomes enthralled with Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), his boss’s daughter. As increasingly animal-like urges begin to overwhelm him, Will worries that he may be a werewolf.
Be sure to...
Weird Sex Month is coming to an end, but here’s a quick recap of our coverage: we started things off with David Cronenberg’s Videodrome before moving into some divorce troubles in Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession. We then headed up to the Great White North to discuss Kevin Smith’s polarizing Tusk. Closing us out is Mike Nichols‘ baffling 1994 romantic horror drama: Wolf!
In the film, aging book editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is bitten by a wolf in rural Vermont and finds himself full of youthful vigor. Will then discovers that he’s been replaced at his job by Stewart Swinton (James Spader), a vicious young executive. As Will struggles to regain his position, he becomes enthralled with Laura Alden (Michelle Pfeiffer), his boss’s daughter. As increasingly animal-like urges begin to overwhelm him, Will worries that he may be a werewolf.
Be sure to...
- 2/27/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Filmmaking is a collaborative process. Having an original idea is a phenomenal start, but directors need the financial backing of a studio to bring it to life. If that's not all, to get the best results, filmmakers must also choose talent with strong on-screen chemistry or, at the very least, ensure they get along.
The unpredictable nature of life causes things to go awry sometimes. Filmmaking is a business, and one major blunder can be a career-ender. A project can run out of money halfway through shooting because of poor budgeting. Maybe a flick's stars completely misunderstood their roles. Worse yet, audiences may not comprehend a director's vision upon a movie's release.
"A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant, and a bastard," director Billy Wilder once wisely declared. Perhaps "clairvoyant" should be added to that list, as there's no chance that some of the following fiascos could have been predicted.
The unpredictable nature of life causes things to go awry sometimes. Filmmaking is a business, and one major blunder can be a career-ender. A project can run out of money halfway through shooting because of poor budgeting. Maybe a flick's stars completely misunderstood their roles. Worse yet, audiences may not comprehend a director's vision upon a movie's release.
"A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant, and a bastard," director Billy Wilder once wisely declared. Perhaps "clairvoyant" should be added to that list, as there's no chance that some of the following fiascos could have been predicted.
- 2/26/2023
- by Marta Djordjevic
- Slash Film
No other movie operates at the same frequency as Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 psychological horror film "Possession." Extreme is not even a fitting enough word to describe it — madness is really the only description that makes sense. This story about the dissolution of a marriage boils over with a pure, raw madness that could only manifest as you look at a person you once loved with nothing but venom. "Possession" stars Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill barely reflect natural human beings, operating at an intensity for two hours that most people wouldn't even last one second at in their lives. "Possession" is a unique experience, and if you are not able to tap into the wavelength of its madness, it may be tough sit for you.
For such an extreme film, it makes sense that the production was not totally smooth sailing. In an interview with The Playlist back in 2016, Adjani said of the experience,...
For such an extreme film, it makes sense that the production was not totally smooth sailing. In an interview with The Playlist back in 2016, Adjani said of the experience,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Sam Neill is reflecting on the shock of working with “crazed” director Andrzej Żuławski for 1981 divorce thriller “Possession.”
The cult classic film stars Neill as a husband whose wife (Isabelle Adjani) decides to leave him amid her infidelity, but a surreal and sinister reason is behind her multiple affairs. Adjani won the Best Actress award at Cannes upon release but allegedly had a suicide attempt soon after.
“It was a crazy motherfucking surreal time, we were in Berlin in the height of the Cold War. It was bizarre,” Neill told The Independent of the production, calling director Żuławski, who died in 2016, a “genius, but crazed.”
Neill added, “He asked so much more of you than you could possibly give. He asked much more than a director should.”
Among those requests included Żuławski requiring Neill to actually slap co-star Adjani across the face in a scene.
“I said: ‘Look, Andrzej, I have to say no.
The cult classic film stars Neill as a husband whose wife (Isabelle Adjani) decides to leave him amid her infidelity, but a surreal and sinister reason is behind her multiple affairs. Adjani won the Best Actress award at Cannes upon release but allegedly had a suicide attempt soon after.
“It was a crazy motherfucking surreal time, we were in Berlin in the height of the Cold War. It was bizarre,” Neill told The Independent of the production, calling director Żuławski, who died in 2016, a “genius, but crazed.”
Neill added, “He asked so much more of you than you could possibly give. He asked much more than a director should.”
Among those requests included Żuławski requiring Neill to actually slap co-star Adjani across the face in a scene.
“I said: ‘Look, Andrzej, I have to say no.
