Screenings in the Bay (Monday 10th to Sunday 16th): Another Hole in the Head, The House That Jack Built

It's been an awesome two weeks of Another Hole in the Head screenings in San Francisco, and if you have not made it out to the New People yet, you still have three days. So check out the remaining schedule at AHITH.com and come watch some indie movies. Closing night of the festival is Wednesday.

As for the rest of the week, we'll be easing into Christmas with another Gremlins Movie Party at the Alamo Drafthouse, followed by The Brood for Terror Tuesday. The House That Jack Built will be opening in select theatres this Friday, and Bird Box will be screening early at the Opera Plaza in downtown San Francisco. I'm pretty interested in this one, it immediately made me think of A Quiet Place but with a different sense, but if it's not screening at a theatre near you, it will also be available on Netflix under two weeks. 

And be sure to check out the latest episode of the Overlook Hour Podcast, where the hosts discuss The House That Jack Built, along with some of the other movies that came out this year, as we all frantically try to catch up on the things we've missed. It's on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher and the various apps that you may use. 

Opening This Week

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Select Theatres Friday 14th (2hrs 32min)

Drama/ Horror/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

Boundary-pushing cinematic visionary Lars von Trier (Antichrist) returns with one of his most daring, masterfully provocative works yet. In five audacious episodes, failed architect and arch-sociopath Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts the elaborately orchestrated murders-each, as he views them, a towering work of art-that define his "career" as a serial killer. Mixing pitch black humor, transcendent surrealism, and renegade musings on everything from history to architecture to cinema, von Trier fashions a radical, blazingly personal inquiry into violence, art, and the twin acts of creation and destruction. With Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, and Bruno Ganz.

Screening at the 4 Star Theatre

Bird Box (2018)

Limited Theatres Thursday 13th (2hrs 4min)

Drama/ Horror/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

When a mysterious force decimates the world's population, only one thing is certain: if you see it, you take your life. Facing the unknown, Malorie finds love, hope and a new beginning only for it to unravel. Now she must flee with her two children down a treacherous river to the one place left that may offer sanctuary. But to survive, they'll have to undertake the perilous two-day journey blindfolded. Academy Award (R) winner Sandra Bullock leads an all-star cast that includes Trevante Rhodes, with Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich in BIRD BOX, a compelling new thriller from Academy Award (R) winner Susanne Bier.

Screening at the Landmark Opera Plaza

Alamo Drafthouse

Movie Party

Gremlins (1984)

Monday 10th @ 7pm (1hr 47min)

Comedy/ Horror/ Sci-Fi (Rotten Tomatoes)

A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Terror Tuesday

The Brood (1979)

Tuesday 11th @ 10pm (1hr 32min)

Horror/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

As the result of an unorthodox scientific experiment, a woman gives birth to a group of murderous, sexless mutant children. It is up to her ex-husband to discover the truth and stop this brood's rampage before he and his daughter become the next victims in this disturbing, graphic horror film.

Weird Wednesday

Birth (2004)

Wednesday 12th @ 10:25pm (1hr 40min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

Anna is a young widow who is finally getting on with her life after the death of her husband, Sean. Now engaged to be married, Anna meets a ten-year-old boy who tells her he is Sean reincarnated. Though his story is both unsettling and absurd, Anna can't get the boy out of her mind. And much to the concern of her fiancée, her increased contact with him leads her to question the choices she has made in her life.

Balboa Theatre

Super Shangri-La Show Presents

Samson and Delilah (1949)

Wednesday 12th @ 7:30pm (2hrs 11min)

Adventure/ Drama (IMDB)

When strongman Samson rejects the love of the beautiful Philistine woman Delilah, she seeks vengeance that brings horrible consequences they both regret.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

The Room (2003)

Friday 14th & Saturday 15th @ 11:55pm (1hr 39min)

Drama (IMDB)

This film centers on Johnny, a man who has it all; great friends, a good job, and a gorgeous fiancée named Lisa. But Lisa's innocent act masks the fact that she's looking to bring Johnny down, and her manipulations are tearing Johnny apart. As Lisa informs her cancer-ridden mother, Claudette, that Johnny hit her (and he did not hit her, that is bull$&*t, he did not!), Johnny's best friend, Mark, finds his resistance to Lisa's seductive charms weakening. Meanwhile, local orphan Denny looks up to Johnny, and needs the older man's help after the teen rips off a drug dealer. What kind of drugs? It doesn't matter. Then guys play football in tuxedos, because you can play football anywhere.

