Tuesday, October 16, 2007

THE MOST UNUSUAL HORROR FILM OUT BY HALLOWEEN!

"Between Kafka, David Lynch and Tintin in the Congo"

BLACK NIGHT
(October 29, 2007) - Olivier Smolders, 2004, 90 Min


Oscar, a conservator at the Natural Sciences Museum, passes the days exercising his passion for studying insects; if only there still were days.

As long as people can remember, the sun only releases a few pathetic rays for fifteen seconds before noon. The rest of the time, the world is plunged into a night without end, a permanent eclipse.

Coming home after work, Oscar finds an African woman in his bed. Suffering from a mysterious and incurable disease, she seems to have come to his place to die. Trapped between desire and repulsion, Oscar gradually abandons his life to terrifying phantoms.

The long awaited feature length debut film of talented short filmmaker Olivier Smolders (see also Spiritual Exercises DVD). BLACK NIGHT is mysterious, ghostly, technically impeccable, and continuously bathed in a magical, surreal light.

52 Minutes of Bonus Features:
Deleted Scenes
Behind The Scenes
Interview with the Director
About Black Night
Short on “Spiritual Exercises’


SPIRITUAL EXERCISES: 10 FILMS BY OLIVIER SMOLDERS
(November 13, 2007) - Olivier Smolders, 1984-1999, 180 Min

Adoration (1987) b&w 15 min - an anonymous film
Mort A Vignole (1998) b&w 25min - a lonely film
L’Amateur (1997) b&w 26min - a pear-shaped film
La Philosophie Dans Le Boudoir (1991) b&w 14 min - after D.A.F. de Sade
Pensees et Visions D’une tete Coupee (1991) color 26 min - a film for Antoine Wiertz
Ravissements (1991) b&w 7 min - after Saint Therese of Avila
Point de Fuite (1988) color 10 min - an educational film
L’Art D’Aimer (1985) color 15 min - a drama film in color.
Neuvaine (1984) b&w 30 min - a film to entertain chairs
Seuls (1989) b&w 12 min - children’s portraits

Bonus Features:
48 Page Book

Court Circuit 6 Min.

Court Circuit 3 Min.

Nuit Noire Trailer

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Onar Films releases another Turkish Horror Classic!

As usual, Greek company Onar Films saves us from the boredom of Hollywood Hype Horror (The Reaping, anyone?) by releasing more turkish delights. And this time is 1995's Karanlik Sular (a.k.a. The Serpent's Tale, not to be confused with the Dark Waters remake, released in Turkey as Karanlik Su), a Temasa Film production directed by E. Kutlug Ataman.

Unique in many ways, and considered the best Turkish horror film by international reviewers, Karanlik Sular knows how to create an eerie and uncanny atmosphere where reason gives way to hallucination, poetry can turn into nightmare, and vice versa. In fact, it's a heady, twisting art-horror hybrid that takes as its theme nothing less than the meaning of life and death. Yes - it's like the Turkish version of the fabulous russian movie Viy!

The plot includes a woman whose son may be a vampire, an apocalyptic mystical scroll that belongs to a man who apparently died two years ago, an ancient Byzantine princess in the form of an 8-year-old vampire, ominous sects, a misty and metaphysical Istanbul... Well, it's better watched than talked about, but when watched it must be talked about!

Extras? Yes, sir. We have a long video interview with director Ataman, who discusses his influences both from Turkish history and European art cinema. He also claims not to care much for Turkish Fantastic Cinema, but does like Troma films! There's also still galleries, cast and crew bios and filmographies, and the usual bunch of Onar's highly amusing trailers.

Run, cause this turkish delight is limited to the usual 1.200 hand-numbered copies. And keep an eye peeled for their next releases, TARZAN ISTANBUL'DA and CASUS KIRAN.

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