NEW LINE CINEMA'S “IT” A MONSTER HIT AT PH BOX-OFFICE

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W A R N E R  B R O S.  P I C T U R E S

NEW LINE CINEMA'S “IT” A MONSTER HIT AT PH BOX-OFFICE

Acclaimed Chiller Scares up P50.18-M on its Opening Weekend

MANILA, September 11, 2017 – New Line Cinema’s IT, the critically lauded big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s perennial best seller, floated to the top of the Philippine box office on its opening weekend, earning P50.18-million across 213 cinemas, and still climbing.

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama), the much-anticipated horror thriller has surpassed the opening figures of recent horror blockbusters, The Conjuring (P39-M) and Lights Out (P36.7-M).

In making the announcement, Francis Soliven, General Manager, Warner Bros. Philippines, said, “IT is the film that everyone is talking about, whether fans of the genre or not, driving moviegoers across the country to brave the cinema for their own encounter with Pennywise. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results, and congratulate New Line Cinema, director Andy Muschietti and his phenomenal cast and crew on this fantastic opening.”

1.       ©Warner Bros

New Line Cinema’s horror thriller IT tells the story of seven young outcasts growing up in the township of Derry, Maine, who call themselves the Losers’ Club. Each of them has been ostracized for one reason or another; each has a target on their back from the local pack of bullies…and all have seen their inner fears come to life in the form of an ancient shapeshifting predator they can only call It.

For as long as their town has existed, Derry has been the entity’s hunting ground, emerging from the sewers every 27 years to feed on the terrors of its chosen prey: Derry’s children. Banding together over one horrifying and exhilarating summer, the Losers form a close bond to help them overcome their own fears and stop a killing cycle that began on a rainy day, with a small boy chasing a paper boat as it swept down a storm drain…and into the hands of Pennywise the Clown.

Directed by Andy Muschietti, IT is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, which has been terrifying readers for decades. First published in 1986, IT became an instant classic. It continues to be counted among the best and most influential works of the undisputed literary master of horror, inspiring numerous film and television projects in the years that have followed.

The film stars Bill Skarsgård (Allegiant) as the story’s central villain, Pennywise. An ensemble of young actors also star in the film, including Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip), Sophia Lillis (37), Finn Wolfhard (Netflix’s Stranger Things), Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chosen Jacobs (upcoming Cops and Robbers), Jack Dylan Grazer (Tales of Halloween), Nicholas Hamilton (Captain Fantastic) and Jackson Robert Scott, making his film debut.

Muschietti directed IT from a screenplay by Chase Palmer & Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman, based on the novel by King. Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg and Barbara Muschietti produced the film, with Dave Neustadter, Walter Hamada, Richard Brener, Toby Emmerich, Marty P. Ewing, Doug Davison, Jon Silk and Niija Kuykendall serving as executive producers.

New Line Cinema presents a Vertigo Entertainment/Lin Pictures/Katzsmith Production, IT. The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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“INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY” UNLOCKS FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER

Enter the red door and watch the new trailer of Columbia Pictures' Insidious: The Last Key.

Photo credit: Columbia Pictures

The creative minds behind the hit Insidious trilogy return for Insidious: The Last Key. In the horror thriller, which welcomes back franchise standout Lin Shaye as Dr. Elise Rainier, the brilliant parapsychologist faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet: in her own family home.

The film is written by co-creator Leigh Whannell (Saw), who wrote the trilogy and directed Chapter 3; produced by Insidious regulars Jason Blum (The Purgeseries, Split), Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) and co-creator James Wan (The Conjuring, Furious 7); and directed by series newcomer Adam Robitel (The Taking of Deborah Logan).

Shaye is joined in the cast by Angus Sampson, Whannell, Josh Stewart, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Javier Botet, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Tessa Ferrer, Ava Kolker and Marcus Henderson.

Steven Schneider, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Charles Layton, Bailey Conway Anglewicz, Couper Samuelson and Whannell serve as executive producers. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (“SPWA”) produced and financed Insidious: The Last Key. Sony Pictures Releasing and SPWA’s Stage 6 Films will distribute the film outside of the U.S.

Opening in Philippine cinemas in 2018, Insidious: The Last Key is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

New Clips Deepen Mystery of Jennifer Lawrence’s Thriller “mother!”

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UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

New Clips Deepen Mystery of Jennifer Lawrence’s Thriller “mother!”