Roxie Theatre

Pig (Khook) (2018)

Thursday 13th @ 7pm (1hr 48min)

Drama/ Crime (Google)

Iranian directors are getting slaughtered by an unknown serial killer and a blacklisted director, Hasan Kasmai, is curious about only one thing: Why isn't the killer after him?

Midnites for Maniacs

and

Spoke Art Present

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982)

Sunday 16th @ 6pm (1hr 57min)

Sci-Fi/ Thriller IMDB)

Visually spectacular, intensely action-packed and powerfully prophetic since its debut, Blade Runner returns in Ridley Scott's definitive Final Cut, including extended scenes and never-before-seen special effects. In a signature role as 21st-century detective Rick Deckard, Harrison Ford brings his masculine-yet-vulnerable presence to this stylish noir thriller. In a future of high-tech possibility soured by urban and social decay, Deckard hunts for fugitive, murderous replicants - and is drawn to a mystery woman whose secrets may undermine his soul. This incredible version features the definitive Final Cut of Ridley Scott's legendary Sci-Fi classic.

-with-

Brazil (1985)

Sunday 16th @ 8:30pm (2hrs 12min)

Drama/ Sci-Fi (IMDB)

Terry Gilliam's 1985 film is a surrealist nightmare of a low-level bureaucrat in a dismal world of the near future.

-Huntress

The Unnamed Footage Festival Returns to San Francisco for Three Days of Found Footage Horror in 2019

San Francisco, CA - The Unnamed Footage Festival emerges from a dormant state to announce that it will be returning to the Bay Area in 2019 to celebrate the most divisive subgenre of horror offer once more. This announcement follows the appearance of an unmarked box containing a collection of unraveled film canisters and a near indecipherable notebook on the street in the Richmond District of San Francisco. Those who discovered the box were able to conclude that it was related to the Unnamed Footage Festival, and that the notebook was the key to the riddle. Seeking the assistance of local codebreakers and busibodies, it was determined that the message scrawled in the notebook gave the details for the upcoming festival, which will be return to the historic Balboa Theatre on Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23 in 2019. The frantic notes also confirmed the festival will be expanding for its second edition, adding an opening night “Calibration Party” on Thursday, February 21st. Upon wiping away congealed grime on the inside of the front cover, the words “Submit” and “FilmFreeway” became legible. Sadly, a name written next to a printed section labeled “Please Return To” remained too damaged to make out.

When contacted to comment on the interactive publicity stunt, UFF representatives grew uneasy, stating that the box had gone missing shortly after the first festival. They added relief that the box had resurfaced, and advised everyone who came in contact with it to wash their hands.

Along with the two day program of the film festival, which will include more short films, new features, classics, and under-the-radar gems, the UFF staff did confirm the Calibration Party will take place at the Artists’ Television Access (ATA) in the Mission District. The party will kick off with a screening and an intimate conversation with a filmmaker, followed by a reception with complimentary wine & beer. Further details on the event will be announced, along with ticket sales, in the coming months.

UFF programmers continue their search for new, old, and lost films that fall under the category of Found Footage Horror, Faux Documentary, or first person Point of View (POV) Cinema, even expanding the range to include Social Media Found Footage. “The stigma surrounding this subgenre is thicker than ever,” said the familiar UFF spokesperson. “With our second year, we aim to prove that there is a well of fascinating found footage horror films to be discovered. Fans and new converts will be very excited to see what we’ve dug up, and how it showcases the merit and creativity of this filmmaking style.”

Submissions for UFF2 will be accepted until January 11, 2019. Short films, anything under 40 minutes, are $10 to submit, while features are $20. “Many filmmakers start with found footage and then try to forget about it. Why not screen it to the right audience in a dark, spooky theatre instead?”

