Rom Com Zom Musical
After dealing with cryptids in The Mothman Prophecies, giallos in Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key and killer baby mamas in Inside (2007), we’re closing out our film coverage for the year with a holiday classic.
Director John McPhail‘s Anna and the Apocalypse finds a group of disaffected teens struggling with the usual holiday-related concerns but throws in the complication of a zombie apocalypse.
Oh and it’s a musical!
Come celebrate the holiday as we unpack all of the songs, the choreography and why Mr. Savage sucks.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 261 – Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
We’re tired of pretending that there’s no such thing as a Rom Com Zom Musical!
After dealing with cryptids in The Mothman Prophecies, giallos in Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key and killer baby mamas in Inside (2007), we’re closing out our film coverage for the year with a holiday classic.
Director John McPhail‘s Anna and the Apocalypse finds a group of disaffected teens struggling with the usual holiday-related concerns but throws in the complication of a zombie apocalypse.
Oh and it’s a musical!
Come celebrate the holiday as we unpack all of the songs, the choreography and why Mr. Savage sucks.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 261 – Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
We’re tired of pretending that there’s no such thing as a Rom Com Zom Musical!
- 12/25/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
‘Tis the season to watch holiday-themed horror, so we here at Arrow in the Head have decided to compile a list of the Best Christmas Horror Movies! All of the films below are, at the very least, set around Christmastime, and some of them take the connection to the holidays further than that. Here are the top 12 horror movies that we recommend checking out over the next week:
I Come In Peace (1990)
It’s easy to forget that I Come in Peace (a.k.a. Dark Angel) is set around the Christmas holiday, because Christmas is mostly just represented by some set decorations – and you’re distracted from those decorations by all the awesome stuff going on around them. Dolph Lundgren stars as Jack Caine, a Houston detective who doesn’t play by the rules. He’s stuck working with stuffy, suit-wearing FBI agent Larry Smith (Brian Benben), and these...
I Come In Peace (1990)
It’s easy to forget that I Come in Peace (a.k.a. Dark Angel) is set around the Christmas holiday, because Christmas is mostly just represented by some set decorations – and you’re distracted from those decorations by all the awesome stuff going on around them. Dolph Lundgren stars as Jack Caine, a Houston detective who doesn’t play by the rules. He’s stuck working with stuffy, suit-wearing FBI agent Larry Smith (Brian Benben), and these...
- 12/5/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
As a millennial who eats up repurposed memes like last night’s cold pizza, I might’ve been a bit too excited about a movie digging up a 5-year-old Twitter thread about an allegedly real haunting. And considering just how amazingly Zola fared, there wasn’t a tinge of cynicism in me about an internet thread getting adapted for the fans of real-life horror tropes. Now, I don’t know how the real Adam Ellis feels about the way his story’s been told in John McPhail’s (would it be too mean to think about a pun here?) Dear David. But if you ask me, just like those posts and texts we type up only to press delete instead, this unimaginably uninspired tale of a BuzzFeed artist and his not-so-friendly little boy ghost shouldn’t even have made it to the archives. You might still have a bunch of...
- 10/17/2023
- by Lopamudra Mukherjee
- Film Fugitives
If you were a regular on Twitter back in 2017, you probably came across the viral ghost story thread dubbed “Dear David.” Former BuzzFeed cartoonist Adam Ellis began his tale with the simple but potent promise: “So, my apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.”
From there, he unfolded the tale through hundreds of tweets — with photographs and hand-drawn images — over a series of weeks, his followers rapt with each update. So naturally, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling.
Five years later, the “Dear David” movie is here, directed by John McPhail (“Anna and the Apocalypse”), who told TheWrap he was drawn to the horror story’s creator as much as he was Ellis’ chilling tale.
“It was the character of Adam Ellis himself. That’s what drew me in,” McPhail said. “Because when it was happening…...
From there, he unfolded the tale through hundreds of tweets — with photographs and hand-drawn images — over a series of weeks, his followers rapt with each update. So naturally, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood came calling.
Five years later, the “Dear David” movie is here, directed by John McPhail (“Anna and the Apocalypse”), who told TheWrap he was drawn to the horror story’s creator as much as he was Ellis’ chilling tale.
“It was the character of Adam Ellis himself. That’s what drew me in,” McPhail said. “Because when it was happening…...
- 10/16/2023
- by Haleigh Foutch
- The Wrap
Dear David is a horror film directed by John McPhail from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. Based on Adam Ellis‘ Twitter thread of the same name, the film revolves around Adam, who finds himself haunted by the specter of a boy after retaliating against some Twitter trolls. Dear David stars Augustus Prew in the lead role with Justin Long and Andrea Bang starring in supporting roles. So, if you love Dear David here are some similar movies you could watch next.
Unfriended (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Universal Pictures
Synopsis: From the producers of The Purge and Ouija and the director of Wanted comes an original thriller where a seemingly innocent prank starts a sequence of events that spirals out of control. Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video...
Unfriended (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Universal Pictures
Synopsis: From the producers of The Purge and Ouija and the director of Wanted comes an original thriller where a seemingly innocent prank starts a sequence of events that spirals out of control. Unfriended unfolds over a teenager’s computer screen as she and her friends are stalked by an unseen figure who seeks vengeance for a shaming video...
- 10/15/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Twitter is haunted. At least, it was in 2017, when Buzzfeed artist Adam Ellis’ Twitter thread went viral. The thread chronicled his encounters, in real-time, with the ghost of a little boy named Dear David. Because Hollywood loves IP, the thread was quickly picked up by New Line Cinema (and later Lionsgate), and woven into the feature-length haunt, Dear David. Directed by John McPhail with a screenplay by Mike Van Waes, the film endeavors to transcend its Twitter roots, but struggles to turn bite-sized digital morsels into a compelling feature-length haunting.
“…struggles to turn bite-sized digital morsels into a compelling feature-length haunting.”
Buzzfeed artist Adam (Augustus Prew) is constantly under pressure from his boss (played by genre fave Justin Long) to create more and more viral content. Buzzfeed, existing on an economy of memes and cringe culture, is a hungry mistress, constantly looking to churn and burn sensational new content to...
“…struggles to turn bite-sized digital morsels into a compelling feature-length haunting.”
Buzzfeed artist Adam (Augustus Prew) is constantly under pressure from his boss (played by genre fave Justin Long) to create more and more viral content. Buzzfeed, existing on an economy of memes and cringe culture, is a hungry mistress, constantly looking to churn and burn sensational new content to...
