News

Filming has wrapped on Chad Archibald's new film, It Feeds. The upcoming horror flick marks the first title Black Fawn Films will make in a new production pact with producer Productivity Media, Inc. (Pmi).    Pmi will co-produde and finance a slate of ten films with the aforementioned Archibald and Black Fawn co-owner Cody Calahan. It Feeds stars Ashley Greene (Twilight series) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men series).    The film tells the harrowing story of a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her. Greene portrays a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own personal demons to save the girl before she is taken completely. Ashmore takes on the role of the anguished father, desperately struggling...

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Last year, Ashley Greene (the Twilight saga) and Shawn Ashmore (Adam Green’s Frozen) shared the screen in the Netflix-released thriller Aftermath. Now Deadline reports that Greene and Ashmore have been reunited on the set of the supernatural horror film It Feeds, which is currently in production.

It Feeds will tell the story of a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her. Greene’s character is “a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own personal demons to save the girl before she is taken completely.” Ashmore is playing “the anguished father, desperately struggling to protect his daughter.”

Deadline doesn’t name the director of It Feeds or the screenwriter, but they do mention that this film is the first in what is planned to be a ten-film slate of genre projects that’s coming our way from Productivity Media Inc and Black Fawn Films.

Exclusive: Ashley Greene (Twilight Saga) and Shawn Ashmore (X-Men series) are set to lead horror movie It Feeds, the first in a proposed ten-picture genre slate from LA-based companies Productivity Media Inc (Pmi) and Black Fawn Films.

Currently in production, It Feeds will tell the story of a young girl who insists that a malevolent entity is feeding on her. Greene portrays a clairvoyant therapist who must confront her own personal demons to save the girl before she is taken completely. Ashmore takes on the role of the anguished father, desperately struggling to protect his daughter.

The slate will be curated, developed and produced by Chad Archibald and Cody Calahan’s Black Fawn alongside Productivity Media. Navid McIlhargey will oversee for the latter.

Pmi recently completed principal photography on Jack Huston’s directorial debut Day Of The Fight, starring Michael Pitt, Ron Perlman, and Joe Pesci. In post are Borderline,...

Rlje Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has picked up select rights to the horror film Vicious Fun from Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural. Rlje Films will release Vicious Fun on VOD, Digital HD, DVD and Blu-ray on April 5, 2022. Check out the crazy trailer:

Now you can win the Blu-ray of Vicious Fun.. We Are Movie Geeks has two to give away. Just leave a comment below telling us what your favorite movie costarring David Koechner is (I’d say Anchorman. It’s so easy!)

1. You Must Be A US Resident. Prize Will Only Be Shipped To US Addresses. No P.O. Boxes. No Duplicate Addresses.

2. Winner Will Be Chosen From All Qualifying Entries. No Purchase Necessary

Directed by Cody Calahan ((Antisocial, The Oak Room)), and written by James Villeneuve (The Ticket), Vicious Fun stars Evan Marsh (Shazam!), (“Sex/Life”),Ari Millen...

Stars: Katy Mahard, Jessica Morgan, Aeric Azana Jim Cirner, Joe Heck, Brittany Isabell, Adam Mendez Jr., Rudolph Alvarado | Written and Directed by Jessica Morgan, Dustin Rieffer, Christopher M. Carter

On a stormy night, a keeper of haunting stories recounts his four darkest tales… Yes, we’re in horror anthology territory once again folks, with Dark Chronicles – a film comprised of four stories from the web series of the same name, now debuting on DVD in an edited format.

The first story follows a priest, Ilya, and his ward who in the midst of a lengthy exorcism, of sorts. You see Lorelei, the “possessed”, does not feel like she is under the control of a demon – she believes she’s merely deathly ill. While her “priest” thinks everything she does is the work of the devil… Both of them fighting each other for control. Lorelei’s for her life, Ilya for her soul.

Meta jokes, perfect pace and sophisticated storytelling are wielded with skill by playful director Cody Calahan

Canadian writer-director Cody Calahan has been building something of a reputation in horror circles for his playful, narratively sophisticated work in what seem like superficially pulpy films, such as Antisocial, Let Her Out and The Oak Room. His latest offering is pretty on-brand, with winking meta-jokes, such as having the central character Joel (Evan Marsh from Shazam!) be a journalist who writes about horror films. What’s more, when we first meet him, he’s pitching a story to a horror film producer (Gord Rand) about a serial killer who is a taxi driver, a joke that pays out satisfyingly much later. In less skilful hands, gags like this would be highly irritating, but Calahan and the cast get away with it thanks to fine comic timing and likable ensemble playing.

