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¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (Who Can Kill a Child?) aka Island of the Damned

(Spain 1976) Dir: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador

Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome

“Oh, yes…there are lots of children in the world. Lots of them.”

A year before Stephen King published his short story Children of the Corn in the March 1977 issue of Penthouse magazine, another tale of evil kids on the rampage saw the light of day when this nihilistic euro horror was released into the world,  just as Spain was emerging from over thirty years of fascist dictatorship under the Franco regime.

Although the ‘evil child’ sub genre had proven box office gold in the 1970’s with the likes of THE EXORCIST (1973) and THE OMEN (1976) filling studio coffers, Serrador’s entry was decidedly more low key (and low budget) than either and eschewed the religious angle, indeed the film refuses to provide its antagonists with any clear motivating force other than the history of ill treatment meted out to children throughout history.

The closest the film comes to inferring a motive, as well as foreshadowing what is to come, occurs with its unsparing ‘mondo’ credits montage depicting atrocities and ill treatment meted out to children as a result of the actions or apathy of adults.

Cut to (then) present day Spain and we are introduced to holidaying couple Tom and Evelyn, who are expecting their third child. Venturing out for a day trip to a nearby island, they are surprised and perturbed to find the entire place seemingly deserted, save for the appearance of several children throughout the day. These children appear to act strangely and the couple realise that the island is bereft of adults.

Releasing to their horror that the children have murdered every adult on the island, Tom and Evelyn are forced into a fight for survival, one that will eventually face them with the horrifying moral conundrum presented in the film’s original Spanish title.

As previously mentioned Serrador’s film gives no explanation or origin for the children’s behaviour, and the script deftly infers that they possess some measure of mind control (other ‘normal’ children become imbued with the same murderous rage towards adults when exposed to eye contact), and the children’s behaviour suggests they are all part of a collective ‘hive mind’ similar to the alien kiddywinks in John Wyndham’s novel The Midwich Cuckoos, itself adapted into the classic 1960 chiller VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED.

This culminates in what is arguably the film’s most horrific sequence when the pregnant Evelyn is attacked and killed from the inside by her unborn foetus. It’s difficult to pinpoint whether there is any clear message behind the film, other than ‘don’t mistreat children’, but the depiction of the children can certainly be read as a warning against the evils inherent in collectivism, whether it be political or religious. It’s hard to believe that this wouldn’t have played at least subconsciously on the mind of Serrador (who also wrote the script under a pseudonym, adapting the novel El juego de los niños (The Children’s Game) by Juan José Plans), given that the film was produced at time of great tumult in Spain when the rule of technocratic fascism was breathing its last after the death of the dictator Franco the year before its release.

Someone coming to the film without prior knowledge of this context won’t be denied the enjoyment of its tight plotting, minimalist direction, and show-don’t-tell narrative approach, though. It can be viewed simply as a great example of stripped back euro horror.The film has inevitably been overshadowed by the more bombastic ‘evil child’ entries in the sub genre, becoming something of an unjustly obscure ‘cult’ movie, although it did get a Mexican remake in 2012, titled COME OUT AND PLAY. It can still be found in DVD and Blu-Ray formats if you trawl the likes of Amazon (I caught it on Shudder a couple of years back, though I believe it is no longer available there). It’s high time an outfit like Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow Video, or Scream Factory treated us to a full restoration of this Iberian horror classic.

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Hail there fellow film fiends! I hope everyone is having a splendid bank holiday, and taking the chance to kick back and enjoy some silver screen delights. September 9th is the date set for the worldwide release of Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE trailer, and anticipation is certainly high for the first look at the director’s take on Frank Herbert’s sprawling sci-fi vision.

While we are all waiting, I’ve got a whole barrel load of new and upcoming genre cinema for you all to peruse. So without further ado – 

From Freedom Cinema, and director James Di Martino, comes face to face with THE FACELESSMAN this summer.
Premiering on Demand August 28, the Australian horror film took home 6 major awards at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival including Best Director and Best Film.
Emily is a recovering cancer survivor of three years. Faced with her fear of getting sick again, her best friend Nina plans a weekend away. Six friends venture out to a country holiday house to party over a weekend. Cut off from the rest of the world they soon learn the inhabitants are unsettling red neck individuals who terrorize and humiliate travelers. At the same time a para-normal monster seen as the faceless man haunts the house pushing the friends to their limits.

From writer/director James Di Martino, and featuring WOLF CREEK’s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (MAD MAX), Lucas Pittaway (SNOWTOWN) and Sophie Thurling (COUNTER PLAY), THE FACELESS MAN haunts digital from August 28.

A group of sci-fi cosplayers get their shot to be real superheroes in director Nathan Letteer’s MONSTER FORCE ZERO.
Featuring genre favorite Garret Wang (STAR TREK: VOYAGER), WWE and WCW wrestling legend Pat Tanaka, and sci-fi staple Heath C. Heine (JURASSIC THUNDER, DRAGON SOLDIERS), the action-packed sci-fi jaunt will be available On Demand this October from Wild Eye Releasing.

