The line-up for this year’s August Bank Holiday Film 4 Frightfest has been unveiled and it looks like a bumper crop for the gorehounds of London. After the break I’ll post the full list of what’s planned, point out my top five picks and share some new images from a couple of the most keenly anticipated horror pictures of the year. All that, and details on Andy Nyman’s 100 Best Kills coming right up…

The full Frightfest calendar runs from Thursday 27th August to Monday 31st this year, and takes place in the wonderful Empire Leicester Square. Unlike previous years there’s going to be two screens in operation. One will show the big premieres and the films more immediately obvious to have big, big audiences, while the ‘Discovery’ screen is going to show some riskier fare. Of course, this means that it will be impossible to see everything in the festival, for the first time in Frightfest history, but also that you’ll have a bit of wiggle room to pick and choose if something in particular does not take your fancy.

Talking of not taking my fancy, the second Descent movie is going to be premiering. I didn’t much like the first film so I’m not coming at this one with revved up expectations. Here are a couple of fresh stills:

Before I launch into full-on timetable mode, here’s my top five most anticipated pictures from this roster. I’ve not seen a single one of them, so I’m as excited for the festival as the rest of us.

5. Best Worst Movie. I mean, I’m just taking Hunter’s word for it. Or perhaps, just to hedge my bets, Beware the Moon, the American Werewolf in London retrospective documentary. Frightfest are promising as many members of American Werewolf cast and crew in attendance as possible, as well as a screening of the film in a newly remastered version.

4. I Sell the Dead. From Glass Eye Pix, who’ve done me right again and again, and starring the eminently watchable Ron Perlman as the confidant of a grave robber on his way to the guillotine. Seems very heartfelt.

3. Pontypool. Directed by Bruce McDonald, the man with a catholic resume that shames even the Coens or Soderbergh for variety. And it’s a zombie film, too, so that’s good.

2. Trick’r Treat. Mike Dougherty’s unfairly shelved Halloween picture finally reaches the big screen on my side of the pond. Much loved by audiences that have been lucky enough to catch it so far, this seems to be a very witty and clever twist on Halloween folklore and imagery.

1. Heartless. Phillip Ridley’s first film since The Passion of Darkly Noon in 1996, and only his third alongside The Reflecting Skin. Jim Sturgess stars as a young man with a heart shaped birthmark across his face. After his mother is killed he begins a descent into a dark and dangerous world of violence and, as it would seem, evil demons. Added bonus: Sturgess is going to be performing songs live at the pre-film premiere party. Here are the available Heartless stills:

Not a film screening per se but one of the highlights for the hardcore is going to be Andy Nyman’s 100 Best Deaths. Set for 11.15 on the Sunday night, this will be a package of some of the most extreme and unbelievable slaughterings in the entire horror genre crammed into one 2 hour package.

Nyman is probably now best known for his acting, having appeared in Severance and Charlie Brooker’s reality TV zombie series Dead Set, but I first knew him as a magician and behind-the-scenes man for the mentalist supremo Derren Brown. It was obvious how much of a movie buff Nyman was from the many sneaky references to films woven through Brown’s TV shows.

To assist Nyman with 100 Best Kills, Frightfest are having Tim League of Fantastic Fest cross the ocean. The auditorium is being specially licensed for alcohol consumption just for this event too, so I dare say I’m going to wind up the only sober one in a huge throng of splatter wolves howling at the silver screen.

I wish I could have put Dario Argento’s Giallo on my most-anticipated list, but I’m being told to steady my expectations. Having said that, there won’t be a better audience in the world to see it with than the Frightest one. We’ll all be actively willing it to be a masterpiece. Here are the promo images, anyway:

Here’s the full calendar, hyperlinked to the official Frightfest page for each of the movies. We’ll begin with the films scheduled for the main screen.

THURSDAY 27 AUGUST
18.30 Triangle (World Premiere) dir. Christopher Smith UK/Australia 2009
21.15 The Hills Run Red (UK Premiere) dir. Dave Parker USA 2009
23.15 Infestation (UK premiere) dir. Kyle Rankin USA 2009

FRIDAY 28 AUGUST
11.00 The Horseman dir. Steven Kastissios Australia 2008
13.45 Beware the Moon (World Premiere) dir. Paul Davis UK 2009
16.15 An American Werewolf in London dir. John Landis USA 1981
19.30 Shadow (World Premiere) dir. Federico Zampaglione Italy 2009
21.40 The Horde (Special Sneak Preview) dir. Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher France 2009
00.00 Macabre (UK Premiere) dir. The MO Brothers Singapore 2009