Stars: Rj Mitte, Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen, Nicholas Campbell, Martin Roach, David Ferry, Amos Crawley, Avery Esteves, Coal Campbell | Written by Peter Genoway | Directed by Cody Calahan

[Note: With the film out now on DVD and Digital here’s a reposting of our review of the excellent horror The Oak Room from its screening at last years Fantasia Festival]

I was a huge (and I do mean huge) fan of Cody Calahan’s 2013 debut feature Antisocial and its 2015 follow-up, so I was super-excited to see The Oak Room, the latest directorial effort from Calahan and the Canadian genre filmmaking outfit Black Fawn Films – a company who, in my opinion, have produced some of the best genre films in recent years, giving the much more well-known Blumhouse Productions a run for their money when it comes to low-budget horror filmmaking; and The Oak Room is their best yet.

On a snowy night in a small Canadian town, Paul (Peter Outerbridge) has just closed up his bar when a young man named Steve...

Lightbulb Film Distribution is excited to share that following the release of sinister thriller, The Oak Room, on Digital Download this Monday the film has gone on to hit #1 on the UK iTunes Horror charts! Check out the clip below to find out why everyone is excited to visit The Oak Room. During a raging …

The post *New Clip* #1 Horror on UK iTunes , ‘The Oak Room’, Available Digital Download now appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Stars: Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet, David Koechner, Alexa Rose Steele | Written by Cody Calahan, James Villeneuve | Directed by Cody Calahan

Grimmfest keep on delivering the goods despite a worldwide pandemic. Their latest treat comes along with the May Bank Holiday and includes Cody Calahan’s latest movie Vicious Fun.

Set in the eighties, the crazy story has us follow a horror movie journalist (instantly relatable to a big chunk of this films audience!) who somehow ends up in a self-help group for serial killers. When his attempts at blending in don’t go to plan he has to work out a way to survive… I’m glad the word fun is in the title of this movie. It is often something that people seem to think is a less than positive way of describing films. But I love films that are fun and it is a perfect description here.

The Oak Room

A film about a man who walks into a bar and offers to pay for his drink with a story might not sound especially compelling, but there's power in stories - the bedrock of cinema - and if you're willing to give The Oak Room your attention, you'll be chilled to the bone by the time the story ends. Every apparently familiar detail in Cody Calahan's cinematic riddle conceals something else. Nothing can be taken for granted .But just how does one go about constructing a film like this? Here's what Cody had to tell us.

Jennie Kermode: The Oak Room has an astonishing script but with such limited use of location and movement, it must have been a serious challenge to film. What persuaded you to take it on?

Cody Calahan: I think it was just that, the challenge. I was ready to really step outside my comfort zone and.

Rj Mitte, well-known for his role at Walter Jnr in Breaking Bad, takes on the lead in this enjoyable thriller The Oak Room. Perhaps it’s because the nostalgia for going in and sitting at the bar of a pub is so rife, or the labyrinthine storytelling technique, as a clever little flick that is sure to keep your concentration.

We had the pleasure of speaking to the leading star Mitte, as we discussed the project at hand, while also looking back fondly on his time being a part of the White family, and whether the Breaking Bad collective still stay in touch. Given his cerebral palsy, we also ask about the pressures and rewards that come with balancing his career with activism, of which he does a great deal.

Watch the full interview with Rj here:

Synopsis

While a drifter tries to settle an old debt with a grizzled...

Arrow to Release Haunted Road Trip Thriller Threshold May 3 in the US, Canada and the UK: "London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the Arrow release of Powell Robinson and Patrick R. Young's acclaimed Threshold, available to subscribers in the US, Canada and the UK. The haunted road trip thriller world premiered at the Salem Horror Fest in October and made its European premiere at Soho Horror Film Festival in November. On May 3, Arrow subscribers in the US, Canada and the UK can go on a trip with Threshold from the comfort of their homes.

Threshold, the second feature from co-directors Powell Robinson, Patrick R. Young and producer Lauren Bates, following their debut Bastard (2015), was improvised and shot on two iPhones over the course of a 12-day road trip with a crew of just three. The results are an inventive and compelling psychological thriller with hints of the...