After their comic book dreams are crushed, a group of sci-fi cosplayers are granted superpowers and are transported into the multiverse to do real battle with evil alien forces bent on earth’s destruction.

Jeff Schneider’s captivating new horror film EVIL UNDER THE SKIN, starring Helen Udy (MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE DEAD ZONE), arrives on DVD and Digital September 8.

A mother and daughter head off for a secluded weekend to reconnect but little do they know the sordid past of the home they’re staying in let alone the strangeness it attracts as they descend into madness. 

  

Scripted by Luc Bernier, EVIL UNDER THE SKIN stars Helene Udy, Carl Bailey, Tim O’Hearn, Donna Hamblin, and Angela Barajas.
Available on DVD and Digital 9/8 from Midnight Releasing.

Featuring a star-studded cast headlined by Tony Todd (CANDYMAN), Dylan Baker (HUNTERS), Robin Bartlett (SHUTTER ISLAND), Samm Levine (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Vanessa Lengies (WAITING…), and Agnes Bruckner (THE WOODS), IMMORTAL – available for sale or rental on demand this September from Stonecutter Distribution.
A chilling horror/thriller anthology film told in four chapters,  Immortal  boasts career-best performances from a cast that also includes Award-winning actor Mario Van Peebles (POSSE, NEW JACK CITY), Lindsay Mushett (BLUE BLOODS), and Jason Stuart (THE INFILTRATORS) with a talented ensemble of filmmakers consisting of Tom Colley,  Jon Dabach, Danny Isaacs and Rob Margolies weaving the exhilarating crosspatch of thrills together.
Thrown into the face of death only to emerge unharmed, the characters of Immortal are left staring at eternity in the face with uncertainty and fear like they’ve never imagined. The film follows Chelsea, a high school track star who comes clean about sexual misconduct with her coach only to find out her confession might be too late, Gary and Vanessa, a young, expecting married couple who scheme a morbid solution to their financial issues, Ted, a man filled with sorrow who agrees to euthanize his cancer-ridden wife Mary, and Warren, a young man with little direction in life who is forced to discover his new gifts after a tragic accident.
IMMORTAL available for sale or rental on demand September 1 from Stonecutter Distribution.

Action superstar Danny Trejo stars in Pikchure Zero Entertainment’s new sci-fi action series PARAGON: THE SHADOW WARS. 

 
In a world where Reapers take souls and demons bargain with humans for their place in the food chain, a new descendent named Jael has emerged. After centuries of civil unrest in the real world, a new war is waging amongst those who are seeking to create a new after-life and Jael finds herself in the middle of it. She must venture into the dark world of Soul Reaping and embrace her new role as the Paragon.  
Trejo, Amin Joseph, Franziska Schissler, Dilan Gwyn, Khu, and Justin Price star in a series,  currently out to networks, that will encompass a 7-episode first season, with each 43-minute episode fixing on the human race dealing with the obliteration of Heaven.  
PARAGON is a sci-fi action series that follows the different factions of society as they deal with Heaven’s destruction. With only a small piece of the after-life to live for, everyone from Death himself is fighting to claim the Elysian for themselves. 

“We have always loved the Sci-fi fantasy genre, and we wanted to create a series that explored one of the most intriguing questions of humanity. Where do we go when we die? And what would happen if Heaven no longer existed?”, says Justin Price, who is also a producer on the series alongside  Khu and  Franziska Schissler. Price adds, “Paragon is an edgier and grittier cable style series in the vein of FIREFLY and ALTERED CARBON. I believe we have an electric hybrid that explores the human spectrum of dealing with loss and love in a stylistic way. Danny Trejo is outstanding as Kincaid, the half-dead leader of disbanded reapers.”

WIDOW’S POINT, Gregory Lamberson’s highly-anticipated, award-winning adaptation of the book of the same name, premieres on DVD and Digital in the USA and Canada September 1 via 101 Films.


Craig Sheffer (A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, NIGHTBREED) leads the cast of the film, alongside KateLynn E. Newberry (HOMECOMING REVENGE).
WIDOW’S POINT follows a writer who spends a weekend locked in a haunted lighthouse to help promote his next book, where he is targeted by supernatural forces.
Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar, authors of the original source novel, adapted WIDOW’S POINT for the screen.
The film had a successful festival run, including Shawna Shea Film Festival, where it won awards for ‘Best Feature’ and ‘Best Actor’ for Craig Sheffer, Crimson Scream Horror festival, where Craig also picked up ‘Best Actor’ award; LUSCA Caribbean International Fantastic and Twin Tiers International, where the film picked up the ‘Audience Award’.
Widow’s Point was reviewed by Rue Morgue ‘’Sheffer contributes an outstanding display of on-screen insanity…an absolute thrill to witness.” Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story, Shadowland and Mr. X commented ‘’Greg Lamberson’s WIDOW’S POINT offers what is very nearly a solo showcase to Craig Scheffer, who responds with bellows and rants, mutters and whispers, and otherwise by strutting his stuff through this lively horror cut-up.” and Delirium Magazine ‘’Lamberson unleashes what may be his finest work to date – at least, his most elegant and restrained.…embedded in a haunted-lighthouse yarn that creeps under the skin and stays there.”
WIDOW’S POINT will be available 9/1 on DVD and Digital via 101 Films.

