Bookwyrm here yet again for another riveting post telling you all about whatever weird horror anime I decided to watch this week! However this week is a little different because I didn't watch an entire anime and I didn't read a manga, but rather I watched the first episode of the new season of Attack on Titan, everyone's favorite horror anime (for whatever reason). I figured it was time I got with the times and stopped reviewing age old things like Gyo and started talking about what the kids are into these days (not really I just ran out of things to talk about lolol).
Now as we can see from these key visuals released to announce the new season things certainly look a lot more chaotic don't they? Everyone looks a lot more stressed out than they were last season and boy oh boy is that picture with titan Eren facing off against the colossal and armored titan filled with lightning! Things do not look like they are going to go easily in the new season and as a manga reader let me tell you, I'm right! The days of training and friendship are over in season two and I'm betting there is going to be a lot more of straight up titan killing, people dying, arms being ripped off (hehe), and way less of annoying Mikasa crying about Eren ignoring her. Well okay, maybe not so much less of that last part. I for one can not wait to see what's going to happen over the course of the season and think it's (hopefully) going to be even better than the first!
The first episode throws you right back into the swing of things with a short recap of what happened last season and then cuts back to Hange about to throw a priest off a building because he won't talk about the titans hiding inside the walls. Ah yes, how I missed Attack on Titan. For the most part there was visually no difference animation wise between the two seasons which I love. My favorite aspect of the animation was always the way it looked, the color scheme and backgrounds were always so beautiful and I found the way the characters looked to be striking and the art always appealed to me. However I was hoping for more of a catchy theme song because I kept thinking back on the unforgettable "Guren no Yumiya" from the first part of season one and man was that song catchy and intense in all the right ways. Season two is also supposed to bring to light a ton of new developments including this new titan pictured above, the beast titan, go more into why there are titans within the walls, discovering the identities of the armored and colossal titans (and other yet to be mentioned titans), and even some more betrayal within humanities own ranks. And I'll finally get to stop hearing people talk about how they want to know who the Colossal titan is! (If you care that much just read the manga, I've known for years!!!!!)
Just talking about the first episode I would have to say that I am excited to watch the rest of the season. I vividly remembered all of the characters names and what was happening before the start of the season and all of those stupid memories from watching season one came rushing back to me. So I will continue to watch this not only for myself but because as soon as it's dubbed I'm sure every annoying person around me that refuses to watch subbed anime will be talking about it just like when season one was dubbed all those years ago. If you thought Attack on Titan merchandise was starting to slowly fade away, you were wrong! Now that it's back on the air the merchandise will be coming back stronger than ever with everyone from children to grandparents who can't possibly know about the show sporting scouting legion jackets and Hot Topic overflowing their anime section with blankets, wallets, and shirts with Eren Yeager's face. I mean you may as well watch season two since it's probably the only anime your non anime watching friends will talk to you about if we're being honest!
What a weekend! I don't know why, but it seems like all the theatres that have been quiet on the horror front decided to screen all their favorites. Take the New Parkway Theatre for example. They're showing to classics back to back. And in a pleasant turn of events, the Super Shangri-La Show double feature for this week is being held on Saturday as part of the Balboa's Beer Movies series. That means your ticket includes a can of beer, as well as a cool double feature.
VOD is also looking great!
Most of the new releases are being shown in a limited number of theatres, but if none of them are playing near you, there's always the rental route.
And we're going to miss all of it! But we're at Monsterpalooza so it's hard to complain 😁
When police officer Carter (Aaron Poole) discovers a blood-soaked man limping down a deserted road, he rushes him to a local hospital with a barebones, night shift staff. As cloaked, cult-like figures surround the building, the patients and staff inside start to turn ravenously insane. Trying to protect the survivors, Carter leads them into the depths of the hospital where they discover a gateway to immense evil.
Tom Green (Road Trip, Freddy got Fingered) and Shannen Doherty (Charmed, Beverly Hills 90210) star in the spine-chilling Bethany, from acclaimed filmmaker James Cullen Bressack (Pernicious, To Jennifer), in theaters and On Demand this April. After Claire's mother dies, she and her husband move back to her childhood home only to have the abusive and traumatic memories of her mother come back and bring unrest into the house. Claire soon finds herself in a fog of past and present when her imaginary friend from childhood begins haunting her memories. What is this terrifying thing that is trying to reach out to her, and what does it want? Stefanie Estes (If Looks Could Kill), Zack Ward (Restoration), Keith Jardine (John Wick), Leon Russom (TV's Prison Break) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) star in a film by James Cullen Bressack.