We got word today that our friends at Black Fawn Distribution have picked up the Canadian home video rights for The Oak Room, Cody Calahan's northern gothic thriller. They will put The Oak Room out on all major Canadian VOD and digital platforms on April 27th. During a raging snowstorm, a drifter returns home to the blue-collar bar located in the remote town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night’s events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double crosses and shocking violence. Have a look at the new trailer below the press release. Black Fawn Distribution has acquired the Canadian home video rights...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

2021 Oscar-Nominated Short Films

Check out Jared Mobarak’s reviews of all of this Oscar-nominated short films, including Animation, Live-Action, and Documentary.

Where to Stream: Virtual Cinemas

Concrete Cowboy (Ricky Staub)

There is a moment of surreal wonder near the start of Concrete Cowboy, the TIFF premiere co-starring Idris Elba, that is never equaled again, a sequence of unexpected radiance conjuring a sense of astonishment. A troubled teenager has been sent from Detroit to Philadelphia to spend the summer with his long-absent father. He arrives at night to a nearly empty, rather foreboding street. Eventually he finds his (seemingly) menacing father and is led into a ramshackle, messy home. Suddenly...

Ahead of The Oak Room's release in theaters and on demand on April 2nd, here's a look at an exclusive clip from the film:

"During a raging snowstorm, a drifter returns home to the blue-collar bar located in the remote town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night's events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double-crosses and shocking violence."

Directed by Cody Calahan, written by Peter Genoway, the film stars Rj Mitte (Breaking Bad), Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen, Martin Roach, Nicholas Campbell, and David Ferry.



The post Watch an Exclusive Clip from The Oak Room appeared first on Daily Dead.

"I've got something better than cash... I've got a story." Gravitas Ventures has debuted another new US trailer for a Canadian indie "sinister thriller" titled The Oak Room. This first premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival last year (Zofia reviewed it from that festival here) and also stopped by the Telluride Horror Show. During a raging snowstorm, a drifter (Rj Mitte) offers to settle a debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story. But the evening's events quickly spiral into a dark tale of deceit, mistaken identity and shocking violence. A film about storytelling and how stories intertwine. Also starring Peter Outerbridge, Nicholas Campbell, Martin Roach, David Ferry, and Ari Millen. These trailers don't seem to sell the film that well, but all the reviews are saying it's quite good. A thrilling film about mysteries and crazy twists. Here's the new official US trailer (+ poster) for Cody Calahan's The Oak Room,...

Hong Kong’s FilMart wrapped up its 2021 edition – and second successive wholly online edition on Thursday. Organizers reported that the four day event (March 15-18) had welcomed “nearly 7,000 industry participants from 81 countries and regions over four days, with the release and promotion of some 2,200 film and television productions.”

That total was largely similar to its outcome in August last year, when organizers said that “some 2,100 film and television productions were released and promoted (and) attracted nearly 7,000 international buyers from 73 countries and regions.”

The online platform used for meetings and conference events will remain open until May 18. Registered participants can continue to connect with exhibitors and buyers and also review the content of previous events.

Singapore-based investment, production and licensing firm 108 Media used FilMart’s virtual platform to announce the market debut of the Chinese mystery thriller “Lost in Blue.” A thriller, it explores the devastating effects of the illicit...

Stars: Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet, David Koechner, Alexa Rose Steele | Written by Cody Calahan, James Villeneuve | Directed by Cody Calahan

Sometimes there are films whose titles Literally tell you what to expect from a movie. Vicious Fun is one such film…There’s a whole lot of vicious things going down in the film – in particular to the gaggle of serial killing villains in the movie – and it’s also a whole lot of fun. A Lot of fun!

The latest film from Black Fawn Films, who are keeping the Canuxploitation tradition of genre cinema alive, Vicious Fun comes from director Cody Calahan who – if you’ve been reading Nerdly for quite some time – was responsible from not only one of my favourite Black Fawn films, not only one of my favourite Canadian genre films but also one of my favourite horror films full stop,...

BFI London Film Festival Dates

The BFI London Film Festival has confirmed the dates for the festival’s 65th edition, which will take place from October 6-17, 2021. Last year’s hybrid edition combined in-cinema experiences at partner venues UK-wide and an online edition for audiences at home via BFI Player. According to the festival, the event saw more than 315,000 attendees – the highest on record – engage with the program in the UK and internationally. There has been no word yet whether this year’s festival will be hybrid, physical or virtual.

