Weekly Horror Round up - Saturday 16th May 2015

It’s the weekend, which means Bradley Hadcroft is here with another weekly horror round up of macabre from Comic book Preachers to Jesus Franco….

– Preacher

Finally proof that filming is underway as Seth Rogan Tweets :

“I can’t believe we are fucking doing this!!!! #Preacher ”

Neither can the legions of fans who can start counting down the days till the comic book adaptation hits our screens.Further fevered salivation can commence as we give you a first glimpse of Jesse Custer played by Dominic Cooper(The Devil’s Double) and Ian Colletti(The Orphan Killer) as the charmingly dubbed Arseface.

– Film Four Summer Screen

This week Time Out exclusively revealed the line up of movies to be shown at sundown in the gorgeous courtyard at Somerset House.

There are two events of interest to horror aficionados :

Saturday 8th August – Withnail & I + An American Werewolf in London

As if the greatest British comedy ever made was not enough this is also an unmissable chance to take in the greatest ever Werewolf film.I caught the London Frightfest screening back in 2013 and it’s aged very gracefully.Just don’t take the late night tube home afterwards.

Monday 10th August – The Silence of the Lambs

Why not arrive at the Lecter Theater when the doors open at 6.15pm and get stuck into a few bottles of Chianti as the DJ spins tunes inspired by the Oscar winning horror classic.

Tickets go on sale Friday 15th May and will sell out annoyingly quickly.

– Sky Sharks

Team Sky sharks aims to “help put Germany back on the horror making map” and what better way to do it than with deadly flying fish piloted by Nazi zombies.Here is the official Synopsis :

“Deep in the ice of the antarctic, a team of geologists uncover an old Nazi laboratory still intact where dark experiments had occurred. In order to conquer the world, the Nazis created modified sharks who were able to fly and whose riders are genetically mutated, undead super-humans. A military task force called “Dead Flesh Four” – reanimated US soldiers who fell in Vietnam – is put together to prevent world downfall.”

Below is the ubiquitous “proof of concept” clip that doesn’t mind spraying the claret about in an effort to persuade you to divert some of your hard earned cash into it’s Kickstarter account.

– Wyrmwood : Road of the Dead exclusive

This energetic splatterfest hits UK DVD this week and you can read our review here.I asked director Kiah Roache-Turner what he was most proud of about the film :

“I guess I’m most proud that we actually FINISHED it (that in itself is a herculean task considering the lack of budget and the scope of the production.)

But I would have to say the proudest moment in all those years was watching the film in an open air cinema in centennial park with 1500 half-drunk cheering appreciative Aussies lapping it up and fruit bats flying across the orange sunset behind the screen.”

Now that’s exactly what makes independent film making great. (read our review here)

Meanwhile check out the cool Zombie survival kit used to promote the Blu-ray here in the UK. (win wyrmwood on DVD)

– The Neon Demon

Any news concerning the full on horror debut from Nicolas Winding Refn is good news.This potentially devastating dissection of the Los Angeles dream is shaping up to be the most anticipated fear flick in recent memory.Here is the first officially released still showing the increasingly prolific Elle Fanning(Super 8,Maleficent) looking stunning.

– The Human Centipede III

The BBC proved an unlikely mine of information this week as journalist Mobeen Azhar became the first person in the world outside of the production team to witness the depravity of The Human Centipede III first hand.To prevent leaks this screening took place in the presence of maverick director Tom Six in his Amsterdam home.Whilst enjoying a tea and chocolate croissant welcome from Tom six he made these enlightening observations:

“The final centipede instalment is an altogether more glossy incarnation. Shot in sun-bathed Los Angeles in a huge disused prison and starring Eric Roberts, this is the Human Centipede given the full stars-and-stripes treatment.

The prison’s warden Bill Boss, played by Dieter Laser, is the film’s main protagonist. He’s obsessed with torturing prisoners, indulges in cannibalism and is a good contender for the most vile character in modern cinema.

Contrary to some reports, this is not the most gory film of the trilogy, but it is likely to attract controversy for its religious and racial references. It is also overtly political. The prison where the entire story is told is called George H W Bush Prison – inmates are dressed in orange boiler suits and there are obvious references to Guantanamo Bay.”

– Trailer Watch :

– Vampires on a plane…Werewolves on a train…

The idea that any movie concept can be freshened up by re-situating it on a random mode of transport, started by the Die Hard and Under Siege franchises and perpetuated by Snakes on a Plane, reared it’s old school head with vengeance in the horror world this week.

First up is Blood Red Sky with a brutal action scene from Rat Pack Films proposed airborne bloodsuckers movie on Vimeo.

Next comes lycanthropes on the line movie Howl from promising talent Paul Hyett.The Seasoning House saw him branch out from his superb effects work(Eden Lake,The Descent) and take a viscous stab at directing.His star is rising so watch out for his shift in the upcoming portmanteau project Its Walls Were Blood.

– Dark Was the Night

Coming of the back of a positive response at this years Screamfest this horror from Jack Heller(Enter Nowhere) sees a slumbering forest evil spill out into the surrounding community when provoked by the actions of a logging company.

Blu-ray release of the week

She Killed in Ecstasy is the follow up to the inimitable Jess Franco’s Vampyros Lesbos and Severin Films have really gone to town with this newly remastered HD two disc extravaganza.Limited to just 4000 copies it’s bursting with special features and previously unseen goodies and comes complete with a repressing of the rare soundtrack on CD.

The prolific Jesús Franco directed over 180 films and in terms of output makes Takashi Miike seem like Terrence Malick.The master of the directorial alias he worked under names such as David Tough,Betty Carter and my personal favorite Robert Zimmerman(Bob Dylan’s real name).He would happily recycle footage and actors who worked with him often found themselves popping up in later films they never signed up for.

Directed under the Pseudonym of Frank Hollmann She Killed in Ecstasy is a revenge tale featuring the tragic cult starlet Soledad Miranda(Sound of Horror) as the wife of a doctor who’s research on human embryos is deemed unethical.After her husband commits suicide she sleeps with and butchers the members of the committee responsible for his demise one by one.

You can order this classic slice of early 70’s Franco here from the brilliant Diabolik DVD.

It’s stabbed repeatedly ….it’s in a terrible state !!!