Australia’s premier genre festival – Monster Fest – has unveiled its final wave of films for the 2016 festival, which is set to take place November 24-27 at the Lido Cinemas in Melbourne.
The team of features programmers – which includes festival director Kier-La Janisse, Monster Pictures co-founder Neil Foley, Boston Underground Film Festival Director of Programming Nicole McControversy and writer/programmer/punk legend Chris D. – vetted over 600 features in selecting the 2016 Monster Fest lineup, which includes new crime films Dog Eat Dog and The Hollow Point from Paul Schrader and Gonzalo López-Gallego respectively, gory slasher throwback The Windmill Massacre (reviewed here), the hometown premiere of epic period western The Legend of Ben Hall with cast in person and acclaimed Tiff selections Prevenge and Interchange alongside Fantastic Fest faves such as the Aussie-made yuletide thriller Safe Neighbourhood and the devastating – and polarizing – Playground.
From the press release:
Select panels for the Swinburne University...
The team of features programmers – which includes festival director Kier-La Janisse, Monster Pictures co-founder Neil Foley, Boston Underground Film Festival Director of Programming Nicole McControversy and writer/programmer/punk legend Chris D. – vetted over 600 features in selecting the 2016 Monster Fest lineup, which includes new crime films Dog Eat Dog and The Hollow Point from Paul Schrader and Gonzalo López-Gallego respectively, gory slasher throwback The Windmill Massacre (reviewed here), the hometown premiere of epic period western The Legend of Ben Hall with cast in person and acclaimed Tiff selections Prevenge and Interchange alongside Fantastic Fest faves such as the Aussie-made yuletide thriller Safe Neighbourhood and the devastating – and polarizing – Playground.
From the press release:
Select panels for the Swinburne University...
- 11/17/2016
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Edited by Hans-Åke Lilja, Shining in the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library is exclusive to Cemetery Dance Publications and will feature a Stephen King story that hasn't been released since 1981. We also have updated release details for The Similars, the final wave of films announced at Monster Fest 2016, six photos / details for The Orphanage video game, and a new trailer for Gremlin.
Cemetery Dance Publications' Shining in the Dark Anthology: From Cemetery Dance: "Shining In the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library edited by Hans-Åke Lilja.
About the Book:
Hans-Ake Lilja, the founder of Lilja's Library, has compiled a brand new anthology of horror stories to help celebrate twenty years of running the #1 Stephen King news website on the web!
This anthology includes both original stories like the brand new novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) very rare reprints like "The Blue Air...
Cemetery Dance Publications' Shining in the Dark Anthology: From Cemetery Dance: "Shining In the Dark: Celebrating Twenty Years of Lilja's Library edited by Hans-Åke Lilja.
About the Book:
Hans-Ake Lilja, the founder of Lilja's Library, has compiled a brand new anthology of horror stories to help celebrate twenty years of running the #1 Stephen King news website on the web!
This anthology includes both original stories like the brand new novella by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In) very rare reprints like "The Blue Air...
- 11/2/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
The minds behind Monster Fest 2016 out of Melbourne, Australia, have announced that the French horror film Raw will open the festival, which will also feature a screening of Beyond the Gates. Also in today's Highlights: a trailer for Halloweed and a sneak peek of Aliens: Life and Death #1.
Monster Fest 2016 Lineup Announced: Press Release: "Returning this year from November 24-27, Australia’s premier genre film festival Monster Fest is thrilled to announce the Australian premiere of controversial new French horror film Raw as its Official 2016 Opening Night Film.
Raw made its World Premiere in Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year where it was awarded the coveted Fipresci Award and was lauded by critics and fans alike as the genre sensation of the festival.
Raw is the debut feature of French director Julia Ducournau and tells the story of a young vegetarian who discovers her dark side...
Monster Fest 2016 Lineup Announced: Press Release: "Returning this year from November 24-27, Australia’s premier genre film festival Monster Fest is thrilled to announce the Australian premiere of controversial new French horror film Raw as its Official 2016 Opening Night Film.
Raw made its World Premiere in Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year where it was awarded the coveted Fipresci Award and was lauded by critics and fans alike as the genre sensation of the festival.
Raw is the debut feature of French director Julia Ducournau and tells the story of a young vegetarian who discovers her dark side...
