Horror Chamber's Scream Queen of the Month: January 2017 - Jessica Sonneborn

Jessica Sonneborn is an actress that has appeared in horror films such horror films as "Bloody Bloody Bible Camp", "The Haunting of Alice D" and most recently "Never Open the Door". She is our Horror Chamber's Screen Queen of the Month for January 2017.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Connecticut, but live in Los Angeles now.

What made you get into horror acting?

I’ve always been a big ham, but I got a lot of my inspiration from my Dad who is a film historian. I didn’t go to acting or film school, so my education has been on set. I started auditioning when I lived in Boston and many of the first projects I booked were horror films. I caught the bug from there.

Favorite Horror Film:

Every one I’ve been in. 😊 I would have to say The Shining and The Orphanage.

Favorite Horror Character:

This is a tough one. I’m really old school in my taste, so I’ll have to go with Norman Bates.

Favorite Horror Director:

I love and respect so many of them, but I’d have to go with Carpenter. His movies are so much fun.

Favorite Horror TV or Film Series:

Black Mirror

Favorite Horror Scream Queen:

I keep wondering if I should answer with an old school SQ or someone I’ve worked with, because I truly have many favorites. 😊

Jamie Lee Curtis for old school and Augie Duke for who I’ve worked with. Augie and I have done several projects together, including our latest, Wild Boar. Her and I have WAY too much fun together. 😊 


Advice for people trying to make it in the Horror Business:

I always say if you want to try it, volunteer to work or act on a short film. After 12 hours, covered in blood, cold and dirty, if you’re still smiling… you may have found the right business to play in.

I have links to movies that are out and info on movies coming out on my Official Website: www.jessicasonneborn.com

Official Social Media Pages:
Twitter and Instagram: @jesssonneborn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actressjessicasonneborn/

I have two horror movies that just came out in November and December.

One Night Of Fear: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MD1H26E?ref_=imdbref_nm_aiv_1&tag=imdbtag_nm_aiv-20 and Never Open The Door https://www.amazon.com/Never-Open-Blu-ray-Jessica-Sonneborn/dp/B01M30E46Q/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1480748092&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=never+open+the+door

Official Nominees for the 2017 Fright Meter Awards

The Fright Meter Awards recently announced its nominees for the 2017 Fright Meter Awards that yours truly is involved in. Here's the complete list of nominees.

Best Horror Movie

Don't Breathe
Green Room
The Invitation
Krampus
The Witch

Best Director

Fede Alvarez - Don't Breathe
Michael Dougherty - Krampus
Robert Eggers - The Witch
Karyn Kasuma - The Invitation
James Wan - The Conjuring 2

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Vera Farmiga - The Conjuring 2
Jane Levy - Don't Breathe
Kate Siegel - Hush
Anya Taylor-Joy - The Witch
Mary Elizabeth Winstead - 10 Cloverfield Lane

Best Actor in a Leading Role

John Goodman - 10 Cloverfield Lane
Stephen Lang - Don't Breathe
Logan Marshall-Green - The Invitation
Henry Rollins- He Never Died
Anton Yelchin - Green Room

Best Supporting Actress

Tammy Blanchard - The Invitation
Kate Dickie - The Witch
Melynda Kiring - All Through the House
Jena Malone - The Neon Demon
Imogen Poots - Green Room

Best Supporting Actor

Richard Brake - 31
John Gallagher Jr. - 10 Cloverfield Lane
Ralph Ineson -The Witch
Dong-soek Ma - Train to Busan
Patrick Stewart - Green Room

Best Screenplay

10 Cloverfield Lane
Don't Breathe
The Invitation
Krampus
The Witch

Best Make Up

31
Baskin
Bite
Clown
Krampus

Best Score

31
Green Room
Krampus
The Neon Demon
The Witch

Best Editing

10 Cloverfield Lane
Don't Breathe
The Invitation
Krampus
The Witch

Best Cinematography

The Conjuring 2
The Invitation
The Neon Demon
The Shallows
The Witch

Best Short Horror Film

Heir
Killer Friends
Night Stalker
Sandman
The Stylist

Best Special Effects

10 Cloverfield Lane
The Conjuring 2
Krampus
Lights Out
The Shallows

Get Ready to Have a Killer Party with the Official Trailer and Poster for "Party Night"

Fright Meter Films recently released the official trailer for their upcoming film "Party Night". The film stars Tommie Vegas, Billy Brannigan., Destinie Orndoff, Ryan Poole and Laurel Toupal.

No release date was announced at this time.

For more information on this film, you can check out the film's official Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/partynightmovie.

