NIGHT OF THE MISSING (2023) Horror thriller anthology with trailer

Night of the Missing is a 2023 American horror thriller anthology film about the sheriff of a small town who is a serial killer. The movie is comprised of three shorts with a wraparound segment. Directed by Samuel Gonzalez Jr from a screenplay written by Gigi Gustin who also co-stars. The Defiant! Screen Entertainment-Tremendum Pictures-Sublimity Entertainment co-production also stars Meredith…

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Night of the Missing

Night of the Missing (2023) #SamuelGonzalezJr #MatthewHersh #MeredithThomas #JillAwbrey #GigiGustin #BillMoseley Mehr auf:

Jahr: 2023 (November) Genre: Horror Regie: Samuel Gonzalez Jr., Matthew Hersh Hauptrollen: Meredith Thomas, Jill Awbrey, Gigi Gustin, Bill Moseley, Sheila Ball, Moriah N. Boone, Jenna Kanell, Joseph JoJo Martinez, Justin Miles, Stephon Strickland … Filmbeschreibung: An einem stürmischen Abend zur Weihnachtszeit erhält Sheriff Hudson (Meredith Thomas) unangemeldeten Besuch von einer…

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Night of the Missing (2023) Date de sortie : 30/11/2023 Réalisateur : Samuel Gonzalez Jr. Scénario :  Gigi Gustin Avec : Meredith Thomas, Jill Awbrey, Gigi Gustin

31 Days of Halloween Movie 1

Movie Title: Held

Genre: Horror/Thriller 

Released: 2020 Rating: R 1h 34m

My Rating 7/10 

Held stars Jill Awbrey and Bart Johnson in a marriage gone wrong scenario, trapped in a “smart house” in the middle of nowhere on their anniversary. They are focused to rekindle a lost love, through the twists and turns that seemed a little too predictable it was an entertaining film regardless. There were plenty of jump scares and moments that truly made my skin crawl. I personally believe with a little more budget this film could've been way better. 

Cast.. Jill Awbrey was an okay pick for this role, again if they had more budget for this film I would've replaced her with a different actress. Her stress and fear within the film wasn't enough for me to be actually scared for her or even root for her. Seeing Bart Johnson in a horror film is everything I needed, this is personally may first time viewing him in anything besides the High School Musical franchise. 

I just saw Don’t Worry Darling hours before watching this movie, they are the same vibe but different font. And different budget bracket. 

 I was able to predict the ending like I said before but this film had its entertainment factors, jump scares, suspense, unreliable characters, and even a few twists. Would I watch it again, no. Only for review writing purposes. Would I recommend to others to watch, ehhh I’m 50/50 on that. I wouldn't recommend to avid horror movie fans.. maybe to newer horror movie fans. And to anyone who’s looking to watch something to fill the background noise or to fill your 31 days of halloween. 

Spoilers ahead..

In the beginning we are shown a scene of young Jill Barrett in a car with two guys drinking beers, the driver possibly meant to be her boyfriend or a guy she fancies. Her boyfriend says something along the lines of “she's all yours” giving his friend full access.. this already makes every viewer uncomfortable but my point of mentioning it is, what's the point of this scene? to indicate that Jill has trauma and can be passive and easily manipulated? Or that she's not a fighter?

Why was she keeping a journal.. why? she has written down.. “the stormy sea appears calm & still. Unaware of the (chunniy)? I float. The monster calm sure is there is not alone. The waves crash on the shore adrift alone all appears calm. Unaware I continue my journey.” She continues to write something else but we are unable to see.. I suppose this is foreshadowing of the events to come but no one can really read it unless you pause the movie. is she a poet? is she a writer? She ends up leaves this journal in the back seat of the drivers car, having the driver to come back.. this gets the driver captured and put in danger.  Also red flag.. this driver asks prying questions, why is she out here alone? are you really married? then he aggressively asks for a tip and Jill complies.. again pushing that narrative of being submissive. 

They also take this time to show and explain how secluded this property is, by giving an aerial view of the vast trees surrounding.. plus a limited gated fence that only separates the driveway from the main round. Within the house it’s highly modern with smart home security system. While Jill is looking around the home, she comes across a locked set of doors.. red flag. She also finds a leather back book named Rules of Instructions with a variation of the tree of life symbol. weird. 