- 2/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Michael Fassbender is such an idiot,” sighs Sam Neill. “Honestly, he’s soooo slow. I’ve got these demon pullets [young hens] at the moment and they just rip the food right out of his mouth. Poor Michael Fassbender, he just stands there…”
To be clear, Neill isn’t talking about the actor with whom he shared a screen way back in 2007. No. It amuses him to name the animals on his farm and vineyard after his co-stars. Living on the 12-acre spread in New Zealand’s Central Otago region, he has a “lovely” cow called Helena Bonham Carter, a retired ram called Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, 1993) and a pig called Anjelica Huston. Michael Fassbender is his dozy cockerel. The German-Irish actor, who starred with Neill in Francois Ozon’s historical romance Angel, is the only celebrity reported to have taken offence, which makes hearing Neill bemoan the bird’s stupidity even funnier.
To be clear, Neill isn’t talking about the actor with whom he shared a screen way back in 2007. No. It amuses him to name the animals on his farm and vineyard after his co-stars. Living on the 12-acre spread in New Zealand’s Central Otago region, he has a “lovely” cow called Helena Bonham Carter, a retired ram called Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, 1993) and a pig called Anjelica Huston. Michael Fassbender is his dozy cockerel. The German-Irish actor, who starred with Neill in Francois Ozon’s historical romance Angel, is the only celebrity reported to have taken offence, which makes hearing Neill bemoan the bird’s stupidity even funnier.
- 2/16/2023
- by Helen Brown
- The Independent - TV
Subway Screaming.
After closing out January with a revisit of the Dark Castle slasher remake House of Wax, Joe and I settled into our birthday month with Videodrome, kicking off four weeks of ‘Weird Sex’ films! Next up is Andrzej Żuławski‘s 1981 classic Possession, which is finally available to stream on Shudder again!
In the film, Anna (Isabelle Adjani) reveals to her husband, Mark (Sam Neill), that she is having an affair. Mark is devastated, and seeks out Heinrich (Heinz Bennent), the man who cuckolded him, only to receive a beating. After a series of violent confrontations between Mark and Anna, Mark hires a private investigator to follow her. Anna descends into madness, and it’s soon clear that she is hiding a much bigger secret — one that is both inexplicable and shocking.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts,...
After closing out January with a revisit of the Dark Castle slasher remake House of Wax, Joe and I settled into our birthday month with Videodrome, kicking off four weeks of ‘Weird Sex’ films! Next up is Andrzej Żuławski‘s 1981 classic Possession, which is finally available to stream on Shudder again!
In the film, Anna (Isabelle Adjani) reveals to her husband, Mark (Sam Neill), that she is having an affair. Mark is devastated, and seeks out Heinrich (Heinz Bennent), the man who cuckolded him, only to receive a beating. After a series of violent confrontations between Mark and Anna, Mark hires a private investigator to follow her. Anna descends into madness, and it’s soon clear that she is hiding a much bigger secret — one that is both inexplicable and shocking.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
Long Live The New Flesh, Bitch!
And just like that, we’re into February. After starting the new year with a redo of our episode on The Perfection, followed by AIDS metaphor Safe, del Toro’s Gothic Romance Crimson Peak and slasher remake House of Wax, Trace and I are settling into our birthday month with four weeks of ‘Weird Sex’ films.
First on the docket: David Cronenberg‘s iconic body horror film Videodrome, which just celebrated its fortieth anniversary last week. In the film, Max Renn (James Woods) works at a Toronto TV station that programs sexy, violent content and he’s always on the hunt for new fare. Enter Videodrome: a pirated signal originally thought to originate from Malaysia (but is actually from Pittsburgh) that is basically snuff.
The trouble is that Videodrome is also a weapon, causing physical changes in the body of viewers (tumors), as well as vivid hallucinations.
And just like that, we’re into February. After starting the new year with a redo of our episode on The Perfection, followed by AIDS metaphor Safe, del Toro’s Gothic Romance Crimson Peak and slasher remake House of Wax, Trace and I are settling into our birthday month with four weeks of ‘Weird Sex’ films.
First on the docket: David Cronenberg‘s iconic body horror film Videodrome, which just celebrated its fortieth anniversary last week. In the film, Max Renn (James Woods) works at a Toronto TV station that programs sexy, violent content and he’s always on the hunt for new fare. Enter Videodrome: a pirated signal originally thought to originate from Malaysia (but is actually from Pittsburgh) that is basically snuff.
The trouble is that Videodrome is also a weapon, causing physical changes in the body of viewers (tumors), as well as vivid hallucinations.
- 2/6/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Plot: The marriage of Mark and Anna crumbles, leading to a series of intense arguments, gross-out body horror, brutal murders, and possibly an apocalyptic scenario.
Review: Director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 horror film Possession was never a movie that was destined to be embraced by mainstream audiences, but there has always been an audience out there for the film – it has just had difficulty reaching the viewers that would get the most out of watching it. In the United Kingdom, the film was banned as a video nasty. For the U.S. release, forty minutes were whittled out of its 124 minute running time. Home video releases have come along and then gone out of print, and the DVDs and Blu-rays are going for prices some collectors probably aren’t willing to pay for something they’re not familiar with. But now Possession is streaming on the Shudder service, which may be...
