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The days may be getting longer, but the darkness still descends as the Vizio WatchFree+ team delivers this list of horror films available for free in July!

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

Centuries-old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and wreak havoc in the foreign land.

Cast: Gary Oldman (The Professional), Winona Ryder (Heathers), Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs)

Daniel Isn’t Real (dir. Adam Egypt Mortimer)

A troubled college freshman, Luke, suffers a violent family trauma. He then resurrects his charismatic childhood imaginary friend Daniel to help him cope, not realizing how dangerous Daniel is.

Cast: Miles Robbins (Halloween), Patrick Schwarzenegger (The White Lotus), Sasha Lane (Utopia)

Wish Upon (dir. John R. Leonetti)

A teenage girl discovers a box that carries magic powers and a deadly price for using them.

Cast: Joey King (Bullet Train...

The 2024 Fantastic Fest lineup is ushering in spooky season.

IndieWire can announce the full program for the 19th edition of the beloved genre festival. This year, the festival features 28 World Premieres, 23 International and North American Premieres, and 15 U.S. Premieres, including the highly-anticipated releases of “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel “Apartment 7A” and “Terrifier 3.”

Fantastic Fest will take place at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, TX, from September 19 through 26. The festival will open with the world premiere of “The Rule of Jenny Pen,” which stars Geoffrey Rush stars as a judge that encounters a bizarre nursing home resident (John Lithgow) who is hellbent on terrorizing the patients.

The Opening Night gala will include “Terrifier 3” and Lionsgate’s horror psychological thriller “Never Let Go” starring Halle Berry and produced by 21 Laps. The film is directed by Alexandre Aja and is a classic home invasion thriller with a supernatural twist.

From the creators of the cosmic horror movie Daniel Isn’t Real, Brian DeLeeuw and Adam Egypt Mortimer, comes Invader, an upcoming sci-fi novel with a very unique twist.

Described as “a horrifying and thought-provoking vision of what it feels like to invade the Earth,” Invader is a deluxe, full-color, illustrated novel about an alien invasion — told from the alien’s point of view! “In a style that’s one part Stephen King, one part David Cronenberg, and one part shattering family drama, Invader‘s gripping text is magnified by twenty full-color illustrations by acclaimed comic book artist Jock.”

The team explains, “DeLeeuw and Mortimer worked together for several years developing the story of an alien invasion using this unique point of view.”

“I love Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” said Mortimer. “All the versions. But what’s always interested me, and what I think has focused most of the work that I’ve done,...

On October 21, 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in a tragic on-set accident during the production of the Alec Baldwin film, "Rust." While preparing for a scene as the film's director of photography, Baldwin discharged a live round from a Pietta .45 Colt revolver, which was being used as a prop, injuring director Joel Souza and fatally wounding Hutchins. On February 15, 2022, Hutchins' family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin (who also served as a producer) and other crew members on "Rust," alleging that her death was wholly preventable and the result of cost-cutting safety measures and irresponsible on-set behavior. Legal proceedings have been ongoing ever since, but today, on-set armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, as reported by Variety.

As the on-set armorer, it was Gutierrez Reed's responsibility for the safe handling of firearms on set, and was the one who loaded the live bullet into the gun used by Baldwin.

It was announced today that one of the most exciting comic book publishers is teaming up with one of the most enthralling production companies, as Oni Press and SpectreVision will be joining creative forces to launch High Strangeness, a publishing imprint that will explore the mind-bending depths of paranormal experiences:

Press Release: In advance of L.A. Comic Con 2023, Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book publisher, is proud to reveal a forthcoming comics collaboration with SpectreVision – the production company behind acclaimed feature films including Panos Cosmatos' Mandy, Ana Lily Amirpour's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Adam Egypt Mortimer ‘s Daniel Isn’t Real, and many more – devoted to exploring the uncanny and unusual realms of High Strangeness with a new “pop-up” publishing imprint debuting in 2025.

Influenced by real, documented cases of paranormal phenomena dating back to the mid-20th century, High Strangeness will surveil the liminal spaces where reality,...

Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book publisher, has revealed a forthcoming comics collaboration with SpectreVision – the production company behind acclaimed feature films including Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy, Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Adam Egypt Mortimer ‘s Daniel Isn’t Real, and many more – devoted to exploring the uncanny and unusual realms of High Strangeness with a new “pop-up” publishing imprint debuting in 2025.

