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Exclusive: Isabella Gomez is set to star in the indie horror film The Mannequin, from writer-director John Berardo (Initiation).

The project falls under the SAG-AFTRA Ultra Low Budget Agreement and was just added to the list of projects receiving an interim agreement from the guild. Production will begin in Los Angeles next week.

John Berardo

The Mannequin follows Liana Rojas (Gomez), a creatively starved stylist assistant who discovers the historical downtown Los Angeles building where her sister mysteriously died is haunted by a serial killer who brutally murdered and dismembered his victims there half a century earlier. This forces Liana and her friends to find a way to free themselves and escape the sinister ghost before they lose their own body parts.

Rounding out the cast is Lindsay Lavanchy playing Hazel Miller, a nurturing leader and friend of Liana; Shireen Lai playing Nadine Yang,...

Here’s Kev with a video review of the brand-new slasher movie Initation, which is out now on DVD in the UK from Signature Entertainment. Also check out our written review here.

Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete is murdered, kicking off a spree of social media slayings that force students to uncover the truth behind the school’s hidden secrets and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point.

Initation stars Isabella Gomez, Lindsay Lavanchy, Froy Gutierrez, James Berardo, Gattlin Griffith, Adin Kolansky, Shireen Lai, Patrick R. Walker, Maxwell Hamilton, Bart Johnson, Jon Huertas, Kent Faulcon, Yancy Butler, Lochlyn Munro; and is directed by John Berardo.

Stars: Isabella Gomez, Lindsay Lavanchy, Froy Gutierrez, James Berardo, Gattlin Griffith, Adin Kolansky, Shireen Lai, Patrick R. Walker, Maxwell Hamilton, Bart Johnson, Jon Huertas, Kent Faulcon, Yancy Butler, Lochlyn Munro | Written by John Berardo, Lindsay Lavanchy, Brian Frager | Directed by John Berardo

During a university’s pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly serious when a star athlete is found impaled in his dorm. The murder ignites a spree of sinister social-media messages, sweeping the students and police into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school’s dark secrets and the horrifying meaning of a recurring symbol: a single exclamation mark…

From that generic slasher movie-like DVD cover audiences will probably be expecting your typical paint-by-numbers slasher movie. You know the type: masked killer hunts teens and offs them in grisly ways. In this case the teens are college students and yes, the killer does follow...

A college campus becomes the hunting ground for a masked murderer in John Berardo's Initiation, and with the new murder mystery now playing in theaters and available On Demand and Digital, we caught up with Berardo in a new Q&a feature to discuss taking a unique approach to the slasher subgenre, working with a talented cast (including Yancy Butler and Lochlyn Munro), and the self-reflective nature of the killer's mask in Initiation.

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us, John, and congratulations on your new movie, Initiation! What sparked the idea for Initiation, and how long did it take you, Brian Frager, and Lindsay Lavanchy to write the script?

John Berardo: Thank you for promoting the movie! We're all so excited, it’s been a long time coming. The evolution of the idea and script happened in many different stages throughout the years. The initial...

Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke toplines Lionsgate’s Above Suspicion, the Phillip Noyce-directed crime thriller that debuts in select theaters and on digital and on-demand platforms Friday. Jack Huston, Sophie Lowe, Austin Hébert, Karl Glusman, Chris Mulkey, Omar Miller, Kevin Dunn, Thora Birch and Johnny Knoxville also co-star in the film, which is based on a true story of one of the most notorious crimes in FBI history.

Clarke plays Susan Smith, a woman desperate to escape a seedy life of crime and drugs in a Kentucky coal mining town. When newly minted FBI agent Mark Putnam (Huston) recruits Susan as his informant for a high-profile case, she believes her bad luck may finally be changing. But as Susan and Putnam’s relationship deepens, so does the danger, setting them both on a collision course with deadly consequences.

“Shot in the area in which the real story took...

"If this were to spiral out of control..." Saban Films has released an official US trailer for the indie horror Initiation, the latest from director John Berardo (also of The Labyrinth). This premiered at the Sitges & Screamfest Film Festivals last fall, and it will be arriving on VOD this May. Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete is found murdered in his dorm during pledge week, kicking off a spree of social media slayings that force the students to uncover the truth behind the school's hidden secrets and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point. What does it all mean, Basil?! Lindsay Lavanchy (who also co-wrote the script) co-stars with Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Froy Gutierrez, Gattlin Griffith, Patrick Walker, Bart Johnson, Shireen Lai, Kent Faulcon, Yancy Butler and Lochlyn Munro. This looks like some crazy campus serial killer horror, not so much any commentary on university culture. Check it out.

A college campus becomes the hunting ground for a masked murderer in the official trailer and poster for the new slasher film Initiation, coming to theaters, On Demand, and Digital on May 7th from Saban Films.

Directed by John Berardo from a screenplay by Berardo, Brian Frager, and Lindsay Lavanchy, Initiation stars Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Lindsay Lavanchy, Froy Gutierrez, Gattlin Griffith, Patrick Walker, Bart Johnson, Shireen Lai, Kent Faulcon, with Yancy Butler and Lochlyn Munro.

