The place is operated by the totally not weird and suspicious Mr. The story, such as it is, follows the Norris family as mom ( Betsy Henn), dad ( Ben Hostetler), and daughter Vena ( Janine Carazo) get jobs at a shoddy amusement park. Shot on location at Pennsylvania’s own long defunct Willow Grove Amusement Park, Malastesta exudes grimy authenticity that lends the film an atmosphere all its own. This DIY grindhouse charmer is a quick, hallucinatory acid trip of a film sporting all of the low budget charm and tenacious craft that horror aficionados love so much about the genre. It remains to this day, 50 years later, the only feature film the two have worked on. This 1973 drive-in gem was directed by one Christopher Speeth and written by Werner Liepolt. This brings me to today’s feature – Malastesta’s Carnival of Blood. Roving bands of strangers blowing into town naturally raise suspicions among townsfolk, do they not? Whether those prejudices are justified or not, they remain all the same. It comes, it goes, and so do the people who operate it. There is an innate sense that the carnival is hiding something. When was the last time those monstrosities were properly serviced, you wonder. The games are rigged and the rides are huge, clanking things of oil and metal. As fun as it may be to take the family or a date out for a fun night at the carnival, you always get the sense it’s not necessarily a wholesome place. The bright, multicolored lights, the dizzying swirl of calliope music and cacophonous rattling of the rides, the stench of popcorn, funnel cakes, and oiled machinery all merging and wafting through the air…it’s all artifice. What makes a carnival such a fertile place to set your horror tale in? Maybe it’s the thin veneer of joy and cheer that raises our hackles. We’ve had a handful of prominent, frightening tales take advantage of the unique aesthetic and eerie unreality an amusement park can offer over the years. Meagan wrote in her TIFF review for BD, “ Venus makes for a slick and breezy action-horror movie far more memorable for its gruesome high-octane thrills than its cosmic chills.”Ĭarnivals and amusement parks are a prime setting for horror stories. You can watch the international trailer below. “Strong bloody violence, language, and some drug use.” We’ve learned today that Venus has been rated “R” for… Venus is inspired by HP Lovecraft’s “Dreams in the Witch House” and stars Ester Expósito, Ángela Cremonte, Magüi Mira, Fernando Valdivieso and Federico Aguado. ![]() ![]() ![]() The second film in the anthology film series is described as a supernatural horror story that’s set in an urban survival environment with elements of modern witchery. Sony Pictures International Productions and Amazon Prime Video recently joined forces with Álex de la Iglesia ( The Day of the Beast, The Last Circus, Witching and Bitching) on the feature film series “ The Fear Collection.” It kicked off with Álex de la Iglesia‘s Veneciafrenia, and next up is Venus, hailing from Jaume Balagueró (, , Sleep Tight).
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