Certain to remain one of the greatest haunted-house movies ever made, Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963) is antithetical to all the gory horror films of subsequent decades, because its considerable frights remain implicitly rooted in the viewer's sensitivity to abject fear. A classic spook-fest based on Shirley Jackson's novel The Haunting of Hill House (which also inspired the 1999 remake directed by Jan de Bont), the film begins with a prologue that concisely establishes the dark history of Hill House, a massive New England mansion (actually filmed in England) that will play host to four daring guests determined to investigate--and hopefully debunk--the legacy of death and ghostly possession that has given the mansion its terrifying reputation. Consumed by guilt and grief over her mother's recent death and driven to adventure by her belief in the supernatural, Eleanor Vance (Julie Harris) is the most unstable--and therefore the most vulnerable--visitor to Hill House. She's invited there by anthropologist Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), along with the bohemian lesbian Theodora (Claire Bloom), who has acute extra-sensory abilities, and glib playboy Luke Sanderson (Russ Tamblyn, from Wise's West Side Story), who will gladly inherit Hill House if it proves to be hospitable. Of course, the shadowy mansion is anything but welcoming to its unwanted intruders. Strange noises, from muffled wails to deafening pounding, set the stage for even scarier occurrences, including a door that appears to breathe (with a slowly turning doorknob that's almost unbearably suspenseful), unexplained writing on walls, and a delicate spiral staircase that seems to have a life of its own. The genius of The Haunting lies in the restraint of Wise and screenwriter Nelson Gidding, who elicit almost all of the film's mounting terror from the psychology of its characters--particularly Eleanor, whose grip on sanity grows increasingly tenuous. The presence of lurking spirits relies heavily on the power of suggestion (likewise the cautious handling of Theodora's attraction to Eleanor) and the film's use of sound is more terrifying than anything Wise could have shown with his camera. Like Jack Clayton's 1961 chiller, The Innocents, The Haunting knows the value of planting the seeds of terror in the mind, as opposed to letting them blossom graphically on the screen. What you don't see is infinitely more frightening than what you do, and with nary a severed head or bloody corpse in sight, The Haunting is guaranteed to chill you to the bone. --Jeff Shannon
Theorising that the paranormal exists as a result of human belief, a group of students attempt to create a supernatural entity. Years later, young couple Kelly and Ben begin to experience a terrifying, unexplained presence in their new home.
From acclaimed musician and filmmaker, Rob Zombie comes an entirely new take on the highly successful and terrifying "Halloween" legacy that began in 1978.
This remake of the classic horror film follows a family that inherit a spectacular house, only to find themselves trapped within it, pursued by powerful and vengeful entities.
Dead Snow With a car packed full of ski equipment and enough beer to fuel their escape from everyday life eight medical students head out on their Easter vacation. Isolated in the snowy hills the group begins to realize they came to the wrong resort as deep in the hills lay an unthinkable evil. Dead Snow 2 Having crashed his car after fleeing the ski lodge where his friends were all brutally murdered by a battalion of Nazi zombies Martin wakes up in hospital attempting to convince the police that he is not the one who killed them. Little do they know the undead fascists are very much still ‘living’ and on their way down the mountain to carry out their final orders of wiping out a nearby town and everyone in it. With time running out it’s up to Martin and his new American allies to save the town from zombie-annihilation and defeat them once and for all.
Winner of Un Certain regard at Cannes A mother and father desperate to shelter their three children from the outside world create a self styled utopia inside the walls of their secluded compound. The three children have never ventured outside and spend their days being educated and entertained within the limits of a strict and suppressive system concocted by their father. So far removed are they from the real world they have their own vocabulary and believe cats to be dangerous wild man eating predators aeroplanes flying overhead to be toys and small yellow flowers to be zombies. When the father invites a trusted outsider into their home to service his son's sexual urges the domestic balance is disturbed and the protective bubble surrounding their lives soon implodes.
Returning home to introduce his new bride to his father, Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner: The Giant Behemoth) is horrified when he's blamed for an unspeakable murder. But he will soon face even worse, as dark secrets emerge and the ghosts of his past rise against him. From legendary producer Tony Tenser (Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw) and director Robert Hartford-Davis (Corruption), The Black Torment is a richly atmospheric gothic shocker from the glory days of British horror. 88 Films are proud to present this underrated gem, finally restored to its full spine-tingling splendour.