Gloria is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend, is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.
A seemingly indestructible humanoid cyborg is sent from 2029 to 1984 to assassinate a waitress, whose unborn son will lead humanity in a war against the machines, while a soldier from that war is sent to protect her at all costs.
Just as Hitchcock's Psycho was based on the life of deeply disturbed farmer Ed Gein, so is this little story of depravity and dementia. When a sister and her brother take a group of friends to visit the farmhouse of their deceased grandfather, they discover that just next door lives a whole family of repugnant psycho killers. Most noteworthy is "Leatherface" who is the bloke who wields the power saw and has a penchant for human flesh. Though the film did not enjoy immediate success at the box office, it has since gathered a hefty cult following. Directed by Tobe Hooper, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is considered by many to be groundbreaking work in the genre of horror.
Friday 7th to Sunday 9th @ 7:30pm + 4:45 on weekend (1hr 11min)
Drama/ Horror/ Mystery (IMDB)
A woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village, and finds that they may have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.
An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, writer/director Michael O'Shea's debut feature The Transfiguration follows troubled teen Milo who hides behind his fascination with vampire lore. When he meets the equally alienated Sophie, the two form a bond that begins to challenge Milo's dark obsession, blurring his fantasy into reality. A chilling portrait of violence, The Transfiguration is an atmospheric thriller set against the grit of New York City.
An unprecedented look at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, the "man behind the curtain", and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema.
2 of 7 viewers "Liked" "Frankenstein Created Bikers" (2017, USA)
Here's what the creatures had to say:
KillDozer - "One of the greatest and most entertaining intros to a modern throw back ever! With that being said it then went straight downhill from there and I do mean straight down to a boring torturous hell where even the goriest kill could not bring my smile or interest back. It felt as though the gore and vulgarity was thrown at us a mile a minute to try and cover the fact that this film was made up of no less than 10 sub plots and no actual main plot to speak of. The acting was grindhouse, the banter was pure redneck gold full of over the top misogynistic fun that still was unable to make anyone in the screening give out a guilty laugh. All in all I feel like this was wasted talent. One star for making the film and one for some fun practical gore moments." - 2 Stars (not collection worthy)
The Ascendant - "James Bickert's (Crowd-Funded) sequel to his 2011 film, Dear God No!, is (mostly) 125-minutes of disappointment. Frankenstein Created Bikers (2016) has all the pieces for a fun Throwback (Exploitation) film, ranging from werewolves, (undead) bikers and bounty hunters to excessive nudity and gore. It also has the advantage of both a solid returning cast (Jett Bryant & Madeline Brumby) and the additions of genre darlings such as Tristan Risk (American Mary, The Editor), Laurence R. Harvey (The Human Centipede 2 & 3) and Ellie Church (Time To Kill, Headless). With all of those pieces behind writer/director James Bickert, why wasn't this a walk-in-the-park? Well, there are a myriad of fundamental & technical issues, all of which fall on the lap of Bickert himself. Scenes in the film feel overtly strange, not because of their content but because of how they appear and transition. As viewers, we are constantly placed in settings without any sort of context, such as establishing shots or shots where our characters are physically traveling to these locations (shouldn't there be more Choppers in this film?). Characters are constantly appearing suddenly, spouting their (stiff) lines and then casually moving onto the next scene. These lack of fundamental transitions make the film's flow confusing and rob its overall sense of urgency. In that lies the film's other glaring issue, which is that the pieces of this film are much greater than the whole. In Frankenstein Created Bikers' (2016) 125-minute run-time, you'll find quite a few scenes for a kinetic, gory and offensive 2-minute Trailer but not for a (full) coherent film. It almost feels like Bickert's goal was simply to shoot enough to make an interesting trailer as well as accompanying (Photo) stills and in that he succeeded. Actress Tristan Risk (Val) is the only person on set that seems to be having any sort of fun with her character, constantly chewing scenery, not only with her dialogue but with her physicality as well. The other characters in the film (including the returning cast) are written so thinly by Bickert, that they constantly struggle with character inspiration and dialogue. I wasn't expecting Bickert to write Citizen Kane but I wasn't expecting him to be so unsuccessful with caricatures either. Strangely enough, Dear God No! (2011) comes off as Bickert's stronger film and his bigger yet more confusing sequel, is a bit of a dud." - 2 Stars
