20th Century Studios has released a bunch of character posters highlighting A Haunting in Venice’s huge cast.
Has any franchise except maybe Dune had as much bad luck with release dates as Kenneth Branagh‘s Hercule Poirot movies? While Murder on the Orient Express was a solid hit back in 2017, the follow-up, Death on the Nile, found itself at the centre of COVID-19 released delays and the fact that its star, Armie Hammer, found himself cancelled after a bunch of lurid claims. A Haunting in Venice was supposed to be another star-studded blockbuster. Still, given the current SAG-AFTRA strike, it seems doomed to open to little fanfare, even if, like its predecessor, it’s actually a decent movie.
Nevertheless, 20th Century Studios is doing its best to market the latest horror-tinged Agatha Christie adaptation, released a new featurette and some stylish character posters revealing the star-studded cast, which included newly minted Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Branagh as Poirot, and two of his stars from Belfast, Jude Hill and Jamie Dornan.
A Haunting in Venice is an adaptation of Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party” and picks up a decade after Death on the Nile, moving the action to post-WW2 Venice. Here’s the official synopsis:
“A Haunting in Venice” is set in eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve and is a terrifying mystery featuring the return of the celebrated sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world’s most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
A Haunting in Venice comes out on September 15th, and if its anything like the last two Poirot movies, it’s well worth seeing on the big screen as Branagh and his DP Haris Zambarloukos shoot these movies in 70mm, so they’re always a feast for the eyes.
Will you be checking out A Haunting in Venice? Let us know in the comments! Here are those character posters:
The eighteenth edition of the genre festival Fantastic Fest is set to be held at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas from September 21st – 28th (badges are available now at FantasticFest.com), and this time around the festival is going to feature 29 world premieres, 24 North American premieres, and 18 U.S. premieres! Among the films in the lineup, which you can look over below, are The Toxic Avenger remake and the Pet Sematary prequel Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. The first two episodes of the Mike Flanagan Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher will also be screened at the festival.
Festival Director Lisa Dreyer had this to say: “The Fantastic Fest team is ready to take you on a journey you won’t ever forget. We’ve taken the best week of the year and supercharged it: more movies, more parties, more fun. If you want to see the best new movies from around the world first with the best audience, Fantastic Fest is the place to be.“
Director Macon Blair’s The Toxic Avenger remake will be making its world premiere as the opening night film at Fantastic Fest 2023. The film “features an all-star cast including Peter Dinklage who will pick up the infamous mop to become the toxic hero that no one knew they needed (or wanted) as well as Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige with Elijah Wood and Kevin Bacon.”
Fantastic Fest will also host the world premiere of the Dan Brown-directed thriller Your Lucky Day, which features Euphoria‘s Angus Cloud in one of his final performances. Director of Programming Annick Mahnert said, “The Fantastic Fest team was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Angus Cloud. His performance in Your LuckyDay immediately won over our team, and we want to pay tribute to his talents and life at the festival.“
Director Nahnatchka Khan’s time travel slasher comedy Totally Killer makes its world premiere as the closing night film. “Starring Kiernan Shipka as a time-traveling teen out to stop the infamous Sweet Sixteen Killer, Totally Killer is equal parts comedic charm and tense thrills. Shocking kills will keep the Fantastic Fest audience on their toes, and the outrageous 1980s setting will be a fitting lead-in to the closing night festivities.“
Tim League, the founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and Fantastic Fest, provided the following statement: “We took 24 hours off after last year and dove straight into planning this year’s gonzo adventure; it’s going to be outrageous. First-timers to the festival, I suggest setting an annual reminder for the end of September for the rest of your life. Once you’ve tasted Fantastic Fest, you are family. We’ll see you at this year’s reunion.“
Here’s the Fantastic Fest 2023 lineup:
30 COINS (Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2)
Produced in Spain for HBO Europe, 2023. World Premiere, 110 min. Director – Álex de la Iglesia. Welcome to hell.
100 YARDS
China, 2023. US Premiere, 108 min. Directors – Xu Haofeng & Xu Junfeng. Shen An wages war on the streets of Tianjin after losing control of his martial arts academy in a humiliating duel with his father’s apprentice.
ACID
France, 2023. North American Premiere, 99 min. Director – Just Philippot. In a world messed up by climate change, a girl and her divorced parents must cross a devastated France under strange clouds pouring acid rain.
THE ALL GOLDEN
Canada, 2023. World Premiere, 64 min. Director – Nate Wilson. In veteran Fantastic Fest filmmaker Nate Wilson’s kaleidoscopic and labyrinthine deconstructionist satire, a laid-up polyamorous bicycle courier discovers that her older, scholarly boyfriend has been keeping a sinister secret in his closet.
THE ALTMAN METHOD
Israel, 2022. North American Premiere, 101 min. Director – Nadav Aronowicz. A struggling actress questions her husband’s account of a brutal act of heroism that has won him national recognition and saved his failing business.
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM
France, 2023. North American Premiere, 130 min. Director – Thomas Cailley. Emile’s dad moves him to southern France, where his mom is held in a facility for patients afflicted with an illness that mutates them into animals.
ANIMALIA
France, Morocco, Qatar, 2023. Texas Premiere, 91 min. Director – Sofia Alaoui. Separated from her husband during a state of emergency, pregnant Itto is stranded in a village, where she starts to experience mysterious phenomena.
BABY ASSASSINS 2
Japan, 2023. US Premiere, 101 min. Director – Hugo Sakamoto. The Baby Assassins have been suspended from the Assassin Guild and it’s hard to find a new job when you’ve got a fanboy assassin duo out to kill you.
