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Showing posts with label Stephanie Greco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephanie Greco. Show all posts

HANSEL & GRETEL Gets a Poster

The Asylum's latest spin on the Brothers Grimm, Hansel & Gretel, isn't out until January 8th of next year, but this week we got our first look at the film's poster:

 Nice and creepy. The film was written by Jose Prendes (Haunting of Whaley House) and directed by Anthony Ferrante (BOO), and stars Whaley's Stephanie Greco and Brent Lydic (Flu Birds) as the titular twosome, and Dee Wallace (E.T.) as the witch at the center of it all. 

Film streets January 8th, 2013.

WHALEY HOUSE on DVD Today!!!

That's right, my fellow faithfully-committed, if it's Tuesday it must be time for another Asylum new release. This week it's the righteous haunted house flick, The Haunting of Whaley House, from writer/director Jose Prendes. Now, if you scroll down a few centimeters past the bottom of this post you'll find my glowing review of the film, which is absolutely a must-see for fans of the genre: great story, great cast, great scares, great film. So get thee to a DVD outlet be it rental or retail, and get your hands on this one while supplies last. Also on Blu-Ray and VOD.

observation notes: THE HAUNTING OF WHALEY HOUSE

Coming this Tuesday to DVD is The Asylum's The Haunting of Whaley House, an original ghost story from writer/director Jose Prendes (The Terminators, Haunting of Winchester House stories) based on the real-life history and lore of an historic home in San Diego. The plot is straight forward enough - "When a tour guide breaks into America’s Most Haunted House, a bit of amateur ghost hunting with friends turns into more horror than they could have ever imagined." - but the results are far from expected or ordinary: HoWH is an intelligent, paranoid and horrifying thriller, well-steeped in reality and thus resonant with authenticity.

Now, as you know, Committed is 100% anti-spoiler, so I won't delve on the details, but I can say in sweeping generalizations that Prendes has built a ghost story classically constructed, confident and fluid, and paired with lively, fast-pace and quick-witted dialogue rife with horror- and pop-cultural references that together create a delightful amalgam of old and new. The scares are smart, abrupt and startling - no corner or shadow is safe - resulting in a palpable tension from the first frame to the last; and believe me, once shit starts popping off in this one, SHIT STARTS POPPING OFF.

One of the major strengths of the picture outside Prendes' talents is the ensemble of actors he's assembled. Admittedly, there's been an over-saturation of ghost hunting in popular media over the last decade; and more often than not, when such characters are presented, it's with a dash of humor/pity. But Whaley House is how ghost hunters should be represented - passionate, scientific, meticulous and above all hungry for proof - and manages to an authentic and even admirable portrayal of such persons. The chemistry between the actors - Stephanie Greco, Alex Arleo, Arielle Brachfeld, Graham Denman (who also scored the film), Carolina Groppa, Howard McNair and Jason Owlsley - is believable and relaxed, while the individual characters themselves are nicely balanced, equally valuable and distinctly drawn; this is not your typical cast of ghost hunting characters, and the film is richer for their uniqueness. 


As a director, Prendes is obviously well-versed in all the classic horror films, domestic and foreign, and he brings his experienced eye to every frame, the result of which is perhaps the most suspenseful Asylum film to date. I honestly didn't know what to expect here, and Prendes and team surprised me at every turn, often to my nerves' chagrin. There is a creeping, anticipatory direction that transforms the camera into a pensive voyeur almost afraid to progress through the story, but unable to turn away. This one raises the bar, for real. It's lusciously atmospheric, rife with the best elements of its old-school influences, all the while breaking some scary new ground itself. And it's filmed in a really good looking house.

So then bottom line - stop what you're doing this Tuesday and rush to wherever you procure your home rentals and wrestle for your copy of Haunting of Whaley House; I can't imagine a world in which you'd be disappointed. Highest possible recommendation.

inmate profile: Arielle Brachfeld

T-minus two weeks until The Haunting of Whaley House drops on DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD, and given that the advance copies at Comic Con sold out fast, seems like there's a mighty fine film headed our way. So here at Committed we continue to educate and inform you about the creative talents behind this impending ghostly greatness; already we've profiled writer/director Jose Prendes and actors Stephanie Greco and Alex Arleo. Today we feature actress Arielle Brachfeld.

Ms. Brachfeld began acting professionally in 2005 with a couple of shorts that lead to a role in the indie comedic homage, Return of the Ghostbusters. From there the parts came rolling in, including The House That Jack Built alongside Joe Mantegna and Gail O'Grady, the horror anthology Evil Deeds 2, indie comedy/horror Blood Effects, and Love, Gloria, with Asylum-alum Heather McComb (2012: Supernova). 

In addition to her work in Whaley House - which from the picture below looks pretty pivotal, not to mention blood-curdling - Ms. Brachfeld has several other projects in various stages of development: InSpectres, a comedy; Live-In Fear, a supernatural adventure flick; The Obsession, a drama alongside yet another Asylum-alum, Dominique Swain (Nazis at the Center of the Earth); and Love: As You Like It, "a sexy, bold reimagining of Shakespeare's romantic comedy..." Can't got wrong with that, right?