Breakthrough Entertainment Strikes EFM Deals

As it gears up for Asian market Filmart, Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment has revealed a handful of virtual EFM deals. Sales out of EFM include comedy-horror Vicious Fun to Shudder for the U.S., UK and Canada. The movie also sold to Japanese and Russia. Rj Mitte thriller The Oak Room sold to Gravitas for the U.

"Listen up - it's my turn to tell a story!" Strike Media from the UK has released an official UK trailer for a Canadian indie "sinister thriller" titled The Oak Room. This first premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival last year (Zofia reviewed it from that festival for Fs here) and also stopped by the Telluride Horror Show. During a raging snowstorm, a drifter (Rj Mitte) offers to settle a debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story. The evening's events quickly spiral into a dark tale of deceit, mistaken identity and shocking violence. A film about storytelling and how our stories intertwine. The cast includes Peter Outerbridge, Nicholas Campbell, Martin Roach, David Ferry, and Ari Millen. This isn't the best trailer, but I still have high hopes for this considering the reviews have been positive, praising the many narratives and twists. Here's the new official UK trailer...

Exclusive: Lightbulb Film Distribution has picked up UK rights to three films out of the EFM, including BFI-backed dystopian thriller Undergods.

Kate Dickie (The Witch), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders) and Geza Rohrig (Son Of Saul) star in the collection of post-apocalyptic fantasy tales about ill-fated characters and doomed fortune. Release is scheduled for summer.

“Following its European premiere at Glasgow Film Festival, we are delighted to be bringing Undergods to UK audiences later this year. Director and writer Chino Moya has created an incredible world and his debut feature doesn’t just require repeat viewings – it demands it”, commented Lightbulb’s Sales & Acquisitions Director, Peter Thompson.

The deal was negotiated with Scott Bedno of Myriad Pictures.

Lightbulb has also picked up Canadian thriller The Oak Room, starring Rj Mitte (Breaking Bad).

Set during a raging snowstorm, the film follows a drifter who returns home to the blue-collar bar located in...

Tues. Feb. 23 Gravitas Ventures Acquires U.S. Distribution Rights for ‘The Oak Room’

Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company, has acquired U.S. rights to distribute the Black Fawn Films thriller “The Oak Room.”

Directed by Cody Calahan, written by Peter Genoway, and produced by Chad Archibald and Ari Millen, the film stars Rj Mitte (“Breaking Bad”), Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen, Martin Roach, Nicholas Campbell, and David Ferry.

The film follows a drifter who tries to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story. The night’s events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double-crosses and shocking violence.

“The Oak Room” will be released in theaters and on-demand on April 2.

American Cinema Editors (Ace) Announces Date Change to April 17

The American Cinema Editors (Ace) announced today that the 71st Annual Ace Eddie Awards will be held on April 17 at 11 am Pt...

Watch the Trailer for Doors: "Without explanation or warning, a number of mysterious, alien “doors” suddenly appear in every corner of the globe. While many of those that encounter these sentient visitors feel the strange urge to interact with them – never to be seen again – others stay behind to face the potential threat of what their ultimate agenda towards mankind is. In a rush to determine the reason for the arrival of these cosmic anomalies, the government enlists volunteers to brave the journey to enter the doors so that we might learn more about their origin or purpose. But even these brave volunteers are not prepared for what lies beyond the threshold. The story of the doors is told through multiple perspectives: a ragtag band of high school students discover a door for the first time, volunteers explore the parallel reality beyond the threshold, and a lonesome hermit manages the...

Tagline: "This Game Has No Players - Only Prey." Beast Within has already been released in several territories in 2020. Now, the film is set to show on DVD this February, through Stonecutter Media. In the film, a game developer invites several guests to a VIP event. Here, a publicity stunt leads to murder and a growing mystery.  Beast Within was co-directed by Chris Green and Steven Morana. Together, they have brought a familiar cast to the screen, including: Colm Feore (Thor), Ari Millen (The Oak Room), Holly Deveaux ("The Mist"), Art Hindle (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and many more. These filmmakers have brought something unique to the screen, based on the film's rabid reception. Stonecutter Media will have Beast Within show-up at DVD stores this February 23rd. Rated PG-13, the release is not hosting many extras. However, this latest showing is for those DVD collectors, looking for something a bit different.