Review: Director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 horror film Possession was never a movie that was destined to be embraced by mainstream audiences, but there has always been an audience out there for the film – it has just had difficulty reaching the viewers that would get the most out of watching it. In the United Kingdom, the film was banned as a video nasty. For the U.S. release, forty minutes were whittled out of its 124 minute running time. Home video releases have come along and then gone out of print, and the DVDs and Blu-rays are going for prices some collectors probably aren’t willing to pay for something they’re not familiar with. But now Possession is streaming on the Shudder service, which may be...
- 1/10/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it)
The Movie: "Possession"
Where You Can Stream It: Shudder
The Pitch: "Possession" is a wild, piercing shriek of a film. Andrzej Żuławski's long-unavailable 1981 film follows a spy named Mark (Sam Neill) who grows increasingly desperate and disturbed when his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani), asks for a divorce. Anna herself isn't exactly acting normal; she's evasive and erratic and alludes to a relationship with someone else, plus there's a teacher at their child's school who looks just like her. All of this, though, is an extreme understatement compared to what we see on screen, because "Possession" is a frantic, shocking, logic-defying, funny, and fantastic film that defies nearly any explanation.
The movie is composed in large part of explosive scenes between Adjani and Neill,...
The Movie: "Possession"
Where You Can Stream It: Shudder
The Pitch: "Possession" is a wild, piercing shriek of a film. Andrzej Żuławski's long-unavailable 1981 film follows a spy named Mark (Sam Neill) who grows increasingly desperate and disturbed when his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani), asks for a divorce. Anna herself isn't exactly acting normal; she's evasive and erratic and alludes to a relationship with someone else, plus there's a teacher at their child's school who looks just like her. All of this, though, is an extreme understatement compared to what we see on screen, because "Possession" is a frantic, shocking, logic-defying, funny, and fantastic film that defies nearly any explanation.
The movie is composed in large part of explosive scenes between Adjani and Neill,...
- 1/8/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
When Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski released his disruptive second feature "The Devil" in 1972, the film was promptly banned in Poland due to its treatment of taboo subjects and its layered political subtext. Determined to fight against government repression, Żuławski spent the following years making his epic science fiction film "On the Silver Globe," which remained unfinished due to further state intervention. Although the Polish government ordered all materials be destroyed, they were eventually preserved and the film premiered at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. After Żuławski moved to France to be able to create art more freely, he made a string of renegade arthouse films that were deemed extreme and controversial, as they challenged notions of "normalcy."
Among them was 1981's "Possession," Żuławski's only English-language horror offering that contained autobiographical elements, starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. While "Possession" has garnered cult status as the years passed, it received lukewarm reviews...
Among them was 1981's "Possession," Żuławski's only English-language horror offering that contained autobiographical elements, starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. While "Possession" has garnered cult status as the years passed, it received lukewarm reviews...
- 1/7/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Happy New Year! 2023 hits the ground running with rare horror gems, brand-new releases, and catchup titles from last year. If this is a sign of what’s to come, we might be in for another stellar year of horror. As always, we’ll be on the front lines each and every day.
Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in January 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.
The Menu – HBO Max
Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy in the film The Menu. Photo by Eric Zachanowich. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved
An ensemble of affluent patrons gathers at the exclusive Hawthorne Island for a dining experience run by prestigious Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). The guests soon realize what devious, deadly dishes the Chef intends to serve. The Menu may have gathered a fine cast for this delectable culinary nightmare,...
Here are ten noteworthy horror titles available for streaming in January 2023 on some of the most popular streaming services, along with when/where you can watch them.
The Menu – HBO Max
Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy in the film The Menu. Photo by Eric Zachanowich. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved
An ensemble of affluent patrons gathers at the exclusive Hawthorne Island for a dining experience run by prestigious Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). The guests soon realize what devious, deadly dishes the Chef intends to serve. The Menu may have gathered a fine cast for this delectable culinary nightmare,...
- 1/3/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Got a quick update for you about next month's programming at Shudder. The announcement is, admittedly, a little scant on content but what was sent over is going to be pretty cool to catch when it drops on the horror streaming service. Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession debuts on January 5th, the first season of Don Mancini's Chucky is unboxed on January 12th and Neil Marshall's latest, The Lair, comes in guns blazing on January 26th. Anything else that drops during the month is going to be a surprise! Descriptions and trailers are in the gallery below. ...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/22/2022
- Screen Anarchy
It’s time for a new episode of our video series Best Foreign Horror Movies, and with this one we’re looking back at a movie that is quite disturbing. The 1997 Austrian production Funny Games (get it Here). To find out what we had to say about Funny Games, check out the video embedded above.