Dabbles - "I honestly was really into this movie up until the final 45 minutes. The length killed my buzz and I'm usually all about weird movies with odd dialogue but this one just tried to do too much. (***Added after***) Unlike Science Team, this one felt more cluttered as far as placement of lines and pacing. It almost made this misdirection montage that confused the hell out of what to root for. I also almost fell asleep. As for the movie's pros, it's full of humor, visual effects, and good confusion." - 3 Stars
Trash - "Frankenstein Created Bikers was an interesting project, crowdfunded to afford a production on 35mm, and then taken on a roadshow to project the negative. Sadly, the movie doesn't live up to the concept. After a gory and frenetic opening that promises we are about to have a great time, Frankenstein Created Bikers gets completely sedate, medium shots with its characters talking and talking and little else happening. It's hard to get a grip on where anything is happening, because there's no effort put in to show us the locations and the layout. The most punishing part is its written in the voice of someone who must fancy themselves a redneck Shakespeare but sounds more like idiotic blathering that's impossible to retain. The only person who seems to land the hammy tone of the movie is Tristan Risk, whose final scene caused the room to point at me and declare "Oh look, it's Trash!" due to her man-hating insanity. But the most frustrating part is there's a lot of good hidden in there, but the bulky 125 minute run time makes it painful to get through. If you can make an awesome 80 minute Troma movie, make an 80 minute Troma movie! What is this?!?" - 1.5 Stars Lord Battle - "Retro grindhouse films have created a strange sub-genre, taking plots that are as deep as a trailer is long, and attempting to stretch them into a feature film. Now don't get me wrong these movies can work, Wolf Cop (79min), Headless (85min), and Turbo Kid (95min) are some of my favorites, each with their own simple premise stretched to around 90 minutes. Around the middle of act 2 (75min mark?) the creatures that were in attendance started to either fall in and out of sleep or become vocal about their disappointment in where Frankenstein Created Bikers (125min) direction had gone, which was insane since everyone loved the intro! The film was just waaaay too long and "All killer, no filler" doesn't mean you remove establishing shots, transition shots, and most B-roll. In the end this was a tough review to write since every actor in this film is a strong talent in the indie horror scene and its a shame the film was hurt so badly by one guy dropping the ball." - 2 Stars
Math Mage - "I love Frankenstein as a concept so I had high hopes, but most Frankenstein movies are garbage so I was prepared for disappointment. Or so I thought. This boring, repetitive, directionless mess contained 800% "Cleaver" dialogue and is peopled with interesting characters and a squandered premise. How do you fuck up zombie bikers Bigfoot hunters? This is how." - 2 Stars Huntress - "From the very beginning, Frankenstein Created Bikers had a lot going on. Waves of new characters seemed to be introduced with every new scene and I got the impression I should already know who they were. Early into the film I was sure that seeing Dear God No beforehand would have clarified things for me. But by the end I had some doubts. This is not a movie to discount entirely; the effects were practical and looked great (there was no skimping out on blood and dismemberment!) but I could have done with less quarky dialogue. It felt out of place and character for these undead bikers." - 3 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
(Below is for after you've seen the film)
Originally this wrap up was going to be about other grindhouse films that featured biker gangs going up against other supernatural creatures. Thing is, other than Bigfoot (1970) which only sort of counts, there isn't very much variety, just a than a plethora of bikers vs zombie films. I just have no interest in sharing more zombie films. Thankfully Trash suggested we share a little insight into the world of Bosozoku girl gangs.