BARK
Germany, 2023. World Premiere, 90 min. Director – Marc Schölermann. A businessman tied to a tree deep in the woods struggles to convince an outdoorsman to cut him free after the hunter sets up camp to watch him die.
BLONDE DEATH (Presented by Bleeding Skull)
USA, 1984. World Premiere of Restoration, 98 min. Director – James Dillinger aka James Robert Baker. Bleeding Skull presents a tale of death, drugs, and Disneyland in James Robert Baker’s essential chapter of queer cinema history.
BLOOD DINER
USA, 1987. 90 min. Director – Jackie Kong. A brain in a jar orders his cannibal nephews to dismember call girls in their diner’s kitchen to patch together a perfect body for an ancient goddess.
THE BOOK OF SOLUTIONS
France, 2023. North American Premiere, 102 min. Director – Michel Gondry. Michel Gondry returns with a tongue-in-cheek satire about an idiosyncratic filmmaker who will do anything to execute his vision.
BUGGED! (Presented by AGFA and Troma)
USA, 1996. 82 min. Director – Ronald K. Armstrong. Following a freak lab accident, a woman hires the Dead and Buried Exterminators to rid her house of some overgrown crickets but they all soon realize the bugs are radioactive beasties with a lust for blood!
CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT
USA, Italy, 1980. North American Premiere, 173 min. Art historian Thomas Negovan offers a new cut of one of the most decadent movies ever made, using outtakes to reconcile the film to its original script.
CENTIPEDE HORROR (Presented by AGFA and Error 4444)
Hong Kong, 1982. 94 min. Director – Keith Li. After his sister dies under mysterious circumstances while on vacation, Wai Lun decides to take matters into his own hands. Soon enough, he discovers a family curse, battling wizards, and centipedes.
COBWEB
South Korea, 2023. US Premiere, 135 min. Director – Kim Jee-woon. Director Kim Jee-woon’s ravishing and raucous tale of a director trying to finish his magnum opus in the censorship-prone 1970s Korean film industry.
THE COFFEE TABLE
Spain, 2022. North American Premiere, 90 min. Director – Caye Casas. Sometimes a gaudy coffee table is just a coffee table, and sometimes it’s the catalyst for a nightmarish descent into ruination.
CONANN
France, Luxembourg, Belgium, 2023. US Premiere, 105 min. Director – Bertrand Mandico. Fantastic Fest favorite Bertrand Mandico is back with his uniquely beautiful and bizarre time-traveling spin on the myth of Conan the Barbarian.
CONCRETE UTOPIA
South Korea, 2023. Texas Premiere, 130 min. Director – Um Tae-hwa. A magnetic Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-joon lead this dark, high-stakes disaster parable of Korea’s fevered obsession with real estate and class forms.
THE CREATOR
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 133 min. Director – Gareth Edwards. From director/co-writer Gareth Edwards (ROGUE ONE, GODZILLA) comes an epic sci-fi action thriller set amidst a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence.
CRUMB CATCHER
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 103 min. Director – Chris Skotchdopole. An anxiety-inducing chamber piece that will make you fondly remember the worst high-pressure sales pitch you’ve ever delivered (or endured).
THE CULT OF AGFA TRAILER SHOW (Presented by AGFA)
USA, 2023. World Premiere of 35mm Restoration, 77 min. Director – Joseph A. Ziemba & Bret Berg. The world premiere 35mm screening of AGFA’s wildest mixtape yet.
THE DEEP DARK
France, 2023. International Premiere, 100 min. Director – Mathieu Turi. A group of coal miners unintentionally free a bloodthirsty creature after accompanying a professor down to a hidden crypt discovered deep in the mine.
DIVINITY
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 88 min. Director – Eddie Alcazar. A mad scientist’s serum grants perfect bodies and immortality, but at a cost: rampant infertility leads to an undying society based only on pleasure.
DOOR
Japan, 1988. North American Premiere, 94 min. Director – Banmei Takahashi. A lonely housewife is held hostage in her own apartment by an increasingly deranged door-to-door salesman in this forgotten home invasion masterpiece.
EILEEN
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 97 min. Director – William Oldroyd. Set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret — throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.
ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 94 min. Director – David Gregory. In the wake of Bruce Lee’s sudden death, film studios rushed to capitalize on the irreplaceable icon, and a new subgenre was born — Bruceploitation.
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Episodes 1 & 2)
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 120 min. Director – Mike Flanagan. Roderick Usher, CEO of a corrupt pharmaceutical company, must face his past when brutal and mysterious incidents start affecting his family.
FALLING STARS
USA, 2023. North American Premiere, 80 min. Directors – Richard Karpala & Gabriel Bienczycki. Three brothers set out on the first night of Harvest to check out the desiccated remains of the witch that their friend has buried in the desert.
THE FANTASTIC GOLEM AFFAIRS
Spain, 2023. US Premiere, 97 min. Directors – Burnin’ Percebes. After his best friend falls to his death and shatters into pottery shards, Juan uncovers a secret world of living golems in this offbeat comedy.
FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL VOL. 10
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 85 min. Directors – Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher. Joe Pickett (THE ONION) and Nick Prueher (LATE SHOW) take you on a guided tour through their latest and greatest VHS finds.
FOUR’S A CROWD
Spain, 2022. Texas Premiere, 100 min. Director – Álex de la Iglesia. Two unexpected passengers complicate an Uber driver’s plan to declare his feelings for one of his regular customers during a 300 km drive to Madrid.
