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For those of you genre fans out there always on the lookout for interesting horror and sci-fi films to enjoy from the comfort of your own home, March’s VOD selections feature several great indie movies that should make for some entertaining viewings this month.

Ava’s Possessions, a film I really dug out of last year’s SXSW Film Festival, is finally making its way onto VOD this Friday and Emelie, the babysitter thriller from Dark Sky Films, is also getting a digital release that day. Other titles arriving on VOD in early March include The Wave, Road Games and Camino.

The month’s VOD titles are being capped off by a film that I’ve been excited to see for some time, Baskin, which is being released by IFC Midnight on March 25th. Other notable VOD titles for March include Dudes & Dragons, You’re Killing Me, A Haunting...

Quick, what’s the grossest thing you can imagine watching in close-up slow motion? If you said eating, you’re correct. If you said vomiting, you are also correct. Yes, there can be more than one correct answer, let’s move past it. Patrick Kennelly’s debut feature Excess Flesh features both in…well, excess. It’s part psychological and part horror, and all too hard to watch because it’s representative of the body image issues we’re dealt with today. In a very extreme way, mind you.

Jill (Bethany Orr) has one of the worst roommate situations you can possibly imagine. Jennifer (Mary Loveless) is obnoxious, rude, loud, disrespectful, cruel, and abusive. She’s also an anorexic fashionista, and beautiful, and while Jill isn’t ugly by any means, Jennifer makes her ugly through her actions. Jill just wants Jennifer to be her friend and is constantly backhanded away.

Jill (Bethany Orr) is a typical misfit, a painfully shy girl who doesn't fit in in L.A., much less in her own apartment, which she shares with the superficial, abusive Jennifer (Mary Loveless), a class-a bitch who wolfs down bags of Doritos and dully throws them back up, never gaining an ounce. Stuck in this rut, it doesn't take long for Jill to snap. Patrick Kennelly's Excess Flesh is initially like one of those 90s-style "Roommate From Hell" thrillers ala Single White Female, but no Hollywood director would go to the extremes this one does; ditching any pretense of glitz or style, this is a straight-up grimy and unpleasant experience. Kennelly is clearly lashing out at the vapid L.A. scene, the one made up of...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Ever have one of those Mondays where things fall apart before you can even touch them? That's what at least one woman appears to be experiencing in an exclusive clip from Excess Flesh, which you can watch below. The synopsis puts things in perspective: Jill is obsessed with her new roommate Jennifer, a promiscuous and sexy hotshot in the La Fashion scene. New to the city and recently single, Jill is unable to keep up as she binges and purges to stay thin; eventually hating herself and everyone around her. Her jealousy and rage spiral out of control -- Jennifer has everything, and Jill wants to be just like her. If Jill can't Be Jennifer, she must destroy her. Patrick Kennelly directed. The film stars...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

The A&E Network series Damien starring Bradley James (Merlin) premieres next Monday, March 7th and we have a behind-the-scenes video from the series to share after the jump. Also in this round-up: Bigfoot preview details and a new clip from Excess Flesh.

Damien: “The series stars Bradley James as Damien Thorn (“Merlin,” “Homeland”), along with Oscar® nominee Barbara Hershey (“Once Upon A Time”), Omid Abtahi (“Better Call Saul”) and Meganlyn Echikunwoke (“House of Lies”).

“Damien” follows the adult life of Damien Thorn, the mysterious child from the 1976 motion picture who has grown up seemingly unaware of the satanic forces around him. Haunted by his past, Damien must now come to terms with his true destiny — that he is the Antichrist. Barbara Hershey stars as Ann Rutledge, the world’s most powerful woman who has been tasked with making sure Damien fulfills his destiny. Omid Abtahi portrays Amani Golkar,...

Based on Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead, a film about a demon summoned to exact vengeance on a group of teenagers, this collection from Fright Rags has something for everyone. Also in this round-up: All Hell Breaks Loose and Excess Flesh release information and Deprivation production details.

Fright Rags’ Pumpkinhead Collection: “Pumpkinhead V1 (Shirt) from $27.00

Art by Chris Lovell.

