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 […]
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 […]
For this month’s installment of Scarred for Life, we’re trying something a little different. The new lockdown-inspired anthology ISOLATION debuts this week on VOD from Gravitas Ventures, uniting the talents of 11 genre directors telling nine unique terror tales. To celebrate ISOLATION’s release, we enlisted 13 of the omnibus’ directors, screenwriters and producers to tell […]
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 […]
“Beware the spam mail” is just one of the messages inside THE BETA TEST, the clever new thriller from writer/director/actor Jim Cummings. The filmmaker behind THUNDER ROAD and THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW has teamed with his acting partner PJ McCabe on the movie, with McCabe co-writing and co-directing alongside Cummings (also in the current […]
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 […]
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 […]
I saved this one for last – as one of the journalists on the panel just kind of let fly with some pretty major spoilers so – I purposely waited till the end of opening weekend to post this nice chat with David Gordon Green and Jason Blum. Interesting listening to this talk again as […]
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 […]
Since it’s the eve before the big debut of Halloween Kills it seems apropos to post this segment of the round table interviews that I was fortunate enough to be a part of a few days back. Jamie Lee Curtis and Andi Matichak were great enough to spend some time with us and answer whatever […]
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 […]
The next in my series of interviews with the folks involved with Halloween Kills continues with this roundtable discussion with producer Malek Akkad. Not much else needs saying – so, give the video below a click and enjoy – some good information for you all to take in. Check back over the next few days […]
’Tis the season…to scream for your life! Everyone watches horror films and TV during the month of Halloween fun. But what about the movies that latched onto our brains at a tender age and refused to let go? Let’s continue our regular survey to see what scare flicks left today’s current genre practitioners Scarred for […]
Writer/director Philipp Yuryev’s Russian short Tale of the Deaf is one of the most visually extraordinary films of this year. Shot in sumptuous black-and-white by director of photography Mikhail Kasaya, this gothic chiller is a diabolical delight. A deaf man (Russian rapper Husky) tries to entertain a tavern full of paupers with shadow play but […]