A GUIDE TO BECOMING AN ELM TREE
Ireland, 2023. North American Premiere, 75 min. Directors – Skye & Adam Mann. Padraig (James O Healy) is pulled into a dark world of Irish Mythology and magic as he struggles to deal with his past actions.
I’LL CRUSH Y’ALL
Spain, 2023. World Premiere, 92 min. Director – Kike Narcea. A retired boxing champion and his dog must defend his family’s country farm from wave after wave of gangsters in this bloody, bare-knuckle brawler.
IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN
Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, 2023. Texas Premiere, 97 min. Director – Kenneth Dagatan. A Filipino girl living under Japanese occupation learns the tragic consequences of making deals when a fairy’s gifts extract pounds of flesh.
THE INVISIBLE FIGHT
Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Finland, 2023. North American Premiere, 115 min. Director – Rainer Sarnet. After martial artists take out his Soviet post on the China border, a mechanic seeks kung fu mastery at a monastery in this wuxia-inspired comedy.
JACKDAW
UK, 2023. World Premiere, 97 min. Director – Jamie Childs. Former motocross champion Jack Dawson embarks on a dark odyssey through his decaying Rust Belt town after being double-crossed by the local kingpin.
THE JAR (CHARON)
USA, 1984. World Premiere of Restoration, 85 min. Director – Bruce Tuscano. After hitting an old man with his car, Paul is left with a jar holding a demonic creature that opens a portal to strange worlds and psychotic visions.
KENNEDY
India, 2023. US Premiere, 144 min. Director – Anurag Kashyap. Kennedy works as a contract killer for a corrupt police commissioner with the hope of exacting vengeance on the man who murdered his son.
KILL DOLLY KILL
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 79 min. Director – Heidi Moore. Dolly Deadly is out to win Serial Killer of the Year, and she’ll violate all sense of good taste to snatch the crown and look fabulous while doing it.
KILLING ROMANCE
South Korea, 2023. Texas Premiere, 107 min. Director – Lee Won-suk. A toxic masculinity-bashing karaoke musical phantasmagoria from the magical mind of LEE Won-suk, KILLING ROMANCE will stick in your head for months.
KIM’S VIDEO
USA, UK, France, 2023. Texas Premiere, 86 min. Directors – David Redmon & Ashley Sabin. An aspiring filmmaker with fond memories of browsing the shelves of a defunct NY video store attempts to rescue its singular collection of VHS tapes.
THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 90 min. Director – Francis Galluppi. A traveling salesman and a waitress face down two murderous bank robbers while waiting for gas at the last pump before a hundred miles of desert.
THE LAST VIDEO STORE
Canada, 2023. World Premiere, 83 min. Directors – Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford. Blaster Video’s only employee teams up with his best customer’s daughter to fight off an onslaught of B-movie baddies made real by a VHS necronomicon.
LETTERS TO THE POSTMAN
UK, England, 2022. US Premiere, 61 min. Director – Felix Dembinski. A naive postman finds himself corresponding with a mysterious woman in Felix Dembinski’s auspicious and bewitching folk fable.
MANCUNIAN MAN: THE LEGENDARY LIFE OF CLIFF TWEMLOW
UK, 2023. North American Premiere, 124 min. Director – Jake West. A hilarious, action-packed documentary chronicling the fascinating life of indie filmmaker Cliff Twemlow and the industry he built in Manchester, UK.
MANHOLE
Japan, 2023. Texas Premiere, 99 min. Director – Kazuyoshi Kumakiri. The premise is a simple one: After a night of hard drinking on the night before his wedding, a man falls into an open manhole. How will he escape?
MESSIAH OF EVIL (Presented by AGFA and Radiance Films)
USA, 1974. World Premiere of 35mm Restoration, 90 min. Directors – Gloria Katz & Willard Huyck. AGFA and Radiance Films present a brand new, restored 35mm print of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’ artful nightmare.
MUSHROOMS
Poland, 2023. World Premiere, 75 min. Director – Paweł Borowski. An old lady stumbles upon a lost couple while picking mushrooms. They beg for help getting out of the forest, but she senses that something is off.
THE NEST (Presented by AGFA and Shout! Factory)
USA, 1988. 89 min. Director – Terence H. Winkless. Roaches have never tasted flesh… Until now.
NOWHERE
USA, 1997. Texas Premiere of 4K Restoration, 83 min. Director – Gregg Araki. A bunch of LA teens realize they’re witnessing the apocalypse as they seek out a wild party in this 4K restoration of Gregg Araki’s cult classic.
ONE-PERCENTER
Japan, 2023. North American Premiere, 85 min. Director – Yûdai Yamaguchi. An aging stuntman caught in a brutal feud between yakuza gangs finally shoots the pure action thriller he’s been obsessing over his entire career.
THE ORIGIN
UK, 2023. North American Premiere, 87 min. Director – Andrew Cumming. A group fights for survival against an unknown adversary in this stone age thriller.
THE OTHER LAURENS
Belgium, France, 2023. North American Premiere, 117 min. Director – Claude Schmitz. When his niece shows up at his door looking for help, shaggy-dog P.I. Gabriel Laurens is unwittingly drawn into his twin’s shady criminal underworld.
THE PEOPLE’S JOKER
USA, 2022. Texas Premiere, 92 min. Director – Vera Drew. The Joker finds new purpose in Gotham City after transitioning and opening an illegal comedy club in Vera Drew’s handcrafted superhero genre parody.
PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES
USA, Canada, 2023. World Premiere, 87 min. Director – Lindsey Anderson Beer. In 1969, a young Jud Crandall and his childhood friends band together to confront an ancient evil that has gripped their hometown. PET SEMATARY: BLOODLINES is a terrifying prequel based on chapters from Stephen King’s novel “Pet Sematary.”
PROJECT SILENCE
South Korea, 2023. North American Premiere, 101 min. Director – Tae-gon Kim. A car pileup on a foggy bridge pits survivors against a pack of vicious dogs in this satirical horror pitched between THE HOST and TRAIN TO BUSAN.
PROPERTY
Brazil, 2022. North American Premiere, 101 min. Director – Daniel Bandeire. A gang of disenfranchised farmhands traps a traumatized woman in her armored car in Daniel Bandeira’s Brazilian take on the home invasion.
RAGE
Mexico, 2023. North American Premiere, 93 min. Director – Jorge Michel Grau. The only child in a rundown gated community mourns his mother’s death as suspicious events lead him to suspect that his father may be a werewolf.
RESTORE POINT
Czech Republic, 2023. North American Premiere, 108 min. Director – Robert Hloz. A detective investigates a double homicide in a near-future world where technology allows those who die violently to be rebooted from a data backup.
RIDDLE OF FIRE
USA, 2023. US Premiere, 113 min. Director – Weston Razooli. Three children go on an epic quest to uncover the password for their TV, finding themselves in their own video game-like adventure in the real world.
RIVER
Japan, 2023. US Premiere, 86 min. Director – Junta Yamaguchi. Kikaku Theater Group, the team behind our 2021 Audience Award winner BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES, returns with more two-minute time loop hijinks.
THE SACRIFICE GAME
USA/CANADA, 2023. US Premiere, 100 min. Director – Jenn Wexler. Disillusioned demon worshipers end a string of grisly murders by interrupting a boarding school’s quiet Christmas in this ‘70s-era Satanic Panic romp.
SALEM
France, 2023. International Premiere, 115 min. Director – Jean-Bernard Marlin. A former gang member begins to believe that his daughter will be their slum’s new messiah after a rival curses the neighborhood with his dying breath.
SCALA!!!
UK, 2023. North American Premiere, 96 min. Directors – Jane Giles & Ali Catterall. The story behind London’s legendary Scala Cinema, which screened the most outrageous movies before it was sued and shuttered for showing A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.
SLEEP
South Korea, 2023. US Premiere, 95 min. Director – Jason Yu. Somnambulism takes on a frightful new meaning in this clever, claustrophobic Korean chiller from former Bong Joon-ho assistant director Jason Yu.
SO UNREAL
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 95 min. Director – Amanda Kramer. Amanda Kramer’s documentary collage looks back at the subgenre of films concerned with cyberspace, hackers, and the first days of the internet.
SPOOKTACULAR!
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 105 min. Director – Quinn Monahan. A new documentary tells the warts-and-all story behind America’s first horror theme park, Spooky World.
SRI ASIH: THE WARRIOR
Indonesia, 2022. North American Premiere, 133 min. Director – Upi Avianto. An aspiring boxer discovers she’s a reincarnation of the goddess Asih in this Indonesian superhero movie focused on punching terrible men in the face.
STOPMOTION
UK, 2023. World Premiere, 93 min. Director – Robert Morgan. A stop-motion animator puts up with her overbearing, sick mother in Robert Morgan’s haunting debut.
STRANGE DARLING
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 96 min. Director – JT Mollner. One day in the life of a serial killer.
THE STRANGLER
France, 1970. US Premiere of 2K Restoration, 95 min. Director – Paul Vecchiali. A killer and a detective cross paths as they hunt for an answer to their respective feelings of loneliness in the world premiere of the restoration of this 1970 Giallo.
SUBURBAN TALE
India, 2023. World Premiere, 89 min. Director – Stephen Alexander. A young woman reluctantly returns home for her estranged sister’s wedding only to discover that her family is hiding a possessed boy in their home.
SUITABLE FLESH
USA, 2023. Texas Premiere, 100 min. Director – Joe Lynch. A casual, intimate encounter with a patient leads a psychologist into the cosmic, kinky world of Lovecraftian horror headlined by Barbara Crampton and Heather Graham.
THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE BARN
Norway, 2023. World Premiere, 96 min. Director – Magnus Martens. After inheriting an old cabin in Norway, an American family moves there with the intention of turning the adjoining barn into a bed and breakfast. They end up disturbing a barn elf who will go to deadly lengths to drive the family away.
TIGER STRIPES
Malaysia, Taiwan, France, Germany, Netherlands, Indonesia, 2023. US Premiere, 95 min. Director – Amanda Nell Eu. A dreamy horror fairy tale about a teenage girl who notices strange, transformative changes in her body soon after getting her first period.
TOTALLY KILLER
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 106 min. Director – Nahnatchka Khan. When the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer” returns 35 years after his first murder spree to claim another victim, 17-year-old Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) accidentally travels back in time to 1987, determined to stop the killer before he can start.
THE TOXIC AVENGER
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 102 min. Director – Macon Blair. A horrible toxic accident transforms downtrodden janitor Winston Gooze into a new evolution of hero: THE TOXIC AVENGER!