From the director of the Oscar-winning Black Swan comes Paramount Pictures' upcoming horror thriller, mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Photo credit: UIP

Check out the new footage from the film at https://youtu.be/bP1EbP53wVY and https://youtu.be/FwwUT8lbmfQ and watch mother! in Philippine cinemas September 20, 2017.

In the film, Mother (Lawrence) and Him (Javier Bardem) live in a seemingly idyllic existence in a secluded paradise. But the couple’s relationship is tested when man (Ed Harris) and woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) arrive at their home uninvited. Answering that knock disrupts their tranquil existence and as more and more guests arrive, mother is forced to revisit everything she knows about love, devotion and sacrifice.

Paramount Pictures presents a Protozoa Production of a film by Academy Award® nominated director, Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream): Academy Award® winning actress Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Academy Award® winning actor Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men) in “mother!” co-starring Academy Award® nominee Ed Harris (The Truman show) and Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (The Fabulous Baker Boys).

Costume designer is Academy Award® nominee Danny Glicker (Milk) and editor is Academy Award® nominee Andrew Weisblum (Black Swan). Production designer is Philip Messina (The Hunger Games). The director of photography is the Academy Award® nominee Matthew Libatique (Black Swan). Executive Producers are Jeff Waxman, Josh Stern and Mark Heyman. Produced by Scott Franklin and Ari Handel, the film is written and directed by Darren Aronofsky.

mother! is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

TWO ORPHAN GIRLS AT THE FOREFRONT OF “ANNABELLE: CREATION”

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TWO ORPHAN GIRLS AT THE FOREFRONT OF “ANNABELLE: CREATION”

Two young ladies, Talitha Bateman and Lulu Wilson, play orphaned girls at the heart of the story of New Line Cinema's horror-thriller Annabelle: Creation (in Philippine cinemas August 23).

                                                              ©Warner Bros.

In the film, several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.

Talitha Bateman, who plays Janice, says of her character, “She has a deep sadness to her because the others get to go and play, and they tease her about her polio, even though they do love her. It’s like an older sister teasing, but at the same time Janice is sensitive and it hurts her feelings. Seeing them exploring outside makes her feel slightly envious and depressed. Then she comes in the house and sees the chairlift on the stairs. She's undecided about it at first, but then the other girls urge her to get on. Once she starts up the stairs, all of the girls clap and cheer for her, and that's when she feels at home.”

But it’s when Janice takes that ride up the stairs that the seeds of trouble are planted. “She looks toward the dead daughter’s room,” Bateman offers, “and you know how you can feel a good presence? You can also feel a bad presence. And I think Janice feels something eerie because of Annabelle. It’s crazy, because she’s just a doll, but she’s the catalyst for all this evil and there’s so much power in her. People love superheroes and they have power, but they use it for good. It’s the opposite with Annabelle. The demonic spirit that lives inside her uses its power to do horrible things. That’s what scares me about her.”

Lulu Wilson plays the angel-faced Linda, Janice's best friend among the orphans. Despite being the younger of the two, Linda worries for her friend. “I think she first senses something’s wrong when Janice breaks the rules by going into Bee’s bedroom.” Of course, Linda follows. “She sees the Annabelle doll staring right at her and that really freaks her out.”

Wilson even steered clear of the prop off-camera. “She’s ginormous and her eyes literally follow you like the Mona Lisa’s. If you’re looking at the Annabelledoll, you’re like, ‘Oh, she’s staring at me, I gotta move.’ Then when you’re in another position and you look back at her, she’s still looking at you. And the eyebrows are slanted in a way that it looks like she’s always planning to get you, and it’s really creepy.”

Annabelle: Creation is Wilson’s third horror film, and she credits director David F. Sandberg with one of her best experiences in the genre. “He is a really awesome director,” she says. “Usually when you shoot a scene, you don’t feel like it’s scary until you watch it, with the music and everything. But when I did scenes with David, he made it feel really scary. It was really fun.”

HORROR FAN-FAVORITE JAMES WAN TO PRODUCE NEW LINE'S “THE NUN”

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Corin Hardy Directs Latest in The Conjuring Universe

BURBANK, CA – May 3, 2017 – Filmmaker James Wan, director of the record-setting horror hits “The Conjuring” and “The Conjuring 2,” explores another dark corner of that universe with New Line Cinema’s “The Nun.”

