Director Aaron Morgan wrings the maximum creepy atmosphere possible in five minutes in his short film Seek. This tale of a rest stop break gone terrifyingly wrong is also bolstered by convincing performances, terrific set design, and super creature effects. Argumentative sisters Heidi (Allisyn Snider) and Jordan (Clare Grant) are obviously on a road trip […]
Saddled with a new mortgage that he can barely afford, recently divorced dad David Vanowen (Ford Austin) decides he can save some money by installing his septic system. He’s not a licensed contractor or even a construction worker — he’s a computer programmer — but the always optimistic Vanowen tells himself, how hard can it […]
The cries of a baby and the slow but caring response of the child’s weary mother kick off a sense of dread in Scottish writer/director Faye Jackson’s U.K. short horror film Changeling. That sense builds ever more relentlessly during the film’s 10-minute running time, leading to a gut-wrenching climax featuring a novel approach to the […]
Desperate to make cash and too squeamish about selling his blood for money, Jim (Parris Bates) decides to take a job housesitting. It sounds like a pretty sweet gig: $100 a night, and all he has to do is make sure nobody breaks in and damages the place until the owner, Eunice (Rebecca Kimble), returns. […]
In only about 4 minutes not counting credits, writer/director Ryan Cauchi’s Australian short horror film Golem spins an action-packed tale about the titular anthropomorphic clay creature from Jewish folklore while also setting the stage for a much larger story. The result is a gripping short creature feature boasting some fun monster effects. The set-up is […]
Director Christoper Bickel blew minds with his 2017 feature film debut The Theta Girl, but his new follow-up Bad Girls is even more wild, warped, and wacky. Imagine classic bad-girl movies such as Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! on steroids and amphetamines, and in lurid color, and you are on your way to getting […]
Eighties slasher throwback Slashlorette Party is a valentine to direct-to-video horror fare of that decade. It’s chock full of gory kills and naked gals, and is an impressive independent effort that rises above being mere pastiche. Brie (Molly Souza) is engaged to controlling, full-on chauvinist jerk Dolph (Andrew Brown). After consulting with her therapist Dr. […]
Argentinian horror offering History of the Occult (Historia de lo Oculto; 2020) is a tantalizing puzzle that takes place just before and during the final broadcast of a television news show. Cristian Ponce makes an intriguing feature-film debut as a writer/director, combining elements of fear fare, film noir, and mystery. Sixty Minutes Before Midnight is […]
Writer/director Parish Malfitano’s Australian feature film debut Bloodshot Heart examines the themes of obsession, loss and the trauma it can cause, depression, visions of grandeur, and other psychological issues in its tale of the downward mental spiral of lonely Italian driving instructor Hans (Richard James Allen). The film uses multiple actors in one role à […]
Director McClain Lindquist takes Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” and gives it a modern updating that is true to the source material but adds a new approach in his short film The Tell Tale Heart. The result is a fascinating character study of a narrator who speaks in 19th-century fashion while […]
Hailing from York, Pennsylvania – the hard-rocking trio Small Town Titans recently released their debut album The Ride upon the world and I have to honestly tell you, it is the best collection of Midwestern, working man, rock and roll I’ve listened to in quite a few years. A little back story – Small Town […]
Australian short film The Moogai won this year’s SXSW Jury Prize in the Midnight Short section, and for good reason. Writer/director Jon Bell’s harrowing short film is rich in spine-tingling atmosphere, with a gripping, meaningful story and solid performances. Sarah (Shari Sebbens) and Fergus (Meyne Watt) have a newborn baby, and Sarah begins seeing haunting […]
Writer/director Nicholas Woods’ Echoes of Violence is a taut revenge thriller with occasional moments of dark humor. It is headier than the usual offerings in this subgenre, looks great, is well acted and directed, and offers some intriguing subplots. Job-hating real estate agent Alex (Heston Horwin) is trying to show a remote property in Sedona, […]
Winner of this year’s MidWest WeirdFest Best Horror Film award, writer/director George Adams’ Lady Usher is an outré, warped modern reimagining of the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Fall of the House of Usher.” It’s a delirious psychosexual trip featuring solid performances and an auteur vision. Roderick (John Tupy) takes a break from college to […]
No matter the number of extraterrestrial contact documentaries you have watched in the past, the chances are good that you have never seen one quite like the short film Alien Abduction (2021). It hovers somewhere in the planes of the experimental, pop art, and the outré. AV Super Sunshine and Philomena, members of the Wisconsin […]