Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story – Movie Review
First Reaction – Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story is an interesting documentary about an unsung band.
Where to Watch
Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story is released on the 7th of July.
Director: Joseph Rubinstein
Plot: Shot at Elvis’ Palm Springs home with archival footage and documents Collective Soul’s 31-year journey, featuring their rise to 15M albums sold, 7 #1 hits, and the family bonds behind their success.
Runtime: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story
Recap
The documentary follows the highs and lows of the music band Collective Soul. In their epic 31-year career, they worked with some of the biggest names in the industry. However, they didn’t always have the same stardom as other musicians of the same era. It also follows their ups and loses they faced along the way.
Best Parts
The movie does a great job of showing the story of a band that loved the music they made. They might not have had the same fame as others, but they kept united despite the tragic things that occurred. Meanwhile, it shows their importance to everything going around them. We do learn about another important figure in music who may have gone a bit more unnoticed.
Worst Parts
It might show us another big band in music history, but for entertainment reasons, they don’t have as much drama as many other bands. It is a good thing for the people involved, but for entertainment reasons, not much is going on.
Final Thoughts –Give Me a Word: The Collective Soul Story is a solid, entertaining documentary.
Zero is in UK cinemas 25 July and on digital platforms 11 August 2025.
★★★★
‘Like Crank and Phone Booth birthed a baby in Vice City’
The Hollywood News
★★★★
‘A clever mix of action, thriller, and horror, all while weaving in social and political commentary’’
Nighttide Magazine
‘Ingenious… a Tarantino-esque ensemble piece’
Projected Figures
The clock is ticking when two Americans wake up with bombs strapped to them and face a twisted treasure hunt to stop them detonating 10 hours later, in this break-neck thriller from Saloum director Jean Luc Herbulot.
Two American strangers are about to join up for a life-or-death mission – but not through choice. #1 (Hus Miller) and #2 (Cam McHarg) have both just woken up in Senegal with bombs strapped to their chests and a timer set to blow up 10 hours later. Their only hope is to follow directions given to them over the phone by a mysterious voice (Willem Dafoe) that sends them on a twisted and dangerous clue-solving hunt across Dakar.
Jean Luc Herbulot (Saloum) mixes sharp scrutiny of geopolitics with white-knuckle thrills to exhilarating effect as the pair face a race against time. Zero premiered at Sitges Film Festival where it won the Orbita Award and was an official selection at Beyond Fest and Glasgow Film Festival.
Plot: Carl Nargle, Vermont’s #1 public television painter, is convinced he has it all: a signature perm, custom van, and fans hanging on his every stroke – until a younger, better artist steals everything (and everyone) Carl loves.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Paint starts when Vermont television painter Carl Nargle (Wilson) believes he has it all. However, he has never got his art in the Burlington museum. Meanwhile, his former love Katherine (Watkins) is looking to leave the station. However, his comfortable role comes under pressure when young artist Ambrosia (Renee) gets a TV spot too.
Carl questions his place on the network and Ambrosia’s popularity starts skyrocketing. It leads to a competition as Carl tries to maintain his fame through the ever-changing world of television.
Verdict on Paint
Paint is a comedy following a successful television artist whose material is getting stale, and he faces new competition from a younger artist. He questions his career as he struggles with the changes in everyday life too and former loves.
This movie brings to life the changing times in television and how the audience always wants something new. It puts pressure on the aging star to find a new purpose in life. There is a lot of evolution of styles and the rivalry between the pair never feels bitter. Even if this felt more like a tribute to Bob Ross, it goes in a different direction than expected. It has a unique style to everything, without managing to be full blown laugh out loud, more of a quirky sense of humour.
Jinga Films is pleased to announce the UK and Ireland release of Julia Verdin’s award winning thriller THE TRAFFICKING OF MAYA starring Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy), Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors) and Rumer Willis (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
Set in the hispanic neighborhoods of East Los Angeles, a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl is lured into a sex trafficking ring by a man she met online. Her alcholic mother must defeat her demons in order to help the police rescue her daughter.
Written and directed by Julia Verdin (Angie: Lost Girls), THE TRAFFICKING OF MAYA explores the #1 criminal activity of human trafficking.
THE TRAFFICKING OF MAYA is now available to rent and download from most VOD platforms including Amazon, i-Tunes, Skystore, Googleplay, Microsoft and YouTube.