Influenced by real, documented cases of paranormal phenomena dating back to the mid-20th century, High Strangeness will surveil the liminal spaces where reality, hallucination, science and mythology give way to cosmic wonder and existential terror, bending perception far beyond the bounds of traditional science fiction and horror.

“Accounts from experiencers of the paranormal suggest a vast, interconnected narrative unfolding at the farthest reaches of human experience – from UFOs, to cryptid sightings, to patterns of synchronicities that point to an invisible architecture underlying our reality,...

As the title suggests, 2016's horror anthology film Holidays takes every major American holiday and imagines the worst possible scenario. From psychic breaks to body horror, Holidays ensures that you'll never see these joyous occasions the same way again. With a wide range of highly skilled directors attached, the segments range from somewhat cringe-worthy and uninspired to truly deranged. The biggest name attached to Holidays is undeniably Kevin Smith, whose name was milked for all it's worth in the film's marketing. Nevertheless, his is one of the less impressive segments, with "Easter," directed by Nicholas McCarthy, Gary Shore's "St. Patrick's Day," and "New Year's Eve" by Adam Egypt Mortimer being the true standouts.

Izzy Lee’S First Feature Kickstarter Blows Past First Goal In 2.5 Days;

Stretch Goals Released For Supernatural Horror Film

After pitching for years and having helmed 24 shorts, prolific filmmaker Izzy Lee has launched the Kickstarter campaign for her first feature-length film, House of Ashes. In the middle of day three of the campaign, the first goal was reached. Now begins the climb towards doubling this initial goal; pledges go toward additional production support like an Assistant Director and Assistant Camera crew positions, as well as towards enhanced special effects, shooting days, and more scenes.

Written by Lee and her Nihil Noctem Films partner Steve Johanson, House of Ashes is the story of Mia, a grieving widow under house arrest – for the crime of having a miscarriage. Shortly after her new boyfriend Marc moves in, things start going missing and tensions rise. But is their intruder human or spectral? Perhaps both.

Legion M founders express their interest in expanding the universe of the superhero movie Archenemy, with conversations with writer/director Adam Egypt Mortimer suggesting potential ideas for a follow-up. Despite challenges with the timing of its release during Covid, Archenemy is seen as a fun universe with a colorful cast of characters, leaving hope for future projects like a comic book or graphic novel. Joe Manganiello's performance in Archenemy showcases his potential as a superhero franchise lead, making a sequel a perfect opportunity to revive his involvement in the comic book/superhero genre.

With the director having previously teased ideas for more, Legion M founders Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annison address the chances of an Archenemy 2. Joe Manganiello led the cast of the 2020 superhero thriller as Max Fist, a man wandering the streets of Los Angeles who claims to come from another dimension, but lost his powers upon arriving on Earth,...

Throughout the past nine years, the amazing team behind the Popcorn Frights Film Festival has helped keep horror cinema alive and well in South Florida, and after expanding with an additional weekend sponsored by the streaming platform Alter last year, we're thrilled to announce that Popcorn Frights is partnering with Entertainment Squad's The Horror Collective to return to Miami Beach this August with a free theatrical screening room, vital panel discussions, and insightful industry sessions for filmmakers!

Taking place August 18th–20th at the O Cinema South Beach, “The Horror Collective Screening Room” will showcase must-see movie premieres and short films, with The Horror Collective representatives also on hand to host and moderate panels and industry sessions during the weekend!

In addition to Miami Beach, Popcorn Frights will also be returning to Fort Lauderdale's historic Savor Cinema for scary good screenings beginning August 10th, and the festival is also...

Watch the Trailer for Legions: "XYZ Films is proud to launch the trailer to Fabián Forte's Legions, which will land on North American VOD January 19th following an acclaimed festival run that included Sitges, Fantasia, and Fantaspoa. An unabashed love letter to Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series, this gory, hilarious, and heartwarming horror gem is the perfect way to start your 2023!

Prolific Argentinian filmmaker Fabián Forte’s newest film combines the best of his previous cinematic endeavors: the comedic writing and direction of his 2016 hit Dead Man Tells His OWN Tale is masterfully mixed with mystical horror of 2017's Terrified - which Forte contributed to - and once you add a dash of slapstick gore and a whole lot of heart, and you have Legions of fun!

A powerful sorcerer, Antonio Poyju (Germán De Silva), is locked away in an asylum, and wastes away in his imprisonment as evil,...

