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‘Pulse racing and deeply unnerving’

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★★★★

‘Tense and thought-provoking’

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‘A claustrophobic nightmare’

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Die Before You Die is out now in select cinemas and on demand 28th October 2024 from Bulldog Film Distribution.

A hot-headed influencer finds himself trapped six feet underground after an internet challenge, organised by a mysterious group, goes dramatically wrong. With the question of who his tormentors are becoming less and less relevant, Adi battles impending dehydration, suffocation, and his own inner demons as he wrestles to stay alive and free himself from his prison within the earth.

Equal parts claustrophobic thrill-ride and a moving story of personal transformation, Die Before You Die is a striking cinematic work with which takes unexpected and unconventional turns, directed by Dan Pringle (K-Shop) and starring Ziad Abaza, Mim Shaikh (What’s Love Got To Do With It), Priya Blackburn (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Harry Reid...

In his latest video review, Kevin sits down to talk about Brit Horror folk tale The Moor, which stars Sophia La Porta, David Edward-Robertson, Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips as well as the late British acting legend, Bernard Hill.

Claire was just a child when her best friend was abducted and murdered. Twenty-five years later, the killer has served his time and is due to be released. Claire is approached by Bill, the dead boy’s father, who has a plan to keep the killer behind bars. With the help of psychic Eleanor, he takes them deep into the haunted moor which he believes is his son’s final resting place. They find more than just the ghosts of dead children out there – something else, something dark and evil, stirs beneath their feet.

Chris Cronin’s feature-length directorial debut was widely praised following its World Premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest, screening in the prestigious ‘First Blood’ strand.

Although it looks like the Jon Snow sequel series starring Kit Harington is no longer moving forward, there are still a number of Game of Thrones spin-off shows in development, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

Production is now underway in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and HBO/Max has released a first official look at Peter Claffey as Ser Duncan the Tall, aka "Dunk." It seems we're going to have to wait a little longer for a glimpse of Dexter Sol Ansell as his young squire, the secret Targaryen prince Aegon, aka "Egg."

Several new cast members have also been announced, including Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) as Aerion Targaryen, Bertie Carvel (The Crown) as Baelor Targaryen, Tanzyn Crawford (Tiny Beautiful Things) as Tanselle, Daniel Ings (The Gentlemen) as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Sam Spruell (Fargo) as Maekar Targaryen.

Check out the image at the link below.

Disney is hoping to perk up the summer box office with eagerly-anticipated Pixar sequel Inside Out 2 at 684 sites, making it this weekend’s widest new release.

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust return for the follow-up, that once again dives into the emotional fabric of lead character Riley. This time, puberty has turned up, and it’s bringing with it Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, and Ennui, portrayed by Adèle Exarchopoulos. Returning voice cast members include Amy Poehler and Kyle MacLachlan. Kelsey Mann directs.

The first film, back in 2015, opened to £7.4m from 608 sites.

Re-releases out this weekend include...

Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £3.8 million ($4.9 million), according to numbers from Comscore.

In second place, in its fourth weekend, Paramount’s “If” collected £866,474 for a running total of £10.8 million. In third position, in its third weekend, Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” earned £729,503 for a total of £7.3 million.

In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Disney’s “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” added a further £620,911 for a total of £14.3 million. Rounding off the top five was Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa,” which collected £436,983 in its third weekend for a total of £5.5 million.

There were two more debuts in the Top 10. Warner Bros.’ “The Watched” bowed in sixth place with £387,339 and Signature Entertainment’s “The Dead Don’t Hurt” in eighth with £95,827.

There are a welter of releases the upcoming weekend, the widest of which is Disney’s animation sequel “Inside Out 2.

"Out there we are all lost." UK's Bulldog Film has revealed the trailer for a film titled The Moor, marking the feature directorial debut of genre filmmaker Chris Cronin (who we've featured before). This British folk horror film is based on true stories about murders in the countryside. Sophia La Porta stars as Claire, who is approached by the father of her murdered childhood friend to help investigate the haunted moor he believes is his son's final resting place. Cronin explains: "My aim with this story was to create an original horror film set in my home county of Yorkshire. Instead of delving into the fictional murders themselves, I focused on the aftermath and how something so terrible affects lives and relationships. What happens when so much grief and guilt are left unresolved?" The cast includes David Edward-Robertson, Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips, Mark Peachey, Vicki Hackett, and Bernard Hill (one of...

The Moor Photo: Chris Cronin

There isn’t usually much UK representation at Fantaspoa, which is fair enough, because it is six and a half thousand miles away. This year, however, Chris Cronin’s haunting tale of grief, guilt and desperation, The Moor, will be showing South Americans a side of England that they don’t usually see. It’s the story of Claire, a young woman who travels back to her hometown in the North years after a tragic event in which her friend was abducted, and reconnects with the boy’s father, Bill, who is still obsessively looking for him.

