ANTRUM “The Deadliest Film Ever Made” Now on VOD + Final Trailer & New Artwork
Josh Millican
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A dark horse candidate for the best horror movie of 2019 has officially been unleashed upon the masses. Antrum (billed as “the deadliest film ever made”) is now available on VOD. Regular readers of Dread Central will remember that I was thoroughly impressed with the film when I experienced it at the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival last August.
US availability: iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, iNDEMAND, and Fandango Now as well as on broadcasters DirecTV and Dish Network.
Canadian availability: iTunes, Xbox, and Google Play as well as through broadcasters Shaw, Rogers and Telus.
Japan is set for a full theatrical release in February 2020 with VOD to follow.
DVD & Blu-ray, as well as additional worldwide availability, will be announced shortly.
Check out the final trailer for Antrum embedded at the top of the article and peep the stunning new artwork below.
Synopsis:
Antrum, a feature length film shot in the late 1970’s, is said to be cursed. In 1988, a movie theatre in Budapest that was screening the film burnt to the ground, killing the 56 people who were in attendance. This incident follows the inexplicable deaths of a number of film festival programmers that had received Antrum as a submission and died shortly after watching it. These events have created a belief that watching Antrum will kill you. Else Films has successfully tracked down a sole copy of the film and packaged it for public release. The film is about a young boy and girl that enter a forest and dig a hole to hell. As one programmer observed of Antrum, “You don’t watch the film, the film watches you”
Antrum’s notoriety came from festival attention throughout the year at SITGES, Brooklyn Horror, Horrible Imaginings, Morbido, BIFF, and a number of underground festivals. The film received write-ups in publications including The Hollywood Reporter, Fangoria, Rue Morgue, Scream, Starburst, Screen Anarchy, and even Forbes. Several major international festivals are still to be announced in the coming months.
Antrum’s reputation is partially due to additional real-world events that took place as the actual film was being shown. Market screenings during the Cannes Film Festival included liability waivers, and Fantafest Roma even brought in a priest in to bless the theater. Outside the festivals, many unexpected individuals have admitted to swapping the film with one another, with cult character actor Lawrence R. Harvey (Human Centipede: Full Sequence) even declaring Antrum “one of the best horror films of 2019.”
The heart of Antrum is the titular cursed feature, which purports to have been shot in the late 1970s by unknown filmmakers. It spins the tale of two siblings who perform an occult ritual in the woods, seeking closure after the death of a beloved pet… but their seemingly symbolic act may have truly unleashed Hell on Earth.
As rumor has it, this film vanished shortly after its completion along with the original creators – until a surprise screening during a film festival in Budapest in 1988. Not only did the theater reportedly burn to the ground, but several festival programmers later died under mysterious circumstances. The film was thought to be lost until many years later when a print was allegedly exhibited in San Francisco. The showing took a horrific turn when a full-scale riot broke out in the theater. Amid the chaos, the last known print of the film went missing. It was considered lost once again, and its deadly reputation returned to the domain of myth and mystery.
The legend is expanded by documentary bookends on the lost film’s shadowy origins, its deadly history, and the path to its ultimate rediscovery – but outside the film, even the actual directors are shrouded in mystery. Laicini & Amito have refused to comment on strange occurrences reported by viewers, nor have they discussed the subliminal insertion of occult symbols (“sigils”) and flash-frame footage that appears unrelated to the central film.
Earlier this year, Eric Thirteen negotiated a distribution deal with Keith Leopard from Uncork’d Entertainment on behalf of the filmmakers. Else Films produced the picture, with David Bond and Eric Thirteen serving as executive producers. International sales will be made through a new partnership with Julian Richards from Jinga Films.
“People wouldn’t believe me when I told them Antrum is a full, narrative film” Eric Thirteen tells us. “Today with the final trailer, people can see what they’re really in store for. Here it is in its entirety. The movie is out and – if they choose to watch it – they can finally unravel this experience for themselves.”
Are you excited to check out Antrum (“the deadliest film ever made”)? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
