News

Info on a new surreal thriller that's hitting DVD and VOD today landed in our inbox so of course we're passing on the news. Along with the usual details and a few photos, we have a look at the film's artwork and trailer.

From the Press Release:

BrinkVision releases the critically acclaimed thriller The Looking Glass on VOD and Special Edition DVD November 19, 2013. Colin Downey's The Looking Glass is being called a new underground cult classic with a creepy atmosphere, brilliant acting from Patrick O'Donnell, and cinematography that is twisted to watch.

The film co-stars Natalia Kostrzewa, Eddie Webber, and Sanne Hulst.

Synopsis:

Paul is a troubled young man who lives in a rural house with his pregnant girlfriend, Claire. Paul's world is turned upside down one night when Claire's sinister, predatory mother, Agnes, arrives at their house to visit. Paul is instinctively afraid of this witch-like woman who...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes the first two short films from The Four Players, the New York City Horror Film Festival lineup, details on the new zombie novel Northern Lights, and a Jason mask charity auction:

The Four Players Short Film Release Details: “Screenwriter and director, Evan Daugherty, screenwriter of the 2012 fantasy/action film “Snow White and the Huntsman” (as well as 2014’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “GI Joe 3,” among others) and Maker Studios’ collaborative gaming and geek culture network Polaris have announced the release of “The Four Players,” four new short films, each one re-imagining a different character from Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. franchise. The first two films, “The Fixer” (Mario) and “The Addict” (Luigi) will debut on Polaris beginning November 14…”

To find out more on these four short films, visit: www.

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes the short film “Hold Your Fire,” release details for The Black Dahlia Haunting, trailers for Truth or Dare and The Shadows, and much more:

Full Short Film “Hold Your Fire”: “Twitch Film proudly presents the online premiere of artist-turned-filmmaker Wes Benscoter’s debut short film, Hold Your Fire, exclusively at Twitch Film.

A ghostly soldier comes face to face with this grim reality of his war-torn existence on the battlefield… and beyond! Assaulting international audiences at festivals from Montreal’s Fantasia to Sitges, Fantasporto, A Night of Horror, and Dead by Dawn, to sending domestic shivers up spines at Screamfest, Boston Underground, and the New York City Horror Film Festival, Twitch Film now takes the mantle in offering Wes Benscoter’s mini-masterpiece to its largest audience ever.

A twenty-year veteran of horrific illustration,...

What makes some film soundtracks transcend from mere background music to helping a director tell a story and help invoke an emotional response? Is it a clever mix of well chosen tunes that capture the zeitgeist or an eclectic mix of older material that either captures a time and place or sets a tone of nostalgia? The answer varies depending on the feature film. 2012 was a fantastic year for original motion picture movie scores but not so good for soundtracks. Still, Simon and I have managed to pull a list of what we feel were the very best.

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Tabu

The second half of Tabu by Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes, is the direct opposite of what came before. Gomez effortlessly shifts gears omitting any audible dialogue except for a persistent (but suave) voice-over narration from one of the characters – combined with lush synchronized ambient sounds, a few sparse foley effects, and...

To celebrate their 13th anniversary this year, the Melbourne Underground Film Festival is going green!

No, they’re not out to save the kookaburra or anything. Instead, they’re hosting a special tribute to the New Irish Low Budget Cinema, featuring two films by acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Kavanagh, plus work by Colin Downey, Gary Kenneally and Gerard Lough.

Muff will host a repeat screening of Kavanagh’s celebrated thriller Tin Can Man — it previously screened at Muff in 2008 — as well as his latest film, The Fading Light. The three other Irish films screening all fall into the horror/thriller genres, from Downey’s The Looking Glass to Kenneally’s Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman and Lough’s trilogy-ending The Shaken 3. And, in addition, the entire fest kicks off with the opening night Irish thriller Charlie Casanova by Terry McMahon.

But don’t think Muff is all Irish all the time this year,...

Feature length fantasy drama 'The Shadows', produced by Eimear O Kane (Pentecost) for Emu Productions and directed by Colin Downey, has wrapped shooting on location in Bective and Navan, County Meath. 'The Shadows' is inspired by a fairytale of the same name by George MacDonald. It tells the story of Matthew, a lonely young boy who finds a doorway into a magical world beneath his grandmother's garden. In a subterranean chamber...

Principal Photography has begun on Emu Productions fantasy drama 'The Shadows'. The feature began filming last week and will continue until September 5th. 'The Shadows' will film around Dublin and Meath, with the production based in Navan. Written and directed by Colin Downey, 'The Shadows' is inspired by George MacDonald's fairytale of the same name. New cast confirmed in the feature are Eddie Weber (The Business), Sam Homan (Ros na Run), Irene Wright (Sugar Stick) and Gráinne McHale. They join the confirmed stars Michael Parle (Our Wonderful Home), Emma Eliza Regan (The Fading Light), Natalie Kostrzewa (The Looking Glass) and Lorcan Melia (Camelot)...

This is nothing short of stunning and reminds me of Nuit Noire. The film is written and directed by Colin Downey and stars Patrick O'Donnell and Natalia Kostrzewa. Here's a rundown:

Paul is a troubled young man living in a rural cottage with his pregnant girlfriend, Clare. While dealing with the sudden arrival of his sinister mother-in-law and coming to terms with his impending fatherhood, Paul constantly struggles to escape the traumas of his childhood.

Further, the production website describes the film as a "dark fairytale weaving together magic, mystery and suspense which follows Paul on a dangerous journey to a strange nocturnal world peopled by exotic beauties, criminals, and grotesques."

Seriously folks, check this out!

Trailer after the break.

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