News

Netflix is set to premiere Álex de la Iglesia’s latest thriller, ‘1992,’ on December 13th. This marks the streaming giant’s first miniseries collaboration with the acclaimed director, known for his darkly comedic and often unsettling films like ‘The Day of the Beast.’ Co-created with screenwriter Jorge Guerricaechevarría (‘Cell 211’), the series is a twisted tale […]

Álex de la Iglesia’s ‘1992’ to Hit Netflix, Bringing Expo-Era Murders to Streaming...

New horror movies are headed to Shudder next month, including horror anthology Satanic Hispanics and tense Australian horror movie You’ll Never Find Me. And that doesn’t even touch on the repertory additions, including rare ’90s gem Ghostwatch.

Look for Satanic Hispanics to arrive on Shudder on March 8. The horror movie assembles five tales of terror from Mike Mendez (Big Ass Spider), Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Culture Shock), Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project), and Demian Rugna (When Evil Lurks, Terrified) unite in the first all-Latino horror anthology.

An isolated man living at the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking shelter from a violent storm in You’ll Never Find Me. As the savage storm worsens, these solitary souls begin to feel threatened – but who should really be afraid? Find out on March 22.

Shudder Original Special The Last...

The 12 Days of Creepmas continues on Bloody Disgusting, with the tenth day getting into the anti-festive spirit for all the holiday grinches out there. This is for those that approach December with a “bah humbug” attitude and prefer any iconography or holiday theming to be kept to a minimum when it comes to horror. Most of these ten horror titles are technically set on or around Christmas, but can’t muster up enough cheer to really embrace the holiday spirit. Many of which don’t even bother with Christmas at all, beyond a quick scene or mention.

If you’re already sick of Santa Claus, and all things holiday related, here are ten holiday horror movies – technically – that would rather just cut straight to the horror.

Keep track of the 12 Days of Creepmas here.

The Brain

Dr. Anthony Blakely (Re-Animator’s David Gale) uses his TV show and a giant...

The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

Alongside exclusives like Secret Santa and Night of the Missing and such classics as Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night 2, here are five Christmas horror recommendations you can stream on Screambox right now.

Christmas Evil

Not to be confused with the innumerable Santa slashers, Christmas Evil (also known as You Better Watch Out) is tonally more in line with Taxi Driver than Silent Night, Deadly Night. Writer-director Lewis Jackson clearly had no interest in making a body count flick; instead, he explores the psyche of a mentally unstable man who happens to dress up as Santa and kill people. The low-budget grit adds to the dark atmosphere.

The 1980 film chronicles one man’s...

The second season of the HBO Original Series “30 Coins” is underway, plunging some of its central characters into the bowels of one ultra-cool depiction of Hell that could only come from the mind of acclaimed horror filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, Witching & Bitching, The Last Circus).

The eight-episode season of the acclaimed horror series kicked off on Max on October 23, 2023, and new episodes arrive every Monday.

Directed and co-written by Álex de la Iglesia, along with co-writer Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Max’s “30 Coins” takes viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted. Now, two episodes in, the characters are scattered and scrambling to pick up the pieces from last season. Worse, some of them are desperate to escape Hell itself.

Bloody Disgusting spoke with de la Iglesia about Season 2, particularly its depiction of Hell, and discovered...

Things are getting downright apocalyptic in the second season of HBO Original Series “30 Coins.” Bloody Disgusting has been provided with an exclusive clip from the upcoming episode “Hellish Creatures,” teasing an unholy alliance between Father Vergara (Eduard Fernández), his sworn enemy, and Lucifer (Cosimo Fusco).

Directed and co-written by acclaimed horror master Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, Witching & Bitching, The Last Circus), Max‘s “30 Coins” takes viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted. De la Iglesia co-writes the series with Jorge Guerricaechevarria.

The second season of “30 Coins” follows the inhabitants of the remote Spanish town of Pedraza as they contend with recent inexplicable, demonic events tied to the biblical pieces of silver. For some, like Father Vergara, that means a trip to Hell.

In this week’s episode three, “Hellish Creatures,” Father Vergara reluctantly reunites with a former foe,...

The second season of HBO Original Series “30 Coins” will arrive just in time for Halloween, and the official trailer for the new season is here to drag you straight into bloody Hell.

Paul Giamatti joins the cast for “30 Coins” Season 2. Watch the trailer below.

