8 FILMS TO DIE FOR: After Dark Announces Third In Line, THE WICKED WITHIN, For Release?

With Valeri Milev's Re-Kill and Dagen Merrill's Murder In The Dark now public news, After Dark Films is officially unveiling details for the new horror thriller, The Wicked Within. Those keen on horror flicks might find this one quite appealing as it's chock-loaded with all the usual tropes, though I find it also humbling that the film isn't afraid to poke just a little bit of fun at itself.

The film is the third in line to surface in the wake of After Dark Films's partnership with Fox for its "8 Films To Die For" slate, all of which will be releasing on October 16. As such, here are the latest release details on the film with a trailer now running online just beneath.

Los Angeles, CA (August 4, 2015) – The most haunting film from Courtney Solomon’s After Dark Films ‘8 Films to Die For’ lineup has been unveiled. The Wicked Within is set to snag the 3rd spot in the horror festival.

Directed by Jay Alaimo and produced by Gianni Capaldi and Enzo Cilenti, The Wicked Within joins a stable of 8 frightening films to be featured by the esteemed horror company.

“Each of our 8 films has a certain trait that makes it stand apart from the others,” says Stephanie Caleb, EVP, Creative Affairs & Acquisitions, “The Wicked Within is a classic horror possession story with relatable characters, and nightmares that linger.”

The film stars Karen Austin (“Summer Rental”), Gianni Capaldi (“Blood of Redemption”), Enzo Cilenti (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Sienna Guillory (“Resident Evil”), Michele Hicks (“Mulholland Drive”), and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”).

Says Actor/Producer Gianni Capaldi “The Wicked Within will take the audience on a journey of extracting fact from fiction, striking fear into their deepest imagination. It is the type of film you don’t want to find yourself alone after having watched it. We are thrilled that After Dark got excited about it and there can be no better company to partner with to expose this tale of hell bent possession to North America.”

‘8 Films to Die For’ will be released in theaters on October 16, 2015, with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment handling all ancillary forms of media, including Digital HD™, DVD and VOD.

Official Synopsis:

When a little girl dies, her family gathers to mourn the loss. Yet the pain is not forgotten and a vengeful demon spirit takes possession of a vulnerable family member tearing at the ties that bind them all together. One by one, it forces each family member to confess to his or her buried lies and face the morbid consequences of their sins.

THE PURGE 3 Brings Back Frank Grillo For Sci-Fi Horror Thriller

Last year's release of Universal Pictures's sci-fi thriller, The Purge 2, welcomed the continuation of an expansive narrative that has gained a successful following among moviegoers. Beginning in 2013 with Lena Headey and Ethan Hawke starring in The Purge, the franchise propels you into a darkly-lit future version of a crimeless America that maintains order with the annual nationwide holiday, "The Purge", where Americans are granted one night to go completely apeshit in order to release the worst of themselves unto their fellow man.

It's a story crazy-littered with epic brutality and seething terror and it's one that is doing quite a fruitful number on actor Frank Grillo who carried last year's film and ultimately becoming a winning favorite for his character: a desperate father in mourning over the death of his son who sets out to find the man that killed him, only to find himself aiding a ragtag group of helpless citizens without shelter and danger lurking at every turn. That role drew such an appeal from fans that it's easy to see why fans would want him back for another, and as such, fans are now getting their wish, thanks to Variety's latest report.

James DeMonaco is back to craft the annual lunacy as writer and director of what now looks to be a successful trilogy, with Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes producing. Fans can expect a July 1 release next year, while also on Grillo's roster include, but are not limited to, Captain America: Civil War one month earlier, director Liam O'Donnell's upcoming sci-fi actioner, Beyond Skyline, and the upcoming Fall premiere of season two of the DirecTV mixed-martial arts fight drama, Kingdom.

Stay tuned for more info.

Personalities Clash In The Heat Of Battle In The New Trailer For Malay Cop Flick, POLIS EVO

Malaysian action is making another return to the big screen for locals with the reunion of Cicak Man 3 co-helmer and star, Ghaz Abu Bakar and Zizak Rizan for theie newest, Polis Evo. Joining Zizak is co-lead, Kaki Kitai co-star Shaheizy Sam with a story that pits two very distinctly different cops against a ruthless drug trafficker.

This ought to bode well for regional fans of the buddy cop genre, and it's got a great trailer to sample from ahead of its September 17 opening. Also starring among its cast are Nora Danish, Mimi Ernida, Wan Hanafi Su and late actor and comedian Harun Salim Bachik to whom the film is attributed following his passing back in March.

Watch the trailer right now!