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
Written and directed by Michael Haneke, Funny Games has the following synopsis:
An idyllic lakeside vacation home is terrorized by Paul and Peter, a pair of deeply disturbed young men. When the fearful Anna is home alone, the two men drop by for a visit that quickly turns violent and terrifying. Husband Georg comes to her rescue, but Paul and Peter take the family hostage and subject them to nightmarish abuse and humiliation. From time to time, Paul talks to the film’s audience, making it complicit in the horror.
The film stars Arno Frisch,...
- 11/1/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
A new episode of our video series Best Foreign Horror Movies has just been released, and with this one we’re returning to the work of Dario Argento to take a look at his 1985 film Phenomena (watch it Here). This one doesn’t get mentioned as often as some of his other films, but how can you go wrong with a movie that has Jennifer Connelly, Donald Pleasence, and a chimpanzee? Find out all about Phenomena by checking out the video embedded above.
Scripted by Argento and Franco Ferrini, Phenomena has the following synopsis:
A young girl with an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Connelly and Pleasence are joined in the cast by Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, and Patrick Bauchau.
The Best Foreign Horror Movies series is
dedicated to...
Scripted by Argento and Franco Ferrini, Phenomena has the following synopsis:
A young girl with an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.
Connelly and Pleasence are joined in the cast by Daria Nicolodi, Dalila Di Lazzaro, and Patrick Bauchau.
The Best Foreign Horror Movies series is
dedicated to...
- 10/4/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
It’s time for a new episode of our Best Foreign Horror Movies video series, and in this one we’re looking back at the 2007 Spanish production [Rec] (watch it Here), directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. To find out what we had to say about [Rec], check out the video embedded above!
Balagueró and Plaza wrote [Rec] with Luis A. Berdejo, crafting the following story:
A young TV reporter and her cameraman cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams – which begins a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.
The film stars Manuela Velasco, Ferrán Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David Vert, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, Carlos Vicente, Carlos Lasarte, María Lanau, Claudia Silva, Akemi Goto, Chen Min Kao, María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud, Ben Temple, Ana Velasquez, Daniel Trinh,...
Balagueró and Plaza wrote [Rec] with Luis A. Berdejo, crafting the following story:
A young TV reporter and her cameraman cover the night shift at the local fire station. Receiving a call from an old lady trapped in her house, they reach her building to hear horrifying screams – which begins a long nightmare and a uniquely dramatic TV report.
The film stars Manuela Velasco, Ferrán Terraza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Pablo Rosso, David Vert, Vicente Gil, Martha Carbonell, Carlos Vicente, Carlos Lasarte, María Lanau, Claudia Silva, Akemi Goto, Chen Min Kao, María Teresa Ortega, Manuel Bronchud, Ben Temple, Ana Velasquez, Daniel Trinh,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Cinematography retrospectives are the way to go—more than a thorough display of talent, it exposes the vast expanse a Dp will travel, like an education in form and business all the same. Accordingly I’m happy to see the Criterion Channel give a 25-film tribute to James Wong Howe, whose career spanned silent cinema to the ’70s, populated with work by Howard Hawks, Michael Curtz, Samuel Fuller, Alexander Mackendrick, Sydney Pollack, John Frankenheimer, and Raoul Walsh.
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
Further retrospectives are granted to Romy Schneider (recent repertory sensation La piscine among them), Carlos Saura (finally a chance to see Peppermint frappe!), the British New Wave, and groundbreaking distributor Cinema 5, who brought to U.S. shores everything from The Man Who Fell to Earth and Putney Swope to Pumping Iron and Scenes from a Marriage.
September also yields streaming premieres for the recently restored Bronco Bullfrog, Ang Lee’s Pushing Hands,...
- 8/22/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
IndieWire can exclusively announce that New York City’s Film at Lincoln Center (Flc) has promoted Florence Almozini to the role of Senior Director of Programming after a comprehensive, months-long search. Her predecessor, Dennis Lim, was previously elevated to the role of New York Film Festival (NYFF) Artistic Director back in March. Almozini will report to Flc president Lesli Klainberg and begin her new role on September 6, 2022. This year’s NYFF runs September 30 through October 16.
“Florence is an accomplished and highly respected film curator with deep expertise in creating and presenting innovative quality programs,” said Klainberg in a statement shared with IndieWire. “As we seek to develop and engage new audiences and sustain Flc as the premier destination for first run and cinematheque programming in the city, Florence’s experience, commitment to our mission, and vast knowledge of cinema make her an exceptional choice to lead our efforts.”
Per Flc,...
“Florence is an accomplished and highly respected film curator with deep expertise in creating and presenting innovative quality programs,” said Klainberg in a statement shared with IndieWire. “As we seek to develop and engage new audiences and sustain Flc as the premier destination for first run and cinematheque programming in the city, Florence’s experience, commitment to our mission, and vast knowledge of cinema make her an exceptional choice to lead our efforts.”
Per Flc,...
- 7/21/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
I can’t exist by myself because I’m afraid of myself, because I’m the maker of my own evil.
