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Back in 1995, director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, the creative team behind the blockbuster erotic thriller "Basic Instinct," reunited to deliver another stylishly sleazy provocation -- one that would use its easily won Nc-17 rating as a marketing dare to the movie-going public. This new film would make "Basic Instinct" look like an episode of "Dragnet." It would slither into theaters teeming with sex and violence, simultaneously turning you on and shocking your conscience. Indeed, motion pictures would never be the same again after audiences got a load of "Showgirls."

That critics would break out the lead pipes to bash the holy hell out of "Showgirls" was a given. They'd tired of Eszterhas's tawdry tales and were offended that he was breaking industry records with each spec script sale. They'd written him off as a low-aiming hawk and wanted nothing more than to see him fall flat on his face.

Elizabeth Berkley made a surprise appearance Saturday night at an LGBTQ Pride screening of her cult classic “Showgirls.”

The movie’s showing was part of Cinespia’s 30th anniversary celebration of the film at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

“Happy Pride! I love you guys so much,” Berkley said, eliciting applause and cheers. “You have no idea, I love you so much. I just want to honor this extraordinary, powerful, bold, magical, sexy, strong, resilient LGBTQ+ community.”

She continued, “You guys saw me before anybody else saw me. You believed in me before anybody and you believed in this film and found yourself in Nomi.”

Berkley stars in the film as Nomi, an aspiring dancer in Las Vegas who is befriended, but then double-crossed by, Crystal (Gina Gershon), the aging star of “Goddess,” an upscale strip show. The cast of the movie, directed by Paul Verhoeven from a Joe Eszterhas script,...

"Candyman" began its life in 1985 as a short story called "The Forbidden," originally published in Clive Barker's "Books of Blood, Vol. 5" (called "In the Flesh" in the United States). "The Forbidden" was set in Barker's hometown of Liverpool, specifically at a run-down building called the Spector Street estate, where a grad student named Helen went to photograph images of graffiti and poverty. While there, she encountered a mysterious monster the Candyman, a creature she assumed was merely an urban myth. The Candyman is covered in bees and sports a hook for a hand. Its origins are unknown. 

In 1992, filmmaker Bernard Rose adapted "The Forbidden" into the feature film "Candyman," one of the more celebrated horror films of its decade. Helen was played by Virginia Madsen, and the mysterious Candyman was played by a menacing Tony Todd. Rose transposed the location from Liverpool to the Cabrini-Green housing projects in Chicago.

Clockwise from top left: Batman Returns (Warner Bros.), A Good Person (MGM/United Artists), Evil Dead Rise (Warner Bros.)Image: The A.V. Club

It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means streaming services are starting to add holiday-themed movies—or just movies set on or around Christmas—to their libraries. Prime Video...

Harmony Korine shuts down the possibility of a Spring Breakers sequel, stating that he hopes it never happens. The filmmaker prefers to create original works and has never made a sequel to any of his movies. Despite the commercial success of Spring Breakers, it seems that Korine values the film's cult classic status and doesn't want it diluted with a sequel.

The possibility of a Spring Breakers sequel has been shut down by the original director. The 2012 movie, which was written and directed by cinema provocateur Harmony Korine, followed a group of college students who rob a diner to fund a spring break trip and fall in with wannabe rapper Alien (James Franco), kicking off a crime spree. The movie offered Disney stars Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez early adult roles alongside Franco, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and Gucci Mane.

Per Variety, Harmony Korine recently spoke at a masterclass in Locarno.

You know… *sigh* maybe we were a little hard on Paul Verhoeven. Sure, his script was atrocious, his actors hammier than a deli, but he knows how to make a movie… in the most basic sense. He assembles talented people who can light a shot, pick up functioning audio, and dress a set to look real and enticing. He knows how to mount a camera on a tripod and focus it, how to dampen background noise, how to exact continuity, and basic logic. It’s not much, but he knows how to do it. Rena Riffel, bless her heart, does not seem to know how to do these things.

Rena Riffel is the newest cast member announced for the upcoming Mahal Empire film, “Cursed Waters“. Rena plays Ruth and joins an outstanding cast that includes Greg Tally as Lt. Commander Jacob Bridger, Glenn Plummer as Captain Bure, Alexander Hauck as Benjamin Norton, Wesley Cannon as Kilgore, and Denny Nolan as The Magistrate, among others. …

The post Rena Riffel play Ruth in Cursed Waters from Mahal Empire appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Rena Riffel’s new film, Astrid’s Self Portrait, is a work of surrealistic contemplation and abstract horror; and if you live in or near Los Angeles, you have a chance to check it out at a special screening to be introduced… Continue Reading →

The post See a Special Screening of Astrid’s Self Portrait in La This Friday appeared first on Dread Central.

By Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

The Los Angeles Days of the Dead will run from Friday, April 1- Sunday, April 3, 2016. Etheria Film Night will be screening short films and have a separate directors panel celebrating women horror directors. Etheria Film Night is the leading showcase of new genre films directed by women. Read more about it from the details below.

From The Press Release:

Etheria Shorts Showcase: Saturday, April 2, 1:00 Pm in The Screening Room

The Etheria shorts showcase on Saturday, April 2 at 1:00 Pm, is 83 minutes of awesome new horror directed by women. It begins with the trailer for the new feature film B.C. Butcher, which was shot on 16 mm in Bowling's father's backyard in Topanga Canyon, California. B.C Butcher stars Kato Kaelin and features Rodney "The Mayor of Sunset Strip" Bingenheimer.

Following the trailer are these Etheria Official Tour Selections:

Zone 2 (Anna Elizabeth James) (8:00)

David,...

By Jonathan Weichsel

MoreHorror.com

On February 27th Dark Delicacies and Etheria Film Night joined forces for Women in Horror Month to raise money for Reel Grrls and Celeste Yarnell through a charity signing.

In attendance to sign posters and merchandise were Deborah Brock, Rae Dawn Chong, Jackie Kong, Rena Riffel, Jace Anderson, Kristina Klebe, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Anna Biller, Esther Goodstein, Jane Clark, Guinevere Turner, and Celeste Yarnell.

Reel Grrls is a nonprofit that "empowers young women from diverse communities to realize their power, talent, and influence through media production." You can learn more about Reel Grrls at their website.

Celeste Yarnell is a legendary actress and scream queen with over fifty years of experience in front of the camera. Some of her most popular roles include Beast of Blood , The Velvet Vampire, and the original Star Trek series. Yarnell is currently battling stage three ovarian cancer, which is not covered by her health insurance.

Director Paul Verhoeven makes no qualms about it. Showgirls destroyed Elizabeth Berkley's acting career. And it's something he deeply regrets. But that hasn't stopped him from daydreaming about a sequel, appropriately called 'Bimbos'. But will it ever happen? And will it be bold enough to feature Charlize Theron, who was originally up for the lead but lost due to being an 'unknown' at the time? The New York Daily News recently caught up with Paul Verhoeven to talk about the film's failures and its history as one of the biggest box office bombs of all time.

Released in 1995, Showgirls has attained quite a cult following. It celebrates its 20th anniversary as one of the worst movies ever bestowed upon the general moviegoing public. And it's one of the few major releases to have ever secured a Nc-17 rating since the MPAA established the No Children under 17 ruling in 1990, replacing the X rating.

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes release details for Kane Hodder’s Exit to Hell, trailer for Evil Feed, Another, and Terrible Angels, video highlights from Steven Yeun interview with Conan O’Brien, and much more:

Exit to Hell Release Details: “After robbing a mafia run strip club, a naïve group of thugs head for the border to enjoy their bounty. But when they enter the remote and wind-swept town of Redstone, they gruesomely discover that revenge is all in how you slice it. Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th, Hatchet) takes the title role as Sheriff Slade Sickle, a man with an abiding appetite for justice! Exit to Hell co-stars Tiffany Shepis (Nightmare Man, Dark Reel) and Rena Riffel (Showgirls, Mulholland Dr.) in this carnage-filled tribute to American Grindhouse cinema.

Uncork’d Entertainment has inked North American VOD,...

Having just seen Exit to Hell, we can tell you that the flick is a loving homage to the Grindhouse lunacy of yesteryear. Even better? It just scored itself distro! Read on for details and more!

From the Press Release

ncork’d Entertainment has inked North American V.O.D., digital and home entertainment rights to the rough and rugged horror drama Exit To Hell (previously titled Sickle). Exit To Hell was written, directed and produced by Robert Conway and Funhouse Features producers David Friedman, Justin Anderson and Executive Producer Anthony Casanova. Exit To Hell is expected on VOD in early November and DVD in early 2014. Uncork’d Entertainment’s Keith Leopard made today’s announcement.

“Robert Conway and his producers truly understand the depth and cinematic history of this genre,” remarked Leopard, “and it’s all on the screen. Having iconic actor Kane Hodder adds another layer to this...

Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven (2011) Director: Rena Riffel Stars: Rena Riffel, Glenn Plummer, Peter Stickles Penny, a minor character from the first Showgirls, is still working as a stripper but has big dreams. to be a star on a low-budget TV dancing show. Never have I come so close to not making it through a movie. I mean that on all levels: falling asleep, turning it off or simply just ending it all. At two and a half hours long, Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven is...