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST
11.30 Smash Cut (UK Premiere) dir. Lee Demabre Canada 2009
13.45 Hierro (UK Premiere) dir. Gabe Ibanez Spain 2009
15.45 Millennium: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (UK Premiere) dir. Niels Arden Oplev Sweden 2009
19.00 Giallo (London Premiere) dir. Dario Argento USA/Italy 2009
21.00 Trick’r Treat (UK premiere) dir. Michael Dougherty USA 2008
23.15 Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl (UK Premiere) dir. Yoshihiro Nishimura and Naoyuki Tomomatsu Japan 2009

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST
11.30 Dead Snow (UK Premiere) dir. Tommy Wirkola Norway 2009
13.45 The Human Centipede: First Sequence (World Premiere) dir. Tom Six Holland 2009
15.50 Coffin Rock (World Premiere) dir. Rupert Glasson Australia 2009
18.45 Night of the Demons (World Premiere) dir. Adam Gierasch USA 2009
21.00 Clive Barker’s Dread (UK Premiere) dir. Anthony DiBlasi UK 2009

MONDAY 31 AUGUST
11.00 Zombie Women of Satan (World Premiere) dir. Warren Speed & Steve O’Brien UK 2009
13.15 The House of the Devil (UK Premiere) dir. Ti West USA 2009
15.30 Case 39 (UK Premiere) dir. Christian Alvart USA 2009
18.30 Heartless (World Premiere) dir. Philip Ridley UK 2009
21.15 The Descent: Part Two (World Premiere) dir. Jon Harris UK 2009

And now the Discovery Programme, the films that will be screening in the smaller Empire 4 screen. Some of them are doubled-up to give you more than one chance to breakaway from the pack and, as far as I can tell, some of them are well worth the gamble.

FRIDAY 28 AUGUST
12.00 Best Worst Movie (UK Premiere) dir. Michael Stephenson USA 2008
14.15 I Sell the Dead (London Premiere) dir. Glenn McQuaid USA 2008
16.15 I Think We’re Alone Now dir. Sean Donnelly USA 2008
18.45 Colin (Preview Screening) dir. Marc Price UK 2008
21.00 Black (UK Premiere) dir. Pierre Laffargue France 2008

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST
12.00 The Horror of Writing Competition
13.45 Evil Things (World Premiere) dir. Dominic Perez USA 2009
16.15 Fragment (World Premiere) dir. Andrew Miles Australia 2009
18.45 It’s Alive (UK Premiere) dir. Joseph Rusnak USA 2008
21.00 Pontypool (London Premiere) dir. Bruce McDonald Canada 2008

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST
12.00 Black (UK Premiere) dir. Pierre Laffargue France 2008
14.40. Pontypool (London Premiere) dir. Bruce McDonald Canada 2008
17.00 I Think We’re Alone Now dir. Sean Donnelly USA, 2008
19.00 I Sell the Dead (London Premiere) dir. Glenn McQuaid USA 2008
21.00 Best Worst Movie (UK Premiere) dir. Michael Stephenson USA 2008

MONDAY 31 AUGUST
11.00 Colin (Preview Screening) dir. Marc Price UK 2008
14.15 It’s Alive (UK Premiere) dir. Joseph Rusnak USA 2008
16.15 Fragment (World Premiere) dir. Andrew Miles Australia 2009
18.45 Evil Things (World Premiere) dir. Dominic Perez USA 2009

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Planet Disney has posted some new character photos from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, which appear to be scanned from a magazine. I have cleaned up the images a bunch, and included the cleaner versions after the jump. The photos include Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Mia Wasikowska as Alice with The White Rabbit. No characters that we haven’t see previously, but each photo gives us a better look at the make-up and wardrobe of Burton’s Wonderland. Thanks to /Film reader Jason for the tip.

The film is actually a sequel to the original story, and follows Alice, now 17 years old, as she escapes from a snooty party and follows a white rabbit down a hole, back to Wonderland. The White Rabbit is convinced that he has the right girl, the one who had visited the magical land ten years prior. But Alice doesn’t remember her past visit to Wonderland. The creatures of Wonderland are ready to revolt and are hoping/waiting for Alice to help them, but will she? Can she?

Alice in Wonderland hits theaters on March 5th 2010.

• Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland Logo and High Resolution Photos/Concept Art
• First Photos: Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland - What Do You Think?
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• First Look: Matt Lucas in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland
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Want to know when new trailers for Where The Wild Things Are, Sherlock Holmes, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Jennifer’s Body and District 9 are scheduled to hit? We have some updates after the jump.

The new trailer for Spike Jonze’s Where The Wild Things Are will premiere attached to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which hits theaters on July 15th 2009. JoBlo is reporting that the trailer will run one minute and thirty three seconds, a bit shorter than the first trailer. I’m sure it will be cut to appeal to the younger Potter demographic.

Also, a new 2+ minute long trailer for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes will also be attached to the new Potter film. I’m sure that trailer will also be edited to appeal to the younger demo (more action/comedy Pirates-style), which is smart because in my experience, the older demo hasn’t been taking to it.

Originally there were rumors that the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s animated Fantastic Mr. Fox would be attached to Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. As you’ve probably figured out by now, the trailer was not attached. So right now, I have no idea when the trailer will hit. Anyone have any ideas? The movie isn’t scheduled to hit theaters until mid-November so there is still a lot of time. The next possible sighting would be Fox’s hybrid Aliens in the Attic on July 31st.

Your first chance to see the trailer for the Diablo Cody-scripted Megan Fox teen horror film Jennifer’s Body will in front of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno.

And Sony will be premiering a new two minute and twenty one second trailer for District 9 attached to Bruno (and online next week). JoBlo has a good description of what it shows, but I’m going to wait to see it on the big screen or online myself (I don’t really see the point of reading a description of a trailer).

• Video Blog: ShoWest 2009
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• Cool Stuff: Dave Eggers’ Wild Things Novel
• Spike Jonze Blogs Where The Wild Things Are
• VOTD: Spike Jonze’s Everyone Poops
• Where The Wild Things Are Poster #2

Regardless of her acting talent, which frankly has yet to be proven (look to Jennifer’s Body for that) you’ve got to love Megan Fox. On screen some comes across like the ultimate fembot, glammed- and dolled-up almost beyond the point of humanity. She’s a pouting, posing, running machine, especially in the hands of Michael Bay. But in interviews she’s reliably awesome, because she evidently thinks she’s hot enough to say any damn thing in the world. And, for right now, that might be true. Cue a bunch of slightly trash-talking comments about Bay and Transformers 2, which has led to a head-shaking, condescending response from Bay. What better way to start the weekend?

Earlier this month Fox dropped the first Bay bomb, when she said that of her acting ability, we’d only seen “seven percent. On the new one [Transformers 2], I tried. But unless you’re a seasoned veteran, working with Michael Bay is not about an acting experience.” Which might not be a dig against Bay exactly; more like a truthful assessment. Her follow-up makes that pretty clear. “I don’t want to blow smoke up people’s ass. People are well aware that this is not a movie about acting. And once you realize that, it becomes almost fun because you can be in the moment and go, ‘All right, I know that when he calls Action! I’m either going to be running or screaming, or both.’” Then she said that she still doesn’t understand Transformers 2, because it must be a movie made for geniuses.

Bay’s response, in the Wall Street Journal, was fantastic.

Well, that’s Megan Fox for you. She says some very ridiculous things because she’s 23 years old and she still has a lot of growing to do. You roll your eyes when you see statements like that and think, “Okay Megan, you can do whatever you want. I got it.” But I 100% disagree with her. Nick Cage wasn’t a big actor when I cast him, nor was Ben Affleck before I put him in “Armageddon.” Shia LaBeouf wasn’t a big movie star before he did “Transformers”—and then he exploded. Not to mention Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, from “Bad Boys.” Nobody in the world knew about Megan Fox until I found her and put her in “Transformers.” I like to think that I’ve had some luck in building actors’ careers with my films.

He’s right about helping build actors’ careers, and he’s certainly made Megan Fox. But he hasn’t done it by making them act, so there’s a little give and take in that statement. He even circles around an admission that his movies aren’t for actors with another statement to the WSJ.

I’ve been talking to some big actors right now about something that is totally different. A small dark comedy, a true story, with actors just acting, no effects. I’m done with effects movies for now.

So what effect will this have on Fox’s chances for Transformers 3? Hard to say now. Bay sounds like he’s not much interested in the film, and when he does get around to it, hard to imagine that he’d push away one of the reasons for the film’s great popularity with the boys. Besides, he sounds like the kind of guy who’d hire Fox again just so he could really make her work her ass off. I can imagine that if she does end up in Transformers 3, she’ll realize the running and screaming so far has been nothing compared to what he could make her do.

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New photos from The Final Destination (aka Final Destination 4 3D) have been published via our friends at DVDForum.I love the photo above because it shows what happens when you go see a horror movie in 3D. Stupid teenagers. That’s what you get! But seriously, For me, the Final Destination films are fun because they don’t pretend to be anything more than just a serious of fun death sequences. You never really care about the characters or story. Everyone goes to see the ridiculously elaborate  death sequences. Gimmicky 3D will probably suit the series well, and judging from these imagines, audiences will be in for some mindless, gory, possibly fun 3D violence. We can only hope. I must warn you, most of the new photos show the gory deaths of the kids in this fourth film, so be warned of possible spoilers.

Head on over to DVDForum for more photos.

• Warner Bros Announces Comic-Con Line-Up
• The Final Destination Movie Trailer - Death By Nascar?

One of the first things that caught my eye this morning was Twitch’s posting of a new French trailer for Ong Bak 2, starring master of knees and elbows Tony Jaa. They’re excited about this one because it shows, briefly, some of the scene where Jaa has a watery encounter with a real, live alligator. Peter has already done a VOTD for today, so I’ll just implore you to watch this trailer, after the jump.

Ong Bak 2, which is unrelated to the first film in any story sense, had a famously difficult road to completion. Tony Jaa directed, against the advice of former director Prachya Pinkaew. But in the middle of the shoot he had a massive breakdown, fled into the forest and stayed there for two months (supposedly practicing black magic) before making a tearful return to civilization on live TV. Then he presented the film’s financier with a list of demands that had to be met if he was to finish the film; after showing up at a police station claiming that he was being followed by thugs (i.e. his financier’s goons) he just went back and finished the movie with the help of his mentor Panna Rittikrai. But from our perspective, if the fight scenes are as impressive as some of these shots suggest, it will perhaps all be worth it. The original film is still jaw-dropping, even with the silly plot and characters.

Luc Besson’s company Europa Corp is distributing the film in Europe, and is making some cuts. (It also took care of the first, and even got a spraypainted shout-out in the film’s tuk-tuk chase sequence, seen dimly here at 5:37. ) About six minutes have reportedly been trimmed, and some changes may have been made to the score as well.

To be honest, I’ve heard mixed things about Ong Bak 2, which premiered in Thailand long ago and is already available via R3 DVD. But the trailers and clips make the fight scenes look amazing, so I’m still ready. Seeing Ong Bak at Midnight Madness during the ‘03 Toronto fest was one of my favorite genre movie experiences, so I’m hoping for a glimmer of that from the sequel.

And if you haven’t seen it, check the great French poster for the film, which shamelessly trades on Bruce Lee’s image.

• Fantastic Fest Announces SXSW Midnight Film Selections

Just a week ago we reported on Buried, the indie thriller about a civilian contracter in Iraq who is kidnapped and buried alive, to be played by Ryan Reynolds. Now The Playlist got quotes from an Autralian TV interview with Reynolds, who says the movie is all him, all the time. One man, one coffin, one crazy thriller.

Buried is the story about a guy who’s buried (laughs). It’s the only movie I’ve ever heard of with only one person in it. So it’s just me, I’m the only person in the whole movie so, I don’t know, we’ll see. It’s either going to be, you know, the greatest, most experimental cool movie ever made or god knows what.

Furhtermore, ScriptShadow has a brief script review, which calls Buried “top-notch storytelling”. The script sounds like eighty pages of ticking clocks, with tension all over the place. Hereare two scene-setting paragraphs. Guess this could be called spoilerish if you’re ridiculously militant about that sort of thing.

Paul, an American truck driver in Iraq, has just woken up in a coffin. It’s burning up. Hot as balls. Lack of oxygen makes it hard to breathe. And let’s not forget the coffin, which only allows him a few inches of room in every direction. I will offer this warning right now: If you are claustrophobic, do not read this script.

At first Paul has no memory of how he got here. But things start slowly coming back to him. He was driving a truck, delivering food, when there was a loud explosion. Many of his co-workers were killed but somehow he wasn’t. He remembers Iraqis coming towards him. But after that? Nothing. Now he’s down here, in a grave, in Iraq.

Consider not just the confinement of being buried alive, but the heat of being in a shallow grave in Iraq. What about the danger of artillery and bombs? There are other elements to the story, too, but I’ll let you read the full piece at ScriptShadow if you want to know more.