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Helmed by award-winning director Corin Hardy (“The Hallow”), the new fright-fest has begun production on location in Romania. It will be produced by Wan through his Atomic Monster production company, along with Peter Safran, who has produced all of the films in “The Conjuring” franchise. “The Nun” is set for release on July 13, 2018.

When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.

“The Nun” stars Oscar nominated Demian Bichir (“A Better Life”) as Father Burke, Taissa Farmiga (TV’s “American Horror Story”) as Sister Irene, Jonas Bloquet (“Elle”) as local villager Frenchie, Charlotte Hope (TV’s “Game of Thrones”) as the abbey’s Sister Victoria, Ingrid Bisu (“Toni Erdmann”) as Sister Oana, and Bonnie Aarons, reprising her “Conjuring 2” role as the title character.

Wan’s Atomic Monster slate includes “Annabelle” and “Lights Out,” as well as the upcoming “Annabelle: Creation,” with Wan serving as producer on all. Co-creator of the “Saw” and “Insidious” franchises, Wan directed the worldwide hit “Furious 7,” and is next set to helm the highly anticipated feature “Aquaman.”

Safran also produced the sequel “Annabelle: Creation,” opening August 10th and is producing “Aquaman.”

Hardy will direct “The Nun” from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman (upcoming “It”), story by Dauberman & James Wan.

Serving as executive producers are Gary Dauberman and Todd Williams, with Michael Clear as co-producer.

Joining Hardy behind the scenes are director of photography Maxime Alexandre (“The Voices,” upcoming “Annabelle: Creation”), production designer Jennifer Spence (“Lights Out,” the “Insidious” films), editor Michel Aller (“Lights Out,” “Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension”), and costume designer Sharon Gilham (TV’s “Black Mirror”).

“The Nun” is a New Line Cinema presentation, an Atomic Monster / Safran Company production, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

HORROR HITMAKER JASON BLUM PRODUCES “OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL”

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When developing Ouija: Origin of Evil, Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum and Platinum Dunes’ Michael Bay, producers Brad Form and Andrew Fuller were excited to work with Hasbro Studios on the opportunity to expand dramatically the cryptic world of the mystical board. For this terrifying chapter that would explore the origin of evil in one small town, they would be trusting the franchise with a filmmaker known for work that is as innovative as it is heart-racing.

Photo credits: UIP/Columbia Pictures

Inviting audiences again into the lore of the spirit board this Halloween, Universal Pictures’ Ouija: Origin of Evil tells a terrifying new tale as the follow-up to 2014’s sleeper hit that opened at No. 1.

The production team approached visionary filmmaker Mike Flanagan, who created Blumhouse’s 2014’s hit Oculus and this year’s hold-your-breath thriller Hush. They gauged his interest in crafting a chapter that delved into so much more of the legend of the board…as well as putting his unique stamp on the series.

Flanagan felt it would be fascinating to explore the superstitious culture of the late 1960s’ Ouija for this chapter, as well as what secrets laid buried beneath one family’s home…only to be unlocked through the board. The horror maestro and his equally talented writing partner, Jeff Howard, imagined the tale of sisters Doris and Lina Zander, who grow terrified the more they learn about the family home they share with their mother, Alice.

Blum explains that when Alice begins using the Ouija board in her séances, she thinks it’s great for business. He notes: “In the beginning, Alice is not discovering anything evil, and it actually seems like it’s a great thing. She thinks that she’s performing this amazing service where—if you have someone in your life who’s gone—you can come use the Ouija board and connect with them. Through Doris you can talk to people who are no longer with us in this world. Initially it seems like it’s not only good for business, but good for people too.”

“There was a lot of discussion about making a direct sequel to the first film and expanding upon that narrative,” explains Form, “but that felt like the easy answer. When we took a hard look at the source material, we began to see that the story was right in front of us. Who was the real ‘DZ’ who was haunting our characters in the first movie, and what had been done to her so long ago that turned her into the twisted spirit seeking out revenge upon anyone who inhabited her home?”

Fuller, who serves as Bay and Form’s production partner at Platinum Dunes, shares how the film’s dramatic themes appeal to a broad base of moviegoers, and that it was of utmost importance to all involved to make this a story about a broken family…and not just a ghost story. “If you strip away the supernatural elements, you’ll find a family going through something extremely tragic and then extremely frightening,” he says. “Audiences who wouldn’t necessarily seek out a horror film will connect to this character-driven story.”