"What's your dream? Owning whores?" And thus, there was Showgirls 2: Penny’s from Heaven. Billed as a parody sequel to Paul Verhoeven's hilarious and sleazy 1995 film starring Elizabeth Berkley as a stripper turned Vegas dancer (and part-time epileptic dolphin — Nsfw), part deux focuses on Rena Riffel's character from the first film, Penny (in case that glorious title didn't give it away). She also wrote, produced and directed the movie, casting several actors from the original film in the same roles (Dewey Weber/Jeff, Greg Travis/Phil, Glenn Plummer/James). Don't expect the same Showgirls, though — as this preview on the Dissolve confirms. The film had a limited theatrical release, but it's essentially a...

Read More...

Birthday shoutouts go to Nate Berkus (above, with fiance Jeremiah Brent), who is 42, Bryan Singer is 48, Matthew Settle is 44, and the faboo Cassandra Peterson is 62.

The Goop is about to hit the fan.

You can stream the entire Cher album Closer To The Truth at Amazon.

Here is the official DVD trailer for Showgirls 2: Penny’s From Heaven, which follows the adventures of superfluous Showgirls character Penny. It stars Showgirls actors Rena Riffel, Glenn Plummer, Dewey Weber, Greg Travis, as well as … Peter Stickles!

Oyster Mag talks to Frank Ocean, who loses some of his clothes.

Below you can see Episode One of Takei’s Take, looking at Google Glass.

Ben Cohen apparently wanted to be paired with Robin Windsor for Strictly Come Dancing Think of the possibilities.

Here’s your Tasty Two For Tuesday With Matt Bomer. One more trip to Fashion Week.

And here’s The Weekly...

Written, produced, directed, and edited by Rena Riffel, who also reprises her role as Penny from the original Showgirls, Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven has been available on VOD for at least a year, but is now being released on DVD from Wild Eye Releasing, thus conferring onto it the legitimacy that physical media somehow still offers. The promised DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes doc and director's commentary, but the screener copy provided did not include any of the extras, so we're left to ponder the film as it is--as well as its torrid history, which is no less entertaining than the final product. Before criticizing the film too harshly, it should be pointed out that Showgirls 2: Penny's...

Philippe Mora.s Absolutely Modern, a comedy about Modernism, muses and the role of sexuality in art, will have its Australian premiere on November 30.

The venue will be the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, supported by the Jewish Film Foundation of Australia. Mora is in discussions with Australian distributors to set up a commercial cinema release.

The screening continues Mora.s relationship with the Nfsa, to which he donated his one-hour, pop art-inspired version of Shakespeare's Richard III,. described as the world.s first internet movie as it was uploaded and shared online in 1996.

A blend of fact and fiction, Absolutely Modern follows Lord Steinway, the .Method. art critic, as he makes a TV show, The End of Civilization, while he focusses on the famous Australian muse, Sunday Reed, and her ménage a trois with her husband John and young protégé Sidney Nolan.

Under their patronage Nolan produced...

Director Rena Riffel’s “Showgirls 2,” the film nobody wanted, is finally getting a proper release in North America. Although I can’t think of anyone who has expressed any real interest in watching this flick, apparently someone thinks it’s worth sharing with the world. Judging from the new trailer, “Showgirls 2: Penny’s from Heaven” could be on-par with the likes of “The Room” and “Birdemic.” It’s appeal may not be broad, but I could see this one getting popular for all the wrong reasons. Sadly, I’m probably going to watch it. Here’s what passes for a plot in the sequel: Las Vegas stripper, Penny Slot (Rena Riffel), sets out on an adventure to become the star dancer on a popular television show. With stars in her eyes, she tries to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – but instead finds drama,...

While initially considered a commercial and critical failure upon its release in 1995, Showgirls had endured and achieved a level of cult status all its own. The legacy continues later this month with Showgirls 2: Penny's from Heaven, starring Rena Riffel as Penny from director Paul Verhoeven's original film. Mvd Entertainment Group has released the first trailer and poster for this sequel/spin-off, which debuts on DVD and VOD formats September 17. Take a look at the footage and one-sheet, then read on for more information about this sizzling sequel.

Let the show begin... Again! Original Showgirls star Rena Riffel has taken her screen time in the original cult classic and spun in into an elaborate, erotic spin-off featuring cat fights, murder, new quotable dialogue, and plenty of brown rice and vegetables in the film Movies.com says "Goes to a manic superstar level all its own."

Joining Riffel are other Showgirls veterans,...

Mvd Entertainment will release a special edition DVD of "Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven", available September 17, 2013, starring Rena Riffel, one of the original characters of director Paul Verhoeven's "Showgirls":

"...Las Vegas stripper 'Penny Slot' (Riffel), sets out on an adventure to become the star dancer on a popular television show. With stars in her eyes, she tries to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - but instead she finds drama and danger.

