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Adam Robitel’s Horror/Thriller ‘Escape Room’ Opens This Week

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Escape Room, written by Bragi Schut (Season of the Witch) and Maria Melnik (American Gods) and directed by Adam Robitel (The Taking of Deborah Logan), hits theaters this Friday, January 4, 2018, and marks the beginning of a whole new year of big screen thrills and chills for horror audiences.

It’s a particularly tricky spot for any film, and one that Robitel has only previously navigated under the umbrella of a larger franchise with last year’s Insidious: The Last Key which raked in an estimated $167 million worldwide with an impressive $30 million in its opening weekend.

Robitel is a gifted filmmaker, however, who possesses the ability to tell an intense, genuinely scary story that compels audiences to stand up and pay attention. He proved that in 2014 when The Taking of Deborah Logan, a film he directed and co-wrote with Gavin Heffernan, became the indie film that everyone was talking about.

It was, after all, those experiences that paved the road to Escape Room.

“Escape Room represents the first time I’ve been able to help develop a script and really mold it, as well as develop a film’s visual aesthetic from scratch on a studio level,” Robitel told iHorror. “Our biggest focus was digging in to character and really making them the biggest puzzles/mystery of the film. I did a lot of research on local Escape Rooms and saw how visual and art-directed the good ones are. I got really excited about how the space can transform as the players interact with the puzzles and this was super exciting when thinking about ways to make the film visual and visceral.”

In the new film, six strangers find themselves chosen to compete in “the most immersive” escape room ever created with a $10,000 cash prize upon completion. Unfortunately they realize far too late that the traps in this environment are designed to kill and their only way out is to work together.

“My team and I saw every room as a visual reset and a movie within a movie and that influenced everything from the design and lighting to the way the camera behaved. We also strove to really make the rooms extensions of the characters, sort of like stepping inside their subconscious minds,” the director further explained. “The Minos Organization has this creepy omniscience and the rooms were meant to trigger each player’s past trauma.”

Because of these factors, many moviegoers have compared the film to earlier franchises like Saw and Cube, but Robitel is quick to point out that while he’s happy to be in that company, that’s not how Escape Room plays at all.

“We’ve always envisioned Escape Room more in the vein of an unrelenting Hitchcockian Roller Coaster ride with perhaps a dash of Cabin in the Woods and Final Destination,” Robitel pointed out. “The rooms and spaces themselves are the final character and often the gore and kills are secondary to the unbelievable suspense we worked really hard to create.”

“Each room is like a Rube Goldberg device of death, but the are triggered and transformed, hopefully in startling ways,” he continued. “We set out to make a movie that is action-packed but also with characters that have deeply mysterious and painful pasts– the idea is that by going through the death gauntlet they might perhaps grow stronger on the other side. I’m very proud of this film and what we were able to accomplish and look forward to sharing it with the world!”

Escape Room, which was filmed last year in South Africa, has an impressive and diverse cast with Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil), Taylor Russell (Netflix’s Lost in Space), Logan Miller (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), Nik Dodani (The Good Neighbor), and Jay Ellis (Shortwave).

The film’s trailer alone has garnered over 8 million views since its release, and we’re betting that Robitel will have another hit on his hands this Friday.

Escape Room opens what promises to be a banner year for horror enthusiasts.

Not only are we expecting a slew of Stephen King adaptions including Doctor Sleep, Pet Sematary, and IT: Chapter Two and Jordan Peele’s highly-anticipated Us, but we’ll also (finally) be treated to Marvel’s superhero/horror crossover The New Mutants.

This is a year that promises something for every horror taste!

You can check out the trailer below and get ready for Escape Room January 4, 2019!

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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