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!

Ian

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Morning film fiends!

This week serves up a veritable cornucopia esoteric underground movie goodnes in the form of Indonesian zombie apocalypse flick ZETA, sci-fi satire AUTOMATION, along with old skool horror anthology NIGHTMARE RADIO, and topped off with a good old fashioned alien invasion flick in the form of director James Twyman’s INVASION EARTH. Read on…

Film Regions International (FRI) is announcing the release of ZETA a new foreign language horror film that the company has licensed for video-on-demand both in the United States and United Kingdom. The film was helmed by female first-time  filmmaker Amanda Iswan and stars Indonesian actors Cut Mini, Dimas Aditya and Jeff Smith. The film is subtitled in English for the U.S. and U.K. territories.

 ZETA tells the story about a Deon, a student in Jakarta, Indonesia who witnesses a strange incident at his school when a friend bites a nurse’s neck and becomes a raging cannibalistic flesh eater. Suddenly, he realizes the entire city has become ravaged by a zombie apocalypse caused by an amoeba Naegleria-Zeta parasite. Deon, along with his mother Isma, who is suffering early signs of Alzheimer’s, are forced to quarantine in their sky rise apartment and eventually team up with a rebel gang to get the best combat strategies against the zombie horde.

The film is currently available for rental or purchase on Amazon Prime Video and subsequent VOD platforms will follow soon.

AUTOMATION, a genre mash-up of ROBOCOP and THE OFFICE!

A workplace robot, AUTO, transforms into a killing machine when he discovers he will be replaced by a more efficient model. AUTO fears being terminated and will stop at nothing to prevent his own destruction. The human employees must band together to stop him before it’s too late.

Writer/Director Garo Setian – ‘It seems every day there is another news story or article concerning the threat of machines replacing people in the workplace.  We are also seeing stories about the development of robots that can learn to behave more human by observing human behaviour.

So what would happen when a robot with this ability to learn, replaces humans in the workplace, but then faces the prospect of being replaced by more advanced technology?  Our movie AUTOMATION is a cheeky take on this concept.

Our goal was to tell an interesting and timely story with characters the audience cares about.  So despite the film being a satire of corporate cost cutting and planned obsolescence, there is a true heart to the movie in the relationship between Auto and Jenny.

We are so grateful to our talented cast and crew of pros who came together out of love for this script, and the desire to make something fun. We hope the audience finds AUTOMATION an entertaining 91 minutes that is funny, exciting, has a few surprises and is ultimately kind of moving.’

Release date TBC

10 of horror’s hottest rising filmmakers unite to tell 8 terrifying tales.

A NIGHT OF HORROR: NIGHTMARE RADIO, premiering on Demand and DVD September 1, is a new anthology from brothers Luciano Onetti and Nicolas Onetti. Joining the Onettis are filmmakers Sergio Morcillo, Joshua Long, Jason Bognacki, Adam O´Brien, Matt Richards, A.J. Briones, Pablo S. Pastor and Oliver Park.

Rod, radio DJ, hosts a popular horror-themed show packed with tales of terror for eager listeners. When he receives alarming calls from a horrified child things start to feel off. What ensues is a roller-coaster ride of horror stories…

Premiering in lounge rooms this August, an exhilarating new science-fiction thriller from director James Twyman, INVASION EARTH.

The story follows a group of addicts who attend therapy to avoid being sent to prison, while a TV journalist goes undercover and joins the group to try and expose this as a scam. However, all of their lives are thrown into chaos by the beginning of an alien invasion.

Charlotte Gould, Phoebe Delikoura, Tony Fadil, Jon-Paul Gates, Nigel Thijs, and David Shaw star in the critically acclaimed new film from James Twyman, only On Demand and DVD August 4 from Midnight Releasing.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out our new range of merch available here –

https://www.redbubble.com/people/FilmFiend/shop?asc=u

One final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!
Ian

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Morning film fiends!

Feast your eyes on this collection of upcoming celluloid awesomeness –

Now available On Demand, and coming soon to DVD (pre-order the DVD from Target), THE TENT is the latest film from award-winning filmmaker Kyle Couch.

Winner of multiple awards, and featuring an applauded turn from actor Tim Kaiser, the end-of-days thriller fixes on an apocalyptic event that leaves a man isolated and alone on the edge of the wilderness. Soon enough, another survivor emerges who disrupts the fragile balance of power.
Lulu Dahl and Shelby Bradley co-star in THE TENT, available from Gravitas Ventures.

An apocalyptic event known as The Crisis has devastated David’s world leaving him to rely on survival tactics learned from childhood. Isolated and alone, David has taken refuge in a tent on the edge of the wilderness. Soon enough, another survivor emerges, Mary, who immediately begins questioning David’s tactics and ultimately putting them in the crosshairs of “Those Who Walk In Darkness”, unseen creatures that may or may not be responsible for The Crisis.