"Penny's longtime fiance/boyfriend (Glenn Plummer) warns her that she needs formal technique training if she wants to be taken seriously as a real dancer, so Penny Slot sets out to learn ballet - but, she must pay the price to make it to the top.

There are sacrifices to be made at every imaginable level, and it all comes down to... How bad do you want it...?"

This special edition...

Sometimes I get the privilege of working at JoBlo.com to share with the world something special, something timeless, something epic. Other times, I get to show you the trailer for Showgirls 2: Penny's From Heaven. Showgirls is Paul Verhoeven's unintentional comedy about the rise and fall of a Las Vegas showgirl barely played by Elizabeth Berkeley. Gina Gershon, Kyle MacLachlan, Robert Davi, and Rena Riffel co-star and trudge through the awful Joe Eszterhas story that has become something...

I'll be out of the country for the Tony Awards this year on a much needed vacation but before they arrive I thought I'd share with you my final theatrical experiences of the season, the first of which is way Off Broadway (though close to Broadway geographically)  and the second is one of your major Tony contenders.

Both of them adapted from movies because that is what gets financed these days!

Elizabeth Berkeley (Nomi Malone) and Rena Riffel (Penny/Hope) in Showgirls (1995)

Showgirls: The Musical is playing Wednesdays and Saturday nights at Xl Nightclub. I raced to see it with friends since I love the movie so much. Plus I was fascinated that "Penny" herself, excuse me, "Hope" ("no one wants to fuck a Penny!"), the actress Rena Riffel, is reprising her role for the stage. She's self-aware enough to embrace Showgirls infamy as a career (she's also the...

Philippe Mora is planning a film that honours Sir John Monash, the Australian General who led the Allied forces which smashed through the German lines in the Battle of Amiens on August 8 1918.

.My opinion is that the Australian contribution to winning WW1 is under-appreciated internationally and this will be reflected in this new film,. said Mora, the French-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker who grew up in Australia.

.My mother Mirka and my father Georges knew Monash's famous friend Lizzie Bentwich, who befriended them in 1951 as young immigrants from Paris. My dad drove her around in his van with an armchair in it for her..

Mora hasn.t cast the lead role yet but said he.ll look for an actor who would become as synonymous with the General as was Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia. The victory prompted German General Ludendorff to concede, .August 8th was the black day of...

Tags: Jamie BabbittPretty Little LiarsShowgirls: The MusicalpoliticsIMDbvideoMorning BrewGirls

Good morning, Brewbies! With the season four premiere of Pretty Little Liars just three weeks away, ABC Family has started raining down promo clips. Yesterday, they dropped three new teases, including an amazing one in which Hanna and Emily get into a squabble about Hanna and Mona. Poor ol' Hanna had no idea what kind of drama she was in for when she started accepting PinkDrinks.

Also, guess who's back this year?

I'm never not going to think of Maya when I see that porch.

Gallup just finished analyzing their annual Values and Beliefs poll, and it turns out more people than ever before are pretty sure you were born this way. In fact, the gap between people who think being gay is more nature than nurture is wider than it ever has been on the pro-gay side of things.

Other interesting...

Kane Hodder and the forever hot Tiffany Shepis are together again in yet another tale of murder, mayhem, and indie goodness as director Robert Conway is set to paint the screen red with his new film Sickle.

Rena Riffel and Dustin James co-star. Look for more on this one soon!

Synopsis

A group of stick-up kids rob a Mafia-run strip club and head for the Border, but when they enter the town of Redstone, they find that crime is a dish best served cold. Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th, Hatchet) takes the title role as Sheriff Slade Sickle, a man with a true appetite for justice. The film co-stars Tiffany Shepis (Nightmare Man, Dark Reel) and Rena Riffel (Showgirls, Mulholland Dr.) in this carnage-filled tribute to American grindhouse cinema.

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Lay down the law in the comments section below!

Filmmaker Ramzi Abed decided to add some indie flavor to the chaos of Comic-Con week by debuting the full trailer for his upcoming flick, Noirland, and as per usual we have the goods for you fresh off the slab. Dig it!

The film is written and directed by Abed (The Devil's Muse, The New Erotic) and stars James Duval, Elissa Dowling, Twink Caplan, Rena Riffel, Wendy McColm, Jesse Hlubik, Rose Ghavami, Kara Hyatt, Amie Nicole, Eric Fleming, Lloyd Kaufman, Hollie Stevens, Smoking Mary Jane, Lorielle New, Sylvia Suvadova, Martin William Harris, Maxim Esterkin, Paul Bunnell, Bianca Barnett, Luke Y. Thompson, Clint Catalyst, Lenora Claire, and Dennis Woodruff.