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Announces Full 2024 Program
Festival opens with Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy’s TIFF hit DEAD MAIL and Honors Larry Fessenden with this year’s Leviathan Award, reveals new poster art
Highlights also include FEAR IN FOCUS: SPAIN sidebar, World Premiere of Izzy Lee’s HOUSE OF ASHES, director Joe Begos’ JIMMY & STIGGS, Jayro Bustamante’s RITA and closing night film THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
Brooklyn, NY– The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (BHFF) announces today the full program for its 2024 incarnation, running October 17-24 with all screenings held at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Audiences are in for an unworldly lineup of films and events, including a special screening of Larry Fessenden’s HABIT with the Leviathan Award Ceremony, honoring his film career.
The Opening Night film is the NY premiere of DEAD MAIL from directors Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy. The 2024 festival boasts the North American Premieres of exciting new films: Tiago Teixeira’s unsettling body horror film CUSTOM; a new documentary on horror at the turn of the millennium from Phillip Escott and Sarah Appleton, GENERATION TERROR; and New Zealand director Sasha Rainbow’s film GRAFTED.
The festival will feature the world premieres of Izzy Lee’s first feature, HOUSE OF ASHES; the atmospheric ghost story, LILLY LIVES ALONE, and the queer sci-fi adventure PSYCHONAUT. The festival’s other spotlight titles include ANIMALE, the beautiful revenge-fantasy from French director Emma Benestan as the festival’s Centerpiece Film; and THE RULE OF JENNY PEN starring Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow as the Closing Night Film.
Additional highlights include the action fueled revenge film SAYARA from Turkey; Joe Begos’s latest neon drenched bloodbath JIMMY & STIGGS; a screening of several episodes of the new horror anthology TALES FROM THE VOID which includes an episode directed by John Adams and Toby Poser; a fantastical time traveling romance from director Alice Lowe, TIMESTALKER; GAZER, the dreamy noir film from Ryan J. Sloan; Mercedes Bryce Morgan’s gory erotic thriller BONE LAKE; and the nightmarish mystery SOMNIUM which premiered at the Chattanooga Film Festival earlier this year.
The festival’s signature sidebar programs return, starting with FEAR IN FOCUS: SPAIN, which includes the North American premiere of EXORCISMO, a documentary that focuses on the violent and smutty film history of the post-Franco era of Spanish cinema; as well as retro screenings of VAMPYRES and THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE on 35mm; which ties into the Vampire sidebar that features Abel Ferrara’s THE ADDICTION and a screening of the Spanish version of DRACULA with a live score from The Flushing Remonstrance. MISKATONIC INSTITUTE OF HORROR STUDIES will also return to host a special lecture by Dr. Leah Richards “Queer Vampires, Queer Liberation, Queer Futurity.
Festival badges are on sale now here and a limited amount of individual tickets go on sale this Friday at 12PM EST. Full program info is detailed below:
DEAD MAIL
OPENING NIGHT FILM
New York Premiere
US | 2024 | 106 Min. | Dir. Joe DeBoer, Kyle McConaghy
A blood-stained note arrives at a county post office, leading its experienced “dead letter” mailroom clerk and his associates down a perilous path to discover its origins. Meanwhile, an entrepreneurial synthesizer engineer enters a precarious partnership with an overbearing investor. Perfectly capturing an authentic retro aesthetic, Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s indie horror-synth thriller is a total gem and should launch this directing team into the stratosphere.
ANIMALE
CENTERPIECE FILM
East Coast Premiere
France | 2024 | 98 Min. | Dir. Emma Benestan
As a French town’s annual bull racing competition approaches, a string of grisly murders committed by a wild bull ignites the community into a frenzy.
THE RULE OF JENNY PEN
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
East Coast Premiere
New Zealand | 2024 | 103 Min. | Dir. James Ashcroft
John Lithgow vies for “Best Villain of the Year” honors playing a deranged nursing home resident terrorizing a new fellow resident (played by Geoffrey Rush) in this twisted and mean-spirited gem.
HABIT
LEVIATHAN AWARD
Presented by Arrow Video
United States | 1995 | 112 Min. | Dir. Larry Fessenden
On a drunken downward spiral following a breakup and the recent death of his father, Sam’s troubles only multiply when he meets the enigmatic Anna who just might be a vampire. This special screening of HABIT will be followed by the Leviathan Award presentation and Q&A w/ Larry Fessenden, moderated by BHFF alum Jenn Wexler.[1]
BIRDEATER
East Coast Premiere
New Zealand | 2023 | 113 Min. | Dir. Jack Clark, Jim Weir
Louie invites his fiance Irene to join him at his bachelor party, but as alarming details of their relationship emerge, the night free falls into full-on madness.
