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Arrow is going all out this October with a chilling and diverse collection of films and horror content to get viewers in the Halloween spirit. The cult streaming service is showcasing an impressive roster of J-horror favourites, werewolf scares, supernatural frights, and even curated picks from horror maestro Michael Dougherty. Titled “ARROWeen,” this fright-filled month offers something for every horror fan, from gory slasher remakes to subtle psychological terrors.

Among the biggest draws is J-Horror Rising, a collection of seven iconic Japanese horror films that gained massive popularity at the turn of the millennium. These films, which feature everything from deadly curses to urban legends, include Shikoku, Isola: Multiple Personality Girl, and the much-praised Noroi: The Curse. Fans of the J-horror genre will appreciate this selection for its blend of supernatural chills, eerie atmospheres, and a deep dive into the genre’s most disturbing tales.

Adding to the October excitement,...

In the wake of last week’s news that New Line Cinema has picked up Barbarian director Zach Cregger’s next movie Weapons, THR reports today that New Line is also getting cozy with BoulderLight Pictures, the production company behind horror hit Barbarian.

BoulderLight Pictures has signed a first-look deal with New Line Cinema, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The site’s report continues, “Under the first-look, the plan is for BoulderLight to work on high-concept, filmmaker-driven genre stories for New Line.”

J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules are behind BoulderLight Pictures, the company responsible for genre films including Contracted, Dementia, Rent-a-Pal, and last year’s Barbarian.

“J.D. and Rafi share a passion for cinema that puts the audience first,” New Line president and chief creative officer Richard Brener said in a statement this week. “They have a proven ability to identify and champion stories and filmmakers that transcend genre,...

Hello again, everyone! We only have a few titles on the docket for this week’s home media releases, but there’s still some fun stuff to keep an eye out for, especially if you're a fan of classic genre films. Mondo Macabro is keeping busy with several Blu-ray releases, including Panic Beats, Blood Ceremony, and Queens of Evil, Code Red is showing some love to an often overlooked ’80s slasher—The Forest—and Bless the Child is getting re-released on DVD for the first time in decades, too. Also being released on March 9th is Rent-a-Pal from Scream Factory.

Blood Ceremony

In 19th century Europe, the people are in the grip of ancient superstitions and the fear of vampires runs riot through the land. Strange rituals are enacted to seek out the resting places of the undead and macabre trials are held over disinterred corpses. The Countess barely notices what is going on.

Rent-a-Pal Claustrophobic Thriller Makes Blu-ray and DVD Debut March 9, 2021 from Scream Factory He talks to you. He listens to you. He understands you. He’s your Rent-a-Pal. Featuring a terrifying performance from Wil Wheaton (Big Bang Theory) and stylish ‘90s techo-horror, the unsettling thriller Rent-a-Pal makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut March 9, 2021 from …

The post Claustrophobic Thriller “Rent-a-Pal” Makes Blu-ray and DVD Debut March 9, 2021 from Scream Factory appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

One lonely man's discovery of a video tape in 1990 leads to a potentially deadly friendship with an entity on the other side of the screen in IFC Midnight's Rent-a-Pal, coming to Blu-ray and DVD on March 9th from Scream Factory:

From the Press Release: He talks to you. He listens to you. He understands you. He’s your Rent-a-Pal.

Featuring a terrifying performance from Wil Wheaton (Big Bang Theory) and stylish ‘90s techo-horror, the unsettling thriller Rent-a-Pal makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut March 9, 2021 from Scream Factory, in conjunction with IFC Midnight. Fans of the film can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com

In this thriller set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-a-Pal.

Stars: Wil Wheaton, Brian Landis Folkins, Amy Rutledge, Kathleen Brady, Adrian Egolf | Written and Directed by Jon Stevenson

The nineties might not have been the best era when it comes to horror movies. Some will disagree but for me, the amount of top quality horror from that decade is minimal. But that doesn’t stop that time period from being very nostalgic for me. The decade of movie son VHS and music on cassette is when I became a teenager, so any movie set at this time immediately piques my interest.

Rent-a-Pal follows David in 1990. A lonely guy who is stuck in his life of caring for his elderly mother who is suffering from dementia. But after six months using a video dating service, he discovers a videotape named Rent-a-Pal. Becoming addicted to this VHS friend who gives him someone to talk to and interact with, things do begin to look more positive,...