Possession (1981) Directed by Andrzej Zulawski Shown from left: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill
Head to the Marcus Des Peres Cinema this Friday and Saturday (February 11th and 12th) at 10pm for Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neil in Possession (1981). This is of course this month’s Destroy the Brain.com’s entry in their ‘Late Nite Grindhouse’ film series. Tickets are $10 each. A Facebook invite with advance ticket details can be found Here
During a secretive business trip away, Mark learns that his wife Anna is growing restless in what he believed was their happy marriage. Upon his return home, he learns from her that she wants a divorce. They both go through a series of different emotions related to their situation, Mark’s which is generally obsessive about learning why Anna,...
Possession (1981) Directed by Andrzej Zulawski Shown from left: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill
Head to the Marcus Des Peres Cinema this Friday and Saturday (February 11th and 12th) at 10pm for Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neil in Possession (1981). This is of course this month’s Destroy the Brain.com’s entry in their ‘Late Nite Grindhouse’ film series. Tickets are $10 each. A Facebook invite with advance ticket details can be found Here
During a secretive business trip away, Mark learns that his wife Anna is growing restless in what he believed was their happy marriage. Upon his return home, he learns from her that she wants a divorce. They both go through a series of different emotions related to their situation, Mark’s which is generally obsessive about learning why Anna,...
- 2/8/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Now here is a dense, festive, 'feasty slice' of Key Art that gives off TVs Hannibal vibes. A Taste of Hunger is the latest from Danish wunderkind Christopher Boe, who has consistently wowed us in these parts, from the tricksterism of Reconstruction to the bizarre biopic Sex, Drugs & Taxation. There is (delightfully) so much going on in this design, the credits disappear into the spread; you can get lost in it. Spot the shellfish, the chanterelles, the number of different types of eggs. There is, however, no escaping the octopus that is curiously sexual; follow the tentacles (and the hair) that subtly evoke the classic Polish poster for Andrzej Zulawski's Possession. The film is billed as a drama/romance about a couple sacrificing to get a Michelin...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/17/2021
- Screen Anarchy
Since 1933, Mexico has been a major pioneering force in Latin American horror cinema. In contemporary times, Mexican horror has blossomed into a diverse array of horror subgenres including paranormal, art house, independent, social-political, and extreme.
For those inspired to explore what Mexican horror has to offer, this film list is a beginner’s guide to contemporary Mexican horror, featuring films by art-house cinema icon Alejandro Jodorowsky, the Oscar-winning monster maker Guillermo del Toro and Mexico’s tiger queen Issa Lopez.
10. El Gigante
Though the only short film on this list, it’s a bold mix of Mexican wrestling, Rob Zombie, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with lots of blood and gore. While attempting to cross the American/Mexican border at night via a “coyote”, Armando is attacked and awakens in a dirty blood-splattered room. He is forced to wrestle for the entertainment of a sadistic family with the blood-thirsty wrestler El Gigante.
For those inspired to explore what Mexican horror has to offer, this film list is a beginner’s guide to contemporary Mexican horror, featuring films by art-house cinema icon Alejandro Jodorowsky, the Oscar-winning monster maker Guillermo del Toro and Mexico’s tiger queen Issa Lopez.
10. El Gigante
Though the only short film on this list, it’s a bold mix of Mexican wrestling, Rob Zombie, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with lots of blood and gore. While attempting to cross the American/Mexican border at night via a “coyote”, Armando is attacked and awakens in a dirty blood-splattered room. He is forced to wrestle for the entertainment of a sadistic family with the blood-thirsty wrestler El Gigante.
- 8/25/2021
- by Justina Bonilla
- DailyDead
"Inhuman ecstasy fulfilled." Metrograph Pictures has released a very short trailer for the 4K restoration of the acclaimed horror film Possession, made by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Zulawski in 1981. This originally premiered at the 34th Cannes Film Festival in 1981, where Isabelle Adjani won the award for Best Actress; it was initially banned upon release in the US. But now it's back and looks better than ever, restored and being re-released on the big screen this October. It will screen at Fantastic Fest and then show in select art house cinemas nationwide in October. The plot obliquely follows the relationship between an international spy and his wife, who begins to exhibit increasingly disturbing behavior after asking him for a divorce. The film stars Isabelle Adjani & Sam Neill. Upon release in 1981 it was not a commercial success either in Europe or in the United States, where it was shown with an edited version,...
- 8/8/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Polish director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 “Possession” remains one of the most demented movies of all time, constantly careening from mad creature-feature horror movie to Bergman-esque marital breakdown and back again. (All amply aided by special effects from “Alien” master Carlo Rambaldi.) And while the film won Isabelle Adjani the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her ferociously engulfing performance as a woman coming down with a hallucinatory rage, “Possession” didn’t make much impact at the time of its release. When it finally did come to the United States, “Possession” arrived as a mangled studio recut that mostly omitted the divorce happening between Adjani and Sam Neill’s characters, which is the dark heart of the film.