Bōsōzoku
The word bōsōzoku is also applied to motorcycle subculture with an interest in motorcycle customizing, often illegal, and making noise by removing the mufflers on their vehicles so that more noise is produced. These bōsōzoku groups sometimes ride without motorcycle helmets (which in Japan is illegal), also engage in dangerous or reckless driving, such as weaving in traffic, and running red lights. Another activity is speeding in city streets, not usually for street racing but more for thrills. With many bikes involved, the leading one is driven by the leader, who is responsible for the event and is not allowed to be overtaken. Japanese police call them Maru-Sō (police code マル走 or 丸走) and occasionally dispatch police vehicles to trail the groups of bikes for the reason of preventing possible incidents, which may include: riding very slowly through suburbs at speeds of 5–10 mph, creating a loud disturbance while waving imperial Japanese flags, and starting fights that may include weapons (such as wooden swords, metal pipes, baseball bats and Molotov cocktails). These bōsōzoku gangs are generally composed of people under the legal adult age, which in Japan is 20 years old.
Furyô banchô: Inoshika Ochô (Delinquent Boss) a bosozoku series, ran from 1968 to 1972 and spanned 16 films. Alleycat Rock: Female Boss came out in 1970 and was included in the series but depicted a female run gang, inspired by Roger Corman's The Wild Angels which was released in 1966.
(Alleycat Rock: Female Boss)
Now I haven't seen these films but I can only assume that they created a subculture of tough women that drive around flashy and angry, kinda like the opening of Akira. So we can learn about incredible subculture together, I've attached a half-hour doc Vice did on these women a couple years ago.
(Bosozoku Girl Gang member)
-Lord Battle
The Overlook Theatre materialized in a residence for a screening on 3/30/2017
*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.
This week, The Overlook Hour hosts are joined by a returning guest and an outspoken member of the Overlook family, The Impostor. You may know him as an avid bluray collector, the author of our weekly Bluray Tuesday article, and a huge fan of gore. You can follow his horror addiction on Instagram.
The hosts go through their weekend movies and mention several familiar titles of varying enjoyment..
And then have a pretty in depth conversation about the recently release It trailer as well as their thought on the upcoming/original film.
And since this episode was recorded right around the 49th anniversary of the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey there is also some Kubrick talk as well. How could there not be?
But as you all may know, that's just the beginning. Check out episode 33 below for the rest!
The first Bluray Tuesday of April has arrived! Not a whole lot of releases this week. The biggest today is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story a prequel / sequel set in between episodes III and IV. I saw this in theaters and loved every moment of it. Definitely looking forward to episode VIII this coming December and they have plans to release Star Wars films throughout 2030! Best Buy will carry an exclusive steelbook edition of Rogue One. Target's exclusive will include a 3D disc, character cards in a digipack packaging. New droid K2-SO gets Walmart love as their versions will have an exclusive slipcover. So lots of Star Wars love today. On to the horror releases today are indie films Don't Kill It which looks pretty action horror and We Go On which is a supernatural drama horror film. Both have interesting premises and I look forward to seeing both of these. Scream Factory releases Invasion of the Bee Girls for the first time on bluray. I've never heard of this one and will check out in the near future. Last but not least is hilarious comedy film titled Office Christmas Party. If you want a good laugh this week I'd definitely recommend checking this out. So what will you buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!
Former scientist Galen Erso lives on a farm with his wife and
young daughter Jyn. His peaceful existence comes crashing down when the
evil Orson Krennic takes him away from his beloved family. Many years
later, Galen is now the Empire's lead engineer for the most powerful
weapon in the galaxy, the Death Star. Knowing that
her father holds the key to its destruction, a vengeful Jyn joins forces
with a spy and other resistance fighters to steal the space station's
plans for the Rebel Alliance.
Special Features:
A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM's John Knoll came up with the
movie's concept – and why it's the right film to launch the Star Wars
stand-alone films.
Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One's defiant, resourceful
survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to
life onscreen.
Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex,
driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance
and passion.
K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed
Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan
Tudyk's performance.
Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the
relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese
superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest
Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader,
and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
Visions of Hope: The Look of "Rogue One" – The filmmakers
describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for
the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the
vibrant young princess of Star Wars: A New Hope – as well as one of her
most memorable foes – back to the screen.
Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate
Rogue One's premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars
stories yet to be told.
Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden
throughout the movie that connect Rogue One to the Star Wars universe.
When an ancient demon is accidentally unleashed in a sparsely populated
Mississippi town of Chickory Creek, their only hope of survival lies in
the hands of a grizzled old demon hunter Jebediah Woodley and his
reluctant partner FBI agent Evelyn Pierce.