The eight-episode season of the acclaimed horror series, produced by HBO Europe in Spain, will air on HBO and will be available to stream on Max on October 23, 2023.

Directed and co-written by acclaimed horror master Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, Witching & Bitching, The Last Circus), Max‘s “30 Coins” takes viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted. De la Iglesia co-writes the series with Jorge Guerricaechevarria.

The eight-episode first season follows Father Vergara (Eduard Fernández), an exorcist, boxer, and ex-convict who is exiled by the church as the priest of a remote town in Spain.

The horror genre is absolutely bursting at the seams with brand new releases this week, with several at-home premieres that we didn’t expect until they suddenly fell into our laps.

So let’s just dive right in, shall we?

Here’s all the new horror releasing September 12 – September 17, 2023!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

A24’s low budget horror hit Talk to Me scared up $67 million at the box office, making the film one of A24’s top horror hits to date. And the film just hit at-home Digital yesterday.

You can purchase the film on Digital outlets now for $19.99.

Up next, Talk to Me hits 4K + Blu-ray + Digital on October 3, 2023.

The brutal terror of Talk to Me unfolds when “a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand; they become hooked on the new thrill until one of...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video recently joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia on the feature film series “The Fear Collection.” The collection includes Álex de la Iglesia‘s Veneciafrenia, Jaume Balagueró’s Venus, and Paco Plaza’s La Abuela, and the entire collection just surprise-released on VOD today!

You can Digitally buy or rent the three-film “Fear Collection” on VOD outlets including Vudu, where you’ll find the films either bundled together in one set or available individually.

Here’s everything you need to know about “The Fear Collection”…

Veneciafrenia

Directed by: Álex de la Iglesia

In Veneciafrenia, “In nature there is an indissoluble link between beauty and death. The human being, indebted to his environment, imitates what he observes. Like mosquitoes drawn to the brightest lighthouse, tourists are turning off the light in the most beautiful city on the planet. The agony of the past...

The second season of HBO Original Series “30 Coins” will arrive just in time for Halloween this year, and the brand new trailer and poster unveiled today invites you to join the second season in Hell.

The eight-episode season of the acclaimed horror series, produced by HBO Europe in Spain, will air on HBO and will be available to stream on Max this October.

Directed and co-written by acclaimed horror master Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, Witching & Bitching, The Last Circus), HBO Max‘s “30 Coins” takes viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted. De la Iglesia co-writes the series with Jorge Guerricaechevarria.

Check out the new trailer below to get a peek at new demons, bug-like creatures, and characters, including Paul Giamatti’s Christian Barbrow.

The eight-episode first season follows Father Vergara (Eduard Fernández), an exorcist,...

The first official American release of the classic Spanish dystopian scifi movie Acción Mutante is now restored in 4k with new special features. Continue reading for all the details!

Before The Day Of The Beast, Perdita Durango and the HBO series 30 Coins, writer/director Álex de la Iglesia made his smash debut with this "delightfully tasteless" (A Wasted Life) and "ridiculously aggressive" (Reel Rundown) "crazy genius sci-fi classic you've probably never seen" (A Taste of Cinema).

Synopsis:

In a dystopian future ruled by the wealthy and attractive, a deformed and disabled terrorist organization known as 'Mutant Action' will kidnap an heiress, flee to a desolate...

The second season of HBO Max’s “30 Coins” will arrive this year, and, judging by the brand new Spanish trailer unveiled by HBO Max today, it’s bringing Hell with it.

The trailer comes with the announcement that “30 Coins” season two will arrive in October, and the series creator confirmed via Twitter that it’s Fall debut includes the US.

Directed and co-written by acclaimed horror master Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, Witching & Bitching, The Last Circus), HBO Max‘s “30 Coins” takes viewers into a world where nothing is as it seems, and nobody can be trusted. De la Iglesia co-writes the series with Jorge Guerricaechevarria.

Check out the new trailer below to get a peek at new demons and characters, including Paul Giamatti’s Christian Barbrow.

Christian is described as “an American business and technology billionaire, science fiction writer, science guru,...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video recently joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia on the feature film series “The Fear Collection.” It kicked off with Álex de la Iglesia‘s Veneciafrenia, and next up is Venus, hailing from Jaume Balagueró ([Rec], [Rec 2], Sleep Tight).

The second film in the anthology film series is described as a supernatural horror story that’s set in an urban survival environment with elements of modern witchery.