Pumpkinhead V1 (Zippered Hoodie) $47.00

Art by Chris Lovell.

Pumpkinhead V2 (Shirt) from $27.00

Art by Godmachine.

Pumpkinhead V2 (Baseball Tee) $37.00

Art by Godmachine.

Pumpkinhead 18X24 Screenprinted Poster $35.00

Limited To 175 Prints.

– 18×24 screen printed poster

– Art by Matt Tobin

Pumpkinhead 18X24 Screenprinted Poster (Variant) $45.00

Limited To 50 Prints.

– 18×24 screen printed poster

– Art by Matt Tobin.

Please note that both versions of the Pumpkinhead shirt and hoodie are printed on 100% pre-shrunk Cotton and ships in 1-2 business days. Us customers: Please allow 3-5 days for delivery. International customers: Please allow 10-14 days for delivery.”

For more information on this collection,...

Reviewed by Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

Excess Flesh is a slow moving thriller from director/co-writer Patrick Kennelly that attempts to shine a spotlight on body image issues with its social commentary but does so in an underwhelming fashion.

The film is mostly centralized on two women living in an apartment together. One is Jennifer (Mary Loveless), a thin, annoying party slut, and Jill (Bethany Orr), the less than attractive roommate who is verbally tormented about her weight by Jennifer. Jill reacts to this treatment by binge eating, puking and hitting herself as she eventually slides into a pit of insanity.

After Jill gets her ass kicked by the evil verbally abusive roomie, she reaches her breaking point and decides to chain the bitch to the wall in the apartment — taunting her with yummy cake and insane banter. There's a boyfriend thrown into the movie which only adds an annoying distraction to the already long,...

Grimmfest, the North Of England’s premier horror, cult and fantastic film festival opens its pre-Halloween doors for the 7th time on Thursday 1st October with a gala screening of The Hallow, starring Oxford born Joseph Mawle (Game Of Thrones). It promises to be a packed four days with more than 20 feature length presentations to choose from. The annual Grimmfest event was born out of the Grimm Up North monthly film screenings and events that scare, astound and entertain Manchester audiences all year round. So, here’s what the Grimmfest team, told us you can specifically look forward to in 2015:

Simeon Halligan

“Landmine Goes Click is a real surprise to me. I thought I knew what I was getting from the title and the trailer but this turned out to be a complex and very dark study of the effects of retribution and revenge on the human psyche. The third act blew me away!

Exclusive: The Manchester-based horror festival has revealed its 2015 programme.

Grimmfest (Oct 1-4), Manchester’s horror and cult film festival, has revealed its line-up for 2015.

The festival will feature the world premiere of DxM, which stars Sam Neill alongside two former Screen Stars of Tomorrow, Tom Payne and Antonia Campbell-Hughes.

Andrew Goth (Gallowwalkers) directed the film, which had a market screening at Cannes this year.

This year’s opening night gala will be The Hallow, with director Corin Hardy and star Joseph Mawle in attendance. Playing on the same evening will be The Box, the directorial debut of Shaune Harrison (SFX on World War Z and Avengers: Age Of Ultron) and Bloodsucking Bastards, which stars Fran Kranz (Cabin In The Woods) and Pedro Pascal (The Adjustment Bureau).

The festival will also host the European premiere of Antisocial 2, Cody Calahan’s sequel to his 2013 debut, which was a hit at Grimmfest that year.

There will also...

Read More: Meet the Faces of SXSW 2015: Sally Field, Nick Kroll, Jason Schwartzman and More Acort International has acquired worldwide rights to Patrick Kennelly's feature film debut, "Excess Flesh."  Starring Bethany Orr and Mary Loveless, the dark thriller centers on the obsessive Jill, who violently imprisons her new roommate, Jennifer, in their shared apartment in a sick attempt to become closer to her.  "Excess Flesh is an original, next-level, powerhouse film that has proven itself with both mainstream and genre audiences in the festival circuit," said Chris Wilembrecht, VP of Acquisitions. "Its unique storytelling, surprise twists and turns and edge-of-your-seat visuals are going to have audiences eating this one up! (pun intended!)" "Excess Flesh" premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and will have its U.S. theatrical release early next year. Read More: SXSW 2015: A List of Criticwire Grades for...