WWE's Dolph Ziggler To Debut Opposite Kane In 6:42 For Lionsgate

Wrestling stars are the staple for Lionsgate for some time now as it continues its partnership with WWE Studios. It's a fascinating trend nowadays that nonetheless guarantees more action films for the niche and so clearly the formula works, especially for this week's announcement of wrestling star Dolph Ziggler in his forthcoming film debut, 6:42, in which he plays an embattled cop in search of redemption as the pressure builds to save a young boy's life from a ticking time bomb.

There isn't much to go on right now as we wait for more info on just who is directing and adding to the cast for this one, but the official plotline below shares a few extra names for fans of WWE's brand which could lend some appeal. At any rate though, a synopsis like this is very fitting for the genre its meant for and there's no question that it will be awesome to see how Ziggler takes to task here.

Ray Fitzpatrick (WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler) is a tough as nails narcotics cop working the beat in Los Angeles. After a drug bust goes wrong, Ray is forced to shoot his own partner, leading to his suspension from the police force. Before you know it, Ray is dragged right back into the thick of it when a mysterious package arrives at the station addressed to him. 

The package leads Ray and his colleagues to an encrypted website where an unidentified kidnapper broadcasts a threat to Ray and the entire police force. The kidnapper, it turns out, is holding a young boy hostage and unless the police department can come up with a $2 million ransom, he’ll set off a time-bomb strapped to the child’s chest. 

The department, led by Lt. Cronin (WWE Superstar Kane) comes up with the payoff and Ray is tasked as the bagman. When the handover goes down, Ray is forced to shoot and kill the kidnapper before he can set off the bomb and kill the child. 

With 6 hours and 42 minutes left before the timed explosive detonates, Ray and Internal Affairs agent Julia Baker (Katharine Isabelle from "See No Evil 2") race against time to find the now deceased kidnapper’s hidden lair and save the child before it’s too late.

Check back for more information to come!

H/T: WWE

THE HIT LIST - August 3, 2015

There weren't a lot of new stunt reels to host this week - I share a lot of them anyway so I wouldn't really be surprised if I covered every working stunt professional who had a reel. 😀 Still though, I have a few gems to share in this week's Hit List which also grants us a look at a small variety of some upcoming independent projects, as well as the usual assortment of exciting independent fight action that goes out in epic fashion, and a little something special end!

Toby Fuller, James Mowat, Benjamin Redic II and Jenna Hellmuth outline this week's playlist of stunt performers with fantastic reels, in addition to an awesome featurette by stuntwoman Cheryl "In Action" Lewis, on location in Jersey City, New Jersey back in June to rappell 480 feet down a building in the name of fighting cancer. Check out the goods!

Getting into some cool new promotional content is a set of four titles, two of which will need help of public support.

The first is a campaign pitch by the folks over at DC Stunt Coalition (MAGfest, Swords Of Insurgency) for their upcoming Spartacon Live-Action Gladiator Stunt Show debut in Maryland. The event page is live on Facebook where you can join in on the fun as the show, hosted by Red Serpent, L.L.C. sets out to premiere a bold reenactment of daring action sequences inspired by the Starz hit series. In the meantime, the team itself is well into its current Indiegogo campaign to help raise money to reimburse its members with a reasonable bit of pay, as well as to reassure future live-performances for audiences across the country.

Watch the campaign video below!

Next up is the first of several trailers now online for The Hit List - this one is for an inspired Batman fan film directed by James Campbell which is set to arrive this October provided current post-production crowdfunding goes according to plan. Ripper is the name of the project and puts a uniquely impressive conceptual spin on the Batman storyline with a late nineteenth century London setting as it sets up for a decisive final battle between darkness, and the one vigilant Knight lurking within. Find out more about it at the Indiegogo page right here!

The second trailer comes in the wake of the latest digital download release in the form of the new documentary, From Here To There. Professional freerunning athletes Jesse LaFlair and Cory DeMeyers are the center of this newest profile with segmemts by fellow stunt performers and friends alike as it looks into the various aspects of what it really means to chase your dream as a freerunner. You can find the documentary right now on iTunes, Google Play and wherever digital downloads are sold, including links in the description of the video in the player below.

The third trailer is for upcoming short dark dramedy, The Recovery from A Mindful Samurai Productions. Filmmaker A.J. Singh wore multiple hats for this one while directing this latest gem clocked in at just forty-two minutes with actor and producer Jon Bailie starring in a story of a drunken loser's last ditch effort to get himself together when life takes an expected turn.

It's not heavy on action but does present glimpses of what looks to be typically British comedy and drama with a few hits to the face to boot. Not to mention the soundtrack here has some extra good energy, courtesy of Ace Records and Selrec International, Ltd. It's heading to festivals first and foremost, so mind the poster just beneath the trailer and keep this on your radar if you see fit.

