J.R. Bookwalter isn’t a name that comes up often when people are discussing awesome genre filmmakers, but there are many of us out there who see him as a hero and an inspiration – and to us, the fact that he has returned to directing after a twenty year break is a major event. In recent months, Bookwalter has been on tour with his new sci-fi horror comedy Side Effects May Vary, bringing it to 35 theatres across the United States (plus a pair of festival screenings in Canada and Germany)… and now it’s time for Side Effects May Vary to come to home video! The movie will be getting a streaming release by the end of the year, but the streaming version is going to be three minutes shorter than the uncut theatrical release version. The only way to get a copy of the uncut, 84 minute version is by pre-ordering a copy of the limited edition Blu-ray and DVD release (only 1000 copies will be made) through Bookwalter’s Kickstarter campaign. Discs will start shipping out in October.

Discs will be region free and some will come with a Kickstarter-exclusive Blu-ray slipcover autographed by director J.R. Bookwalter, limited to 300 units.

Here’s the synopsis: Side Effects May Vary is a fast-paced, funny, goopy sci-fi/horror throwback inspired by the monster movie drive-in classics Bookwalter grew up with, particularly The Incredible Melting Man (1977). With the world gripped by a deadly pandemic, science denier Glenn Rollins turns to an experimental vaccine as treatment for a lingering sickness. Much to the surprise of his doctor, wife, and friends, the remedy immediately fixes what ails him. But Glenn will soon discover the only thing more fatal than the virus… is the cure!

James L. Edwards (who also wrote the screenplay), Drew Fortier, Floyd Ewing Jr., Tina Krause, Sasha Graham, Brinke Stevens, Wendy Zier, and Tom Hoover star. Speaking of Krause, “The eventual streaming release will be censored, replacing one particular crowd-favorite shot of actress Tina Krause with a cover take. (You’ll know which shot when you see it!)“

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come with the following special features: 84-minute uncut theatrical version feature (1080p HD, 1.78:1 aspect ratio) with DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround (Blu-ray only) or Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (DVD only) and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mixes – Audio commentary with director J.R. Bookwalter – Theatrical roadshow teaser – Roadshow opening night Q&A at Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, moderated by Art Ettinger of Ultra Violent Magazine (Blu-ray only) – English subtitles – Two trailers (teaser and final theatrical trailer)

Bookwalter’s previous directing credits include The Dead Next Door, Robot Ninja, Zombie Cop, Kingdom of the Vampire, Maximum Impact, Humanoids from Atlantis, Galaxy of the Dinosaurs, Ozone, The Sandman, Polymorph, Witchouse II: Blood Coven, Witchouse 3: Demon Fire, and Mega Scorpions.

Are you a Bookwalter fan, and will you be ordering a copy of Side Effects May Vary on Blu-ray? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I have already secured my copy!

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The Devil’s Bath – the latest genre movie from Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the directing duo behind the disturbing horror films Goodnight Mommy (the original, not the Naomi Watts remake) and The Lodge – has been acquired by Shudder, with the streaming service planning to release it in North America, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on June 28th. With that date just a few weeks away, Shudder has released a trailer for the film… and oddly, they chose to release it through the Letterboxd X account. You can watch it right here:

The Devil’s Bath – which has been described as “utterly harrowing”, “chilling”, and “impactful” – is a German-language film that is set in 1750 Austria, at a time when villages were surrounded by deep forests. There, a deeply religious woman has married her beloved, but her mind and heart soon grow heavy as her life becomes a long list of chores and expectations. Day after day, she is increasingly trapped in a murky and lonely path leading to evil thoughts, until the possibility of committing a shocking act of violence seems like the only way out of her turmoil. Franz and Fiala said it’s “a movie that tackles the horrors of depression and aims to give a voice to women who have been unheard throughout history.”

Anja Plaschg, David Scheid, Maria Hofstätter, Camilla Schielin, and Lorenz Tröbinger star. The film was produced by Ulrich Seidl Productions, as a co-production with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion. 

While we wait to check out The Devil’s Bath, Franz and Fiala have already lined up their next genre project: the psychological horror movie A Head Full of Ghosts, which is based on a novel by Paul Tremblay (you can pick up a copy of the book HERE). Another novel written by Tremblay was The Cabin at the End of the World, which M. Night Shyamalan turned into Knock at the Cabin. A Head Full of Ghosts has been in development for years. Back in 2018, Osgood Perkins was attached to write and direct the film. In 2020, Scott Cooper came on board to direct and rewrite Perkins’ script, while Margaret Qualley was set to star in it. The producers are hoping the project will finally get into production later this year with Franz and Fiala at the helm.

