One of the Most Iconic Horror Movies Ever Is Coming Back to Theaters (With a Major Upgrade)

One of the most iconic Horror films in history is coming back to theaters to celebrate its 25h anniversary with a major upgrade to help bring it more into the modern era. There are only a few Horror releases that can truly be considered iconic when stacked together with the massive mountain of options from over the decades, but there’s one that has managed to do so decades after its premiere. It’s a story that has not only gone on to inspire multiple other post-apocalyptic stories like it, but essentially launched a whole new subgenre of Horror thanks to its success.

Battle Royale is in a very rare breed of Horror as after it was adapted from Koushun Takami’s original novel back in 2000, the film impacted an entire generation of fans from that point on. While it’s not the first death game that fans have ever seen in Horror, it was the first one to a feature a classroom of kids forced to fight to the death as part of some terrible government program. Now it’s coming back to theaters thanks to Iconic Events Releasing and Lionsgate, and you can celebrate with a special trailer and poster for its 4K re-release below.

Battle Royale Returning to Theaters With 4K Upgrade

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Iconic Events Releasing and Lionsgate are now teaming up on a special 25th anniversary celebration for Battle Royale. Coming to theaters for a limited time (and regions may vary) on October 12, 13, and 15 in North America, the screenings will feature a 4K restoration of its theatrical cut. Not only that, but screenings will also feature a special bonus interview with Battle Royale screenwriter Kenta Fukasaku, and the son of the film’s original director, Kinji Fukusaku. So it’s going to be even more reason to check it out in theaters now that you have the chance.

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Battle Royale has undoubtedly shaped Horror in some significant ways in the last 25 years. The film inspired a new wave of young adult based death games like this one and fans got to see that blossom with the likes of the Hunger Games franchise and more in the years that followed. It introduced fans to a genre where a group of people would be forced to fight to the death in an increasingly shrinking arena, and that likely sounds familiar to video game players more than anything too.

Battle Royale Continues to Inspire After 25 Years

If you have ever played Fortnite or some other game like it, you’ve heard of Battle Royale. Fortnite‘s key mode is directly inspired by the ideas seen in the film as players outside of the shrinking arena are automatically killed, only one can be the true winner and more. It’s been such an iconic idea that it’s become an entire basis for stories all on its own, so it’s hard to think of another 2000s Horror film that not only had as big of an impact on the Japanese film industry but the world at large.

Battle Royale is decidedly less fun than any of the games or other stories it might have inspired since its release, but that’s also what makes it such a great idea for Horror in general. It’s kids versus the rest of the world, and that’s something that’s really hard to turn down when you’re in that same age range.

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