- 10/13/2023
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Back in 2017, BuzzFeed writer Adam Ellis wrote out a ghost story (which he swears is completely true) on Twitter, and that story caught so much attention that there was soon talk of a movie adaptation. The project, titled Dear David, was first set up at New Line Cinema in 2018, then made its way over to Lionsgate. Now Lionsgate is gearing up to give Dear David a theatrical, digital, and VOD release on October 13th – and to promote the release, a clip from the movie has arrived online. You can watch it in the embed above.
Anna and the Apocalypse‘s John McPhail has directed the film from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. The cast of Dear David is headed up by Augustus Prew (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series), Justin Long (Tusk), Rene Escobar Jr. (Heartland), Cameron Nicoll (Stolen by Their Father), and Andrea Bang (A Million Little Things...
Anna and the Apocalypse‘s John McPhail has directed the film from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. The cast of Dear David is headed up by Augustus Prew (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series), Justin Long (Tusk), Rene Escobar Jr. (Heartland), Cameron Nicoll (Stolen by Their Father), and Andrea Bang (A Million Little Things...
- 10/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
There are a few things that we wish the lead characters of horror movies knew just as confidently as avid horror watchers: Don’t go down in the basement! Don’t go exploring the source of those strange noises! And, under no circumstances, don’t document the eerie things that might be happening in your apartment while you’re asleep, unless you want to open up a portal for some uncanny pests.
For BuzzFeed comic Adam Ellis (Augustus Prew), the cynical center of John McPhail’s soulless and haphazard genre entry “Dear David,” that last rule seems to mean nothing. In that, when strange, potentially supernatural stuff starts happening around his apartment, he elects to monitor the activity. Even worse, when he isn’t asleep he decides to engage with some very real creeps—that is, the growing number of online trolls who seem to attack him from all Twitter directions.
For BuzzFeed comic Adam Ellis (Augustus Prew), the cynical center of John McPhail’s soulless and haphazard genre entry “Dear David,” that last rule seems to mean nothing. In that, when strange, potentially supernatural stuff starts happening around his apartment, he elects to monitor the activity. Even worse, when he isn’t asleep he decides to engage with some very real creeps—that is, the growing number of online trolls who seem to attack him from all Twitter directions.
- 10/11/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis began a Twitter thread in 2017 that went viral as it chronicled the eerie happenings within his apartment, with sleep paralysis giving glimpses of the specter responsible, a young ghost boy with a misshapen head named David. The movie adaptation of that thread, Dead David, aims to expand the paranormal mystery that haunted Ellis by turning inward, using Ellis and his online habits to craft a supernaturally charged cautionary tale of online bullying.
Comic artist Adam (Augustus Prew) is no stranger to internet trolls working for Buzzfeed, but one day, he hits his limit and fires back. His angry replies draw attention, and Adam soon after finds himself experiencing sleep paralysis and bizarre phenomena in his apartment. As the paranormal encounters increase with malevolence, Adam takes to Twitter to detail the happenings. Adam’s boss (Justin Long) encourages him to play up the haunting online, but...
Comic artist Adam (Augustus Prew) is no stranger to internet trolls working for Buzzfeed, but one day, he hits his limit and fires back. His angry replies draw attention, and Adam soon after finds himself experiencing sleep paralysis and bizarre phenomena in his apartment. As the paranormal encounters increase with malevolence, Adam takes to Twitter to detail the happenings. Adam’s boss (Justin Long) encourages him to play up the haunting online, but...
- 10/11/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Lionsgate and BuzzFeed are bringing the creepy viral story Dear David to the big screen this Friday the 13th, with Anna and the Apocalypse director John McPhail at the helm.
Dear David adapts the viral 2017 Twitter thread in which then Buzzfeed cartoonist Adam Ellis chronicled the child haunting his apartment. Mike Van Waes wrote the screenplay, and Augustus Prew stars as the fictionalized version of Ellis.
Director John McPhail spoke with Bloody Disgusting ahead of the film’s release in theaters, On Demand, and Digital on October 13, 2023, where he discussed his horror influences, online trolling, and emphasis on character arcs.
For McPhail, good stories always begin and end with great characters.
“Essentially, I make films for people,” he tells Bloody Disgusting. “I make them for an audience. For me, what I’ve always loved is just following the character’s journey. It doesn’t matter what adventure you take me...
Dear David adapts the viral 2017 Twitter thread in which then Buzzfeed cartoonist Adam Ellis chronicled the child haunting his apartment. Mike Van Waes wrote the screenplay, and Augustus Prew stars as the fictionalized version of Ellis.
Director John McPhail spoke with Bloody Disgusting ahead of the film’s release in theaters, On Demand, and Digital on October 13, 2023, where he discussed his horror influences, online trolling, and emphasis on character arcs.
For McPhail, good stories always begin and end with great characters.
“Essentially, I make films for people,” he tells Bloody Disgusting. “I make them for an audience. For me, what I’ve always loved is just following the character’s journey. It doesn’t matter what adventure you take me...
- 10/10/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Augustus Prew is dreaming of a dead child in the trailer for his upcoming movie Dear David.
The 36-year-old stars as comic artist Adam in the new horror film, which is based on the viral Twitter thread by BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis.
Get more info and watch the trailer inside…
Here’s a synopsis: Shortly after comic artist Adam (Prew) responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis — while an empty rocking chair moves in the corner of his apartment. As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. Encouraged by his boss to continue the “Dear David” thread, Adam starts to lose his grip on what is online…and what is real.
Andrea Bang, Rene Escobar Jr., Cameron Nicoll and Justin Long also star. John McPhail directs, with...
The 36-year-old stars as comic artist Adam in the new horror film, which is based on the viral Twitter thread by BuzzFeed comic artist Adam Ellis.
Get more info and watch the trailer inside…
Here’s a synopsis: Shortly after comic artist Adam (Prew) responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis — while an empty rocking chair moves in the corner of his apartment. As he chronicles increasingly malevolent occurrences in a series of tweets, Adam begins to believe he is being haunted by the ghost of a dead child named David. Encouraged by his boss to continue the “Dear David” thread, Adam starts to lose his grip on what is online…and what is real.
Andrea Bang, Rene Escobar Jr., Cameron Nicoll and Justin Long also star. John McPhail directs, with...
- 10/8/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Lionsgate and BuzzFeed are bringing the creepy viral story Dear David to the big screen this Halloween, and Bloody Disgusting is serving up an exclusive sneak peek today.
In this exclusive clip from the upcoming horror movie, Adam (Augustus Prew) experiences a sleep paralysis nightmare that begins with the rocking chair in his bedroom seemingly moving on its own. Just before Adam jolts awake, a mysterious boy appears in the chair…
Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital in time for Halloween on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David here.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the...