- 9/19/2016
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
There's a kick-ass genre film festival in Melbourne, Australia every November called Monster Fest, and they want you to join them in worshipping at the altar of weird cinema --- and we've got an exclusive on their new festival teaser. This year’s festival runs from November 22-24, and Monster Pictures co-founder Neil Foley, along with filmmaker Mark Bakaitis (Cult Girls), co-directed the teaser below. It's inspired by J. Lee Thompson’s 1966 Eye of the Devil, a folk horror tale (starring David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, David Hemmings and Sharon Tate in her first role) which preceded Wicker Man. More from the press release: “Eye Of The Devil celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and our discussions around it became the backbone of this year’s theme...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 7/21/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Monster Fest returns for its sixth edition November 24-27 at the Lido Cinemas in Melbourne, with support from Screen Australia and Film Victoria..
Writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse joins the team as festival director alongside festival co-founder and head of Monster Pictures acquisitions Neil Foley.
They're joined on the programming team by longtime programmer for the American Cinematheque, Chris D; scholar and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Rape Revenge Films: A Critical History); pulp expert Andrew Nette (Beat Girls, Love Tribes and Real Cool Cats: Pulp Fiction and Youth Culture from the 1950s to the 1980s); film scholar and archivist Dean Brandum (Technicolor Yawn); curator Hussein Khoder (ex-Melbourne Underground Film Festival); media researcher Catherine Seccombe (ABC) and Trasharama programmer Dick Dale..
.I.m really excited about having someone of Chris D.s stature join the team this year,. said Janisse..
.He.s got exquisite taste and brings a wealth of experience to the festival.
Writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse joins the team as festival director alongside festival co-founder and head of Monster Pictures acquisitions Neil Foley.
They're joined on the programming team by longtime programmer for the American Cinematheque, Chris D; scholar and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (Rape Revenge Films: A Critical History); pulp expert Andrew Nette (Beat Girls, Love Tribes and Real Cool Cats: Pulp Fiction and Youth Culture from the 1950s to the 1980s); film scholar and archivist Dean Brandum (Technicolor Yawn); curator Hussein Khoder (ex-Melbourne Underground Film Festival); media researcher Catherine Seccombe (ABC) and Trasharama programmer Dick Dale..
.I.m really excited about having someone of Chris D.s stature join the team this year,. said Janisse..
.He.s got exquisite taste and brings a wealth of experience to the festival.
- 6/9/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
I will be very envious of Australians this coming November, when Monster Fest is unleashed upon Melbourne. Under the guide of the new festival director, Kier-la Janisse (author of House of Psychotic Women, founder of the amazing Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies), I have no doubt that it will be a spectacular year for genre films fans down under. And the new poster, designed by Canadian artists Matt Ryan Tobin, is quite spectacular. Not only that, but Janisse has gathered around her a pretty outstanding group of programmers, including Senses of Cinema co-editor Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Monster Pictures' Neil Foley, and author and American Cinematheque programmer Chris D. Submissions are still open for the festival until August 12, 2016 for Features, Short Films and Expanded Cinema...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/9/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Festival director Kier-La Janisse (photo: Cindy Titus).
Submissions are now open to the sixth annual Monster Fest, with an early bird deadline of April 29, a regular deadline of June 3 and an extended deadline of August 12.
Monster Fest ('Australia.s premier festival of cult, horror and the fantastic') runs November 24-27 at the Lido Cinemas in Melbourne, with support from Screen Australia.
Monster Fest was established in 2011 as the exhibition arm of Monster Pictures.
This year it's headed up by new festival director Kier-La Janisse, with programming support from genre scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and executive produced by Neil Foley and Grant Hardie of Monster Pictures.
.We.re already hitting the festival circuit, markets and schools, scouting new films, but I can.t wait for the submissions to start rolling in to see what unheralded discoveries await us., Janisse said.
This year Monster Fest will put a particular emphasis on innovative,...
Submissions are now open to the sixth annual Monster Fest, with an early bird deadline of April 29, a regular deadline of June 3 and an extended deadline of August 12.
Monster Fest ('Australia.s premier festival of cult, horror and the fantastic') runs November 24-27 at the Lido Cinemas in Melbourne, with support from Screen Australia.