Continuing her night randomly Jill purposely spills a glass of wine and finds an escape hatch.. red flag. She doesn't open it because her husband arrives. I did not trust the husband from the beginning. This could be from preexisting lack of trust in men but my hunch was later deemed correct. 

We are quickly introduced to the narrative of an outside force taking control of the situation and home. Jill and Henry are drugged waking up to changed clothes, coffee and flowers by the bedside. Henry telling Jill to relax you were drunk but he didn't get up to make coffee. The inspect the bedroom noticing new clothes in the wardrobe replacing their own. Henry suggests leaving and realizes he has no keys to the vehicle.. its extremely convenient that Jill herself did not drive to the home but Henry did. Red Flag. A noise is heard from outside of the car and HENRY GOES TO INVESTIGATE BY HIMSELF. RED FLAG, HELLO. Jill is in the home by herself and this is when she learns, she is being filmed throughout the home, then her bloodied husband comes running in to also “learn” that they are being watched. A phone rings and a creepy voice tells them they must remain in the home and obey. When they attempt to leave the entire home locks down preventing them from escaping, Jill attempts to take a chair and smash the window but is forcibly stopped by an electrical shock that comes from an implant behind her ear. Henry also has an implant. Which is a good touch to help his narrative of being a trusting character. 

They are given tasks to rebuild their marriage, chivalry from Henry and obedience from Jill. Holding doors open, making dinner.. and showing affection towards each other.. creepy. What shocked me was that Jill was cheating on Henry, but it then gave Henry away for me. Henry puts up a good front to convince you that he doesn’t want to participate in this sick twisted love healing exercise. But once they brought the other man into the picture I knew 100% Henry was behind this, Jill was made to choose to save her husband or her lover. In the end she made the wrong choice stabbing her lover letting her husband live. Jill finally stops drinking what's given to her and avoids getting drugged, helping her find the once locked doors are now open. Giving her access to the 50s decorated control room.. she has way too much time to learn that she is in a “rehabilitation” service requested by you guessed it.. Henry. We see all the missing puzzle pieces of Henry faking being attacked, giving consent to the holder, helping the man dress his wife and have sex with his unconscious wife. 

Jill then overcomes her submissive narrative by taking a manipulative role and “tricking” her husband into thinking she is still under his control. Bart Johnson shows an extremely convincing angered controlling husband, that again I personally have never seen him play before. My goal is now to see more of his acting outside of family/children genres. Jill kills the man keeping her hostage and her husband, ends up saving the driver from the beginning of the movie who was conveniently beaten up and crashed in his vehicle on the side of the road... yah could've been executed differently. 

The movie ends with Jill in the drivers seat of the vehicle driving the two of them to safety. Im guessing that this shows her character development of her gaining more of the dominant role? Unsure. 

Held will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 13 via Magnet Releasing. The 2020 horror-thriller is currently available on VOD.

Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing (The Gallows) direct from a script by Jill Awbrey. Awbrey also stars with Bart Johnson, while Cluff provides the ominous voice.

Read on for the special features, trailer, and synopsis.

Special features:

Audio commentary by directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff

Making of Held featurette

Orchestral Film Score featurette

Alternate ending

In an effort to repair their ailing marriage, a couple vacations to a remote luxury rental, only to become forcibly trapped inside by an unseen voice that tells them their every move is being watched, revealing intimate knowledge about their relationship. As events get more brutal, the couple must work together to uncover the truth and find a way out before it’s too late.

Pre-order Held from Amazon.

HELD - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Magnet Releasing

SYNOPSIS: Emma (Awbrey) and Henry's (Johnson) marriage is losing its spark. In an effort to reconnect, they vacation to a remote high-end rental, complete with automated smart house features and integrated security. However, after suspecting a nighttime intruder they decide to flee, only to become forcibly trapped inside by the automated security system. Emitting from the house, an unknown 'Voice' watches their every move through an array of hidden cameras, revealing an intimate and unsettling knowledge of their relationship. While the situation grows increasingly brutal, Emma and Henry must work together to uncover the truth and find a way out before it's too late.

REVIEW: In order to discuss elements of HELD there will be some spoilers. No major reveals, but some plot reveals will be addressed.

