Lionsgate has finally released the full trailer for Dominic Sena’s Season of the Witch. If you don’t recall, they first gave us a very short taste of the film in a 30 second teaser trailer as a Halloween special last month.

Originally, I knocked this film for looking a lot like Wickerman, which was a terrible movie starring the talented Nicolas Cage as well. However, now that I have seen the full-length trailer, I must say that I really want to see it!

In the film, Nicolas Cage is a 14th century Knight who returns home with his comrade (Ron Perlman) to find it greatly devastated by the Black Plague. Said Knights then transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce that her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

Have a look at the awesome, full trailer below.

Season of the Witch is set for release on March 19, 2010.

With the release of Twilight: New Moon in theaters just around the corner, several more promotional movie stills have been released on the web. The photos are quite varied and showcase several of the characters. The only one that seems to be really missing (other than Bella’s friends) is Dakota Fanning as Jane.

Anyway, I’m sure you will enjoy these high quality shots just as well. Have a look at all of them below!

Twilight: New Moon stars Robbert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Dakota Fanning. You can see it hit theaters in two weeks on November 20, 2009!

10. CARRIE – The scariest movies are the ones that are the most relatable and what’s more relatable than being picked on in school? In the 33 years since its initial release, a lot of the movie has become dated, such as the dialogue, clothing, haircuts (which are all embodied in the young John Travolta) but the final scene at the prom, picture-in-picture and all, are as scary as ever and the scene following that when Carrie (Sissy Spacek) finally confronts her Jesus-freak mother (Piper Laurie) are incredibly disturbing.

9. ERASERHEAD – Director David Lynch is known for his ability to creep people out but he never managed to top that fact in regards to this first effort from 1977. Surreal as ever, Lynch leaves no stone unturned in symbolic images (like the man turning the gears) and unusual dialogue and music (“In Heaven, everything is fine.”) that all combine to create truly creepy, if not frightening, film. In a nutshell, it’s about the fear of marriage and conception, but watch out for that lady in the radiator. Oh, and watch out for the scissors, too.

8. THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE – What’s great about this movie is that it’s ambiguous. In fact, the whole idea of “exorcisms” is literally put on trial, providing the backdrop for the movie. Was Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) really possessed? It’s not a question easily answered and the movie is not presumptuous enough to try. Instead, it analyzes the escalating scenes of Emily’s “possession” which range from the familiar speaking in tongues, convulsing bed, and profanities to the not-so-familiar scenes of her body locking into impossible positions. All of them mix into scenes of escalating terror that culminate in one of the scariest scenes ever filmed.

7. TARNATION – This is the story of Jonathan Caouette told through old Super 8 and VHS footage interspersed with photographs and a soundtrack that matches the disturbing footage. While being raised by a mother who went insane from a lifetime of electric shock therapy, he battled through his own demons, namely drug abuse and his sexual identity, until eventually escaping the cycle of violence. And it’s all true. Tarnation is one of the most unique and acclaimed documentaries of the past decade and truly one of the scariest.

6. NOSFERATU – Not a whole lot of silent movies hold up to today’s visual or atmospheric standards, but this one still remains relevant and influential, even though it was made in 1922. Sure, it has woefully ridiculous and overacted scenes from the low-brow supporting cast but the scenes with the mysterious Count Orlock (played by Max Shreck in rodent-like makeup that is frightening even today) more than make up for it. He moves with his long nails and pointed ears with all the stiffness of a walking corpse and has a menace-filled stare that demands silence. Each shadow-drenched frame with him in it could be a portrait in this seminal vampire work.

5. ALIEN – “In space, no one can hear you scream.” If there were an Academy Award for movie taglines, that would have been a shoe-in. It’s also very accurate. Alien can really be summed up to the very best of slasher movies (and I mean that in a good way), but it’s that setting of the darkness of space contrasted with the brightness foreign space ships with no escape that really make it something to watch.