BLACK EYED SUSAN
NYC Premiere
United States | 2024 | 85 Min. | Dir. Scooter McRae
In a world increasingly relying on AI technology, one company experiments with BDSM sex dolls to offer to their most violent clients.
BONE LAKE
New York Premiere
United States | 2024 | 94 Min. | Dir. Mercedes Bryce Morgan
Hoping to get out of their romantic rut, a couple rents out a scenic cabin, but their plans are disrupted when they find another couple has also rented the same cabin.
CUSTOM
North American Premiere
United Kingdom | 2024 | 76 Min. | Dir. Tiago Teixeira
A couple produce their own erotic films for money but when they take on a new client they become embroiled in something dark and sinister.
DEAD TALENTS SOCIETY
New York Premiere
Taiwan R.O.C. | 2024 | 106 Min. | Dir. John Hsu
To avoid getting kicked out of the underworld, a ghost joins a small haunting talent agency and sets out to become the scariest urban legend of them all.
THE DEAD THING
East Coast Premiere
United States | 2024 | 95 Min. | Dir. Elric Kane
Disillusioned by empty hookups, Alex finally connects with a charismatic guy who seems worth her time, only to learn that he’s harboring a nightmarish secret.
GAZER
NYC Premiere
United States | 2024 | 114 Min. | Dir. Ryan J. Sloan
An ingenious and challenging marriage of noir and horror, this singular feature debut finds a young mother with a time-distorting mental condition forced to pull off a heist to provide for her daughter.
GENERATION TERROR
North American Premiere
United Kingdom | 2024 | 100 Min. | Dir. Phillip Escott, Sarah Appleton
Generation Terror looks at the global effects of the turn of the millennium had on horror and the slew of films it ushered in.
GRAFTED
North American Premiere
New Zealand | 2024 | 96 Min. | Dir. Sasha Rainbow
Body horror gets an extreme, bubblegum-poppy makeover in this funny and gruesome feature debut, in which a college student’s research into skin diseases helps her achieve popularity in the most perverse way imaginable.
House of Ashes dir. Izzy Lee
HOUSE OF ASHES
World Premiere
United States | 2024 | 95 Min. | Dir. Izzy Lee
While under house arrest, a grieving widow questions whether she’s losing her mind or if she’s the victim of something supernatural after an old friend moves in to help curb her loneliness.
JIMMY & STIGGS
East Coast Premiere
United States | 2024 | 80 Min. | Dir. Joe Begos
Trapped in a Los Angeles apartment, two best friends guzzle booze and lay waste to a small army of relentless extraterrestrials in Joe Begos’s latest dose of unadulterated, modern-day grindhouse carnage.
THE LAST SACRIFICE
East Coast Premiere
United Kingdom | 2024 | 92 Min. | Dir. Rupert Russell
Part film history and part true crime documentary, this riveting and unsettling doc examines an infamous 1945 murder in England that inspired your favorite British folk horror films and remains draped in mystery.
LILLY LIVES ALONE
World Premiere
United States | 2024 | 93 Min. | Dir. Martin Melnick
The 10-year anniversary of a tragic accident sends a guilt-ridden woman over the edge, plunging her into a drug and booze fueled fever dream of conspiring townsfolk and supernatural terrors.
PSYCHONAUT
World Premiere
Netherlands | 2024 | 87 Min. | Dir. Thijs Meuwese
With the help of a futuristic healing machine, Maxime must traverse into the dark recesses of her dying girlfriend’s mind in order to locate the “essential memory” that could save her life.
RITA
United States Premiere
Guatemala | 2024 | 107 Min. | Dir. Jayro Bustamante
A young girl runs away from her abusive father only to end up in a safe house, where she finds the fantasy and horrors that await her.
SAYARA
East Coast Premiere
Turkey| 2024 | 98 Min. | Dir. Can Evrenol
Brooklyn Horror alum Can Evrenol (Housewife, 2017) combines his personal brand of extreme horror with brutal martial arts action in this tale of blood-soaked revenge, following a woman’s mission to avenge her sister’s murder.