Whether you missed the phenomenal 16th annual Horrorfest film festival line-up over Halloween season or want to catch some of these ultra-cool movies again, here's your chance, across one long weekend only (4-8 February 2021), streaming at Fightfan.tv (register to access line-up, trailers & booking). The selection of 8 feature films all won awards at the 2020 Horrorfest and include:   The Oak Room (Best Feature Film / Best Screenplay / Best Cinematography) Sky Sharks (Best Post Production & CGI) For The Sake Of Vicious (Best Editing) Mutant Blast (Best Make-Up FX / Gorefest Award) No. 76 Horror Bookstore (Best Anthology Film) Dreamland (Best Lead Actor / Best Supporting Actor) Clapboard Jungle (Best Documentary) Bad Candy (Halloween Spirit Award) plus 5 Shadow Realm short film chapters....

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Jose Luis Montesinos’ Ropes won two awards including best feature.

Jose Luis Montesinos’ Ropes won two awards including best feature at Manchester-based horror festival Grimmfest. The event ran online this year from Oct 7-11 due to Covid-19.

Spanish title Ropes also saw Paula Del Rio win the best actress prize for playing a paralysed girl terrorised by a rabid dog. Montesinos’ feature debut was also nominated for best picture at Sitges last year,

Further winners included John Hyams, who won best director for Alone, and Brian Landis Folkins, who picked up best actor for Rent-a-Pal (which also won best screenplay...

Tagline: "Blood, Murder and Self-help." Vicious Fun is the latest title from Black Fawn Films. A Cody Calahan (The Oak Room) feature, Vicious Fun follows Joel, who accidentally stumbles into a self-help group for serial killers. Can he survive the night? Co-written by James Villeneuve, this feature stars: Evan Marsh ("Northern Rescue"), Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen and Julian Richings. A trailer was just released for this feature and can be found below. The trailer shows a hitchhiker and a strange driver. Set in 1983, Joel then walks into the self-help meeting, where killers can hardly keep their murderous urges under control. Joel seeks help from the authorities, but only the killers are interested in his story. Vicious Fun will show at this year's Sitges Film Festival, later this month. Held in Spain every year, this prestigious film festival will host one of Canada's best indie features. To show as part of the Panorama Fantastic section,...

The international genre festival circuit has been finding ways to adapt to pandemic climate. Our friends at the Mayhem Film Festival in Nottingham, UK announced in July that they would be presenting a 'Skeleton Edition' this year.    Today the festival announced three titles that will have physical screenings at the festival's home, the Broadway Cinema. The three films playing this year will be Boys From County Hell, Psycho Goreman and The Oak Room.    Psycho Goreman and The Oak Room are familiar to us. Boys From County Hell is new and from the producers of Extra Ordinary and that was kind of a thing last year, wasn't it? Remember last year? Those were the days, huh? Anyways, a horror-comedy from Ireland with a title...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Fantasia International Film Festival closed out its 2020 edition yesterday, having successfully transitioned to a cutting-edge digital event in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Canadian audiences proved dedicated to the long-running festival, and flocked to the digital edition, which saw over 85,000 spectators watch films and special events across the country and beyond. Of special interest to audiences were the fest’s twenty-five World Premiere features, including bows for Come True, The Block Island Sound, Hunted, Undergods, Tiny Tim: King For A Day, The Paper Tigers, The Curse Of Audrey Earnshaw, Pvt Chat, Slaxx, The Oak Room, and Unearth.

The 24th edition of the festival also saw a record amount of media coverage, with 475 accredited journalists from around the world promoting Fantasia and its ground-breaking content. From Canadian and U.S. media to popular, top-tier outlets as far away as Japan and Portugal, Fantasia’s media presence has never been stronger.

While it's already wrapped, our coverage of Fantasia International Film Festival's 2020 virtual edition continues with another batch of capsule reviews.

Stay tuned for more coverage to come!

The Oak Room

During a raging snowstorm, a drifter returns home to a blue-collar bar in the remote Canadian town where he was born. When he offers to settle an old debt with a grizzled bartender by telling him a story, the night's events quickly spin into a dark tale of mistaken identities, double-crosses, and shocking violence.

This is an excellently made film in every regard. All of the acting is very strong. The script is adapted by playwright Peter Galloway from his own award-winning p...