I’m familiar with the country where the film is shot, and congratulate Chris on how effectively he has captured the atmosphere of the place, an important factor in the film’s effectiveness.

The Moor Photo: Chris Cronin

“Oh, man,” he says. “You just rely on the natural weather of the North,...

Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell to star in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’ (Photos Provided by HBO)

HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has found its Dunk and Egg. Peter Claffey has signed on to star as Dunk and Dexter Sol Ansell is confirmed to star as Egg.

“A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Claffey), and his diminutive squire, Egg (Ansell),” reads HBO’s synopsis. “Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”

The much-anticipated drama is written by A Song of Fire and Ice author George R.R. Martin.

Toronto-based genre specialist Raven Banner has unveiled a packed sales slate ahead of the EFM in Berlin, led by Finnish revenge saga Rendel 2: Cycle Of Revenge.

Jesse Haaja’s sequel (pictured) to the 2017 cult hit Rendel: Dark Vengeance stars Kristofer Gummerus as the titular character who wages war against the Vala Corporation to avenge his family’s death.

Raven Banner has also acquired Chris Cronin’s folk horror debut The Moor, about a group of investigators who must venture deep into a haunted moor to solve the death of a childhood friend. The film premiered at FrightFest in London,...

UK-based Bulldog Film Distribution has acquired all UK-Ireland rights to n two UK genre features and plans theatrical releases in 2024 for both.

Dan Pringle’s Die Before You Die is a thriller following a hot-headed online influencer who finds himself trapped six feet underground after an internet challenge goes awry. Ziad Abaza stars in the film, which he co-wrote with Pringle; Adam Merrifield produced it for White Lantern.

Die Before You Die will have its world premiere at Manchester International Film Festival on March 23. The cast also includes Mim Shaikh, Priya Blackburn and Harry Reid. Bulldog previously worked with Pringle and Merrifield on 2016 horror K-Shop.

Brighton-based distributor Bulldog Film Distribution has acquired all UK-Ireland rights on two UK genre features, planning theatrical releases in 2024 on both.

Dan Pringle’s Die Before You Die is a dramatic thriller following a hot-headed online influencer who finds himself trapped six feet underground after an internet challenge goes awry. Ziad Abaza stars in the film, which he co-wrote with Pringle; Adam Merrifield produced it for White Lantern.

Die Before You Die will have its world premiere at Manchester International Film Festival on March 23. The cast also includes Mim Shaikh, Priya Blackburn and Harry Reid. Bulldog previously worked with Pringle and Merrifield on 2016 horror K-Shop.

There is a certain inevitability about a film inspired by Hermann Hesse’s novel “Steppenwolf,” first published in German in 1927, and two famous Westerns of the 1950s — John Ford’s “The Searchers,” and Howard Hawks’ “Red River.” The film, also called “Steppenwolf,” has its world premiere at International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Big Screen Competition section. Its teaser debuts on Variety exclusively (below).

In acclaimed Kazakh director Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s latest film, two characters who are essentially loners existing outside of the usual moral boundaries of the world come together united in a common task: to save a small boy who has gone missing.

Yerzhanov takes universal themes from Hesse’s novel and the later Hollywood Westerns, to plumb the depths of where man’s spirituality disappears into the depths of his animal origins. To explore what he calls a story of “two different heroes, two opposing characters, who...

Four of this year’s short contenders for the Oscars tell personal narratives that lead audiences on uniquely distinct journeys. In The Noble Guardian, journalist Anna Coren makes her directorial debut with the story of Afghan American women’s rights activist Mahbouba Seraj, who decided to stay in Afghanistan following the United States’ withdrawal from the country in 2021 to run a women’s shelter. Coren came across Mahbouba’s story while covering the Taliban’s subsequent resume of power.

“We spoke over Zoom, and I honestly had goosebumps all over my body speaking to her because of her feistiness, her angst, her utter frustration with the world at what had happened,” the director said during a taping of THR Presents, powered by Vision Media. “I knew right then that this woman was a documentary, not just a news story.”

In telling Mahbouba’s story, Coren tells the story of many...

Stars: Dexter Sol Ansell, David Edward-Robertson, Sophia La Porta, Mark Peachey, Elizabeth Dormer-Phillips, Vicki Hackett, Bernard Hill | Written by Paul Thomas | Directed by Chris Cronin

The Moor opens in 1996 as young Claire (Billie Suggett) convinces the even younger Danny to distract a shopkeeper with a story about getting separated from his father while she steals some candy for them. It all goes according to plan until a strange man claims to be the boy’s father and takes him away. A suspect is caught and convicted, but neither Danny’s body nor those of several other missing boys was ever found.

Twenty-five years later Danny’s father Bill contacts Claire He plans to find his son’s body to help keep his killer from being released and he wants her to use her podcast to help document it. Out of her sense of guilt, she agrees.

Bill’s method of...