FEARnet Announces May Highlights, Feat. Unedited TV Premiere of BATTLE ROYALE, 5/18

FEARnet starts the summer off right, serving up a slew of premieres, stunts and marathons headlined by the World Television Premiere of BATTLE ROYALE, the way it was meant to be seen - completely unedited, in all its gory gloryon Saturday, May 18, at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Never before seen on television, the international blockbuster centers around the students of class 3-B, on their way to a field trip. After being gassed, they awaken to find themselves on a remote island where they are instructed to kill each other as part of a government law to deal with out of control students. And only one can survive. Banned in several countries for its violent content, the controversial film is a favorite of Quentin Tarantino, and has been dubbed as one of Japan's most famous films.

Additionally, the Vault of Horror is closing on Friday, May 17, as TALES FROM THE CRYPT heads back to the grave until 2014. Throughout the month of May, don't miss your last chance to catch such classic TALES as "Easel Kill Ya," starring Tim Roth as a painter who makes murder his art form; "Top Billing," with Jon Lovitz as a desperate actor offing his competition to secure a role in a macabre production of Hamlet; "Split Personality," starring Joe Pesci as a swindler looking to separate a pair of twins from their inheritance; and many more.

Other May Highlights Include:

• "Night With Bite" Marathon Thursday, May 9 (6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT)
  Nature's deadliest predators wreak havoc on human prey in this four-film frightfest. BATS opens the evening at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, with Lou Diamond Phillips as a sheriff whose small Texas town is overtaken by a swarm of bloodsucking bats. Next, Confederate soldiersled by Henry Thomasseek shelter at a haunted plantation after a heist goes wrong in DEAD BIRDS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Then, a fugitive is Hunted by a bionic canine in ROTTWEILER at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. BURNING BRIGHT brings the night to a close 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT, with two siblings trapped in a house with a murderous tiger.
• 'SECRET WINDOW' (Network Premiere) Sunday, May 12 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
  A peaceful getaway turns deadly for a writer (Johnny Depp) when a mysterious man (John Turturro) accuses him of plagiarism. Maria Bello, Charles S. Dutton and Timothy Hutton also star in this fan favorite based on the short story by Stephen King.
• 'THE DAY' (World Television Premiere) Sunday, May 12 (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)
  Shawn Ashmore stars in this post-apocalyptic thriller, alongside genre favorites Dominic Monaghan and Ashley Bell, as a group of survivors fight a brutal clan at an abandoned farmhouse.
• 'DAY WATCH' (Network Premiere) Sunday, May 19 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
  Anton is pursued by the Dark Others in his quest to find the legendary Chalk of Fate, which has the power to re-write history, in this follow-up to NIGHT WATCH, directed by Timur Bekmambetov and based on the acclaimed series of graphic novels.
• 'WE ARE WHAT WE ARE' (Network Premiere) Sunday, May 19 (10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT)
  The death of their patriarch sends a modern-day family of cannibals into a spiral of violence and confusion, in this darkly original Mexican import.
• 'THE BLOB!' Double Feature Thursday, May 23 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
  The extraterrestrial man-eating mass creeps, and leaps, and slides and glides into FEARnet with "THE BLOB!" double feature. The night of terror begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT with the original THE BLOB (1958), starring Steve McQueen in his first leading role, as a group of teenagers must convince their town of the horror creeping among them in this drive-in classic. Then, 1988's THE BLOB ends the night with Kevin Dillon,THE WALKING DEAD's Jeffrey DeMunn and SAW queen Shawnee Smith joining together to stop the all-consuming substance before it destroys their town, in this update co-written by Frank Darabont.
• 'THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED' (Broadcast Premiere) Sunday, May 26 (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
  A ransom plot doesn't go according to plan for two thieves who kidnap a wealthy heiress (Gemma Arterton) in this taut British import packed with twists, tricks and double-crossings.

FEARnet is a multi-platform programming service delivering original and acquired horror, thriller and suspense content as a cable TV movie network, a video-on-demand outlet and web portal. FEARnet, a partnership among Sony Pictures Television, Lionsgate Entertainment and Comcast Corporation, features a robust lineup of popular titles from major film studios and independents, encompassing 300 plus movie titles a year, including 14 world television and 22 theatrical broadcast premieres. The Network is distributed to U.S. cable subscribers across the country on various systems and is often ranked as the number-one free HD VOD movie service available in more than 27 million homes. The website, FEARnet.com, ranks as one of the most popular sites in the genre category among total uniques and duration per visit. Follow FEARnet on Facebook and Twitter (@FEARnet). For more information about the company, visit www.FEARnet.com. To access photos visit FEARnetPR on flickr.

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