Monster Fest was established in 2011 as the exhibition arm of Monster Pictures.
This year it's headed up by new festival director Kier-La Janisse, with programming support from genre scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and executive produced by Neil Foley and Grant Hardie of Monster Pictures.
.We.re already hitting the festival circuit, markets and schools, scouting new films, but I can.t wait for the submissions to start rolling in to see what unheralded discoveries await us., Janisse said.
This year Monster Fest will put a particular emphasis on innovative,...
- 2/25/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Australia’s premier festival of cult, horror and the fantastic, Monster Fest have announced the appointment of its new Festival Director, renowned Canadian film programmer and author Kier-La Janisse (pictured above). Acclaimed author of the autobiographical House of Psychotic Women, Janisse arrives at Monster Fest after nearly two decades of experience on the genre festival circuit, having worked for such prestigious events as Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX and founding Canada’s first horror film festival, CineMuerte (1999-2005) as well as co-founding revered Montreal micro-cinema Blue Sunshine.
In addition to her Monster Fest duties, Kier-La also runs Spectacular Optical Publications (Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s) and founded the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, which has branches in Montreal and London, with a Us branch opening later in the year. Says Monster Fest founder Neil Foley:
The appointment of Kier-La signals a...
In addition to her Monster Fest duties, Kier-La also runs Spectacular Optical Publications (Satanic Panic: Pop-Cultural Paranoia in the 1980s) and founded the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, which has branches in Montreal and London, with a Us branch opening later in the year. Says Monster Fest founder Neil Foley:
The appointment of Kier-La signals a...
- 2/9/2016
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Monster Fest festival director, Kier-La Janisse.
.
Monster Fest has appointed Canadian film programmer and author Kier-La Janisse as it new festival director.
Returning to Melbourne.s Lido Cinemas for its sixth edition, Monster Fest 2016 has been scheduled for to take place from November 24-27.
Monster Fest has also announced that submissions for features, short films and expanded cinema projects open on February 26 with an early bird deadline of April 29, a regular deadline of June 3 and a final, extended deadline of August 12.
Author of the autobiographical House of Psychotic Women, Janisse comes to Monster Fest after nearly two decades of experience on the genre festival circuit, having worked for such prestigious events as Montreal.s Fantasia International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX and founding Canada.s first horror film festival, CineMuerte (1999-2005) as well as co-founding revered Montreal micro-cinema Blue Sunshine..
In addition to her Monster Fest duties, Kier-La...
.
Monster Fest has appointed Canadian film programmer and author Kier-La Janisse as it new festival director.
Returning to Melbourne.s Lido Cinemas for its sixth edition, Monster Fest 2016 has been scheduled for to take place from November 24-27.
Monster Fest has also announced that submissions for features, short films and expanded cinema projects open on February 26 with an early bird deadline of April 29, a regular deadline of June 3 and a final, extended deadline of August 12.
Author of the autobiographical House of Psychotic Women, Janisse comes to Monster Fest after nearly two decades of experience on the genre festival circuit, having worked for such prestigious events as Montreal.s Fantasia International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX and founding Canada.s first horror film festival, CineMuerte (1999-2005) as well as co-founding revered Montreal micro-cinema Blue Sunshine..
In addition to her Monster Fest duties, Kier-La...
- 2/5/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Scare Campaign, writers-directors Colin and Cameron Cairnes. follow-up to 100 Bloody Acres, was named best film at Monster Fest.
The frightfest produced by Julie Ryan, which stars Ian Meadows, Meegan Warner, Olivia de Jonge and Sigrid Thornton, also collected the prizes for best direction, feature screenplay and sound (Chris Goodes and Steve Burgess).
The plot follows a reality TV prank show, Scare Campaign, which had entertained audiences for five years with a mix of old school scares and hidden camera fun.
Faced with dwindling ratings and competition from a new hard-edged web series, the producers decide to up the ante, taking desperate measures in an abandoned asylum.
The prizes: a crystal monster for best film, green monster for the directors and a Miss Universe-style sash for the script. Monster Fest's Neil Foley hailed a "brilliant new Aussie horror film from two of Australia's most exciting cinema talents, totally deserving of every...