Sylvia, a lonely 20-something, goes searching for answers after her friend mysteriously vanishes in Whitehall, NY, an Adirondack town known for its Bigfoot sightings. She sets off with a mysterious, charming young woman, Alex, hellbent on getting to Whitehall for different reasons. Sylvia soon learns that hiding in the woods is an evil more sinister than she could ever imagine.

From director Bruce Wemple, and starring Anna Shields, Rachel Finninger, Grant Schumacher, Hannah McKechnie, Catharine Daddario, Dylan Grunn, Peter Stray, Rick Montgomery Jr., and Thomas Brazzle , MONSTROUS premieres On Demand and DVD August 11 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

A murderer finds himself on trial in Hell, caught between a bitter prosecutor and an inexperienced defense attorney.

With an electrifying cast also including Scottie Thompson (TWELVE MONKEYS), Richard Riehle (TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION), Veronica Cartwright (ALIEN), Lew Temple (ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD), Mandela Van Peebles (JIGSAW) and Rebekah Kennedy (CRIMINAL MINDS),  feel the heat this summer with LIMBO.

LIMBO, from writer/director Mark Young, premieres August 4 on DVD and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!
Ian

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Underwater (USA 2019) Dir: William Eubank
Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, Mamadou Athie

In the near future, an ethically dodgy mining corporation has constructed a huge drilling rig seven miles below the ocean surface at the bottom of the Mariana trench.

Opening with a monologue by Hollywood pixie Kristen Stewart consisting of some cod-philosophical word salad, director Eubank’s second effort soon gets down to business when a huge underwater earthquake rips through the rig killing most of its crew.

Realising they are fubared with a capital F, the survivors led by Nora (Stewart) and Captain Lucien (a suitably grizzled Cassel), must attempt a hazardous underwater trek along the seabed in order to reach another station that houses functioning escape pods that will take them to the surface. However, the drilling operation and subsequent earthquake has awakened a previously unknown hostile species…

UNDERWATER looks great, the cast is good and the film succeeds mightily in generating its claustrophobic hostile environment and the tense race against time pace that is central to its premise. The problem the film has is that it doesn’t really add anything new to the ‘creatures beneath the sea’ sci-fi/horror sub genre. Consequently it comes off as a rather expensive but po-faced update of 80’s straight to video faves like DEEPSTAR SIX and LEVIATHAN, and certainly doesn’t have the conceptual chops of it’s big budget genre stablemates like THE ABYSS. A well made genre entry with some inventive deaths and lovely production design, alas let down by its formulaic story and an over-reliance on see-it-all-before CGI in the third act.

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Morning film fiends!

Feast your eyes on this collection of upcoming celluloid glory –

The world of wrestling meets the bloody battlefields of horror in this July’s PARTS UNKNOWN.
After losing their livelihoods, a crazed family of disgraced professional wrestlers embarks on a spree of murder and carnage to satisfy a deal made with a demonic entity from another dimension.
William DeCoff, Alexandra Cipolla, and Sarah Michelle star in a Richard Chandler film!
PARTS UNKNOWN. body slams onto DVD and Digital July 7 from Wild Eye Releasing.

Horror icon Jamie Bernadette (I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE: DEJA VU, 4/20 MASSACRE)  stars in DEAD BY DAWN, from Uncork’d Entertainment.

A suicidal man in a remote cabin is suddenly faced with protecting a kidnapped woman from three killers and their sadistic games. Unable to contact the outside world and with night falling, he falls backs on creating traps to prevent the criminals from gaining entry. It’s a fight to the death where only the strongest will survive until dawn.

From director Sean Cain, and co-starring Drew Lindsey Mitchell, Kelcey Watson, Bo Burroughs, Timothy Muskatell, Bobby Slaski, Detra Hicks, and Skylar Dominique, DEAD BY DAWN available on DVD and Digital now.

Micah Lyons, Tom Sizemore (HEAT, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) and Glenn Morshower (24, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) star in white-knuckle action-thriller THE RUNNERS, premiering this summer On Demand and DVD.

After losing their parents in a car accident, Ryan must raise his rebellious teenage sister, Zoe. One night, Zoe sneaks out to a party and is abducted by a charming older boy who intends to sell her to the cartel for human trafficking. Now, Ryan and his best friend have just hours to track them down and save her before she is sold and dragged across the Mexican border, never to be seen again.

From directors Joey Loomis and Micah Lyons, and starring Micah Lyons, Netty Leach, Joey Loomis, Tom Sizemore, Neal McCoy, Glenn Morshower, Jason Peter Kennedy, and Swayde McCoy, THE RUNNERS is available 7/14 on DVD and Digital from Uncork’d Entertainment.

ALL HAIL THE POPCORN KING paints a vivid picture of award-winning author and screenwriter Joe R. Lansdale who’s written over 50 novels and 500 short stories including BUBBA HO-TEP and COLD IN JULY. Joe is also a Master in Martial Arts and created his own technique. He’s well known for his unique voice andhis generosity and support of other writers and filmmakers.