This arthouse horror shocker has gone on to amass a cult following in recent years, and it looks to engage new audiences thanks to an upcoming 4K restoration from Metrograph Pictures. The new...
This arthouse horror shocker has gone on to amass a cult following in recent years, and it looks to engage new audiences thanks to an upcoming 4K restoration from Metrograph Pictures. The new...
- 8/7/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Following news that Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski‘s banned and freakish film “Possession” would be heading to Fantastic Fest 2021 in September with a new 4K restoration, Metrograph Pictures has announced they’ll be releasing the film theatrically and digitally this fall.
Read More: The Essentials: The 5 Best Andrzej Zulawski Films
Featuring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in outstanding performances, outlandish, melodramatic and just emotionally terrifying, “Possession” centers on a marriage that falls apart once a sinister and mysterious possession of some kind takes hold of the wife.
Continue reading Andrzej Zulawski’s Freakish ‘Possession’ Receives 4K Restoration Release In October From Metrograph Pictures at The Playlist.
Read More: The Essentials: The 5 Best Andrzej Zulawski Films
Featuring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani in outstanding performances, outlandish, melodramatic and just emotionally terrifying, “Possession” centers on a marriage that falls apart once a sinister and mysterious possession of some kind takes hold of the wife.
Continue reading Andrzej Zulawski’s Freakish ‘Possession’ Receives 4K Restoration Release In October From Metrograph Pictures at The Playlist.
- 8/6/2021
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Fantastic Fest has announced the lineup for its Sept. 23-30 edition in Austin, Texas and specified that proof of vaccination will be required for all badge-holders.
With the Covid-19 infection rate currently at a high level in the state, the festival is working hard to try to keep the event safe for attendees, mandating that “All badge holders will be required to show proof of Covid vaccination” and that attendees much “bring physical or electronic proof of vaccination to check-in. No vaccine, no Fantastic Fest, no exceptions.”
The festival also announced that masks must be worn at all times indoors when not eating or drinking.
The festival lineup includes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” and the festival plans to display vintage muscle cars in keeping with the film’s theme. “Metallic-themed or ‘French firefighter’ costumes are highly encouraged,” the festival said.
Also premiering are A24’s “Lamb,” “Bingo Hell” from...
With the Covid-19 infection rate currently at a high level in the state, the festival is working hard to try to keep the event safe for attendees, mandating that “All badge holders will be required to show proof of Covid vaccination” and that attendees much “bring physical or electronic proof of vaccination to check-in. No vaccine, no Fantastic Fest, no exceptions.”
The festival also announced that masks must be worn at all times indoors when not eating or drinking.
The festival lineup includes Palme d’Or winner “Titane,” and the festival plans to display vintage muscle cars in keeping with the film’s theme. “Metallic-themed or ‘French firefighter’ costumes are highly encouraged,” the festival said.
Also premiering are A24’s “Lamb,” “Bingo Hell” from...
- 8/6/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Fantastic Fest returns this September (September 23 - September 30) with a vaccine-required event and a killer lineup of programming, including screenings of Titane, Lamb, Gigi Saul Guerrero's Bingo Hell, and much, much more! The entire first wave is included below and you can learn more at: http://fantasticfest.com/
Austin, TX — August 6, 2021 — Mechanophilia, possessed nuns, possessed children, hallucinations, ghostly hauntings, time travel, exorcism, cerebral expansion, heavy metal, friendship, yakuza, canine trauma, multiple serial killers, coprophagia, cannibalism, tender embraces, vampires, copious bodily fluids, superheroes, warm laughs, disco-dancing firemen and more, more, more!
Yes, this can only mean one thing: Fantastic Fest is back.
After 18 months of isolation and uncertainty, this year’s “Post-Apocalyptic” edition of Fantastic Fest is here to remind us of the joy of cinema, community, and weird and wonderful movies.
The first wave of films is headlined by the truly extraordinary 2021 Palme D’Or winner Titane from Parasite distributor Neon.
Austin, TX — August 6, 2021 — Mechanophilia, possessed nuns, possessed children, hallucinations, ghostly hauntings, time travel, exorcism, cerebral expansion, heavy metal, friendship, yakuza, canine trauma, multiple serial killers, coprophagia, cannibalism, tender embraces, vampires, copious bodily fluids, superheroes, warm laughs, disco-dancing firemen and more, more, more!
Yes, this can only mean one thing: Fantastic Fest is back.
After 18 months of isolation and uncertainty, this year’s “Post-Apocalyptic” edition of Fantastic Fest is here to remind us of the joy of cinema, community, and weird and wonderful movies.
The first wave of films is headlined by the truly extraordinary 2021 Palme D’Or winner Titane from Parasite distributor Neon.