One of the greatest directors of the 1980s, John Landis (The Blues Brothers, Trading Places), expertly combines macabre horror with dark humour in the lycanthropic classic, An American Werewolf in London. American tourists David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal whilst hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. David awakes in a London hospital to find his friend dead and his life in disarray. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse (Jenny Agutter, Walkabout) to recuperate, he soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body, undergoing a full-moon transformation that will unleash terror on the streets of the capital... An American Werewolf in London had audiences howling with laughter and recoiling in terror upon its cinema release. Landis' film has gone on to become one of the most important horror films of its decade, rightly lauded for its masterful set-pieces, uniquely unsettling atmosphere and Rick Baker's truly ground-breaking, Oscar-winning special make-up effects. Now restored and presented with an abundance of extra features, this big beast of horror can be devoured as never before... Product Features 4K restoration by Arrow Films from the original camera negative 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original uncompressed 1.0 mono and optional 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary by Beware the Moon filmmaker Paul Davis Audio commentary by actors David Naughton and Griffin Dunne Mark of The Beast: The Legacy of the Universal Werewolf, a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Daniel Griffith, featuring interviews with John Landis, David Naughton, Joe Dante and more An American Filmmaker in London, an interview with John Landis in which he reflects on British cinema and his time working in Britain I Think He's a Jew: The Werewolf's Secret, a video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976) about how Landis' film explores Jewish identity The Werewolf's Call, Corin Hardy, director of The Hallow and The Nun, chats with writer Simon Ward about their formative experiences with Landis' film Wares of the Wolf, a featurette in which SFX artist Dan Martin and Tim Lawes of Prop Store look at some of the original costumes and special effects artefacts from the film Beware the Moon, Paul Davis' acclaimed, feature-length exploration of Landis' film which boasts extensive cast and crew interviews An American Werewolf in Bob's Basement and Causing a Disturbance: Piccadilly Revisited, two 2008 featurettes filmed by Paul Davis Making An American Werewolf in London, a short archival featurette on the film's production An Interview with John Landis, a lengthy archival interview with the director about the film Make-up Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London, the legendary make-up artist discusses his work on the film I Walked with a Werewolf, an archival interview with Rick Baker about Universal horror and its legacy of Wolfman films Casting of the Hand, archival footage from Rick Baker's workshop showing the casting of David Naughton's hand Outtakes Storyboards featurette Original trailer and teaser plus TV and radio spots Extensive image gallery featuring over 200 stills, posters and other ephemera Reversible sleeve featuring original poster art and artwork by Graham Humphreys
Antonio Bay, California has turned a hundred years old. As the residents of this small, quaint harbour town begin to celebrate, an eerie fog envelops the shore and from its midst emerge dripping, demonic spectres, victims of a century old shipwreck...seeking revenge. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, the FOG is a tense and ghoulish tale that confirms John Carpenter as a master of terror. Extras: Retribution: Uncovering John Carpenter's THE FOG: New Making Of / Retro documentary: A brand new feature-length documentary featuring interviews with Cinematographer Dean Cundey, production designer/editor Tommy Lee Wallace, photographer Kim Gottleib-Walker, make-up effects artist Steve Johnson, Carpenter biographer John Muir, music historian Daniel Schweiger, visual effects historian Justin Humphreys and assistant Larry Franco The Shape of The Thing to Come: John Carpenter Un-filmed: a brand new featurette looking at the John Carpenter films that never were Easter Egg surprise! Intro by John Carpenter an interview with director John Carpenter originally recorded for a French DVD release in 2003 Scene Analysis by John Carpenter - Director John Carpenter analyses key scenes from The Fog, in an interview from 2003 Fear on Film: Inside the Fog (1980) - A vintage featurette which includes an interview with John Carpenter The Fog: Storyboard to Film original storyboards Outtakes TV Spots Theatrical Trailers Photo gallery incl. Behind the Scenes Audio Commentary with writer/director John Carpenter and writer/director Debra Hill Horror's Hallowed Grounds with Sean Clark - a fun tour of the film's locations hosted by Sean Clark Audio commentary with actors Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins and production designer Tommy Lee Wallace
A bold and strikingly original psychological chiller, heralding the arrival of a bold new voice in British cinema - debut director Rose Glass - and a breakout lead performance from Morfydd Clark, SAINT MAUD is a deeply unnerving must-see for film-lovers and adventurous horror fans alike. Live-in nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) arrives at the home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a famous dancer now frail from illness and trapped in her grand, isolated house. At first Amanda is intrigued by this religious young woman, who provides distraction from her failing health. Maud, in turn, is bewitched by her new patient. But Maud is not all that she seems. She is tormented by a violent secret from her past and by ecstatic messages she believes are directly from God. She becomes convinced she has been sent to Amanda not simply as a nurse, but to serve a divine purpose. As her grip on reality slides out of control, Maud's care turns into a deadly mission to save Amanda's soul, by any means necessary.
For 19-year-old Jay (Monroe), the fall should be about school, boys and weekends at the lake. Yet, after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter she suddenly finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions; she can't shake the sensation that someone, or something, is following her. As the threat closes in, Jay and her friends must somehow escape the horrors that are only a few steps behind. With a riveting central performance from Monroe and a strikingly ominous electronic score by Disasterpeace, IT FOLLOWS took the 2014 Cannes Film Festival by storm and will be released by RADiUS in the Winter of 2015.
A caving trip goes badly wrong for six girlfriends as they discover they're not alone in the dark.
