Hello everybody and welcome to another Cult Lab Competition!
This week's prize is the little known but brilliant horror film
Evil Rising. Read on for all the details...
“A CHALLENGING AND INTELLECTUALLY STIMULATING CHILLER… THINK TARKOVSKY MEETS J-HORROR.” – BILLY CHAINSAW, BIZARRE. 
The second feature from award-winning Finnish director Antti-Jussi Annila (Jade Warrior),
Evil Rising is a haunting, atmospheric and thought-provoking horror movie that combines art-house cinematic style with the kind of top-notch chills and thrills that prey on the mind long after the credits have rolled.
The year is 1595 and the long and barbaric war between Russia and Sweden is finally over. During this time of welcome peace, brothers Erik and Knut are among two small groups of men commissioned to mark new borders separating Finland from Russia, an arduous task that takes them though the cold and desolate countryside. Along the way, an encounter with a man Erik believes to be a Russian sympathizer results in a brutal murder and the committing of an even worse sin by the two brothers – leaving a young girl to die a slow, horrifying death.
Later finding themselves holed up in a sparsely inhabited village situated in the middle of an uncharted swamp, Erik and Knut become haunted by a manifestation of the girl, whose presence begins to affect not only the brothers but also their colleagues and the villagers. Their only hope for salvation lies in a sauna at the heart of the village, a place where it is believed the sins of the living and the dead can be washed away. Seeking forgiveness for their transgressions, Knut [Careful how you say that!] and Erik step in…
A film about murder and revenge, sin and repentance, Evil Rising has seen director AJ Annila being hailed as “a fantastic and unexpected talent” (Cinema Verdict) and led critic Kurt Halfyard of Twitch Film to claim, “[It] deserves a place on the pedestal alongside ‘
Solaris’, ‘
Insomnia’, ‘
The Wicker Man’ and ‘
Ringu’… If I see a better flat out horror film [this year] I’ll eat my shirt.”
Evil Rising (cert. 15) will be released on DVD (£15.99) by Matchbox Films on 25th July 2011
But how do you win it?
Well I'll keep this comp short, sweet and simple (sounds like me!). 'Tis the season for festivals - music festivals! After attending High Voltage over the weekend, this week's competition is music based.
So, if a horror character (or from a cult film, etc) where to form a band, who would be in it? What songs would they sing (real or fake)? Basically just go crazy - submit fake band names, song titles, design album covers, you could even make some music if you really want to!
The most impressive and fun entries will be selected by me at the end of the comp (sunday) and those three winners will each get themselves this film! Easy peasy!
So, good luck!
Kyle