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VIRAL NEWS

Clive Barker Asking For Helping Saving Midnight Meat Train

by Alex Billington
June 19, 2008
Source: IMDB

Besides The Strangers, there isn't much on the slate this summer when it comes to horror. Previously I asked if this was the downfall of the genre, but I doubt we'll ever truly get to that point. The next horror film on the schedule is one called The Midnight Meat Train, directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryuhei Kitamura and based off of a Clive Barker short story. I wouldn't say I'm excited to see it, but it looked like one of the most original horror films in a while. Unfortunately STYD learned that Lionsgate is planning to only release it in 100 theaters nationwide on August 1st, not the release Barker and Kitamura were hoping for. In retaliation, Barker himself has started a viral campaign to get Lionsgate to change their mind.

Clive Barker commented via the Official Clive Barker Resource that he is in support of this viral campaign and wants to help in any way to save this film from being buried by Lionsgate. He is asking all who would like to see the movie get the wide distribution that many people believe it deserves to add their voice.

"I am very excited about this possibility and I would passionately encourage everybody who cares about my work to use this chance to change the minds of the folks at Lionsgate. This is exciting! I really think, this late in the day, that grassroots support for our movie could significantly improve our chances of reaching a much bigger audience theatrically. The picture is worth the effort, I believe."

If you're interested in helping out, you can head to this link on IMDB where information has been posted on how you can contact Lionsgate and show your support for Midnight Meat Train. If you're debating whether or not you should support this film, the most I can do is point you towards this trailer that was released late last year. It should give you a good idea of what to expect. Beyond that, the decision is up to you, but if this movie is as good as I'm hoping, it may actually be worth it. STYD gave it a fairly positive review back in May and I said previously that I do think it looks pretty damn good.

Explore tags: Movie News, Opinions, Viral News

Curtis

it does look pretty damn good watching the trailer again, i would like to see this hit way more theaters then 100 looks like ill contact Lionsgate and show my support for the film.. love me a good horror
tuwhitt

Dumb name, but for him to go out and say that he really believes in the movie makes a pretty good point. If it were some shit-bomb (and he's 'presented' some before) I imagine he's just forget about it.
Josh

ok, I pretty much cracked up when I saw the trailer for this. When the title came on at the end, I (as well as the rest of the theater) started laughing really loud for about 10-20 seconds. Don't get me wrong. I don't like judging things before I see them, but this is one thing I really am not interested in getting into more theaters. All the best, though.
Gil

The short story it's based on was in Clive's classic Books Of Blood which made him a star author, and it's quite memorable. Whether they stretched the story out well for a whole movie is another story but I was looking forward to it. I found this disturbing news - ...new Lionsgate topper Joe Drake appears to be dumping all of ex-prez Peter Block's movies. That includes Midnight Meat Train, the adaptation of the Barker short story that's a fan fave. Supposedly the trailer tested higher than any film in Lionsgate history. But when Drake took over, he promptly bumped Midnight Meat Train from its May 16th release date. The result was that Rogue Pictures' The Strangers (which was skedded two weekends later) had zero competition in the hard-R category. And guess who was exec producer of The Strangers? Joe Drake. Then, the websites, Shock Til You Drop and Fangoria found out Lionsgate is planning only a 100 theater run on August 1st to merely fulfill the contractual obligation with Lakeshore Entertainment. The plan is to release the DVD immediately after. So fans are asking if Drake is such a dummy that he'd intentionally sink what to them is a sure-thing hit. And they want to know if the studio that was built on horror gross (both the gory and cash kinds) is going to bite the hand that's fed it so well in favor of four Tyler Perry movies a year.
Drake

everyone who saw the trailer said that they're ging to see it, but that was like 19 people. But the trailer is fucking awesome.
Josiah

I'll see it because of Ryuhei Kitamura. Versus was incredible. This trailer was pretty damn good too. But so far, if that news is true, Joe Drake is a major league douchebag. I even liked The Strangers quite a bit, but that's underhanded and shifty. Not the way these kinds of things should be run.
aaron

lol, i remember seeing the trailer for this a while back. when the name of the movie came up on the screen and it read it aloud, "Midnight Meat Train" my friend and I started dying laughing at the title. i think we were the only 2 in the theater that found it funny, but man oh man is that a hilarious title or what? sounds like a porn flick.
http://www.barrynapierwriting.wordpress.com Barry

Those of you laughing at the title, go read the story that this is based on. seriously. and it's because I've read (and love) the story, that I don't see this being any good. The trailer alone shows that it strayed too far from the story.
http://movieguyreviews4u.blogspot.com Ryan

I think it looks pretty bad along with the audience I saw the trailer with a while back. But who knows? I don't understand why they are doing this though. THE STRANGERS THE HAPPENING Two R rated horrors that both did EXTREMELY well and for the SUMMER even?!?! There is still a LARGE market for this genre based on this past month alone.
http://www.myspace.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

I don't know what happened to this film, but it was showing here (Tallahassee, FL) at the second-run "dollar theater" during its opening week. So I got to see this bad boy last Sunday for $1.75! It was great, for a horror movie. Of course I may be biased since the main character was an art photographer, and he spent almost the entire movie trying to learn how to take grittier, realer photos. That's what I want to do! So my interest was piqued throughout. I had forgotten about Vinnie Jones being in this, and was thrilled when he was revealed to the audience early on in the film. This was a far cry from the PG13 'horror' movies we've gotten lately. The Ring, The Grudge, all that nonsense. They could have cut out the gruesome factor from this and made this into a pretty decent little thriller.
carlos e. martinez duran

clive youre the best! to hell with lions gate.i took some time to read some of the articles that poe wrote and i actualy wrote a musical composition to one of them titled "never bet the devil youre head".im glad that yuore thinking to bring a poe story to screen. thankyou carlos e. martinez