Last week I got to sit down and chat with Ti West about his upcoming release The Innkeepers, which hits Blu-ray and DVD today. I was a huge fan of The House of the Devil and loved The Innkeepers, the story of two geeky hotel employees who are determined to prove the inn they work at is haunted days before it closes. I

Ti fares from Wilmington, Delaware, where growing up he would often come to Philadelphia to enjoy our theaters. Ti is a very humble guy who was very candid about his thoughts on The Innkeepers, his career, piracy and bed bugs.

Oh and if you’re in Philly, check out The Innkeepers DVD release party on Wednesday, April 25th at 8pm thanks to Awesome Fest.  They will be screening the film and probably giving away some great prizes.

The Innkeepers is your fifth horror film in a row. Do you feel comfortable as a genre director or would you eventually want to do other kinds of films?

The time is running out on the horror movie train. I just wrote a movie for a job that I may make, and then I have a job doing an adaptation of a novel. I kind of made a promise to myself after that, if its not a job that comes to me to make a horror movie I am not going to write them for a while in my spare time.

It’s not because I have turned on it or anything, its just I am starting to feel like I am repeating myself.  I have this werewolf movie I am trying to get made, I have a sci-fi film that is almost getting made and I have another movie I am sort of quiet about that is seconds away from getting made and I am going to write that novelization out.

After doing all that, when you sit down and write “They walked slowly down the hallway”, you just kind of slap yourself in the head, because you’re like holy shit I need to take a step out of this and re-group. I am not uncomfortable being labeled that, but certainly you can only do something for so long till you do something else.

I’ve read The Innkeepers was based on some of your experiences shooting House of the Devil and staying at the actual Yankee Peddler you used in the film, could you tell me about that?

Yeah, well when we made House of the Devil we stayed at the Yankee Peddler, because it was a cheap hotel to stay in. All this weird stuff started happening, not so much to me but to the crew and the whole town is obsessed with it being haunted. So since we were there making this satanic horror movie, we would all be like “the real horror is at the hotel,” we would all goof.

But I wanted to make a ghost story, so I thought why don’t we make the one we lived. What if we went back to the actual place and made it there, I could write it specifically about that and that is what we did.

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Its been a while since we have had an unboxing of a special edition anything, so I thought I would bring that tradition back. The kind folks over at Dark Sky Films were nice enough to send me one of the limited editions of Innkeepers on Blu-rays to check out for Geekadelphia. How limited is this edition you ask? They made 500. Pretty damn limited if you ask me.

Look at these to hit eBay and surpass The House of the Devil VHS, Ti’s previous limited edition which is going for about $100 when it shows up from time to time. Where The House of the Devil VHS invoked one retro format The Innkeepers invokes another and is reminiscent of a record or a laser disc.

Check out the photos and thanks to Dark Sky films, we have not one but two copies of The Innkeepers regular edition Blu-ray to giveaway to two lucky readers. If you want to check out the film on the big screen, check out The Innkeepers DVD release party on Wednesday,  April 25th at 8pm.

Awesome Fest will be screening the film and probably giving away some great prizes! They might even have one of these to give away, you never know.

Want to win a copy? Simply comment with your favorite ghost film  by Sunday, April 29th and why and two readers will be picked at random to win The Innkeepers on Blu-ray!

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You like video games right? Sure you do. Well Tuesday, April 24th at 7pm they will be screening Indie Game: The Movie,  a documentary about indie game developers at the Ritz East.

The documentary, which was an official selection of Sundance, showcases several developers as they struggle to both develop and release their games. It’s the first high-profile feature length documentary about making video games and it’s a story all creators can identify with.

Tickets are $15 and can be picked up here, but use the code IGTMPHILA and get $3 bucks off your ticket! Check out the trailer below, but a word of warning there is some swearing in it, so you might not want to play if full volume at work.

CONTEST OVER! Okay geeks, the film we have been waiting for since it was announced back in 2008 is finally about to hit our screens Friday, May 4th. Marvel’s The Avengers. The ultimate culmination of Marvel’s rebooting of its super hero franchises is finally seeing the light of day, and I can’t wait.