Venus is inspired by Hp Lovecraft’s “Dreams in the Witch House” and stars Ester Expósito, Ángela Cremonte, Magüi Mira, Fernando Valdivieso and Federico Aguado.

We’ve learned today that Venus has been rated “R” for…

“Strong bloody violence, language, and some drug use.”

You can watch the international trailer below.

Meagan wrote in her TIFF review for Bd, “Venus makes for a slick and breezy action-horror movie far more memorable for its gruesome high-octane thrills than its cosmic chills.

He’s become one of Spain’s most successful auteur directors of big audience hits. Now director-writer-producer Alex de la Iglesia and producing partner, the actor-producer Carolina Bang (“The Last Circus”), have turned to wayward soccer players for their latest TV outing, HBO Max show “Headless Chickens.”

The starting point for this upcoming Spanish series is curiosity, Bang explained at an afternoon Q&a session at the Berlinale Series Market on Tuesday scheduled in the Next from Spain strand.

“Alex and I don’t like soccer very much but we have a lot of curiosity about the industry,” said Bang. “You have a lot of young people that became very rich very quickly. It destroys your head.”

Indeed, a teaser for “Headless Chickens” featured a beautiful footballer parading in a big, white fluffy coat through a nightclub with women falling at his feat. The swagger was amusing.

“It’s a...

In 1995, Alex de la Iglesia directed his second feature, “The Day of the Beast,” which marked a milestone in Spanish cinema, yoking full-on U.S. genre tropes – a bloody against-the-clock search for an Antichrist – with a bathetic but very grounded Spanish reality, featuring a downbeat boarding house, a local metalhead and the tawdry star of an occult-themed trash TV show.

The film opened the floodgates for other directors, weened on VHS binging, to mix U.S. and Spanish realities. Now nearly 30 years later, De la Iglesia is at it again. A showreel of movies and series made by Pokeepsie Films, the shingle he founded with Carolina Bang in 2009, dazzled at a Next from Spain showcase panel on Monday at Berlinale Series Market. Standouts included the sheer visual boldness of excerpts, their pop out tones, – such as in Eduardo Casanova’s lush pink in “La Pietá” – or mixture of gore, high-production values and comedy,...

Producer Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast) enlisted horror director Jaume Balagueró (Rec, Sleep Tight) to helm the newest entry in his feature film series “The Fear Collection.” Balagueró teamed with Verónica scribe Fernando Navarro to co-write Venus, a blood-drenched and modern update to H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dreams in the Witch House.” A violent crime thriller gets applied to the Lovecraftian tale, presenting a compelling distraction for the cosmic horror to invade quietly.

Club dancer Lucía (Ester Expósito) abandons her platform mid-shift during peak hours to sneak into the back offices and swipe designer drugs from her corrupt employers. She gets caught by one of the enforcers and barely escapes with her life and the loot. Lucía, knowing the crime boss and his henchmen won’t rest until their stash is retrieved, retreats to the one place they won’t know to find her; with her...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video recently joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia on the feature film series “The Fear Collection”.

It kicked off with Álex de la Iglesia‘s Veneciafrenia, released in Spain last November.

Next up is Venus, hailing from horror veteran Jaume Balagueró, the co-director of Rec and Rec 2, not to mention the filmmaker behind Sleep Tight and The Darkness.

The second film in the anthology film series is described as a supernatural horror story that’s set in an urban survival environment with elements of modern witchery.

With the film set to World Premiere in the Midnight Madness program of the Toronto International Film Festival, Bloody Disgusting has the official poster for the film the fest describes as “cosmic horror within the concrete corridors of a cursed apartment complex on the outskirts of Madrid.”

Venus is inspired by Hp Lovecraft’s “Dreams in...

Alex de la Iglesia’s latest production, feature “Four’s a Crowd,” is being brought onto the Cannes Film Market by Filmax, which has acquired international sales rights.

Described by Filmax as a “wild romantic comedy,” “Four’s a Crowd” turns on Julian, a 50-year-old divorced man who starts to use an app to share his car with strangers and most especially Lorena, a young woman with whom Julian would like to share much more.

He’s about to open up to Lorena when he’s lumbered unexpectedly with a fourth passenger, possibly the most annoying person on the planet, who sparks a radical change in the course of events.

“Four’s a Crowd” is “a very personal reflection on human joy and misery, where nothing is as it seems,” Filmax said in a statement.