Submissions are now being accepted through Film Freeway: https://filmfreeway.com/UnnamedFootageFestival 

Badges will go on sale in early 2019. Follow the Unnamed Footage Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates. Updates will also be released as they become available on the weekly Overlook Hour Podcast.

https://www.facebook.com/unnamedfootagefestival/

https://twitter.com/unnamedfootage

https://www.instagram.com/unnamedfootagefest/

Unnamed Representatives are available for phone and email interviews.

Press requests can be sent to UnnamedFootageFest@gmail.com

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: The Nun, Elizabeth Harvest & Mission Impossible: Fallout

December 4th 2018

This has been a great year for releases so far. It feels like this year has flown by, now we are in the last few weeks of 2018. The first week of December kicks off with The Conjuring Universe spinoff film The Nun. While this wasn't my favorite of franchise, I'd definitely recommend it. Scream Factory releases indie sci-fi horror film Elizabeth Harvest. This has an interesting premise, I'm looking forward to checking out. The 6th in the Mission Impossible series hits shelves today, Mission Impossible: Fallout. This sequel was a crazy theater experience, there's lots of action, insane stunts and twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend checking this one out this week. Best Buy will carry their usual exclusive steelbook for this release. With the announcement of the CGI Lion King released, Disney is yet again re releasing the original animated classic The Lion King in 4K. Stop by Best Buy for an exclusive steelbook or Target for their exclusive which comes with art cards. Rounding out the week is the second seasons of Westworld and The Handmaiden's Tale, and the not so funny comedy The Happytime Murders. So what will you buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

The Nun: Amazon - $22.99

4K: Amazon - $29.99

A priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun.

 

 

Elizabeth Harvest: Amazon - $14.99

Newlywed Elizabeth arrives with her brilliant scientist husband Henry to his magnificent estate, where he wows her with lavish dinners and a dazzling tour of the property. The house staff Claire and Oliver (Matthew Beard) treat her deferentially but she can't shake the feeling something is off. Henry explains that everything in his world now belongs to her, all is for her to play in - all except for a locked-off room he forbids her from entering. When he goes away for business, Elizabeth decides to investigate.

 

Mission Impossible: Fallout: Amazon - $19.99

 4K: Amazon - $21.99

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $29.99

 

The Lion King 4K: Amazon - $29.99 

A young lion cub named Simba just can't wait to be king. But the sudden death of his father, Mufasa, and the treacherous actions of his Uncle Scar lead Simba into exile and ultimately on a hero's journey of self-discovery. Adopting the "hakuna matata" philosophy of his comical jungle guardians — a warthog and a meerkat (Pumbaa and Timon) — Simba eventually comes to terms with his destiny and returns home to Pride Rock to help put things right.

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $34.99

 

Exclusive Packaging:  Target - $32.99 

 

The Happytime Murders: Amazon - $19.99

When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.

 

Bloody Birthday: Amazon - $22.99

Lacking consciences because they were born during a solar eclipse, a trio of 10-year-olds embark on an indiscriminate killing spree.
 

  

Westworld (Season 2): Amazon - $36.99

4K: Amazon - $44.99 

In the series' second season, the newly awakened "hosts" explore their new reality, and flashbacks dig deeper into the origins of the world's most sophisticated theme park.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $49.99

 

The Handmaiden's Tale (Season 2): Amazon - $23.99

Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live in sexual servitude under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.

 

The Serpent's Egg: Amazon - $22.99

After his brother inexplicably commits suicide, unemployed Jewish-American circus performer Abel Rosenberg is stuck in Berlin with his sister-in-law, Manuela, a cabaret singer. Desperate circumstances lead to the pair taking jobs at a medical facility run by Professor Hans Vergerus, who also offers to give them shelter. However, the clinic turns out be a very sinister place, and soon the lives of Abel and Manuela are in serious jeopardy.

 

Ride: Amazon - $14.99

RIDE is a cautionary tale aimed at a technology-obsessed society. When James, an Uber driver, and his passenger, Jessica, pick up the charismatic but manipulative Bruno, a normal night out in LA becomes a psychological war for survival.

 

H.P. Lovecraft & The Kingdom of Madness: Amazon - $16.99

A young Howard Lovecraft and a few friends must travel to Antarctica in order to prevent the awakening of Cthulhu.

