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Review: SCREAMBOX original documentary ‘LIVING WITH CHUCKY’ is killer family fun.

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Screenwriter Don Mancini, writer-director Tom Holland, SFX artist Tony Gardner, and producer David Kirschner brought a possessed doll to life in 1988. In Kara Elise Gardner‘s new documentary, horror actors and CHILD’S PLAY creators comment on the horror industry and the franchise’s specific epicness. LIVING WITH CHUCKY celebrates the genre and its fans. 

Brad Dourif plays Charles Lee Ray, aka Chucky. Dourif’s legendary voiceover work will go down in horror history, making ears perk up and fans smirk. He explains his adoration for Chucky but that his experience comes with the isolation of the recording booth. Thank goodness he never gave up on fans. Chucky would not be the same without his frightening and hilarious intonation.

Alex Vincent, the original Andy, speaks to his experience at ages six and seven. Everyone boasts of his maturity and the professionalism he displayed on set. Jennifer Tilly plays Tiffany, aka Bride of Chucky. When Tilly came into the franchise, it revitalized the humor as a straighter foil for Dourif’s maniacal Chucky. The creation of her character is cinematic genius involving the Bride of Frankenstein and a bathtub. Dourif raves about her ability to improvise. 

SFX artist Tony Gardner explains the difficulty in reproducing Chucky, Tiffany, and creating Glen/Glenda for Seed of Chucky. Billy Boyd is Glen/Glenda. He remembers his favorite kill with a famous franchise fan and camp master, John Waters. Don Mancini brings in a wider queer audience with this film but also gets meta with the on-screen death of Gardner. 

For Curse of Chucky, Brad’s daughter Fiona Dourif played the film’s final girl, Nica. The script returns to a scarier horror, swinging away from the camp of Bride and Seed. Nica was in a wheelchair, a representation that remains rare on film. Cult of Chucky brings back Alex Vincent and a handful of familiar faces over the years. This film is a full-circle moment for the entire Child’s Play franchise.

Brad and Fiona Dourif, Boyd, Vincent, John Waters, Abigail Breslin, Lin Shaye, Marlon Wayans, Christine Elise, and Elle Lorraine discuss the grounded reaction of working with practical fx. We get to see the technical wonder of iconic scenes through behind-the-scenes footage and storytelling from those on set. 

As a Child’s Play fan, transition scenes show you every minute detail of creating a single Chucky doll, and popping in each physical piece of media one at a time is fascinating. Everyone comments on the difficulty of movie-making and maintaining family life. The franchise structure is a unique chance to reconnect with people from year to year. They become your support system while away from your biological crew. Director Kyra Elise Gardner brings her second family into the limelight. LIVING WITH CHUCKY allows fans to celebrate one of their horror legends and those responsible for his status. It’s killer fun. 

US VOD PLATFORMS (April 4)
Amazon, Apple, Google Play, VUDU, Hoopla, Xbox, SCREAMBOX, and more.
(SCREAMBOX is available to stream on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast, Cox, and screambox.com)

CANADA VOD PLATFORMS (April 4)
Apple, Google Play, Xbox, and more.

The LIVING WITH CHUCKY Collector’s Edition Blu-ray will also be released on April 18 and available in the US & Canada.
Special features include: Exclusive artwork by Creepy Duck, Candid Conversations, Favorite Death Scenes, Strange Families and Director’s Commentary.

SCREAMBOX, which is powered by Bloody Disgusting, features a broad mix of content for casual and die-hard horror fans alike. The service is refreshed monthly with content from the Company’s extensive genre library with films and episodes delivering every type of terror imaginable — Supernatural, Slashers, Zombies and more. SCREAMBOX currently features classic horror films like Slumber Party Massacre and the original House on Haunted Hill, the blockbuster indie horror films The Outwaters and Terrifier 2 as well as horror series such as “The Island” and “Master of Horror.” Documentaries Pennywise: The Story of It & Unearthed & Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary are also currently available. SCREAMBOX  is available to stream on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast, Cox and screambox.com 

ABOUT CINEDIGM  

For more than 20 years, Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) has led the digital transformation of the entertainment industry. Today, Cinedigm entertains consumers around the globe by providing premium feature film and television series, enthusiast streaming channels and technology services to the world’s largest media, retail and technology companies. As a leader in the rapidly evolving streaming ecosystem, Cinedigm continues its legacy as an innovator through its adoption of next-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, through its proprietary, highly-scalable Matchpoint™ technology platform. For more information, visit  cinedigm.com. 

