"Long Pigs" at the Mayfair - and we've got goodies!

Long Pig (n): Culinary term for the Human corpse. 


Friday Aug. 6th, The Mayfair Theatre presents the Ottawa Premiere of Long Pigs and Ottawa Horror and Director Chris Power are offering YOU our readers a chance to see it and walk away with some cool swag!

Long Pigs is a "mocumentary" following two filmakers who find the ultimate subject for their documentary - a cannibal serial Killer! The film has won numerous awards at film festivals, and been the subject of some heated debate amongst critics. (Check out Lance and Feedback going at it at Rue Morgue Radio on May 21st).

The Ottawa Premiere sees the cast and crew coming down to join in the fun, and director Chris Power has  given Ottawa Horror a very cool prize pack of a signed DVD, signed poster and a package of Anthony's "Organic" jerky to give away. In addition, Ottawa Horror will pay for you and a guest to see the film.

How do you enter? A good question!

Here's how it works. From now till Midnight Aug. 1st, email sonsey@ottawahorror.com with the subject line "Long Pigs Contest" and the answer to the following question:

"Name one of the directors of the movie The Long Pigs"

On Monday Aug. 2nd, we'll do a random draw from the correct answers and the winner will be announced. The prize will be awarded at the Premiere.

I've got to say, this looks like a very cool film! Let's all come out and help support Canadian Horror and Canadian Filmmakers. The show starts at 11:55PM.

30 Days Of Night: Dark Days - Trailer

I loved the first "30 Days of Night", and although straight to DVD/Blu Ray, this one looks pretty good too! Unfortunately it's directed by Ben Ketai, who also wrote and directed 30 Days of Night: Dust To Dust, and Blood Trails (screenplay only)... two lower grade sequels to the first film.

It has been a year since the isolated Alaskan town of Barrow's population was decimated by vampires during its annual month long sunset. Riddled with grief over the death of her husband Eben, bound by nightmares and void of all emotions beyond hate and sorrow, Stella Oleson has spent the past months traveling the world, trying to convince others that vampires exist. Met with skepticism and laughter, she is ready to throw in the towel when a group of lost souls offers an incredible opportunity: the chance to exact revenge upon Lilith, the vampire queen responsible for the assault on her sleepy Alaskan town. With nothing remaining to live for, and nothing left to fear, Stella joins their mission and ventures into the uncharted underbelly of Los Angeles where she pushes herself to the most extreme limits to stop the evil from striking again.

30 Days of Night: Dark Days is due to hit store shelves October 5th, 2010!

Saw 3D - Comic Con Teaser

For all of you Saw fans, the killings return this Halloween season, on October 22nd in its 7th and final installment... and its in 3D!

[Rec] 2 - Review

***WARNING***
This review contains a major spoiler that assumes you’ve already seen the first film. If you haven’t seen [rec], please do so before reading this review.

I had a chance to check out the Spanish film (sequel) [Rec]2 this past weekend and i have to say, I was impressed. Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza take their story to the next level, almost comparable to what Aliens was to Alien on a much smaller scale.

'[Rec] 2' picks up 15 minutes from where we left off in the first one, taking us back into the quarantined apartment building where a terrifying virus has run rampant, turning the occupants into mindlessly violent, raging beasts. A heavily armed SWAT team and a mysterious government official are sent in to assess and attempt to neutralize the situation. What they find inside lies beyond the scope of medical science--a demonic nightmare of biblical proportions more terrifying than they could have possibly imagined. Above all it must be contained, before it escapes to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting world outside. - moviefone.com

First, you'll notice that the camera work in [Rec]2 is a little less frenetic than it's prequel, making it a little more digestible. Yes, the [rec] series is shot first person docu-style (Blair Witch, Cloverfield), but don't let this turn you off from this otherwise brilliant slice of horror cinema. Within the first 10 minutes, the film dives right into the action with solid pacing, and building tension. But unlike the original, the exposition comes quickly, and the "what?" is taken out of the equation. Don’t worry though, there are still some surprises... for fans of the original. So, if you haven’t figured it out already, [Rec]2 (and [rec]) is not a zombie film... it's not even a viral infection film (ala 28 days later), no, it’s all about demonic possession, but told within the framework of a “zombie” film. A demon that posseses and spreads its seed through the same means as a virus or zombie outbreak... the saliva or blood. This is what sets this film apart from the masses. It's a new spin on the "infection" story that actually allows some pretty cool elements that would otherwise be meaningless.

Performances are solid throughout, although most of the characters have a very limited life span. Unfortunately this is one of the film’s shortcomings. Unlike the first where we’re given time to bond with the characters, focusing heavily on Angela Vidal(Manuela Velasco), [Rec]2 doesn’t really waste any time with niceties. This could be reflective of it’s very short runtime. Clocking in at just 85 minutes, [Rec]2 holds a solid pace, but sacrifices character development… giving the viewer very little to hold onto in the end.