 

Corpse Prison: Part Two: Amazon - $13.99

For 50 years no girls were born in a small village deep in the mountains. A professor, his assistant and his female students from university arrive in this isolated village for field work. Will they make it back? 

 

Till Death Do Us Part: Amazon - $11.99

Michael and Madison Roland had planned to spend the rest of their lives together, until one day Michael's controlling ways turned their perfect marriage. With the help of her best friend, Madison decides to get away. After adopting a new identity, she meets Alex Stone and learns to love again. All is well, until Michael discovers Madison's whereabouts, and recreates the nightmare she once lived all over again.

 

- The Impostor 

Screenings in the Bay (Monday 3rd to Sunday 9th): Pig, The Fear Footage, Dial Code Santa Clause, Reborn

Ready or not, Christmas is just around the corner. And while I'm not too crazy about that fact, I am very excited to check out the Christmas horror lineup at the Alamo Drafthouse! It starts this week, with Dial Code Santa Clause on Terror Tuesday! I've seen several of the other titles billed for the rest of the month, but this one will be entirely new to me. 

December also means the classic Christmas movies will be popping up, and that of course means that Gizmo's adorable face will be appearing at several theatres throughout the month. 

The 4 Star Theatre presents a new Taiwanese horror film starting this Friday, and the Roxie gets an Iranian slasher on Sunday.

And that's all before we talk about Another Hole in the Head! Every day this week has something interesting screening at the New People Cinema, except for Wednesday, when the festival screens Lifechanger at the Landmark Embarcadero Theatre. Then on Saturday, Barbara Crampton will be attending the Reborn screening at 7pm, followed by The Fear Footage with an intro by the Overlook maniacs! Check out our review HERE and come by the New People at 9pm to see what we're talking about.

Another Hole in the Head Film Festival

Ghost Squad (2018)

Monday 3rd @ 9pm (1hr 46min)

Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

After a group of girls get murdered, they come back as ghosts and seek revenge.

Lifechanger (2018)

Wednesday 5th @ 7:15pm (1hr 24min)

Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

A murderous shapeshifter sets out on a blood-soaked mission to make things right with the woman he loves.

Killer Unicorn (2018)

Thursday 6th @ 7pm (1hr 16min)

Horror/ Slasher

Danny is your average Brooklyn party boy. This year, he and his friends couldn't be more excited about the upcoming "Brooklyn Annual Enema Party"; one of Brooklyn's biggest party, the event is a place "where you come to get douched and dance". While the night starts out fun, it quickly takes a turn for the worst when Danny is attacked by a stranger. In the end, his fabulous drag queen and queer friends are able to save his life, but not without deadly consequences. A year later, Danny is still going throughout the aftermath of that horrible incident and refuses to go to this year's upcoming "Brooklyn Annual Enema Party", despite the pressure of his close friends Cholata, Collin and Gayson. His friends want Danny to face his fears and go back out into the world. Danny refuses, but when a new boy, PuppyPup, enters his life, Danny decides to give his social life and the Brooklyn nightlife scene a second chance. It isn't until his friends start to disappear and get killed in gruesome ways that Danny realizes that his life, and everyone else who helped him that night, are in danger. A man wearing a unicorn mask is killing off Brooklyn nightlife, one queen at a time, and he won't stop until he has his revenge.

Reborn (2018)

Saturday 8th @ 7pm (1hr 18min)

Horror/ Thriller

A stillborn baby girl is abducted by a morgue attendant and brought back to life by electrokinetic power. On her 16th birthday, she escapes captivity and sets out to find her birth mother, leaving a trail of destruction behind her.

With Barbara Crampton in person!

The Fear Footage (2018)

Saturday 8th @ 9pm (1hr 11min)

Horror (IMDB)

On April 19th, 2016, Deputy Leo Cole vanished. The next morning, his body camera was found.

With an intro by the Overlook Theatre!

~💀💀💀~

Opening This Week

The Appearance (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 7th (1hr 51min)

Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

Mateho the Inquisitor (Jake Stormoen, "The Outpost") and his comrade (Kristian Nairn, "Game of Thrones") are summoned to a monastery to investigate a series of mysterious murders and the alleged 'witch' accused of the horrific crimes. It soon becomes clear that something evil haunts the church and Mateho must act quickly to stop the dark vengeance from destroying everything in its path.

