Richard Stanley

Shadowland

Director Otso Tiainen’s fascinating study of an esoteric community hidden within the French Pyrenees begins by exploring the seekers drawn to this place, supposedly the home of the Holy Grail. However, it is the appearance of charismatic film director Richard Stanley that truly ignites the story. Before long, accusations about his conduct surface, and the residents find themselves caught in a battle for their very souls. The dangers of blind faith and the magnetic pull of certain personalities are put under the microscope in this breathtaking examination of a small microcosm of society forced to confront who they are when everything they believe is challenged. A vital film that urges us to scrutinize our heroes, SHADOWLAND is a must-see—not only to contextualize the inner battles we all face but also to finally see the truth laid bare.

The Darkside of Society

It’s one of the most controversial, influential and groundbreaking horror satires of the 1980s. Brian Yuzna’s SOCIETY told a terrifying, surreal story about what the rich were doing to the poor in shocking, sexual detail. But did you know it was based on truth and took inspiration from the satanic ritual abuse carried out by the Beverly Hills elite Keith family? Or that son Woody Keith changed his name to Zeph E. Daniel and co-scripted SOCIETY to exorcize the demons from his violent youth? This is the full, appalling story of how Daniel’s autobiography became a classic chiller for the ages.

Exegesis Lovecraft

A cathartic journey that Qais, a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker embarks on as he traces the life of H.P. Lovecraft, from woodland cemeteries in Rhode Island, to the docks of New York and on to the cobbled stoned streets of Quebec City. A documentary that proves that the truth is weirder than fiction.

A Ship of Madness: Deeper and Higher with Pazucus

With free eyes, an open heart, good friends and a handful of luck, Gurcius Gewdner revisits some of his adventures of the past five years, survives the relentless Russian winter and asks the following question: How far can an underground Brazilian film go?

Tales of the Uncanny

A detailed look at the history of horror anthology films.

Clark Ashton Smith: The Emperor of Dreams

Clark Ashton Smith was a poet, fantasist, sculptor, and painter. This lyrical documentary explore's Smith's work and life as a solitary artist living in Auburn, California. It features interviews with leading scholars such as S. T. Joshi, Scott Connors, Ron Hilger, and legendary writer Harlan Ellison. Donald Sidney-Fryer is featured as a sort of tour guide to Smith's Auburn.

Cult of Terror

A journey of years through many countries and film festivals; a nostalgic, adrenaline-fueled and rock-spirited immersion into the universe of cinephilia, in search of genre specialists, fans and filmmakers who speak of their shared passion for fantastic cinema; a whole international spiritual community united under the cathartic shadow of horror.

78/52

The most famous murder scene in movie history comprises 78 camera settings and 52 cuts: the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. 78/52 tells the story of the man behind the curtain and his greatest obsession.

Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo

Feature-length in-depth documentary by High Rising Productions chronicling the Giallo film genre from its beginnings as early 20th century crime fiction, to its later influences on the modern slasher film genre. Featuring interviews with Dario Argento, Umberto Lenzi, Luigi Cozzi, Richard Stanley, and more.

Uncovering Wolfen

After the huge financial and cultural success of WOODSTOCK (1970), filmmaker and political activist Michael Wadleigh spent many years in Hollywood writing scripts that were never produced. However, WOLFEN (1981), his only other major motion picture, was. After that he would never complete another feature film again. This is the story of that film.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel by H. G. Wells—, which was brought to the big screen in 1996. How director Richard Stanley spent four years developing the project just to find an abrupt end to his work while leading actor Marlon Brando pulled the strings in the shadows. Now for the first time, the living key players recount what really happened and why it all went so spectacularly wrong.

Jodorowsky's Dune

Shot in France, England, Switzerland and the United States, this documentary covers director Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, Holy Mountain, Santa Sangre) and his 1974 Quixotic attempt to adapt the seminal sci-fi novel Dune into a feature film. After spending 2 years and millions of dollars, the massive undertaking eventually fell apart, but the artists Jodorowsky assembled for the legendary project continued to work together. This group of artists, or his “warriors” as Jodorowsky named them, went on to define modern sci-fi cinema with such films as Alien, Blade Runner, Star Wars and Total Recall.

The Otherworld

Hidden deep in the south of France, practically untouched by the modern age, is a place known by many as 'the Zone'. In this space, the supernatural is an everyday reality of life. Magic is everywhere. It is reason. It is currency. It is unquestionable fact. Prepare yourself for a journey into life on the other side of the mirror.

Post Traumatic: An American Nightmare

This thirty minute documentary features interviews with Giovinazzo's key contemporaries discussing the continued impact and influence of Combat Shock twenty-five years later.

Vampire Diary

Whilst making a documentary, filmmaker Holly meets the highly enigmatic and beautiful Vicki who claims she is a real-life vampire.

Dagon

A boating accident off the coast of Spain sends Paul and his girlfriend Barbara to the decrepit fishing village of Imboca. As night falls, people start to disappear and things not quite human start to appear. Paul is pursued by the entire town. Running for his life, he uncovers Imboca's secret..they worship Dagon, a monstrous god of the sea...and Dagon's unholy offspring are on the loose...

In the Belly of the Beast

For 11 years, the FantAsia Film Festival in Montreal has been the premiere showcase in North America of fantasy, horror and action films from around the world. Every July, crowds line up around the block before each screening; the festival itself lasts approximately 3 weeks. In the Belly of the Beast chronicles the intense struggles that five filmmakers in attendance went through to complete their films. Crew rebellions, corporate embezzlers, and bankrupt studios are just a few of the memories conjured up during candid interviews, while the camera captures the latest challenge: the public acceptance - or rejection - of their films. Included in Dark Sky Films's Manson Family DVD and Blu-ray releases.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

A shipwrecked sailor stumbles upon a mysterious island and is shocked to discover that a brilliant scientist and his lab assistant have found a way to combine human and animal DNA—with horrific results.

Twelve Monkeys

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

Brave

Cult director Richard Stanley brings Marillion's music to the screen in the 50-minute BRAVE. A teenager believed to be suicidal is discovered wandering near the Severn Bridge. Suffering from severe memory loss, she seeks information about the mysterious events that led to her condition. This work of fiction was inspired from the true story of an amnesiac woman found at the bridge.

Dust Devil

A woman on the run from her abusive husband encounters a mysterious hitch-hiker.

Hardware

Mark 13 is a government-built killing machine programmed with artificial intelligence, able to repair and recharge itself from any energy source. Through a series of coincidences, the cyborg's head ends up in the home of a sculptress as a bizarre Christmas present from her boyfriend. Once inside its new home, the cyborg promptly reconstructs the rest of its body using a variety of household utensils and proceeds to go on a murderous rampage.

Incidents in an Expanding Universe

The year 2037. Rugged soldier Max and weary sculptress Nicky try to sustain a relationship in a bleak totalitarian future plagued by war, nuclear fall-out, and overpopulation. Flashbacks show Max and Nicky's doomed romance throughout the years as things get worse and the world deteriorates all around them.

A World War II Fairytale: The Making of Michael Mann's 'The Keep'

Exploring Michael Mann's 1983 film adapted from the F. Paul Wilson novel and its impact.

Rites of Passage

A disillusioned modern man is haunted by memories of a previous life as a primitive caveman who lived in a hostile past world. The caveman walks across a harsh landscape, hunts animals for food, battles savage apes, and scales a deep cliff.