Filmmaker Hansi Oppenheimer chronicles the life and career of the Lone Star State’s “writer of the purple rage” (The Austin Chronicle), the acclaimed documentary also features new interviews with the likes of Bruce Campbell, James Purefoy, Joe Hill, Don Coscarelli, Mick Garris, Del Howison, Amber Benson, novelist David J. Schow and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone.

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!
Ian

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Lifeforce (1985) Dir: Tobe Hooper Steve Railsback, Mathilda May, Peter Firth, Frank Finlay

Loosely based on Colin Wilson’s novel ‘The Space Vampires’, The Golan-Globus Cannon empire was at the height of its powers when they released this insanely entertaining slab of sci fi horror.An Anglo US space mission encounters a mysterious alien spaceship riding the tail of Haley’s Comet. Of the crew only Steve Railsback makes it back to Blighty with one of the aliens (euro strumpet Mathilda May) in tow. The naked-for-the-entire-film May then proceeds to break out of the secure facility she’s in and reveals herself to be a gribbly space vampire in disguise and proceeds to turn most of London into slavering zombies. SAS man Cain (Peter Firth) is on the trail replete in roll neck sweater mowing down hordes of undead in his Ford Cortina estate right up to the final showdown on the steps of St Paul’s. With earnest support from Patrick Stewart and a scenery chewing Frank Finlay, this features a great score, brilliantly imaginative production design and a bonkers exploitation plot that the whole cast do a great job of taking seriously. I waited weeks for this to come off loan in the video shop back in the day, and I still hold affection for it now. Simply incredible.

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Hail there fellow film fiends! The first new post of the year, so a belated happy new year from me! Lots to look forwards to this year, not least the long anticipated reimagining of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic DUNE from Denis Villeneuve. The project looks very promising judging from what little has leaked online, the director looks to have lined up a top notch cast in what will be a two film adaptation of the novel, the first part of which will release in November. 
On the horror side, the genre has had an underwhelming start to the year with the BLACK CHRISTMAS remake, UNDERWATER and the latest GRUDGE entry all underperforming. Out of all these the Kristen Stewart vehicle UNDERWATER looks the most interesting, but it seems to have been withdrawn form the circuit already so I’ll have to wait for the Amazon release to review it. Shades of VHS classics like DEEPSTAR SIX and LEVIATHAN, both of which I always loved, so I’ll look forwards to that.
Looking forwards on the site, I have lots of content lined up with reviews of Brit director Richard Rowntree’s NEFARIOUS, his follow up to 2017’s understated folk horror DOGGED, 80’s retro horror HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and BEYOND THE GATES, along features on Charles Band classics like RAGEWAR and METALSTORM: THE DESTRUCTION OF JARED-SYN. Watch this space and subscribe to get new content in your inbox!

Now that I’ve whetted your appetite, feast your eyeballs on this boatload of new and upcoming I’ve sought out from the cinematic depths –

From director Stephen Gallacher, and in the tradition of HARD TARGET and THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, comes the nail-biting crime thriller NOTHING MAN.
Available January 14 2020 on DVD and Digital, the film stars Daniel Hall as Noam, a frightened amnesiac who has taken himself away from society, living life as a homeless man. When his only friend is murdered in cold blood, Noam sets out in search of justice and truth, but at the cost of unlocking his own checkered past.

https://youtu.be/EEv_HU7niII

Jennifer Jordan, Ric Vince and Tony Goodall co-star in a Stephen Gallacher film, out now from High Octane Pictures.

This January, the sky opens for an almighty battle between good and evil. 
This Valentine’s Day, Cupid is shooting straight for the…heart.

Writer/director Scott Jeffrey presents the horrifying true story of Venus and Mars’s offspring.
Everyone knows the legend of Cupid.. But do they know his dark side?
After being horrendously embarrassed by the mean girls at school, Faye, a practicing witch, summons the evil Cupid to take revenge on all those who wronged her. On Valentine’s Day Cupid does in fact rise and will stop at nothing until the walls are covered in blood. The students must figure out a way to stop Cupid and undo the spell before their hearts get broken…very literally.
Georgina Jane, Bao Tieu, Michael Owusu,  Abi Casson Thompson and Sarah T. Cohen star in a Scott Jeffrey written/directed film, produced by Jeffrey and Rebecca Matthews (PET GRAVEYARD).

https://youtu.be/e7loZg7IspY

CUPID will be released on DVD and Digital February 11 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

From writer/director Harley Wallen, and featuring genre icons Laurene Landon (MANIAC COP) and Yan Birch (THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS), AGRAMON’S GATE premieres On Demand February 11.


A psychic reader and Medium is invited to a party. Something goes very wrong and something comes over from the other side to haunt the people from the party. They must solve the mystery before it’s too late. Agramon will not be easy to stop.
Also starring Kris Reilly, Calhoun Koenig, Harley Wallen and Kaiti Wallen, AGRAMON’S GATE will be available on digital platforms 2/11 from Midnight Releasing.

https://youtu.be/qtDYHkBJi5k


Martin Gooch’s award-winning sci-fi epic ATOMIC APOCALYPSE premieres On Demand and Disc this February from High Octane Pictures

Described by critics as both an “absolute joy” (CNN) and “eccentric & effervescent” (Projected Figures), the electrifying film is set a post-apocalyptic world where a woman fights to survive and be reunited with her family.
In Post Apocalyptic North America, one family fights for survival in this sci-i road trip of epic proportions in a nightmare world without gasoline, electricity, or humanity.

