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

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. 

The Trailer for Fox’s ‘Scream Queens’ Has Arrived!

screamqueensheader

FOX has released the full new trailer for its the upcoming comedy-horror series “Scream Queens’ which you can view below!

Wallace University is rocked by a string of murders. Kappa House, the most sought-after sorority for pledges, is ruled with an iron fist (in a pink glove) by its Queen Bitch, Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts). But when anti-Kappa Dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) decrees that sorority pledging must be open to all students, and not just the school’s silver-spooned elite, all hell is about to break loose, as a devil-clad killer begins wreaking havoc, claiming one victim, one episode at a time. Part black comedy, part slasher flick, SCREAM QUEENS is a modern take on the classic whodunit, in which every character has a motive for murder… Or could easily be the next blood-soaked casualty.

The brain child of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and Dante Di Loreto, the executive producers of Glee and American Horror Story, the show also stars Oliver Hudson (“Nashville”),  Lea Michele (Glee), Abigail Breslin (Zombieland), Nasim Pedrad (“Saturday Night Live”), Skyler Samuels (“American Horror Story: Coven”) and Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee). Word is pop stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas will guest-star in a recurring roles.

he series will premiere in the fall of 2015 on FOX.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, and Joely Richardson star in ‘MAGGIE’ – a post-apocalyptic Zombie flick with Midwestern flare and some incredible acting.

Maggie PosterThere is no denying that most of us are fans of anything zombie genre. With The Walking Dead becoming a televised phenomenon, we got to see a story line based around the characters and not the infected. This is very much the scenario in Henry Hobson‘s new film Maggie. Wade has promised his late wife that he would  do anything to protect their daughter. Living in a world where an infection causes people to turn into cannibal zombies, the government have ordered that at 8 weeks into said infection, you must deliver your family member to the hospital quarantine wing… where they essentially wait to die. But how can you just give up? What if your loved one is different? What if you believe they can be saved?Maggie still Arnold and Abigail breslinArnold Schwarzenegger plays Wade with a love and affection that is altogether new for him. This legendary action star is gentle and protective, and any of us would be proud to  call him Dad. He is able to hold the screen in long quiet shots with complete ease and not much more than his pensive face. I would  love to him  in more roles like this, as he is clearly capable of giving us an entire range of real emotion without any slow motion explosions going off behind him. Joely Richardson is Caroline, Wade’s second wife and Maggie’s stepmother. After sending her two small children off to live with relatives one Maggie returns to the home, she is hesitant to fully trust Wade’s parenting decisions, as would anyone afraid of being attacked by a zombie. Supportive but always on edge, Richardson displays the same great acting talents we’ve come to know from The Tudors and Nip/TuckMaggie Still Babigail ArnoldThe real star of this film, hands down, is Abigail Breslin. To navigate as a teenager in a world where awkwardness is already the norm, then add in the inevitability of turning into a monster is quite the feat. Breslin is graceful and raw in her spiral both emotionally and physically. She is able to balance sadness, thoughtfulness, and a little bit of frightening all at once. I am truly impressed with her portrayal of Maggie and it should not go unnoticed by Hollywood. MaggieMaggie is Henry Hobson‘s first feature length film. He is known for his genius art direction with title sequences, ironically including The Walking Dead. Hobson’s experience is evident in the way he chooses to shoot in an almost kamikaze style. Indie films have smaller budgets and tight schedule, but his actors and crew trusted him so much that at the drop of a hat, the entire team would run from one location to another in order to fit in a shot to capture a perfect moment in time and its natural light. I see a great future for Henry Hobson if Maggie is any indication of what he is capable of. Joely Abigail Arnold Maggie stillDon’t expect massive actions scenes but do expect some phenomenal makeup effects and a truly lovely script by John Scott 3. For a first time screenwriter, he definitely knows his stuff about the genre and great family dynamics. Maggie is a slow burn, beautifully shot and scored, with one hell of an ending. It’s slightly outside the box for a zombie film and for Schwarzenegger, but totally worth your time. You can check out Maggie in theaters and On Demand today, May 8th.

Below you can find the audio from The Tribeca Film Festival press conference I attended for Maggie. Joely, Henry, and Arnold were in attendance. All three were completely gracious and articulate, it’s worth a listen for some  insider information on the production. Enjoy!

http://maggiethefilm.com/

First Trailer for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Zombie Drama ‘Maggie’ Released

Maggie-1

Lionsgate has released the first trailer for the upcoming zombie drama Maggie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Abigail Breslin and you can view it below!

The film, directed by Henry Hobson, centers around a teenage girl named Maggie (Breslin), who becomes infected by an outbreak of a disease that slowly turns the infected into cannibalistic zombies. During her transformation, her loving father Wade (Schwarzenegger) tries to come to terms with her affliction and stand by her in her final days.

The film is set to premiere April 22nd at the Tribeca Film Festival and open wide on May 8, 2015

Teaser for ‘Scream Queens’ Debuts!

scream-queens1 Similar to February, FOX is celebrating another Friday the 13th with the release of another teaser for the upcoming series Scream Queens  from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan and Dante Di Loreto, the executive producers of Glee and American Horror Story. You can check it out below!

The all star cast will include Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story: Coven and Freak Show), Oliver Hudson (Nashville),  Lea Michele (Glee), Abigail Breslin (Zombieland) and Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee). Word is pop stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas will guest-star in a recurring roles.

The series is said to be a comedy-horror anthology series with the first season revolving around a college campus which is rocked by a series of murders. The series will premiere in the fall of 2015 on FOX.

Fox previously released a similar teaser a month ago to celebrate that months Friday the 13th. You can view that one below