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SXSW Review: Hounds Of Love

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Hounds

I actually needed a few hours in order to collect my thoughts here at SXSW this year. I screened a film called Hounds Of Love and it stayed with me long after it had ended. It actually bled into all other screenings I had that day. It is poetically disturbing and a high mark in the genre world.

The film centers around John and Evelyn (Steven Curry and Emma Booth), a couple who pray on folks in their small town. They use the perceived safety of a couple into luring people into their car and then eventually back to their house where they sexually and mentally torture the unlucky person. When they abduct young Vikki (Asheleigh Cummings) their relationship begins to crack as their dynamic begins to shift.

Almost the entire film takes place within the walls of one house. The time spent in the home gives you a grounded layout and creates an atmosphere pregnant claustrophobia. The film is shot with wide lenses in tight spaces that create a subliminal need to get the hell out of the house. Beautifully shot high frame rate sequences of the suburbs show the minutia of everyday life in mesmerizing detail to contrast the prison that is created in John and Evelyn’s home.

Hounds Of Love speaks on hyperbolic levels of the most toxic and abusive relationships and how easy it is to be enabled by someone in the wrong relationship.  Both Evelyn and John have created a world with each other that justifies their sickness, by turning it into sexual deviance and a way to unhealthy way to connect and express their love. Their behavior mimics addicts or those that co-exist with physical abuse between them. The more abusive John becomes the more Evelyn is willing to take him back and the further she is removed from herself.

The cast is insanely good. Stephen Curry creates a bad guy that is one of the most despicable and easily hated bad dudes in recent history. His character’s abusive nature and manipulative ways are shown in terrifying detail. Emma Booth, who I was unfamiliar with prior to this, is someone that everyone needs to keep their eye on. Her ability to zig zag between psychotic assistant to John’s deviance and then to snap back to display a mother’s intuition is staggering. The role requires a lot and her character becomes the center of the narrative because of it. Ashleigh Cumming’s character is the glue that ties the whole narrative together, which with a film this heavy can’t be an easy thing to do. The character she starts off as changes in stages throughout. A happy teenage girl, is forced to endure and share Evelyn and John’s darkness and little by little, she becomes despondent, but finds her character’s strength through that despondence. If I had awards to hand out, these guys would all get one.

Director, Ben Young achieves a film that has echoes of Wes Craven’s early work. The level of suspense and tension he builds, comes with a heavy emotional resonance. Young, uses slow motion in a way I rarely see, he actually uses to propel and at times freeze you in the tension. The shocking last ten minutes of the film, is one sustained note that fills you with a sense of dread for one of the characters. In most films, you can tell early on how things are going to go, who is going to survive and so forth, but this dude never allows you to settle and relax. He is one of those rare filmmakers that creates danger on film with the absence of a safety net.

Hounds Of Love actually shook me. It unraveled me and took me for a terrifying journey, where I was intensely invested in the characters. I can’t even remember the last times I left a theater with my hands shaking or a film that raised my pulse but this one managed to do both and I love it all the more for doing that to me.

 

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Hugh Jackman & Jodie Comer Team Up for a New Dark Robin Hood Adaptation

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A report from Deadline details director Michal Sarnoski’s (A Quiet Place: Day One) newest project, The Death of Robin Hood. The film is set to feature Hugh Jackman (Logan) and Jodie Comer (The End We Start From).

Michael Sarnoski will write and direct the new Robin Hood adaptation. Jackman will be reunited with Aaron Ryder (The Prestige), who is producing the film. The Death of Robin Hood is expected to be a hot item at the upcoming Cannes film market.

Hugh Jackman, The Death of Robin Hood
Hugh Jackman

Deadline describes the films as the following. “The film is a darker reimagining of the classic Robin Hood tale. Set of its time, the film will see the title character grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, a battleworn loner who finds himself gravely injured and in the hands of a mysterious woman, who offers him a chance at salvation.”

Lyrical Media will be financing the film. Alexander Black will produce the film alongside Ryder and Andrew Sweet. Black gave Deadline the following information about the project. “We are thrilled to be part of this very special project and to be working with a visionary director in Michael, a phenomenal cast in Hugh and Jodie, and producing with our frequent collaborators, Ryder and Swett at RPC.”

“This is not the story of Robin Hood we’ve all come to know,” Ryder and Swett stated to Deadline “Instead, Michael has crafted something far more grounded and visceral. Thanks to Alexander Black and our friends at Lyrical along with Rama and Michael, the world is going to love seeing Hugh and Jodie together in this epic.”

Jodie Comer

Sarnoski seems to be excited by the project as well. He offered Deadline the following information about the film.

“It has been an incredible opportunity to reinvent and freshly innovate the story we all know of Robin Hood. Securing the perfect cast to transform the script to screen was essential. I could not be more thrilled and trusting in Hugh and Jodie to bring this story to life in a powerful and meaningful way.”

We are still a long way away from seeing this Robin Hood tale. Production is expected to begin in February of 2025. However, it does sound like it will be a fun entry into the Robin Hood canon.

That’s all the information we have at this time.

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Mike Flanagan In Talks to Direct New Exorcist Movie for Blumhouse

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Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) is a national treasure that must be protected at all costs. Not only has he created some of the best horror series to ever exist, but he also managed to make a Ouija Board movie genuinely terrifying.

A report from Deadline yesterday indicates that we may be seeing even more from this legendary storysmith. According to Deadline sources, Flanagan is in talks with Blumhouse and Universal Pictures to direct the next Exorcist film. However, Universal Pictures and Blumhouse have declined to comment on this collaboration at this time.

Mike Flanagan
Mike Flanagan

This change comes after The Exorcist: Believer failed to meet Blumhouse’s expectations. Initially, David Gordon Green (Halloween)was hired to create three Exorcist films for the production company, but he has left the project to focus on his production of The Nutcrackers.

If the deal goes through, Flanagan will take over the franchise. Looking at his track record, this could be the right move for the Exorcist franchise. Flanagan consistently delivers amazing horror media that leave audiences clamoring for more.

It would also be perfect timing for Flanagan, as he just wrapped up filming the Stephen King adaptation, The Life of Chuck. This isn’t the first time he has worked on a King product. Flanagan also adapted Doctor Strange and Gerald’s Game.

He has also created some amazing Netflix originals. These include The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Midnight Club, and most recently, The Fall of the House of Usher.

If Flanagan does take over, I think the Exorcist franchise will be in good hands.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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A24 Creating New Action Thriller “Onslaught” From ‘The Guest’ & ‘You’re Next’ Duo

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It’s always nice to see a reunion in the world of horror. Following a competitive bidding war, A24 has secured the rights to the new action thriller film Onslaught. Adam Wingard (Godzilla vs. Kong) will be directing the film. He will be joined by his longtime creative partner Simon Barret (You’re Next) as the scriptwriter.

For those unaware, Wingard and Barret made a name for themselves while working together on films such as You’re Next and The Guest. The two creatives are card carrying horror royalty. The pair have worked on films such as V/H/S, Blair Witch, The ABC’s of Death, and A Horrible Way to Die.

An exclusive article of out Deadline gives us the limited information we have on the topic. Although we don’t have much to go on, Deadline does offer the following information.

A24

“Plot details are being kept under wraps but the film is in the vein of Wingard and Barrett’s cult classics like The Guest and You’re Next. Lyrical Media and A24 will co-finance. A24 will handle worldwide releasing. Principal photography will begin in Fall 2024.”

A24 will be producing the film alongside Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company, Alexander Black for Lyrical Media, Wingard and Jeremy Platt for Breakaway Civilization, and Simon Barret.

That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.

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