The frightfest produced by Julie Ryan, which stars Ian Meadows, Meegan Warner, Olivia de Jonge and Sigrid Thornton, also collected the prizes for best direction, feature screenplay and sound (Chris Goodes and Steve Burgess).
The plot follows a reality TV prank show, Scare Campaign, which had entertained audiences for five years with a mix of old school scares and hidden camera fun.
Faced with dwindling ratings and competition from a new hard-edged web series, the producers decide to up the ante, taking desperate measures in an abandoned asylum.
The prizes: a crystal monster for best film, green monster for the directors and a Miss Universe-style sash for the script. Monster Fest's Neil Foley hailed a "brilliant new Aussie horror film from two of Australia's most exciting cinema talents, totally deserving of every...
- 11/30/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The first 3D porn movie ever screened in official selection at the Cannes Film Festival has been sold to nearly 40 markets including Australia.
Gaspar Noé.s Love stars Karl Glusman as a young American reminiscing over an intense affair he had in Paris with Electra (Aomi Muyock). Her suggestion of a threesome with Omi (Klara Kristin) ultimately unravels their relationship.
.Its sexually explicit content, which might pose a problem in a handful of territories such as the Us, does not appeared to have deterred buyers,. Screen Daily drily reported.
Some reviewers rated the film as less scandalous and daring than the Argentinian-born French director.s previous efforts such as Irreversible (2002) and Enter The Void (2009).
.Even though one critic labelled Love the director.s tamest film, it hardly is that, considering the numerous, extremely graphic sex scenes in which nothing is left to the imagination,. Deadline.com.s Pete Hammond wrote.
Gaspar Noé.s Love stars Karl Glusman as a young American reminiscing over an intense affair he had in Paris with Electra (Aomi Muyock). Her suggestion of a threesome with Omi (Klara Kristin) ultimately unravels their relationship.
.Its sexually explicit content, which might pose a problem in a handful of territories such as the Us, does not appeared to have deterred buyers,. Screen Daily drily reported.
Some reviewers rated the film as less scandalous and daring than the Argentinian-born French director.s previous efforts such as Irreversible (2002) and Enter The Void (2009).
.Even though one critic labelled Love the director.s tamest film, it hardly is that, considering the numerous, extremely graphic sex scenes in which nothing is left to the imagination,. Deadline.com.s Pete Hammond wrote.
- 5/21/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Wendy Hughes, who has died in Sydney aged 61, will be remembered by her peers as one of the finest actors of her generation.
Hughes won the AFI award for best actress for Careful, He Might Hear You in 1983 and was nominated on six other occasions, for Newsfront, My Brilliant Career, Lonely Hearts, My First Wife, Echoes of Paradise and Boundaries of the Heart.
.She was a brilliant actress who set the standard and was pioneering for her era,. filmmaker Philippe Mora, who was a close friend in the 1980s and early 1990s, told If.
.In my opinion without Wendy there would have been no Judy Davis, no Nicole Kidman and no Cate Blanchett. If timing had been different she would have been a major international star. As it is she leaves a legacy of perfect performances as one of Australia's greatest actresses..
Mora wanted to cast Hughes as the female...
Hughes won the AFI award for best actress for Careful, He Might Hear You in 1983 and was nominated on six other occasions, for Newsfront, My Brilliant Career, Lonely Hearts, My First Wife, Echoes of Paradise and Boundaries of the Heart.
.She was a brilliant actress who set the standard and was pioneering for her era,. filmmaker Philippe Mora, who was a close friend in the 1980s and early 1990s, told If.
.In my opinion without Wendy there would have been no Judy Davis, no Nicole Kidman and no Cate Blanchett. If timing had been different she would have been a major international star. As it is she leaves a legacy of perfect performances as one of Australia's greatest actresses..
Mora wanted to cast Hughes as the female...
- 3/8/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Kelly Dolen.s John Doe: Vigilante will debut in Us cinemas on March 21, the tenth Australian film to have secured a cinema release in that market this year.
Monster Pictures will launch the thriller starring Battlestar Galactica.s Jamie Bamber as John Doe . a man accused of being a vigilante serial killer- in Australia on May 8.
The screenplay by Stephen M. Coates follows a vigilante group called Speak for the Dead which supports Doe.s cause while he.s in prison, igniting a debate about justice versus vengeance.