And now we get to the fight stuff, with action actors Betim Alimi and Agron Pajaziti in Special Forces, Delivery Man from the folks at CBR Stunts, indie filmmaker Anthony Pho's latest Monkids offering, Candy Thief, the latest superhero Minute Match-Up from the ismahawk channel pitting Green Arrow against Hawkeye, Nathan Quattrini's latest test fight stunt gathering titled Poison and a Neo-Geo-inspired experimental Final Fight fan short from the gang over at EMC Monkeys that will literally have you spinning in circles (open it with the YouTube app and you'll see what I mean)!

Of course, I'm going to save the best for the last. It's the latest upload from the amazing crew over at stellar action choreography and film team, Reel Deal Action and having seen it for myself many moons ago, I have been waiting and hoping it wouldn't be too long before I could share this to you. Yes, it's director Christian Pfeil's MULTI award-winning shortfilm, Evil Twin, with Can Aydin in a dual role in a story that takes place following a robbery involving two teleportation jewels, and an epic fight between two brothers on opposite sides of the moral compass.

This is from the same team that's about to unleash its feature film and without dissent, it'll be well worth it to see what happens on that end. For now though, I welcome you to watch Evil Twin in all its explosive, hard-hitting and spectacular NSFW glory, and follow the Facebook fanpage right here. Who knows what that could that could accomplish, if not the hopes of a forseeable feature or a sequel?!

And now for that special little something - no, I'm not too familiar with her music, but it's still worth taking an ear to even if you don't speak the language. Taiwanese hip-hop artist and musician, Miss KO, unveiled her latest music video dedicated to domestic violence awareness with a special message shedding light on how her own survival inspired her to help carry the message forward. Let It Go (Stop The Violence) is the name of the song with actor, stuntman and filmmaker, Ron Yuan, sitting in the director's chair. Granted, most of the lyrics aren't in English but the imagery here is just as compelling and transcending in nature.


....Wow. I can't wait until next week and hopefully I don't bleed the inrernet dry! 😁 Last week's Hit List was even more loaded with action and I highly recommend bookmarking it for later viewing if you've missed it . Beyond that, if you make movies that kick just as much ass or do stunts that are just as daring, bold and sensational, send them to me directly at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com!

Song Kang-Ho To Star In SECRET AGENT For Warner Bros.'s Korean Debut

Big things are happening this week over at Warner Bros. with the studio now looking to ramp up its Korean-language debut for I Saw The Devil helmer, director Kim Jee-woon's new Korean period film, Secret Agent. The report comes as the studio has come to see Korea as a lucrative market for investing in film due to the country's successes in recent years, in addition to Fox's latest slew of Korean titles, including Intimate Enemies starring Ryoo Seung-Bum.

Secret Agent was reportedly pitched to the studio by Harbin production CEO Lee Jin-sook, and is currently being described as a co-production venture between Warner Bros. and Grimm Pictures, with Warner Bros. fully financing the film, according to Variety. Actor Song Kang-Ho is set to reunite with the director following the 2008 flick, The Good, The Bad And The Weird and there is currently is no plot for the film said to be set early 20th century Korea during Japan's colonial rule, although principal photography is scheduled to commence in October with locations to include Korea and China.

One might suppose the fact that Warner Bros. venturing into its first-ever Korean-language movie would be another great move for actor Song as well; The first movie I had seen him in was in the 1999 assassin thriller, Shiri, so it's a real treat to see him come this far with an illustrious resume including films like Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance and Bong Joon-ho's recent sci-fi epic success story, Snowpiercer, for which the director honorably fought tooth and nail to keep in its original iteration for North America.

Song is currently poised to appear in director Lee Joon-Ik's upcoming period drama, The Throne in September. Stay tuned for more info!

Hostage Thriller 6 DAYS Moves To London, New Stills Now Online

Stills finally came pouring in exclusively via EW for director Toa Fraser's latest hostage thriller, 6 Days since pincipal photography began in New Zealand in June. The film follows up Fraser's most recent effort, The Dead Lands, which proved to be one of the most compelling films to date in his stellar career of award-winning feats.

Here and now, Fraser reunites with The Dead Lands scribe Glenn Standring for a story that grounds itself in the chaos of true events that took place in April 1980 when six armed gunmen engaged Britain's elite SAS in a six day standoff at the Iranian Embassy in 1980, taking 26 people hostage. Jamie Bell, Abbie Cornish and Mark Strong lead the current cast for the film which has now begun its London shoot as of a few days ago.

Matthew Metcalfe is producing for General Film Corporation in associaition with international sales agent XYZ Films, Lip Sync Productions, Dog With a Bone Films and the Ingenious Senior Film Fund. The film will likely release next year with Icon releasing the film in the U.K. and WME co-representing the film for the U.S.

Fans and moviegoers alike can catch Bell among an ensemble cast for director Josh Trank's Marvel adaptation, Fantastic Four, this Friday. Stay tuned for more info.