Miles Grissom is a video editor in Los Angeles who lives with an
excessive fear of death that keeps him alone, afraid, and stuck in his
life. When he comes into some inheritance money, he places a newspaper
advertisement offering a reward to the first person who can show him a
ghost, a demon, a past-life memory – anything to prove we go on after we
die – in the hopes that having certainty will allow him to live free of
his anxieties. He sorts through the thousands of responses to arrive at
three viable candidates: a science professor, a local medium working in
a Mexican restaurant, and a worldly entrepreneur. Charlotte, Miles’s
protective mother, joins him on his quest, and they embark on an
adventure through Los Angeles – one that will spiral into a hellish
nightmare.
When an overbearing CEO (Jennifer Aniston) decides to close her
hard-partying brother's failing branch, he (T.J. Miller) and his fired
up co-workers (Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn, Kate McKinnon) decide to
throw an epic office party to land a big shot client and save everyone's
jobs. Fueled by booze and bad decisions, things quickly spiral
out-of-control in one of the craziest nights of their lives.
Special Features:
Unrated Version of the film
Theatrical Version of the film
Audio Commentary by directors Josh Gordon & Will Speck
Paterson (Adam Driver) is a hardworking bus driver in Paterson,
N.J., who follows the same routine every day. He observes the city and
listens to fragments of conversations while picking up and dropping off
his passengers. Paterson also writes heartfelt poems in a notebook,
walks his dog and drinks one beer in a bar after his
shift is over. Waiting for him at home is Laura (Golshifteh Farahani),
his beloved wife who champions his gift for writing.
You guys remember how little there was going on this past weekend? Well this week is about to make up for that! First off, this is the opening week of the San Francisco International Film Festival, with it's opening night party taking place this Wednesday evening at the Castro Theatre. While there is a disappointingly low number of films under the "Dark Wave" category (which is this fest's genre section essentially), there are still two weeks worth of films coming our way. Be sure to look though the schedule and see if anything piques your interest.
This Friday is a huge release day for new movies, some in limited theatres and most on VOD. If anyone is in southern California this weekend, you can catch several of these limited screenings. And that brings me to one more event worthy of noting... this weekend is Monsterpalooza!! Which means that yours truly, and several other Overlook horror nerds will be in Pasadena this weekend. And we just might try to catch some of those screenings when we're not taking in the sights at the convention. I hope to see some of you guys there!
When police officer Carter (Aaron Poole) discovers a blood-soaked man limping down a deserted road, he rushes him to a local hospital with a barebones, night shift staff. As cloaked, cult-like figures surround the building, the patients and staff inside start to turn ravenously insane. Trying to protect the survivors, Carter leads them into the depths of the hospital where they discover a gateway to immense evil.
Gloria is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend, is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.
Tom Green (Road Trip, Freddy got Fingered) and Shannen Doherty (Charmed, Beverly Hills 90210) star in the spine-chilling Bethany, from acclaimed filmmaker James Cullen Bressack (Pernicious, To Jennifer), in theaters and On Demand this April. After Claire's mother dies, she and her husband move back to her childhood home only to have the abusive and traumatic memories of her mother come back and bring unrest into the house. Claire soon finds herself in a fog of past and present when her imaginary friend from childhood begins haunting her memories. What is this terrifying thing that is trying to reach out to her, and what does it want? Stefanie Estes (If Looks Could Kill), Zack Ward (Restoration), Keith Jardine (John Wick), Leon Russom (TV's Prison Break) and Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) star in a film by James Cullen Bressack.
Professional weirdo Clint Howard plays one of his more interesting oppressed-geek roles in this occult revenge thriller about a tormented military-school nerd (apparently in his mid-thirties!) whose personal computer provides the only solace from the endless taunts and pranks of his fellow cadets. He also has an intense fascination with the occult, leading him to investigate an arcane tome secreted within an ancient, crumbling chapel. In an attempt to decipher the text, he feeds it into the computer, which translates the writings into actual working spells. As Clint's mind reels with the possibilities of sweet revenge against his cruel classmates and teachers, the demonic forces once trapped within the book begin to exert control over his mind and body. Before long, he is able to summon an army of snarling devil-pigs (no, that's not a misprint) to do his evil bidding. Though this is essentially a gender-bent rip-off of Carrie, there is enough in the way of spooky atmosphere and well-staged shocks to keep less discriminating horror fans interested.