Given all that has been in the zeitgeist these past two years it is with little wonder that some of these issues should filter into entertainment. While you might see words like thriller, psychological, etc., just to describe these films almost all of them will include horror. It mostly likely begins in 2004 with “SAW” and the question of justice, which went on to spawn a franchise that some dubbed “torture porn.” 

Then there is the 2020 film written and directed by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, “Antebellum.” The hero is an Africian American female civil rights and empowerment speaker who is abducted and taken to a modern working plantation with all the trappings of the Southern Confederacy and its atrocities. It’s a chilling tale that addresses many contemporary issues in a terrifying tale. As entertainment I would be hard pressed to say there was anything “entertaining” about it. In a conspiracy theory riddled and fake news world we live in it is horrifying to consider that something like this could happen. If there are people who can believe in “PizzaGate,'' or the election was stolen, why couldn’t there be an operational confederate plantation somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line where unspeakable atrocities are taking place. It is a nightmare of our times given life in the cinema.

Now there is HELD. We meet Emma and Henry who we think are taken prisoner in this luxury smarthouse. As they fight for their survival, the film makes a hard left when their captor makes an error and Emma uncovers the truth behind their situation. They are not being held captive and everything she thinks she knows is wrong. Henry has engaged the services of a company called Eden. Their promise is to recondition a wife so that she becomes a more docile, subservient, “housewife.” The mysterious voice is Henry’s accomplice in this charade to break Emma. The place they are in is only one of the numerous locations throughout the globe to aid husbands in transforming their spouse. Henry is not simply after the mind control package but he wants some hard evidence to use against Emma so she remains loyal.

Emma does overcome adversity and so some might consider HELD an anti-misogynistic horror film, especially in this era of the METOO movement. Again I’m not so sure. Although it is Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing who direct, it is written by the film’s female star, Jill Awbrey. So the film does have a feminie perspective. They put Emma through an ordeal, but here it is psychological and physical abuse. I found it painful as my family was raised with strong values and respect for women, and there were holidays where we gave of our time at women’s shelters. From a purely unemotional standpoint I get and understand what they are doing. However, is it entertainment? While it is a bitter pill to swallow, I did find it a bit disingenuous when Henry and the accomplice turn into these bumbling fools who begin to make numerous errors allowing Emma to best them. I think Emma deserved a bit better.

Held has an excellent cast, and I applaud Jill Awbrey for her acting and screenplay. There are some great effects, some excellent editing, the house is an amazing location, and the score by Richard Breakspear is extremely effective. Everything about the film draws the viewer in to take them on a harrowing cinematic journey.

HELD is a great film, a powerful viewing experience, but how do you recommend it? It certainly isn’t a Friday night dinner, popcorn, and a date movie. There are going to be some conversations after screening HELD. And therein lies the rub. HELD is not a film a viewer should go into totally blind to what they are about to experience, They need to be prepared. So I’m not sure if it is entertainment. It also left me with the nagging thought that if these filmmakers could imagine this might there be something like this actually in the world. Who wouldn’t think that at least once given our crazy times.While there are certainly many angles they could use to spinoff a sequel, I can only hope they move onto another, different story.

CAST: Jill Awbrey, Bart Johnson, Zack Gold, & Rez Kempton, CREW:. Directors - Chris Lofing & Travis Cluff; Screenplay - Jill Awbrey; Producers - Chris Lofing, Travis Cluff, & Kyle Gentz; Cinematographer - Kyle Gentz; Editors - Aaron Tharp & Andy Matthews; Score - Richard Breakspear; Costume Designer - Trina Short; Production Designer - Max Martinez; Special Effects - Renee Mason, Jason Moore, & Robert Vargas; Visual Effects - Lucas De La Torre. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/eiVLLrwcos8 RELEASE DATE: In theaters and on demand April 9th, 2021

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay),  or 👎 (Dislike) Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

'Held' Locks Up a Married Couple on the Edge for a Little Bit of Torture

Held (CREDIT: Magnet Releasing) Starring: Jill Awbrey, Bart Johnson Directors: Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff Running Time: 93 Minutes Rating: Unrated, But This is R Territory for Bloody Bodies and Bloody Profanity Release Date: April 9, 2021 (Theaters and On Demand) The two main characters of Held are held captive, and I daresay this movie would like our attention to be held as well. So was my…

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Held Coming To Digital 25th April From Bulldog Films