Lachy Hulme (Offspring, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story, The Matrix Revolutions) plays a reporter who is trying to uncover the true story about Doe.
.John Doe: Vigilante is intended to create a debate and put a mirror up to society,. said Dolen. .We aren.t glamorising violence, but posing the question.is violence ever really justified? Who decides what is right and what is wrong?...
Monster Pictures will launch the thriller starring Battlestar Galactica.s Jamie Bamber as John Doe . a man accused of being a vigilante serial killer- in Australia on May 8.
The screenplay by Stephen M. Coates follows a vigilante group called Speak for the Dead which supports Doe.s cause while he.s in prison, igniting a debate about justice versus vengeance.
Lachy Hulme (Offspring, Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch Story, The Matrix Revolutions) plays a reporter who is trying to uncover the true story about Doe.
.John Doe: Vigilante is intended to create a debate and put a mirror up to society,. said Dolen. .We aren.t glamorising violence, but posing the question.is violence ever really justified? Who decides what is right and what is wrong?...
- 2/7/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Sororal is an Australian giallo-inspired movie directed by Sam Barrett, and after two and a half years of post-production, it's finally set to make its highly anticipated debut at Melbourne's Monsterfest 2013.
From the Press Release
The team at Nakatomi Pictures is very pleased to announce the world premiere this month of their genre-bending feature Sororal, Australia’s first giallo-inspired thriller, at the country’s premier film festival for lovers of contemporary and classic genre, Melbourne’s Monsterfest 2013.
The November 24th screening will be followed by a Q&A session with key team members including director Sam Barrett and cast members Amanda Woodhams and Liam Graham.
A heady whirlwind of genetic experimentation, mind control, telekinetic power struggles, and twisted art revolve around Sororal’s heroine, Cassie (Woodhams), a troubled artist who tries to make sense of her vivid, violent dreams by committing her visions to canvas.
The film’s two-and-a-half-year journey...
From the Press Release
The team at Nakatomi Pictures is very pleased to announce the world premiere this month of their genre-bending feature Sororal, Australia’s first giallo-inspired thriller, at the country’s premier film festival for lovers of contemporary and classic genre, Melbourne’s Monsterfest 2013.
The November 24th screening will be followed by a Q&A session with key team members including director Sam Barrett and cast members Amanda Woodhams and Liam Graham.
A heady whirlwind of genetic experimentation, mind control, telekinetic power struggles, and twisted art revolve around Sororal’s heroine, Cassie (Woodhams), a troubled artist who tries to make sense of her vivid, violent dreams by committing her visions to canvas.
The film’s two-and-a-half-year journey...
- 11/13/2013
- by Scott Hallam
- DreadCentral.com
Maniac, a horror movie starring Elijah Wood as a serial killer, won.t be released commercially in cinemas or on DVD in New Zealand after being given a festivals-only classification.
The Australasian distributor Monster Pictures is disappointed by the Kiwi Office of Film and Literature Classification ruling but is confident the film will be cleared for cinema and DVD release in Australia.
.We don.t anticipate any problems here,. said Monster.s Neil Foley, who is about to submit the film to the Australian Classification Board.
Last year the board granted the film an exemption enabling it to screen to audiences aged 18+ at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Monster Fest and the Cockatoo Island Film Festival.
Maniac is the first film to get a festival-only classification in New Zealand since The Bridge, Eric Steel's documentary which showed people jumping to their deaths from San Francisco.s Golden Gate Bridge,...
The Australasian distributor Monster Pictures is disappointed by the Kiwi Office of Film and Literature Classification ruling but is confident the film will be cleared for cinema and DVD release in Australia.
.We don.t anticipate any problems here,. said Monster.s Neil Foley, who is about to submit the film to the Australian Classification Board.
Last year the board granted the film an exemption enabling it to screen to audiences aged 18+ at the Melbourne International Film Festival, Monster Fest and the Cockatoo Island Film Festival.
Maniac is the first film to get a festival-only classification in New Zealand since The Bridge, Eric Steel's documentary which showed people jumping to their deaths from San Francisco.s Golden Gate Bridge,...
- 7/24/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Attention, New Zealand... Get a grip, will ya? According to Deadline, New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification says Maniac can be shown only if it’s being used in a tertiary media, a film studies course, or screened as part of a festival. It cannot and will not be shown theatrically.
