Prepare to be terrified in "The Other Side of the Door"

                “The Other Side of the Door” explores on the forbidden in Asian cultures that have existed thousands of years.  In the movie, a family lives an idyllic existence abroad until a tragic accident takes the life of their young son. The inconsolable mother learns of an ancient ritual that will bring him back to say a final goodbye.  She travels to an ancient temple, where a door serves as a mysterious portal between two worlds.  However, when she disobeys a sacred warning about never opening that door, she upsets the balance between life and death.

                Set in India, “The Other Side of the Door” stars Sarah Wayne Callies and Jeremy Sisto, as Maria and Michael who are both devoted to their children in helping them adapt in a foreign land. Writer-director Johannes Roberts, who had been exploring the concept of a spirit that lived on the other side of a foreboding door says that the film is inspired on beliefs growing up,  “I remember being reminded don't go up in the attic, don't feed the gremlins after midnight – when you’re wondering what's going to happen and when is it going to happen,” Roberts recalls.

                Roberts learned of an abandoned Indian village, Bhangarh, which was rumored to have a haunted temple that warned visitors it was illegal to enter at night.  That notion immediately struck a chord with the filmmaker.  “The concept of being warned against opening the door, and a village where the ghosts of the dead walk after sunset, really clicked together for me,” says Roberts, who began working on a script with his longtime writing partner Ernest Riera.

“Johannes came to me with this idea of a woman who lost a son, but who could talk to him through a temple door,” says Riera.  After months of scribbling ideas on napkins and coffee stirrers, they knew they were onto something special.

As a diehard genre fan, Roberts says he “enjoys connecting with my own fears, escaping from everyday life, and experiencing a catharsis.  While writing the screenplay, Roberts and Riera felt immersed in their own ghost story.  “Writing is like watching a horror film – when we start writing we become obsessed, and when we finish it we are possessed by the story,” Roberts notes.

Even before travelling to India, Roberts had decided he wanted audiences to experience the genre through a different cultural lens.  “When I did visit the city of Mumbai in India, I discovered a fascinating, dark city, and not the relaxing ‘Hotel Marigold’ version,” Roberts recalls. “I really liked that.”

Riera continues, “We wanted to find a setting for the film in a faraway country, which would facilitate a suspension of disbelief in ghosts.”

                Alexandre Aja known for his unforgettable thrilling works in “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Horns,” “Piranha 3D is also on board as the film’s producer. Roberts says, “They sent the script to Alex Aja and proposed he come on board, given his experience with the genre as a director and producer.  Alex understood the project right away and his experience was invaluable.  My references and vision resonated with him, and Alex really helped us get to the heart of the story.”

                Aja and Roberts not only added scares and tension throughout the script, but also elevated the family drama.  As a producer, Aja explains he first looks for a story with a real heart because spectacle and action mean little without it.  “I’m interested in stories about human beings, and even though we are operating in the genre, “The Other Side of the Door” is at its core a story about a mother who loves her son so much she can’t bear to lose him, and is willing to destroy her family to get him back.”

                “The Other Side of the Door” opens February 24 in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.   Check the movie’s chilling trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGRKF0i18Bo

Award Winning films and characters lead 20th Century Fox's 2016 silver screen line up

20th Century Fox fills the silver screen this 2016 with Award-winning and , inspiring and adventure-packed films featuring larger-than-life stories and characters best seen on the big screen.

                Big hopes, big dreams and big heart are centric to the most unforgettable cartoon characters known in adventure family movies “Snoopy and Charlie Brown The Peanuts Movie,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks 4: The Road Chip,” “Kung Fu Panda 3” and “Ice Age 5: Collision Course.”

                One of the most successful animated franchises in the world returns with its biggest comedy adventure yet, “Kung Fu Panda 3.” When Po's long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters.  But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!

                From Blue Sky Studios, directed by Mike Thurmeier, “Ice Age: Collision Course” brings us to the ever hilarious and loveable Scrat in his epic pursuit of the elusive acorn that catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters.

                This year’s Golden Globe winner for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor along with twelve (12) major nominations at the 88th Academy Awards,  “The Revenant” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy by Oscar winning director Alejandro Inarritu,  is an epic story inspired by true events of the legendary fur trapper Hugh Glass played by DiCaprio.   Driven by sheer will and his love for his Native American wife and son, he undertakes a 200-mile odyssey through the vast and untamed West on the trail of the man who betrayed him: John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).  What begins as a relentless quest for revenge becomes a heroic saga against all odds towards home and redemption.

                Also this year’s formidable contender at the Oscars is “Brooklyn,” starring Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson that tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey (Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries, two men and the lives that exist within.

                2016’s Golden Globe winner for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy) is Jennifer Lawrence in her role in “Joy,” a modern day telenovela based loosely on the life and rise of inventor and home shopping star Joy Mangano.  Directed by acclaimed David O. Russell, “Joy” also stars Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Edgar Ramirez that follows the wild path of a hard-working but half-broken family and the young girl who ultimately becomes its shining matriarch and leader in her own right.

 
                Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, “Deadpool,” starring Ryan Reynolds tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

                Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” director Bryan Singer returns with “X-Men: Apocalypse” where Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible.   As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.  “X-Men: Apocalypse” also stars Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, Ben Hardy.

                The fight for mankind is upon us in Roland Emmerich’s extremely awaited “Independence Day: Resurgence,” where the movie delivers a global catastrophe on an unimaginable scale.  Starring Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum, humans now use recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth, anticipating the invaders’ return, have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.

                A loveable underdog will emerge from the producers of the blockbuster action movie “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” the feel-good story of “Eddie The Eagle” is about Michael “Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton), a courageous yet unlikely British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself – even as his family and the entire nation initially counted him out.  Persistently trying to perfect his skill with the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach, portrayed by Hugh Jackman, Eddie eventually wins the hearts of sports fans round the globe when he performed a historic feat at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

                From television’s “The Walking Dead,” Sarah Wayne Callies stars in the chilling horror story “The Other Side of the Door.”  Grieving over the tragic loss of her son, a mother discovers a ritual that allows her to say goodbye to her dead child one last time. Mistakenly opening the veil between the world of the dead and the living, she must now protect her family against the evil that was once her beloved son.

                Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza star in the hilarious buddy comedy “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” wherein brothers place an online ad to find dates for a wedding and the ad goes viral.