In a newly posted video, film score composer Mark Korven shows off his demon baby, a one-of-a-kind noisemaker he’s affectionately dubbed The Apprehension Engine. Tired of the same old samples cropping up in movie after movie, the musician (whose credits include Vincenzo Natali’s Cube and, more recently, colonial-era chiller The Witch) wanted something he could use to produce original sound effects. He commissioned guitar maker Tony Duggan-Smith to create the nightmarish machine in the video above, which uses metal rulers, curled scrap metal, and other assorted bits of junk to generate supremely disturbing... music?
According to most people (on the internet, which is where most people live now), 2016 was horrific. It was a year in which we lost some of our best and brightest artists, a year in which we elected a president who will, according to Kate McKinnon’s Hilary Clinton, “kill us all,” and it was a year in which many blockbusters fulfilled the “bust” end of that promise. Despite all of this, 2016 delivered some truly remarkable films; because of all of this, we needed them.
Deadpool ruled the box office for the second weekend in a row, following up its record-breaking opening with with a strong sophomore weekend that proved its initial success was no fluke. In fact, the three newcomers didn’t even stand a chance against this red-suited menace, as Risen, The Witch, and Race all found themselves punted further down the top 10.
Halloween isn’t for several months (though couldn’t it be said that Halloween is more of a state of mind, and lives inside us all year long?), but there’s no wrong time in the moviegoing calendar for a blood-curdling horror story. Odd as it may be for the new spine-tingler The Witch to go into wide release a few days after Valentine’s Day, the February 19 debut shouldn’t deter anyone from checking out this supremely creepy, precisely controlled work of tension and fear. Presiding studio A24 has thrown their considerable weight behind a clever ad campaign for what they hope will be a Blair Witch-style breakout hit, with depictions of Ted Cruz as the truest form of evil and a Snapchat account launching the star-bound career of Black Phillip, the film’s demonic goat.
It’s officially 2016. Our Best of 2015 lists have all been published and the new year is upon us, which means it’s time to start looking to the future. Yes, 2015 was a particularly good year for movie fans, but 2016 looks pretty impressive too. You like Coen Bros. movies? We got one of those. You like Star Wars? Yup, one of those too. Critically acclaimed horror movies? Sure. Pixar? Of course. Movies where your favorite superheroes beat the crap out of each other? WE GOT TWO OF THOSE.
We put together a quick list of the 25 movies — a mix of both blockbusters and indies — that we can’t wait to see next year. This will probably change as the year goes on (our 2015 list included Jupiter Ascending, Aloha and Tomorrowland so we’re not perfect), but based on what we know right now, this is it.
Here are the movies we’re looking forward to the most in 2016, in the order of release date (those with no release date are listed in alphabetical order).
Mark your calendars for February 26, 2016. That’s the day your minds will be blown by The Witch, the exceptional and eerie debut film from Robert Eggers that’s been stirring up film festival audiences all year. If you’re familiar with The Witch, you’re probably familiar with the film’s supporting character and mascot, a mischievous goat named Black Phillip. A new poster offers another form of evil by introducing a sharp-eyed raven, while A24 has opened an official website for the upcoming horror film.