So notes Form, a thriller centered on a Ouija board made the perfect vehicle for relatable horror. “The idea that we could wrap a film around this intense desire to contact those on the other side was irresistible, and Ouija boards are so specific to that,” he concludes. “Even people who don’t believe in spirits have such a strong reaction to the game. This game has the power to turn non-believers into believers, even if only for a moment.”

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 26, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

“OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL” TELLS NEW, TERRIFYING HORROR STORY

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It was never just a game.

Inviting audiences again into the lore of the spirit board, this Halloween, Universal Pictures’ Ouija: Origin of Evil—from Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse—tells a terrifying new tale as the follow-up to 2014’s sleeper hit that opened at No. 1.

Photo courtesy of UIP/Columbia Pictures

In 1967 Los Angeles, widowed mother Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser of the Twilight franchise) adds a new stunt to bolster her séance scam business and unwittingly invites authentic evil into her home. When the merciless spirit overtakes youngest daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson of Deliver Us from Evil), this small family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

A year and a half after her husband was killed, financially strapped Alice finds herself raising 15-year-old Paulina (“Lina”) (Annalise Basso of Oculus) and 9-year-old Doris alone.

Fortunately for her struggling business, the occult runs in Alice’s blood. Her mother was a fortuneteller and passed down the tricks of the trade, allowing Alice to put on an extravagant sideshow for clients who wish to speak with lost loved ones. The aspiring clairvoyant doesn’t feel she’s a fraud. Instead, she believes she’s peddling closure—the elusive kind she prays to find for herself.

With mounting unpaid bills, Alice purchases a Ouija board to spice up her charade and rivet her customers. But once the game is brought into her home, strange things begin to happen: inexplicable noises, daily nightmares and, most disturbing of all, Doris actually starts communicating with the dead, including her father.

Initially, the revelations seems like a gift. Alice’s business booms and clients find comfort connecting to those who have passed on, until the true history of the house is unearthed. Decades prior, a deranged surgeon performed grotesque experiments on mental patients under the same roof. Now, to make their screams of anguish heard, one of the tortured has taken possession of Doris.

The girls’ school principal’s, Father Tom (Henry Thomas of Gangs of New York), deep concern for Alice’s family leads him to investigate the case. But when the four of them must face a supernatural power (Doug Jones of Pan's Labyrinth) for which even the priesthood could not prepare Tom, they will see that the spirits who’ve opened the portal have no intention of closing it without a deadly fight.

Ouija: Origin of Evil is produced by Platinum Dunes partners MICHAEL BAY, BRAD FULLER and ANDREW FORM (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Purge series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Blumhouse Productions’ JASON BLUM (The Purge and Insidious series, upcoming Get Out), alongside Hasbro’s BRIAN GOLDNER (Transformers and G.I. Joe series) and STEPHEN DAVIS (Ouija).

MIKE FLANAGAN (Oculus, Hush) directs from a screenplay he wrote with his Oculus and Before I Wake collaborator, Jeff Howard.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 26, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

“ANNABELLE 2” IN ANNOUNCEMENT TRAILER

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She’s back! Watch the newly released announcement trailer of New Line Cinema's “Annabelle: Creation (Read my non-spoiler review)”. The horror thriller is scheduled to scare Philippine audiences when it opens here on August 23, 2017.

Photo credit: Warner Bros.

From New Line Cinema comes “Annabelle 2,” with David F. Sandberg (“Lights Out”) helming the follow up to 2014’s hugely successful “Annabelle,” which scared up nearly $257 million at the worldwide box office during its run in theaters. The new film is once again being produced by Peter Safran and James Wan, who also partnered so effectively on “The Conjuring” movies.

In “Annabelle 2,” several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.

Sandberg directs from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman, who also wrote “Annabelle.” The film stars Stephanie Sigman (“Spectre”), Talitha Bateman (“The 5th Wave”), Lulu Wilson (upcoming “Ouija: Origin of Evil”), Philippa Anne Coulthard (“After the Dark”), Grace Fulton (“Badland”), Lou Lou Safran (“The Choice”), Samara Lee (“Fox Catcher,” “The Last Witch Hunter”), Tayler Buck in her feature film debut, with Anthony LaPaglia (TV’s “Without a Trace”) and Miranda Otto (Showtime’s “Homeland,” “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy).

Collaborating with Sandberg behind-the-scenes from his “Lights Out” team are production designer Jennifer Spence and editor Michel Aller, joined by director of photography Maxime Alexandre (“The Other Side of the Door”) and costume designer Leah Butler (“Paranormal Activity 3 & 4”).