- 8/6/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Do Introverts Dream of Electric Carousels?: Wittock Waxes Fatuous in Debut
A finely wrought tradition of European cinema includes a bounty of infamous depictions of humans engaged in sexual or romantic congress with non-human counterparts. Always courting or breaking taboo, they’re often also girded by an eventually recuperative shower of cultish devotion, and a sterling range of examples would be the slimy alien in Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981), the chimpanzee in Nagisa Oshima’s Max, Mon Amour (1986), or the bestial frolicking in the perverse fairytale La Bete from (1975) from Walerian Borowczyk. In her directorial debut, Belgium’s Zoé Wittock conveys the romantic and sexual odyssey of an introverted woman suffering/enlightened by her mechanophilia, a sexual attraction to machines.…...
A finely wrought tradition of European cinema includes a bounty of infamous depictions of humans engaged in sexual or romantic congress with non-human counterparts. Always courting or breaking taboo, they’re often also girded by an eventually recuperative shower of cultish devotion, and a sterling range of examples would be the slimy alien in Andrzej Zulawski’s Possession (1981), the chimpanzee in Nagisa Oshima’s Max, Mon Amour (1986), or the bestial frolicking in the perverse fairytale La Bete from (1975) from Walerian Borowczyk. In her directorial debut, Belgium’s Zoé Wittock conveys the romantic and sexual odyssey of an introverted woman suffering/enlightened by her mechanophilia, a sexual attraction to machines.…...
- 2/15/2021
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Severin continues to impress with their incredible box set releases and their latest announcement was an instant pre-order for me: a collection of five remastered Christopher Lee movies and a rarely seen, Christopher Lee-hosted, anthology horror TV series:
(Los Angeles, CA) On May 25th, Severin Films is releasing a box set of buried gems from one of cinema’s most seminal figures - Sir Christopher Lee. He remains one of the most beloved horror/fantasy icons in US/UK pop culture history, but Christopher Lee delivered several of the most compelling, acclaimed and bizarre performances of his entire career in 1960s Europe. The Eurocrypt Of Christopher Lee brings together five of these Lee classics - the 1964 gothic shocker Crypt Of The Vampire; the 1964 cult hit Castle Of The Living Dead co-starring an unknown Donald Sutherland; 1962's celebrated Sherlock Holmes And The Deadly Necklace; 1967's lurid favorite The Torture Chamber Of Dr.
(Los Angeles, CA) On May 25th, Severin Films is releasing a box set of buried gems from one of cinema’s most seminal figures - Sir Christopher Lee. He remains one of the most beloved horror/fantasy icons in US/UK pop culture history, but Christopher Lee delivered several of the most compelling, acclaimed and bizarre performances of his entire career in 1960s Europe. The Eurocrypt Of Christopher Lee brings together five of these Lee classics - the 1964 gothic shocker Crypt Of The Vampire; the 1964 cult hit Castle Of The Living Dead co-starring an unknown Donald Sutherland; 1962's celebrated Sherlock Holmes And The Deadly Necklace; 1967's lurid favorite The Torture Chamber Of Dr.
- 2/12/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
by Jason Adams
The dissolution of a marriage rendered palpable, ectoplasmic -- Andrzej Zulawski’s 1981 cult freak-out slash Cannes winner Possession was birthed mid-divorce from the director, and the labor pains are writ like arterial sprays across its every frame. It's Bergman via Jodorowsky; Scenes From a Marriage on a severe acid trip. The screen's awash in Evil Dead amounts of gunk, puss, a sparkling rainbow of ejaculatory fluids -- several squishy mattresses and one murder scene contingent on barfing later his star Isabelle Adjani takes to the hallway of a West Berlin subway station and acts so much that her insides literally come spilling out of her ears.
Possession is, it must be said, a lot...
The dissolution of a marriage rendered palpable, ectoplasmic -- Andrzej Zulawski’s 1981 cult freak-out slash Cannes winner Possession was birthed mid-divorce from the director, and the labor pains are writ like arterial sprays across its every frame. It's Bergman via Jodorowsky; Scenes From a Marriage on a severe acid trip. The screen's awash in Evil Dead amounts of gunk, puss, a sparkling rainbow of ejaculatory fluids -- several squishy mattresses and one murder scene contingent on barfing later his star Isabelle Adjani takes to the hallway of a West Berlin subway station and acts so much that her insides literally come spilling out of her ears.
Possession is, it must be said, a lot...
- 7/2/2020
- by JA
- FilmExperience
Goodbye to Language: The Final Gasp of Zulawski Presents a Fractured Portrait of Contemporary Poland
Language and culture are prominent motifs in the filmography of Andrzej Zulawski, one of contemporary cinema’s most idiosyncratic and compelling auteurs, who sadly passed away in early 2016 amidst plans to make his first film in his native country in over two decades with Bird Talk.