In this exclusive clip from the upcoming horror movie, Adam (Augustus Prew) experiences a sleep paralysis nightmare that begins with the rocking chair in his bedroom seemingly moving on its own. Just before Adam jolts awake, a mysterious boy appears in the chair…
Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital in time for Halloween on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David here.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the...
- 10/3/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
The spookiest month of the year has official begun! This year, October has a Friday the 13th to add to the usual Halloween Horror Fest, making this an extra special month for horror fans. Sure enough, the month is jam-packed with loads of horror movies that will be coming out theatrical and on streaming. With Saw X and The Nun in theaters now, here’s our definitive October Horror Movie Preview, packed with spooky movies you can check out all month long!
Totally Killer – Streaming, October 6
Coming to the Prime Video streaming service is director Nahnatchka Khan’s time travel slasher Totally Killer, which stars Kiernan Shipka as a modern day heroine who travels back in time to 1987 so she and a teenage version of her mom (played by Olivia Holt) can take down a masked maniac called the Sweet Sixteen Killer. Time travel + slashing + ’80s setting = high hopes for this one.
Totally Killer – Streaming, October 6
Coming to the Prime Video streaming service is director Nahnatchka Khan’s time travel slasher Totally Killer, which stars Kiernan Shipka as a modern day heroine who travels back in time to 1987 so she and a teenage version of her mom (played by Olivia Holt) can take down a masked maniac called the Sweet Sixteen Killer. Time travel + slashing + ’80s setting = high hopes for this one.
- 10/1/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Lionsgate and BuzzFeed are bringing the creepy viral story Dear David to the big screen with a brand new horror movie, and we’re debuting the film’s official poster art today.
While you wait for terror to go viral, check out the poster below.
Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital in time for Halloween on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David here.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.” The tweet became a thread documenting the alleged haunting.
In the film, “Shortly after...
While you wait for terror to go viral, check out the poster below.
Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital in time for Halloween on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David here.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.” The tweet became a thread documenting the alleged haunting.
In the film, “Shortly after...
- 8/7/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you’re a fan of spooky stories, you might have heard of Dear David, the viral Twitter thread that chronicled the alleged haunting of a New York apartment by a child ghost. The thread, which was started by Buzzfeed illustrator Adam Ellis in 2017, captivated millions of readers with its eerie photos, videos and updates. Now, the online phenomenon has been adapted into a feature film by Lionsgate, and it promises to deliver even more chills and thrills.
The film, directed by John McPhail (Anna and the Apocalypse), follows Ellis (played by Augustus Prew) as he investigates the mysterious origins of Dear David, a deformed spirit who supposedly appears in his dreams and in his home. Along the way, he encounters other sinister forces that threaten his sanity and his life. The film also stars Andrea Bang, Justin Long and Barbarian.
Dear David Trailer
The first trailer for Dear David was released this week,...
The film, directed by John McPhail (Anna and the Apocalypse), follows Ellis (played by Augustus Prew) as he investigates the mysterious origins of Dear David, a deformed spirit who supposedly appears in his dreams and in his home. Along the way, he encounters other sinister forces that threaten his sanity and his life. The film also stars Andrea Bang, Justin Long and Barbarian.
Dear David Trailer
The first trailer for Dear David was released this week,...
- 7/20/2023
- by amalprasadappu
- https://thecinemanews.online/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_4649
Back in 2017, BuzzFeed writer Adam Ellis wrote out a ghost story (which he swears is completely true) on Twitter, and that story caught so much attention that there was soon talk of a movie adaptation. The project, titled Dear David, was first set up at New Line Cinema in 2018, then made its way over to Lionsgate. Now Lionsgate has announced that they’ll be giving Dear David a theatrical, digital, and VOD release on October 13th – and along with that announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer, which you can watch in the embed above.
Anna and the Apocalypse‘s John McPhail having directed the film from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. The cast of Dear David is headed up by Augustus Prew (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series), Justin Long (Tusk), Rene Escobar Jr. (Heartland), Cameron Nicoll (Stolen by Their Father), and Andrea Bang (A Million Little Things...
Anna and the Apocalypse‘s John McPhail having directed the film from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes. The cast of Dear David is headed up by Augustus Prew (Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series), Justin Long (Tusk), Rene Escobar Jr. (Heartland), Cameron Nicoll (Stolen by Their Father), and Andrea Bang (A Million Little Things...
- 7/19/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Lionsgate and BuzzFeed are bringing the creepy viral story Dear David to the big screen with a brand new horror movie, and the official trailer has been released this afternoon.
We’ve also learned that Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David below.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.” The tweet became a thread documenting the alleged haunting.
In the film, “Shortly after comic artist Adam (Augustus Prew) responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis...
We’ve also learned that Lionsgate will be releasing the Dear David movie in theaters, On Demand and Digital on October 13, 2023. Watch the official trailer for Dear David below.
“On August 7th, 2017, popular cartoonist Adam Ellis began telling the story of how a dead child is haunting his apartment and is trying to kill him. His first tweet gained over 55,000 retweets and 76,000 likes,” explains the website Know Your Meme.
Ellis originally tweeted, “My apartment is currently being haunted by the ghost of a dead child and he’s trying to kill me.” The tweet became a thread documenting the alleged haunting.
In the film, “Shortly after comic artist Adam (Augustus Prew) responds to Internet trolls, he begins experiencing sleep paralysis...
- 7/19/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
We know, we know. Talk of the 'Christmas' holiday season any time before Halloween should be forbidden. Sacrilage even. We agree in principle, however, if we don't talk about the 'other holiday' treats in store for you on Shudder next month what would you do, be spontanious with your watching routine? Your time is precious, valuable, limited and you need to plan ahead. Shudder is keeping the holiday spirit alive by shifting gears and programming films with a leaning towards the yuletide season. The biggest of them all is the contemporary hit, Anna and the Apocalypse, the zombie musical from director John McPhail. The beginning of the month also sees Slient Night and a slew of its sequels also arriving on the platform. As far...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 10/20/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Justin Long has been cast as a series regular in Goosebumps, Disney+’s live-action series based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling books, Deadline has confirmed. The new version hails from Scholastic Entertainment, the media division of Scholastic, Neal H. Moritz, producer of the Goosebumps and Goosebumps 2 films, and Sony Pictures TV.
Written by Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman, Goosebumps combines teen comedy with horror, action-adventure, mystery and psychological thrill. The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together — thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries and pasts with each other — in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.
Long will play Nathan Bratt, the new schoolteacher who develops a terrifying connection to a decades-old supernatural murder.
Stoller and Letterman executive produce with Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Conor Welch,...