“Annabelle: Creation” is a New Line Cinema presentation, an Atomic Monster/Safran Company production. The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

“BLAIR WITCH” HORROR PHENOMENON RETURNS

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 Shot over 32 days in Vancouver and British Columbia, the filmmakers of the latest “Blair Witch” movie strived to capture the authentic spirit of the previous global hit “The Blair Witch Project,” while again pushing the boundaries of found footage films.

                In the new “Blair Witch” movie, 20 years after, a group of college students venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of James’ sister who many believe is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch. At first the group is hopeful, especially when a pair of locals offers to act as guides through the dark and winding woods, but as the endless night wears on, the group is visited by a menacing presence.  Slowly, they begin to realize the legend is all too real and more sinister than they could have imagined.

                “The challenge for us was to make a modern horror movie that acknowledged and surpassed everything that’s happened in horror over the last 17 years, including films like The Conjuring, Insidious and Saw, and have the film feel as real to audiences as it did in 1999,” says screenwriter Simon Barrett.

                While much of the fear behind the first Blair Witch relied on what wasn’t shown, the sequel terrifies audiences and excites hardcore fans by revealing more of what lurks after dark.

                “Whatever evil is in the woods has only gotten stronger since the first film,” says director Adam Wingard.  “I wanted to create something that felt like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, not in terms of the violence, but in terms of the relentless intensity that movie gives you.  You’re constantly running from something into a scenario that’s even more frightening.”

                To create a nonstop thrill ride, filmmakers swapped the first film’s 16-mm. black-and-white camera for discrete head cams and a drone.  “One of the problems with found footage films is you’re hyper aware of the cameras,” says Wingard.  “We wanted to make sure that was thrown out the door, so when the horror happens, you are 100 percent invested and put in a scenario in a way you’ve never been before and completely terrorized by it.”

The filmmakers also sought to give fans a smoother, yet one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.

                “Audiences complained about the first movie’s shaky cam, but that’s what made it so scary and real,” says Wingard.  “We knew we couldn’t get away with that, especially with the mainstream horror audience we were going for.  It was always a combination of how to retain that aesthetic but make it easier on the eyes.”  To retain that authenticity, the cast often performed directly into a camera lens and lit much of the movie themselves.  “They didn’t light up the woods in the original film, so I wanted to light this movie with flashlights,” says Wingard.  “A couple of years ago, we couldn’t have done that, but cameras are more sensitive now.  We found ourselves in a situation where we could create something audiences had never seen before.”

ISLA FISHER AND JIM PARSONS IN HORROR MOVIE “VISIONS” AKA “NIGHTMARES”

\Press release

 Isla Fisher (“Now You See Me”), Eva Longoria (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Anson Mount (“Non-Stop”), Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”), and Gillian Jacobs (“Community”) star in “Visions” aka “Nightmares” (in Phils.), a supernatural thriller in which unsettling and terrifying visions jeopardize a pregnant woman’s sanity.

                Leaving her hectic city lifestyle behind, young mother-to-be Eveleigh (Fisher) joins her husband David (Mount) at their beautiful new vineyard home only to be plagued by terrifying noises and visions of a sinister hooded figure. No one else hears or sees these hallucinations, not even David, who grows increasingly worried about his wife's well-being.

                Desperate to prove her sanity, Eveleigh hunts down locals who reveal the haunted history of the vineyard in which she now resides. But when the pieces come together, the answer is far different – and more dangerous to her and her baby – than she ever imagined.

                “Nightmares” will open in cinemas on September 7 from Pioneer Films.

HORROR MASTER JAMES WAN PRODUCES “HAUNTED”

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 James Wan, considered one of today’ most-sought horror filmmaker, who frightened the movie going public with his works in “The Conjuring,” “Saw” and “Insidious” produces “Haunted” and directed by Will Canon who used multiple shooting styles and partly shot via found footage.

                The James Wan produced horror “Haunted” (also known as “Demonic”) brings a detective (Frank Grillo, “The Purge: Anarchy”) and a psychologist (Maria Bello, “Lights Out”) together to investigate the slaughter of five amateur ghost hunters in a house that is said to be haunted. 

                Up and coming actor, Dustin Milligan who also appeared in the same genre such as “Final Destination 3,” “Slither” and “Shark Night” plays the only survivor of a group of teens who were killed while trying to summon ghosts in “Haunted.”  His character John, being the survivor, is tasked to explain to the paranormal investigators of the horrifying demise of his friends.  

