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‘Eight for Silver’ Director Sean Ellis Tells a Different Kind of Werewolf Story

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Eight for Silver

Eight for Silver, written and directed by Sean Ellis, makes its debut at Sundance Film Festival this evening., and genre fans are already clamoring to see this werewolf story with a twist.

From the film’s official synopsis:

In the late 1800s, a man arrives in a remote country village to investigate an attack by a wild animal but discovers a much deeper and sinister force that has the manor and its townspeople in its grip.

In advance of the film’s premiere, Ellis spoke with iHorror about how this particular story developed and the process of bringing his peculiar vision to life.

“It started with LD [Entertainment] approaching me after seeing Anthropoid saying, ‘We’d love to make a horror movie with you,. Would that interest you?'” he said. “”And I said, ‘Well, yeah.’ And they asked if I had any ideas. I started to speak about something that I had kind of been working on which was a sort of remote village set in the countryside in the late 1800s plagued by a wolf.”

Once he began working on the story in earnest, the wolf became a werewolf and Eight for Silver was on track to becoming a fully-fledged horror film.

Still, there were things Ellis did not want when it came to his film. He did not want the run-of-the-mill hairy monster running around on two legs and howling at the moon. He did not want to bring the same iteration of this particular creature that we have seen time and again.

“It was sort of one of those things that came to fruition by saying the things I don’t want first,” Ellis explained, “and then figuring out what I did want. Once that part of the narrative became clear it became very exciting at that point.”

That excitement translates to sheer terror when we learn just what form Ellis’s creature takes.  Luckily for him, he had an equally strong human cast to face the beast and their fate.

Eight for Silver stars Alistair Petrie (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone), Boyd Holbrook (The Predator), and Amelia Crouch (Extinction). It was one of those rare instances where a director is able to bring together his dream cast for a film with ease.

“Boyd actually came to me first,” the director pointed out. “His agent said he’d read the script and wanted to chat with me. I chatted with him and after speaking to him, we were like, let’s not look for anyone else. Alistair was next and I’d seen him in Star Wars and the TV show Sex Education. I’ve been a huge fan of Kelly’s for many, many years. I first saw her on stage and thought she was fantastic. She liked the script. She liked the character. She jumped in with both feet and gave a hell of a performance.”

The actors give believably raw performances in the film, building the story between the scares and drawing viewers into the film’s world with ease. Some of them, we care about deeply while others truly keep us rooting for their demise. Either way, that drama carries the film forward.

“The story has to work if you take the beast out, ultimately,” Ellis said. “Otherwise, all you’ve got is a bunch of people running around screaming. It was always about having complex situations about real life emotions: guilt and fear and jealousy and anger and loss. I think that creating the subplots for the characters to be rich and complex was fun. There is a real story here.”

Eight for Silver is set to premiere at Sundance Film Festival at 7 pm, Mountain Time this evening, and it will no doubt have audiences covering their eyes on the edge of their seats.

iHorror will keep you posted on all the latest Sundance news including reviews and interviews as they become available.

Featured image courtesy of LD Entertainment

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Unbelievably Cool ‘Scream’ Trailer But Re-Imagined As A 50s Horror Flick

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Ever wonder what your favorite horror movies would look like if they had been made in the 50s? Thanks to We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway and their use of modern technology now you can!

The YouTube channel reimagines modern movie trailers as mid-century pulp flicks using AI software.

What is really neat about these bite-sized offerings is that some of them, mostly the slashers go against what cinemas had to offer over 70 years ago. Horror movies back then involved atomic monsters, scary aliens, or some sort of physical science gone awry. This was the era of the B-movie where actresses would put their hands against their faces and let out over-dramatic screams reacting to their monstrous pursuer.

With the advent of new color systems such as DeLuxe and Technicolor, movies were vibrant and saturated in the 50s enhancing primary colors that electrified the action happening on screen, bringing a whole new dimension to films using a process called Panavision.

“Scream” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.