It’s finally the weekend, and the various major streaming services have got you covered for new material to watch with a load of great movies and TV shows arriving over the next couple of days. In total, 26 fresh additions are coming to Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, so let’s take a look at what you should be checking out.

Netflix’s haul this Friday, December 11th totals five originals, including holiday movie A Trash Truck Christmas, poignant short film Canvas, documentary Giving Voice and Spanish TV series The Mess You Leave Behind. The highlight of the weekend, though, has to be The Prom, the new musical from Ryan Murphy which features a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden.

Moving on to Disney Plus, and the Mouse House’s streamer debuts nine new titles today. Among them is festive treat...

As the year winds down, streaming services appear to be taking a step back, licking their wounds from this strange pandemic production season, and looking to a hopefully brighter future. This is all to say that Hulu‘s list of new releases for December 2020 isn’t quite its most inspiring batch yet…and that’s Ok.

Hulu’s biggest original title this month is undoubtedly The Hardy Boys. This adaptation of the classic boy detective novels is aimed at younger audiences and will premiere on Dec. 4. Then, near the end of the month, Hulu is bringing a new season of a show that is decidedly not for younger audiences. Season 9 of the very funny and very Canadian Letterkenny arrives on Dec. 26.

Hulu also has some recent movies of note coming in December including Amy Seimetz’s diabolical She Dies Tomorrow on Dec. 4 and children’s movie The Secret Garden on Dec.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, as the various streaming services are stocking their libraries with some great new titles this December to keep us going through the festive period. When it comes to Hulu, the Disney-owned platform is adding a few holiday-related movies and TV shows, but is mostly taking the track of stuffing itself full of classic films that the whole family can enjoy.

This includes a bunch of the best James Bond pics ever made, like GoldenEye, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldfinger and, the one that kicked it all off, Dr. No. That would be a perfect watch to honor Sean Connery, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

Other action movies you might want to check out this December, meanwhile, include The Hurt Locker, The Fifth Element, 2003’s Hulk and the two “Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon” flicks, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.

Lightbulb Film Distribution has debuted a new trailer for retro horror ‘Rent-a-Pal’ featuring Wil Wheaton.

Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his ageing mother (Kathleen Brady). Whilst seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-a-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy, the tape offers him much-needed friendship. But it comes at a cost.

Also in trailers – Richard Jenkins stars in trailer for ‘The Last Shift’

Following its launch at Grimmfest (where it won the “Best Screenplay” award) and Sitges last week, Rent-a-Pal arrives across all digital download platforms from November 16 and on DVD from January 11.

The post Wil Wheaton stars in trailer for ‘Rent-a-Pal’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Jose Luis Montesinos’ Ropes won two awards including best feature.

Jose Luis Montesinos’ Ropes won two awards including best feature at Manchester-based horror festival Grimmfest. The event ran online this year from Oct 7-11 due to Covid-19.

Spanish title Ropes also saw Paula Del Rio win the best actress prize for playing a paralysed girl terrorised by a rabid dog. Montesinos’ feature debut was also nominated for best picture at Sitges last year,

Further winners included John Hyams, who won best director for Alone, and Brian Landis Folkins, who picked up best actor for Rent-a-Pal (which also won best screenplay...

Stars: Wil Wheaton, Brian Landis Folkins, Amy Rutledge, Kathleen Brady, Adrian Egolf | Written and Directed by Jon Stevenson

The nineties might not have been the best era when it comes to horror movies. Some will disagree but for me, the amount of top quality horror from that decade is minimal. But that doesn’t stop that time period from being very nostalgic for me. The decade of movie son VHS and music on cassette is when I became a teenager, so any movie set at this time immediately piques my interest.

Rent-a-Pal follows David in 1990. A lonely guy who is stuck in his life of caring for his elderly mother who is suffering from dementia. But after six months using a video dating service, he discovers a videotape named Rent-a-Pal. Becoming addicted to this VHS friend who gives him someone to talk to and interact with, things do begin to look more positive,...

Exclusive: UK distribution company Lightbulb Film has added three titles to its release slate.

They include Jon Stevenson’s retro horror Rent-a-Pal. Starring Brian Landis Folkins, Kathleen Brady and Wil Wheaton, the film is set in 1990 and follows a lonely bachelor searching for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his ageing mother. Whilst seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-a-Pal.