When a group of students led by a psychopath (Timothy Van Patten) terrorizes an inner-city high school, the new music teacher (Perry King) decides on violence as the final measure of discipline. The film was followed by a sequel, Class of 1999.
A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after he narrowly escapes a bizarre accident.
An official selection at the Cannes Film Festival, writer/director Michael O'Shea's debut feature The Transfiguration follows troubled teen Milo who hides behind his fascination with vampire lore. When he meets the equally alienated Sophie, the two form a bond that begins to challenge Milo's dark obsession, blurring his fantasy into reality. A chilling portrait of violence, The Transfiguration is an atmospheric thriller set against the grit of New York City.
Lord Battle - "Prevenge was not what I expected. I saw a pregnant woman on the poster of a horror film and instantly thought "great, now I'll have to hear about how everyone loves Rosemary's Baby for a month. And of course right in the center of every Twin Peaks fan staggering out of the woodwork (pardon my pun) to talk about David Lynch...etc". To sum up my thought rant, I was projecting on Prevenge in a major way based on the poster because the Bay Area owns the batsignal of Virtue Signaling and has made me cynical in a way I've only just become aware of. Thankfully Prevenge won our Thursday poll and I was able to see what I can only describe as a dark horror/comedy slasher. I realize how redundant and long winded that sounds but it's honestly the only way to describe the film. And even though this film is a slasher, it's neither retro nor steeped in research to be considered "elevated" (which doesn't mean it's lacking in plenty of metaphor, especially Adam and Eve imagery). Prevenge is elevated just slightly below one's brow and will only turn off fans of the UK office as they both are comedies of embarrassments (i.e. very British)." - 4.5 Stars
Huntress - "Prevenge made me appreciate the power of dry humor in the context of horror. The film’s ability to switch from uncomfortable yet realistic small talk to biting, direct criticisms that took a minute for the recipient to process made my eyes widen with a mixture of amusement and surprise, and that was entirely due to the leading lady’s delivery. As the writer/director/star of Prevenge, Alice Lowe gives the film a face and all of its power." - 4 Stars Trash - "Alice Lowe is awesome: she wrote, directed, and starred in Prevenge while actually pregnant. And Baby Blood aside, pregnancy horror is rarely done like this, in which the pregnant lead isn't a victim trying to protect her baby, but the slasher herself. It's so exciting to see Lowe establishing herself as a filmmaker, telling a story that's not only personal but funny and a weird indie horror. It feels very close to Sightseers in a lot of ways, stripped down, character focused, and strange. Sometimes the plot gets lost in her character, Ruth's perspective, leaving things a tad bit unclear. But it doesn't detract from the movie much." - 4 Stars
Dabbles - "A prego slasher never seemed so sweet. I love that Alice Lowe wrote, directed, and starred in the movie. The character development, escalation of plot, and character's purpose was well built and fully effective. The script had so much well written humor, and the execution by the actors and the lead became the cherry on top. I'd put this on my bluray shelf." - 5 Stars
Math Mage - "Hilarious black comedy about motherhood, revenge, and discovering what you really want. Alice Lowe's crying face is all you need to sell this film." - 5 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
(Below is for after you've seen the film)
After our Shudder screening of Prevenge,it was clear that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the film and that we all wanted to know more about the writer/director/star Alice Lowe! Also we slightly argued about whether she was really pregnant or not... which is answered in the following interview with Daily Dead.
I read through quite a bit of interviews to make sure I plugged the right one for all the creatures out there and Daily Dead is pretty damn good at asking interesting questions. So check them out (HERE) and actually read this interview! It's awesome!
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Daily Dead - So great to speak with you today, Alice. I’m a big fan of Sightseers and I was so excited to hear you were going to be taking the reins on your own project. For Prevenge, I'd love to hear if this was an idea that you had prior to getting pregnant, or did your pregnancy become the genesis for everything?
Alice Lowe: I basically had to be provoked into doing this project. It's quite funny, I was pregnant and I'd been developing a film for about three years to direct, and it just wasn't happening. It was in development limbo, and then I was having a baby, and so it really wasn't going to happen. So I was accepting of the fact that if I want to get a film done now, I'm probably not going to get to direct.