Plot Synopsis:

Six friends become prey for a sadistic psychopath when they decide to ditch their school's after prom party for their own celebration at a secluded house near the river.

"Party Night": Official Trailer

Official Trailer for the Upcoming Indie Slasher "Are We the Waiting"

Fun Time Productions recently released the official trailer for their upcoming film "Are We The Waiting". The film stars Rob Pemberton, Alyssa Cordial,Bridgett Kidd and Michael Taylor Pritt, who also directs.

No release date has been announced at this time.

For more information on the film, you can visit Fun Time Productions official Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/OfficiallyFunTimez#.

"Are We The Waiting": Official Trailer

The Horror Chamber's Top 10 Films of 2016 #1- #5

Welcome to part two of the horror chamber's Best of 2016. To view #6-#10, you can click here. Without further ado, the top 5 films of 2016.

1. The Witch

This was a great year for horror films but “The Witch” was the horror film of year which something for a film that was released back in March and doesn’t feature much action. What made this film great was its creepy tone and the performances. Whether it was Robert Eggar’s direction or the great performances from Anna Taylor-Joy and Ralph Innes, everything had a very dark and gloomy tone that made this film great. It’s the best acted and directed horror film that I’ve seen this year.

2. Don’t Breathe

Fede Alvarez continues to be one of horror’s fastest rising directors, as his latest film “Don’t Breathe” was great from start to finish. One of the things that he does very well is the way he brings a level of intensity to the action scenes. Whether it’s his direction or the screenplay that he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues, everything had an intense feel to it which kept me on the edge of my seat. This film also has great performances from Jane Levy and Stephen Lang which added to the intensity this film had. With the lead acting and direction, it helped made it “Don’t Breathe” the most suspenseful film of the year.

3. Synchronicity

This year, the horror chamber expanded it coverage to include sci-fi and exploitation films. “Synchronicity” was one of those sci-fi films that manage to grab me by the horns from start to finish. The film has very good visuals for its low budget along with a screenplay that manages to keep it interesting as everything from the time travel aspects to the love story is done in a way that it brings an interesting take on the time travel genre. It’s one of those thinking man kind of sci-fi films that is different from the standard mainstream sci-fi fare.

4. The Neon Demon

I might get some heat for this but I enjoyed “The Neon Demon” enough to consider it one of the year’s best. Yes, this film has a screenplay that goes in many directions but this was a return to form from “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn after his last film “Only God Forgive” was atrocious which led me to shut it off a third of the way in. His direction for “The Neon Demon” was great as the film was the most stylish film to be released in 2016. It also had the feel of an Dario Argento/Jess Franco/ David Lynch vibe to it. It also helped that it had great cinematography and great performances from Elle Fanning, Jean Malone and Belle Heathcote.

5. The Love Witch

“The Love Witch” was one a film that I reviewed as part of Film-Arcade.net’s coverage of the 2016 Fantasia International Film Festival. This film was so hypnotizing from start to finish. From the look of the film to the direction from Anna Biller, everything had a Jess Franco/Jean Rollin retro vibe which give the film its uniqueness. The film also has a great performance from Samantha Robinson as the title character. She really makes that character very good from her performance as it made me interested in the character. Check this out when it hits Blu-Ray or DVD this coming year.

The Horror Chamber's Top 10 Films of 2016 #6 - #10

2016 has come and gone. It was a great year for horror. Over the next two days, I'll be highlighting the ten best horror films of 2016. Today, I'll start with 6 - 10.

6. Nina Forever

“Nina Forever” was one of those very odd horror comedies. It was also one of the best films that I’ve seen all year. One of the things that I liked about this film was the performances. I thought Cian Barry, Abigail Hardingham and Fiona O’Shaughnessy were great together as the three made their characters entertaining especially with the scenes that they are in with each other. It made this film fun. I also liked the way writer/directors Ben & Chris Blaine do a very good job moving the action and making sure the dark humor is timed very well while focusing on the film’s main character. It made it very twisted and entertaining. Check this film out on VOD and Shudder.

7. The Invitation

The Invitation was one of those films that takes a while to get in to, but the end result made it one of the best thrillers of 2016. One of the things that made this very good was Karyn Kusama’s direction. He’s able to keep you interested through the way that he directs the performances and action. It kept my interest and made me wonder if the main character is breaking down or is there’s something sinister at work. The screenplay from Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi was very good. I liked how they build up the suspense by focusing on his main character and the dinner party. By doing that, it allows everything to be built up to the very intense last act. It makes it worth through sitting through the dialogue scenes which was also very good. It also helped that the film has great performances from Logan Marshall Green and Tammy Blanchard as they help drive this film as the troubled ex couple. This worth checking out if you like intense thrillers.