Written with De La Iglesia’s career-long co-scribe Jorge Guerricaechevarría, “Four’s a Crowd” is produced by Pokeepsie Films,...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video recently joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia on the feature film series “The Fear Collection”. It kicked off with Álex de la Iglesia‘s Veneciafrenia, released in Spain last November. Next up is Venus, which hails from horror veteran Jaume […]

The post Jaume Balagueró’s Lovecraftian ‘Venus’ Will Be the Second Film in the “Fear Collection” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Banijay Iberia has struck a strategic partnership with Alex de la Iglesia which will see the high-profile Spanish writer-director and his partner at Pokeespsie Films, actor-producer Carolina Bang, create high-end original series and fiction for Banijay.

Pokeepsie Films credits include HBO Max hit “30 Coins,” co-written and directed by De La Iglesia. It is believed that the deal involves Banijay Iberia taking an equity investment in Pokeepsie.

No details of new projects are given. The deal, however, certainly sees Banijay Iberia, best known for its entertainment shows in Spain, reinforce still further its fiction output potential.

Owned by Banijay Iberia, Diagonal TV recent produced Netflix hit “Heirs to the Land,” while Banijay Iberia is also backing “Bosé,” one of ViacomCBS International Studios’ biggest biopics, about singer-songwriter Miguel Bosé.

De la Iglesia is one of Spain’s biggest broad audience auteurs whose second feature, 1995’s “The Day of the Beast,” proved...

Álex de la Iglesia is back with brand new movie Veneciafrenia, part of the feature film series “The Fear Collection,“ and the final official trailer has arrived this afternoon. Watch the Veneciafrenia trailer below and read on for more info. Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia (The Day of the Beast, The […]

The post ‘Veneciafrenia’ Trailer – Álex de la Iglesia’s New Movie Brings Real Fear to the Streets of Venice appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Álex de la Iglesia is one of the biggest names in Spanish horror even if he hasn't achieved mainstream success in the U.S. His film "The Day of the Beast" is a phenomenal horror comedy, and his recent TV series "30 Coins" is one of the best religious horror stories ever, with a distinct style and bonkers story. This is to say, I'm already an easy target for a new de la Iglesia joint, but the trailer for "Venciafrenia" is even better than I could have imagined.

The trailer sort of looks like a Mediterranean take on "The Purge," a bloody event of...

The post Veneciafrenia Trailer: Alex de la Iglesia Turns Carnival of Venice Into The Purge appeared first on /Film.

"30 Coins," the Spanish mystery-horror television series from Álex de la Iglesia for HBO Europe, has been renewed for a second season — and will debut on HBO in the US as well as stream on HBO Max worldwide. The show is due to begin principal photography later this month, and the second season will involve shooting in Spain, Italy, the US, France, and the UK. HBO is planning a 2023 release for the eight-episode second season. HBO released a teaser for the upcoming season today and star Eduard...

The post 30 Coins Season 2 Teaser: The Horror Series Returns to HBO in 2023 appeared first on /Film.

HBO Max has revealed that principal photography has begun on a second season of its cult Spanish horror series “30 Coins,” from genre maestro Alex de la Iglesia, following an eight-episode commission. Shooting for the globetrotting series will take place in Spain, Italy, the U.S., France and the U.K., with the second season scheduled to launch in 2023.

HBO has also released a grim teaser to mark the occasion, which includes a brief look at Eduard Fernández’s Padre Vergara, looking worse for ware after the events of Season 1.

A hit in its native Spain, the series also found success abroad as its became available on the WarnerMedia-owned streaming platform in more territories. Rumors of a second season have been around since last September, when de la Iglesia and Pokeepsie Films, his production company, tweeted photos of the director in the quaint city square where the action in “30 Coins” kicked off,...

’Tis the season to stream, dear readers! Now that we’re in the thick of the holiday season, I thought this would be the perfect time to round up all the holiday horror movies out there that are currently streaming and give you the rundown on just where you can watch a bunch of festive frights, as well as a handful of films that may not necessarily be horror, but would still be of interest to genre fans all the same.

As usual, I’ve included a variety of free and paid streaming platforms, including Shudder, HBO Max, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Paramount Plus, and Sling TV. So if you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit this season, check out our list below that includes movies that are both naughty and nice.

Happy Holidays!

The Fun-damentals Of Fright-filled Festivities

A Christmas Carol (1938) (Streaming on...