The film screens at Sites and has its UK premiere at Grimmfest. It will be released On Demand on November 16 followed by a DVD in early 2021. The deal was negotiated with Sophia Aronne of The Exchange.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Rent-a-Pal to UK audiences. It’s nostalgic, engaging and creepy as hell,” said sales and acquisitions director, Peter Thompson.

Lightbulb has also picked up horror feature Sator, a film about a supernatural entity who threatens to claim a broken family.

Netflix have been on a real hot streak lately when it comes to original movies, with action flicks Extraction and The Old Guard, thrilling superhero story Project Power, the awards worthy Da 5 Bloods and more. The latter months of the year, meanwhile, will see titles like Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 and David Fincher’s Mank land on the service.

But this weekend, the streaming giant has brought us something a bit different from all of those with The Babysitter: Killer Queen, a sequel to the successful horror comedy from McG. Despite poor reviews, it’s been going down well with subscribers so far and is making waves online, with everyone buzzing about it.

Killer Queen is hardly the only new streaming/VOD release this weekend, though, with a whopping 10 new titles now available for you to watch from home. And after the break, we’ll run through them all.

Brian Landis Folkins looks so broken in “Rent-a-Pal” it’s a wonder he’s actually in one piece. His body sags and his face sinks, eyes sulking under a pair of glasses. He’s playing David, who’s somewhat of a loner. For a long while, all you really know about David is that he lives with his mother Lucille (Kathleen Brady), who has dementia. Also, he likes VHS. Every night he plops himself on the couch to watch the latest from Video Rendezvous, a video dating service in which potential matches communicate via VHS cassettes–think Tinder but in 1990.

Continue reading ‘Rent-a-Pal’ Mistakes Dark For Deep In A Cheap ‘Videodrome’ Riff [Review] at The Playlist.

The origin of the drama Buoyancy can be traced back to when Australian filmmaker Rodd Rathjen came across an article a few years ago about Cambodian workers and their life on a Thai fishing trawler. He became riveted by the unbelievable story and upon more research, he said in a statement: “The scale of modern slavery and exploitation in Thailand is vast and hard to grasp.”

Written and directed by Rathjen, Buoyancy follows a spirited Cambodian teenager Chakra (Sarm Heng) who works the rice fields with his family but is looking for independence. He seeks the help of a local broker who said that they can get him paid work in a Thai factory. He heads to Thailand in hopes to find his fortuitous independence but when he gets there, he and his newfound friend Kea (Mony Ros), discover they’ve been duped. Along with other Cambodians and Burmese, they...

Although the new thriller, Rent-a-Pal, is an occasionally encouraging debut feature from director Jon Stevenson, it fails to succeed fully on enough levels that it leaves less on the table for this particular outing than it does setting the table for the director’s next endeavor, whatever that may be.

Set in a dreary Denver, Colorado in the early 1990s, Rent-a-Pal follows David (Brian Landis Folkins) as he carries on somewhat meekly in a seemingly endless routine of caring for his invalid mother (Kathleen Brady). David, however, has been searching for love via a local video dating service called “Video Rendezvous.” While at the service, David happens upon a bargain-bin VHS tape titled “Rent-a-Pal” which he takes home and subsequently watches. The tape is hosted by Andy (Will Wheaton), an odd individual that offers David compassion, company, and friendship, but at an incredible cost.

The film is the directorial debut...

Move over, Norman Bates. Here comes another lonely single man with mommy issues and a diminishing grasp on reality. He’s David, the central figure of Jon Stevenson’s darkly comic psychological thriller, and despite being superbly played by Brian Landis Folkins, he’s not even the most memorable character in Rent-a-Pal.

That would be Andy, seen only in a fuzzy VHS tape on a television screen. Portrayed by Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me, Star Trek: The Next Generation), he’s Andy’s imaginary friend who offers him just the sort of companionship and emotional support he needs to get through a ...

Move over, Norman Bates. Here comes another lonely single man with mommy issues and a diminishing grasp on reality. He’s David, the central figure of Jon Stevenson’s darkly comic psychological thriller, and despite being superbly played by Brian Landis Folkins, he’s not even the most memorable character in Rent-a-Pal.