8. Harvest Lake

If “The Neon Demon” wasn’t released this year, I would be considering this as the oddest film of the year. It was the follow up from “Found“ director Scott Schirmer. One of the things why I liked it a lot was the screenplay. It does a very good job with the way that it handles the dark elements especially with the sex scenes as they had a bizarre tone and added level of dread. The other thing that I liked was that it had a very good cast that included Elle Church, Tristen Risk, Kevin Roach and Dan Nye as the performances kept me interested as the story developed.

9. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Going into “10 Cloverfield Lane”, I was expecting it to be more like “Cloverfield” with the found footage format and everything. Instead, this was way different and way better than “Cloverfield” as it mostly felt like an Alfred Hitchcock film than a straight up monster film. Most of that had to do with the screenplay. I like how the screenwriters go something completely different by going the thriller route for most of it. It made some the scenes intense and made the story feel different from other sci-fi films. The film also has great performances from John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. This could’ve easily been made by Alfred Hitchcock.

10. 31

Rob Zombie was back in 2016 with one of his goriest and one of his best films to date with“31”. This film was intense and shocking. It had a 70’s horror vibe to it which made shocking elements work so well. It also had villains that were terrifying to watch. This also has very good supporting performances from Richard Brake as the twisted Doom-Head. The performance alone literally brought the film to another level as it gives the gloom and doom that this film is going for.

Honorable Mentions: Bed of the Dead, Model Hunger, Flesh for the Inferno, The ID, Vampyres

Five Independent Horror Films to Look Forward to in 2017

While 2016 is coming to an end, it’s not too early to start looking forward to 2017. Some of the great horror lately have been coming out of the independent scenes. This year alone have had some great films released like “The Love Witch”, “Nina Forever” and “Harvest Lake” to name a few. It’s be There are also a lot of upcoming independent horror films that I’m looking forward to in 2017 including “Red Eye”, “Mania”, “B.C Butcher” and “Bed of the Dead” to name few but these are the five films that I’m looking forward to the most and hopefully gets released in 2017.

Celluloid Wizard in the Video Wasteland: The Saga of Empire Pictures

I know its a documentary but it fits in to the horror theme. When I first heard about this project through IndieGoGo, I knew that I had to back this project because I’m a big Charles Band fan and the fact that I liked some of the films from Empire Picture like Re-Animator, Trancers and Dolls. This documentary is about the rise and fall of Empire Picture. From this trailer, this looks like it’s going to be a great film for fans of Empire Pictures. Can’t wait to see this when it’s finally released.

Celluloid Wizard in the Video Wasteland: The Saga of Empire Pictures: Teaser Trailer

Return to Return to Nuke’ Em High

It’s been two years since vol.1 came out on Blu-Ray. It’s a film that I liked a lot as it was fun and of course I’m a big fan of Lloyd Kaufman’s films. Yours truly has been waiting the conclusion of this two part film since watching the first one. I figured the film would be released this year but it took a while with more footage being shot and post production taking a while. Thankfully, it’s in the home stretch and I’m hoping it has on blu-ray release sometime in 2017.

Return to Return to Nuke’ Em High: Teaser Trailer

Truth or Dare

This is a film that I first heard through IndieGoGo a couple of years ago. I’ve been looking forward to for a while as it’s having trouble finding distribution. The film marks the directorial debut for actress Jessica Cameron who has appeared in such horror films “Silent Night”, “All Through the House” and the upcoming “Red Eye”. The trailer looks killer and can’t wait to see this whenever it gets release. I’m hoping 2017 is the year that this film finally gets release here in the U.S.

"Truth or Dare": Official Trailer

 

Death House

This upcoming film is being dubbed as horror’s version of the expendables written by the late Gunner Hanson. I was sold on this film when I first saw the behind the scenes documentary from The Dorkning. This film has a cast that includes Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Sid Haig, Dee Wallace, Barbra Crampton, Debbie Rochon, Sean Whalen, Felissa Rose, Tony Moran, Bill Mosley, Cortney Palm to name a few. This is definitely one that I’m going to check out. To see a sneak behind the scenes peak, you can check it out for yourself.

"Death House": Official Trailer

We Are the Flesh

This one I’m very interested in as this will be the Arrow Films releases here in the U.S. The film played at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival this year. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this film and the trailer to this film is mind blowing. This has the potential to be great. I have a feeling this will be one of those films that I’ll be taking about at the end of 2017.

"We Are The Flesh": Official Trailer