But as far as Buried being the first movie with only one actor, nope. Someone get Reynolds a copy of Robert Altman’s Secret Honor, featuring a remarkable performance from Philip Baker Hall as Richard Nixon. Not the first one-man movie, but the first that comes to mind, and a great one to boot.

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Jonah Hill evidently really digs the movies by Mumblecore auteurs Jay and Mark Duplass. Their film The Puffy Chair, about two brothers on a road trip to pick up a replica of an odd family heirloom, is one of his favorites. So the three did a movie together, and according to MTV the project just finished a six-week LA shoot. In the untitled film (formerly called Safety Men) Hill is the son of Marisa Tomei, who has just begun a relationship with John C. Reilly.

The film’s tone is in the vein of The Puffy Chair and (to a lesser extent, since there’s no horror angle) Baghead, meaning a mixture of drama and comedy with an emphasis on relationships and family. Mark Duplass explained to MTV that Tomei’s character is totally out of Reilly’s league (yeah, you think?) and that she’s not really opening up to him. Then he finds out about Hill, the grown son she hadn’t yet revealed. He calls what follows “a very bizarre, codependent relationship. It almost develops into some obtuse love triangle, as John and Jonah wrestle for the feelings of Marisa.”

In their previous films the Brothers worked with relatively amateur actors, making this a notable step in a different direction. But from the sound of it, they’re keeping the same very indie working methods, and Hill fit right in. “He is so one of us, I just can’t even tell you,” Duplass said. “He came in there and he was vulnerable and no ego and fucking hilarious and prepared things, and we’re improvising, so the shit he’s coming up with on the spot, I never could come up with on my own. He’s humble. He’s got it.” You’d have to think that Reilly would also be perfect working in the improvisational super-indie mode, and probably Tomei as well, after The Wrestler.

Fox Searchlight has the film, and we’ll likely see it sometime next year.

• The Duplass Brothers’ Table 19 Set Up at Fox Searchlight
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• VOTD: Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill Try To Crash the NBC Gates
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Yet another rusty nail has been driven into my hopes and dreams the coffin of a potential Brian Singer Superman Returns sequel. Talking to Omelete during a Scott Pilgrim set visit, Brandon Routh has admitted that his multi-movie contract with Warners Superman franchise has lapsed. Their original story is in Portuguese, but my IT-abetted attempt at a translation will follow after the break… with a little bonus ‘good news’ about Routh’s upcoming picture Dead of Night.

Here are the key quotes from Routh. Firstly, on the small matter of the contract:

The term of the contract expired. But if they call me again, I’ll go back to the character without thinking twice.

On Warners’ plans for the series:

I do not know anything. I’m sure that Warner Bros. is moving there, but everything is still uncertain. Actually, I do not know anything.

On why he thinks Superman Returns may have disappointed:

I think it is missing some beating.

By which I suppose I mean action, but all of the internet translators I can find only get as close as ‘beating’. Honestly, though I don’t know that it needed more action as much as a different evil scheme for Lex Luthor. The one in the film just doesn’t seem high-stakes enough, and is a little difficult to identify with. Pretty much everything else in the film clicks, I think. I’m definitely keen to read Tarantino’s epic review of the film if/when he gets time to finish it.

Routh’s next starring role in the Dylan Dog movie Dead of Night was rumored to be going straight to DVD for a while before Platinum Studios’ Dan Forcey told Think McFly Think that they were “contractually obligated and guaranteed a theatrical release of at least 1,100 screens” and “couldn’t do direct-to-DVD if we wanted to.”

Doesn’t change the fact that it has a truly dreadful screenplay and will very possibly feel like a direct-to-DVD movie, though.

• First Look: Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington in Dead of Night
• Taye Diggs Cast in Dead of Night
• The Clash at Demonhead
• First Look: Aubrey Plaza and The Bands of Scott Pilgrim
• Superman Returns Sequel To Be Titled Superman Unleashed?
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Gallery1988 has provided us with another exclusive look at one of the many art pieces which will be on display at the third annual pop culture art show Crazy4Cult 3D. Jeff Boyes has done a nice piece inspired by Luc Besson’s 1994 film The Professional, which starred Natalie Portman as a 12-year-old who is taken in by a Professional assassin (Jean Reno) after her parents are killed.

Click on the image above to enlarge. Gallery1988 will be selling limited edition prints of this piece at the show, which opens on July 16th and runs until August 8th in Los Angeles.

Cool Stuff is a daily feature of slashfilm.com. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at orfilms@gmail.com.

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