The virtual edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival had a killer lineup that included feature-length and short genre films from around the world, and they have officially announced their award winners:

03 September 2020 - Montreal, Quebec - The Fantasia International Film Festival closed out its 2020 edition yesterday, having successfully transitioned to a cutting-edge digital event in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Canadian audiences proved dedicated to the long-running festival, and flocked to the digital edition, which saw over 85,000 spectators watch films and special events across the country and beyond. Of special interest to audiences were the fest’s twenty-five World Premiere features, including bows for Come True, The Block Island Sound, Hunted, Undergods, Tiny Tim: King For A Day, The Paper Tigers, The Curse Of Audrey Earnshaw, Pvt Chat, Slaxx, The Oak Room, and Unearth.

The 24th edition of the festival also saw a record amount of media coverage,...

John Carpenter recevied Cheval Noir Lifetime Achievement Award.

Daria Woszek’s Polish comedy Marygoround was a big winner at the 24th Fantasia International Film festival on Wednesday night (September 2), earning the Cheval Noir Award for best film, director and actress.

Grazyna Misiorowska stars in the story about a virgin approaching the menopause who undergoes hormone therapy and experiences an awakening when her free-spirited niece shows up.

’Marygoround’: review

Brea Grant’s US entry 12 Hour Shift won best screenplay, and Jacky Heung was awarded the best actor prize for Hong Kong’s Chasing Dream.

The festival reported more than...

Stars: Rj Mitte, Peter Outerbridge, Ari Millen, Nicholas Campbell, Martin Roach, David Ferry, Amos Crawley, Avery Esteves, Coal Campbell | Written by Peter Genoway | Directed by Cody Calahan

I was a huge (and I do mean huge) fan of Cody Calahan’s 2013 debut feature Antisocial and its 2015 follow-up, so I was super-excited to see The Oak Room, the latest directorial effort from Calahan and the Canadian genre filmmaking outfit Black Fawn Films – a company who, in my opinion, have produced some of the best genre films in recent years, giving the much more well-known Blumhouse Productions a run fo their money when it comes to low-budget horror filmmaking; and The Oak Room is their best yet.

On a snowy night in a small Canadian town, Paul (Peter Outerbridge) has just closed up his bar when a young man named Steve (Rj Mitte) walks in the door – carrying a lot of baggage.

*full disclosure: online access to the Fantasia Film Festival was provided by the fine staff from the event. Director: Cody Calahan. Writer: Peter Genoway. Cast: Coal Campbell, Nicholas Campbell, Amos Crawley, Avery Esteves, David Ferry, Ari Millen, Rj Mitte, Peter Outerbridge and Martin Roach. The Oak Room is a co-production between Black Fawn Films and Citizen Skull Productions. Together, these two companies have assembled a great team of filmmakers, including: director Cody Calahan (Antisocial) and Peter Genoway. The Oak Room's screenplay was developed by Genoway, who also created the original play, from 2013. This film recently had an appearance at Cannes, before having its public World Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival. This title is very layered and the story develops much like a Russian doll, in which there are smaller dolls or stories within each larger doll. Two stories converge thanks to one character. And, this is a small film with a decent payoff.

Screened as a selection of the virtual 2020 Fantasia Film Festival. Many stories begin with, "a man walks into a bar." They are often light jokes, but some involve bone-chilling circumstances and plot twists that we would never expect to follow. The latter transpires in The Oak Room, a suspenseful thriller from Canadian filmmaker Cody Calahan (Let Her Out) and written by Peter Genoway (Masks). The creators set the story during a frosty storm in a small, dim-lit bar. What captures our attention right away is the filmmakers' ability to generate anxiety around a variety of storylines and surprise us with sudden twists and turns in the film. Calahan also highlights the tremendous value and significance of well-crafted, enigmatic storytelling. A drifter named Steve (Rj Mitte) arrives at the bar in his Canadian hometown, in the middle of a raging blizzard. But he doesn't seem too welcome by its owner, Paul...

Usually, the genre-heavy Fantasia International Film Festival is held annually in Montreal, but with things the way they are this year (terrible), the festival has gone virtual. This year, Chris Evangelista and Matt Donato are covering Fantasia for /Film, firing off dispatches featuring capsule reviews of the titles we’ve watched from the safety of our […]

The post Fantasia Film Festival Dispatches: ‘The Oak Room’, ’12 Hour Shift’, ‘Climate of the Hunter’, ‘Class Action Park’, ‘Dinner in America’ appeared first on /Film.

