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Vestron Video Summons Warlock Collection to Blu-Ray!

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There are certain horror franchises that everybody knows, and which would obviously need no introduction for anyone reading this website. I’m talking about your Halloweens, your Friday the 13ths, etc.

However, hardcore horror devotees are also aware of a selection of second-tier franchises. These center on villains or concepts just popular enough to earn them a cult following, but not enough to elevate them to A-list status.

This second category includes franchises such as Critters, Tremors, Leprechaun, and Wishmaster. Recently, the last of those series was brought to Blu-Ray for the first time by Lionsgate’s revived sub-label Vestron Video, in a handsome box set of all four Djinn-focused films.

Wishmaster Collection Blu-Ray Cover

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

In a fitting follow-up to the their Wishmaster set, Vestron has now announced plans to bring the Warlock complete series collection to Blu-Ray for the first time. All three films will receive shiny new digitally remastered transfers.

Hitting shelves on July 25th, Vestron’s Warlock set comes housed on only 2 discs, but packs a real punch content wise. Disc 1 houses the original 1989 Warlock film, which introduced Julian Sands as the titular character, a smoothly sadistic, mega powerful…warlock (duh) with a mission to bring about the apocalypse.

Julian Sands in Warlock (1989)

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

Disc 2 first plays host to underrated 1993 sequel Warlock: The Armageddon, which brings Sands’ character back, and tasks him with unleashing Satan himself upon the Earth. As one does when one is an evil bastard.

Disc 2 also contains 1999’s Warlock III: The End of Innocence, which recasts Sands with Passenger 57 villain Bruce Payne. Payne actually isn’t all that bad in the role, but he’s sadly just not even close to as charismatic or charming as Sands was.

Bruce Payne in Warlock III (1999)

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

The Warlock series has some pretty impressive genre cred behind it, with the original film directed by Friday the 13th Part II and Halloween H20 helmer Steve Miner, and written by Pitch Black’s David Twohy.

Meanwhile, The Armageddon was directed by Anthony Hickox, maker of Waxwork and Hellraiser III. Finally, Warlock III features an all too rare lead performance from always gorgeous Hellraiser star Ashley Laurence,

Warlock Collection Blu-Ray Cover

Photo Credit: Lionsgate

Presented below is the full list of extras for Vestron’s Warlock Collection. In the meantime, remember this: Satan also has one son, and honestly, he’s kind of a dick.

DISC ONE: WARLOCK

  • NEW Audio Commentary with Director Steve Miner
  • NEW Isolated Score Selections/Audio Interview with Author Jeff Bond
  • NEW Interviews
    • “Satan’s Son” with Actor Julian Sands
    • “The Devil’s Work” with Director Steve Miner
    • “Effects of Evil” with Make-up Effects Creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz
  • Behind-the-Scenes Footage
  • Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew
  • Vintage Featurette with Make-Up Effects Creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz
  • Vintage Featurette with Visual Effects Supervisors Patrick Read Johnson and Robert Habros, Animation Supervisor Mauro Maressa, and Matte Artist Robert Scifo
    • Theatrical Trailer
    • Video Trailer
    • TV Spots
    • Still Gallery

DISC TWO: WARLOCK THE ARMAGEDDON

  • NEW Audio Commentary with Director Anthony Hickox
  • Vintage Making-of Featurette Behind-the-Scenes Footage
  • Extended Vintage Interview Segments with Actor Julian Sands, Director Anthony Hickox, and Actress Paula Marshall
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spots
  • Still Gallery

DISC TWO: WARLOCK III THE END OF INNOCENCE

  • Behind-the-Scenes Footage
  • Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew
  • Trailer
  • Video Sales Promo
  • Still Gallery
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The Pope’s Exorcist Officially Announces New Sequel

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The Pope’s Exorcist is one of those films that’s just fun to watch. It isn’t the most terrifying film around, but there’s something about Russel Crow (Gladiator) playing a wise cracking Catholic priest that just feels right.

Screen Gems seems to agree with this assessment, as they have just officially announced that The Pope’s Exorcist sequel is in the works. It makes sense that Screen Gems would want to keep this franchise going, considering the first film scared up almost $80 million with a budget of only $18 million.

The Pope's Exorcist
The Pope’s Exorcist

According to Crow, there may even be a The Pope’s Exorcist trilogy in the works. However, recent changes with the studio may have put the third film on hold. In a sit-down with The Six O’Clock Show, Crow gave the following statement about the project.