Now that the dust has settled from the holiday season our focus can turn on this month's offerings from our friends at Arrow Video.    This month kicks off on Friday with a currated collection from Adam Egypt Mortimer, director of Some Kind of Hate, Daniel Isn't Real and Archenemy. His program Adam Egypt Mortimer Selects will include titles such as Chema García Ibarra's The Sacred Spirit, Nabwana I.G.G.'s Bad Black, Miike's The Great Yokai War, and Brian Lonano's Gwilliam.   The following week you can watch Reel Women "... a vintage program of interviews with women directors working in Hollywood and Europe in the early 1990s, exploring the opportunities and obstacles that face them".    Subscribers in the U.S. and Canada will get to...

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

What's that you hear? The sound of horror nerds everywhere rejoicing? Well, let me fill you in: Horror mangaka Junji Ito is getting his own Netflix series titled "Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre," and we finally have our first teaser trailer for it. Ito is a legend of the genre, and I don't use that term lightly, so it's probably all clicking for you now, why you just heard this cacophony of horror fanatics going wild. It's a big deal, and I won't sit here and pretend it's not.

The streamer dropped the sneak peek on Friday, November 18 via its YouTube channel, and though the clip is only a mere 40 seconds, it does give us some visuals to work with right from the start. The trailer shows us images of extra heads growing out of women's own heads as these images fall from a building window and scatter on the ground below.

After showcasing 36 movies and 77 short films at their eighth film festival, Popcorn Frights has even more treats in store for horror fans this October with their annual Wicked Weekend.

Taking place September 28th–October 2nd at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale, this year's Wicked Weekend will celebrate horror films both old and new, including Smile, Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge, Terrifier 2, Spirit Halloween: The Movie, as well as anniversary screenings of Near Dark and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Wicked Weekend will also feature a screening of The Crow and a double feature of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers.

We have the official press release with full details below, and to learn more, visit:

https://popcornfrights.com/

Press Release: Miami, Fl – Just in time for the spooky season, Popcorn Frights is thrilled to announce its annual...

Exclusive: Daniel Cohan has joined Brillstein Entertainment Partners as a manager.

Cohan comes to the company from ICM Partners, where he worked in the Motion Picture Department since 2017, parting ways with the company following CAA’s acquisition. He was previously at WME for 11 years.

“Brillstein is a first-class company that epitomizes what drew me to management,” Cohan said. “I am thrilled to roll up my sleeves with my fantastic new colleagues. I can’t imagine a better place to embark upon this next chapter of my career.”

Cohan, who began his career as a corporate attorney, brings with him to Brillstein clients including writer/director/producer Lindsey Beer (Pet Sematary); and filmmakers Simon McQuoid (Mortal Kombat), Ciaran Foy (Eli), Jesper Ganslandt (Netflix’s Snabba Cash), Mitzi Peirone (Saint Clare), Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn), Taneli Mustonen & Aleksi Hyvarinen (The Twin), Adam Egypt Mortimer (Daniel Isn’t Real), Luis Prieto (Vampire Academy...

From vital donations and must-see screenings to virtual streamings and drive-in experiences, the amazing team behind the Popcorn Frights Film Festival has always found ways to show support for the horror community in South Florida and beyond, and this year is no exception, as Popcorn Frights Co-Founders and Co-Directors Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman have announced a partnership with the streaming platform Alter for a free theatrical screening room in Miami Beach this August!

Taking place from August 19th–21st, the Alter Screening Room will be held at the O Cinema South Beach, featuring new movie premieres and intriguing short films featured at this year's Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Representatives from Alter will also be on hand for panel discussions and industry sessions, making the Alter Screening Room a truly unique experience for Popcorn Frights attendees.

All screenings at the Alter Screening Room will be free and must be registered for...

The team members behind Popcorn Frights Film Festival have always been great supporters of horror cinema, and now they're sharing that same passionate support for the LGBTQ community by announcing that a portion of their proceeds for their upcoming eighth season will be donated to the Our Fund Foundation, a vital LGBTQ non-profit in Florida.

The eighth season of Popcorn Frights' events kicks off tonight with a double feature of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II!

To learn more about Popcorn Frights, check out the official press release below as well as the festival's website, and for information on how you can donate to the Our Fund Foundation, visit:

https://www.our-fund.org/

Press Release: Miami, Fl – Popcorn Frights has announced that a portion of proceeds from its eighth season will go to benefit the LGBTQ non-profit, Our Fund Foundation, in response to Florida’s recent passage of the controversial LGBTQ school measure,...