4. JESUS CAMP – Though not intentionally a horror film, this 2006 documentary about an Evangelical children’s summer camp is among the most shocking and downright frightening ever made. Like every typical horror movie, it has its funny moments to break the mood (like the video “disproving” evolution) but what the film and the camp are all about is building an army for the future, an army to fight the growing Muslim threat, an army to fight abortion, and ultimately an army to take over the government. There’s no boogie man, no Freddy or Jason, waiting behind the corner to get us, but there really are Jesus Camps out there and that is pretty scary.

3. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (Original Version) – As far as purely “scary” movies go, my money’s on this 1974 independent horror classic. Unlike the typical slasher movie, The Texas Chainsaw Masscare builds and builds its disturbing atmosphere with such precision that you don’t really know how deep the unsuspecting teenagers are until… well, that would be giving it away. Just be prepared for all levels of creepiness. If there was ever a movie to be watched in the dark, this is it.

2. THE SHINING – Film visionary Stanley Kubrick is known for his slew of masterpieces from Dr. Strangelove to 2001: A Space Odyssey to A Clockwork Orange but the film he is perhaps best known for is his venture into horror – The Shining. Of course, like just about every great Stephen King movie, Kubrick’s treatment strays considerably from the pulp source material and the result is a moody glimpse inside the mind of a man (Jack Nicholson) slowly going insane. Instead of relying on cheap jump scenes, the real frights come from seeing through the eyes of the all-too vulnerable wife and child, who don’t know when Nicholson will snap as the cracks in him become more and more evident.

1. THE EXORCIST – Indisputably, the greatest horror film ever made and what makes it that way is the realism. It isn’t approached like a horror movie. Instead, we get more of a drama set to a horrific setting – the demonic possession of a little girl (Lind Blair) – as we get to watch a priest (Jason Miller) find his way through a crisis of faith with the help of someone who’s already been there and won (Max Von Sydow). If The Exorcist suffers from anything, though, it’s high expectations. Too often, modern people claim they saw it and weren’t scared, like it’s some kind of badge of honor. Don’t see this movie with expectations of the kind of gratuitous gore and a to b plot of the Saw snuff films. In fact, don’t see it with any expectations. See it like the unsuspecting public of 1973 who fainted, vomited and clutched their Bibles because of a legitimate struggle between good and evil that ends in an ambiguous, if not horrifying, ending.

Tom Gavin
All Films ***** (5 Stars)
10-30-2009

Apparently, Sam Raimi’s low budget horror classic, The Evil Dead, will be returning to the big screen. Grindhouse Releasing will be distributing the film (starring Bruce Campbell) in select theaters across the United States and Canada for a midnight showing.

Dates and locations have yet to be announced but you can read the full press release below.

SAM RAIMI’S ‘THE EVIL DEAD’ RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN!

Dates and venues will be announced at GrindhouseReleasing.com. For bookings, contact David Szulkin at info@grindhousereleasing.com.

I just finished watching Saw VI in theaters and therefore feel inclined to reveal what I thought about it.

Before I watched the movie, I browsed a couple short reviews over at Rotten-Tomatoes to see if this next installment was worthy of my excitement, set by other people’s standards of course.

While browsing, I came across this quote by Brad Miska (of Bloody-Disgusting):

In the end, SAW VI is faithful to the franchise and the twist/finale are 100% satisfying. SAW fans WILL walk out of the theater with their fists in the air with the feeling that they’ve reclaimed their beloved franchise.

This statement left me intrigued and wanting to see the movie more… simply to find out what ending could reignite the flame started from the very first Saw, which left me completely shocked.

Then I watched the movie and felt like this statement wasn’t even close to what I was thinking when the credits began to roll. Now, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the film, because I did. However, I don’t think it reinvented the franchise, and I definitely didn’t feel like shouting in reclamation.

While I did enjoy the outcome and how we were taken there, I felt like the ending was a little too safe. I mean, compared to the others that is.

