By MICHAEL GINGOLD
It’s guns vs. ghouls in DEAD TRIGGER, a horror/actioner set for release in May. Read on to check out the trailer and poster, and for news on more genre-film debut dates.
Saban Films releases DEAD TRIGGER to select theaters and VOD May 3. Mike Cuff and Scott Windhauser directed from a script by Heinz Treschnitzer, and Dolph Lundgren stars along with Autumn Reeser, Romeo Miller and Isaiah Washington. The synopsis simply states, “When a mysterious virus kills billions and turns many others into bloodthirsty zombies, Captain Walker [Lundgren] leads an elite team to destroy them and save the world,” and that’s all you really need to know, isn’t it? See the trailer at the bottom of this page.
Saban also has TONE-DEAF, the latest from writer/director Richard Bates Jr. (EXCISION, TRASH FIRE), hitting theaters August 23. Robert Patrick, Amanda Crew, Hayley Marie Norman, Johnny Pemberton, Nancy Linehan Charles, AnnaLynne McCord, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Ray Wise and Kim Delaney star; the synopsis: “After losing her job and imploding her latest dysfunctional relationship, millennial Olive [Crew] leaves the city for a weekend of peace in the country, only to discover the shockingly dark underbelly of rural America. She rents an eccentric, ornate country house from Harvey [Patrick], an old-fashioned widower who’s struggling to hide his psychopathic tendencies. Soon two generations collide with terrifying results in this home invasion horror film that is also a darkly comedic critique of the bizarre cultural and political climate that currently exists.”
In addition, Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the supernatural horror feature HEAD COUNT to select theaters and VOD June 14. Elle Callahan directed this one from a script she wrote with Michael Nader; the cast is headed by Ashleigh Morghan, Isaac Jay and Sam Marra. The synopsis: “Newcomer Evan joins a group of teens on a getaway in Joshua Tree. While exchanging ghost stories around the campfire, Evan reads aloud a mysterious chant from an Internet site. From that moment, someone—or something—is among them. As unsettling, inexplicable events become more frequent, Evan realizes this summoned shapeshifting creature is targeting them to fulfill a deadly ritual.”
It’s the songwriting on SEVEN SERMONS that is most impressive, however; Montenegro is operating at quite an accomplished level. There has been clear care and thought given to how these songs are arranged, and how each track is structured in a fashion tailor-made for the live area. The closest comparison could perhaps be Zombi, but the progressive leanings are presented in a slightly different, less overtly rhythmic way. Although there is a propulsive feeling to Missionary Work, it takes a back seat to this sort of aquatic, mind-expanding synth orchestra.