AMC+ and Rlje Films have acquired worldwide rights to the holiday comedy Christmas with the Campbells, starring Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect franchise), Justin Long (He’s Just Not That Into You), Alex Moffat (Saturday Night Live), Julia Duffy (Newhart), George Wendt (Cheers) and JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Sweet Magnolias). The film produced by Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Picture Show will simultaneously hit theaters and AMC+ in the U.S. in late fall.

Christmas with the Campbells is billed as a traditional holiday romance story executed with unfiltered adult humor. Specifics as far as its plot are being kept under wraps.

Clare Niederpruem is directing from a script by Vaughn, Dan Lagana (American Vandal) and Barbara Kymlicka. Vaughn and Lagana are also producing alongside Peter Billingsley (Couples Retreat) under their Wild West Picture Show banner, with Stan Spry (Creepshow) exec producing. The feature is the second from Rlje and Wild West, on...

Responding quickly to the on-set tragedy that took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins yesterday, the AFI has established a memorial scholarship in her name for female cinematographers. Hutchins graduated from the AFI Conservatory in 2015 and was selected as one of American Cinematographer’s Rising Stars of 2019 as well as a cinematographer for the 21st Century Fox Dp Lab in 2018. She had since carved a place for herself in a field traditionally dominated by men.

In inaugurating the fund today AFI said, “We pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told.” The institute has created a page for those who wish to donate.

Hutchins’ friend and frequent collaborator, director-writer-producer Olia Oparina, expressed the spirit behind the scholarship when she posted a tribute to her friend online tonight, who she says worked for more...

Update, 5:13 p.m. Et Friday: Following Local 44’s Friday email, which described the gun fired by Alec Baldwin as being loaded with “a live single round,” there remains a lack of clarity around what kind of projectile was in the gun.

Citing a source close to Local 44, the Los Angeles Times reported that the union is unaware of what projectile was in the gun fired by Baldwin. The source pointed out that “live” is an industry term that refers to a gun loaded with material, such as a blank, in preparation for filming.

Local 44 did not return IndieWire’s request for comment.

A Baldwin representative told People Thursday that the shooting was an accident “involving the misfire of a prop gun with blanks.” The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department has declined to reveal details about the nature of the shooting, which led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

Innovative Artists, which represents Rust director of photography Halyna Hutchins, issued a statement Friday in the wake of Hutchins’ death on the set of the Alec Baldwin Western at Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe, Nm.

“Halyna Hutchins was a ray of light. Always smiling, always hopeful. She decided early on she would take the craft of cinematography by storm and the last couple of years proved she was well on her way,” the agency said.

“Her talent was immense, only surpassed by the love she had for her family. All those in her orbit knew what was coming; a star director of photography, who would be a force to be reckoned with.

“All of us at Innovative Artists are heartbroken. We mourn for her family and we hope this tragedy will reveal new lessons for how to better ensure safety for every crew member on set.”

Originally from the Ukraine,...

Happy Friday International Insiders. Max Goldbart here for the very first time giving you all the international film and TV insight you need to round off the week. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here.

Halyna Hutchins Tributes

“A brilliant talent”: The film community was mourning Friday as tributes flooded in for Ukrainian-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died on Thursday after a prop gun was discharged on the set of Rust by actor Alec Baldwin. Director Adam Egypt Mortimer said he was “sad and infuriated” at her death and called Hutchins “a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.” The AFI Conservatory, of which Archenemy and Blindfire cinematographer Hutchins was an alum, followed up by stating “words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to our community. At AFI, we pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live...

The film industry is shocked, dismayed and angry following the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on Thursday. She was killed while filming “Rust” when one of the movie’s actors, Alec Baldwin, discharged a prop gun on set.

Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident and required hospitalization. Frances Fisher, who stars in the movie alongside Baldwin, Jensen Ackles and Travis Fimmel, tweeted late Thursday night that Souza had been discharged.

No one has been arrested in the incident, and no charges have been filed. An investigation is ongoing.

In the meantime, there has been an outpouring of grief and anger on social media, from those who knew and worked with Hutchins as well as the industry at large. Director Adam Egypt Mortimer, who worked with Hutchins on 2020 film “Archenemy,” tweeted: “I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set.

Director Adam Egypt Mortimer has said he is “sad” and “infuriated” following the death of DoP Halyna Hutchins on the set of western Rust.

