We all know the world of Hollywood can be cut throat, but that is literally the case in ERIC TROOP and JIM LANE’s new horror film Deadly Famous.
Daniel O’Meara (John Carter) plays Alan Miller, a struggling actor who is slowing losing his grip on sanity after constantly getting rejected throughout his acting career. Things take a sinister turn when amateur actress Pamela (Jackie Moore) moves in as his roommate.
You get a sense of what you are getting into right from the outset of this film, we are instantly introduced to Alan’s unhinged world and the violence that accompanies it. I was initially worried when I saw that a lot of the scenes were filmed using handheld cameras in the style of found footage but was quickly put at ease by the reason for this. The character Alan is so absorbed by the film/acting world he insists on filming absolutely everything, the filming slowly becomes increasingly erratic as he becomes more and more disturbed. This acted as a frightening trigger and gave a viewer a slight warning when things were about to get crazy.
Another surprise was that this film was presented in a mockumentary type style with various people who had come into contact with Alan narrating and giving statements as the film progressed. This was a great decision because some of the Hollywood casting characters were hilarious and very believable.
I had a few issues along the way with some of the sound levels on the lesser characters or when characters were further away in shot, however this could have been a microphone issue or just my version of the film. The pacing of Deadly Famous was pressure cooker-like, you could really feel it was all building up to a big finale. This worked well for the most part but I felt there were sometimes one too many filler scenes of Alan spewing rhetoric and other ramblings to the camera, these were effective at first but only stood in the way of the bloody finale as the run time mounted up.
The effects were cleverly and sparingly used in death scenes, blood wasn’t thrown about for the sake of it so when you saw a flash of scarlet the impact was immediately doubled. the film made use of several ‘off camera’ moments which due to just out shot motions and grisly sound effects made for some toe curling moments. Towards to end of the film we are briefly taken down the ‘snuff’ route as the killer holds the camera and abuses his victims POV style, this felt slightly out of sync with the rest of the film but did provide some darker sequences.
Overall Deadly Famous was a very solid indie horror flick that utilised a number of styles and effects to its benefit. certain aspects of the middle section may feel slightly bogged down but once the final blood soaked 10 minutes are over you realise it was worth the wait proving the world of Hollywood can indeed be murder!
The Boogeyman | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios
The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.
Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher, David Distmalchian
Plot Summary:
The Boogeyman is an upcoming American supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage from a screenplay by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods and Mark Heyman, based on the 1973 short story of the same name by Stephen King.
Horror has been one of the most profitable genres in recent years due to its low cost to produce scary pics while constantly drawing in audiences. Pair that theory with a fresh star like one from HBO’s House of the Dragon and you might have a hit on your hands. That’s exactly what director Nicolas Pesce (The Grudge, Eyes of My Mother) aims to do with his latest horror film as Deadline is reporting that Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, Ready Player One) will lead Visitation.
Visitation will follow a 14-year-old girl named Maria who is sent away to live with nuns while her mother is dying of an illness, however, her stay at the monastery quickly takes an eerie turn as one of her caretakers starts to be enamored with her for all the wrong reasons. Cooke is set to play a nun who is central to the story, but further character details are under wraps for now. Cooke will be joined in the film by other cast members Isla Johnston, Alfie Allen, Penelope Wilton and Stephen Rea.
Cooke is best known for her role as Alicent Hightower in the new hit HBO fantasy/drama House of the Dragon. She has also appeared in supporting roles for indies such as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Sound of Metal as well as supporting roles in blockbusters such as Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One. Cooke will next appear in the thriller, Mother’s Milk alongside Hilary Swank and Jack Reynor. Alfie Allen is also no stranger to the Game of Thrones universe as he starred as Theon Greyjoy in the HBO series. He most recently appeared in the MGM+ show SAS Rogue Heroes. While Johnston played the younger version of Beth Harmon in Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit and Rea most recently appeared alongside Emily Blunt in the Amazon series, The English but is best known for his Oscar-nominated role in 1992’s The Crying Game.