Sheltered mother Kate (Krista DeMille, Best Actress IIFA, SIFF, BSFFF) loses her injured survivalist husband Sam (Ron Roggé, 13 REASONS WHY, STRANGER THINGS) and love struck daughter Suzi (Andrea Sweeney Blanco) in a matter of days after they join handsome loner Joe (Jesus Lloveras) in search of a rumored hidden nuclear bunker full of food and medicine. Suddenly alone and lost, Kate fights to stay alive and reunite with her family. Nature will survive. Would we?

https://youtu.be/gyXQ6EReqHk

Following its world premiere screening at Sitges International Film Festival, and numerous award wins around the globe, ATOMIC APOCALYPSE comes home to digital and disc February 4.

There’s horror under the roof at this deadly domicile.
From Three Hair Production and One Chameleon Entertainment comes A PERFECT HOST releasing February 4 on DVD and Digital by Uncork’d Entertainment.

In director Chad Werner’s film, a group of friends rent an isolated lake house owned by a fitness obsessed man with mysterious intentions.
Four friends rent an isolated lake house for a weekend getaway. While the dramas of the friends’ relationships unfold, they are continually interrupted by the home’s owner: a health-obsessed bodybuilder named Tad. Throughout the group’s short stay, Tad’s seemingly affable gestures take an eerie and sinister twist, turning their dream vacation into a nightmare. Mystery entangles this tale that questions the blind acceptance of modern-day practices.

https://youtu.be/DnZ6HhnyysQ

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like.

Spread the Word!

Ian

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Good morning fellow film fiends! What a week has just gone by, with both TERMINATOR: DARK FATE and DOCTOR SLEEP both underperforming at the box office. I’m not massively surprised over the former’s poor performance given it’s mix of tired plot recycling and Hollywood virtue signalling. I’ll admit to being a TERMINATOR purist (I detest the happy ending of T2) but now even the Austrian Oak has gone woke and served up a ‘domesticated’ time travelling killer cyborg, audiences turned out to be predictably non-plussed. Maybe the studios may wake up and smell the non fairtrade coffee now the box office receipts are in. DOCTOR SLEEP on the other hand seems to have been welcomed by critics but largely ignored by audiences, perhaps being crushed by being released in the shadow of the JOKER movie juggernaut. I suspect Mike Flanagan’s SHINING sequel may find more appreciation once it hits the home viewing market. He’s a talented director who deserves to go far.

But never fear, The Stricken Land is here to cheer you up by bringing you all the lowdown on all the best new celluloid schlock newly populating the bottom shelf of the virtual video emporium! This week we’ve got a bumper crop, with creature features, survival horror, high concept sf, fantasy epics and a creepy killer kid flick thrown in for good measure –  

Emiliano Ranzani’s BLOOD BAGS, a modern take on classic Italian horror cinema, premieres on DVD and Digital this December.A creature stalks the corridors of an abandoned mansion. Two friends break in and discover that all exits have been sealed off and the creature that hunts them is growing hungry for their blood; there is no escape.From director Emiliano Ranzani, and starring Makenna Guyler (THE BARGE PEOPLE), Emanuele Turetta, and Marta Tananyan, BLOOD BAGS premieres December 3 on DVD and Digital from High Octane Pictures.

Jerome Pikwane’s bloodcurdling ode to the mythological creature THE TOKOLOSHE set to spook audiences this December.

 Uncork’d Entertainment will release THE TOKOLOSHE, director Jerome Pikwane’s frightening fictional account of the mythological creature, on digital platforms and disc 3rd December 2019.

Busi, a young destitute woman with dangerously repressed emotions, lands a job as a cleaner at a rundown hospital in the heart of Johannesburg. Desperate for the money so she can bring her younger sister to Johannesburg, she must cope despite the predatory and corrupt hospital manager. When Busi discovers an abandoned young girl in the hospital, who believes she is tormented by a supernatural force, Busi must face her own demons from her past in order to save the child from the abusive monster that pursues them both relentlessly.

In the tradition of THE DARK TOWER, and from the studio that brought you THE JURASSIC GAMES,  open the book one the most thrilling fantasy adventure of the year!

From visionary filmmaker Erik Flynn Patton (producer, THE LEGEND OF BEN HALL), an adventure-laden pre-holiday treat that plays like a fantastical, dazzling love letter to THE PRINCESS BRIDE and Stephen King’s THE DARK TOWER.

When the great sorceress Kaeis captured by a mysterious enemy, her young followers devise a plan to rescue her. Jenny Sterlin, Brandon Tyler Harris, and Taylor Rose star.

TOWER OF SILENCE on DVD and Digital December 3rd from High Octane Pictures.