Review: ‘TIME WARP: THE GREATEST CULT FILMS OF ALL-TIME VOLUME 2: HORROR AND SCI-FI’ available today on digital and VOD

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TIME WARP: THE GREATEST CULT FILMS OF ALL-TIME VOLUME 2: HORROR AND SCI-FI 

The greatest cult horror and science fiction films of all-time are studied in vivid detail in the second volume of Time Warp. Includes groundbreaking classics like “Night of the Living Dead,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and sci-fi gems such as “Blade Runner,” and “A Clockwork Orange.” 

Volume 2 is significantly shorter in runtime than Volume 1, coming in at 83 minutes. That being said, the amount of backstory and insider info is aplenty. I am a huge horror and sci-fi buff and I found myself hearing a plethora of great new stories from the cast members of some of my favorite films. Cast, crew, and critics discuss the highs and lows of their original releases and how they influenced what was yet to come in cinema history. They get into the political subtext and how some of the most iconic dialogue and choreography were improvised. The first half tackles horror while the latter half talks about sci-fi classics. Tom Savini gives us some fantastic insight into the set, makeup, and stunts from Romero‘s Dawn Of The Dead. Bruce Campbell‘s perspective on what made Army Of Darkness a later hit is cool. Wait until you find out what has happened to the house in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Malcolm McDowell talking about A Clockwork Orange will damn near make your year. Despite the length and the mouthful of its title, Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films Of All-Time Volume 2: Horror and Sci-fi is just as fun as its predecessor. I cannot wait to dive into Volume 3: Comedy and Camp coming in June. Check out the trailer below. Volume 1 and 2 are now available on Digital and VOD. Genre fans of all ages and predilections will adore this series.

TITLE: TIME WARP: THE GREATEST CULT FILMS OF ALL-TIME VOLUME 2 HORROR AND SCIFI
ON DEMAND AND DIGITAL: May 19, 2020
HOSTS: Joe Dante, John Waters, Ileana Douglas and Kevin Pollak
CAST: Jeff Goldblum, Sean Young, Joe Morton, Malcolm McDowell, Bruce Campbell, Roger Corman, John Sayles, Mary Woronov, Ed Neal and Rob Zombie
RUN TIME: 83 minutes

 

Review: Now on VOD, ‘Creedmoria’ has quirk for days.

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SYNOPSIS
Candy injects the “fun” in her dysfunctional life. When your brother is found by a neighbor naked and drunk, you’re stuck with a caveman of a boyfriend, you have a dickhead boss, and the madness of everyday life competes with your mother’s need to appear “normal,” you have to peek between the cracks to find the warm rays of hope. But, maybe normalcy is just a construct for other people. And, maybe breaking out of the institution is more important than fitting in. After years of trying to save those she loves, it’s time for Candy to save herself.

Creedmoria is like the lovechild of John Waters and Baz Luhrmann during the Strictly Ballroom years. With hilariously over the top, almost caricature archetypes, this film has everything you’d want in a dysfunctional family comedy set in the 80’s. Hyper-saturated fashion and a kick-ass soundtrack, not excluded. Terrific performances from the entire cast lend to loving these characters even if some of them are meant for you to hate. Oh, and real-life Creedmoor psychiatric institution residents wandering in and out of scenes adds another layer of weirdness. They remind me of The Transylvanians from The Rocky Horror Picture Show for some odd reason and contribute another dimension of, “Sure, why not.” to the plot. But the script does tackle a ton of real issues; narcissistic parenting, bullying, misogyny, sexual orientation, addiction, just to name a few. That being said, it certainly doesn’t stop Creedmoria from being a fun coming of age flick with some serious sass and laughs.

Released on VOD May 15th

Directed, Written and Produced by Alicia Slimmer
Executive Produced by Clifton Leaf
Cinematography by Boa Simon
Editor by Ben Insler
Trailer Editor by Kevin von Puttkammer 
Distributed by Francisco Productions LLC
 
Starring: Stef Dawson, Rachel DeBenedet, Ray Abruzzo, Ryan Weldon, James Kelley, Steve Cavanaugh, Giuliana Carullo