TRIGGERED
Philippines, 2023. North American Premiere, 113 min. Director – Richard V. Somes. Procuring a job as a night watchman as a re-entry back into civilian life, ex-soldier Miguel finds himself caught in a gun battle between a drug cartel and a corrupt police unit.
UFO SWEDEN
Sweden, 2022. North American Premiere, 115 min. Director – Victor Danell. A rebellious teenager seeks out the help of a disgraced meteorologist’s ufology society to locate her father years after he vanished into thin air.
THE UNCLE
Croatia, Serbia, 2022. US Premiere, 104 min. Directors – David Kapac & Andrija Mardešić. A family prepares for their uncle’s Christmas visit, but the festivities are dampened by the fact that he’ll return in a few days to celebrate again.
V/H/S/85
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 110 min. Directors – David Bruckner, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Natasha Kermani, Mike Nelson, & Scott Derrickson. The iconic found footage series returns with an array of explosive, bloody scares set in a decade obsessed with serial killers and the Satanic Panic.
VERMIN
France, 2023. North American Premiere, 100 min. Director – Sébastien Vaniček. A critter collector’s purchase of a venomous spider turns his entire apartment building into a death trap after it escapes from its shoebox enclosure.
VISITORS (COMPLETE EDITION)
Japan, 2023. World Premiere, 61 min. Director – Kenichi Ugana. A rock ‘n’ roll band drop in unannounced on a friend and find themselves plummeting into a wackadoo reverie of monsters and mayhem.
THE WAIT
Spain, 2023. North American Premiere, 99 min. Director – F. Javier Gutiérrez. The gamekeeper of a wealthy man’s rural hunting grounds accepts a bribe from the local hunting guide, which spirals downward into dire consequences.
WAKE UP
France, 2023. World Premiere, 90 min. Directors – RKSS. Gen Z activists are violently picked off by a deranged night watchman after sneaking into an environmentally destructive big-box furniture store.
WE ARE ZOMBIES
France, Canada, 2023. International Premiere, 80 min. Directors – RKSS. Canadian filmmaker collective RKSS returns with a hilarious, violent take on a post-apocalyptic world where zombies are misunderstood, unalive citizens.
WHAT YOU WISH FOR
USA, 2023. US Premiere, 101 min. Director – Nicholas Tomnay. A down-and-out sous-chef gets more than he bargained for when he steps into the life of an old culinary school pal, a private chef for the über-rich.
WHEN EVIL LURKS
Argentina, Uruguay, 2023. US Premiere, 99 min. Director – Demián Rugna. Two brothers uncover a deadly secret festering in their village and are soon in a race to contain a demon threatening to extinguish their community.
USA, 2023. US Premiere, 92 min. Directors – John Adams, Zelda Adams, & Toby Poser. After a fatal trespassing incident, Eve steals a terrifying artifact from a fellow carnival performer in the hope of bringing her parents back.
YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME
Australia, 2023. Texas Premiere, 96 min. Directors – Josiah Allen & Indianna Bell. A strange woman desperate for shelter from a harrowing storm picks the wrong trailer to seek refuge… or did she choose exactly right?
YOU’RE NOT ME
Spain, 2023. World Premiere, 98 min. Directors – Marisa Crespo & Moisés Romera. Aitana shows up at her estranged parents’ home for a surprise Christmas visit and discovers they’ve replaced her with a strange live-in caretaker.
YOUR LUCKY DAY
USA, 2023. World Premiere, 89 min. Director – Dan Brown. After a dispute over a winning lottery ticket turns into a deadly hostage situation, the witnesses must decide exactly how far they’ll go—and how much blood they’re willing to spill—for a cut of the $156 million.
What do you think of the Fantastic Fest 2023 lineup? Will you be attending the festival this year? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Arrow in the Head reviews Joe Cornet’s horror film Night of the Caregiver, starring Natalie Denise Sperl and Eileen Dietz
PLOT: A hospice nurse accepts a high-paying one-night job taking care of an elderly woman… but as the night goes on, it becomes clear there’s a supernatural evil lurking in the woman’s home.
REVIEW: After directing four Westerns in a row (A Prayer for the Damned, Incident at Guilt Ridge, Promise, and Gunfight at Rio Bravo), Joe Cornet has switched things up and made his horror debut with Night of the Caregiver – and he brought several Rio Bravo collaborators along with him: producer Alexander Nevsky, writer Craig Hamann, and cast members Natalie Denise Sperl and Anna Oris.
Now that Cornet is working in the horror genre, he doesn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff. There’s no holding back from letting viewers know there’s a demonic creature in the mix. Within the first minute, the camera has roamed through a creepy house, we’ve seen the hand of a monster that’s making its way around the location, and we’ve seen that the titular caregiver is so creeped out that she’s napping with a flashlight close by. Of course, this is a flash forward and we’ll soon be jumping back in time to see how the situation progressed to this point, but the fact that Cornet was willing to show part of the monster within the opening seconds went over well with me.