Mortimer worked alongside Hutchins on 2020 action film Archenemy. The filmmaker said on Twitter: “I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.”

I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vcdFqHsGA0

— Adam Egypt Mortimer (@adamegypt) October 22, 2021

The director went on to repost a Tweet thread from last year in which he had praised the DoP’s technical skills.

Here’s the thread about Halyna that I posted last year when we released the movie.

I was lucky...

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who worked on a number of indie productions including Archenemy, Blindfire and The Mad Hatter, died Thursday after being injured when a prop gun was discharged by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust. She was 42.

“I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film,” Archenemy director Adam Egypt Mortimer wrote on Twitter.

“As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community,...

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who worked on a number of indie productions including Archenemy, Blindfire and The Mad Hatter, died Thursday after being injured when a prop gun was discharged by actor Alec Baldwin on the set of Rust. She was 42.

“I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film,” Archenemy director Adam Egypt Mortimer wrote on Twitter.

“As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community,...

It seems like there are so few good news stories out there at this particular point in time, and for obvious reasons. But if you look hard enough, there are people out there trying to make the world a little brighter in any way that they know how. My dear friend, mentor, and collaborator, writer/director/producer Adam Egypt Mortimer is one of them. Adam has helped me in supportive, immensely meaningful ways when no one else would or could (in my career as Izzy Lee), and I’ll always be grateful for that. A few years back, we spoke about his frustration at the lack of support women filmmakers face within the industry, something I feel acutely. ...

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

He’s a squirter. First we got cosmic with Adam Egypt Mortimer’s outstanding imaginary friend tale Daniel Isn’t Real, then we got hot with the 1981 parody Student Bodies before getting fancy (and super duper queer) with Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope. Now, we’re getting weird, gooey and tragic with David Cronenberg‘s masterful remake of The Fly! In the film, […]...

Rope-a-dope. After queering up the castle in James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein, we got cosmic with Adam Egypt Mortimer’s outstanding imaginary friend tale Daniel Isn’t Real before getting hot in the 1981 parody Student Bodies. Now we’re going back in time again to check in with the sociopathic (and possibly definitely queer) duo in Alfred Hitchcock‘s […]...

Even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the amazing team behind the Popcorn Frights Film Festival safely connected with the horror community through a virtual Wicked Weekend, unique drive-in experiences, and as part of the historic Nightstream virtual film festival.

With vaccinations widely available and a new summer now upon us, Popcorn Frights will be returning for its seventh year in Florida this August as both an in-person and virtual experience, and Festival Directors Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman have announced that a portion of the proceeds from this year's Popcorn Frights will go to those affected by the tragic building collapse in Surfside, Florida.

The seventh annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will take place August 12th–19th. The film lineup will be announced soon, but in the meantime, you can purchase In-Theater All-Access Badges here and Virtual Passes here.

We'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated on Popcorn Frights, and...

Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary - Director's Statement: "A director’s statement for Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary has been released via Rue Morgue. The video features original music by legendary horror composer Simon Boswell, who has also been announced as an interviewee.

Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary is created and being directed by Jonathan Barkan. Andrew Hawkins and David Lawson Jr. act as executive producers.

The feature-length documentary aims to demonstrate the positive impacts and cathartic releases that horror can have on those living with mental illnesses.

Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary will feature interviews from horror fans, film critics, film historians, filmmakers, producers, writers, and professionals from the mental health world. An initial Kickstarter will be launched on June 23rd. Several of the pledge tiers will see funds go towards supporting various mental health foundations and charities aimed at helping marginalized communities.

Previously confirmed...

Even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the amazing team behind the Popcorn Frights Film Festival safely connected with the horror community through a virtual Wicked Weekend, unique drive-in experiences, and as part of the historic Nightstream virtual film festival. Now, with summer fast approaching and vaccinations widely available, Festival Directors Igor Shteyrenberg & Marc Ferman are bringing Popcorn Frights back to Savor Cinema in downtown Fort Lauderdale for another exciting round of in-theater screenings this August!

The seventh annual Popcorn Frights Film Festival will take place August 12th–19th. Film submissions are now open until July 11th at the festival's Film Freeway page.

Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates, check out the official press release below, and to learn more about Popcorn Frights Film Festival, visit their official website!

Press Release: Miami, Fl – After pivoting its 2020 season to a virtual and drive-in experience due to the Covid-19 health crisis, Popcorn...