That would be Andy, seen only in a fuzzy VHS tape on a television screen. Portrayed by Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me, Star Trek: The Next Generation), he’s Andy’s imaginary friend who offers him just the sort of companionship and emotional support he needs to get through a ...

Having interviewed Jerry O’Connell recently, we were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview yet another of the Stand By Me alumni, this time in the form of Wil Wheaton, as he promotes his latest film, the eerie and profound tale of loneliness, Rent-a-Pal.

Wheaton, who plays a ‘friend’ on video tape, hoping to help give lonely men some companionship, we asked him about getting the tonality of the role right, and whether it was quite a strange shoot for him, effectively doing it all in one room, in the same outfit throughout. We also get onto the theme of nostalgia and his own experiences going to the video store growing up, and on that note we speak about a film we ourselves used to rent out all the time, Stand By Me.

Wheaton candidly discusses his role in the timeless drama, and how personal it was to him. He...

"I have been waiting for this moment for what feels like forever." One lonely man's discovery of a video tape in 1990 leads to an unsettling and potentially deadly friendship with an entity on the other side of the TV screen in Rent-a-Pal, coming to Digital, VOD, and select theaters on September 11th from IFC Midnight. Here's a look at an exclusive clip we've been given just for Daily Dead readers:

Synopsis: "Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-a-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.

More than 20 features and four world premieres selected for genre film festival.

UK genre film festival Grimmfest has revealed the line-up for its 2020 edition, which will take place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scroll down for full line-up

The festival, which runs October 7 to 11, will open with the European premiere of US psychological thriller Alone, directed by John Hyams, in which a grieving widow is pursued through the wilderness by a relentless psychopath.

Grimmfest has also secured four world premieres for this year’s edition, which include US features The Special, from filmmaker B. Harrison Smith, and They Reach,...

"Rent-a-Pal" is the new thriller, written and directed by Jon Stevenson, starring Wil Wheaton, Brian Landis Folkins and Amy Rutledge, releasing September 11, 2020:

"...in 1990, lonely bachelor 'David' (Folkins) searches for an escape from caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange 'VHS' tape called 'Rent-a-Pal'.

"Hosted by charming, charismatic 'Andy' (Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Rent-a-Pal"...

I had almost forgotten how much weirder and awkward "virtual" dating was before the advent of the internet and then along comes Rent-a-Pal to remind me.

Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Jon Stevenson, Rent-a-Pal stars Brian Landis Folkins as David, a loney guy for his mom and dipping his toe into video dating. While digging through the discount bin, he picks up a video tape titled "Rent-a-Pal," which features Andy Wil Wheton being appropriately creepy, a likeable guy, talking directly into the camera as if he's speaking directly to you.

Soon, David is dating and obsessed with talking with Andy but soon, it seems Andy is speaking directly to David as if he knows what's happening in the man's life; or maybe David is going a bit crazy.

I l...

"Nothing like a little friendly competition, right pal?" IFC Midnight has debuted a trailer for a 90s, VHS-throwback wacky horror titled Rent-a-Pal, which sounds like a horror comedy however it's anything but. One morning, while browsing Reddit, filmmaker Jon Stevenson came across a very strange video online: an old VHS tape called, 'Rent-a-Friend." Hosted by an enigmatic yet charming "Sam," Rent-a-Friend offered entertainment, advice, and most importantly, friendship, to lonely people in a pre-digital age. "Who would watch this?!" Stevenson asked. The answer to that question would ultimately become the story of Rent-a-Pal. Brian Landis Folkins stars as lonely bachelor who decides to "Rent-a-Pal" but discovers the cost is more than he can afford. Also starring Wil Wheaton, Amy Rutledge, and Kathleen Brady. This almost looks like something Cronenberg would make, without all his usual gore. But still Videodrome-esque creepy. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Jon Stevenson's Rent-a-Pal,...

"I have been waiting for this moment for what feels like forever." One lonely man's discovery of a video tape in 1990 leads to an unsettling and potentially deadly friendship with an entity on the other side of the TV screen in the official trailer for Rent-a-Pal, coming to Digital, VOD, and select theaters on September 11th from IFC Midnight.

Written and directed by Jon Stevenson, Rent-a-Pal stars Wil Wheaton, Brian Landis Folkins, Amy Rutledge, and Kathleen Brady. Check out the official synopsis, trailer, and poster below:

Synopsis: "Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-a-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy...