We all know horror is probably the biggest it’s ever been right now. Remakes of old classics are being produced left and right. Horror movies are breaking records throughout the year. Hell, Uwe Boll is still getting work! So it’s no suprise that Magnolia Pictures have just announced that they’re going to have a brand new division called Magnet, specifically for independent horror and action films.
Specializing in the wild, unquantifiable and uncompromised, Magnet will provide an outlet for a different strand of films, which had previously been released alongside Magnolia’s traditional specialties: independent dramatic features and award-winning documentaries.
You may recognize a couple of Magnolia Pictures’ former releases in THE HOST and SEVERENCE. The list of movies that will be released under the new Magnet are: BOARDING GATE, BIG MAN JAPAN (DAINIPPONJIN), MURDER PARTY (pictured above), NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, SEVERED WAYS, and TRIANGLE.
“Some of the best, most imaginative, wild and forward-thinking cinema in the world today is being done in the context of genre filmmaking. The Magnet label will consolidate our track record with these rule-breaking films into a strong, identifiable brand,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles.
The two that caught my eye were BOARDING GATE and MURDER PARTY:
MURDER PARTY: It’s Halloween night in Brooklyn, and Chris, a lonely, square and unremarkable man is returning home from his meter-maid job when he finds a mysterious invitation on the street. Following it to what he believes will be a fun costume party, he discovers that he’s stumbled into a lethal trap set by a gang of deranged hipster artists. Their plan is to lure someone to their remote warehouse studio and ritually murder them as part of an extreme artistic event. It’s all to impress their wealthy and sinister guru/patron, who soon arrives with promises of grant money and a creepy, dead-eyed henchman. As the booze and drug fueled night wears on, rivalries within the group flare up with gruesomely violent consequences. A body count accrues and Chris must take advantage of the ensuing chaos if he’s ever going to escape the warehouse and survive the night. No one is spared in this hilariously biting, gleefully bloody horror film. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier.
BOARDING GATE: The new film from acclaimed and adventurous French filmmaker Olivier Assayas, BOARDING GATE is an erotic noir-thriller boasting an exciting international cast. Asia Argento plays sexy ex-prostitute Sandra, who is forced to flee London after a steamy S&M encounter with a debt-ridden ex-lover (Michael Madsen) ends in violence. Fleeing to Hong Kong in search of a fresh start, she becomes involved with an attractive young couple, Lester (Carl Ng) and Sue (Kelly Lin), who promise to help her obtain papers and money. But nothing turns out as expected for Sandra, and she finds herself trapped in a sordid game of manipulation. An Official Selection of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Oliver Assayas. Starring Asia Argento, Michael Madsen, Carl Loong Ng, Kelly Lin.
Maybe one of the reasons I’m interested in BOARDING GATE is because of Asia Argento (below), but can you blame me? Anyway, MURDER PARTY is the first one slated for release (on October 16). The rest will have either DVD or theatrical release sometime in 2008. To read the plots to rest of the films, or for a little more info on Magnet, you can check out the official press release or go to the official website.
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