With Welcome to Helltown, cowriters/codirectors Maxwell Frey and Dominic Reno have created an endearingly oddball portmanteau short film. The vibe is offbeat and the humor is quirky in this outing set in Helltown, Ohio, “Population . . . You!”. Toby Radloff — star of Killer Nerd (1991), Bride of Killer Nerd (1992), and Spirit Animal […]
Prolific filmmaker Patrick Rea, whose features include Nailbiter and Arbor Demon, is a master of the short horror film craft. His latest short, Fused, combines body and psychological horror with mystery, and is another winning effort for the director. Sarah (Sarah McGuire, House of Forbidden Secrets) visits her doctor (Jennifer Femiano, who also appeared in […]
Winner of MidWest WeirdFest’s Best Horror Short award, Zeshaan Younus’ Prefigured combines elements of both alien abduction and Lovecraftian cosmic horror. It weaves its spell slowly without a drop of blood or sensational special effects, nevertheless leaving viewers with a highly disquieting sense of eeriness. Scarlett Redmond (of the series My Haunted House and True […]
The United Kingdom has been home to eye-witness reports of alien big cats (ABCs) — large, wild felines not native to the region — since the 1700s. The United States is no stranger to such sightings, as shown in renowned author Linda S. Godfrey’s debut as a film director, Return to Wildcat Mountain: Wisconsin’s Black […]
Several recent horror anthology films comprise short films already completed and sometimes screened, with a new wraparound filmed to try and give them some sort of common theme. Other fright-fare portmanteau films are composed of new segments from different directors. Although many of these types of movies work, some feel disjointed because they lack a […]
Horror hounds and lovers of offbeat cinema have plenty to drool over regarding the films selected for the 22nd annual Boston Underground Film Festival. The fest returns to Harvard Square, bringing with it five days of mind-blowing cinema to the Brattle Theatre from March 25th through the 29th. This year’s program features, according to BUFF’s […]
MidWest WeirdFest — the cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird — returns to the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from March 6-8. Aficionados of supernatural horror films, paranormal documentaries, and offbeat, unusual film fare will find plenty to love in this fourth edition of the festival, which […]
Australian dark comedy Dolls involves a man’s unhealthy obsession with his doll collection. It’s a fun short film that also features some heavier moments as it addresses possessiveness and other perilous relationship issues. A man (Cameron Hurry) and a woman (Caitlin Hill) are in the middle of a heavy makeout session when, after entering his […]
Aficionados of the ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) trend feel that they get a pleasant feeling, often a somewhat tickling or tingling sensation that runs from their scalps down the back of their necks, from listening to and watching videos on platforms such as YouTube in which people whisper or make noises such as chewing […]
The German film The Picture in the House (Das Bild im Haus) is director David Lapuch’s loose adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s short story of the same title. The dread sets in from the opening scene and never lets up, fittingly appropriate to the source material, adapted here by Lapuch and his screenplay cowriter Alexandra Rollett. […]
MidWest WeirdFest— a cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, paranormal, and just plain weird — has announced its first programming wave for 2020. The fourth annual installment of the festival takes place March 6–8, 2020 at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. “MidWest WeirdFest is back with the type of cutting edge […]
Most seasoned fright-fare fans have usually seen their fair share of films about the dead haunting those who killed them, but director Stefan Georgiou’s U.K. supernatural horror short The Dead Ones adds a new spin on things. This unique approach and fine performances by its four cast members help make this short film a rousing […]
The fifth edition of Final Girls Berlin Film Festival takes place February 6–9, 2020 at City Kino Wedding, showcasing horror movies written, directed, and/or produced by women and nonbinary filmmakers. Festival codirector Eli Lewy calls this year’s festival edition the “most expansive and international yet, presenting a wide array of films by visionary filmmakers that represent […]
Director Geoff Harmer’s U.K. horror comedy short Dead Air is a colorful, playful blast featuring evil creatures sensationally brought to cinematic life by puppetry and practical effects. Monster movie fans are sure to have a super time with this offering. Female punk band Monster Kitten and their manager are onboard a plane to the final […]
The Japanese short film Furube is a contemplative meditation on not forgetting old traditions and beliefs as modern “progress” marches on. It invokes different forms of the otherworldy: aliens from outer space and traditional gods of Japan who are believed to protect the Earth and humans. Shibata (Yujiro Taguchi) is spending a peaceful day in […]