If you haven’t seen Thor, Ironman 1+2, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Incredible Hulk I think you have some homework to do. Marvel’s The Avengers is the endgame those films have been working towards since Iron Man hit and reinvigorated the Marvel superhero film franchise.

Without going into too much detail (I personally have been trying to avoid spoilers) we do know Loki is one of the villains and he is trying to take over the Earth with an unknown army. Now it is up to Marvel’s The Avengers, known for not getting along well with others, to unite and attempt to stop him.

We have 25 passes to an advance screening of the film May 1st, 4 days before the film opens to the public at the AMC Neshaminy Mall. Want a chance to win?  Simply comment by Friday the 20th with who your favorite Avenger is and why. The best/funniest answers will get a pass for 2 to see the film.

These passes will be going out snail mail so I will be contacting winners Saturday for mailing addresses, fail to get back to me by Saturday at midnight and the passes will be forfeited. In the meantime check out the trailer below.

No cameras, camera phones, or other recording devices permitted in screening. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Theatre capacity is limited and passes won do not guarantee seating. (So please show up early!) Theater is not responsible for overbooking. Ticket holder and guest must enter theater together.

If you saw Hugo (or you’re just a big film buff),  you are very aware of Georges Méliès classic film A Trip to the Moon.

It features one of cinema’s most unforgettable images…  the Man in the Moon being poked in the eye by a rocketship. The iHouse will be screening the newly restored colored version of the film with recorded musical accompaniment by Air as part of their Archive Fever series this Wednesday, April 18th at 7pm.

Preceding the film will be the new documentary The Extraordinary Voyage. The documentary charts Moon’s voyage from the fantastical Méliès’ production in 1902 to the premiere of the new restoration at Cannes in 2011.

Tickets are $9 and you can get more info here.

Poster by Haunt Love

Its been a while since we had a Geekadelphia movie night at The Trocadero, but that’s about to change. Friday, May 4th we will be screening the 1987 classic Masters of the Universe at the Troc followed by Skeletor Karaoke for FREE! I am a HUGE fan of Skeletor Karaoke and he will also be on hand helping with hosting duties. If that isn’t enough for you, before the film we will be screening the world premier of the trailer for the South Fellini horror epic Alpha Girls.

If you have never seen Masters its definitely a product of the 80s and something that has to be seen to be believed. The film (produced by the infamous Cannon Films) was released AFTER the popularity of the cartoon and toyline, leading to a box office bomb, the demise of the studio, and the cancellation of their planned adaptation of Spider-Man.

Fun Fact: The left over sets were used in another 80s classic with another 80s action superstar… Cyborg with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

There will also be some awesome prizes for those who dare to dress up as their favorite Masters of the Universe characters (She-ra counts!). Dolph Lundgren, beer, karaoke and blood splattered sorority girls this night has everything, BE THERE! Since it’s first Friday, doors will be at 8:30 with the film rolling at 9:00. Karaoke will start at the film’s conclusion. Check out the trailer below!

The Cabin in the Woods, simply put, is the best horror film to come out of the American studio system in the last 2-3 years. It’s hard to believe the film has been literally just sitting on the shelf for almost that long, waiting for a theatrical release.

Written by Joss Whedon and directed by first timer Drew Goddard, the film was a victim of the MGM bankruptcy back in 2010 and the release was put on indefinite hold until a buyer could be found and a new release date could be scheduled.

Luckily, Lionsgate stepped in and saved the day and the film opens today on the very apt Friday the 13th.

The Cabin in the Woods is the story of five friends who go to (you guessed it) a cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying and debauchery. What they don’t know is things aren’t exactly as they seem and this is made clear even before their RV even leaves for the cabin.

There are a ton of layers to this story and Whedon and Goddard have masterfully given this more than tired sub-genre with its well known tropes the shot in the arm it so desperately deserved.

The film stars a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth and Whedon Alums Fran Kranz and Amy Acker. The rest of the cast is peppered with lesser knowns and up and comers that we will definitely be seeing and hearing more from after this film hits. In typical Whedon fashion the cast is a perfect mishmash of girl power and character actors, who successfully deliver Whedon’s trademarked pop-culture aware dialog.