SOMNIUM
New York Premiere
United States| 2024 | 92 Min. | Dir. Racheal Cain
Gemma moves to LA in the hopes of making it as an actress but when she takes a job at a mysterious sleep clinic it has strange effects on her.
THE SOUL EATER
East Coast Premiere
France, Belgium | 2024 | 108 Min. | Dir. Alexandre Bustillo, Julien Maury
Jump-started by a perplexing murder scene of absolute carnage and a group of missing children, two investigators from different departments are sent down the same dark and unforgiving trail.
TALES FROM THE VOID (Season 1 Episodes 4-6)
World & New York Premieres
United States | 2024 | 79 Min. | Dir. Maritte Lee Go, Francesco Loschiavo, John Adams and Toby Poser
Fans of short-form horror are in for a treat with this trio of episodes from Screambox’s new Reddit-derived anthology series, two of which are BHFF World Premieres and the third directed by indie horror stalwarts John Adams and Toby Poser.
TIMESTALKER
Presented by The Future of Film is Female
New York Premiere
United Kingdom | 2024 | 96 Min. | Dir. Alice Lowe
A karmic journey that sees the hapless heroine Agnes reincarnated every time she makes the same mistake: falling in love with the wrong man.
WHO’S WATCHING
East Coast Premiere
United States | 2024 | 86 Min. | Dir. Tim Kasher
Cursive frontman Tim Kasher delivers an impressively nihilistic directorial debut with this seedy look at a mentally disturbed social misfit who takes his infatuation with a female co-worker to disturbing heights.
Wake in Fright 4k Restoration dir. Ted Kotcheff
WAKE IN FRIGHT (4K Restoration)
East Coast Premiere
Australia | 1971 | 109 Min. | Dir. Ted Kotcheff
A masterwork of pure cinematic madness, Ted Kotcheff’s wild and disturbing Wake in Fright, which follows a schoolteacher as he loses his mind amidst drunken Aussie locals, receives a glorious 4K restoration.
THE ADDICTION
United States | 1995 | 82 Min. | Dir. Abel Ferrara
In this ’90s cult classic from New York director Abel Ferrara, a doctoral student becomes a vampire and attempts to adapt to her new lifestyle and thirst for blood.
FEAR IN FOCUS: SPAIN
Exorcismo dir. Alberto Sedano
Fear in Focus is back with a special Spain edition! The festival’s perennial sidebar, once again presented by Arrow Video, which celebrates a specific region’s exceptional work within horror, turns its eyes to one of the original and most enduring purveyors of the genre.
Program highlights include the North American premiere of EXORCISMO, a documentary exploring the post-dictatorship period of Spanish cinema when genre filmmakers were producing the most wildly taboo challenging work the country had ever seen, and repertory screenings of queer vampire essentials THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE, screening on 35mm, and VAMPYRES, celebrating its 50th anniversary. The lesser known–and superior to some–Spanish production of DRACULA, made the same year as the Bela Lugosi classic, will also be screened with a brand new live score from The Flushing Remonstrance.
Rounding out the offerings will be a special FEAR IN FOCUS: SPAIN shorts block, spotlighting an exciting new wave of Spanish horror.
Exorcismo
North American Premiere
Spain | 2024 | 122 Min. | Dir. Alberto Sedano
EXORCISMO dives into the post-Franco era of Spanish cinema that saw directors freed from censorship and creating some of the most erotically explicit horror and genre films of all-time.
Vampyres – 50th Anniversary
Spain | 1974 | 87 Min. | Dir. José Ramón Larraz
A pair of ravenous femme vampires creep around the British countryside searching for men to bring back to their creepy mansion where they fuck and feed on them.
The Blood Spattered Bride (35mm)
Spain | 1972 | 100 Min. | Dir. Vicente Aranda
Sexually charged horror doesn’t get much better, or kinkier, than this cult classic about a newly married woman who can’t stand her husband and falls for a beautiful, long-dead lady vampire.
Dracula (Spanish Version w/ Live Score)
United States| 1931| 104 Min. | Dir. George Melford
An unsung gem, Universal’s other 1931 Dracula production receives a long-overdue spotlight at this special screening with a live score from The Flushing Remonstrance.
Fear in Focus: Spain Shorts Program
Brooklyn Horror is proud to dedicate this year’s Fear in Focus sidebar to the amazing genre films of Spain. This special shorts program of new Spanish frights includes tales of merciless revenge, spine-chilling supernatural terrors and gut-wrenching body horror.
