On the 23rd October, Danse Macabre will release the controversial horror Antrum will be released in UK cinemas and on DVD & Digital from the 26th of October, over forty years after its original release, so we checked out the “cursed” horror movie prior to its UK release.
Antrum, a feature-length film shot in the late 1970s, 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.
So the story goes that Antrum was believed to have been lost and a sole copy of the film was tracked down and packaged for public release.
The film opens with a short 10-minute documentary which examines the dark history of the film, after which you are given the opportunity to watch the original version of this cursed film at your own risk!
Antrum features a teenage girl and her young brother putting their dog to sleep for a violent act it committed. In an effort to save its soul, they enter a forest that contains “The Antrum”, the very spot where the devil landed when he was cast out of heaven. There they begin to dig towards hell, and the deeper they dig the more dangerous the forest becomes. It has been observed that at this point in the film, more malevolent events start happening to the audience watching it.
Antrum certainly has an unnerving feeling when it starts with the documentary which is strange sounding voiceover, so it sets you up for something that could possibly turn your hair white!
But for me I found myself drifting out of interest with the film a few times, now I’m not sure if this was because of the hype that the “recently discovered” film has or that I was expecting something a little more for the film.
Overall the idea of a “cursed” film is a good idea, but I’m not really sure this is a movie for me, the 70s effect wasn’t too bad with the over-graining and the screen scratches etc, but as we all know it’s not the effects that make a film.
It’s not to say Antrum is a really bad film, it’s OK, it certainly has its moments and it’s one of those films that you could put on with your horror fan friends, grab a bottle of wine and kick back with the lights off.
Be Prepared to Watch the “Cursed” trailer for ANTRUM
Antrum will be in UK Cinemas from 23rd October and DVD & Digital Download from 26th October.
The Cursed Film!
Movie title: Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made
Movie description: A young boy and girl enter the forest to dig a hole to hell. Said to be a cursed film from the late 1970s, Antrum examines the horrifying power of storytelling.
Date published: October 23, 2020
Country: UK
Duration: 1h 35min
Director(s): David Amito, Michael Laicini
Actor(s): Nicole Tompkins, Rowan Smyth, Dan Istrate
Genre: Horror
Summary
So now it’s up to you, are you brave enough to watch the “cursed” Antrum?
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
