The Fantastic Pavilion presents a weekly recap with the most relevant news about the world of genre cinema, plus our latest exclusives.
News
Steven Soderbergh’s ghost story Presence (2024) was presented last January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it eventually was acquired by Neon. Now the company is starting to publicize the January 17 theatrical release in the U.S., with a poster and a teaser trailer. The official synopsis says that in Presence “a family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.” It was written by David Koepp and stars Lucy Lui, Chris Sullivan, and Julia Fox.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jennifer Kent’s already influential psychological horror feature The Babadook (2014), IFC Films and Iconic Events are re-releasing it in U.S. theaters, from September 19. The re-release will feature a Q&A with the Australian director. You can watch here the new trailer.
Ti West’s most popular work so far, the X trilogy (X, Pearl, MaXXXine), is a throwback to different eras, so it makes sense that now author Tim Waggoner has adapted the films into old-school novelizations. As reported by Bloody Disgusting, the X novelization will be published on September 24, followed by the books based on Pearl (November 19) and MaXXXine (early 2025).
The Canadian filmmaking trio known as RKSS (Anouk Whissell, François Simard and Yoann-Karl Whissell) returned last year with a couple of movies: Wake Up (2023) and We Are Zombies (2023). The latter, a zom-com in which the living dead have become part of society, is heading to horror streamer Screambox on August 13. You can check out here its official trailer.
Another sci-fi thriller that deals with artificial intelligence is around the corner. Subservience (2024) stars Megan Fox as an android with sophisticated AI that is bought by a family man to help out around the house. But as the subgenre dictates, things will get out of hand sooner rather than later. Judging from its trailer, Subservience is going to have an erotic thriller vibe. XYZ Films is releasing it on Digital and On Demand on September 13.
Fantastic Pavilion’s exclusives
The Hong Kong action drama Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024) is opening in theaters this Friday, August 9 (via Well Go USA). You can read our interview with director Soi Cheang, conducted by Eric Ortiz (Fantastic Pavilion’s editor-in-chief) at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Festivals
FrightFest has added one film to their 2024 programme: Bagman (2024), the latest from The Girl with All the Gifts (2016) director Colm McCarthy. Bagman is about a family that must face the titular mythical creature.
Additionally, FrightFest revealed the list of expected guests, which includes Chris Stuckmann (director of Shelby Oaks), Elric Kane (director of The Dead Thing and co-host of the Pure Cinema Podcast), Neil Marshall (who contributed to the documentary Generation Terror), and Ghost Game (2024) director Jill Gevargizian. FrightFest 2024 will be celebrated from August 22 to 26 in London.
Home video
Two recent slashers are getting the special edition Blu-ray treatment in time for Halloween. A new Steelbook featuring Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving (2023) on both 4K UHD and Blu-ray arrives on October 15. And exactly a week later, on October 22, Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature (2024) will be available on Blu-ray (two-disc set).
Vinegar Syndrome continues to put out some of the most exciting special edition Blu-rays for genre cinema aficionados. Their latest announcement unveiled the details regarding the restorations of both Devil Times Five (1974) and Hell’s Trap (Trampa infernal, 1989).
The killer kids flick Devil Times Five was restored from its 35mm negative and is now available on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. The Mexican slasher Hell’s Trap, which features a Vietnam veteran turned horror villain, was restored from 35mm archival film elements and is making its Blu-ray debut.