Synopsis: "During a university’s pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly serious when a star athlete is found impaled in his dorm. The murder ignites a spree of sinister social-media messages, sweeping the students and police into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school’s dark secrets…and the horrifying meaning of a recurring symbol: a single exclamation mark."



The post Watch the Official Trailer for Initiation appeared first on Daily Dead.

Starring: Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Lindsay Lavanchy, Froy Gutierrez, Gattlin Griffith, Patrick Walker, Bart Johnson, Shireen Lai, Kent Faulcon with Yancy Butler and Lochlyn Munro Directed By: John Berardo Written By: John Berardo, Brian Frager, Lindsay Lavanchy During a university’s pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly serious when a star athlete is found impaled …

The post Official Trailer & Poster – Initiation Starring Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Yancy Butler and Lochlyn Munro- Releasing May 7th appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Screamfest is celebrating its 20th anniversary of screening the latest and greatest genre cinema and they've announced their lineup of features and shorts for this year's fest. The drive-in-based edition of the festival will take place from October 6th through October 15th and will open with Books of Blood!

"The 20th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival today announced their lineup of features and shorts, kicking off with a drive-in screening of Hulu’s Books of Blood. The festival, which will run from October 6-15, 2020, is the largest and longest running horror film festival in the United States. This year the festival will move entirely to drive-in screenings with a lineup of ten back-to-back nights of fright, each showcasing a feature film paired with a number of shorts. Tickets can be purchased here: https://screamfestla.com/

Screamfest LA will kick off on October 6 with the Opening Night screening of Books of Blood,...

The Screamfest Horror Film Festival has unveiled the lineup of films that will be featured at the 20th annual drive-in edition. Kicking off the fest, which runs from October 6-15, is Books of Blood, the Hulu original film based on Clive Barker’s horror anthology.

From director Brannon Braga and executive producer Seth MacFarlane, Books of Blood is slated to premiere on the streamer on October 7. Starring Britt Robertson, Anna Friel, Rafi Gavron, and Yul Vazquez, the pic takes a journey into uncharted and forbidden territory through three tales tangled in space and time.

Also among the list of screenings are Thirst, the first-ever Icelandic gay splatter vampire flick, psychological horror Sweet River (making its North American debut), and social media teen slasher Initiation from Screamfest alum John Berardo, which was recently acquired by Saban Films

“2020 has been challenging for everyone and certainly not how we planned on celebrating Screamfest’s 20th edition,...

Genre festival to open with ‘Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula’.

South Korean zombie thriller Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula will open UK genre festival FrightFest on October 22 ahead of its UK release by Studiocanal on November 6.

The festival will host 34 features in central London from October 22-25 and has secured seven world premieres and two European premieres.

It will close with the world premiere of US horror Held, directed by Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff, the filmmaking duo behind The Gallows franchise.

Further world premieres include Will Jewell’s Concrete Plans; Leroy Kincaide’s The Last Rite; and Dune Drifter from Marc Price,...

Saban Films announced today that they have acquired North American rights to John Berardo’s (The Labyrinth) Initiation. Selected for a world premiere in the Midnighters section at SXSW under its original title Dembanger, the horror crime-thriller stars Lochlyn Munro, Isabella Gomez (“One Day at a Time”), Jon Huertas (“This is Us”), Froy …

The post Saban Films Acquires SXSW Horror Crime Thriller Initiation appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

Worldwide, countless initiations take place. But only John Berardo's Initiation secured distribution with Saban Films today and revealed its first poster. The poster doesn't give anything away, or tell us anything about the movie, really, except that is it very promising, so to speak. To be more official, here is the official synopsis from the official release, just handed to me by my email account: "Teen horror is back with a vengeance in this edgy slasher about a cruel social media game that spins out of control. Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete is murdered in the wake of a buried assault allegation, kicking off a spree of social media-linked slayings. As a masked killer targets students across campus, a trio...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Saban Films has acquired North American rights to John Berardo’s Initiation. The horror crime thriller was previously selected for a world premiere in the Midnighters section at SXSW under its original title Dembanger. Xyz Films is on international rights and is introducing the pic during the Cannes virtual market.

Inspired by Berardo’s short film about the perils of posting on social media, Initiation is scripted by the director alongside fellow USC Sca and UCLA Tft alumni Brian Frager and Lindsay Lavanchy.

Described as a slasher pic about a cruel social media game that spins out of control, Initiation sees Whiton University unravel on the night a star-athlete is murdered in the wake of a buried assault allegation, kicking off a spree of social media-linked slayings. As a masked killer targets students across campus, a trio of sorority sisters races to uncover the truth behind the school’s hidden...

Saban Films has acquired North American rights to horror crime-thriller “Initiation,” directed by John Berardo (“The Labyrinth”). Xyz Films is introducing the film to international distributors during the Cannes virtual market.