Held Starring Jill Awbrey & High School Musical’s Bart Johnson Coming To Digital 25th April From Bulldog Films. Watch the trailer here @Bulldog_Film @Bart_Johnson @traviscluff @ChrisLofing #HeldMovie #JillAwbrey @FetchPublicity

Bulldog Film Distribution announces that taut and terrifying thriller HELD is being released on DVD and digital platforms on April 25th. Directed by Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing (the pair behind the Blumhouse horror sensation The Gallows and its hit sequel), with an assured script by Jill Awbrey, who also stars, HELD is a sleekly-shot shocker, where a couple’s weekend getaway in an isolated,…

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You Must Obey, Watch UK Trailer For indie Horror Held

You Must Obey, Watch UK Trailer For indie Horror Held @Bulldog_Film @fetchpublicity #Held #TravusCuff #Horror @FrightFest

Bulldog Film Distribution have released the UK Trailer for indie horror thriller Held. This slick shocker might make you think twice booking a ‘Air BNB’. The film comes from Travis Cluff and Chris Lofing who directed The Gallows films. Held follows a couples whose marriage who seems to be falling apart and it’s put to the test. At the isolated, high-tech house  weekend getaway turns into a…

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Ricky's Review Roundup: 'The Penthouse', 'Held', and 'Vanquish' Review

Ricky’s Review Roundup: ‘The Penthouse’, ‘Held’, and ‘Vanquish’ Review

The Penthouse A man covering up a crime assumes a nosy neighbor may have seen what he did. He turns the neighbor’s lives upside down to keep his secret. But is there more to his motive? The introduction to the Penthouse was done well, setting the sight, the idea of the location, and how it will play a factor in what is about to come. Although the film feels very low-budget, it is, the film…

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NIGHT OF THE MISSING (2023) Reviews of horror thriller anthology plus trailer

Night of the Missing is a 2023 American horror thriller anthology film about the sheriff of a small town who is a serial killer. The movie is comprised of three shorts with a wraparound segment. Directed by Samuel Gonzalez Jr from a screenplay written by Gigi Gustin who also co-stars. The Defiant! Screen Entertainment-Tremendum Pictures-Sublimity Entertainment co-production also stars Meredith…

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Nightmare At Precinct 84 (2023) Date de sortie : En Post-production (en date du 27/12/2022) Réalisateur : Samuel Gonzalez Jr. Scénario : Samuel Gonzalez Jr. and Gigi Gustin Avec :  Meredith Thomas, Jill Awbrey, Gigi Gustin

INTERVIEW: Jill Awbrey & Bart Johnson Talk Smart Houses, Injuries, and "HELD"s #MeToo​ Themes

INTERVIEW: Jill Awbrey & Bart Johnson Talk Smart Houses, Injuries, and “HELD”s #MeToo​ Themes

In celebration of HELD which arrives in theaters and on demand April 9th, 2021 from Magnet Releasing, I recently had the opportunity to interview the screenwriter/star of this new horror mystery film, Jill Awbrey along with her co-star Bart Johnson (“High School Musical”). HELD premiered at Frightfest last year and now is on my personal list of favorite movies this year. It’s a highly suspenseful…

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فيلم Held 2020 مترجم

فيلم Held 2020 مترجم

فيلم Held 2020 مترجم Held 2020 هو فيلم من بطولة Jill Awbrey و Bart Johnson و Travis Cluff. يتم اختبار زواج الزوجين المريض عندما يتم احتجازهما كرهائن في إيجار عطلة منعزلة بواسطة صوت غير مرئي يأمر بكل تحركاتهما.     فيلم Held 2020 مترجم مشاهدة و تحميل فيلم Held 2020 مترجم اون لاين بجودة HD DVD فيلم الرعب والغموض Held 2020 كامل يصنف فيلم Held 2020 انه من ضمن انواع افلام رعب, غموض, إثارة و هو الفيلم…

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Held (2021)

To survive, they must obey. A couple’s ailing marriage is put to the test when they are held hostage in an isolated vacation rental by an unseen Voice that commands their every move. Held (2021)Genre: Horror, Mystery, ThrillerRelease Date: Apr 9, 2021Stars: Jill Awbrey, Bart Johnson, Rez KemptonSource: Held.2021.1080p.WEBRip.DD5.1.x264-CMLanguage: EnglishSubtitle Language: EnglishIMDB:…

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