Synopsis

A catatonic serial killer is put under a deep hypnosis in order to free his last victim and revive him into coming to terms with the sadistic sexual acts he is responsible for. An amnesiac detective searching for a serial killer finds...

What's this? A story that has nothing to do with Comic-Con or Fantasia? We can hardly believe it either, but when Ramzi Abed dropped us a line to let us know the full official trailer for his upcoming film Noirland is here, we jumped at the chance to share it.

The film is written and directed by Abed (The Devil's Muse, The New Erotic) and stars James Duval, Elissa Dowling, Twink Caplan, Rena Riffel, Wendy McColm, Jesse Hlubik, Rose Ghavami, Kara Hyatt, Amie Nicole, Eric Fleming, Lloyd Kaufman, Hollie Stevens, Smoking Mary Jane, Lorielle New, Sylvia Suvadova, Martin William Harris, Maxim Esterkin, Paul Bunnell, Bianca Barnett, Luke Y. Thompson, Clint Catalyst, Lenora Claire, and Dennis Woodruff.

Synopsis

A catatonic serial killer is put under a deep hypnosis in order to free his last victim and revive him into coming to terms with the sadistic sexual acts he is responsible for.

We've been talking about Ramzi Abed's Noirland for a few years now, but the indie filmmaker tells us that the official trailer will debut at the end of the summer, and he'll soon be announcing the film's La premiere for this fall. In the meantime here's a new teaser that features co-stars James Duval and Elissa Dowling.

The film is written and directed by Abed (The Devil's Muse, The New Erotic) and stars James Duval, Elissa Dowling, Twink Caplan, Rena Riffel, Wendy McColm, Jesse Hlubik, Rose Ghavami, Kara Hyatt, Amie Nicole, Eric Fleming, Lloyd Kaufman, Hollie Stevens, Smoking Mary Jane, Lorielle New, Sylvia Suvadova, Martin William Harris, Maxim Esterkin, Paul Bunnell, Bianca Barnett, Luke Y. Thompson, Clint Catalyst, Lenora Claire, and Dennis Woodruff.

Synopsis

A catatonic serial killer is put under a deep hypnosis in order to free his last victim and revive him into coming to terms with...

Well, all the "Harry Potter" readers are now grown up, and ready to capture her fans all over again is J.K. Rowling who has announced her new book is titled "The Casual Vacancy." The darkly comic novel will begins with the death of a man in the idyllic town of Pagford, England but class warfare, familial strife and more are bubbling underneath. And no, a deal for the movie rights hasn't been made....yet. [EW]

In just under a week the full Cannes Film Festival lineup will be unveiled, and when May 16th arrives, Tim Roth will be there, checking out the films in the Un Certain Regard category as the president of the jury. [IndieWire]

Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love" opens in Italy next Friday, and Cannes has long been out of the question, but the starry ensemble comedy will make at least one festival appearance, as it has...

To put it mildly, Showgirls is a movie with a history.

Due to its salacious content, Paul Verhoven's big-budget paean to boobs and backstage betrayal was notorious even before it hit theaters bearing an Nc-17 rating back in 1995. And after it was released to bad reviews and worse box office, well let's just say it earned a whole other type of notoriety.

Thanks to the wonders of home video, Showgirls eventually morphed into one of the most beloved cult flicks around. Over the years, it has gone on to have a second life full of rabid fans, midnight screenings and multiple DVD releases.

Most of the film's stars have distanced themselves from Showgirls, but one woman has proudly stood behind it, so much so that she's now considered the unofficial Showgirls ambassador. That woman is Rena Riffel.

Riffel is a multi-talented performer who's probably best known for her appearance as Penny in Showgirls,...

Jim Riffel, who has spent the last 25 years painting houses, has offered 10,000 dollars to go to Kevin Smith's charity of choice if he will only review his classy-sounding new horror comedy, "Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating, Crawling, Alien, Zombified, Subhumanoid, Living Dead - Part 5."

I kind of feel like this whole story is a joke. I mean, there's definitely a sense of humor going on about these people. Either they're totally fucking with us, Or they genuinely don't know how awful they are. How can they not know? I'm fully willing to take the chance that this is all a joke, in which case, touche, Mr. Riffel. If it's Not, however...

The film is hosted by, and stars, Insectavora (Aka Angelica): some...

All these years later, and fans still enjoy to love/hate on Paul Verhoeven’s 1996 film Showgirls. I even got in the act by doing a retrospective on it with actress Rena Riffel (here). Well, Rena contacted Killer Film to let us know that the sequel is finished, and we can now show you the official trailer!

Also, the film is going to premiere on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 – 9:30Pm at the Art Theatre in Long Beach, California.

Sixteen years after Paul Verhoeven unleashed his famous – and infamous – Showgirls onto the world, actress Rena Riffel takes us back to the scandalous world of Las Vegas to answer the question: Whatever happened to Penny?