                “He starts the film as a skeptic before arriving at the house and after everything that happens. He struggles to believe that what is happening to him and his friends is the result of something supernatural and he can’t believe what he is seeing. He’s in total shock after the events, he was a great character to play,” shared Milligan about his character in the movie.

               

                Fans of the horror genre such Steven Wood of www.horrortalk.com  mentioned that, “On paper, Demonic (Haunted) is likely to be seen as a run-of-the-mill haunted house story with some possession aspects thrown in. Luckily though, that is not the case. There are a certain number of unique plot devices that will keep your attention throughout.”

                Likewise, Milligan enthuses, “With Demonic (Haunted) I’m glad that it doesn’t fall into the cliches of those things and it didn’t turn into found footage that wasn’t justified or overused. Again, because the film switches from the recollection of my character John of what happened in the house that led up to all these horrific murders to the present day where an interview is being given by Maria Bello’s character and Frank Grillo, how the film jumps back and forth in time in order to solve this mystery is to me what makes it a horror film as much as it does a suspense thriller. I like the fact that it straddles those two genres and is not specifically one or the other at any given time. I like the way that Demonic offers audiences a lot more than your standard horror movie in terms that it is so heavily engaging.”

Award Winning Horror Film “Jeruzalem” To Open in Local Cinemas January 20

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 From emerging Israeli directors, brothers Yoav and Doron Paz comes an acclaimed award-winning film “Jeruzalem,” winner of the Audience Award and Best Editing at the recent 32nd Jerusalem International Film Festival. 

                 “Jeruzalem” follows two American girls on vacation who meet an attractive student studying anthropology during their trip to Jerusalem.  A trip planned to be their best vacation ever, the girls, Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn) and Rachel (Jane TheVirgin's Yael Grobglas) do the rounds of the tour with newfound friend Kevin in tow and partying hard in Jerusalem’s ancient sites. The trio unexpectedly find themselves in the midst of a religious conflict followed by a series of horrifying biblical apocalypse. 

                Inspired by a line from the Talmud that states “There are three gates to hell: one in the desert, one in the ocean and one in Jerusalem,” the movie unleashes a chain of demonic events that brought about terror as the three try to escape between ancient walls of the holy city.   

                “We wanted to give the audience a chance to feel and experience this dark, mystical and religious city through the eyes of our characters. To see up close what the resurrection may actually look like, in the most reasonable place on earth to start the apocalypse,” says Yoav and Doron on introducing the film. 

                The Paz Bros. are the sons of Israeli filmmaker Jonathan Paz (“Waiting for Surkin”) and grew up in Netanya. Their filmmaking careers began when they were around 10 or 11 years old. Filmed in found footage style through a smart digital glass, “Jeruzalem” gives the audience a rich detail of the city’s culture and history as read from the Bible.  

                “We see it more of a POV (point of view) instead of found footage, we wanted it so all the other actors are talking to the camera, and when she crawls in the dark people the audience see how it feels to crawl in the dark. Like a sort of virtual reality. But we didn’t know what to do about it. Then a few years ago everyone started talking about Google glass with verbal technologly and this gave us our window. This also gave us another layer, a technological layer, where we could present more information. You don’t see it in the trailer, but the entire film is through a smart glass – not Google. So there’s verbal technology and augmented reality. This means we could use social media in it too as another form of storytelling. It’s the oldest story with new technology. We don’t like to call it found footage because, while it’s obviously a found footage technique, we think this takes it to the next level,” shares Yoav and Doron of their filmmaking style.

               

                Yoav and Doron Paz first gained acclaim with their arthouse film “Phobidilia,” an official selection at TIFF and the Berlin International Film Festival. Their latest film, “Jeruzalem” marks a radical new turn as they submerge themselves full-on into hyper-visceral horror storytelling.

                “For years we thought to ourselves ‘how come nobody did an apocalypse movie about Jerusalem’ , when it’s the perfect set up for it. You’ve seen movies about the apocalypse in cities all around the world: Bostin, then you have REC – everywhere, but nobody’s been dealing with Jerusalem itself. Though the Bible, and its scriptures are set there, so that’s where we took it,” further shares Yoav on the concept of the movie.

               

                “Jeruzalem” opens in theatres nationwide on January 20 from Pioneer Films. Check out the film’s trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNZcLIhn5lg