The script was passed on to the director’s son, Xawery Zulawski, who unleashes his third film in an exercise which plays like an homage to the spirit of his father, whose last film, 2015’s Cosmos, itself a return to filmmaking after a fifteen-year hiatus, explored similar themes of eroding cultures, where the disintegration of language further blurs the delineation of fantasy and reality, signaling a return to chaos and the potential necessity of destruction for the sake of rebirth.…...
Language and culture are prominent motifs in the filmography of Andrzej Zulawski, one of contemporary cinema’s most idiosyncratic and compelling auteurs, who sadly passed away in early 2016 amidst plans to make his first film in his native country in over two decades with Bird Talk.
The script was passed on to the director’s son, Xawery Zulawski, who unleashes his third film in an exercise which plays like an homage to the spirit of his father, whose last film, 2015’s Cosmos, itself a return to filmmaking after a fifteen-year hiatus, explored similar themes of eroding cultures, where the disintegration of language further blurs the delineation of fantasy and reality, signaling a return to chaos and the potential necessity of destruction for the sake of rebirth.…...
- 6/1/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Margaret Barton-Fumo, who has interviewed an illustrious coterie of renowned international auteurs throughout her career (including genre stalwarts like Brian De Palma and idiosyncratic provocateurs such as Andrzej Zulawski and Alejandro Jodorowsky) as well as contributed to Film Comment since 2006, edits a marvelous and comprehensive portrait of the famed Dutch director in Paul Verhoeven: Interviews.
Paul Verhoeven, the most prolific and renowned director from the Netherlands, who single-handedly made his country’s film industry notable thanks to a string of lauded hits in the late 1970s (particularly the Oscar nominated Turkish Delight), famously segued into a commercially successful Hollywood career thanks to his sci-fi hits like Robocop (1987) and Total Recall (1990), before controversial, boundary crossing adult thrillers Basic Instinct (1992) and Showgirls (1995) began a slow progression back to his native Netherlands in 2006 with Black Book.…...
Paul Verhoeven, the most prolific and renowned director from the Netherlands, who single-handedly made his country’s film industry notable thanks to a string of lauded hits in the late 1970s (particularly the Oscar nominated Turkish Delight), famously segued into a commercially successful Hollywood career thanks to his sci-fi hits like Robocop (1987) and Total Recall (1990), before controversial, boundary crossing adult thrillers Basic Instinct (1992) and Showgirls (1995) began a slow progression back to his native Netherlands in 2006 with Black Book.…...
- 4/24/2020
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
(Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.
Reactions to Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” predictably run the gamut, but there seems to be a general consensus that Florence Pugh is fantastic in the lead role. In the aftermath of Toni Collette’s work in “Hereditary,” and Essie Davis’ memorable turn in “The Babadook,” there’s been something of a renewed appreciation for horror movies as a vehicle for strong performances.
This week’s question: What is the best and/or most indelible performance you’ve seen in a horror film, and how did it leverage the genre to accomplish something that might not have been possible in a more grounded type of movie?
Isabelle Adjani in “Possession”
Joel Mayward (@joelmayward) Cinemayward.com
Upon reading the prompt for this survey, a single image came into mind, that of Isabelle Adjani violently...
Reactions to Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” predictably run the gamut, but there seems to be a general consensus that Florence Pugh is fantastic in the lead role. In the aftermath of Toni Collette’s work in “Hereditary,” and Essie Davis’ memorable turn in “The Babadook,” there’s been something of a renewed appreciation for horror movies as a vehicle for strong performances.
This week’s question: What is the best and/or most indelible performance you’ve seen in a horror film, and how did it leverage the genre to accomplish something that might not have been possible in a more grounded type of movie?
Isabelle Adjani in “Possession”
Joel Mayward (@joelmayward) Cinemayward.com
Upon reading the prompt for this survey, a single image came into mind, that of Isabelle Adjani violently...
- 7/8/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Actress worked with Georges Franju, Luis Buñuel, Andrzej Zulawski, Jacques Rivette, Leo Carax, Olivier Assayas and Mia Hansen-Løve.
Tributes have been paid to French actress Edith Scob, who has died in Paris at the age of 81.
Scob made her big screen breakthrough in Georges Franju’s 1960 cult horror classic Eyes Without A Face and then worked in later years with the likes of Leo Carax and Olivier Assayas.
France’s Minister of Culture Franck Riester said Scob had a “magnetic presence that flooded every one of her films.”
French cinema promotional and export body Unifrance added on Twitter: “81 years...
Tributes have been paid to French actress Edith Scob, who has died in Paris at the age of 81.
Scob made her big screen breakthrough in Georges Franju’s 1960 cult horror classic Eyes Without A Face and then worked in later years with the likes of Leo Carax and Olivier Assayas.
France’s Minister of Culture Franck Riester said Scob had a “magnetic presence that flooded every one of her films.”
French cinema promotional and export body Unifrance added on Twitter: “81 years...
- 6/27/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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