Exclusive: AMC Networks’ Rlje Films has taken North American rights to the Elijah Wood and Luke Kirby dramatic thriller No Man of God, based on real transcripts and conversations between serial killer Ted Bundy and FBI agent Bill Hagmaier. The deal for the Amber Sealey-directed feature went down ahead of the pic’s Tribeca Film Festival premiere in June. The pic is now scheduled to hit theaters in August.

In 1980, Bundy (Kirby) was sentenced to death by electrocution. In the years that followed, he agreed to disclose the details of his crimes, but only to one man, that being Hagmaier (Wood). Aleksa Palladino and Robert Patrick also star in the Kit Lesser-scripted feature.

No Man of God was produced by Wood, Daniel Noah, Lisa Whalen and Kim Sherman. Ward and Jess De Leo of Rlje Films negotiated the deal with Whalen and Stacy Jorgensen on behalf of Company X/SpectreVision and the filmmakers.

Here’s some free advice for producers and financiers working in the movie business: hire Izzy Lee to make your horror movie. A fierce and fiercely independent filmmaker and author with a whole bunch of wild and wildly different short films to her credit, Lee has been poised to make the leap into features for some time now. I, for one, can’t wait for the day that happens.

If you know Izzy Lee or are familiar with her work, you know she’s outspoken and doesn't take any shit. Those are qualities that definitely carry over into her films. Her shorts "Rites of Vengeance," "For a Good Time Call..." and "Innsmouth" (a reimagining of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” with an all-woman cast) deal with sexual politics in one form or another, each one critical of whatever status quo on which it is commenting. Her films tend to be socially conscious,...

Joe Manganiello as Max Fist and Skylan Brooks as Hamster

Adam Egypt Mortimer made quite a splash last year with his first film, Daniel Isn’t Real, the story of a young man with a murderous invisible friend, and now he’s back with Archenemy, proving that it’s possible to tell superhero stories on a small budget. When we meet I tell him that I like the latter because of its shaggy dog tale quality, beginning when a man walks into a bar, and the idea that you can be a superhero in one universe and an old drunk homeless guy in another. Was that where it began?

“Yeah, that was exactly where it started,” says Adam with a grin. “It started with the image of a man in a shitty bar drinking whiskey, but he's wearing a tattered superhero cape. That exact image isn't in the movie, but that basically is the whole movie.

Max Fist is the hero we all need in these troubled times in the extraordinary sci-fi action adventure Archenemy – released 22nd February on DVD, Altitude.Film and other Digital platforms. To celebrate the new release we are giving away a DVD.

Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision, the studio behind sensational hits Mandy and Color Out of Space, delivers another slice of genre excellence, in conjunction with Legion M (the first fan-owned film company), with a fantastically colourful and entertaining blend of epic superhero mythology and modern noir, recalling Sin City, Hancock and Watchmen, from writer director Adam Egypt Mortimer, the red hot talent behind 2019’s acclaimed psychological horror Daniel Isn’t Real.

Featuring a throbbing synth score (from composer Umberto) and stylish visuals that mix in striking animated sequences, the film features a host of remarkable performances from a truly diverse cast – including True Blood’s Joe Manganiello as the mysterious Max Fist,...

Max Fist is the hero we all need in these troubled times in the extraordinary sci-fi action adventure Archenemy – released 22nd February on DVD, Altitude.Film and other Digital platforms. To celebrate the new release, we are giving away a DVD!

Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision, the studio behind sensational hits Mandy and Color Out of Space, delivers another slice of genre excellence, in conjunction with Legion M (the first fan-owned film company), with a fantastically colourful and entertaining blend of epic superhero mythology and modern noir, recalling Sin City, Hancock and Watchmen, from writer director Adam Egypt Mortimer, the red hot talent behind 2019’s acclaimed psychological horror Daniel Isn’t Real.

Featuring a throbbing synth score (from composer Umberto) and stylish visuals that mix in striking animated sequences, Archenemy features a host of remarkable performances from a truly diverse cast – including True Blood’s Joe Manganiello as the mysterious Max Fist,...

Exclusive: ICM Partners has signed Elijah Wood for representation.

Wood was most recently seen starring in comedy-horror film Come To Daddy, which debuted at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. He previously starred in Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore for Netflix opposite Melanie Lynskey, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

Wood is known for his role as Frodo Baggins in the critically acclaimed trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Directed by Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King broke box office records with Return of the King winning the Academy Award for Best Picture as well as 11 additional Academy Awards.