Arguably, Alfred Hitchcock upended the creature feature trope by making his monster a human in Psycho (1960). He used black and white film to create shadows and contrast which added suspense and drama to every setting. The final reveal in the basement would probably not have been if he had used color.

Jump to the 80s and beyond, actresses were less histrionic, and the only emphasized primary color was blood red.

What is also unique about these trailers is the narration. The We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway team has captured the monotone narration of 50s movie trailer voiceovers; those over-dramatic faux news anchor cadences that emphasized buzz words with a sense of urgency.

That mechanic died out long ago, but luckily, you can see what some of your favorite modern horror movies would look like when Eisenhower was in office, developing suburbs were replacing farmland and cars were made with steel and glass.

Here are some other noteworthy trailers brought to you by We Hate Popcorn But Eat It Anyway:

“Hellraiser” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.

“It” reimagined as a 50s horror movie.
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Ti West Teases Idea For Fourth Film In The ‘X’ Franchise

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This is something that will excite fans of the franchise. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ti West mentioned his idea for a fourth film in the franchise. He stated, “I do have one idea that plays into these movies that could maybe happen…” Check out more of what he said in the interview below.

First Look Image at MaXXXine (2024)

In the interview, Ti West stated, “I do have one idea that plays into these movies that could maybe happen. I don’t know if it’ll be next. It might be. We’ll see. I’ll say that, if there’s more to be done in this X franchise, it’s certainly not what people are expecting it to be.”

He then said, “It’s not just picking up again a few years later and whatever. It’s different in the way that Pearl was an unexpected departure. It’s another unexpected departure.”

First Look Image at MaXXXine (2024)

The first film in the franchise, X, was released in 2022 and was a huge success. The film made $15.1M on a $1M budget. It received great reviews earning a 95% Critic and 75% Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. The next film, Pearl, was also released in 2022 and is a prequel to the first film. It was also a big success making $10.1M on a $1M budget. It received great reviews earning a 93% Critic and 83% Audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

First Look Image at MaXXXine (2024)

MaXXXine, which is the 3rd installment in the franchise, is set to be released in theaters on July 5th of this year. It follows the story of adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx finally gets her big break. However, as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Los Angeles, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past. It is a direct sequel to X and stars Mia Goth, Kevin Bacon, Giancarlo Esposito, and more.

Official Movie Poster for MaXXXine (2024)

What he says in the interview should excite fans and leave you wondering what he may have up his sleeve for a fourth film. It seems like it may either be a spinoff or something entirely different. Are you excited for a possible 4th film in this franchise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, check out the official trailer for MaXXXine below.

Official Trailer for MaXXXine (2024)
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’47 Meters Down’ Getting Third Movie Called ‘The Wreck’

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Deadline is reporting that a new 47 Meters Down installment is heading into production, making the shark series a trilogy. 

“Series creator Johannes Roberts, and screenwriter Ernest Riera, who wrote the first two films, have co-written the third installment: 47 Meters Down: The Wreck.” Patrick Lussier (My Bloody Valentine) will direct.

The first two films were a moderate success, released in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The second film is titled 47 Meters Down: Uncaged

47 Meters Down

The plot for The Wreck is detailed by Deadline. They write that it involves a father and daughter trying to repair their relationship by spending time together scuba diving into a sunken ship, “But soon after their descent, their master diver has an accident leaving them alone and unprotected inside the labyrinth of the wreck. As tensions rise and oxygen dwindles, the pair must use their newfound bond to escape the wreck and the relentless barrage of bloodthirsty great white sharks.”

The filmmakers are hoping to present the pitch to the Cannes market with production starting in the fall. 

47 Meters Down: The Wreck is the perfect continuation of our shark-filled franchise,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “This film will once again have moviegoers terrified and on the edge of their seats.”

Johannes Roberts adds, “We can’t wait for audiences to be trapped underwater with us again. 47 Meters Down: The Wreck is going to be the biggest, most-intense film of this franchise.”

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