Omri Dorani’s caravan of suspense THIS IS OUR HOME premieres on DVD and Demand this December from Uncork’d Entertainment.

Jeff Ayars and Simone Policano star in the chilling account of a struggling couple who, during a weekend getaway, are greeted in the middle of the night by a child claiming to be their son.Scripted by Robert Harmon, THIS IS OUR HOME is a “measured piece of psychological horror that will follow you home” (Horror Buzz), hitting disc and digital December 3.

Some of today’s biggest names unite with a selection of today’s most visually-gifted filmmakers for a unique cinematic experience that crosses 5 GALAXIES

An assemblage of futuristic, high concept stories about artificial intelligence, 5 Galaxies features Pom Klementieff (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY), Eric Roberts (THE DARK KNIGHT) and Neil Jackson (SLEEPY HOLLOW) in in a powerful profusion of science-fiction, featuring segments from such visionary filmmakers as Nelson Lee, Kristen Hilkert, Amir Reichart, Vitaly Verlov and Marc-Henri Boulier.Whether its love found in time of over-population or exploration of the unknown and space-travel, 5 GALAXIES has a bit of something for every fan of the genre.Available on DVD and Digital December 10th from Uncork’d Entertainment.

From the director of CLOWNTERGEIST, and from the studio that brought you THE JURASSIC GAMES and ESCAPE FROM CANNIBAL FARM, comes the most controversial horror release of 2019.

A group of friends is torn apart when they become part of two human hunter’s sick game. The men give them ten minutes to hide, and then the real hunt begins.Written and directed by Aaron Mirtes, and starring Lacy Hartselle, Taylor Novak, and Allison Shrum, AMERICAN HUNT begins December 3 on DVD and Digital from High Octane Pictures.

Sandi Somers’ award-winning frozen-frightfest ICE BLUE premieres this November On Demand.

Michelle Morgan (DIARY OF THE DEAD, BATWOMAN), Sophia Lauchlin Hirt (BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE) and Billy MacLellan (STAR TREK : DISCOVERY) star in an atmospheric chiller that will rattle audiences to the core.When home-schooled Arielle’s long-estranged mother mysteriously returns to their isolated family farm, it drives a wedge into her seemingly-perfect relationship with her father and reveals a chilling, dark past.ICE BLUE, scripted by Jason Long, is available now On Demand.

A camping trip goes horribly wrong in writer/director Paul Anthony Rogers’ unnerving CRYPSIS, available On Demand and on DVD December 17 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

A group of friends make a bet to survive on an island. Unbeknownst to them, a mysterious old creature begins hunting them throughout the night. What began as an innocent bet quickly turns into a fight for survival. As night falls, this becomes a fight to the death that no one had anticipated.Rogers co-stars alongside Michael Armata, Anthony Hoang, Jordan Mitchell-Love and Eddie Nason in a pulse-racing profusion of STRANGER THINGS and PREDATOR.

This November, Christian Oliver (SENSE8, HOUSE OF GOOD & EVIL) and Larisa Oleynik (MAD MEN, 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU) come face to face with hirsute terror in John Woodruff’s highly-anticipated horror throwback, ANIMAL AMONG US.

Fifteen years ago, two teenage girls were murdered at Merrymaker Campgrounds. The case was filed as an animal attack, the camp was condemned, and the killer never found. But something horrific still waits in those woods, ready to kill again.
Don Frye, Christine Donlon, Jonathan Murphy, Erin Daniels, Heather Tom, Jasmine Dustin, and Whitney Davis star in a film by John Woodruff.Written by Jonathan Murphy. Produced by Murphy and Woodruff. FRIDAY THE 13TH meets DOG SOLDIERS in ANIMAL AMONG US, available on VOD and DVD November 19 from Uncork’d Entertainment..

On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!

Ian

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Good morning fellow discerning film fans! Feast those tired Monday morning retinas on the following upcoming goodness soon to emerge from the primordial soup of the cinematic underbelly – 

This October “It simply doesn’t get much better than the two Bills” (Pop Horror) as horror icons Bill Moseley (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS) and Bill Oberst, Jr (3 FROM HELL) team for director Jeff Broadsteet’s “Jolly” bloody horror epic Devil’s Junction : Handy Dandy’s Revenge.
The J.S Brinkley-scripted Halloween treat sees a shuttered TV studio in Detroit haunted by a magician ventriloquist from a 1960’s children’s show, and he’s looking for a new live, or dead, studio audience.
Jeff Broadsheet (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 3D) directs genre vets Bill Moseley (Rob Zombie’s THE DEVIL’S REJECTS, 3 FROM HELL) and Bill Oberst, Jr. (3 FROM HELL, DEATH HOUSE) alongside Jake Red, Cody Cameron, Arthur Marroquin, Danni Spring, Kyle Anderson and Katelynn Newberry. Returning to the abandoned Detroit television station where they once delighted a generation of children viewers, master puppeteer Mister Jolly re-incarnates his minion puppets for a final performance to settle an old score with Richard. The rare blood moon casts an ominous glow as Mr Jolly unleashes his puppets, lead by the infamous Handy Dandy to seek his revenge. Further complicating Richard’s dilemma is the unexpected arrival to the Studio of his son Steffen and his friends. The group become entangled in the thrilling pursuit by Mr Jolly and Handy Dandy through the annuls of the old studio building. They soon realize that they are in a new version of “Mister Jolly and the Handy Dandy Show” -where pain is the game!


