Interview with Cynthia Preston : Starring in Carrie 2013

I had the pleasure of recently talking to Cynthia Preston who is playing Elanor Snell in the new Carrie that is due out in Oct 2013.  Cynthia is no stranger to the horror genre having starred in Prom Night 3: The Last Kiss and was on a couple episodes of Friday the 13th The Series as well. 

TC: How did you get the role of Mrs. Snell on the new Carrie?

CP:   I just went in and auditioned and they told me they wanted the part played really naturally, and I said well that's good because I work naturally.  The casting director gave me some notes and told me what to do and usually they tweak it.  I did it and he said "no change that was perfect!"  I found out just the day before shooting that I got the part.  I had just driven from Toronto and found out that I got the part, so I had to turn right back around and drive back to Toronto because they were shooting the next day.


TC: Is there anything new that you feel you brought to the character?

CP: I have not seen the first one since I was a kid.  I didn't want to watch it again because I didn't want someone else's version in my head.  If I have someone else's portrayal of the character in my head then I don't want to be going for that, or trying to avoid that.  I want to be able to go completely from instinct and listen to the director.  So after I see our version of this movie I will revisit the original.


TC: How was your experience on the movie?

CP: It was really incredible.  I am a really big fan of the director Kimberly Peirce and I loved working with her and seeing her work with the other actors.  It was absolutely fascinating to see how the other big stars work.  It's very interesting to see how other people interact with the director and the rest of the crew.


TC: Are you a fan of the horror genre?

CP: I cannot say that I am because I get really, really engrossed into whatever I'm watching and I get really scared.  I think it was The Ring that was one of the first horror movies that I really loved and my ex husband at the time said it did not count because I had my eyes covered for part of the movie.  I actually went out for Halloween as the girl from The Ring.  I got this hospital gown and the hair and makeup and little kids walked past me and burst out crying because I looked so scary.  So the next night when we were giving out candy I wore my costume but I did not put the facial makeup back on.  I auditioned for the Saw movies and told them "I will bleed for you.  I will cut off appendages for you, but I will not watch these movies."


TC: How long did it take to film?

CP: It took 2 months to film.  Now with the digital age it is much shorter but back then it was 2 months for a feature and 6 weeks for a TV Movie.  When they started making movies in 28 days I was horrified.  I have even done a film in 15 days.  You really don't even get a chance to get to know the crew anymore.  Before you were on the film for 2 months these people became like almost family and now you just don't even have the time.


TC: Who do you most remember working with on PN3?

CP: Jeremy Ratchford who played Leonard the geek.  He is always the person who is cast as the popular guy or the star quarterback type of character.  I remember ruining all of Jeremy's takes by laughing because he was playing it so well and playing such a dork.  I had to keep apologizing to him because I could not stop laughing during his takes he was being so funny.  I dont know if it translated on film but he was absolutely hystarical.

TC: Is there anything else that you remember about filming PN3?

CP:  I remember that it was my first film back after I had a really bad car accident.  I had been in the hospital for 3 months and I had been out of acting for over a year.  They had a running double and a walking double for me.  I have pictures of me and my double and they were really good.  They had her hair matched mine and the picture is us sitting there reading the script together.  I had trouble moving so they were very conscientious of that and when I did have to run they had me on this rig with people pushing me and I'm moving my arms trying to make it look like I'm running.

Be sure to check out Cynthia on her website at: www.Cynthiapreston.com

Psycho IV : The Beginning 1990 - REVIEW

I have had this movie sitting on my shelf for the better part of 6 years and have never given it a viewing.  I got it part of a triple pack with parts 2 and 3.  I do love all of the Psycho movies and while nothing will top the original classic I really have a special place in my heart for the 3rd one.  Making it into almost a modern day slasher flick.  After reading the synopsis of part 4 and that it was mostly a flashback movie and really did not have a whole lot of Anthony Perkins in it I was none too excited.  It is a made for TV movie, but really not as awful as I thought it was going to be.

A late night radio talk show host (CCH Pounder) is doing a show about people who kill their mother.  One of the experts tells the story of his first patient ever.  A man who killed his Mother that ran a motel and even dressed up like her and imitated her voice.  A called calls in to give his story by the name of Ed .  He tells them that years ago he killed his Mother along with a number of other women and men and the fact that he is going to kill again soon.  It soon becomes apparent that the man named Ed they are talking to is none other than Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who is again out of the hospital and living in a normal home in the suburbs with his wife.  Norman tells the entire story of his life with his Mother (Olivia Hussey) who physically and mentally abused Norman.  Most of the time for no reason at all except the fact that she had no one else to take her anger out on.  The talk show host is intent on getting the whole story out and convincing Norman not to kill again.