Be Right Back, dir. Lucas Paulino, Gabe Ibáñez; Apotemnofilia, dir. Jano Pita; Nap, dir. Javier Chavanel; The Visitor, dir. Tony Morales; Don’t Talk to Strangers, dir. Imanol Ortiz López; Voyager, dir. Pablo Pagán; Berta, dir. Lucía Forner Segarra
SHORT FILMS
Roger is a Serial Killer dir. Don Swaynos
NIGHTMARE FUEL
Sleep no more after witnessing the terror on display in this chilling block of purely scary horror, complete with Ouija board mishaps, techie ghouls, and cult rituals gone awry.
Dream Creep, dir. Carlos A.F. Lopez (USA); Pop, dir. Josh Jones (USA); Agonist, dir. Annie Marie Elliot (USA); Cease to Exist, dir. Taylor Nodrick (Canada); The Awakening, dir. Al Campbell (UK); Taboo, dir. Almog Avidan Antonir (USA); Inked, dir. Kelsey Bollig (USA); Mr. Static, dir. Mike Williamson (USA); Transylvanie, dir. Rodrigue Huart (France)
HEAD TRIP
Brooklyn Horror’s signature celebration of genre-bending horror returns with a fresh crop of short-form innovation, including sexual darkness, animalistic transformations, and coming-of-age supernaturalism.
Evil, I, dir. Vanessa Beletic (USA); Izzy, dir. Yfke van Berckelaer (Netherlands); Poppy’s Saturn, dir. Nicole Tegelaar (Belgium); Calf, dir. Jamie O’Rourke (Ireland); Faces, dir. Blake Simon (USA); Kneading, dir. Lulu Syracuse, Augie Syracuse (USA); Tight, dir. Jessica Barr (USA); Femme, dir. Nina Noël Raaijmakers (Netherlands)
SLAYED: LGBTQ Horror Shorts
Presented by Horror Press
Once again, Brooklyn Horror Fest is back with its Slayed shorts block which focuses on LGBTQIA+ filmmakers and themes. And as always, the selection lives up to the name.
Beach Logs Kill, dir. Haley Z. Boston (USA); Lady Parts, dir. Ariel McCleese (USA); Unsettled, dir. Bella Thorne (USA); Dream Factory, dir. Alex Matraxia (UK); Rat!, dir. Neal Suresh Mulani (USA); Stink, dir. Matias Breuer (USA); Girls, dir. Julien Hosmalin
LAUGH NOW DIE LATER
Presented by Teeth: The Musical
What’s better than being scared? Laughing your ass off at the same time, which you’ll do thanks to this batch of raucous horror-comedies featuring personal trainers, home invasions, and sexual dysfunction.
Cheat Meal, dir. Drew Bierut (USA); The Last Thing She Saw, dir. Anthony Cousins (USA); Mean Ends, dir. Émile Lavoie (Canada); Erection and Destruction, dir. Eddie Mullins (USA); Make Me a Pizza, dir. Talia Shea Levin (USA); Roger is a Serial Killer, dir. Don Swaynos (USA); Hold Up, dir. Ori Guendelman (USA)
Back like we never left, our annual showcase of NYC local shorts returns with a buffet of genre film goodness.
Red Flag, dir. Malin Barr, Cleo Handler; Be Bad, dir. Lauren Hart; By The Window, dir. Case Avron; Wild Animals, dir. David B Jacobs; I Prefer Monsters, dir. Dylan Brown; Tinkerhell, dir. Noah Sterling; Hammer, dir. Alejandra Parody, Ben Sottak; Stigmata, dir. Ben Gordon; Jump Cut, dir. James Martin Morrison
Round two of our annual local shorts program, just in case you needed a reminder that NYC genre films are built different.
The Sacrifice, dir. Christopher Werener; VHX, dir. Alisa Stern, Scott Ampleford; Accidental Stars, dir. Emily Bennett; The Retreat, dir. Emmett Kerr-Perkinson; The Shadow Wrangler, dir. Grace Rex; Implied Monsters, dir. Christine Nyland; Strange Creatures, dir. Nicholas Payne Santos; Girl With the Grey Eyes, dir. Kara Grace Miller; Don’t F*ck With Ba, dir. Sally Tran
SPECIAL EVENTS
Final Exam Horror Trivia
Presented by Dark Sky Films
Do you think you know more about horror films than the rest of Gotham? Then it’s time to prove it via five blistering rounds of expert level creepy trivia with hosts Ted Geoghegan (director of WE ARE STILL HERE and Shudder’s BROOKLYN 45) and journalist Michael Gingold (of Fangoria and Rue Morgue fame)! Meet new friends, win amazing prizes, and learn more about horror cinema exclusively at Final Exam!