Source: Killer Film...

Indie filmmaker Ramzi Abed dropped us a line today to let us know the new and official 2011 Cannes Marché du Film marketing teaser for his new feature film Noirland is available to share with our readers. The film is nearing the final stages of editing but still has mixing and scoring up next.

The film is written and directed by Abed (The Devil's Muse, The New Erotic) and stars James Duval, Rena Riffel, Twink Caplan, Jesse Hlubik, Elissa Dowling, Ford Austin, Wendy McColm, Amie Nicole, Eric Fleming, Kara Hyatt, Adam Meir, Lorielle New, Silvia Suvadova, Clint Catalyst, Lenora Claire, Martin William Harris, Maxim Esterkin, Edwin Santos, T.L. Young, Smoking Mary Jane, Hollie Stevens, Zoetica Ebb, La Carmina, Steven Man, Gregory Hatanaka, Alex Lehr, and Lloyd Kaufman.

Synopsis

A catatonic serial killer is put under a deep hypnosis in order to free his last victim and revive him into coming to...

Director Josh Eisenstadt (Dark Reel) firmly states that this film is not a horror film and instead Spreading Darkness is more psychological thriller. The first teaser does show one man, Stu (Eric Roberts), under some distress, while he talks about being followed, or stalked to another character, Mark (James Duval). His torment is heightened as his dead wife (Tara Cardinal) beckons him from the grave. Have a look at the first clip for this film below, with more details to follow.

The synopsis for the film, courtesy of the Coventry Telegraph:

"Spreading Darkness is a dark psychological thriller about Stu Undercoffler (Roberts), a man who seems to have it all. That is, until the people he took it from decide they want it back. Stu seems to have it under control, but then visions of his dead wife (Cardinal) become more and more real" (Coventry).

Release Date: 2011.

Director: Josh Eisenstadt.

The all-star line-up for Josh Eisenstadt's new thriller Spreading Darkness has been announced.

The film stars Eric Roberts (The Expendables, The Dark Knight), James Duval (Donno Darko, Gone in 60 Seconds), Jon Savage (The Godfather III), Musetta Vander (Xena Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Rena Riffel (Mulholland Drive, Showgirls, Striptease), Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Friends) and Tara Cardinal (Legend of the Red Reaper, Delivery).

According to the official description, Spreading Darkness is a dark psychological thriller about Stu Undercoffler (Roberts), a man who seems to have it all. That is, until the people he took it from decide they want it back. Stu seems to have it under control, but then visions of his dead wife (Cardinal) become more and more real.

Tara Cardinal is pictured right; above are (top, from left) Eric Roberts, James Duval, Jon Savage and (bottom, from left) Louis Mandylor, Musetta Vander and Rena Riffel.

Eric Roberts The exciting, all star cast line up for Josh Eisenstadt's new psychological horror thriller "Spreading Darkness" has just been announced.

The film stars Eric Roberts (The Expendables, The Dark Knight), James Duval (Donno Darko, Gone in 60 Seconds), Jon Savage (The Godfather III), Musetta Vander (Xena Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Rena Riffel (Mulholland Dr., Showgirls, Striptease), Louis Mandylor (My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Friends) and Tara Cardinal (Legend of the Red Reaper, Delivery).

Spreading Darkness is a dark psychological thriller about Stu Undercoffler (Eric Roberts), a man who seems to have it all. That is, until the people he took it from decide they want it back. Stu seems to have it under control, until visions of his dead wife (Tara Cardinal) become more and more real.



-Source: Facebook My question is this: What's wrong with being haunted by visions of Tara Cardinal (seen to...

Some pretty nifty casting news coming in for indie filmmaker Josh Eisenstadt's latest foray into terror, Spreading Darkness! Get ready to see lots of familiar faces all frightened and grimacing!

According to the official Spreading Darkness Facebook page Eric Roberts, Jon Savage, James Duval, Rena Riffel, and Tara Cardinal are all set to star.

"Spreading Darkness is a dark psychological thriller about Stu Undercoffler (Eric Roberts), a man who seems to have it all. That is, until the people he took it from decide they want it back. Stu seems to have it under control, until visions of his dead wife (Tara Cardinal) become more and more real."

Look for more on this one soon!

- Uncle Creepy

Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!

Got news? Click here to submit it!

Spread things in the comments section below!

Indie filmmaker Ramzi Abed dropped us a line to let us know that the teaser trailer for his latest film, Noirland, is now up running and ready for your eyes.