For being a prequel and a ton of flashback material I think this movie is actually pretty good.  Not near as good as the other sequels.  I really like what they did with the flashbacks of young Norman.  Showing a few of the other people he killed before he even gave the poison to his Mother.  It was well directed and casted to perfection.  I thought the best performance of the film was from one of the original scream queens herself, Olivia Hussey.  Her presence on screen as Normans abusive Mother is not soon to be forgotten.

I wish they could have made another slasher-like film like the 3rd one was, but in 1990 slasher films had officially run out of steam and it was time for Psycho to take a new turn.  Besides Anthony Perkins at this point was getting older and was sick with HIV and probably not able to put together the performance he once was able too.  It was only 2 years after this movie was made that Anthony passed away.  If you are a Psycho fan I do recommend seeing this to get the whole story on old Normie.  I am glad that I finally gave this a chance.  Even though I like the movie and it's not totally terrible, I think it would have been better to stop after the 3rd one.  Stay twisted everyone!

Fatality Fear Fest Now Accepting Entries

Fatality Fear Fest is now accepting entries into our first annual competition as a part of Fatality Fest horror convention, June 7th-9th, 2013 in West Palm Beach, FL!

Competitors with short films, less than 20 minutes in length, are invited to submit their project online. All official rules and submission requirements can be found on the official website:

www.fatalityfest.com/film-festival.html

Entries are accepted through April 20th. Five finalists will be chosen by Scott Spiegel to have their films showcased on Sunday, June 9th at the convention. The winner will be chosen by the attending audience.

The Second Teaser Trailer is released for "Bloody Night" - PRESS RELEASE

Bloody Night


“Are you ready for a Bloody Weekend?”

Budapest, Hungary - Director Hakan Yildiz has released the second teaser trailer for the slasher film Bloody Night. Bloody Night was shot in Budapest, Hungary and the film features several rising stars and starlettes. As well, the latest teaser trailer for the film shows flashes of a mysterious killer, who is intent on stalking four friends on holiday.

The trailer shows primary cast members on the wrong side of a knife. Actress Anna Rust (The Brothers Grimm) appears prominently in one of Budapest’s empty streets. Her character is chased in back alleys and a park by an unknown attacker. As well, actor Pau Masó (Haunted Poland) is shown as he provides safe refuge for the distressed Anna. And, even the killer makes an appearance with a sharp blade. Horror fans can view this deadly cat and mouse exchange in the clip provided below!

Bloody Night is also set to tour over 20 horror film festivals. Festival runs will take place both in North America and Europe, with specific dates to be announced shortly.

The film’s synopsis: “4 University students travel to Budapest during the winter break holiday, but they find their lives endangered. Now, these four friends will have to fight for their lives, to escape a masked madman and killer (Sweet Dreams Productions).“

Release Date: Q2 2013.

Director: Hakan Yildiz.

Producers: Burcak Ozder, Deniz Sahin and Hakan Yildiz.

Executive Producers: Hakan Yildiz and Csanad Darvas.

Cast: Hakan Yildiz, Pau Masó, Anna Rust, Zsolt Der and Christoph Fortmann.

The film’s homepage is here: http://www.bloodynightmovie.com

The film’s fan page is listed here: http://www.facebook.com/bloodynightfilm

And here: http://www.twitter.com/bloodynightfilm

The second teaser trailer for the film is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fbsFYpjOuu8

Dream Seekers Film "Little Reaper" is now in Post Production - PRESS RELEASE

The up and coming film from Dream Seekers Productions entitled Little Reaper is now in Post Production.  Little Reaper is a horror/comedy about the Grim Reapers's troublesome teenage daughter.  It stars Athena Baumeister and John Paul Ouvrier, with John Michael Herndon, Katharine Stapleton, Allison Ashley Arm, Katy Townsend and Sorsha Morava.  Little Reaper is also directed and produced by Peter Dukes.


Website: www.dreamseekersprods.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dreamseekersproductions
Twitter: www.twitter.com/dreamseekerfans

F 2010 (AKA The Expelled) - REVIEW

There are those times when I run across an ad for a film or read an article somewhere that declares it "a must see" that in turn makes me WANT to see it. You'd think I would've learned by now not to seek out films without doing a fair amount of research first. You'd think....

