For the first time since beginning this editorial series, we’re discussing a documentary rather than a fiction film. That’s because Yellow Veil just released a supersized documentary about the history of the Erotic Thriller called We Kill For Love: The Lost World of the Erotic Thriller (2023).
Clocking in at 163 minutes, this is a thorough, occasionally indulgent documentary written and directed by Anthony Penta. The doc uses a framing device featuring an archivist character, played by Michael Reed, cataloguing countless VHS tapes and watching “Suspect Interviews” (aka talking head interviews) in his dimly lit office. These segments recur throughout We Kill For Love, and also feature voice-over narration from Penta that are partially purple prose, partially quotations from academic articles and books on the genre.
The vast majority of the documentary, however, is taken up by clips and talking head interviews. There’s a good variety of interviewees, including scholars such Linda Ruth Williams,...
Clocking in at 163 minutes, this is a thorough, occasionally indulgent documentary written and directed by Anthony Penta. The doc uses a framing device featuring an archivist character, played by Michael Reed, cataloguing countless VHS tapes and watching “Suspect Interviews” (aka talking head interviews) in his dimly lit office. These segments recur throughout We Kill For Love, and also feature voice-over narration from Penta that are partially purple prose, partially quotations from academic articles and books on the genre.
The vast majority of the documentary, however, is taken up by clips and talking head interviews. There’s a good variety of interviewees, including scholars such Linda Ruth Williams,...
- 9/5/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you’re old enough to remember video rental shops, you may remember seeing them there on the shelves. They took up a remarkable amount of space, and yet it was often difficult to tell them apart. Their titles were mostly variants on the same few words – passion, lust, dangerous, deadly, seduction, instinct, obsession and so on, represented here as fridge magnets – and half of them starred Michael Douglas or Shannon Tweed. Sometimes people buying them would be a little shy and surreptitious about it. Certainly nobody pretended they were great art – and yet the erotic thriller genre continues to be dear to many filmmakers’ hearts. Whatever happened to it?
To explore its history, as Anthony Penta does here, is fraught with difficulties. Many films from the era are lost altogether; others survive only on decaying VHS tapes or the occasional laserdisc. In the latter days of the era...
To explore its history, as Anthony Penta does here, is fraught with difficulties. Many films from the era are lost altogether; others survive only on decaying VHS tapes or the occasional laserdisc. In the latter days of the era...
- 8/31/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Erotic thriller documentary We Kill For Love recently had its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival. Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, the documentary dives into lost and misunderstood world of the direct-to-video erotic thriller, and Penta talks about the research, interview subjects, and surprises of making We Kill For Love in our latest Q&a:
Dtv erotic thrillers were a huge part of 80s / 90s late night TV programming and video store offerings. Why was this an area of genre filmmaking you wanted to shine a light on in your new documentary?
During my search for the erotic thriller, I discovered it is miraculously the same size and shape as another much more reputable American film movement – film noir. Unlike film noir, however, the depth and breadth of the erotic thriller as a film subgenre is largely unknown and therefore unacknowledged. Film noir is celebrated for its stylistic eccentricities,...
Dtv erotic thrillers were a huge part of 80s / 90s late night TV programming and video store offerings. Why was this an area of genre filmmaking you wanted to shine a light on in your new documentary?
During my search for the erotic thriller, I discovered it is miraculously the same size and shape as another much more reputable American film movement – film noir. Unlike film noir, however, the depth and breadth of the erotic thriller as a film subgenre is largely unknown and therefore unacknowledged. Film noir is celebrated for its stylistic eccentricities,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Erotic thriller documentary We Kill For Love recently had its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival and we have the first clip and poster!
"Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, the doc goes in search of the lost and misunderstood world of the direct-to-video erotic thriller, an American film genre that once dominated late night cable television and the shelves of neighborhood video stores.
We Kill for Love stars filmmakers Andrew Stevens, Jim Wynorski, Fred Olen Ray; film stars Monique Parent, Amy Lindsay, Kira Reed Lorsch; film scholars Linda Ruth Williams, Abbey Bender and more.
Balancing film art with scholarship, We Kill For Love pulls back the curtain to reveal the heart and soul of a forgotten and often maligned film movement."
Director Anthony Penta shared, “We Kill for Love is part film essay, part documentary, and part casefile. It's a record of my prolonged investigation into a...
"Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, the doc goes in search of the lost and misunderstood world of the direct-to-video erotic thriller, an American film genre that once dominated late night cable television and the shelves of neighborhood video stores.
We Kill for Love stars filmmakers Andrew Stevens, Jim Wynorski, Fred Olen Ray; film stars Monique Parent, Amy Lindsay, Kira Reed Lorsch; film scholars Linda Ruth Williams, Abbey Bender and more.
Balancing film art with scholarship, We Kill For Love pulls back the curtain to reveal the heart and soul of a forgotten and often maligned film movement."
Director Anthony Penta shared, “We Kill for Love is part film essay, part documentary, and part casefile. It's a record of my prolonged investigation into a...
- 4/4/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Yellow Veil Pictures has announced that they have acquired worldwide rights for the erotic thriller documentary We Kill For Love ahead of the world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival. The company is planning a domestic release later this year and will represent the film for international sales with a launch at the upcoming Marche Du Film this May. Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, the doc goes in search of the lost and misunderstood world of the direct-to-video erotic thriller, an American film genre that once dominated late night cable television and the shelves of neighborhood video stores. Director Anthony Penta Courtesy of Anthony Penta Michael Reed in We Kill for Love Courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures Balancing film art with scholarship, We Kill For Love pulls back the curtain to reveal the heart and soul of a forgotten and often maligned film movement. Joe Yanick Co-Founder of...
- 3/29/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Rlje Films Nabs The Psychological Thriller “Sympathy For The Devil”: "Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has acquired the North America, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand rights to the psychological thriller, Sympathy For The Devil from Christian Mercuri’s Capstone Global, which is handling worldwide sales for the film.
Directed by Yuval Adler, Sympathy For The Devil is the feature screenwriting debut of Luke Paradise. It stars Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman. The film will be released on July 28, 2023.
“This is our eighth collaboration with Nicolas Cage, which includes Mandy - a critically-acclaimed film that has a huge cult following,” said Rlje Film Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward. “Once again, he doesn’t disappoint. In this film, Cage and Joel Kinnaman bring to life a suspenseful tale on screen that will keep audiences guessing.”
In Sympathy For The Devil, after being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint,...
Directed by Yuval Adler, Sympathy For The Devil is the feature screenwriting debut of Luke Paradise. It stars Nicolas Cage and Joel Kinnaman. The film will be released on July 28, 2023.
“This is our eighth collaboration with Nicolas Cage, which includes Mandy - a critically-acclaimed film that has a huge cult following,” said Rlje Film Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward. “Once again, he doesn’t disappoint. In this film, Cage and Joel Kinnaman bring to life a suspenseful tale on screen that will keep audiences guessing.”
In Sympathy For The Devil, after being forced to drive a mysterious passenger at gunpoint,...
- 3/17/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to the erotic thriller documentary “We Kill For Love” ahead of its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival.
The company is planning a domestic release later this year and will represent the film for international sales with a launch at the upcoming Marche Du Film in Cannes.
Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, “We Kill for Love” depicts the long-gone world of direct-to-video erotic thriller, an American film genre that once dominated late night cable television and the shelves of neighborhood video stores.
“‘We Kill For Love’ is a home run for erotic thriller fans,” said Joe Yanick, co-founder of Yellow Veil Pictures. “It’s one of the most in-depth looks at genre cinema and serves as more than just a love letter but pushes the conversation and spotlights films that have often often lost out to their more glamorous theatrical counterparts,...
The company is planning a domestic release later this year and will represent the film for international sales with a launch at the upcoming Marche Du Film in Cannes.
Written, produced, and directed by Anthony Penta, “We Kill for Love” depicts the long-gone world of direct-to-video erotic thriller, an American film genre that once dominated late night cable television and the shelves of neighborhood video stores.
“‘We Kill For Love’ is a home run for erotic thriller fans,” said Joe Yanick, co-founder of Yellow Veil Pictures. “It’s one of the most in-depth looks at genre cinema and serves as more than just a love letter but pushes the conversation and spotlights films that have often often lost out to their more glamorous theatrical counterparts,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s vampire horror-comedy “Renfield” will get its world premiere at the Overlook Film Festival on March 30.
Hoult stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to Dracula, who is being played by Cage. Chris McKay directed the film, and Ryan Ridley penned it. Additional cast members include Awkwafina, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones and Ben Schwartz.
Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise” will close out the festival on April 2. Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star in the film about estranged sisters reuniting, only to have flesh-possessing demons force them into a battle to survive. Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campell produced the film.
Cage, McKay, John Goodman, Joe Dante, Jim Jarmusch and Logan Carter are among the in-person guests at Overlook.
Other films premiering at the festival include Philip Barantini’s “Accused,” Alexis Jacknow’s “Clock,” Nick Kozakis’ “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism,” Ariel Vida’s “Trim Season...
Hoult stars as Renfield, the tortured aide to Dracula, who is being played by Cage. Chris McKay directed the film, and Ryan Ridley penned it. Additional cast members include Awkwafina, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones and Ben Schwartz.
Lee Cronin’s “Evil Dead Rise” will close out the festival on April 2. Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star in the film about estranged sisters reuniting, only to have flesh-possessing demons force them into a battle to survive. Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and Bruce Campell produced the film.
Cage, McKay, John Goodman, Joe Dante, Jim Jarmusch and Logan Carter are among the in-person guests at Overlook.
Other films premiering at the festival include Philip Barantini’s “Accused,” Alexis Jacknow’s “Clock,” Nick Kozakis’ “Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism,” Ariel Vida’s “Trim Season...
- 2/28/2023
- by Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
The Overlook Film Festival announced today the full lineup for its upcoming 2023 edition, taking place March 30 – April 2 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“The horror festival will welcome audiences back to America’s most haunted city with 50 films (26 features and 24 short films from 12 countries), along with extensive offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming, parties and more scary surprises,” hypes the press release.
“The festival will open with the world premiere of the highly anticipated modern vampire tale Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult as the titular tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula, played by Oscar winner Nicolas Cage. A Universal Pictures film based on an original idea by The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman, Renfield is directed by Chris McKay with a screenplay by Ryan Ridley, and will be followed by a live Q&a featuring Nicolas Cage and Chris McKay. Renfield arrives in theaters April 14. The...
“The horror festival will welcome audiences back to America’s most haunted city with 50 films (26 features and 24 short films from 12 countries), along with extensive offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming, parties and more scary surprises,” hypes the press release.
“The festival will open with the world premiere of the highly anticipated modern vampire tale Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult as the titular tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula, played by Oscar winner Nicolas Cage. A Universal Pictures film based on an original idea by The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman, Renfield is directed by Chris McKay with a screenplay by Ryan Ridley, and will be followed by a live Q&a featuring Nicolas Cage and Chris McKay. Renfield arrives in theaters April 14. The...
- 2/28/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
Attending The Overlook Film Festival in New Orleans last year was one of my favorite horror experiences of the decade thus far, and Daily Dead is proud to return as one of the sponsors for this year's festival, taking place March 30th–April 2nd!
I couldn't wait to see what Overlook had in store for attendees this year, but I was not prepared for how spellbinding this year's lineup would be. From the world premiere screening of Renfield to the closing night showing of Evil Dead Rise, there are 26 features and 24 short films to look forward to, as well as the return of the Halloween costume party, the weekend-long immersive game, and Final Exam Trivia sponsored by Daily Dead!
On top of all that (and much more), in-person special guests will include Nicolas Cage, John Goodman, Joe Dante, Jim Jarmusch, and Chris McKay!
Below, we have the official press release with full details,...
I couldn't wait to see what Overlook had in store for attendees this year, but I was not prepared for how spellbinding this year's lineup would be. From the world premiere screening of Renfield to the closing night showing of Evil Dead Rise, there are 26 features and 24 short films to look forward to, as well as the return of the Halloween costume party, the weekend-long immersive game, and Final Exam Trivia sponsored by Daily Dead!
On top of all that (and much more), in-person special guests will include Nicolas Cage, John Goodman, Joe Dante, Jim Jarmusch, and Chris McKay!
Below, we have the official press release with full details,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s vampire drama Renfield is set to open the Overlook Film Festival with a world premiere.
And director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, executive produced by Sam Raimi, will close the genre film festival, which unveiled its lineup on Tuesday. Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher.
Universal’s Renfield horror comedy from director Chris McKay features a dynamic between Cage’s Dracula and Hoult’s tortured henchman and is set to hit theaters on April 14.