Certified Forgotten Podcast
Certified Forgotten is a 60-minute bi-weekly horror movie podcast with a focus on underseen films. Hosts Matt Donato and Matt Monagle speak with creators, filmmakers, and critics about their lifelong relationships to the horror genre. Each episode also highlights another unique genre title with ten-or-fewer reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes that’s picked by the guest, letting them champion each episode’s title to their heart’s content.
Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Lecture: Queer Vampires, Queer Liberation, Queer Futurity with Dr. Leah Richards
As any vampire scholar, and most vampire fans, will tell you, the figure of the vampire is inherently queer. John Polidori based Lord Ruthven (“The Vampyre,” 1818) on the indiscriminately licentious Lord Byron; J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla (“Carmilla,” 1872) still dominates the lesbian vampire genre; and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Dracula, 1897) tells his three brides that Jonathan Harker “is mine”. Their non-normative reproduction, the pleasure that they take in penetration and feasting, their seduction of victims into voluntary acquiescence, and their capes and ruffles and air of languid dissipation…vampires are queer. But so what?
This lecture will first establish cinematic vampires as almost universally queer-coded and explore the significance of this specific intersection of monstrosity and sexuality. The talk will then explore the alignment of vampire cinema with the queer liberation movement of the 1960s-70s, covering films such as Hammer’s Karnstein trilogy (The Vampire Lovers [1970], Lust for a Vampire [1971], and Twins of Evil [1971]) and its much gayer spiritual relatives including Daughters of Darkness (1971), The Blood Spattered Bride (1972), and Vampyres (1974), as well as recent titles like Bit (2019), Thirst (2020), and So Vam (2021).
Through the work of queer theorists including Lee Edelman, Jack Halberstam, and José Esteban Muñoz the lecture will explore the ways that vampires can contribute to discourses around queer identity, modes of being, and futurity.
LEVIATHAN AWARD
Presented by Arrow Video
The Leviathan Award, Brooklyn Horror’s first and only tribute award, was created in 2023 to honor the luminaries of horror and acknowledge their monstrous contributions to the genre.
2024 honors go to the irreplaceable Larry Fessenden whose inspired filmmaking, cherished turns in front of the camera and impactful producorial work as the founder of Glass Eye Pix has helped shepherd and sustain indie horror in New York for three decades and counting. Larry Fessenden is exactly the kind of trailblazing and enduring artist we want to celebrate, one whose distinct mark on the industry and on countless filmmakers is undeniable.
2024 Brooklyn Horror Jury
Features, Dark Matter
Edoardo Vitaletti (Filmmaker, THE LAST THING MARY SAW)
Justin DiPietro (MPI, Executive Vice President)
Toby Poser (Filmmaker, WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS)
Features, Head Trip
Jenika McCrayer (Horror Press, writer)
Jim Brunzell (Dark Star Pictures, Director of Festivals)
Jacqueline Castel (Filmmaker, MY ANIMAL)
Shorts
Avery Coffey (Unbound and Rewound Horror Podcast, Host & Producer)
Nathan Ginter (Filmmaker, THE THIRD EAR)
Sophie Carroll (Director of Creative, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
Some of the world’s biggest music stars, including Taylor Swift and Beyonce, are firmly embracing the influence of country and Western music, making now the perfect time to meet Lee Kernaghan,a country singer taking the world by storm in this heartfelt new feature documentary directed by Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Boxing Day).
Lee Kernaghan: Boy from the Bush celebrates the life and music of the Australian country singing superstar. Part concert film and part road trip adventure, this captivating feature is set for its digital release on 23 September courtesy of Reel 2 Reel Films.
With more than 2.5 million albums sold, 38 #1 hit songs to date and 37 coveted Golden Guitar Awards, Lee Kernaghan has shaped a generation and made a huge impact on the country music scene both in Australia and around the world. This fascinating film celebrates the stunning landscapes, remarkable people and amazing stories that have inspired Kernaghan over the years, featuring some of his greatest hits and a live performance with his band at a specially filmed concert.