Written by Nick Stoller and Rob Letterman, Goosebumps combines teen comedy with horror, action-adventure, mystery and psychological thrill. The series follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together — thanks to and in spite of their friendships, rivalries and pasts with each other — in order to save it, learning much about their own parents’ teenage secrets in the process.
Long will play Nathan Bratt, the new schoolteacher who develops a terrifying connection to a decades-old supernatural murder.
Stoller and Letterman executive produce with Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Conor Welch,...
- 10/7/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tanner Stine (Impulse) and Kaylee Bryant (Legacies) will lead the supernatural horror Spin the Bottle from director Gavin Wiesen (The Art of Getting By), with Justin Long (Barbarian) and Ali Larter (The Rookie) to play supporting roles.
The recently wrapped film written by John Cregan centers on a group of teenagers in small town Texas who unleash a deadly force after playing the famed party game Spin the Bottle in an abandoned house where a grisly massacre once took place.
Christopher Ammanuel (Black Lightning), Ryan Whitney (Reagan), Angela Halili (American Horror Stories), Samantha Cormier (Legion), Hal Cumpston (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) and Tony Amendola (The Curse of La Llorona) round out the cast. Fortress Media Group is financing, with Will Hayes, Jim Valdez, Kyle Hayes and Chris Barish producing. Harrison Kordestani is exec producing, with Scot Ruggles serving as co-producer.
Stine has previously appeared on series including Impulse,...
The recently wrapped film written by John Cregan centers on a group of teenagers in small town Texas who unleash a deadly force after playing the famed party game Spin the Bottle in an abandoned house where a grisly massacre once took place.
Christopher Ammanuel (Black Lightning), Ryan Whitney (Reagan), Angela Halili (American Horror Stories), Samantha Cormier (Legion), Hal Cumpston (The Greatest Beer Run Ever) and Tony Amendola (The Curse of La Llorona) round out the cast. Fortress Media Group is financing, with Will Hayes, Jim Valdez, Kyle Hayes and Chris Barish producing. Harrison Kordestani is exec producing, with Scot Ruggles serving as co-producer.
Stine has previously appeared on series including Impulse,...
- 9/15/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Dear David’: Lionsgate & BuzzFeed Team For Movie Thriller About Twitter Ghost Story That Went Viral
Exclusive: Lionsgate and BuzzFeed have revealed details about their third movie tie-up, Dear David.
The supernatural thriller was originally set up at New Line with Dan Lin producing but we can reveal that the project is now set as the next production on Lionsgate and BuzzFeed’s feature slate.
Based on a true story and one of the first Twitter urban legends, Dear David will tell the story of Adam Ellis, a former BuzzFeed employee and social media content creator who becomes haunted by the ghost of a boy possessed by a demonic entity. In 2018, Ellis’s Twitter thread about his experiences with the ghost he called ‘Dear David’ went viral, gaining him more than a million followers on the platform.
The film will be directed by John McPhail, whose made his debut on 2017 zombie horror-comedy Anna And The Apocalypse. Screenplay is by Mike Van Waes. We hear this is...
The supernatural thriller was originally set up at New Line with Dan Lin producing but we can reveal that the project is now set as the next production on Lionsgate and BuzzFeed’s feature slate.
Based on a true story and one of the first Twitter urban legends, Dear David will tell the story of Adam Ellis, a former BuzzFeed employee and social media content creator who becomes haunted by the ghost of a boy possessed by a demonic entity. In 2018, Ellis’s Twitter thread about his experiences with the ghost he called ‘Dear David’ went viral, gaining him more than a million followers on the platform.
The film will be directed by John McPhail, whose made his debut on 2017 zombie horror-comedy Anna And The Apocalypse. Screenplay is by Mike Van Waes. We hear this is...
- 11/17/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Technicolor lights are about to illuminate every other home in the neighborhood; carolers are marching through the streets; even that old tree in Rockefeller is shining brightly.
For some folks, that’s enough to make you want to grab an axe. But don’t do that. Watch demented men dressed as Santa Claus or a demon Krampus indulge your Anti-Christmas sentiments with maximum gore. Indeed, this list isn’t about the most charming, heartwarming, or schmaltzy Christmas viewing traditions. Nah, this is about the 20 grossest, nastiest, and all around most fun Christmas horror movies. The kind where the greatest gift you’re going to get on Christmas morning is escaping with your life and maybe some psychological triggers whenever you see jolly men in red suits.
Yep, these are the very best Christmas horror movies. Ho. Freaking. Ho.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Almost certainly one of the sweetest, most positive,...
For some folks, that’s enough to make you want to grab an axe. But don’t do that. Watch demented men dressed as Santa Claus or a demon Krampus indulge your Anti-Christmas sentiments with maximum gore. Indeed, this list isn’t about the most charming, heartwarming, or schmaltzy Christmas viewing traditions. Nah, this is about the 20 grossest, nastiest, and all around most fun Christmas horror movies. The kind where the greatest gift you’re going to get on Christmas morning is escaping with your life and maybe some psychological triggers whenever you see jolly men in red suits.
Yep, these are the very best Christmas horror movies. Ho. Freaking. Ho.
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
Almost certainly one of the sweetest, most positive,...
- 11/30/2020
- by Rosie Fletcher
- Den of Geek
Here’s another interview in Nerdly’s socially distanced series of chats with filmmakers as part of the Nerdly Out Loud podcast for Nerdly.co.uk. This time Kevin sits down with Special Delivery director John McPhail (Anna and the Apocalypse), whose short film forms part of 20th Digital’s Bite Size Halloween.
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities, and backgrounds. The long term goal of 20th Digital Studio’s short film programs is to...
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities, and backgrounds. The long term goal of 20th Digital Studio’s short film programs is to...
- 11/3/2020
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Here’s another interview in Nerdly’s socially distanced series of chats with filmmakers as part of the Nerdly Out Loud podcast for Nerdly.co.uk. This time Kevin sits down with Eye Exam director Aislinn Clarke (The Devils Doorway), whose short film forms part of 20th Digital’s Bite Size Halloween.
A woman is waiting for her eye exam when the last customer runs out screaming.
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities, and backgrounds.
A woman is waiting for her eye exam when the last customer runs out screaming.
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities, and backgrounds.
- 10/30/2020
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Here’s another interview in Nerdly’s socially distanced series of chats with filmmakers as part of the Nerdly Out Loud podcast for Nerdly.co.uk. This time Kevin sits down with The Mime co-directors Gavin Williams (Await Further Instructions) and Mark Lediard, whose short film forms part of 20th Digital’s Bite Size Halloween.
A self-involved pedestrian accidentally angers a sinister street Mime, and pays a heavy price.
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities,...
