william friedkin

Behind The Scenes: Joaquin Phoenix & Director Todd Phillips On The Set Of JOKER

A film which stands alone from Batman in a general way, 2019’s Joker still finds itself wrapped in the Dark Knight’s milieu. It’s subtle in its nods to Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s creation but it firmly sits as a film. Todd Phillips’ [...]

June 11, 2022

Universal Spends $400 Million On New EXORCIST Trilogy

Universal Pictures has closed a deal with Blumhouse and Morgan Creek to purchase worldwide rights for a new Exorcist trilogy. The deal is reportedly worth an eye-popping $400 million and it may see the films premiere on streaming service Peacock. [...]

July 26, 2021

Blu-ray Review: Jennifer Kent’s THE BABADOOK Is A Modern Horror Classic

Jennifer Kent’s 2014 film, The Babadook draws on the rich history of horror cinema, delivering thoughtful scares and strong imagery to create one of the finest genre films in recent years. Even, William Friedkin, the director of The [...]

July 1, 2021

Uncovering Curiosities: Waris Hussein’s THE POSSESSION Of JOEL DELANEY

This 1972 chiller directed by Waris Hussein is a supernatural tale that appears to be in the same mould as The Exorcist; however it was released over a year before William Friedkin’s classic. The Possession of Joel Delaney stars Shirley Maclaine [...]

June 20, 2021

Notebook Reviews: THE OMEN

Richard Donner – 1976 The Omen is a first rate horror from the great Richard Donner – which once again shows that he’s a director at ease in every genre. Great acting from Gregory Peck and Lee Remick and a fantastic score from [...]

April 14, 2021

Behind The Scenes: William Friedkin & Gene Hackman On The Set Of THE FRENCH CONNECTION

William Friedkin’s 1971 release, The French Connection is one of the finest films of the 1970s. Friedkin’s film is beautifully textured and there’s a real vérité style to the piece which adds to its authenticity (thanks to Owen [...]

January 19, 2021

We Don’t Need A New Sequel To THE EXORCIST

Word from The Observer is that Blumhouse Productions and Morgan Creek are developing a sequel to The Exorcist with David Gordon Green. The news comes after Green’s 2018 sequel to Halloween grossed more than $255 million globally and [...]

December 22, 2020

Uncovering Curiosities: William Peter Blatty’s THE NINTH CONFIGURATION

The Ninth Configuration defies categorisation and expectation. William Peter Blatty’s film is a smorgasbord of tonal shifts and bizarre characters collected within a tapestry of theological arguments and investigations into insanity. You’ll come [...]

November 17, 2020

Remembering William Friedkin’s Raw & Visceral KILLER JOE Starring Matthew McConaughey

The mighty William Friedkin’s 2012 thriller, Killer Joe is raw and visceral. It’s not a pleasant watch by any stretch of the imagination- but it is good. Very good. Friedkin has always been a director willing to push cinematic boundaries (see [...]

September 26, 2020

A Cold Day In Hell: William Friedkin Directing Max Von Sydow On The Set Of THE EXORCIST

Atmospheric beyond belief, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist continues to terrify audiences decades after its initial release. Friedkin’s 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty‘s novel has been copied over the years, but never [...]

June 9, 2020

Blu-ray Review: Joaquin Phoenix Leads The Pack In Todd Phillips’ Multi Award-Winning JOKER

Joaquin Phoenix won a slew of acting awards (including a BAFTA and Oscar) for his turn as the Clown Prince Of Crime in Todd Phillips’ take on Batman‘s iconic and anarchic arch-nemesis. After talking some serious talk, it was up for [...]

February 11, 2020

You Need To Watch Mark Kermode’s THE FEAR OF GOD: 25 YEARS OF THE EXORCIST

Mark Kermode isn’t just one of the UK’s great film critics, but he’s also the leading authority on William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. In fact, he literally wrote the book on it. His 1998 BBC documentary, The Fear of God: 25 [...]

November 2, 2019

Review: Todd Phillips’ JOKER Is Essential Cinema

After talking some serious talk, it was up for debate if The Hangover director Todd Phillips could pull-off the challenge of making Joker a film which sidestepped its comic book origins and deliver something with more gravitas than your usual [...]

October 10, 2019

Blu-ray Review: William Peter Blatty’s Mind Boggling THE NINTH CONFIGURATION

April 24, 2016

William Friedkin To Direct An Adaptation Of Don Winslow’s THE WINTER OF FRANKIE MACHINE

The world needs more William Friedkin movies – and the good news is that it looks like we’re getting another one. Friedkin has just signed-on to direct a screen adaptation of Don Winslow’s novel The Winter Of Frankie Machine. The book [...]

August 8, 2015

DVD Review: THE BABADOOK Draws On The Rich History Of Horror Cinema

The Babadook draws on the rich history of horror cinema, delivering thoughtful scares and strong imagery to create one of the finest genre films in recent years – even the mighty William Friedkin, director of The Exorcist came out and praised [...]

February 13, 2015

Blu-ray Review: THE VISITOR Features Aliens, Evil Telekinetic Children And Jesus Christ

The movie world has (and always will) been filled with filmmakers who want to cash-in on successful films. For every huge hit there are a slew of lesser imitators produced in order to score even a fraction of the financial success. The blockbusting [...]

October 25, 2014

Blu-ray Review: THE QUIET ONES Brings Back The Classic British Hammer Horror

Hammer used to be the byword for quintessentially English horror movies but changing cinematic tastes saw the studio crumble and die when audiences wanted to see less satin and more slashers. After several decades in the cinematic moratorium, the [...]

August 20, 2014

Blu-ray Review: Richard Fleischer’s Powerful VIOLENT SATURDAY

Violent Saturday is a blistering thriller from director Richard Fleischer with an impressive cast and some stunning visuals. Part melodrama, part tense noir thriller, Fleischer’s 1955 film follows the lives of the inhabitants of Bradenville, a [...]

May 4, 2014

Review: Matthew McConaughey Is A Revelation In William Friedkin’s KILLER JOE

The great William Friedkin’s Killer Joe is raw and visceral. It’s not a pleasant watch by any stretch of the imagination- but it is good. Very good. Friedkin has always been a director willing to push cinematic boundaries (see The Exorcist and [...]

July 12, 2012

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