The movie, selected for a world premiere in the Midnighters section at SXSW under its original title “Dembanger,” stars Lochlyn Munro, Isabella Gomez (“One Day at a Time”), Jon Huertas (“This Is Us”), Froy Gutierrez (“Teen Wolf”), Bart Johnson (“High School Musical”), and Yancy Butler.

Inspired by his short film “Dembanger,” about the perils of posting on social media, Berardo penned the script alongside Brian Frager and Lindsay Lavanchy. Shatterproof Films’ Berardo and Frager produced along with Lavanchy, J.P. Castel, Jon Huertas, Stephanie Stanziano, Artisan Post Group and Malsons Media.

Teen horror is back with a vengeance in this edgy slasher about a cruel social media game that spins out of control. Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete...

Next month, the 2020 SXSW Film Festival kicks off in Austin, Texas, and this week, we finally have a look at the fest’s killer Midnighter slate, which includes one of this writer’s favorite films from Sundance, Natalie Erika James’ Relic. The 2020 lineup also features another Sundance 2020 title, Run Sweetheart Run, as well the latest from filmmaker Natasha Kermani (who recently helmed Imitation Girl), entitled Lucky, and The Void co-director Steven Kostanski’s latest gore-fest, PG (Psycho Goreman).

Other featured Midnighters include Dembanger from John Berardo, Elle Callahan’s Witch Hunt, The Vigil from writer/director Keith Thomas, and the Belgian zombie flick, Yummy. Check out the full rundown to see all of this year’s Midnighters, which will play during SXSW 2020 this March.

Dembanger

Director: John Berardo, Screenwriters: John Berardo, Lindsay Lavanchy, Brian Frager

Ellery Scott's world unravels when her star athlete brother is murdered on campus amidst a brewing scandal,...

The second wave of SXSW Film titles has been announced, including the anticipated Midnighter films. The Midnighters titles include premieres of Dembanger, Lucky, Steven Kostanki's PG (Psycho Goreman), Relic, Run Sweetheart Run, The Silencing, The Toll, The Vigil , Witch Hunt and Yummy. Other films that immediately stand out iin the new announcement include restorations of Dennis Hopper’s Out of the Blue and Hal Needhamn’s Rad! The latest list of features, shorts, and special events is provided below. Features Midnighters Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – ten provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious. Dembanger Director: John Berardo, Screenwriters: John Berardo, Lindsay Lavanchy, Brian Frager Ellery Scott’s world unravels when her star athlete brother is murdered on campus amidst a brewing scandal, kicking off a spree of social-media-linked slayings that leave her racing alongside the police to uncover the university’s...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The annual South by Southwest Conference and Festival is known for having a lineup of programming that makes Austin bust at the seams — and its slate for the 27th edition of the film festival isn’t any different. After already unveiling its initial roster of films, SXSW has now announced its lineup of Midnighters, Festival Favorites, Shorts, Episodic Pilots, Special Events and more.

SXSW Midnighters section is a favorite among festival-goers as it includes weird, electric, and sometimes terrifying selection of titles. Featuring 10 genre films, the Midnighters slate includes an array of dark comedies, thrillers, sci-fi, mystery and slasher pics with a mix of established and first-time filmmakers. With Midnighters and addition of Festival Favorites as well as 10 additional film, the SXSW Film Festival now has a robust 135 total features on its slate.

SXSW runs March 13-22. Below you can read additions to the 2020 SXSW Film Festival lineup. You can...

After unveiling its first lineup of feature film offerings last month, the SXSW Film Festival is rolling out more additions to its 2020 program. The annual Texas festival has already announced its features and episodic premieres, and now those picks are joined by Midnighters, Festival Favorites, Shorts, and Special Events, plus late-addition features and the full list of Episodic Pilot Competition shows.

This year’s program has 135 Feature Films, including 99 world premieres, nine North American premieres, five U.S. Premieres, 75 films from first-time filmmakers, and 119 short films. The lineup also features music videos, episodic premieres, pilots, special events, and Vr projects.

Today’s announcement sees additions to nearly every section of the feature film lineup, including the popular Midnighters section. Standouts include there Shana Feste’s “Run Sweetheart Run” and Natalie Erick James’ “Relic,” both of which premiered at Sundance in January, along with the U.S. premiere of Keith Thomas...

The SXSW festival has announced its program for the Midnighters, Festival Favorites, Shorts, Special Events, Episodic Pilot Competition, and late addition Features for its 2020 film festival.

This year’s program has 135 feature films, including 99 world premieres, 9 North American premieres, 5 U.S. premieres, and 75 films from first-time filmmakers. The SXSW Midnighters section is a favorite for festival attendees who like the weird, electric and terrifying selections. It includes dark comedies, thrillers and slasher horror.

“Programming the Midnighters section this year felt especially invigorating,” Jarod Neece, SXSW Senior Film Programmer, said. “The filmmaking teams, while particularly diverse, all seem to be using their films as a cathartic lens to view the modern-day world. One trend we noticed was the presence of a strong female protagonist fighting off everything from hordes of zombies, bad dates, creepy rideshare drivers and supernatural forces. As always, genre filmmaking can be found throughout the SXSW program, and...