After a diving accident that almost cost her life, Olive finds an odd egg in her damaged oxygen tank. Sneaking it off of the boat after being fired, she brings it homes to study it and see what kind of beast might emerge from it in this Lovecraftian tale from the UK. The Creature Below is directed by Stewart Sparke who wrote the story Paul Butler based his script on. They create an interesting lead who loses her job and returns home to her boyfriend after 5 months at sea. Tensions are clear and expected between them and they get stronger as she works with the creature in her home office and as her sister visits.
Downhill (2016) [FrightFest 2016]
After his best friend’s death during a mountain bike race, Joe goes into hiding. After a while, his friend Pablo sets up a race for big money in South America, with Joe’s girlfriend Stephanie convinces him to go do the race and enjoy his trip. Once there, they go for a training ride. While on the mountain, they hear gunshots and find a man in need of help. Assisting him only leads them to be hunted by the local bad guys.
Beyond the Gates (2016) [FrightFest 2016]
Two estranged brothers, Gordon and John, come together after their father disappears to close up his old video store. After gaining access to his office, they find a VHS game called Beyond the Gates. Back at their family’s house, they decide to play the game with Gordon’s girlfriend Margot. As they play, they open a portal to a supernatural dimension or world. Director Jackson Stewart co-wrote the film with Stephen Scarlata, they create a film about a Jumanji-like horror VHS game.
Blood Hunters (2016) [FrightFest 2016]
After an overdose, a woman wakes up in what looks to be an abandoned hospital, pregnant. As she looks for help, she stumbles on a quarantined man, a woman, a nurse, and a priest; together they work to find a way out before roaming beasts kill them all. Written by Corey Brown and directed by Tricia Lee build their characters as flawed human beings who made mistakes, took bad decisions, and are living with regret. These characters are put in a crazy situation where they have to fight for their lives, make the right decisions, and help others which may help with their redemption.
Boris Godunov (2016)
Modest Mussorgsky’s opera receives a lavishly imaginative interpretation in this production from Bulgaria’s Sofia Opera and Ballet. Director/producer/stage designer Plamen Kartaloff brings the work to an open air setting in front of Sofia’s towering Aleksandr Nevskj Cathedral, and he fills his stage with an opulent parade of grandly costumed figures of the monarchial and religious hierarchies, offering a visual feast worthy of conductor Konstantin Chudovksi’s presentation of Mussorgsky’s towering music.
Enclosure (2016)
Fiona Dourif is one of the premiere actresses making waves in the horror genre, and she continues delivering powerhouse performances in one of the more creative and complex horror films director Patrick Rea has ever given fans. After her powerhouse performance in “Curse of Chucky,” Dourif stars in “Enclosure,” a film that’s teeming with tension, terror, and mystery and ends as a pretty original twist on the lost campers in the woods trope. I initially assumed “Enclosure” was another big foot or yeti horror tale, but director Patrick Rea strives for so much more, and delivers a film that’s so much more meaningful than a simple monster in the woods tale. “Enclosure” is very much a Patrick Rea film with his usual injection of tension, twists, and subtle humor, along with a premise that transforms in to a whole other beast mid-way.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Sixth Season [Blu-Ray/Digital]
This is it, this is the year we finally meet Negan, and it is a thing of beauty. Season Six is where the series “The Walking Dead” is taken to a whole other level, rebooting itself yet again. No longer is this a series about a bunch of survivors looking for a new home. They’ve found their home. Now they realize they have to fight tooth and nail to protect it. And they have to protect it from a trio of humongous menaces which include a massive horde of the walking dead that threaten to destroy the town Alexandria, a cult of terrorists known as “The Wolves” that raid Alexandria at its weakest, and of course, the Saviors, a group of raiders and nomads that want everything that Alexandria and Rick Grimes have worked for and accomplished. Season six promises us a glimpse in to a larger world, and lo and behold we get it. The series expands in to a much larger set piece and introduces many more characters, a lot of whom have been established fan favorites in the comics.