The underground horror feature Antrum (aka The Deadliest Film Ever Made) has been released on VOD platforms in the U.S. and Canada today (including Amazon and iTunes), and with the release comes a final trailer along with brand new cover art.
Written and directed by Michael Laicini and David Amito, Antrum presents itself as a cursed film from the 1970s. Through several layers of lost and uncovered footage, it explores how audiences allow horror films to linger with them long past their actual viewing experience.
"When I first heard people talk about this movie, no one really knew what it was. People who hadn’t seen it seemed to think it was a mockumentary," executive producer Eric Thirteen told Crypt Teaze. "I tried to set the record straight, but no one knew what to believe. Today we put out the final trailer, which shows what the movie really looks like. You’re seeing a full length horror film. As for the rest, don’t believe everything you hear."
Antrum is also set for a full theatrical release in February 2020 with VOD to follow. DVD and Blu-ray, as well as additional world-wide availability, will be announced shortly. Several major international festivals are still to be announced in the coming months.
More details on the film can be found below.
Antrum’s reputation is partially due to additional real-world events that took place as the actual film was being shown. Market screenings during the Cannes Film Festival included liability waivers, and Fantafest Roma even brought in a priest in to bless the theater. Outside the festivals, many unexpected individuals have admitted to swapping the film with one another, with cult character actor Lawrence R. Harvey (Human Centipede: Full Sequence) even declaring Antrum "one of the best horror films of 2019."
The heart of Antrum is the titular cursed feature, which purports to have been shot in the late 1970s by unknown filmmakers. It spins the tale of two siblings who perform an occult ritual in the woods, seeking closure after the death of a beloved pet… but their seemingly symbolic act may have truly unleashed Hell on Earth.
As rumor has it, this film vanished shortly after its completion along with the original creators - until a surprise screening during a film festival in Budapest in 1988. Not only did the theater reportedly burn to the ground, but several festival programmers later died under mysterious circumstances. The film was thought to be lost until many year later when a print was allegedly exhibited in San Francisco. The showing took a horrific turn when a full-scale riot broke out in the theater. Amid the chaos, the last known print of the film went missing. It was considered lost once again, and its deadly reputation returned to the domain of myth and mystery.
The legend is expanded by documentary bookends on the lost film’s shadowy origins, its deadly history, and the path to its ultimate rediscovery - but outside the film, even the actual directors are shrouded in mystery. Laicini and Amito have refused to comment on strange occurrences reported by viewers, nor have they discussed the subliminal insertion of occult symbols ("sigils") and flash-frame footage that appears unrelated to the central film.
Earlier this year, Eric Thirteen negotiated a distribution deal with Keith Leopard from Uncork’d Entertainment on behalf of the filmmakers. Else Films produced the picture, with David Bond and Thirteen serving as executive producers. International sales will be made through a new partnership with Julian Richards from Jinga Films.