The film is written and directed by Abed (The Devil's Muse, The New Erotic) and stars James Duval, Rena Riffel, Twink Caplan, Jesse Hlubik, Elissa Dowling, Ford Austin, Wendy McColm, Amie Nicole, Eric Fleming, Kara Hyatt, Adam Meir, Lorielle New, Silvia Suvadova, Clint Catalyst, Lenora Claire, Martin William Harris, Maxim Esterkin, Edwin Santos, T.L. Young, Smoking Mary Jane, Hollie Stevens, Zoetica Ebb, La Carmina, Steven Man, Gregory Hatanaka, Alex Lehr, and Lloyd Kaufman.

Synopsis

A catatonic serial killer is put under a deep hypnosis in order to free his last victim and revive him into coming to terms with the sadistic sexual acts he is responsible for. An amnesiac detective searching for a serial killer finds out he is the prime suspect.

Indie director Ramzi Abed (The Devil's Muse, In a Spiral State) is back with another slice of headsy goodness with his lastest film Noirland, and we've got your first look and info!

Noirland is a "darkly romantic horror ensemble mystery" starring James Duval (Donnie Darko, The Black Waters of Echo's Pond), Rena Riffel (Showgirls, Dark Reel), Twink Caplan (Clueless), Jesse Hlubik (May, Violent Blue), Elissa Dowling (Dread), Ford Austin (Dahmer Vs. Gacy), Wendy McColm (Suzie Heartless), Eric Fleming (In A Spiral State), Lenora Claire (The Devil's Muse), Clint Catalyst (Portland), Hollie Stevens (Enter The Peepshow), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), Adam Meir (In A Spiral State), Lorielle New (The Pit and the Pendulum), and Silvia Suvadova (Violent Blue) among others.

Though still in production, the film is nearly wrapped. Abed hopes to premiere it either late in 2010 or in early 2011.

Check out the plot crunch, teaser trailer, and images below.

You would expect that with a title like Sickle, the film would be about a sickle-wielding killer. "Sickle" is actually the name of the psycho violent policeman Kane Hodder plays, and that name spells a lot of trouble for Tiffany Shepis.

"Sheriff Slade Sickle (Hodder) has a true appetite for law enforcement. When a stripper (Shepis), a junkie, a DJ, and a bartender make the mistake of running a stop sign, they end up on the menu! Buckets of blood, bullets, and mayhem follow as one by one Sickle satisfies his hunger for justice."

Slade Sickle - now that's a badass name. Makes you wonder how Vince McMahon didn't come up with it first.

Rena Riffel, who played a stripper in Showgirls, also appears here as a stripper, no doubt soon to be on the wrong end of a crazy cop's special brand of law enforcement.

Head over to the...

Out of all the films in the history of cinema, where two people are fighting to make their own sequel to a infamous movie, it has to be Showgirls. Really?Sure I mean I enjoy the original, especially the fantastic edition that MGM released a few years ago featuring one of my all time favorite commentary tracks, but it's for all the wrong reason. So as you know german filmmaker Marc Vorlander sort of came out of the blue with the plans to make a sequel to the film, without MGM's involvement but many thought the whole idea was some kind of joke. Then Rena Riffel, one of the stars from the original said that she was also making a sequel, focusing on her character 15 years later. Vorlander seems to have gotten a wiff of this, especially since Riffel was originally supposed to be in his version and sent us...

A couple of weeks ago we posted a graphic trailer for a sequel to "Showgirls," which was supposed to bring back actress Rena Riffel from the original film. Riffel now tells Empire magazine that she has nothing to do with the movie and she's actually making her own "Showgirls" sequel. "Some media outlets have been reporting and posting about a 'Showgirls' follow-up feature called 'Showgirls 2,' which I am not affiliated with, in any way, shape or form," she said. "I'll admit, I was contacted by the German 'Showgirls' fan-turned-'Hollywood director' to star in his first feature film. However, it was so horrifically graphic and out of the show's original story theme that I needed to withdraw from those talks." Riffel continued: "I am officially working on my own Showgirls follow-up feature film. Recently, I posted a short sequel teaser on YouTube, which I wrote and directed myself.

Controversial 1995 stripper movie Showgirls is set for an encore - director Marc Vorlander has directed a sequel.

Showgirls 2: The Story of Hope focuses on the death of blonde stripper Hope, played by Rena Riffel in the original, and the brother who sets out to find those responsible.

Riffel, who plays no part in the sequel, admits she was shocked when a fan sent her the newly-released trailer.

She tells website Slog.com, "A Showgirls fan forwarded me the website last week. I saw my name in it, and I almost fell off my chair."

But she was aware of Vorlander's plans to revisit Paul Verhoeven's movie, which starred Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon.

She explains, "He (Vorlander) contacted me a year ago... He told me he wanted to make a Showgirls sequel and asked if I was interested. I was, but wanted to know how he was dealing with copyright issues and getting rights from the powers-that-be that own the characters from Showgirls. He said he was working it out, raising money, but then I never heard from him again."