A self-involved pedestrian accidentally angers a sinister street Mime, and pays a heavy price.
20th Digital Studio is to premiere a series of 30 diverse, genre-bending short films for Halloween 2020. Bite Size Halloween ranges from horror comedy to psychological thrillers and everything in between. Created by up-and-coming filmmakers, these films will screen across digital and broadcast platforms Freeform, FX, and Hulu’s Huluween platform hub and YouTube channel.
Bite Size Halloween 2020 features 30 exciting new filmmakers, amplifying their voice in the film community. This year’s cohort includes a well-rounded group of filmmakers representing different countries, identities,...
- 10/28/2020
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
It’s been a little while since we’ve seen a teen movie adaptation of a William Shakespeare play, but get ready to party like it’s the year 2000, because a new one is in development at Amazon Studios. John McPhail, who directed the delightful Christmas-themed zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse, is keeping his musical streak […]
The post Lady Macbeth Ya Musical in the Works From ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ Director appeared first on /Film.
The post Lady Macbeth Ya Musical in the Works From ‘Anna and the Apocalypse’ Director appeared first on /Film.
- 7/30/2020
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Amazon Studios is screwing its courage to the sticking place, picking up an untitled Lady Macbeth feature project that has Scooter Braun and Channing Tatum among its producers.
And among the unique distinguishing spots on the project is that it is a musical and Ya-centric.
Rising scribe S.J. Inwards will write the project while John McPhail, who made the zombie horror comedy musical Anna and the Apocalypse, will direct.
Braun, Scott Manson and James Shin will produce the untitled Lady Macbeth musical through Sb Projects. Tatum will produce with his partners Reid Carolin, Peter Kiernan and Michael Parets via ...
And among the unique distinguishing spots on the project is that it is a musical and Ya-centric.
Rising scribe S.J. Inwards will write the project while John McPhail, who made the zombie horror comedy musical Anna and the Apocalypse, will direct.
Braun, Scott Manson and James Shin will produce the untitled Lady Macbeth musical through Sb Projects. Tatum will produce with his partners Reid Carolin, Peter Kiernan and Michael Parets via ...
- 7/30/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Amazon Studios is screwing its courage to the sticking place, picking up an untitled Lady Macbeth feature project that has Scooter Braun and Channing Tatum among its producers.
And among the unique distinguishing spots on the project is that it is a musical and Ya-centric.
Rising scribe S.J. Inwards will write the project while John McPhail, who made the zombie horror comedy musical Anna and the Apocalypse, will direct.
Braun, Scott Manson and James Shin will produce the untitled Lady Macbeth musical through Sb Projects. Tatum will produce with his partners Reid Carolin, Peter Kiernan and Michael Parets via ...
And among the unique distinguishing spots on the project is that it is a musical and Ya-centric.
Rising scribe S.J. Inwards will write the project while John McPhail, who made the zombie horror comedy musical Anna and the Apocalypse, will direct.
Braun, Scott Manson and James Shin will produce the untitled Lady Macbeth musical through Sb Projects. Tatum will produce with his partners Reid Carolin, Peter Kiernan and Michael Parets via ...
- 7/30/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.
For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmakers Podcast #166: How to go from Shorts to Features, Raise Finance...
For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmakers Podcast #166: How to go from Shorts to Features, Raise Finance...
- 6/8/2020
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Mark Harrison Dec 23, 2019
From Christmas Eve capers to Michael Shannon pretending to be Bigfoot, here are some more unusual Christmas movie picks for this season
Despite only being in season for about a month of the year, Christmas movies are a booming business. Outside of big-screen offerings like Paul Feig’s Last Christmas and a new version of Black Christmas, the Hallmark Channel has produced a whopping 40 new festive movies for 2019 and Netflix has turned out a range of original films too.
Few of the new films produced each year will join the annual rotation of classics like The Muppet Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life, but not everyone wants to watch the same films once a year every year. If you’re looking for something festive that you might have missed, or you just haven’t seen in a long time, or even something that isn’t about either Santa or Scrooge,...
From Christmas Eve capers to Michael Shannon pretending to be Bigfoot, here are some more unusual Christmas movie picks for this season
Despite only being in season for about a month of the year, Christmas movies are a booming business. Outside of big-screen offerings like Paul Feig’s Last Christmas and a new version of Black Christmas, the Hallmark Channel has produced a whopping 40 new festive movies for 2019 and Netflix has turned out a range of original films too.
Few of the new films produced each year will join the annual rotation of classics like The Muppet Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life, but not everyone wants to watch the same films once a year every year. If you’re looking for something festive that you might have missed, or you just haven’t seen in a long time, or even something that isn’t about either Santa or Scrooge,...
- 12/23/2019
- Den of Geek
Stars: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye | Written by Alan McDonald, Ryan McHenry | Directed by John McPhail
Director John McPhail takes genre mash-up to new heights with this hugely entertaining Scottish horror comedy that plays like Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical. It’s derived from the 2011 Scottish short Zombie Musical, whose late director Ryan McHenry (also responsible for the Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal meme) co-wrote the script before his tragic death in 2015.
Ella Hunt (Robot Overlords) plays Anna, a sixth former at her school in the small town of New Haven, who clashes with her widowed father (Mark Benton) over her desire to spend a year travelling instead of going off to university. Soon, however, Anna realises she has much bigger problems on her hands, as New Haven faces a full-on zombie apocalypse.
Banding...
Director John McPhail takes genre mash-up to new heights with this hugely entertaining Scottish horror comedy that plays like Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical. It’s derived from the 2011 Scottish short Zombie Musical, whose late director Ryan McHenry (also responsible for the Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal meme) co-wrote the script before his tragic death in 2015.
Ella Hunt (Robot Overlords) plays Anna, a sixth former at her school in the small town of New Haven, who clashes with her widowed father (Mark Benton) over her desire to spend a year travelling instead of going off to university. Soon, however, Anna realises she has much bigger problems on her hands, as New Haven faces a full-on zombie apocalypse.
Banding...
- 12/2/2019
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
David Crow Oct 18, 2019
In honor of Zombieland: Double Tap, we rank all the movies that mixed yuks with human chunks in the zombie comedy subgenre.
For those old enough to remember a time before The Walking Dead premiered on AMC, it’s strange to admit we’ve reached a zombie saturation point. Believe it or not, there was a moment where you were not inundated with zombie movies, zombie TV shows, zombie video games, and zombie memes. Rather the undead were a cult novelty that allowed indie filmmakers to speak truth to power… via allegories involving lots of brain-munching and disembowelment. What could be better?