Head to the outback Lee Kernaghan: Boy from the Bush, a love letter to rural Australia and country music and a must-watch for fans and newcomers alike.
ARROW Player Announces August 2024 Lineup Streamer Highlights Brutal and Unhinged Cinema, the UHD 4K release of Jack Ketchum’s Offspring, Japanese Thrills, Selections from Horror Author Grady Hendrix & More.
Arrow Video is excited to announce the August 2024 lineup of their subscription-based ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland. Enjoy a selection of new titles, from carefully cultivated curations to shorts by new talent to deep dives into the tastes of filmmakers that changed the way we see the genre.
The August 2024 lineup leads with the exclusive ARROW release of Andrew van den Houten’s feature adaptation of Jack Ketchum’s Offspring, available August 27 in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland.
Showing in 4K via ARROW, Ketchum’s uncompromisingly twisted vision of the dark side of the American family features Pollyanna McIntosh, who would reprise her role in Lucky McKee’s The Woman. “It’s been fun producing and directing horror films all these years,” says van den Houten, “and I cannot wait for people to see my latest version of Offspring in 4K HDR.”
ARROW’s signature curation begins August 2 with a new Season from one of the most popular authors in modern horror: Grady Hendrix Selects.
Novelist Grady Hendrix is the writer of My Best Friend’s Exorcism, The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires and How To Sell A Haunted House, the screenwriter of Satanic Panic, and also one of the founders of Subway Cinema and the New York Asian Film Festival.
Titles Include: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Leg Fighters, The Boxer’s Omen.
August 2 also includes a trio of titles featuring ARROW’s signature blend of action, murder, and seduction.
Bruce’s Deadly Fingers (UK/IRE/US/CA): After malicious gangsters capture Bruce Lee’s ex-girlfriend, a young martial artist attempts to rescue her – and the late master’s book containing lethal techniques for killing with one’s fingers.
Jailhouse Wardress (US/CA): While behind bars for murdering her abusive father, Maria (Lina Romay, Female Vampire) encounters a sadistic female warden and hatches an escape plan involving the seduction of a male nurse.
Crazy Fat Ethel (US/CA): After years in a mental institution, Ethel Janowski is released and taken in by her aunt to live a quiet existence. But for many people, including the institution’s staff and a local detective, discharging Ethel was a huge mistake and they will soon discover that her appetite for murder is stronger than it ever was for food.
For subscribers with only a few minutes to indulge, ARROW has a selection of mind-blowing, eclectic short films launching August 9, available in all subscriber territories.
The shorts include Flamingo, where an alienated dancer descends into the world of self-amputation; Eject, about a woman discovering a USB port in her wrist, that uncovers a world where she has the ability to change herself for the better.
The quartet is rounded out by Red Gloves, set in 1980s NYC, where a young dancer at the top of her class is stalked by a shadowy figure wearing red gloves; and Fck’n Nuts, with a melancholy teenager meeting the boy of her dreams, but desperately attempting to prevent him meeting her parents, who have scared all of her previous boyfriends away.
On August 9, get Snatched on ARROW!
Hunted, abducted, caught and captured, Snatched is a collection of films featuring protagonists that have been kidnapped and kept against their will. Will they escape? Will they make their abductors pay? And how much carnage can they cause on their way out? Find out in Snatched.
Titles Include: The Offspring 4K, The Woman, Stray Cat Rock: Wild Jumbo.
On August 16, wake up and turn on the TV for ARROW’s Hangover From Hell (UK/IRE/US/CA).
Fueled by booze, these tipsy cult films will go down easy and ensure a heck of a night, but, in the morning, you’re bound to have a Hangover From Hell!
Titles Include: This Stuff’ll Kill Ya!, Hotel Poseidon, A Taste of Blood.
On August 16, check out Vital (UK/IRE/US/CA), an award-winning medical thriller from Japanese auteur Shinya Tsukamoto.
After a tragic car accident where his girlfriend Ryôko Ooyama (Nami Tsukamoto) died, Hiroshi Takagi (Tadanobu Asano) suffers amnesia with his memories completely blanked. When he sees a book about dissection, he decides to join the medical school with the support of his parents. In the dissection class, his group participates in the autopsy of a young woman, and while cutting apart the tissue, he partially recalls his accident. Later, when he sees a tattoo in the arm of the corpse, he discloses that she was his girlfriend and becomes obsessed to go further in the examination of the body.