“Well that’s in discussion at the moment. The producers originally got the kick off from the studio not just for one sequel but for two. But there’s been a change of studio heads at the moment, so that’s going around in a few circles. But very definitely, man. We set that character up that you could take him out and put him into a lot of different circumstances.”

Crow has also stated that film’s source material involves twelve separate books. This would allow the studio to take the story in all kinds of directions. With that much source material, The Pope’s Exorcist could even rival The Conjuring Universe.

Only the future will tell what becomes of The Pope’s Exorcist. But as always, more horror is always a good thing.

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New ‘Faces of Death’ Remake Will Be Rated R For “Strong Bloody Violence and Gore”

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In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the Faces of Death reboot has been given an R rating from the MPA. Why has the film been given this rating? For strong bloody violence, gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use, of course.

What else would you expect from a Faces of Death reboot? It would honestly be alarming if the film received anything less than an R rating.

Faces of death
Faces of Death

For those unaware, the original Faces of Death film released in 1978 and promised viewers video evidence of real deaths. Of course, this was just a marketing gimmick. Promoting a real snuff film would be a terrible idea.

But the gimmick worked, and franchise lived on in infamy. The Faces of Death reboot is hoping to gain the same amount of viral sensation as its predecessor. Isa Mazzei (Cam) and Daniel Goldhaber (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will spearhead this new addition.

The hope is that this reboot will do well enough to recreate the infamous franchise for a new audience. While we don’t know much about the film at this point, but a joint statement from Mazzei and Goldhaber gives us the following info on the plot.

“Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online.”

“The new plot revolves around a female moderator of a YouTube-like website, whose job is to weed out offensive and violent content and who herself is recovering from a serious trauma, that stumbles across a group that is recreating the murders from the original film. But in the story primed for the digital age and age of online misinformation, the question faced is are the murders real or fake?”

The reboot will have some bloody shoes to fill. But from the looks of it, this iconic franchise is in good hands. Unfortunately, the film does not have a release date at this time.

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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Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’

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People will look for answers and belonging in the darkest places and the darkest people. The Osiris Collective is a commune predicated upon ancient Egyptian theology and was run by the mysterious Father Osiris. The group boasted dozens of members, each forgoing their old lives for one held in the Egyptian themed land owned by Osiris in Northern California. But the good times take a turn for the worst when in 2018, an upstart member of the collective named Anubis (Chad Westbrook Hinds) reports Osiris disappearing while mountain climbing and declaring himself the new leader. A schism ensued with many members leaving the cult under Anubis’ unhinged leadership. A documentary is being made by a young man named Keith (John Laird) whose fixation with The Osiris Collective stems from his girlfriend Maddy leaving him for the group several years ago. When Keith gets invited to document the commune by Anubis himself, he decides to investigate, only to get wrapped up in horrors he couldn’t even imagine…

The Ceremony Is About To Begin is the latest genre twisting horror film from Red Snow‘s Sean Nichols Lynch. This time tackling cultist horror along with a mockumentary style and the Egyptian mythology theme for the cherry on top. I was a big fan of Red Snow‘s subversiveness of the vampire romance sub-genre and was excited to see what this take would bring. While the movie has some interesting ideas and a decent tension between the meek Keith and the erratic Anubis, it just doesn’t exactly thread everything together in a succinct fashion.

The story begins with a true crime documentary style interviewing former members of The Osiris Collective and sets-up what led the cult to where it is now. This aspect of the storyline, especially Keith’s own personal interest in the cult, made it an interesting plotline. But aside from some clips later on, it doesn’t play as much a factor. The focus is largely on the dynamic between Anubis and Keith, which is toxic to put it lightly. Interestingly, Chad Westbrook Hinds and John Lairds are both credited as writers on The Ceremony Is About To Begin and definitely feel like they’re putting their all into these characters. Anubis is the very definition of a cult leader. Charismatic, philosophical, whimsical, and threateningly dangerous at the drop of a hat.

Yet strangely, the commune is deserted of all cult members. Creating a ghost town that only amps up the danger as Keith documents Anubis’ alleged utopia. A lot of the back and forth between them drags at times as they struggle for control and Anubis keeps continuing to convince Keith to stick around despite the threatening situation. This does lead to a pretty fun and bloody finale that fully leans into mummy horror.

Overall, despite meandering and having a bit of a slow pace, The ceremony Is About To Begin is a fairly entertaining cult, found footage, and mummy horror hybrid. If you want mummies, it delivers on mummies!

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