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Movie Review: Alléluia, The New Film From Calvaire Director Fabrice Du Welz

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Alléluia, which comes from Fabrice Du Welz (Calvaire), tells the story of a troubled woman who meets a mysterious man who immediately sweeps her off her feet. She quickly finds out he was only conning her out of money, but she doesn’t care and joins forces with him to help him play similar games with other women. Things get progressively complex and dark along the way.

Here’s the official description from Doppelganger Releasing:

Michel, a murderous womanizer, meets introverted Gloria online and treats her to a whirlwind one-night-stand. Offering herself as an accomplice in his seductive crimes, the unhinged lovers embark on a deadly odyssey amplified by wild sex, unbridled jealousy, and passionate forays into the dark arts. This smart and gory shocker breathes new life into the lovesick horror genre to serve up a chilling tale of white-hot desperation and terrifying devotion.

It’s also apparently a take on “Lonely Hearts Killers,” which inspired the 1969 film The Honeymoon Killers.

I’m going to go ahead and call this one of the best of the year so far. The direction and cinematography are superb, as are the score and the acting from everyone on screen. The entire cast is just fantastic. That goes double for our main characters Gloria and Michel, played by Lola Dueñas and Laurent Lucas (who reminds me a bit of the great John Saxon in this role) respectively. Everybody in the movie looks and feels real, which is a rare feat in American cinema (this one is Belgian-French by the way), and something I appreciate more and more as time goes on.

It’s been a decade since I’ve seen Calvaire, and I haven’t seen any of Du Welz’s other work, but based on this one, I would have to say that he’s grown tremendously as a filmmaker from that film to this one.

It takes its time without being boring and keeps the viewer curious about which way the story is going to go. Granted, I was not familiar with the lonely hearts killers or The Honeymoon Killers going in.

Something about the actual ending didn’t quite feel wholly satisfying, but as with It Follows, there is enough good about the film that this is easy to see past. It’s subjective anyway. Either way, the conclusion of Alléluia is still interesting in its presentation.

It’s certainly not a scare-a-minute film, and you won’t find anything remotely resembling a jump scare. There are, however, some genuinely creepy moments. These come largely from how the film employs the aforementioned cinematography as well as some interesting editing choices.

Watching this film, I’m reminded of something like last year’s Proxy – not so much in plot or even style – just in that watching it makes you really appreciate the art of filmmaking and the components of it that transcend story and dialogue (though Alléluia plays just fine in those departments as well). The film feels timeless, and I get the feeling that this will give it longevity. It’s very artful without feeling too pretentious or sacrificing watchability.

Consider Alléluia one of the year’s must-sees. It will be available in select theaters and on VOD July 17th.

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Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

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The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

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lizzie borden house

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

Inside the Lizzie Borden House

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

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28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

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