But Vorlander tells the website, "I worked together with Rena several months on the pre-production of the film, then, after some artistic differences, we split."...

You might remember that a couple of weeks ago, we showcased the graphic and brain-itchingly awful-looking teaser for a Showgirls sequel that – we’ll call him a writer/director – Marc Vorlander is pushing. Well, now there’s another twist in the tale that no one wanted to read: news of a Showgirls follow-up, as Rena Riffel, one of the original film’s stars is working on her own version."Some media outlets have been reporting and posting about a Showgirls follow-up feature called Showgirls 2, which I am not affiliated with, in any way, shape or form. I'll admit, I was contacted by the German Showgirls fan-turned-“Hollywood director” to star in his first feature film. However, it was so horrifically graphic and out of the show's original story theme that I needed to withdraw from those talks,” she says in a sttement.“I am officially working on my own Showgirls follow-up feature film.

Okay, this whole Showgirls sequel thing has just gone from 'weird' to 'utterly bizarre'.  Rena Riffel - Penny Hope in the original feature - was originally named as appearing in Marc Vorlander's upcoming Showgirls: The Return. Heck, that film was originally titled Showgirls: The Story of Hope. So why isn't Riffel in it? Because she's writing, directing and starring in her own Showgirls sequel.  Really.

The following statement from Rena Riffel, an original Showgirls cast member who played Penny Hope, in regards to the Showgirls sequel films currently being discussed in the media:

"Some media outlets have been reporting and posting about a Showgirls follow-up feature called Showgirls 2, which I am not affiliated with, in any way, shape or form. I'll admit, I was contacted by the German Showgirls fan-turned-"Hollywood director" to star in his first feature film. However, it was so horrifically graphic and out of...

By Ryan J. Downey

Can a film be worse than the legendarily bad "Showgirls"? The answer to that question remains unclear, but a European director has submitted a possible answer with a very, very Nsfw trailer for "Showgirls 2: The Return."

With no recognizable stars, repetitive background music and little discernible relationship to the first film, the trailer puts forth pornographic shock and awe to make its point (whatever point that may be).

Even more noticeably absent than Elizabeth Berkley? There's almost no dialogue in the trailer! This may be due to the fact that "Showgirls 2" was filmed in Germany and there's barely any English to speak of (pun intended, sorry), but who knows? Part of the unintended humor that drove the 1995 original to cult-classic status was the dialogue. Who can forget lines like, "I like nice t---, I always have, how about you?" and "Why did you stop hooking?...

Did you know that there's a "Showgirls" sequel in the works? No? Neither did I, so to my surprise, our friends at Movieline told us that a certain Marc Volander "had secured $25 million in financing and was hard at work on a follow-up that would revolve around the character of Hope, played in the original by noted German model/actress/vatever, Rena Riffel."

Based on the trailer, this is a salacious production, dirtier than Paul Verhoeven's original. But suddenly, I'm missing Elizabeth Berkley who strutted her way to infamy starring in the first film.

The sequel is eurotrash at its finest! For more pictures, click here, and to see the dirty, dirty trailer that will satisfy your lesbian softcore fantasies, click here.

A Nsfw movie trailer for Showgirls 2, a sequel to Paul Verhoeven’s controversial and widely panned 1995 cult film, is now online.

The sequel’s link to the original film is a very minor character named Hope, once played by Rena Riffel. In theory this followup is a movie about stripper who died from a dose of contaminated cocaine. Her brother comes to Frankfurt to find the responsible and revenge.

Showgirls 2 is directed and writen by Marc Vorlander.

Here is part of the interview with Vorlander that made TheStranger.com:

What inspired you to create a sequel to Showgirls?

Marc Vorlander: I love Showgirls. It is Paul Verhoeven’s finest work. Yes, yes, I know a lot of people are now laughing, but I’m very serious about it. I take Showgirls very seriously! To understand Showgirls, you have to know the European films of Paul Verhoeven. This film is a...

Showgirls has the reputation of being both awful and one of those films that some enjoy in a so-bad-it’s-good way. But one thing no one really expected the 1995 Paul Verhoeven/Joe Eszterhas exercise in excess to generate was any sort of sequel. But someone has! Featuring all sorts of Very Not Safe For Work Imagery.That someone is filmmaker – based on the trailer, we use the term very, very loosely – Marc Vorlander, and he’s launched a site that features an extended promo for Showgirls: The Return that’s flash-based, with seemingly no way to make it pause (or turn off, short of closing the window) and leaves us utterly baffled.Vorlander pitched his concept last year, claiming he was going to focus his new film on a minor character (Hope, played by Rena Riffel) from the original. It’s impossible to tell based on the sleaze-tastic show...