SCARY MOVIE!
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H
alloween is arguably the highlight of the fall, and in addition to the haunted houses, corn mazes and pumpkin farms vying for your attention there are also a bunch of creepy, spooky and possibly terrifying new releases trying to draw you into darkened theaters. For a moment, let’ s forget about the more serious awards season hopefuls screening at various international film festivals and talk about some good, old-fashioned scary movies that are sure to put you in a Halloween frame of mind- or make you run screaming from the theater.
October 2
By Lori Vernon
Friend Request
College student Laura is a popular girl who enjoys sharing everything with her more than 800 friends on Facebook. One day after“ unfriending” a social outcast named Marina, Laura’ s life becomes cursed and her closest friends begin dying cruel deaths in this thriller. Stars Fear The Walking Dead’ s Alycia Debnam-Carey. Rated R.
Voodoo Rising
A group of friends camping in a remote backwoods area called the Black Hills find themselves caught in the middle of a deadly quarrel with a local family. The opening shot is of a bloodied girl running in a bikini, so you can take it from there … it’ s definitely a low-budget slasher flick. Rated R.
October 7
Phantasm: Ravager
Since 1979’ s original Phantasm, audiences have followed this small town group of friends through four films in their quest to stop the evil, dimension-hopping The Tall Man( Angus Scrimm in his final performance) and his armada of killer Sentinel Spheres. Now, Don Coscarelli’ s horror / sci-fi franchise comes to an epic conclusion with a multi-dimensional battle across multiple timelines, alien planets, and altered realities, with the fate of Earth hanging in the balance. Rated R.
The Greasy Strangler
This L. A.-set tale follows Ronnie, a man who runs a Disco Walking tour along with his browbeaten son, Brayden. When a sexy, alluring woman comes to take the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her attentions. It also signals the appearance of an oily, slimy inhuman maniac( dubbed the Greasy Strangler) who stalks the streets at night and strangles the innocent in this horror / comedy. Unrated at press time.
Under The Shadow
Shideh and her family live amid the chaos of the Iran-Iraq war( The War of the Cities) in the Mid- ' 80s. With Tehran under the constant threat of bombing, her husband is drafted and sent to the frontlines leaving Shideh alone with their young daughter, Dorsa. Soon after he leaves, a missile hits their building and though it doesn’ t explode, their neighbor dies under mysterious circumstances and Dorsa’ s behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Shideh finds herself slowly drawn into the ensuing turmoil, struggling with what is real and what is not. She learns from a superstitious neighbor that the cursed missile might have brought with it Djinn – malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits that travel on the wind. Convinced that a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess Dorsa, Shideh has no choice but to confront these forces to save her daughter and herself. Produced by British company Wigwam Films, the film is an international co-production between Qatar, Jordan, and the United Kingdom. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and will be the British entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards in February. Rated PG-13.
October 14
Jack Goes Home
After the death of his father in a horrific car accident, Jack, an L. A.-based magazine editor who’ s engaged and expecting his first child, returns to his hometown of Denver to care for his injured mother who survived the crash. During his stay, he uncovers longburied family secrets and lies regarding his parents, his friends and his very identity. Jack ' s journey to the truth is fueled by madness, sexuality, hauntings and violence. Stars Rory Culkin, Britt Robertson and Nikki Reed. Rated R.
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14 illinoisentertainer. com october 2016