Head on over to Beck Underwood’s Creepy Christmas for more Yule Tide fun.

Not THAT Doug Jones, OUR Doug Jones! Fessenden honored to be featured in this article about the fantastic Doug Jones with a nice blurb about SKIN AND BONES (and a photo in the headliner!) Jones currently slithering (and scoring!) in THE SHAPE OF WATER by GDT.

FROM THE ARTICLE by Meagan Navarro:

Actor and contortionist Doug Jones is currently generating Oscar buzz for his performance as Amphibian Man in Guillermo del Toro’s latest, The Shape of Water. Like most of his roles, Jones is unrecognizable as the otherworldly creature bearing resemblance to the titular character from Creature of the Black Lagoon. Through heavy makeup and prosthetics, Jones is able to convey a depth of emotion with his movement and body language alone. His uncanny knack for physical acting is something very few actors can even hold a candle to, which is why the actor has a long history of bringing unique characters to life on screen, both big and small.  His tall, lean frame lends a striking silhouette and presence, but his use of his expressive hands demonstrates why he’s not just a perennial favorite of del Toro’s, but a go-to actor for extraordinary character work.

…

Fear Itself (“Skin and Bones”) – Grady Edlund

This short-lived, underrated horror anthology series was derailed by the 2008 Summer Olympics, which is a shame, because Doug Jones’ work in the episode Skin and Bones was pure nightmare fuel. The episode is directed by Larry Fessenden, a director with a history of exploring Wendigo folklore, and between his execution of building suspense and Jones’ alternating between sympathy and downright ominous cruelty, Skin and Bones is one of the best hours of television ever. As the emaciated Grady, who returns after disappearing into the mountains with a group of men days ago, Jones delivers some of the most nail-biting scenes ever, like the chilling scene where he licks his wife Helen’s arm while she’s trying to feed him back to health. Jones may look like a frail skeleton in this role, but he exudes evil power.

Read the whole list here!

From the Upstater:

It’s no secret that the Hudson Valley is home to countless Hollywood movie stars and producers—its lush and beautiful landscapes and proximity to New York City providing the best of both worlds. Though a handful of films have showcased the area over the decades, its cinematic footprint paled in comparison to other regions due to a flawed state program that didn’t consider the Hudson Valley “upstate.”

But that’s all changing. Last year, after significant advocacy from Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, New York State passed legislation allowing Ulster County and a handful of other left-behinds to finally compete for productions by offering the same 40-percent tax credit allotted to the rest of upstate New York. The legislation was signed by the governor in November 2016, and as a result, the entire Mid-Hudson region is now included and will benefit.

Recent months have seen Ulster County evolving into a hotbed for major movie productions…

Stray Bullets (2017)
Written and directed by 16-year-old wunderkind Jack Fessenden (with a little help from his father, veteran indie filmmaker Larry Fessenden), Stray Bullets follows two teenage boys who accidentally collide with a group of armed robbers on the run. Filmed across Ulster County, in Stone Ridge, Rosendale, Kingston, Woodstock and West Shokan.

Read full article here

FILM SCHOOL REJECTS:

To mark the release of ‘The Shape of Water,’ we’ve compiled a list of Guillermo del Toro projects we probably won’t ever get to see.

The arrival of a new Guillermo del Toro movie is always an exciting time to be alive. Whether it’s a low key genre project or a big monster blockbuster, the Mexican director knows how to hit the sweet spot of many a film fan — especially those of us who appreciate all things fantastical, spooky, and strange.

GDT is also a filmmaker with a devout cult fan base, which means some of us cling to his every word more than we should sometimes. When he announces a new project or even suggests one as a throwaway notion, our collective hopes rise to the heavens. Shortly after, though, they fall back down to earth as we’ve learned by now to accept that most of the projects the great man mentions rarely materialize.

Even though his movies have brought so much magic and joy to our lives, the projects that never came to be have brought us heartache and a case of wondering what could have been. It’s not his fault by any means — and we should appreciate what we have — but when a filmmaker captures hearts and imaginations as majestically as del Toro does, it’s impossible not to yearn for the movies and TV shows that never came to be.

With that being said, let’s reflect on the projects he’s been associated with throughout the years in some capacity and determine whether or not they’ll ever escape development hell. After all, as the great Canadian poet Justin Bieber once said, “never say never.”

#40 THE ORPHANAGE

What was it? In 2007, it was announced that del Toro would serve as an executive producer on an American remake of the Spanish chiller The Orphanage, which he also produced. Larry Fessenden was being lined up to direct the feature, and, in 2011, Amy Adamswas being touted to star.

Will it ever happen? The last shred of news came in 2013, stating that the remake was still happening at some point. The camp has been quiet since, but you can never ever rule out an English-language remake of a successful foreign horror film.
Read more at Film School Rejects

PSYCHOPATHS by Mickey Keating
Now in Theaters

From Rue Morgue:

It’s likely you haven’t seen as many different kinds of insanity in one film as you have in PSYCHOPATHS, which hits theaters this Friday, December 1. It’s the latest and most ambitious film from rising horror auteur Mickey Keating (DARLING, CARNAGE PARK), who talks about it with RUE MORGUE below, along with two of his stars.

Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films, PSYCHOPATHS was produced by Glass Eye Pix, whose CEO Larry Fessenden plays serial killer Henry Earl Starkweather. He introduces us to the film’s bizarre world, inhabited by characters including Alice (THE LAST EXORCISM’s Ashley Bell), whose deranged alter ego resides in a mindscape modeled on vintage musicals. Other crazy folks whose stories crisscross through the movie are played by James Landry Hébert, THE BATTERY director/star Jeremy Gardner, TRASH FIRE’s Angela Trimbur and Sam Zimmerman, curator of the Shudder streaming network, which premiered Keating’s in-depth horror talk show THE CORE this month. For the filmmaker, who has homaged numerous scary subgenres in his past features, PSYCHOPATHS was an opportunity to explore a different kind of narrative, one as fractured as its antagonists’ minds. We spoke with Keating, Fessenden and Bell following the movie’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.

Check out the full interview HERE

In theaters Friday!

In theaters Friday!

Mickey Keating’s splatterpiece in theaters Friday!
Check local listings.

Glass Eye Pix invites you to count down 25 Days till Christmas with this creepy Advent Calendar. What better way to celebrate the Holiday season than with a daily peek behind the doors and windows, nooks and crannies of this mysterious doll village assembled by artist and stop-motion animator Beck Underwood? See vintage dolls and Santas, stuffed critters and misfit toys, all to delight and tease in this merry celebration of Christmas mischief. Buy Now!