The ruling also means the film cannot be released on DVD. The ban beyond festival screenings “is an insult to the intelligence of the adult population of New Zealand and does little more than to serve as an open invitation to illegally pirate the film. We are flabbergasted,” said Neil Foley of Melbourne, Australia-based distributor Monster Pictures.
In a blog post, Monster said it will “explore every option” to have the ban revoked, “but at this stage it ain’t looking good.” Maniac is the first film to receive the festival-only classification since Eric Steel’s...
The ruling also means the film cannot be released on DVD. The ban beyond festival screenings “is an insult to the intelligence of the adult population of New Zealand and does little more than to serve as an open invitation to illegally pirate the film. We are flabbergasted,” said Neil Foley of Melbourne, Australia-based distributor Monster Pictures.
In a blog post, Monster said it will “explore every option” to have the ban revoked, “but at this stage it ain’t looking good.” Maniac is the first film to receive the festival-only classification since Eric Steel’s...
- 7/24/2013
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Elijah Wood spent a healthy amount of time in New Zealand while filming the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but that hasn't stopped the country from giving the ax to the actor's new movie. "Maniac," a brutal slasher film that hit U.S. theaters last month, has been banned from theatrical release in the island country, Deadline.com reports.
New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification is preventing "Maniac" from being screened anywhere other than a film festival or in an academic course, and only when the entire audience is at least 18. The ruling also prevents the movie from being released on DVD.
Australian distribution company Monster Pictures says it will fight to overturn the ban, but Creative Director Neil Foley says "at this stage it ain’t looking good." Foley feels the ruling "is an insult to the intelligence of the adult population of New Zealand and...
New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification is preventing "Maniac" from being screened anywhere other than a film festival or in an academic course, and only when the entire audience is at least 18. The ruling also prevents the movie from being released on DVD.
Australian distribution company Monster Pictures says it will fight to overturn the ban, but Creative Director Neil Foley says "at this stage it ain’t looking good." Foley feels the ruling "is an insult to the intelligence of the adult population of New Zealand and...
- 7/24/2013
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Huffington Post
Elijah Wood's most recent turn as a serial killer, this time in the 2012 French-American horror remake "Maniac" (he previously played a psychopath who hungered after prostitutes in "Sin City"), won't make it into New Zealand theaters.
The New Zealand government has banned the movie from both theatrical and DVD release in the country, reports Deadline, meaning it can only be viewed in a film studies course or as part of a film festival -- and in both cases the audience must be over 18.
In the movie, Wood stalks, murders, and scalps women as Frank Zito, a man grappling with some serious mommy issues. The entire film, which is a remake of the 1980 grindhouse flick of the same name, is shot from Frank's point of view.
"It's the most intriguing element of the film," Wood told The Scotsman earlier this year. "It meant I could create this character in a completely different way.
The New Zealand government has banned the movie from both theatrical and DVD release in the country, reports Deadline, meaning it can only be viewed in a film studies course or as part of a film festival -- and in both cases the audience must be over 18.
In the movie, Wood stalks, murders, and scalps women as Frank Zito, a man grappling with some serious mommy issues. The entire film, which is a remake of the 1980 grindhouse flick of the same name, is shot from Frank's point of view.
"It's the most intriguing element of the film," Wood told The Scotsman earlier this year. "It meant I could create this character in a completely different way.
- 7/24/2013
- by Laura Larson
- Moviefone
They loved him as Frodo, but it seems New Zealanders won't get to see Elijah Wood as a killer.
New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification has banned Franck Khalfoun's "Maniac" remake from being released theatrically and on disc in the country.
The Oflc has ruled that the film can be shown only if it’s being used in a tertiary media studies course or a tertiary film studies course, or screened as part of a festival. In each case, the audience must be over 18.
The board says that due to the film being shot from the point of view of the killer, the viewer is put in the position of the killer and is thus "injurious to the public good".
The last film to receive this 'festival only' classification was the 2007 suicide documentary "The Bridge".
Neil Foley, a rep for Australian distributor Monster Pictures, says that:...
New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification has banned Franck Khalfoun's "Maniac" remake from being released theatrically and on disc in the country.