And I had made a film as an actress with director Jamie Adams, where we did this five-day shoot that was all improvised. It did really well and it went to South by Southwest and Sundance, and so he came to me about a year later and said, "That worked really well. Do you want to do another one? I've got this company that I'm working with where it is private financing and it's good to go, they really like you, they want to shoot something really quickly, and the money is there to do it. It's very low budget." It was exactly what I wanted to be doing, but I couldn't do it because now I was pregnant.
So I went away having said “no.” But then I realized that I really wanted to work, so I decided to come up with a character that I could play as pregnant, and I'd write out a quick thing. I sent them a pitch and they loved it. I knew we needed to film it in the next two months, but they said it was something we could definitely do. But the director that I was talking to said they couldn’t direct it because it was horror, and they only make rom-coms, so that’s when I came on to direct it. And I wanted to direct, but I didn’t want to necessarily be pregnant for my directorial debut, but I knew that if I could pull it off, this story had a great hook to it.
I know there's a lot of debate about women in film these days, so I was like, If I can pull this off, it will be a good day. If I don't pull it off, it doesn't matter. Just take the bloody opportunity and run with it, and try not to worry too much about the consequences, because at the end of the day the baby's more important than any of this. I was just incredibly relaxed about it. I don't know if it was just hormones or whatever, but I was a bit like, "Yeah, well, let's just make a film, and maybe someone will watch it at some point".
Daily Dead - Movies are challenging enough to make under any circumstances, but you were over seven months pregnant doing Prevenge, where you were working in front of the camera, behind the camera, and on the story itself. How do you go into that situation, handling all of those different challenges, and still make sure that you're having a healthy pregnancy and you're not putting too much onto yourself?
Alice Lowe: Well, this isn't something that I did overnight. It was 15 years of preparation to make this film, lots of feature film scripts that I've got on my laptop that I haven't made, and lots of frustration. You mentioned Sightseers, and I felt that it was such a huge panty-dropping moment for me, where I was like, I think I know how to make a feature film, I think I understand it. I've been doing it all wrong, or thinking about it in the wrong way. I've also made a lot of low-budget short films collaborating with others, so I got to a point where you're like, I feel I've got all the experience now, and so, I felt like I was quite in my element, and I knew exactly what I was doing.
For me, it feels very normal to do all different things on a project, because I've always been a bit like that. I don't see myself as a very conventional actress. I don't see myself as a conventional writer. I started out in theater, which has this dynamic of telling stories that you've written and characters that you've created and you're creating a mood, and an environment, and an atmosphere with music and sound, that’s all right there live in front of your audience.
It's like asking a singer, "You've written this great song, are you going to sing it?" That's how I feel when people say, "Are you going to act in this film that you’re directing?" The acting is the tool that I know of how to tell the story. It's not that I'm always going to be in everything that I direct, but for me it just feels very natural.
Daily Dead - What is really remarkable about this film is the fact that you explore the darker sides of pregnancy and impending motherhood in a way that feels so real. Ruth’s also grieving through this story, too, which gives her character this whole new dimension. There was this one line that stuck with me, where she says, ”I’d give her back just to have him again.” You really put a lot into Ruth and the complex emotions she was dealing with. Alice Lowe: That line was actually based on some real research that I did, where I read about women who were bereaved while they were pregnant, and a few of them said that exact line. And it made me think about how women are expected to be very martyrish and sacrifice themselves over the baby. There’s a brutality to it. I was really struck by that sentiment as well and wanted to put it in the film.
But the real challenge to what I was trying to do was to create a horror comedy, but it had to be emotional, too. I don't know if that's because I'm a woman or what, but I really was like, "I don't want to denigrate this woman's experience if that's the reason why she's doing this.” I could have made this a very silly comedy, but I didn't want to do that. Childbirth is serious, being a mother is serious. These are heavy, dark, profound things. I don't want to shortchange this woman by giving her a silly reason for what she is doing.
The audience will be able to cope with being asked to really care about Ruth, and to follow these dramatic beats to find out why she is doing what she is doing. I didn't want them to be funny. And that was probably the biggest risk we took in terms of, are people going to go with this or are they going go, "It's not funny anymore, so I'm not enjoying it." I wanted to make sure there was a gravitas to how you felt about her, and what she was going through.