Now it’s hard to take a single step in the pop culture landscape without landing on a reanimated corpse with a belly full gray matter—not that this should be treated as the end of the world. Indeed, as you’ll see in many of the movies below,...
In honor of Zombieland: Double Tap, we rank all the movies that mixed yuks with human chunks in the zombie comedy subgenre.
For those old enough to remember a time before The Walking Dead premiered on AMC, it’s strange to admit we’ve reached a zombie saturation point. Believe it or not, there was a moment where you were not inundated with zombie movies, zombie TV shows, zombie video games, and zombie memes. Rather the undead were a cult novelty that allowed indie filmmakers to speak truth to power… via allegories involving lots of brain-munching and disembowelment. What could be better?
Now it’s hard to take a single step in the pop culture landscape without landing on a reanimated corpse with a belly full gray matter—not that this should be treated as the end of the world. Indeed, as you’ll see in many of the movies below,...
- 10/18/2019
- Den of Geek
It is a glorious week to be a horror fan, because we have a ton of amazing Blu-rays and DVDs heading home on Tuesday. And while there’s a lot to be excited about, on a personal note, I’m beyond thrilled that Anna and the Apocalypse is finally getting a tangible home media release, because I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to add a copy of John McPhail’s delightful musical to my own collection of movies.
Beyond that, the amazing-looking House of Hitchcock Collection arrives this Tuesday, and looks to be a must-own set for any Alfred Hitchcock fans out there. Kino Lorber is showing some love to Nightmare Beach this week with their special edition release, and Arrow Video has put together a much-deserved limited edition set for The Prey as well. We also have a few genre favorites making their 4K Ultra HD debut this week: The Shining,...
Beyond that, the amazing-looking House of Hitchcock Collection arrives this Tuesday, and looks to be a must-own set for any Alfred Hitchcock fans out there. Kino Lorber is showing some love to Nightmare Beach this week with their special edition release, and Arrow Video has put together a much-deserved limited edition set for The Prey as well. We also have a few genre favorites making their 4K Ultra HD debut this week: The Shining,...
- 10/1/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Hey everyone! The 15th annual Fantastic Fest kicks off this week, and this year, it’ll be myself, Heather Wixson, as well as Emily von Seele and Adrian Torres, who will be bringing you all kinds of coverage out of Austin for the duration of the festival. To celebrate Fantastic Fest’s momentous birthday this year, we have picked a few of our favorite films that have debuted over the years, and will be celebrating them as we lead up to the kickoff of Fantastic Fest on Thursday.
Enjoy!
Anna and the Apocalypse (Heather Wixson): When you talk about crowd-pleasing movies that are best enjoyed in a packed theater filled with genre enthusiasts, Anna and the Apocalypse is without a doubt the type of film that makes Fantastic Fest as much fun as it is. I know I’ve discussed my love of Anna ad nauseam over the last...
Enjoy!
Anna and the Apocalypse (Heather Wixson): When you talk about crowd-pleasing movies that are best enjoyed in a packed theater filled with genre enthusiasts, Anna and the Apocalypse is without a doubt the type of film that makes Fantastic Fest as much fun as it is. I know I’ve discussed my love of Anna ad nauseam over the last...
- 9/16/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Ever since she gave it a five-star review at Fantastic Fest 2017, Daily Dead Managing Editor Heather Wixson has championed her undying love for the zombie Christmas musical Anna and the Apocalypse, and although the film was released on digital platforms back in February, it looks like the film will finally be coming to physical home media in the Us this Halloween season.
As shared by Heather Wixson on Twitter, Anna and the Apocalypse is listed for an October 1st DVD release on Amazon. At this time, no special features have been revealed, and there is no Region 1 Blu-ray listing for the movie, but we'll keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are announced, and we also have the cover art below (via Amazon).
In the meantime, in case you missed it, read Heather's interview with Anna and the Apocalypse star Ella Hunt, and listen to Heather talk with director...
As shared by Heather Wixson on Twitter, Anna and the Apocalypse is listed for an October 1st DVD release on Amazon. At this time, no special features have been revealed, and there is no Region 1 Blu-ray listing for the movie, but we'll keep Daily Dead readers updated as more details are announced, and we also have the cover art below (via Amazon).
In the meantime, in case you missed it, read Heather's interview with Anna and the Apocalypse star Ella Hunt, and listen to Heather talk with director...
- 7/17/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Stars: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye | Written by Alan McDonald, Ryan McHenry | Directed by John McPhail
[Note: With the film now out on DVD, here's a reposting of our review of Anna and the Apocalypse from its screening at last years Ediburgh Film Festival]
Director John McPhail takes genre mash-up to new heights with this hugely entertaining Scottish horror comedy that plays like Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical. It’s derived from the 2011 Scottish short Zombie Musical, whose late director Ryan McHenry (also responsible for the Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal meme) co-wrote the script before his tragic death in 2015.
Ella Hunt (Robot Overlords) plays Anna, a sixth former at her school in the small town of New Haven, who clashes with her widowed father (Mark Benton) over her desire to spend a year travelling instead of going off to university. Soon, however, Anna realises she has much bigger problems on her hands, as New Haven faces a full-on zombie apocalypse.
Banding...
[Note: With the film now out on DVD, here's a reposting of our review of Anna and the Apocalypse from its screening at last years Ediburgh Film Festival]
Director John McPhail takes genre mash-up to new heights with this hugely entertaining Scottish horror comedy that plays like Shaun of the Dead meets High School Musical. It’s derived from the 2011 Scottish short Zombie Musical, whose late director Ryan McHenry (also responsible for the Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal meme) co-wrote the script before his tragic death in 2015.
Ella Hunt (Robot Overlords) plays Anna, a sixth former at her school in the small town of New Haven, who clashes with her widowed father (Mark Benton) over her desire to spend a year travelling instead of going off to university. Soon, however, Anna realises she has much bigger problems on her hands, as New Haven faces a full-on zombie apocalypse.
Banding...
- 4/9/2019
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Panelists discuss difficulty of keeping Scottish film talent in Scotland.
A Glasgow Film Festival panel yesterday (Feb 27) comprised of genre filmmakers discussed the potential for a more sustained horror industry in Scotland.
Sarah Daly, one of the founders of Hex Studios, a dedicated studio for the production and distribution of horror films based in Fife, celebrated the fact that “it’s a very exciting time to be in the genre space because there is so much open mindedness to so many different kinds of storytelling”.
“The industry has seen the returns that these films can have,” Daly commented, pointing to...
A Glasgow Film Festival panel yesterday (Feb 27) comprised of genre filmmakers discussed the potential for a more sustained horror industry in Scotland.