The Oflc has ruled that the film can be shown only if it’s being used in a tertiary media studies course or a tertiary film studies course, or screened as part of a festival. In each case, the audience must be over 18.
The board says that due to the film being shot from the point of view of the killer, the viewer is put in the position of the killer and is thus "injurious to the public good".
The last film to receive this 'festival only' classification was the 2007 suicide documentary "The Bridge".
Neil Foley, a rep for Australian distributor Monster Pictures, says that:...
- 7/24/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Jude Kuring of Prisoner fame is set to appear in a new Australian short film. Tasmanian production Little Lamb is a gothic thriller set in convict era Van Dieman.s land. The short film was supported by the Raw Nerve Initiative, which was run through WideAngle Tasmania and funded by Screen Australia. The script for Little Lamb comes from first time drama director Heidi Lee Douglas, who originally wrote it for the Stranger with my Face Film Festival women in horror Script Challenge in February 2012. After winning Best Script, Douglas teamed up with mentor, producer and veteran director Roger Scholes to make the film. .The film is ambitious because I wrote a great story not a low budget film. So when we decided to make it we had to figure out how to work with a lamb and a horse, build a barn, set fire to it and burn it,...
- 11/23/2012
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
A new horror film festival has launched with the inclusion of Australian genre films; The ABCs of Death, The 25th Reich, Muirhouse and Redd Inc.
The announcement:
Monster Pictures, the notorious Australian film distributor behind The Human Centipede franchise, has launched the program for its showcase theatrical film event, Monster Fest.
“The program is a culmination of a year spent searching for the coolest, edgiest and most uniquely twisted films on the planet – we’re sure we’ve got them too, twenty-five of them in fact. You won’t be disappointed!” Neil Foley of Monster Pictures commented.
Opening the festival will be the Australian premiere of The ABCs Of Death, an American/New Zealand co-production that has just premiered at the prestigious Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Closing the fest will be American Mary, a film made by rising horror superstars and identical twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska.
The announcement:
Monster Pictures, the notorious Australian film distributor behind The Human Centipede franchise, has launched the program for its showcase theatrical film event, Monster Fest.
“The program is a culmination of a year spent searching for the coolest, edgiest and most uniquely twisted films on the planet – we’re sure we’ve got them too, twenty-five of them in fact. You won’t be disappointed!” Neil Foley of Monster Pictures commented.
Opening the festival will be the Australian premiere of The ABCs Of Death, an American/New Zealand co-production that has just premiered at the prestigious Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Closing the fest will be American Mary, a film made by rising horror superstars and identical twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska.
- 9/18/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Cult film The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence will be crawling back into Australian cinemas from Boxing Day after it was reclassified by the Classification Review Board but in a turn of events, it.s been released uncut online to Australians. The highly-disturbing cult film, the sequel to The Human Centipede: First Sequence, was previously banned in Australia after being pulled from cities after complaints during its November run from Christian lobby groups. .This is a niche film for people who want to see that kind of stuff.we really do not understand the fuss at all really,. manager of local distributor Monster Pictures, Neil Foley, told If. The Classification Review Board originally deemed it okay earlier in the year, saying: .the film is high...
- 12/14/2011
- by Sam Dallas
- IF.com.au
In a decision that has outraged many film buffs and advocates of free speech, The Australian Classification Review Board reaffirmed their stance that Tom Six's The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence - the follow-up film to the director's twisted horror flick from last year - would be refused classification. Neil Foley, director of Monster Pictures who are distributing the film in Australia, has penned the following response "to express our disappointment at this decision" which was made at the recent review hearing.
- 12/1/2011
- FilmInk.com.au
The average film fan associates Asian genre cinema with two things: kung fu masters and ghostly little girls with black hair. But there's actually an entire universe of movies covering all types of genres, from horror to action to thrillers, and very few mainstream audiences get to see it, aside from the occasional imported DVD or festival screening. The Fantastic Asia Film Festival aims to bridge that gap, converting the uninitiated to an entire class of brave, no-holds-barred moviemaking which goes places mainstream studios would never consider. The decision to focus an entire festival on Asian genre cinema was purely circumstance, according to director Neil Foley.
- 10/31/2011
- FilmInk.com.au
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