Exclusive: The Phoenix-based sales agent will represent worldwide rights to Patrick Kennelly’s SXSW psychological thriller.

Midnight Releasing will handle North American distribution in early 2016 on the story of a woman who imprisons her roommate in their apartment in a twisted attempt to bring them closer together. Bethany Orr and Mary Loveless star

Kennelly and Sigrid Gilmer co-wrote the screenplay to Excess Flesh and Leo Garcia produced.

The film premiered earlier this year at SXSW and screened recently at Fantasia. It is scheduled to play the touring Fantasy FilmFest in Germany.

“Through Acort International’s film distribution outlets worldwide including Midnight Releasing and Brain Damage Films here in the Us, Excess Flesh will have the best chance in reaching audiences globally hungry for this type of psychothriller,” said executive producer Dennis Garcia of Walking To The Moon Productions. “We are thrilled to be part of this team.”

“Acort International is very excited to be working with director...

Organisers of this years Manchester-base horror film festival, Grimmfest, have announced the first three titles that will be playing at 2015′s fest… Three very different UK Premieres that have been making waves on the at festivals around the world such as Sundance, SXSW and Fantasia International Fantastic Film Festival

Syncronicity, from Jacob Gentry (The Signal) which is described as “a mind-bending ‘Sci-fi Noir’ in the tradition of Dark City, Blade Runner, and Alphaville” will have its UK premiere at Grimmfest; along with Excess Flesh, the new shocking body horror from writer and director Patrick Kennelly; and He Never Died, a brutal cannibal horror starring punk legend Henry Rollins, Stephen Ogg (Grand Theft Auto 5) and Booboo Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past).

Check out out preview of all three films below; and look out for more announcements and news on GrimmFest 2015 on the official website

Synchronicity (UK Premiere)

From the creators of The Signal comes Synchronicity,...

Montreal’s genre film festival to showcase 135 features and almost 300 shorts across its three-week run from July 14-Aug 4.Scroll down for line-up

Fantasia International Film Festival has unveiled its full line-up for its upcoming 19th edition which kicks off next Tuesday [July 14].

Over its three-week run, the Montreal-based genre film festival will showcase 135 features, including 22 world, 13 international premieres and 21 North American premieres, and almost 300 short films.

Shinji Higuchi’s Attack on Titan will receive its Canadian premiere as the closing film of this year’s edition on Aug 4. The live-action film is based on Hajime Isyama’s steampunk fantasy war opera manga series.

Additional highlights of the final wave of titles include the world premieres of Malik Bader’s thriller Cash Only and Ken Ochiai’s Ninja the Monster, as well as the Canadian premiere of Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion’s horror comedy Cooties starring Elijah Wood.

A trio of Sion Sono films will also be shown at this...

The 19th Annual Fantasia Film Festival is only a week away, beginning July 14 and running through August 4. And as promised for today, they’ve revealed their full line-up of films screening at 2015’s festival in Montreal.

This year’s line-up boasts 22 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, and 21 North American Premieres. Both Marvel’s Ant-Man and the animated Miss Hokusai were previously announced, but now they’ve added the much anticipated Attack on Titan movie as their closing night film. Other highlights include the Sundance darlings Cooties, starring Elijah Wood and Rainn Wilson, Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon and directed by the upcoming Spider-man director Jon Watts, and a trio of films from horror auteur Sion Sono.

See the full line-up announcement of films below via Fantasia’s Facebook page, and be sure to check out their website at fantasiafestival.com for additional information.

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Fantasia 2015:

36 Countries, 135 Features, and Nearly 300 Short Films

- Including 22 World Premieres,...

In Excess Flesh, we follow a mentally imbalanced woman by the name of Jill (Bethany Orr), whose preoccupation with her roommate Jennifer (Mary Loveless) and her own self-loathing pushes her sanity to the edge, changing the lives of both women forever. Co-written and directed by Patrick Kennelly, Excess Flesh does its best to explore the dangers of obsession in its many forms and society’s depiction of beauty, but ultimately comes up short, as the script never really goes much further than skin-deep with its often convoluted message and the finale doesn’t make much sense overall.