House on Haunted Hill is one of the new breed of waste-no-time thrill machines, like Deep Blue Sea, and a particularly effective example at that. The plot is pure contrivance: For a party stunt, a wealthy amusement-park manufacturer (Geoffrey Rush) offers five people a million dollars if they spend the night in a former insane asylum where the patients murdered the sadistic staff. But it turns out the five people who arrive aren't the five he invited--did his wife (Famke Janssen), who hates him, make the switch? From there events unfold with a smart combination of human and supernatural machinations; spooky jolts are dispensed at regular, but not entirely predictable, intervals. The visual effects owe a considerable debt to Jacob's Ladder, a much more ambitious movie; House on Haunted Hill just wants to get under your skin, and succeeds more than you'd expect. Rush is his entertainingly hammy self; Janssen, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter and Bridgette Wilson are attractive and reasonably straight-faced about it all; and Chris Kattan is genuinely funny as the house's neurotic owner. Some elements of the plot seem to have been lost in the editing process, but it hardly matters. More bothersome is that the scares go flat when computer effects take over at the end--the digital images just aren't as creepy as the more suggestive stuff that came before. But that's just the very end; most of the movie has a lot of momentum. Watch until the end of the credits for a final bit of eeriness. --Bret Fetzer, Amazon.com
John Kramer (Tobin Bell) is back. The most chilling installment of the SAW franchise yet explores the untold chapter of Jigsaw's most personal game. Set between the events of SAW I and II, a sick and desperate John travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer - only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, John returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through a series of ingenious and terrifying traps. Product Features Audio Commentary with Director/Editor Kevin Greutert, Cinematographer Nick Matthews and Production Designer Anthony Stabley Drawing Inspiration: Illustrated Scene Breakdowns with Director/Editor Kevin Greutert Midsummer Scream Panel with Director/Editor Kevin Greutert, Producer Oren Koules, Cinematographer Nick Matthews, and production designer Anthony Stabley Make-Up Department Trap Tests Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer
I Walked with a Zombie / The Seventh VictimTerror lives in the shadows in a pair of mesmerizingly moody horror milestones conjured from the imagination of Val Lewton, the visionary producer-auteur who turned our fears of the unseen and the unknown into haunting excursions into existential dread. As head of RKO's B-horror-movie unit during the 1940s, Lewton, working with directors such as Jacques Tourneur and Mark Robson, brought a new sophistication to the genre by wringing chills not from conventional movie monsters but from brooding atmosphere, suggestion, and psychosexual unease. Suffused with ritual, mysticism, and the occult, the poetically hypnotic I Walked with a Zombie and the shockingly subversive The Seventh Victim are still-tantalizing dreams of death that dare to embrace the darkness.I Walked with a Zombie 1943Producer Val Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur elevated the horror film to new heights of poetic abstraction with this entrancing journey into the realm between life and death. When she takes a job caring for a comatose woman on a Caribbean island, a young nurse (Frances Dee) finds herself plunged into a mysterious world where the ghosts of slavery haunt the present and witch doctors have the power to summon the living dead. Sugarcane swaying in a moonlit field, the hypnotic beat of voodoo drums, the relentless pull toward deaththe otherworldly atmosphere of this bold reimagining of Jane Eyre is as close as studio-era Hollywood ever came to pure dream-state surrealism.The Seventh Victim 1943Death is good is how producer Val Lewton summarized the message of his films, a credo that received its most explicit expression in this strikingly nihilistic shocker, the first film directed by regular Lewton editor Mark Robson. Kim Hunter makes her film debut as a young boarding-school student who, in search of her missing sister (proto-goth icon Jean Brooks), travels to New York's bohemian Greenwich Village, where she uncovers a sinister shadow world of devil worshippers and murder. And what about that mysterious room furnished with nothing but a chair and a hangman's noose? With its daring treatment of depression and queerness, The Seventh Victim has haunted the margins of cinema for decades, its radical bleakness undiminished by time.SPECIAL FEATURESNew 4K digital restorations of both films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the 4K UHD and Blu-ray editionsAudio commentary on I Walked with a Zombie featuring authors Kim Newman and Stephen JonesAudio commentary on The Seventh Victim featuring film historian Steve HabermanInterview with film critic and historian Imogen Sara SmithAudio essays from Adam Roche's podcast The Secret History of HollywoodShadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy (2005), a documentary featuring Newman; Val E. Lewton, son of producer Val Lewton; filmmakers William Friedkin, Guillermo del Toro, George A. Romero, John Landis, and Robert Wise; author Neil Gaiman; actor Sara Karloff; and othersTrailersEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: Essays by critics Chris Fujiwara and Lucy SanteNew illustration by Katherine Lam
The world is a carnival of criminality, corruption, and psychosexual strangeness in the twisted pre-Code shockers of Tod Browning. Early Hollywood's edgiest auteur, Browning drew on his experiences as a circus performer to create subversive pulp entertainments set amid the world of traveling sideshows, which, with their air of the exotic and the disreputable, provided a pungent backdrop for his sordid tales of outcasts, cons, villains, and vagabonds. Bringing together two of his defining works (The Unknown and Freaks) and a long-unavailable rarity (The Mystic), this cabinet of pre-Code curiosities reveals a master of the morbid whose ability to unsettle is matched only by his daring compassion for society's most downtrodden.
A trio of reckless thieves breaks into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they'll get away with the perfect heist. They're wrong.
It's that time of year again, and Michael Myers has returned home to sleepy Haddonfield, Illinois to take care of some unfinished family business.
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