Until then, check out Arielle Brachfeld's next performance in The Asylum's The Haunting on Whaley House, out July 31st.

inmate profile: Stephanie Greco

The next film slated for release by The Asylum is The Haunting of Whaley House, from writer/director Jose Prendes, and which premieres - for those of us not going to Comic Con - on DVD July 31st. With that in mind, it's time to turn our attention to some of the creative powers behind this impending, chilling masterpiece. First up: actress Stephanie Greco.

Ms. Greco's bio, from her own website: " Native South Floridian Stephanie Greco began acting in High School. She has performed as Corie Bratter in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, Helsa Wenzel in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 and Muffet Di Nicoli in Uncommon Women and Others.  

Her love of film took her off the stage and onto the screen in 2002 when she began dabbling in local productions and independent films.

Stephanie’s first leading role came under the direction of Avery Pack in the film Artifact. Artifact premiered at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January 2006 and screened at festivals in New York and Israel.

In the summer of 2007, Stephanie made the move to Los Angeles. She has studied under the direction of Michelle Danner at The Larry Moss Studio, Amy Lyndon and Robert D’ Avanzo. She performed in the west coast premiere of John Buffalo Mailer’s Hello Herman and wrote, produced and starred in the web show Nannyland.

Stephanie has performed in numerous independent films, on television and as a series host. She recently finished principal photography on two horror features. In The Haunting of Whaley House, Stephanie stars as Penny Abbot, a skeptic who works at America’s most haunted house. The Haunting of Whaley House will premiere at Comic Con 2012. In Chemical Peel, which has been described as a mix between The Mist and Cabin Fever, Stephanie plays one of six women who become trapped when a bachelorette party goes horribly wrong. Look for Chemical Peel Halloween 2012."

Not a bad resume; Ms. Greco also appeared in another Asylum production, 2008's The Day the Earth Stopped. Here's hoping  The Haunting of Whaley House will be a breakthrough performance for Ms. Greco. Find out for yourself when the film streets on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD July 31st.

Lovely Ladies of the Asylum vol. 9

I'm not a fool, gentlemen. I know what brings you here, what lures you in, coaxes your hits, some of you at least. It isn't the snarky commentary, or the breaking news, the hard-hitting interviews or deep-digging profiles, no, it's not me at all, is it? I see the keywords from my Google hits, and I know a picture of a pretty lady brings in more readers than the phrase "observation notes." 

Not that I can blame you: The Asylum employs a score of attractive and - more importantly - capable, intelligent and talented actresses well worth your search engine adoration. So, to gives my readers something I know they want and would never ask for, I tastefully present a pictorial tribute to some of The Asylum's beautiful leading ladies, this time the stars of the studio's remaining 2012 productions. Enjoy.

Johanna Watts

American Battleship


out 5.22.12


























Baby Norman


Abraham Lincoln vs Zombies

out 5.29.12

















L - R: Erin O'Brien, Jamie Noel, Samantha Stewart, Rachel Alig, Virginia Peturcci
Bikini Spring Break
out 6.26.12


Stephanie Greco


Haunting of Whaley House

out 7.31.12
















AnnaMaria DeMara


Super Cyclone

out 8.24.12

















Ming Na


Super Cyclone

still out 8.24.12

Details on Two Upcoming Asylum Flicks, Photos From One!

Lots of info spilling out of The Asylum today, including cast and plot details on Supercyclone and details plus production stills from The Haunting of Whaley House.

Let's start with the scary. We already new Whaley House was written and directed by Jose Prendes, writer of Haunting of Winchester House, The Terminators and Countdown: Jerusalem, but now we know the actors who will bring it to life: Stephanie Greco (Day the Earth Stopped), scream-queen Lynn Lowry (Crazies - old and new -  Cat People), Leigh Davis and Howard McNair. Check out the plot: "When a tour guide breaks into America’s Most Haunted House, a bit of amateur ghost hunting with friends turns into more horror than they could have ever imagined." Pretty scary stuff, especially when you consider the production stills. Haunting of Whaley House - totally based on a true locale - street on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD on July 31st.

Then there's Supercyclone, which I reported on earlier in the week when it was leaked that one of the female leads was to be played by fan-favorite AnnaMaria DeMara (200MPH). Well, now we know a couple other cast members, including Ming Na (ER, Eureka, Stargate: Universe), Nick Turturro (NYPD Blue) and returning president Andy Clemence (Air Collision, 3 Musketeers). The plot: "When a super cyclone threatens the entire American eastern seaboard, a lone meteorologist and a petroleum engineer must battle the elements to stop the threat."

Supercyclone is set for an August 28 release. Liz Adams directs.

So there you have it, all the latest on upcoming Asylum flicks. We still have details to learn for Golden Winter and Shark Week, but now this is more than enough to satiate our appetities...