On this episode of Daily Dead's official podcast, Corpse Club co-hosts Tamika Jones, Scott Drebit, Bryan Christopher, Derek Anderson, and Jonathan James discuss some of their favorite recent horror experiences, including the gothic gameplay of Resident Evil Village, the timely scares of Brian Duffield's Spontaneous (based on the novel of the same name by Aaron Starmer), and unforgettable viewings of Álex de la Iglesia's El Día de la Bestia (aka The Day of the Beast) and Perdita Durango (aka Dance with the Devil).

You can listen to the new episode of Corpse Club right now on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube, Pandora, and SoundCloud.

Looking for more scary good Corpse Club content? Be sure to check out our Corpse Club website and memberships. Not only can you view past episodes, but you can also sign up to be an official Corpse Club member to enjoy a wide range of rewards,...

As we wrap up the month of March, we have one final round of horror and sci-fi home media releases on tap before we start looking towards April and beyond, and I hope you have your wallets ready, because this week’s slate of titles is a budget killer, no doubt. Arrow Video is celebrating the 40th anniversary of An American Werewolf in London this year with a brand new limited edition Steelbook, and Warner Archives is showing some love to a few older titles this Tuesday as well: Isle of the Dead and The Bermuda Depths.

Vinegar Syndrome is keeping busy with a handful of new releases this week, too, including The Fear, Nightmare Weekend, Graduation Day, and Hitcher in the Dark. Severin Films is also celebrating a pair of films from Álex de la Iglesia with their Special Edition Blus for The Day of the Beast and Perdita Durango,...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Alex de la Iglesia is back on set with “El cuarto pasajero,” Laurine Garaude departs Reed Midem, Chinese video app Kuaishou stuns investors in Hong Kong, Tencent finalizes its Universal Music Group share increase, Mopar Studios hire Jessica Pope as creative director and Pluto TV launches six new networks in Latin America.

Shooting

Spanish genre master Álex de la Iglesia, hot off the heels of his hit HBO horror series “30 Coins,” is back on set to shoot road movie rom-com “El cuarto pasajero” (The Fourth Passenger), a Pokeepsie Films and Telecinco Cinema co-production. The companies will be looking to repeat the joint success they found with the filmmaker’s 2017 Spanish-language remake of “Perfect Strangers,” a top 10 all-time domestic box office hit that pulled a worldwide gross of $33 million in 2017-18.

“El cuarto pasajero” also sees de la Iglesia joined once again by regular co-writer...

Álex de la Iglesia’s spot on the Mount Rushmore of Spanish genre filmmakers was cemented long ago thanks to cult classics such as “The Day of the Beast” and “Common Wealth,” finding more recent success with local hits like “The Bar” and “Perfect Strangers.”

The filmmaker has now turned his attentions to TV with his new high-end horror series “30 Coins,” already a hit in Spain where it is has been wowing local critics and trending on social media for the three weeks since its release. Produced by de la Iglesia’s Pokeepsie Films for HBO, the series will cross the Atlantic and debut with a two-episode double-feature on HBO’s linear network in the U.S. on Jan. 4, and be available to stream on HBO Max.

“’30 Coins’ presents a fantastic opportunity to highlight the great work being done within this company internationally. The uniquely captivating world created by...

“Beautiful Youth’s” Ingrid García-Jonsson and “Instinto’s” Silvia Alonso head the ensemble cast of “Veneciafrenia,” the first feature from The Fear Collection, a horror film anthology backed by Sony Pictures Intl. Prods. (Spip) and Alex de la Iglesia’s Pokeepsie Films, in association with Amazon Prime Video.

Announced in May, The Fear Collection saw De la Iglesia, one of Spain’s most bankable directors whose remake “Perfectos Desconocidos” earned $25.8 million in Spain in 2018, commit to direct or produce The Fear Collection’s titles via his Madrid-based Abel Pokeepsie.

“Veneciafrenia” went into production on Oct. 5, shooting in Venice and Madrid, with De la Iglesia both directing and producing. Its ensemble cast also features Goize Blanco (“El Futuro”), Nicolás Lloro, Alberto Bang (“Spanish Shame”), Cosimo Fusco (“Angels & Demons”), Enrico Lo Verso (“The Falcon and the Dove”), Armando di Razza (Cavan in De La Iglesia’s breakout “The Day of the Beast...

The Canadian virtual festival will include more than 100 features and 200 shorts.

Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival has announced a third and final wave of feature films, as well as details of its panels, talks, tributes and special events.

This year’s virtual edition of the Montreal-based festival, running from August 20 to September 2, will include more than 100 features and more than 200 shorts.

Among the latest titles added to the line-up are Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, getting its world premiere, Jorge Michel Grau’s Perdida, getting its international premiere, and Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’A, which will be the closing night film.

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which runs August 20-September 2 and is being held digitally this year due to the pandemic, has unveiled its final lineup.

The fest has also announced that revered genre filmmaker John Carpenter will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and will host an online masterclass as part of its virtual events.

New pics selected include Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’a, which closes the fest, the world premiere of Persepolis co-director Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, Johnnie To’s Chasing Dream, and Finn Wolfhard’s directorial debut short Night Shifts.

Further events will include talks with Mike Flanagan and Mick Garris, Simon Barrett, and Dennison Ramalho with José Mojica Marins aka Coffin Joe.

As reported previously, this year’s fest will open with Neil Marshall’s horror The Reckoning. The online screenings, which will run via Festival Scope and Shift72’s virtual screening platform,...

Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video have closed a multi-picture deal with celebrated Spanish cineaste Álex de la Iglesia to produce a new horror feature film anthology, “The Fear Collection.”

Put through Pokeepsie Films, De la Iglesia and Carolina Bang’s Madrid-based production company, the deal will see De la Iglesia direct and/or produce movies from The Fear Collection, which also take in suspense titles.

Produced in association with Amazon Prime Video, the films will be initially theatrically released by Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia. They will then be made available on Amazon Prime in Spain. Spip will control all distribution rights for each picture outside of Spain.

Though always made under De la iglesia’s creative influence, movies may be directed by other notable filmmakers. Sony announced Thursday that several projects are currently in development for “The Fear Collection,” with established writers and directors such as the...

High-end TV production is booming in Spain.

Leading Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia, whose credits include genre hits The Day Of The Beast, 800 Bullets, Witching And Bitching and The Last Circus, is making an original Spanish-language horror series for HBO Europe called 30 Coins.

De la Iglesia is co-writing the eight-part series with Jorge Guerricaechevarría, best known for Cell 211.

30 Coins is about a priest and exorcist exiled to a small town in the hope his criminal past will be forgotten. But when he is linked to a serious of paranormal events the importance of an ancient silver coin...

Madrid — Javier Fesser’s “Champions” won best picture at the 33rd Spanish Academy Goya Awards, having seemed to have been locked out of major awards.

“Champions” entered the ceremony as most probably the favorite in one of the most open fields in recent years, given the diversity of best picture contenders in artistic and industry terms.

But, produced by Morena Films, Películas Oendelton and Movistar +, “Champions” had already been selected by the Academy as Spain’s Oscar entry and had proven a blockbuster hit on home turf for Upi Spain, earning €18.5 million ($21.1 million). Selling near worldwide, the comedy turns on an off-the-rails Spanish coach sentenced to train a basketball team of special-needs players.

Before director Javier Fesser climbed onto the stage on Saturday night to take best picture, however, the film had won just two of 10 nominations, for breakthrough actor (Jesús Vidal) and song (Coque Malla’s “Este es...

Born a King

Agusti Villaronga’s ninth feature Born a King should be ready for 2019 in what stands as one of the Spanish filmmaker’s largest productions in some time. Produced by Stuart Sutherland of Celtic Entertainment, Andres Vincent Gomez of Lola Films and Marco Gomez and lensed by Josep M. Civit (of Villaronga’s Uncertain Glory and The King of Havana), the period piece stars Ed Skrein, Abdullah Khaleel (in his film debut), Hermione Corfield, James Fleet, Kenneth Cranham, Ruben Ochandiano and Laurence Fox.…...

Special Mention: Battle Royale

Written and directed by Kinji Fukasaku

Japan, 2000

The concept of The Hunger Games owes much to Koushun Takami’s cult novel Battle Royale, adapted for the cinema in 2000 by Kinji Fukasaku. The film is set in a dystopian alternate-universe, in Japan, with the nation utterly collapsed, leaving 15 percent unemployed and 800,000 students boycotting school. The government passes something called the Millennium Educational Reform Act, which apparently provides for a class of ninth-graders to be chosen each year and pitted against one another on a remote island for 3 days. Each student is given a bag with a randomly selected weapon and a few rations of food and water, and sent off to kill each other in a no-holds-barred fight to the death. With 48 contestants, only one will go home alive. Yes, this has been often cited as the original Hunger Games; whether or not Suzanne Collins borrowed heavily...