Overlook has also booked world premieres for Philip Barantini’s Accused, which stars Chaneil Kukar (Sex Education); Alexis Jacknow’s Clock, toplined by Dianna Agron, Jay Ali and Melora Hardin; Nick Kozakis’s Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, an Aussie pic that stars Georgia Eyers, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Eliza Matengu, John Wood and Rosie Traynor; Ariel Vida’s Trim Season...
And director Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, executive produced by Sam Raimi, will close the genre film festival, which unveiled its lineup on Tuesday. Evil Dead Rise stars Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher.
Universal’s Renfield horror comedy from director Chris McKay features a dynamic between Cage’s Dracula and Hoult’s tortured henchman and is set to hit theaters on April 14.
Overlook has also booked world premieres for Philip Barantini’s Accused, which stars Chaneil Kukar (Sex Education); Alexis Jacknow’s Clock, toplined by Dianna Agron, Jay Ali and Melora Hardin; Nick Kozakis’s Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism, an Aussie pic that stars Georgia Eyers, Dan Ewing, Tim Pocock, Eliza Matengu, John Wood and Rosie Traynor; Ariel Vida’s Trim Season...
- 2/28/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Overlook Film Festival has unveiled the full lineup for its 2023 edition, taking place in New Orleans from March 30-April 2, naming the world premiering Universal horror-comedy Renfield as its opening night film, and Warner Bros’ Evil Dead Rise as its closer.
The former title starring Nicholas Hoult (The Menu) as the tortured henchman of Dracula (Nicolas Cage) will be showcased via a live Q&a with Cage and director Chris McKay, as well as an Opening Night Vampire Ball, ahead of its April 14 theatrical release.
The latter, marking the latest in the storied horror franchise from Sam Raimi, comes to the renowned horror festival after world premiering at SXSW. Lee Cronin directed from his script, with Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher amongst the ensemble.
This year’s Overlook lineup consists of 26 features and 24 shorts from 12 countries, along with interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and more.
The former title starring Nicholas Hoult (The Menu) as the tortured henchman of Dracula (Nicolas Cage) will be showcased via a live Q&a with Cage and director Chris McKay, as well as an Opening Night Vampire Ball, ahead of its April 14 theatrical release.
The latter, marking the latest in the storied horror franchise from Sam Raimi, comes to the renowned horror festival after world premiering at SXSW. Lee Cronin directed from his script, with Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher amongst the ensemble.
This year’s Overlook lineup consists of 26 features and 24 shorts from 12 countries, along with interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and more.
- 2/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSChameleon StreetThe New York Film Festival has announced an excellent selection for its Revivals section. The roster includes restorations of Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala, John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13, Sarah Maldoror's Sambizanga, Wendell B. Harris Jr.'s Chameleon Street, and Michael Powell's Bluebeard's Castle. The 2021 Locarno Film Festival has come to an end, with Indonesian filmmaker Edwin's Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash winning the Golden Leopard. For a full list of this year's award winners, read here. Recommended VIEWINGAhead of premiere, a trailer for the latest Spike Lee joint: the four-part documentary series NYC Epicenters: 9/11 → 2021 ½. The series, which captures twenty years of New York City history from the perspective of its citizens, will premiere on HBO Max August 22. Cinema Guild has released a trailer for Matías Piñeiro's Isabella.
- 8/18/2021
- MUBI
The teasing is over! This here is the real deal. The moment we wait all year for: The lineup for the powerful, the mighty Boston Underground Film Festival, which is set to run March 25 to April 1. Now in its 12th year, Buff shows no sign of slowing down or taking it easy. In fact, this might be their most demented and transgressive edition yet.
There are homages to Giallo horror, tributes to the grand grindhouse tradition of sleaze and exploitation, sex and violence galore — both separately and together — plus, a resurrected ’80s slasher classic that all combine into an epic celebration of everything that is vicious and twisted in this world. But, in a fun way, ya know.
Alas, I haven’t seen any of the feature films that are playing this year, so I can’t offer any special recommendations of those. Although, there are many (most) that I...
There are homages to Giallo horror, tributes to the grand grindhouse tradition of sleaze and exploitation, sex and violence galore — both separately and together — plus, a resurrected ’80s slasher classic that all combine into an epic celebration of everything that is vicious and twisted in this world. But, in a fun way, ya know.
Alas, I haven’t seen any of the feature films that are playing this year, so I can’t offer any special recommendations of those. Although, there are many (most) that I...
- 3/12/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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