At the beginning, Excess Flesh starts off by reminding us of society’s horribly unrealistic physical standards and the unfortunate state of body-shaming thoughts which is all well and good. We meet Jill and Jennifer, the latter being involved with the fashion industry and fixated on looking perfect at all times. Jilly, a...

One of the more provocative films to come out of the 2015 SXSW Film Festival’s Midnighters slate was co-writer/director Patrick Kennelly’s Excess Flesh- a harrowing and visceral exploration of identity that follows two roommates (Bethany Orr, Mary Loveless) as their fractured friendship is tested in unimaginable ways. Daily Dead had the opportunity to speak with Kennelly about the film during the fest earlier this week and heard from the first-time feature filmmaker about his approach to the story, working with his leading ladies and more.

So how did Excess Flesh come about originally?

Patrick Kennelly: Basically, I had written this idea down like 10 years ago where I even had the title sort of locked away. I had this basic idea but it was different than what we ended up doing with this film. But I was doing a lot of reading on eating disorders and anorexia...

There’s a fine line between exposition and exploitation, despite their similarities in phonics. Proper exposition puts forth an idea or theory and comprehensively explores the issue at hand, while exploitation is the act of unfairly benefiting from someone’s work, typically when said work is abusive and unseemly.

Excess Flesh is a film that starts as exposition, calling out the disgusting nature of society’s unfair physical standards and the unfortunate state of body-shaming thoughts, yet it confusingly turns into an exploitative food-porn that asks the world of Bethany Orr. What could have been a weighty assessment of the drug-fueled model culture is nothing but a raving slampiece about centerfold glamification and the snobs who define what beauty is – like a gross-out tabloid bit.

Bethany Orr plays Jill, a “flabby” Jane Doe who lives with her ultra-bitchy best friend Jennifer. Being a model, Jennifer spends most of her time...

Displeased and displeasing, repulsive and repugnant, Excess Flesh is consuming vitriol and spewing it back in our faces. Director Patrick Kennelly’s feature debut is stylish on a low budget, boasting a synth score from Jonathan Snipes (Room 237, Starry Eyes) and slick, slo-mo visual palette, which he then stuffs with graphic eating, and sadistic and…

The post SXSW Review: Excess Flesh is Angry, Gross Body Image Horror appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

The 17th annual Boston Underground Film Festival is set to explode all over the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square on March 25-29.

Opening Night: The fun kicks off on the 25th at 7:30 p.m. with the exciting new flick from the always amazing Astron-6 collective, The Editor, an homage to the brutal Giallo movies of the ’70s and ’80s directed by Adam Brooks and Matthew Kennedy. This will be followed by the restored version of the legendary cult classic Gone With the Pope by the notorious Duke Mitchell.

Closing Night: Goodnight Mommy the debut feature film by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, will screen at 8:30 p.m. on the 29th and is a nightmarish vision of familial dread when twin brothers believe their cosmetically altered mother is literally not the woman she used to be.

Other features include a mix of horror, like Matt O’Mahoney’s...

South by Southwest starts tomorrow, Friday, March 13, and my pores are beaming with excitement, though that could just be a medical condition. I am looking at a very packed schedule of films over the nine day festival, with a total of 38 in all (36 reviews to write). So, I basically will be drowning in movies. But, then again, I can't complain too much, as I wouldn't have it any other way. You can take a look at what I hope my schedule ends up being below. Obviously, things could change as the festival progresses, with some titles getting more buzz than others and overtaking current films and so forth. But, I think, this is how I will be spending my SXSW. I will be updating this post throughout the festival with schedule changes and links to my reviews, so maybe bookmark this page if you're interested. I hope you enjoy my coverage,...

Los Angeles-based, self-destructive horror as scored by Jonathan Snipes is now a thing. A good thing. Premiering at SXSW in the Midnighters lineup, Excess Flesh is already garnering comparisons to last year’s Starry Eyes, thanks to its focus on and fear of body image, as well as its accompanying soundtrack from Snipes (Room 237, The Nightmare).…

The post SXSW Teaser: Grotesque Body (Image) Horror, Excess Flesh appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

This year’s South By Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW 2015), which will run from March 13-21 in Austin, Texas, has unveiled the lineup for its beloved Midnighters section, which aims to showcase the best and brightest in genre filmmaking, from thriller to horror to science-fiction. Attendees will witness 11 titles including nine world premieres at Midnighters this year, with filmmakers like Karyn Kusama and Rodney Ascher in the mix.

SXSW’s senior programmer Jarod Neece commented on the Midnighters lineup, stating:

“Creepy, clever, engrossing, and frightening are just a few words that come to mind when I think about this year’s SXSW Midnighters lineup. These nine world premieres and two festival favorites are helmed by five first-time filmmakers and several SXSW alumni.”

Midnighters always introduces some fascinating genre pics, and whether there’s something here that will go on to Oculus-style success remains to be seen, but it’s...

Following the recent announcement of their full film lineup that includes Trainwreck, Get Hard, and Spy, South by Southwest has revealed their lineup of Midnight movies and short films to screen during the festival. Chief among them is the Sundance 2015 hit Turbo Kid (read our review here) and the Sundance ’15 winner of the Short Film Prize World of Tomorrow. SXSW runs from March 13-21. View the full Midnighters and Shorts lineup below via the SXSW website.

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Midnighters

The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain)

Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens, Screenwriters: Hèctor Hernándes Vicens, Isaac P. Creus

Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked. Fascinated by her beauty, they decide to become the last people to have sex with her. Cast: Alba Ribas, Cristian Valencia, Bernat Saumell, Albert Carbó. (World Premiere)

Deathgasm (New Zealand)

Director/Screenwriter: Jason Lei Howden...

SXSW’s Midnighters selections often give horror fans the first look at indie horror’s finest releases of the year and their 2015 lineup has just been announced, including nine movies that will be making their world premiere during the festival:

“Scary, funny, sexy, controversial – provocative after-dark features for night owls and the terminally curious.

The Corpse of Anna Fritz (Spain)

Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens, Screenwriters: Hèctor Hernándes Vicens, Isaac P. Creus

Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men sneak into the morgue to see her naked. Fascinated by her beauty, they decide to become the last people to have sex with her. Cast: Alba Ribas, Cristian Valencia, Bernat Saumell, Albert Carbó (World Premiere)

Deathgasm (New Zealand)

Director/Screenwriter: Jason Lei Howden

New kid in town Brodie and bad-boy Zakk quickly bond over their mutual admiration of heavy metal. But when these two metal thrashing losers unwittingly summon malevolent forces,...

Last week, South by Southwest announced their features lineup for this year's festival, which runs from March 13-21. Absent from the slew of films were the Midnighters and the Shorts. Today, SXSW released the titles of 11 Midnight features and 106 short films for their various programs. I will not spend too much time on the shorts. There are so many of them, and there is a very high probability I will not see any of them, unless they play before a feature. The Midnighters, on the other hand, can make for some really entertaining movies. Last year's program included the terrific The Guest and the fairly good Honeymoon, so even if it ends up being only one or two good ones, it is usually a fun time to stay up late and see some thrillers or horror films. The short synopsis for The Corpse of Anna Fritz jumped out at me: Anna Fritz,...

SXSW top brass have unveiled the Midnighters section and the complete short film line-up at the festival, set to run in Texas from March 13-21.

This marks the second year of the section and the 2015 offerings comprise 11 genre films including nine world premieres.

“Creepy, clever, engrossing, and frightening are just a few words that come to mind when I think about this year’s SXSW Midnighters line-up,” said SXSW producer and senior programmer Jarod Neece.

“These nine world premieres and two Festival Favorites are helmed by five, first-time filmmakers and several SXSW alumni. We will be screening four films a night at midnight during all nine days of SXSW, and we can’t wait to unleash them on the SXSW audiences”

The Midnighters line-up appears below including synopses provided by the festival:

The Corpse Of Anna Fritz (Spain)

Director: Hèctor Hernández Vicens

Anna Fritz, a famous and beautiful actress, has died recently. Three young men...