U.K. horror feature The Last Rite mixes a few different elements of terror, resulting in an effort that tries to pack too much into one film but boasts some effective spookiness. Bethan Waller’s performance, especially during the second half, is enough to warrant a recommendation. Waller stars as Lucy, a young woman who begins seeing […]
Horror-on-Sea returns in January with a tantalizing array of international independent horror features and short films. From ghoul-fests to gorefests and creatures to comedy, there’s something for every fright-fare fanatic at the Southend fest. Following is the official press release. Following a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic, Horror-on-Sea will be making a welcome […]
Attention, filmmakers: SLASH Filmfestival — home to weird, wild, and wonderful genre cinema in Austria — is now accepting submissions for its 13th edition next year. Gruesome Magazine had the pleasure of reviewing such terrific SLASH entries as You’re Dead Hélène and Tale of the Deaf for this year’s edition, and we can’t wait to […]
What’s a young girl to do when she has a mother that isn’t big on communication and interaction, a teen sister who worships H.P. Lovecraft’s fictional Old Gods, her father has recently passed away — and she begins seeing a strange, frightening creature outside her window? Writer/director O.B. De Alessi explores these questions and others […]
It must be getting increasingly difficult to make effective “monsters under the bed” and “monsters in the closet” horror shorts, with so many variations on the theme in both short-film and feature-length outings. Writer/director/editor Joseph Covello shows that it is still possible, however, in his Canadian short film He Comes at Night. Covello does this […]
Writer/director Michiel Blanchart’s Belgian/French short film You’re Dead Hélène (T’es morte Hélène; 2021) is a remarkable genre-blending effort that takes viewers on a ride through three different storytelling genres and a wide range of emotions. Hélène (Lucile Vignolles) is in a complicated relationship with Maxime (Théophile Roux). She is having a hard time letting go […]
The Australian feature An Ideal Host (2020) is a horror/science fiction/comedy hybrid that delivers on all three fronts. Liz (Nadia Collins) and Jackson (Evan Williams) are planning the ideal dinner party at which Jackson will “spontaneously” propose to Liz — something that the couple has rehearsed well — surprising all the guests. We all know […]
Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival (BITS), which is running a virtual festival this weekend (information at https://www.bloodinthesnow.ca/) from October 29-31, has announced the in-theater lineup for its November 18-23 run at Toronto’s Royal Cinema. Along with the hilarious horror comedy Vicious Fun and the dark Canadian folk horror The Family (Gruesome Magazine’s review […]
The latest entry in the folk horror/religious cult subgenres of cinema is the Canadian offering The Family (2021) and it is a dark film, indeed. It offers top-notch acting and a heavy sense of dread from the opening scenes, but unfortunately recalls films — one in particular that I won’t spoil here — that have […]
Sweden’s Lund Fantastic Film Festival serves up an intriguing array of horror, science fiction, thrillers, and fantasy cinema with its 27th edition, scheduled for October 30–November 5 with both in-person and virtual editions. From Scandinavian premieres of world cinema to anniversary screenings of beloved classics, it’s a killer lineup. Following is the official press announcement. […]
The Grue-Crew members love a good monster movie, and it looks like we have one coming our way from the U.K. Walking Against the Rain from first-time feature director Scott Lyus has entered its post-production stage, and the filmmakers have released a few images to whet our fright-fare appetites. Following is the official press announcement. […]
Columbus, Ohio’s Nightmares Film Festival has announced what’s in store for its three secret Sunday screenings scheduled for October 24, 2021: The first two episodes of SYFY’s new series Day of the Dead, Bruce Campbell’s new horror comedy Black Friday, and A24’s new feature film The Humans are all now on tap. Full details are […]
A young fighter pilot’s encounter with an unidentified craft sets him on a life-altering quest in Colossus (2021), an outstanding science fiction/cosmic horror short from writer/director James Roe. The short film opens with an unnamed man (John Neisler) armed with a rifle protecting himself in his home from something outside — something that sounds large […]
Writer/director Kåre Bergstrøm’s Lake of the Dead (De dødes tjern, 1958), stated by some sources as being Norway’s first horror film and voted by critics in 2001 as one of the country’s top five films of all time, is a superb folk horror film filled with haunting black-and-white imagery. It boasts top-notch acting and intelligent […]
SCI-FI-London Film Festival 2021 has announced its full line-up, with speculative narrative films and intriguing documentaries. Following is the official press announcement. Today the SCI-FI-LONDON FILM FESTIVAL 2021 launches its cosmic 21st annual programme, which will run from the 19 OCTOBER until 26 OCTOBER 2021 with seven days of fabulous film. It will showcase a […]