Although fun, [Rec]2 lacks some of the surprise and creepiness that made the first one so frightening. The gore however, has been ramped up, and in the end, it’s a solid entry to the series. With 2 more films in the works... tentatively titled [rec] Genesis and [rec] Apocalypse, scheduled for 2011 and 2012 respectively, there's a lot to look forward to in this franchise. If you haven't seen the original, definitely catch that first, as this is a direct sequel to it... and after the sequel, you can kind of see where it’s going.

[Rec] 2 gets a 3.5 out of 5

OV3RK!LL - Pitch Trailer

I grabbed this little pitch trailer from Shock Till You Drop. From director Mike Mendez (The Gravedancers - first year Horrorfest, actually one of the better entries) comes this brilliantly violent vision which looks like a cross between Running Man and Battle Royale. Nothing incredibly intelligent here, it just looks insane! Mendez hopes to begin production later this year. We may even see this for Horrorfest 5, but more likely straight to DVD/Blu Ray sometime in 2011.

The Shrine Premieres at Fantasia.

The folks at Brookstreet Pictures, who brought us "Jack Brooks Monster Slayer", now bring us "The Shrine". The synopsis is as follows:

After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland. They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel the secrets behind this mysterious village, they are suddenly pursued by hostile locals. Unable to escape, they soon become the next victims of ritualistic human sacrifice. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists soon discover that this village hides a much darker secret than they could ever imagine.


The cast includes Aaron Ashmore, Cindy Samson, Meghan Heffern, and of course, Trevor Matthews. It's premiering July 25th at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, so if you get a chance, do go support local film and go see it.


Thanks to writer Brendan Moore for the tip...

The Loved Ones - Trailer

This horrific tale has not yet found a US distributor, but its getttin some great press... and looks hilariously twisted. The Loved Ones is an Australian film that started its festival run last year.... hopefully we'll see it over here soon.

Teenager Brent is given over to depression and fits of self-mutilation after being behind the wheel for a car accident that killed his own father. That the accident was not at all Brent’s fault—he swerved to avoid a bloodied and beaten man who stumbled into the path of his car—does not seem to matter. His home, now reduced to just Brent and his mother, is a dry and muted place filled with nothing but guilt and quiet despair. The only bright point in Brent’s life at all is Holly, his beautiful and vibrant girlfriend, the only soul with any chance at pulling Brent out of his self-imposed exile and, of course, his date for the year-end dance. And there’s the problem. You see, Brent has also caught the eye of Lola, the awkward school loner. And while Lola may fade in to the background at school, let’s just say Lola is used to getting what she wants and more than willing to employ any means necessary to get it. And if Brent won’t come willingly, well, there are other ways. There always have been…

George Romero proves that it’s actually darker after the dawn in this, the third in the cornerstone horror classic “of the Dead” series. This time around we find the last remnants of humanity, scientists and military officers, gone underground (as in actually under the ground in a bunker). As the humans become ever more ghoulish, the zombies around them become more human.

A zombifyingly rare 35 mm print!

Day of the Dead - 11PM - Friday July 2nd at the Mayfair Theatre

Paranormal Activity 2 - Trailer

I thought the original was pretty creepy and actually kinda cool for what it was. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what to make of this one. Like the Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity is one of those films that should be left alone... The first, like TBWP, took everyone by surprise and was a total success, but does it have enough substance to carry a sequel. Will it circle the drain like The Blair Witch sequel, or will it become the next big halloween franchise like Saw... We'll see this October!

Let Me In - Official Trailer

After her successful role in Kick Ass, Chloe Moritz returns to the big screen in Matt Reeves' adaptation of the Swedish film Let The Right One In. Personally, I like the trailer, but US remakes don't fair well when compared to their source material. With a pretty good director and a great cast... we'll see this October!

More Movies at the Mayfair!

Greetings Fans and Friends!

Well it's been awhile, but this month has some excellent Movie Nights at the Mayfair. So were having not one but TWO count 'em TWO Ottawa Horror Movie Nights!

First up is "Lifeforce" - Toby Hooper's "naked female vampires from space" movie! It's on Saturday July 11th at 11:30 PM! Come and join us, and wish me a slightly late Happy Birthday!



Second is "Cropsey" on Fri. Jan 23rd at 9:00pm. This looks very cool... it's about some folks who go looking for a local urban legend and find out some scary truths. It's presented as a "documentary", but I'm not certain if it's a "Blair Witch/Paranormal Activity" sort of doc, or it's actually real. Either way, it looks pretty cool!