El día de la bestia (The Day of the Beast)

Directed by Álex de la Iglesia

Written by Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Álex de la Iglesia

Spain, 1995

Considered one of Spain’s hottest directors in the late 1990s, Alex de la Iglesia hasn’t slowed down one bit over time. He’s continuously directed genre-bending, imaginative films, laced with black humour and often sharp satire for over two decades. His tongue-in-cheek sci-fi thriller The Day of the Beast won no fewer than six of the Oscar equivalent, the Goyas. Best described as a comic precursor to End of Days, The Day of the Beast follows a Catholic priest and professor of theology (Alex Angulo) who tries to thwart the coming of Satan on Christmas Eve. In a rather slapdash manner, he befriends a metalhead record store clerk (Santiago Segura) and the host of a paranormal-themed TV talk show (Armando DeRazza) to help him on his quest.

Every year, we here at Sound On Sight celebrate the month of October with 31 Days of Horror; and every year, I update the list of my favourite horror films ever made. Last year, I released a list that included 150 picks. This year, I’ll be upgrading the list, making minor alterations, changing the rankings, adding new entries, and possibly removing a few titles. I’ve also decided to publish each post backwards this time for one reason: the new additions appear lower on my list, whereas my top 50 haven’t changed much, except for maybe in ranking. I am including documentaries, short films and mini series, only as special mentions – along with a few features that can qualify as horror, but barely do.

Come Back Tonight To See My List Of The 200 Best!

****

Special Mention:

Wait until Dark

Directed by Terence Young

Written by Robert Carrington

USA, 1967

Directed by Terence Young,...

El día de la bestia (The Day of the Beast)

Directed by Álex de la Iglesia

Written by Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Álex de la Iglesia

Spain, 1995

Considered one of Spain’s hottest directors in the late ’90s, Alex de la Iglesia hasn’t slowed down one bit over time. He’s continuously directed genre-bending, imaginative films, laced with black humour and often sharp satire for over two decades. His tongue-in-cheek 1995 sci-fi/thriller The Day of the Beast, won no fewer than six of its Oscar equivalent, the Goyas. Best described as a comic precursor to End of Days, The Day of the Beast follows a Catholic priest and professor of theology (Alex Angulo) who tries to thwart the coming of Satan on Christmas Eve. In a rather slapdash manner he befriends a metalhead record store clerk (Santiago Segura) and the host of a paranormal-themed TV talk show (Armando DeRazza) to help him on his quest.

The Berlin International Film Festival has just announced the first five films lined up for the Competition and five more for the Berlinale Special. The 62nd edition runs from February 9 through 19.

Update: The Berlinale's also announced that the members of the International Jury, presided over by Mike Leigh, will be Anton Corbijn, Asghar Farhadi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jake Gyllenhaal, François Ozon, Boualem Sansal and Barbara Sukowa.

Competition

Captive

France/Philippines/Germany/Great Britain

By Brillante Mendoza (Serbis, Kinatay, Lola)

With Isabelle Huppert, Katherine Mulville, Marc Zanetta

World premiere

From Ioncinema: "Based on a real-life event that occurred in 2001. It centers on Thérèse Bourgoin (Huppert), a French woman who works for a humanitarian organization on Palawan Island in the Philippines. While she is transporting equipment to Puerto Princesa, she is kidnapped by mistake with a colleague by Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf, who are fighting for Mindanao independence."

Dictado (Childish Games)

Spain

By Antonio Chavarrías (Susanna,...

Now that the fall “awards festival” circuit is finally at a close — but with Sundance looming in the distance — it’s easy to forget about Biff — the Berlin International Film Festival, that is. (See, I even have to give the name.) This might have something to do with their less-than-huge lineup; in terms of films playing in competition, last year’s biggest art house title was The Turin Horse, while the most mainstream was probably Margin Call. Nothing too slim, but not much compared to Cannes, Venice, or Tiff.

The first round of titles to play this coming February (via Twitch) do carry a few major titles, though. Among them are The Flowers of War (which we were quite ecstatic about), Guy Maddin‘s Keyhole, Extremely Loud…, Kevin Macdonald‘s Bob Marley documentary, and an expansion of Werner Herzog‘s Into the Abyss. A few other foreign titles carry potential,...