Writer/director Anthony M. Winson’s classy creepfest THE BAYLOCK RESIDENCE premieres on DVD and Digital this September from Wild Eye Releasing. THE CONJURING meets DOWNTON ABBEY in a goosebump-inducing haunted house flick now available!

After the death of her sister, Patricia inherits her family’s estate and soon discovers that something or someone has been haunting the home for decades and harbors a disturbing family secret that she must uncover. Kelly Goudie, Sarah Wynne Kordas and Lindsay Foster help make up the cast.


GLOBAL DIGITAL RELEASING has acquired the worldwide rights to writer / director Anderson Cowan’s feature film debut, GROUPERS.

The film centers around two all-American high school jocks Brad and Dylan (Peter Mayer-Klepchick and Cameron Duckett) who are out for a night on the town when they are approached by the beautiful and seductive Meg (Nicole Dambro) at a local bar.  Ready for what they hope will be a night to remember, the guys are subsequently kidnapped, drugged and awaken tied up face to face in an abandoned pool in the middle of nowhere. Absurdity and insanity ensue as we learn that Orin (Jesse Pudles), Meg’s overly flamboyant brother has been the target of Brad and Dylan’s homophobic bullying and that Meg is actually a grad student who plans to perform a psychological and somewhat sadistic experiment on them as part of her thesis, which poses the question, “is homosexuality a choice”.
The Cinequest Film Festival referred to the film in its 2019 line up as “a rare, highly original, and super-charged dark comedy that will keep you guessing and contemplating the provocative, yet crucial themes at its essence”.
 “This is an important film”, stated Global Digital Releasing President Joe Dain. “Homophobia has always been an issue in our society but with the current administration and the potential roll backs of LGBTQ protections in this country, it’s not only timely but Anderson effectively tackles the subject matter in a dark, humorous, yet thought provoking and entertaining way that we believe will resonate with audiences and we wanted to give it the opportunity to garner the attention we feel it deserves.”

The frightening HELLMINGTON from writer-directors Justin Hewitt-Drakulic and Alex Lee Williams is out now on on DVD and Digital.
Genre icon Michael Ironside (TOTAL RECALL, TOP GUN, TURBO KID) and Shadowhunters’ Nicola Correia-Damude star. 

In 1999, outside the sleepy town of Hellmington, troubled high school senior Katie Owens mysteriously vanished. Nine years later, Detective Samantha Woodhouse, a former classmate of Katie’s, returns to Hellmington for the first time since graduation to deal with the unexpected death of her father. His passing just another tragedy in an already devastating year for Sam: her own daughter was murdered, resulting in a downward spiral of anguish and guilt that has slowly destroyed her marriage and career.
Sam soon discovers that her father’s demise is one in a series of suspicious deaths over the last several years, and it appears that the grisly fatalities are becoming more frequent. Even more alarming, every victim circles back to the troubled Katie Owens.
Battling hallucinations, insomnia and her own personal demons, Sam struggles to uncover the disturbing truth of what really happened to Katie Owens; a mystery that will lead her to a secretive, centuries-old cult of revenge.


The film they’re calling ‘Blair Witch on Bikes’, Artist’s Rights Distribution presents Matt Wohl’s unique nail-biting indie thriller SCOOTER.

The Three Amigoes are life-long best friends and partners in crime. They became internet famous after their YouTube channel went viral. Each episode of their antics has them undertaking some ridiculous challenge. From racing cars to tricycles and from the waters of the South Atlantic to the bottom of a swimming pool, there’s no challenge too stupid. Like a pack of cats, they always land on their feet.
The Amigoes latest challenge is to ride scooters from Miami to New Orleans. Each person has $1000 to get a scooter, pay for gas, food, and lodging. After they select their vehicles and pack their bags, it’s time to hit the road. They soon find that their 50CC scooters are no match of I-95, and they retreat to the side roads to continue their epic 900 mile journey. While the road is smoother, the trip gets a lot bumpier. One of the scooters break down, the friends start to fight amongst each other, and their troubles reach a climax when they witness and video a murder.
Stuck in rural Florida with two working scooters, they have little hope of escape, and the killer is hot on their trail. What was once a leisurely trip becomes a fight for survival. They end up captured, tortured, and it’s clear they won’t all survive. When those who are sworn to protect you are the problem, where do you turn? Will they all die in a small backwater town, or can they once again defy the odds and come out alive?


On a final note –  to any aspiring independent filmmakers, podcasters or film related writers out there out there reading this, let me know if you’d like me to publicize and/or review your projects, The Stricken Land is always happy to promote new talent and ideas! And as ever, please feel free to share this post and any others on here that you like, far and wide.

Spread the Word!

Ian