The caregiver is Juliet (Sperl), a hospice nurse who has answered an ad for a high-paying one-night job to watch over an elderly woman in an isolated mansion. The woman is Lillian Gresham, played by Eileen Dietz – who has over 100 screen acting credits to her name, but the one you’ll see referenced most often is The Exorcist, where she was the face of the demon Pazuzu. Dietz makes sure we care about Lillian within moments of meeting her, as this lady is adorable and very friendly, serving up cookies and tea. But while the terminally ill Lillian rests in her bedroom, Juliet begins to suspect there’s some “paranormal weirdness going down” in her home. She starts seeing things and hearing things, including visions of her own murder at the clawed hands of a demon. Soon enough, she’s napping with a flashlight close by…
It’s an economical set-up for a horror story, as the film largely takes place in one location, and for most of the time we’re focused on just two characters: Juliet and Lillian. But they aren’t the only people in the movie. There are occasional phone conversations with Juliet’s friend Pamela (Oris), and Cornet himself plays a detective who is trying to find out what happened to his mother when she disappeared twenty-six years earlier. There’s talk of an urban legend that resurfaces every thirteen years – and to aid the detective in his investigation of this urban legend, a parapsychologist (Eric Roberts) directs him to an isolated mansion. Lillian Gresham’s place.
The cast does well in their roles, with Sperl making for a good horror heroine and engaging in some fun banter with Oris. Cornet’s character adds an interesting element to the story, and it’s always nice to see Roberts show up in something. It’s not a rare event, because Roberts may be the busiest person working in the entertainment industry today (he has racked up over 700 acting credits!), but it’s still fun to see him every single time.
Night of the Caregiver moves quickly, which is evident from the fact that it wraps up in just 77 minutes. If you’re tired of bloated running times and slow burns, watching this movie might bring you a sense of relief. This one doesn’t drag things out, it isn’t padded with filler, it just sets up an intriguing mystery, puts Juliet through some creepy scenes, then delivers an exciting climactic sequence. Sometimes a short and simple, straightforward creepy house / lurking demon movie is exactly what you want to spend your evening with.
Night of the Caregiver is receiving a theatrical and VOD release in North America on August 15th, courtesy of ITN Studios.
First stem cell clinical trial landscape is revolutionized by Beauty-Stem Biomedical and Taiwan Tzu Chi Hospital, unveiling the progress of stem cell nutritional benefit on cognitive and regenerative healthcare.
LOS ANGELES, August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Beauty-Stem Biomedical, a natural food supplement researcher and supplier, and Taiwan's Tzu Chi Hospital will host a preliminary CD34 clinical trial presentation and provide updates to a groundbreaking announcement centered around the world's first-ever human trial for a stem cell nutritional product, promising to challenge conventional understandings of nutrition's role in cognitive and regenerative healthcare. This paradigm-shifting event will be introduced through a clinical trial presentation scheduled for Sept. 9 in Los Angeles, California.
Beauty-Stem Biomedical's upcoming clinical trial presentation is a big deal in the world of stem cell nutrition. They're introducing the first-ever human trial involving a nutritional supplement made from stem cells, specifically for dementia. The main focus of the event is their revolutionary CD34 Nu-Signals® supplement, which uses stem cell activators to boost energy and cognitive health in our daily lives. They'll also talk about ADRI (Alzheimer's Disease Risk Index), a way to measure the risk of getting Alzheimer's Disease.
At the heart of this remarkable collaboration lies the potential of stem cells in combating the effects of dementia. The clinical trial presentation will explore cutting-edge research results that have unveiled promising connections between stem cell therapies, cognitive rejuvenation and ADRI (Alzheimer's Disease Risk Index). By shedding light on the role of stem cells in mitigating the impacts of neurodegenerative diseases, Beauty-Stem Biomedical and Tzu Chi Hospital aim to ignite hope and possibilities for those affected by these conditions.
The pressing need for healthcare breakthroughs in the face of dementia's burgeoning impact on societies worldwide will be at the forefront of discussions during the event. By delving into the societal implications of conditions like dementia and Alzheimer's disease, the clinical trial presentation highlights the broader knowledge and prevention of cognitive impairments. With the global population aging rapidly, preventing these global challenges becomes paramount.
Beauty-Stem Biomedical and Tzu Chi Hospital are positioned to redefine healthcare norms through groundbreaking discoveries. The clinical trial presentation on Sept. 9 stands as a testament to their unwavering commitment to pushing stem cell medical research boundaries.
Contact Information:
Kaihsiang Lee
Marketing Manger [email protected]
888-341-7505
Open House Provides Opportunity for Teens and Families to Take a Tour and Speak With Clinicians
EL MONTE, Calif., August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Insight Treatment, which offers teen treatment for self-harming behaviors, mental health struggles, and similar concerns, will hold an open house at its El Monte location. On Friday, Aug. 25, from noon to 4 p.m., teenagers as well as their families can tour the location, ask questions, and more.
Located at 10942 Klingerman St., Unit A, South El Monte, CA 91733, Insight El Monte was specifically designed to be a "clubhouse" space. The fundamental belief among staff at Insight is that teenagers need to feel that they belong to a community of their peers. Teens are most likely to open up and express their emotional pain and challenges in an environment they genuinely want to be in.
During the open house, parents and teens can speak to Insight El Monte's team of clinicians and counselors. Clinical Director of both Insight El Monte and Insight Santa Clarita, Karissa Provost, LMFT, will be on hand to answer questions.
The Insight El Monte open house is an opportunity for families to learn more about Insight's IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program/Partial Hospitalization Program) and PHP (Partial Hospitalization Program).
Insight's PHP/IOP is designed to empower adolescents (ages 13-18) who are struggling with mental health issues, behavioral problems, depression, etc. Clinicians and counselors create an individual plan for the teen, including teen support groups, therapy, activities, and more, all to help develop important life skills. The IOP offers flexible scheduling for teens throughout the week.
A therapeutic, drug- and alcohol-free day school for students who would best benefit with time away from a traditional school setting, Insight's PHP makes it possible for students to continue their education through fully accredited learning programs. While students are in the PHP, Insight counselors and tutors communicate with the students' schools, so as to meet their educational needs and graduation requirements.