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Our friends over at Medium Rare Cinema are screening another one of a kind cut of a film that you can’t see anywhere else. Head over to the Broad Street Ministry this Thursday, April 12th at 7:30pm to catch an uncut version of the Ringo Lam 1988 classic School on Fire.

This version, which they’ve dubbed Ringo Lam’s original cut, was achieved by restoring 36 edits. This accounts for more the 6 minutes that were forced on Lam by Hong Kong censors.

The film involves a young schoolgirl who becomes caught in a tragic stranglehold of triad activity after she testifies in court over a triad beating. When this news reaches the triad leader, she must pay him protection money for what she has done as events begin to escalate.

The film will be presented digitally in Cantonese with newly translated English subtitles. There will also be a discussion afterwards, accompanied by trivia and prizes. All this for a mere $5. Check out the trailer below!

The Indonesian film The Raid: Redemption or The Raid, has been blowing up the festival circuit over the last few months since it was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics, retitled (to give way for a trilogy) and re-scored. The film has been getting the kind of buzz in genre circles not heard since Attack the Block last year, and where Attack the Block was a throwback to 80s sci-fi, The Raid: Redemption might be one of the the greatest action films to hit our screens in a long time.

The film is the story of swat team sent to take back a building from a crime lord who has filled it with criminals, each of whom pays a fee to live there law free. Under suspicious orders the team begins to re-take the building only to have the tables turned when a bounty is offered up by the crime lord for anyone who takes care of this newest “infestation”.

What results is a hyper-violent, kung-fu action film that will satisfy anyone looking for an hour and 40 minutes of solid ass-kicking. The film is very similar to a video-game in that the team slowly makes its way through the numbered floors of increasing danger on their way to the top where the big boss and his two loyal bodyguards reside. Somewhere in there of course is more plot there to be had, but honestly, that is not this film’s strongest point.

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Cabin in the Woods will finally be getting a theatrical release on the very befitting Friday, April 13th after sitting on the shelf for almost 3 years. The film, written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, has become a thing of legend thanks to some amazing word of mouth from screenings at both Butt-Numb-A-Thon and SXSW.

The film is a by the horror text book story of five friends who go for a weekend retreat at a remote cabin in the woods and insanity ensues. I really don’t want say anymore. I have seen this film and the less you walk in with the better it will be for you.

We have 25 passes for 2 to a screening of the film at The Rave, Monday April 9th, 2012. Want a chance to check this out before the Internet has a chance to spoil the film for you? Simply comment with your favorite “Cabin in the Woods” film and why by Sunday. The best answers will score some tickets.

No trailer for this one… too many damn spoilers.

Pulp Cinema will be screening David and Lisa at Broad Street Ministry on Monday, April 2nd at 7:30pm on 16mm.

David and Lisa, which was based on a book by Theodore Isaac Rubin, is the  strange love story of a girl with dissociative identity disorder and a boy with obsessive compulsive disorder. The broken pair meet in a mental facility and form a very unlikely bond trying to help the each other overcome their psychological shortcomings.

The  independent feature was shot in black and white in and around Philadelphia for $183,000,  was written and directed by the husband and wife team of  Frank Perry and Eleanor Perry.  David and Lisa went on to make over $1,000,000 in its first week of film rentals alone and they were nominated for two Oscars in 1962, for directing and best screenplay.

The screening will be free to the public, please check out the trailer below!

There’s no stopping The Hunger Games phenomenon. Just as the trilogy of young adult books wrapped up, a film adaptation was announced and Hollywood is hoping that this new franchise will fill the seats left empty by the loss of Harry Potter and Twilight.

The Hunger Games is the story of a post-apocalyptic future, where for the last 74 years as penance for a rebellion 12 districts are forced to give up both a male and a female child to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. The film focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from the poor mining village of District 12, whose younger sister is picked as tribute to fight. Katniss volunteers to take her place in the televised battle to the death where only one can survive to claim the title.

We then follow Katniss on her journey after she volunteers, as she is taken to the rich and decadent Capitol and groomed to appeal to the masses who will be watching, betting and sponsoring the games. While in the city promoting the games, she falls into the requisite love triangle with a fellow tribute right before she is thrown into the Hunger Games to fight for her life.

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