What did you think of the trailer for The Devil’s Bath? Will you be watching this movie when it starts streaming on Shudder? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post The Devil’s Bath trailer: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala horror film reaches Shudder this month appeared first on JoBlo.

It’s hard to believe, but Destiny has been around just shy of ten years, and today’s launch of The Final Shape marks the conclusion of the series’ current saga. As players get ready to dive into this final campaign against the Witness and usher Destiny 2 into a new era, they’re also fondly remembering the last ten…

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It’s hard to believe, but Destiny has been around just shy of ten years, and today’s launch of The Final Shape marks the conclusion of the series’ current saga. As players get ready to dive into this final campaign against the Witness and usher Destiny 2 into a new era, they’re also fondly remembering the last ten…

Read more…

Screen Gems has put out a whole lot of horror movies over the years, with titles including The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Don’t Breathe, Resident Evil, Underworld, Deliver Us from Evil, The Grudge, Carrie, The Stepfather, Prom Night, The Pope’s Exorcist, Insidious: The Red Door, and the recently released Tarot – and they’re making moves to ensure they’re going to be seen as a source for interesting horror in the years ahead. They’re working with Platinum Dunes on the “District 9 by way of The Purge“ werewolf movie Wolf Night and recently signed a first-look deal with Gary Dauberman that will see him “creating projects for himself while curating a slate featuring established and up-and-coming filmmakers.” Now Deadline reports that Scott Derrickson, the director of such films as Sinister, Doctor Strange, The Black Phone, and the previously mentioned The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Deliver Us from Evil, and his frequent collaborator / co-writer C. Robert Cargill have also signed a first-look deal with Screen Gems.

Derrickson and Cargill will produce feature films for Screen Gems under their Crooked Highway banner.

Ashley Brucks, the President of Screen Gems, provided the following statement: “We first got to experience Scott’s talent with The Exorcism of Emily Rose. From then on, he and Cargill have excelled in reinventing the genre space by pushing boundaries and tapping into people’s deepest fears. They have an incredible ability to connect with (and scare) audiences. We feel lucky to have them here at Screen Gems and look forward to creating hits and breaking new boundaries with them at our side.“

Derrickson and Cargill added: “We’re very excited to be joining Sony Pictures at this juncture and to be pairing with the incredible new team over at Screen Gems. Their commitment to giving thoughtful, intense, genre films theatrical distribution is in line with what we very much want to be doing both as a company and as artists. Our early work with them is already yielding exciting developments, and we look forward to making numerous great projects together in the years to come.“

Are you looking forward to seeing some “thoughtful, intense” genre movies from Derrickson, Cargill, and Screen Gems? Share your thoughts on this news by leaving a comment below.

The post Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill sign first-look deal with Sony’s Screen Gems appeared first on JoBlo.

Now that HBO’s hit series Succession has come to an end, the Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning star, Sarah Snook, is now slated to executive produce a new thriller for Peacock, which she will also be starring in. The series is titled All Her Fault and is being described as a “suburban thriller.” The show’s creator, Megan Gallagher, known for Wolf and Suspicion, will also be serving as a writer and executive producer on the new project, which has been adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Andrea Mara.

Snook plays a character named Marissa, and the synopsis, per Deadline, reads, “All Her Fault opens on a plausibly terrifying situation that eventually unearths the deep secrets of a community. Marissa Irvine arrives at 14 Arthur Avenue, expecting to pick up her young son Milo from his first playdate with a boy at his new school. But the woman who answers the door isn’t a mother she recognizes. She isn’t the nanny. She doesn’t have Milo. And so begins every parent’s worst nightmare.”

Minkie Spiro, who worked on the recent Netflix series 3 Body Problem, as well as the popular Downton Abbey, will be set to direct the first episode and others in the season. Plus, Spiro is slated to executive produce. The executive producers on All Her Fault are also said to include Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame and Joanna Strevens for Carnival Films, which is known for The Day of the Jackal and Lockerbie, Jennifer Gabler Rawlings and Christine A. Sacani, producer Terry Gould and associate producer, Andrea Mara, who wrote the novel All Her Fault. Universal International Studio, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio that will be producing the show.