Sarah Daly, one of the founders of Hex Studios, a dedicated studio for the production and distribution of horror films based in Fife, celebrated the fact that “it’s a very exciting time to be in the genre space because there is so much open mindedness to so many different kinds of storytelling”.
“The industry has seen the returns that these films can have,” Daly commented, pointing to...
- 2/28/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Late last year, just in time for the holiday season, director John McPhail‘s Anna and the Apocalypse received a limited theatrical release but did not arrive on VOD, essentially meaning that most of us were not able to actually watch the Christmas horror film during, well, Christmastime. That was a bummer, but at least the wait won’t be much […]...
- 2/7/2019
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Speakers include Amma Asante, Alice Lowe and Hope Dickson Leach.
UK director Amma Asante will reflect on her BAFTA-winning career as part of the three-day Industry Focus Event at the Glasgow Film Festival next month (February 27-March 1).
Asante’s films include A Way Of Life, Belle, A United Kingdom and Where Hands Touch. She recently signed to direct The Billion Dollar Spy for Walden Media and Weed Road. The ‘in conversation’ event will be hosted by Screen International with the support of Nfts Scotland.
Further industry panels and talks at Glasgow will include ‘The Actor-Director Relationship’ with Dirty God’s...
UK director Amma Asante will reflect on her BAFTA-winning career as part of the three-day Industry Focus Event at the Glasgow Film Festival next month (February 27-March 1).
Asante’s films include A Way Of Life, Belle, A United Kingdom and Where Hands Touch. She recently signed to direct The Billion Dollar Spy for Walden Media and Weed Road. The ‘in conversation’ event will be hosted by Screen International with the support of Nfts Scotland.
Further industry panels and talks at Glasgow will include ‘The Actor-Director Relationship’ with Dirty God’s...
- 1/31/2019
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye | Written by Alan McDonald, Ryan McHenry | Directed by John McPhail
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
Based on the 2011 short film Zombie Musical, Anna and the Apocalypse, directed by John McPhail, is a mash-up of the comedic inventive edit prowess of Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and the engaging charisma of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The result? An undoubtedly charismatic feature that unfortunately exudes a far...
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other.
Based on the 2011 short film Zombie Musical, Anna and the Apocalypse, directed by John McPhail, is a mash-up of the comedic inventive edit prowess of Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead and the engaging charisma of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The result? An undoubtedly charismatic feature that unfortunately exudes a far...
- 1/29/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
One of my favorite films of the year is John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse, the rousing zom-com Christmas musical that follows a group of high schoolers who are forced to fight for their lives as a zombie apocalypse breaks out, all led by the titular character played by Ella Hunt.
Anna and the Apocalypse is currently in theaters nationwide (you can find details on where it’s playing Here), and Daily Dead recently had the chance to speak with Hunt about taking on the role of Anna in the ambitiously delightful musical and why she fell in love with the character in the first place. Hunt also discussed some of the challenges she faced when it came to the physical aspects of her performance in Anna and the Apocalypse, working alongside director McPhail and her fellow co-stars, and more.
Congratulations on this film. I saw it last year at Fantastic Fest,...
Anna and the Apocalypse is currently in theaters nationwide (you can find details on where it’s playing Here), and Daily Dead recently had the chance to speak with Hunt about taking on the role of Anna in the ambitiously delightful musical and why she fell in love with the character in the first place. Hunt also discussed some of the challenges she faced when it came to the physical aspects of her performance in Anna and the Apocalypse, working alongside director McPhail and her fellow co-stars, and more.
Congratulations on this film. I saw it last year at Fantastic Fest,...
- 12/10/2018
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Chicago – Arriving a few years too late after the great movie mashup craze, “Anna and The Apocalypse” is a zombie Christmas musical. The signature (and only) joke is that teens are dancing and singing amid the blood, guts, and gore spurting in gushers around them. But it’s less a feature film and more akin to a late run episode of “Glee,” when its creators had clearly run out of any ideas.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
The film is set at a high school in Scotland on the eve of the big Christmas pageant, when a plague of the undead descends upon the production. Anna (Ella Hunt) is the daughter of the school janitor and decides she wants to see the world before heading to University. Her best friend John (Malcolm Cumming) is clearly in love with her, while she’s enamored with a thoughtless school bully Nick (Ben Wiggins). There’s also...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
The film is set at a high school in Scotland on the eve of the big Christmas pageant, when a plague of the undead descends upon the production. Anna (Ella Hunt) is the daughter of the school janitor and decides she wants to see the world before heading to University. Her best friend John (Malcolm Cumming) is clearly in love with her, while she’s enamored with a thoughtless school bully Nick (Ben Wiggins). There’s also...
- 12/8/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
For specialties, the weekend was all about the second weekend holdovers, as regular release specialty newcomers tread lightly. Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, reigned again as the weekend’s highest per-theater average.
The Venice and Telluride debut by Yorgos Lanthimos is coming in at $1,105,000 in the three-day estimate, averaging $32,500. The Favourite bowed with the year’s highest opening weekend PTA at $105K.
Magnolia Pictures Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters added runs in its second frame, grossing a solid $106K in 14 locations, averaging $7,571. Other second weekend holdovers also had added runs. Music Box Films’ Becoming Astrid jumped to 15 theaters from three in its opening frame. The bio-drama grossed $18,934, averaging $1,262. And Greenwich Entertainment doc The World Before Your Feet played several more locations in its second weekend, grossing $15,655 in six theaters, averaging $2,609.
Orion Pictures debuted genre-bending, zombie apocalypse feature Anna And the Apocalypse. It...
The Venice and Telluride debut by Yorgos Lanthimos is coming in at $1,105,000 in the three-day estimate, averaging $32,500. The Favourite bowed with the year’s highest opening weekend PTA at $105K.
Magnolia Pictures Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters added runs in its second frame, grossing a solid $106K in 14 locations, averaging $7,571. Other second weekend holdovers also had added runs. Music Box Films’ Becoming Astrid jumped to 15 theaters from three in its opening frame. The bio-drama grossed $18,934, averaging $1,262. And Greenwich Entertainment doc The World Before Your Feet played several more locations in its second weekend, grossing $15,655 in six theaters, averaging $2,609.
Orion Pictures debuted genre-bending, zombie apocalypse feature Anna And the Apocalypse. It...
- 12/2/2018
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a weekend of repeats.
With just one nationwide debut at the box office, a series of holdovers are set to take the top spots, with the second frame of Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” heading for first place with an estimated $24 million.
The sole cross-country rollout, Sony’s “Possession of Hannah Grace,” is likely to open to $6.4 million from 2,065 North American theaters after taking in $2.56 million on Friday. That estimate is more than double what Sony had originally predicted for “Hannah Grace.”