Light refreshments will be provided at the open house. Those interested in the Insight El Monte open house should RSVP with Genevieve at [email protected].
Contact Information:
Ezekiel Hernandez
Communications Director
213-332-9255
Michael Imperioli remembers the intensity that went into filming certain scenes of violence for The Sopranos.
The Sopranos saw a number of brutal and intense moments throughout its run, with some particularly graphic and shocking murders throughout its six-season run. Now, more than 16 years after Tony took his family out for onion rings and left the world wondering what happened when the screen went black, star Michael Imperioli – who played Christopher Moltisanti – is reflecting on The Sopranos scenes that gave him the toughest time.
While Michael Imperioli didn’t cite one specific scene from The Sopranos, he did point to his more intense moments – and there were a lot of them – with Drea de Matteo, who played Christopher’s girlfriend, Adriana. “The most brutal, difficult stuff for me is when Christopher had to be physically abusive with Adriana, for obvious reasons. On a technical level, you’re trying to be really careful so you don’t hurt the person. But having to get to that point of violence towards a woman, you have to go to some nasty places to get there…It’s one thing to choreograph and rehearse it, then when you act it full-tilt with all the emotion, it’s easy to not have as much control as in the rehearsal. So you really have to be quite careful.” He also said that he found it much easier “shooting a mobster or shooting heroin” than dealing with physical violence against his female co-star, who was whacked in the woods in season five.
As for his own murder – which is still one of the most shocking moments on The Sopranos, occurring in – Michael Imperioli found that moment with James Gandolfini to be another cinch. “That wasn’t really brutal at all, I’ll be honest with you. When we shot it, it wasn’t my last day either because we shot out of sequence.” While Christopher would be suffocated by his uncle Tony in one of The Sopranos’ final episodes (“Kennedy and Heidi”), Michael Imperioli would reprise Christopher by narrating 2021’s prequel The Many Saints of Newark, a surprising treat for fans. The character even briefly appeared as a baby.
What do you think was the most brutal scene on The Sopranos? Give us your pick below.
MIDLAND, Mich., August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Tomorrow, August 19, Rivers are Life unveils the latest documentary highlighting the Oder River and conservation efforts made by local River Hero, Piotr Chara. Located in central Europe, the Oder River is Poland's second longest river, which runs from the Czech Republic, through Poland and Germany, and into the Baltic Sea. This film, titled "Wings of the Oder," centers on Piotr and his mission to protect the Oder and surrounding wildlife habitats while inspiring people locally and around the world.
Piotr Chara spent most of his childhood in and around the Oder River and its shores. As he grew older and continued to watch, Piotr noticed a dramatic decline in the river and the local wildlife that called it home. Unintended consequences from a river widening project and the effects of climate change have played into the situation and negatively impacted the once thriving shores' delicate ecosystem.
Various species of Wetland birds are native to this area, such as little terns and oystercatchers. The number of birds migrating to the river were decreasing in high numbers due to difficulty nesting - their habitats were compromised which made them easy prey for local predators in the area. Piotr researched different solutions and created an organization that builds floating nests for the birds to be able to breed safely and comfortably.
"The plight of these birds didn't allow me to rest. I admired their beauty, their grace, their mating dances," said Piotr Chara. "I was eventually able to recognize individual birds, to become familiar with their temperament and personal habits. I felt honored. It was all the more painful, then, to see their dramatic situation. I knew it was imperative to find the time, find a solution and resources to help them."
To date, Piotr's team has installed eight artificial nests to help the at-risk birds. Now an award-winning photographer, Piotr films the birds as part of his studies and reports his findings to The Green Valley of the Oder and Warta (ZDOW) Foundation. Since filming on this project began, Piotr and his loyal volunteers, along with The Green Valley of the Oder and the Warta (ZDOW) Foundation, worked together to officially achieve reservation status for the Oder River. This status will protect the river from any potential human threats, providing a thriving breeding ground for wildlife for years to come.
"Wings of the Oder" premieres August 19 and will be a reminder for just how essential our rivers are to communities and ecosystems across the globe.
LEWES, Del., August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Nushape, a pioneer in holistic health solutions, is thrilled to introduce the therapy mat, a fusion of cutting-edge technology and user-centric design. This state-of-the-art device offers a cascade of therapeutic light that may help to soothe muscles1, alleviate discomfort and energize users for a productive day, all while ensuring wellness is always within reach.
Why the Therapy Mat is a Game-Changer:
Beyond its transformative benefits, the Therapy Mat stands out for its portability and ease of use. Lightweight and as easy to roll up as a yoga mat, it comes with a travel bag, ensuring you never miss out on your wellness routine, whether you're at home, in a hotel, or on a retreat.
Key Features:
Versatile Applications: From skin rejuvenation2 to muscle recovery3, the Therapy Mat offers tailored sessions that may help pain alleviation, inflammation reduction4, body energizing, and more.
Innovative Design: With its 1,408 high-powered LED lights operating at wavelengths of 660nm and 850nm, it reaches deep skin layers that may help by stimulating cellular repair, increasing circulation, and promoting a youthful complexion2 .
Portability Perfected: Sized at 63 x 27.5 inches, it's incredibly easy to use. Roll it, pack it in its travel bag and embark on your wellness journey wherever you go.