Robert Anderson (David Schofield) is not having a very good year. After being assaulted by a student he is forced to take an extended leave to avoid any repercussion by the parents of the boy. You see, even though he was the one who was punched in the nose, the incident was deemed his fault because "giving students an 'F' has long been against national guidelines" and is "nothing but humiliating for the child" therefore he provoked the student by belittling him in front of the entire class. Got it?? Good. So, it's no wonder that after a few months pass by and he is allowed back, he is a shadow of his former self... an emotionally drained, alcoholic who has separated from his wife (Juliet Aubrey) and losing control of his teenage daughter (Eliza Bennett). At odds with the principal (Ruth Gemmell) and scared to death of his own students, he's labeled paranoid and delusional by his fellow teachers and the rest of the staff. His delusions turn out to be justified when some "hoodies" break into the school after hours one night and intent on terrorizing those unlucky enough to be pulling double duty. Anderson must face his greatest fear while trying to save his daughter and make it out alive.

The entire film rests solely on the shoulders of Schofield who does a remarkable job at carrying it to the end. It's just too bad that nothing was done to give his character any sort of likeability. Yes, he's a tortured soul. Yes, he's just about lost everything good in his life. He's the perfect horror hero, but without seeing the transition from phenomenal teacher and father of the year to burned out drunk, there's nothing to really care about. He just comes off as a craggy teacher who's tired of dealing with spoiled brats all day. Aside from Bennett and Gemmell, no one else really has much screen time. There are a lot of faces that revolve in and out so often that without going back to the IMDb page, I couldn't even remember their names.

Solid films are built on top of a solid script that is built on top of a solid idea. What writer/director Johannes Roberts had here was definitely a great idea. The first twenty minutes of lead in were very strong but it all just seems to fall apart once the "hoodies" show up and everything becomes trite and contrived. This is also one of the few horror films I've seen in a while that doesn't have a single on screen death. And while there is plenty of gore in the aftermath, it hardly makes up for some of the other inconsistencies the film is bombarded with. For example, the "hoodies" cut the phone lines to the school but never lock it down so the likelihood that someone could escape is rather high. I could go on with this assessment but I'd be giving away too much of the plot and spoilers are something we don't do here. In the end, I left the film feeling a little cheated and insulted by the ending. If you're into films that are heavy handed with the jump scares but light on suspense, this is probably one that would get you. I'm a HUGE fan of British horror but I think this is one I'll pass on to my teenagers to watch during a sleep over... on a stormy night.

Excision 2012 - REVIEW

I saw this film a couple of months ago and really am just reviewing it now only because I was not as impressed with it as I thought I was going to be.  I really did not know much about it except for the description from Amazon.com and the fact the Traci Lords was in it.  Up front I am going to say I do not consider this to be a full fledged horror movie.  In my opinion it had a dark tone but really the only thing related to horror that happened was not until the end of the film.  Draw your own conclusions.

Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is a very odd girl almost what you would consider and introvert.  She is not very popular among her peers and really does not have any friends except for her sister Grace (Ariel Winter) who suffers from cystic fibrosis.  They have a controlling Mother (Traci Lords) who favors Grace a little more than Pauline.  Mainly because of Pauline's always strange behavior.  Pauline is an aspiring surgeon and is almost to the point of obsession.  She has delusions frequently that are sick and show how disturbed she really is.  One night she takes matters into her own hands.  You will be shocked to say the least.

The film itself is pretty strange all the way around.  Mostly revolving around the character of Pauline and her relationship with her bitch of a Mother.  Traci Lords is really what I consider to be the brightest part of this film.  Her performance was outstanding and she really showed the audience that she still is a star and steals the screen whenever she is on it.    Not to mention that she is still as gorgeous as ever.  I really did not like Pauline's character nor did I like AnnaLynne McCord as her.  I guess she played the part I just really am not a fan or her performance.

The story itself I thought has alot of potential that really just did not deliver.  There are some humorous parts to this movie, and some scary moments when you say "what the fuck!"  Most of all too much time was spent on how odd and strange Pauline was rather than just letting her loose and just fuck some shit up.  Don't get me wrong I do not totally all out hate this film, but I was very disappointed   I thought the description of the movie tagged it more of a horror movie when it really needed to be described as a dark drama.  Stay twisted everyone!