In 2010, Wood, founded his production company SpectreVision, and together with partners Daniel Noah and Lisa Whalen they have carved...

Following last year’s brain bending, psychedelic fantasy thriller Daniel Isn’t Real, writer/director Adam Egypt Mortimer hot-footed it back into production for his follow-up, Archenemy, a dazzlingly delirious part urban crime drama bolstered by cosmic action and funky, interdimensional superhero bedlam.

Teen wannabe crime reporter Hamster (Skylan Brooks) happens upon a haphazard hobo, Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) who claims to be a cosmic warrior from another dimension. After being dispelled to another reality by archenemy Cleo (Amy Seimetz), Fist finds himself homeless and without powers so sunk into a self-destructive coil of booze and drug abuse, until he meets Hamster.

Hamster thinks Fist’s story could land him a full time journalism position, but plans go awry after his drug pushing sister Indigo’s (Zolee Griggs) misgivings land the three of them in trouble with a local gang. Fist then sets out to rescue Indigo from the crime syndicate thus,...

Written and directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Daniel Isn’t Real, Some Kind of Hate), Archemeny stars Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Skylan Brooks (“Empire”), Zolee Griggs (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), Paul Scheer (“Black Monday”), Amy Seimetz (Pet Semetary) and Glenn Howerton (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). Rlje Films will release Archenemy on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and on Blu-ray for an Srp of $28.96.

Now you can win the Win the Blu-ray of Archenemy. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie is starting with the letter ‘A’ (mine’s Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein. It’s so easy!)

1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.

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In Archenemy,Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) is a local drunk...

In her Beyond Fest review, Heather Wixson wrote that Adam Egypt Mortimer's Archenemy features "...killer visual aesthetics and a ton of ingenuity that puts a lot of bigger movies with ten times the budget to shame," and soon you'll be able to add it to your physical media collection, as Rlje Films will release Archenemy on Blu-ray and DVD on February 16th, complete with a making-of bonus feature.

We have the full Blu-ray and DVD announcement below (along with a look at the cover art), and in case you missed it, be sure to read Heather's interview with Mortimer.

Press Release: Los Angeles – Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, will release Archenemy on February 16, 2021 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Written and directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer, Archemeny stars Joe Manganiello (“True Blood”), Skylan Brooks (“Empire”), Zolee Griggs (“Wu-Tang: An American Saga”), Paul Scheer (“Black Monday”), Amy Seimetz (Pet...

Joe Manganiello is a great-looking guy. “Overwhelmingly handsome” describes Adam Egypt Mortimer, who directed the actor in the dark superhero film “Archenemy,” available now on-demand. Mortimer says disrupting Manganiello’s appearance — as well as superhero film norms — is what makes “Archenemy” stand apart from other projects in the genre.

In “Archenemy,” Manganiello plays Max Fist, a disheveled homeless man who claims to be a hero from another dimension who fell through time and space to Earth, where he has no powers. Max teams up with a local teen named Hamster (Skylan Brooks) to wipe out the local drug syndicate.

“This is a character that you simultaneously believe that he is Superman; he has the strength, the incredible handsomeness, the heroic vibe. But he is also completely broken and degraded. Joe and I were really into deconstructing his look, f–king up his teeth, getting him scraggly and growing a beard that his wife [actress Sofia Vergara] really hated,...

Adam Egypt Mortimer saw the release of his action-thriller Archenemy in limited theaters and VOD platforms this past Friday through Rlje Films. Eagle-eyed fans connected the dots and discovered that Archenemy may actually share the same universe as Mortimer’s previous film, the tripped-out psychological horror Daniel Isn’t Real. Archenemy stars “True Blood’s” Joe Manganiello as a man who claims […]...

Bleecker Street’s Wild Mountain Thyme and Rlje Films’ Archenemy are the latest films to throw their hats into the specialty box office space. As we all know, for the past nine months, box office numbers have been stagnant to non-existent because of the pandemic. That said, it’s the same story for these two titles — but they get gold stars for braving the pandemic to make their theatrical debuts.

Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley and starring Emily Blunt and Jamie Dornan, the Ireland-set romance Wild Mountain Thyme opened in 450 theaters and earned an estimated $100,466 to bring its per-theater average of $223. Meanwhile, Adam Egypt Mortimer’s action thriller Archenemy starring Joe Manganiello debuted on 94 screens to gross an estimated $55,7000 for a per-screen average of $590. To further bolster its presence, Alamo Drafthouse, Legion M, SpectreVision and Rlje Films are teaming for a special virtual screening event of Archenemy with...