Directed by Diederik Van Rooijen and written by Brian Sieve, the horror flick follows a young morgue attendant (Shay Mitchell) who realizes a cadaver has been possessed by a demon. Shot on a Sony A7S II, “Hannah Grace” has a C- CinemaScore and a 19% Rotten Tomatoes score, with its Audience Score at 22%.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” will cross $100 million domestically this weekend, and has...
With just one nationwide debut at the box office, a series of holdovers are set to take the top spots, with the second frame of Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” heading for first place with an estimated $24 million.
The sole cross-country rollout, Sony’s “Possession of Hannah Grace,” is likely to open to $6.4 million from 2,065 North American theaters after taking in $2.56 million on Friday. That estimate is more than double what Sony had originally predicted for “Hannah Grace.”
Directed by Diederik Van Rooijen and written by Brian Sieve, the horror flick follows a young morgue attendant (Shay Mitchell) who realizes a cadaver has been possessed by a demon. Shot on a Sony A7S II, “Hannah Grace” has a C- CinemaScore and a 19% Rotten Tomatoes score, with its Audience Score at 22%.
“Ralph Breaks the Internet” will cross $100 million domestically this weekend, and has...
- 12/1/2018
- by Erin Nyren
- Variety Film + TV
Ever since Daily Dead Managing Editor Heather Wixson gave it a five-star review last year, we've been excited for Daily Dead readers to unwrap the humor, horror, and heartfelt emotions of the zombie Christmas musical Anna and the Apocalypse, so we're thrilled that director John McPhail is a special guest on a new episode of Daily Dead's podcast!
When zombies shamble into Little Haven's holiday season, it's up to the teenagers of the small town to dance their way to survival in the living dead Christmas musical Anna and the Apocalypse. A festive blend of blood-spattered scares, heartfelt humor, and dance numbers that are as contagious as a zombie virus, Anna and the Apocalypse enjoyed a well-received run on the film festival circuit, and to celebrate its theatrical release, Heather Wixson is joined by director John McPhail on a special episode of Corpse Club!
Pour yourself a cup of eggnog...
When zombies shamble into Little Haven's holiday season, it's up to the teenagers of the small town to dance their way to survival in the living dead Christmas musical Anna and the Apocalypse. A festive blend of blood-spattered scares, heartfelt humor, and dance numbers that are as contagious as a zombie virus, Anna and the Apocalypse enjoyed a well-received run on the film festival circuit, and to celebrate its theatrical release, Heather Wixson is joined by director John McPhail on a special episode of Corpse Club!
Pour yourself a cup of eggnog...
- 11/30/2018
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Following last weekend’s big roll out of The Favourite from Fox Searchlight, this weekend will likely see a pause for awards contenders making splashy Specialty box office numbers. Orion Pictures is giving a limited start to comedy-horror-musical Anna And the Apocalypse, starring Ella Hunt and Malcom Cumming. Timed to the holiday season, the title fits the company’s strategy of releasing films that target specific audiences. Screen Media, meanwhile, has two very different features heading out, though both will have one-time event screenings around the country (on different dates) in addition to specific targeted regular runs. James Marsh’s The Mercy starring Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz opens Village East in New York through the distributor, while animated feature Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer will have regular engagements starting in New York and L.A. Friday in a day and date release in addition to event screenings in over 100 cities.
- 11/30/2018
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
We’re accustomed to horror movies using creativity and artistry to cover up their low budgets; a filmmaker can create plenty of scares with one set and a cast of four. The low-budget musical, on the other hand, is expected to provide splashy razzle-dazzle and grandeur with the same economy of means, and it’s a tougher genre to make succeed on a dime. That said, if you’re willing to overlook a little scruffiness at the edges, it’s a Christmas miracle that the Scottish import “Anna and the Apocalypse” works so well as both a horror movie and a musical.
And “Christmas miracle” should be taken literally, because this is a holiday movie as well. And if you don’t think the undead mix well with musical numbers and gaudy Yuletide decor, “Anna” might be the movie to change your mind.
It’s a film that the protagonist...
And “Christmas miracle” should be taken literally, because this is a holiday movie as well. And if you don’t think the undead mix well with musical numbers and gaudy Yuletide decor, “Anna” might be the movie to change your mind.
It’s a film that the protagonist...
- 11/29/2018
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
What do you get when you mash up High School Musical, Shaun of the Dead, and The Nightmare Before Christmas? The answer is director John McPhail's brilliant new Christmastime zombie musical, Anna and the Apocalypse, one of the most joyful films you'll ever see about the end of mankind as we know it. Anna (Ella Hunt) is a high school senior looking to break free from her small town existence by taking a gap year to hike across Australia rather than going immediately to university, much to the chagrin of her hard-working single dad. She sees her life as a prison from which she must break free, and the only way to do it is to run away as far as she can. First, however,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/29/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Here’s the holiday musical you’re looking for — if, say, you like a splash of gore and a parade of flesh-eating zombies between musical numbers. Eat your heart out, Mary Poppins! Literally! Set in Scotland during Christmas season, in the perfectly named town of Little Haven, Anna and the Apocalypse knows it’s a horror-comedy-musical throwaway and proceeds to lean heavily into the curve. You’ve never heard of the actors, which also helps. And director John McPhail (Where Do We Go From Here) keeps the movie speeding over...
- 11/28/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Sometimes, you are so excited about a film that you just have to do a flash mob. Ahead of the November 30th release of Anna and the Apocalypse from Orion Pictures, a group of Austinites and zombies participated in a flash mob in downtown Austin, Texas. Also: The Rainbow Experiment VOD and DVD release details, and Death Kiss is coming to DVD as well.
Details on the Anna and the Apocalypse Flash Mob in Austin: "To celebrate the critically-acclaimed Christmas zombie high-school musical Anna And The Apocalypse, the movie came to life in Austin, TX with a flash mob dance in downtown at the popular Lamar Pedestrian Bridge to get the holidays started with a bloody bang (and possibly a bite).
In anticipation of Orion Pictures' new holiday film, a group of Austinites & zombies participated in a Surprise flash mob to the original song from the film, "Hollywood Ending" while...
Details on the Anna and the Apocalypse Flash Mob in Austin: "To celebrate the critically-acclaimed Christmas zombie high-school musical Anna And The Apocalypse, the movie came to life in Austin, TX with a flash mob dance in downtown at the popular Lamar Pedestrian Bridge to get the holidays started with a bloody bang (and possibly a bite).
In anticipation of Orion Pictures' new holiday film, a group of Austinites & zombies participated in a Surprise flash mob to the original song from the film, "Hollywood Ending" while...
- 11/28/2018
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
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