4 Star Theatre

The Tag-Along: Devil Fish (2018)

Opens Friday 7th (1hr 30min)

Horror (IMDB)

The devil fish which manipulated by Juon-like ghost ''a little girl in red dress'' targets tiger-man's mother. Then, tiger-man tries excising his mother from the devil fish and a little girl in red dress.

Alamo Drafthouse

Terror Tuesday

Dial Code Santa Clause (1989)

Tuesday 4th @ 10pm (1hr 27min)

Action/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

Before HOME ALONE, there was DIAL CODE SANTA CLAUS. Thomas is a typical 1980's kid who loves Rambo, computers, role-playing games and his dog. While Mom's away at the office on Christmas Eve, Thomas and his grandfather are left home alone -- perfect timing for a disgruntled, perverted, bloodthirsty Santa Claus to raid the home down the chimney. But Hell hath no fury like a mulleted 10-year-old with an arsenal of toys!

Weird Wednesday

Cut-Throats Nine (1972)

Wednesday 5th @ 10pm (1hr 30min)

Crime/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

A wagon load of convicts on their way to prison is being escorted through the mountains by a cavalry troop. They are attacked by a bandit gang, and only a sergeant, his beautiful young daughter and an assortment of seven sadistic, murderous prisoners survive, and they are left without horses or a wagon. The sergeant must find a way to get his prisoners to their destination while protecting his daughter, watching out for the still pursuing bandits and trying to determine which one of the prisoners was the man who raped and murdered his wife.

Movie Party

Gremlins (1984)

Friday 7th @ 1pm & 6pm (1hr 47min)

Saturday 8th @ 6pm

Comedy/ Horror/ Sci-Fi (Rotten Tomatoes)

A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Also Screening at the Balboa Theatre



Balboa Theatre

Gremlins (1984)

Friday 7th @ 7:30pm (1hr 47min)

Comedy/ Horror/ Sci-Fi (Rotten Tomatoes)

A boy inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Castro Theatre

Double Feature

Halloween (2018)

Friday 7th @ 7pm (1hr 46min)

Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

It's been 40 years since Laurie Strode survived a vicious attack from crazed killer Michael Myers on Halloween night. Locked up in an institution, Myers manages to escape when his bus transfer goes horribly wrong. Laurie now faces a terrifying showdown when the masked madman returns to Haddonfield, Ill. -- but this time, she's ready for him.

-with-

Suspiria (2018)

Friday 7th @ 9pm (2hrs 32min)

Fantasy/ Horror/ Mystery (IMDB)

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the troupe's artistic director (Swinton), an ambitious young dancer (Johnson), and a grieving psychotherapist (Ebersdorf). Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Friday 7th & Saturday 8th @ 11:55pm (1hr 39min)

Action/ Adventrure/ Fantasy (Rotten Tomatoes)

"Kurt Russell plays hard-boiled truck driver Jack Burton, who gets caught in a bizarre conflict within, and underneath, San Francisco's Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince and Chinatown crime lord has kidnapped a beautiful green-eyed woman, who is the fiancee to Jack's best friend. Jack must help his friend rescue the girl before the evil Lo Pan uses her to break the ancient curse that keeps him a fleshless and immortal spirit."

Roxie Theatre

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Saturday 8th @ 9:15pm (1hr 33min)

Sunday 9th @ 1:45pm

Fantasy/ Action (Google)

"Jen (Stephen Garlick), raised by the noble race called the Mystics, has been told that he is the last survivor of his own race, the Gelflings. He sets out to try to find a shard of the dark crystal, a powerful gem that once provided balance to the universe. After the crystal was broken, the evil Skeksis used sinister means to gain control. Jen believes that he can repair the dark crystal and bring peace back to the world, if he can only find the remaining shard."

Pig (2018)

Sunday 9th @ 4pm (1hr 48min)

Drama/ Crime (Google)

Iranian directors are getting slaughtered by an unknown serial killer and a blacklisted director, Hasan Kasmai, is curious about only one thing: Why isn't the killer after him?

-Huntress