Archenemy is the little hole in the wall restaurant of superhero movies. The kind of joint serving deliciously greasy food that satisfies a certain kind of late night hungry. It's a comic book adventure unlike any recent release in the genre, done on the lowdown. It's got an arthouse esthetic matched against a wildly imaginative canvas. And that makes for a crazy ride that will keep you guessing from beginning to end about the true origins of its main hero, an alien named Max Fist, posing as a street nomad, played by Joe Mangienello.

Instead of of the cheese stuff crust special effects and walloping action scenes usually tacked onto most Marvel and DC movies, Archenemy gives us a living graphic novel set against a real world backdrop draped in a post-apocalyptic setting usually reserved for nihilistic 80s movies about the future. Though it wavers on an air of savory...

There are cameos. And then there is the Paul Scheer cameo. A fan favorite for his work on The League and renowned for his podcasts How Did This Get Made? and Unspooled, the comedic force of nature drops into Archenemy like a shotgun to the face. He doesn't stick around for long, but he plays a key role in the story. And in turn steals the show.

Paul Scheer may not be immediately recognizable as the greasy thug Krieg, kicking off the second act of Archenemy like an atom bomb, but as soon as he flashes his trademark smile, it's instantly obvious that we're in for a real treat. He gives the kind of performance that gets remembered in genre cinema, and pulls viewers in for repeat viewings. He's a small cog in the machine that director Adam Egypt Mortimer has built, but a very important cog none-the-less.

Archenemy is...

This isn't the Glenn Howerton we know from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and A.P. Bio. In the new superhero thriller Archenemy, the man, who likes to think of himself as a 'character actor', takes on an almost unrecognizable persona as the main villain The Manager in director Adam Egypt Mortimer's scrappy action adventure which arrives in theaters and on PVOD streaming this weekend.

This isn't the only time Glenn Howerton has gone somewhat incognito during the pandemic. He was most recently seen in the live Halloween concert film Mr. Bungle: The Night They Came Home, playing a creepy fan of the iconic band. This marks a new era for Howerton, who loves slipping into characters where you might not recognize him right off the bat.

Archenemy is a greasy piece of genre fun that turns superhero movies on their head. Its story could have served a big budget...

Normally, this would be the time of year when audiences could choose between big, glossy popcorn movies and the prestigious art films out for Oscar glory. But of course, Covid-19 has upended the release schedule and extended the awards season a few months longer into 2021.

But before you despair, just think how fortunate you are to get two Meryl Streep movies in the same week — even if it means having to subscribe to two different streaming platforms to see them. On Netflix, Streep joins Nicole Kidman and James Corden in Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of Broadway musical “The Prom,” in which a group of showbiz folks looking for a cause try to shame a small-town PTA into letting a teenage lesbian attend prom. Over on HBO Max, Streep co-stars with Dianne Wiest and Candice Bergen in “Let Them All Talk,” an overdue-reunion drama in which the three play old friends crossing the Atlantic together.

Over the last few years, it’s been fun to watch filmmaker Adam Egypt Mortimer’s career evolve from films like Some Kind of Hate to Daniel Isn’t Real to his contribution in the anthology film Holidays. And now his latest, Archenemy, has Mortimer traversing new cinematic terrain with his story of an interdimensional superhero named Max Fist (played by Joe Manganiello) who finds himself down on his luck here on planet Earth, and must confront his past so that he can put an end to the reign of tyranny that his sworn enemy, Cleo (Amy Seimetz), is prepared to unleash on our planet.

Archenemy also stars Skylan Brooks, Zolee Griggs, Glenn Howerton, and Paul Scheer and will be released in theaters, on digital, and on demand today, courtesy of Rlje Films.

Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Mortimer about his latest film, and he discussed his...

“There’s a fragment of cosmic blood in this synthetic analog…” – Max Fist.

Feel free to read that again. Yes, that’s a real line and a real character name in director Adam Egypt Mortimer’s ludicrously bonkers superhero film, “Archenemy,” starring Joe Manganiello as the gloriously named lead character, Max Fist. And you better believe there are plenty more juicy morsels where that came from.

Continue reading ‘Archenemy’: Joe Manganiello Soars Above The Rest In A Stylish, But Flawed Indie Superhero Film [Review] at The Playlist.