Jessica Charles, CEO & founder of Nushape, shares, "The Therapy Mat is more than just a product; it's a holistic wellness solution. We envisioned a mat that not only caters to diverse wellness needs but also fits seamlessly into modern lifestyles."
The Therapy Mat offers three distinct programs:
Enhance your body and soothe discomfort: Deeply penetrates the skin, potentially accelerating recovery5 and may offer benefits like skin rejuvenation2 and metabolism improvement6.
Recovery Mode: Continuous red light and pulsed Near-Infrared light at 10 hertz, designed to support the body's natural recovery processes.
Energy Mode: Continuous red light and pulsed NIR light at 40 hertz, may potentially increase dopamine and serotonin levels7 , that may help promote well-being and energy.
Discover the Future of Portable Wellness:
Leading the charge in innovative wellness solutions, Nushape is committed to products that resonate with today's dynamic lifestyles. The Therapy Mat is a testament to this commitment, blending efficacy with convenience. Experience the transformative power of the Therapy Mat and its myriad benefits. Dive deeper atwww.nushape.com.
About Nushape:
Nushape, the creator of Red Light Therapy for the body with the launch of its first device, the Lipo Wrap, offers wearable, portable gear that makes it possible to achieve expensive and time-consuming spa results in the comfort and convenience of home at an affordable price. The company's high-tech wellness devices aim to help customers achieve weight loss, pain relief, skin rejuvenation, hair growth, better sleep, less stress & more. For more information and to view the entire portfolio of high-tech devices, visit www.nushape.com.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Outcome Engenuity (OE) is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Marc Napp to lead The Trajectories Company as its chief executive officer. Trajectories is a unique firm created to complement the expertise of OE's other subsidiary, The Just Culture Company. Together, Trajectories and Just Culture provide an industry-leading set of tools and resources to address the risks present in socio-technical systems. Where Just Culture tackles issues of human error, poor decision-making, and free will by creating accountability models for the workplace, Trajectories takes those models and incorporates them into redesigning processes and systems to propel workplace safety and organizational performance.
Before taking the helm at The Trajectories Company, Marc held senior executive leadership positions at the Mount Sinai Health System, Northwell Health, and Memorial Healthcare System. Over the course of his administrative career, he has been responsible for a wide range of operational areas, including medical staff affairs, quality and patient safety, risk management, physician leadership development, medical education, emergency management, clinical resource management, health information management, and medical ethics. Marc's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with honors from Princeton University and a medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. To advance his interests in systems management, he obtained a master's degree in administrative medicine from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"Dr. Napp knows healthcare. But we hired him because he's an engineer. He lives and breathes system design and workplace culture," said David Marx, CEO of Outcome Engenuity. "I can think of no one better suited to helping our clients improve operational performance."
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The Trajectories Company is a system and process design company. Through its risk visualization software and the strength of its advisor team, it helps high-consequence organizations reduce the risk of adverse events. Learn more at www.trajectoriescompany.com.
Contact Information:
Michelle Karoly
Media Relations [email protected]
954-228-0245
SAN DIEGO, August 18, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Amber Ophthalmics, Inc. (Amber), a privately held, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced today that Dr. Mark S. Gorovoy from Gorovoy M.D. Eye Specialists has enrolled the first patient in the AMB-01-006 (NEXPEDE-1) study. The NEXPEDE-1 study is a randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled Phase 2/3 clinical trial designed to evaluate two concentrations of Nexagon® (lufepirsen ophthalmic gel) for the treatment of persistent corneal epithelial defects (PCED) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05966493).
This study evaluates the safety and efficacy of Nexagon, in a dosing regimen that utilizes as few as five topical in-office administrations for subjects with confirmed non-infectious PCED. Subjects who do not re-epithelialize within the first four weeks of treatment will continue to receive weekly administrations until subjects either achieve re-epithelialization or complete eight weeks of therapy. The primary endpoint for the NEXPEDE-1 study will be complete corneal healing as determined by corneal fluorescein staining.
"We are excited to have enrolled the first subject into the NEXPEDE-1 study and are fortunate to have a strong contingency of clinical sites dedicated to the treatment of PCED," said Dr. Shawn A. Scranton, President and CSO of Amber. "We look to expeditiously complete this study, as it will further guide the development of this first-in-class PCED therapy that we believe can address a variety of the underlying PCED etiologies."
LUFEPIRSEN OPHTHALMIC GEL (NEXAGON) is a patent-protected, unmodified antisense oligonucleotide that inhibits connexin43 protein translation, a cell membrane hemichannel forming protein associated with ocular inflammation and progression of PCED disease pathology. As a result of Nexagon's unique mechanism of action, the medication may be administered topically in the office by the physician at a frequency far less than the current treatment paradigm consisting of multiple daily patient-administered drops.
ABOUT AMBER OPHTHALMICS
Amber Ophthalmics, Inc. is a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative therapies for rare ophthalmic diseases. We are committed to addressing unmet medical needs for the restoration, preservation and improvement of patient vision and quality of life. For more information, visit amberophthalmics.com or LinkedIn for updates.
ABOUT PERSISTENT CORNEAL EPITHELIAL DEFECTS (PCED)
PCED is a rare and progressive disease impacting ~100,000 patients in the United States per year that arises from the failure of corneal re-epithelialization within 10-14 days of a corneal insult, even with the use of standard supportive treatment. Despite treatment, and regardless of underlying etiology if progression is not halted, PCED can result in corneal scarring, vascularization and/or severe vision loss. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies for the treatment of PCED, with many patients progressing to corneal transplant.