On August 23, ARROW has three new films, curated exclusively for subscribers in North America.
The Dead Mother (US/CA): Ismael (Karra Elejalde, Timecrimes) breaks into the house of a fine art restorer and shoots the homeowner dead, leaving her daughter orphaned and traumatized for life. Years later Ismael is working in a bar where he sees the daughter again. Paranoid that she has recognised him and will report him, he kidnaps her and holds her hostage, demanding that her hospital pay a ransom for her release.
Prague Nights (US/CA): In the vein of horror anthologies like Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath, the long-unseen Prague Nights is a gorgeous and supernatural vision of ancient and modern Prague: caught between Mod Sixties fashions and nightmarish Medieval catacombs, and filled with Qabbalistic magic, giant golems, occult rituals, clockwork automatons and satanic visitors.
The Terror (US/CA): The ghostly apparition of a woman is seen by an 18th Century French Lieutenant. After two failed attempts to keep up with her, he heads to the castle of the Baron, where he notices a painting of the Baron’s late wife, who looks like the ghostly woman.
Launching exclusively on ARROW August 27 is Offspring, director Andrew van den Houten’s brutal adaptation of cult horror novelist Jack Ketchum’s book, about a deadly clan of feral cannibals on the prowl.
Against the backdrop of grisly murders and child abductions, a clan of cannibalistic savages which plague the North-east Coast since 1858, is after an unsuspecting family and their innocent baby girl. Do they have what it takes to survive?
On August 30, go deeper into the making of Offspring with Andrew van den Houten Selects.
Andrew van den Houten, the director of August’s ARROW exclusive Offspring, and producer of The Ranger, says, “Horror is such a great world to explore all the dark and twisted ideas buried in our minds. I hope you enjoy my selections from the Arrow Player and can’t wait to direct another horror film for the fans soon! It’s been an honour being part of this community.”
Titles Include: Children of the Corn, Ringu 4K, Two Witches.
The lineup wraps on August 30 with three more titles, chilling North American subscribers as fall approaches.
In Night of the Scorpion (US/CA), a man brings his new wife to his sinister Spanish mansion, much to the displeasure of his family who also live there. It is then that the Sinister happenings start, and it appears a killer might be on the loose trying to cover up the tragic death of wife #1…or recommit murder again. Spanish Giallo at its best!
Terror at Tenkiller (US/CA): Leslie and Jana are a couple of attractive young ladies, who take off on a vacation and strange things start to happen at their remote cabin in the woods.
Castle of Blood (US/CA): It was begun by Sergio Corbucci (Django), completed by Antonio Margheriti (The Long Hair of Death) and remains one of the true masterpieces of Gothic Horror: When a journalist accepts a wager that he won’t survive the night in a haunted castle, it will unlock an odyssey of sexual torment, undead vengeance and a dark seductress (the legendary Barbara Steele) who surrenders the gravest of pleasures.
Plot: In 2045 convicted criminals are given the opportunity to compete on the world’s #1 televised sporting event, Arena Wars. They must survive 7 rooms and 7 of the most vicious killers in the country. If they win, they regain their freedom.
Runtime: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Arena Wars starts as the charismatic hosts Samson (Madsen) and Moses (Donavan) introduce the latest show. The contestants are convicted criminals who are allowed to compete for their freedom by defeating 7 of the deadliest killers in the country.
The killers include Calypso, Cutie Pie, Master Blaster, Mister Smiles, Nero, Counter-Strike and Meat Wagon. Meanwhile, the contestants include Luke Bender (Wells), and a group of others. Now, they face no escape other than to fight against the killers to survive for the audience’s entertainment.
Verdict on Arena Wars
Arena Wars is an action thriller following a former marine and a group of convicts placed on TV shows where convicts fight against serial killers. He must lead the group through the challenge while learning more about the corruption in the system.
This movie could easily be compared to ‘Running Man’ with the idea of convicts fighting past glamourized killers. It even puts an innocent man front and centre of the latest game. The host of colourful killers and convicts makes this an entertaining watch. One you never need to take too seriously and continues to poke fun at the need for extreme television. The movie does have one weakness and one factor holding it back from being epic and that is the lack of flair from the leading contestant. Otherwise, you can have a lot of fun watching this movie.
Where to Watch
Release Date – June 25th, 2024 through Gravitas Ventures.
Final Thoughts –Arena Wars is an entertaining all-out action movie.