The post All Her Fault: Succession’s Sarah Snook set to star and executive produce new thriller for Peacock appeared first on JoBlo.

No matter how much a game might try to teach you its rules, some people will just never learn. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with a game not being for everybody! But what happens when the player just wants to be difficult? In the case of new indie dungeon crawler Cryptmaster, the game’s titular narrator and guide…

Read more…

No matter how much a game might try to teach you its rules, some people will just never learn. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with a game not being for everybody! But what happens when the player just wants to be difficult? In the case of new indie dungeon crawler Cryptmaster, the game’s titular narrator and guide…

Read more…

As the JoBlo YouTube Network continues to grow with every upload across a vast chain of themed channels, our JoBlo Animated Videos YouTube channel is celebrating an epic milestone. Thanks to you, our outstanding team, and the boundless talents of creators and artists across the film and television industry, we’ve reached 3 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS, thus becoming one of (if not the most popular) animated channels on all of YouTube!

In addition to reaching 3 million subscribers, our YouTube channel recently reached 2 billion views, bringing the latest characters, stories, and worlds in the animated medium to animation lovers worldwide. The channel houses every animation studio under one roof, making it a one-stop shop for the latest previews, trailers, behind-the-scenes videos, and exclusive content for one of the film industry’s most creative and labor-intensive genres.

Whether you’re a Pixar fan, enjoy the works of Don Bluth, or stan the House of Mouse, the JoBlo Animated Videos YouTube channel highlights the best in the business, with every character from Roger Rabbit to Po the Panda, Disney icons, and Minions running amok. As much as we love live-action and delight in the action heroes of the ’80s, we at JoBlo have deep respect for the tireless work of animators across the industry. Animation allows our imaginations to run wild, bringing impossible visions to light through cutting-edge technology, passionate voice work, and worlds unlike anything you’ll find in reality. Animation is a platform for escapism, with the only limits being what we can dream and manifest with pen and programming.

A feeling of pride takes hold as we reflect on amassing 3 million JoBlo Animated YouTube channel subscribers. We know we’ve helped subscribers experience years’ worth of hard work, dedication, last-minute changes, creative shakeups, and the introduction of characters and franchises that could entertain future generations. As we look to the future, we hope you’ll continue to share our videos and join us in reaching more animation enthusiasts than ever. We appreciate your support and look forward to serving you more great content as the channel grows!

The post JoBlo celebrates the 3M subscriber milestone for our Animated Videos YouTube channel with over 2 billion views! appeared first on JoBlo.

MaXXXine, the sequel to director Ti West‘s films Pearl (watch it HERE) and X (watch that one at THIS LINK), is swiftly approaching its July 5th theatrical release date – but before we get there, A24 will be bringing franchise starter X back to theatres for one night only, on June 18th. IndieWire reports that movie-goers who attend the June 18th screenings (tickets are available at THIS LINK) of X will get to see a preview of MaXXXine after the end credits roll.

MaXXXine is written and directed by West. Mia Goth reprises the role of X survivor Maxine Minx, a burlesque performer and adult film actress with the goal of being a star. The film has the following synopsis: In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. As you can see in the recently released trailer, the Hollywood setting even allows for a visit to the Bates Motel. Goth and singer Halsey are joined in the cast by Kevin Bacon (Tremors), Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet), singer Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Bobby Cannavale (Netflix’s The Watcher), Lily Collins (Emily in Paris), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Esposito is playing an agent for adult film and Z-list movie actors, Debicki’s character is a film director, Monaghan and Cannavale play LAPD detectives, and Bacon plays a private detective.

MaXXXine is being produced by A24, Ti West, Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, and Harrison Kreiss. Mia Goth serves as executive producer. 

Goth starred in X alongside Brittany Snow (Would You Rather), Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Jenna Ortega (the new Scream movie), Martin Henderson (The Strangers: Prey at Night), Owen Campbell (Super Dark Times), and Stephen Ure (Deathgasm). That film has the following synopsis: In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them in the act, the cast find themselves fighting for their lives.

Co-financed by A24 and Bron, X was produced by Jacob Jaffke, Kevin Turen, and Harrison Kreiss, with Sam Levinson, Ashley Levinson, and Peter Phok serving as executive producers.

Are you looking forward to MaXXXine, and will you be catching the one-night re-release of X to see a preview of the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The post Ti West’s X returns to theatres with a MaXXXine preview appeared first on JoBlo.