SPOILER ALERT: I think the only two things that didn’t sit well with me are that:

1) They seem to be playing the disloyal follower card a bit too much. I really wanted Hoffman to be loyal and I felt like his whole storyline was rather predictable. From the point when we see that there were actually six envelopes in the box, rather than just the five that were given to Hoffman, it is easy to deduce that the sixth was actually for Hoffman. Come on, the Saw franchise has taught us too much to fall for small twists like that.

2) The ending just didn’t do it for me, at least not in the way that all the other endings have. Yes, there were at least two loose ends left, but the completely shocking Saw twist that I was waiting for and that the quote above left me excited to see was nearly absent. Instead, we find out that the family members we are lead to believe are William’s really aren’t his at all and the one person we didn’t think was related to him, actually was. Nice twist, but I felt like it was a little too similar to Saw III’s ending. Sorry.

Now, the things that I did like probably outweigh those two imperfections by a lot.

For instance, I enjoyed that there are at least two loose ends that we need to see resolved. One being that Hoffman actually survived the trap… what happens now? Does he thirst for vengeance? Does he understand that even he must be tested and keep on with Jigsaw’s legacy? or, does he start his own series of tests? Who knows? We’ll have to wait and find out for that one.

Next is the envelope that Jill drops into the mail slot on that mysterious door. Does she answer to someone else or does that set a new game in motion? I don’t have the answer to that one either.

Some other things I liked were the traps. I especially enjoyed the merry-go-round trap. I thought it was executed flawlessly and I love how everyone turned on each other to save their own life, even with obvious lies. Some other traps I enjoyed were the maze and the flesh scale trap at the beginning, but the merry-go-round takes the cake.

Lastly, I thought the overall theme of this Saw film was humorous and dead on (no pun intended) regarding the health care system. I really like how the movie was not only about the moral problems involved in that, but also how the “will to survive” was tied in. It all worked great and made me chuckle when Jigsaw made his various points about the flawed health care system throughout the film.

For my last point, I’d like to look at this quote, also from Rotten-Tomatoes:

Who knew that the franchise’s creators would eventually find a plot twist that made sense?

In response, I think all the Saw films made sense. They just made you think a little, or maybe a lot… but they eventually made sense. That is part of the beauty of them. Saw VI was just a little too simple.

Overall, I loved the film as I do every Saw film. I just thought they could have made it a little more complex. I like having to think more about the plot and twists, even when I get home… or a year later when I revisit the franchise again. Did the film reinvent the series? Probably not, but it is definitely worthy of keeping the series going.

Until next year’s 3D release… I think I’ll have to watch all of them again, just for fun!

I’ve been reading a lot of hype about Paranormal Activity on a couple of other movie blogs that I visit and most think that it shows a lot of promise. Unfortunately, I am completely uninterested in this type of film.

I may be in the minority here but it seems like a Ghosthunters meets Blair Witch Project type flick complete with the homemade footage vibe. I just remain uninterested despite the hype, probably because ghost movies creep me out.

Why? I’m not sure. I love zombie movies and gore, but something about ghosts and possessions just don’t really do it for me.

Nevertheless, here is the second trailer for the film followed by a quick synopsis.

Paranormal Activity is about a young, middle class couple moving into a suburban ’starter’ tract house. They then become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic. It is certainly most active in the middle of the night, especially while they sleep.

Paranormal Activity was released this last weekend, so go see it if you’re interested!

New Line Cinema has released the new teaser trailer for the reboot of the Nightmare Franchise. While it won’t hit theaters until Zombieland comes out. it was released online one week early to start the buzz. Here it is guys enjoy….and remember don’t fall asleep.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Mr. Bob Weinstein has confirmed with Variety that Neve “Sidney Prescott” Campbell is returning to the slasher franchise that revamped the genre in the 90’s. She joins Courtney Cox and David Arquette of the original returning cast. Jamie Kennedy is rumored to be returning as well but not confirmed at this moment.

Wes craven is in talks to return to the directors chair, as well as the original writer of the first trilogy Kevin Williamson.