It starts with a bottle of beer hitting a bar before an off-screen fight gets that glass bouncing along to the impact of bodies we never see. And it finishes with a similar still life that may or may not be the exact same beverage—a question left in limbo considering bottles are hitting bars past closing time throughout the entirety of director Cody Calahan and screenwriter Peter Genoway’s film The Oak Room. There are a lot of these almost cyclical moments during its brisk, dialogue-heavy ninety-minutes: drifters coming down the steps to greet a bartender hoping to go home, blizzard snow climbing windows, and the desire to tell stories with calculated meaning whether or not the teller or the listener knows as much once the words begin.

Along with those purposeful truths, however, come purposeful distractions. Bloodied hands presume foul play. Unopened bags carry the potential for dual identities.

Grimmfest is going virtual this October and announced the first wave of titles not too long ago. Today they have announced the full lineup and it is quite the corker. Canadian gothic thriller The Oak Room is joining the festival. Bre Grant's 12 Hour Shift is also in the mix. The fest has managed to wrangle together a number of World Premieres as well: haunted house shocker, The Medium, and B. Harrison Smith’s The Special. Then there is Death Ranch, Charlie Steeds' tribute to Seventies grindhouse and blaxploitation cinema. Finally there is a dose of retro-80s nostalgia in They Reach. The complete press release follows, read further for information on shorts programs and special guests too. Grimmfest 2020 – Full Line...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

More than 20 features and four world premieres selected for genre film festival.

UK genre film festival Grimmfest has revealed the line-up for its 2020 edition, which will take place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scroll down for full line-up

The festival, which runs October 7 to 11, will open with the European premiere of US psychological thriller Alone, directed by John Hyams, in which a grieving widow is pursued through the wilderness by a relentless psychopath.

Grimmfest has also secured four world premieres for this year’s edition, which include US features The Special, from filmmaker B. Harrison Smith, and They Reach,...

The Fantasia International Film Festival will launch its 24th edition next month as an exciting virtual event composed of scheduled live screenings, program library, panels, and workshops, taking place from August 20th to September 2nd, 2020. The festival will be accessible across Canada, geo-locked to the country, and will maintain unique film admittance quantities in line with the cinema experience.

Fantasia is thrilled to reveal its second wave of programming and will return in early August with its third and final line-up announcement.

The Dark And The Wicked…Very Dark And Very Wicked!

Writer/director Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) takes rural terror up another notch in this incredibly scary shocker, previously slated to launch at the Tribeca Film Festival. On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. His family gathers to mourn, and soon a darkness grows, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense...

The second wave of titles for this year's virtual edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival were announced an hour ago. As expected there is a tonne of genre goodness coming to our screens at the end of August.   First we need to start with a bit of hometown pride. There are a number of Canadian titles having their world premieres during the festival. Bleed With Me from Amelia Moses, For The Sake of Vicious from Gabriel Carrer & Reese Eveneshen, The Oak Room from Cody Calahan and Slaxx from Elza Kephart. Kephart's film was presented during the Frontieres Coproduction Market in Montreal. It's always nice to see successful projects return to where it wall began.    The U.S. may be on figurative fire...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Canadian festival will run a virtual event from August 20 to September 2.

Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has revealed a second wave of titles – including eight world premieres - for this year’s virtual ediion which is taking place from August 20 to September 2.

The Montreal-based festival will offer live screenings, a programme library, panels and workshops which will be accessible across Canada and geo-locked to prevent access from elsewhere.

World premieres now set for Fantasia include The Block Island Sound, the latest horror outing from Kevin and Matthew McManus; The Oak Room, a fourth feature from Canadian filmmaker Cody Calahan; and Minor Premise,...

On a cold Winter’s night, Steve returns to his remote Canadian hometown, after spending three years away, drifting. He arrives at Paul’s bar at the end of the night and offers to settle an old debt with the rightly cranky bartender by telling him a story. Steve`s story begets another story which begets another story and soon all these dark tales will be woven together by deceit and violence. Described as a Northern Gothic tale, The Oak Room punctuates scenes of highwire tension and menace with dark humour and violence. The screenplay comes from Toronto playwright Peter Genoway who adapted his own award winning stage play for the screen. Like in his play, based on a true story, the setting is a bar, and...

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