The Bloody Judge for the 2026 Portland Horror Film Festival was Andrea Subissati, the Executive Editor of Rue Morgue. She is one of the most compelling voices within the horror community, and is a powerful advocate for women within the genre. Andrea was kind enough to set some time aside to talk some terror with us between feature film showings at the festival.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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The Frogman is back! The first Frogman was something of a found footage cult hit. Now, both the actual film and the film within the film have a bigger budget this time out, and the results go gonzo crazy. Forget the cryptids; this sequel takes the concept into cosmic insanity. See this in a full theater, as the audience I saw it with went completely bananas. It starts out like a natural extension of the first film, but expands the story into realms practically unthinkable. This feature won the Horde Award at the Portland Horror Film Festival as the audience choice for best film.
Poster reveal for Josh Lobo's NIGHT AFTER NIGHT
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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The Demonatrix is a cheeky, lightly racy horror-comedy that reflects on the economic troubles of the time. A dominatrix looking to get some extra income turns to hosting fake séances to make ends meet. When things inevitably go awry, she turns to a priest working in a church across the street from her kink studio. It's a silly, simple tale that features some great costumes and a couple of horror legends you will recognise.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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What starts off as a creepy little film about a curse spirals into one of the most uncomfortable viewing experiences of the year.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Landlord poses the question "If vampires can't come into your home without an invitation, what happens if they own your housing?" A bounty hunter checks her conscience in order to save an orphaned boy from the predations of a vampire landlord consuming the tenants of a Lousiville housing complex. This gritty and moody debut from writer director Remington Smith was featured at the Portland Horror Film Festival.
My Bloody Valentine turns 45 years old this year. The director, George Mihalka, was the guest of honor at this year's Portland Horror Film Festival. George was kind enough to speak with the Scariest Things, who are huge fans of the film. Lost cutting room footage was recently found when the producer was absorbed by Lionsgate, allowing some of the missing gory effects to be brought back into the movie. So, it's time to revisit this movie and talk to the creator about why it remains important today.
⭐⭐⭐1/2
Intensity: 🩸🩸🩸1/2
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Sure, it shares a name with the notorious (and notoriously bad) Faces of Death (1978). The twist? This one's actually a blast.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
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Graphic sex, graphic violence, with a clever twist that sends the story careening off in an unexpected direction. The latest from Derek Vasconi.
⭐️⭐️ .75 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Horror allows the perfect mirror for society to look at the entirety of these fragile foibles to gain a better understanding of the truly precarious nature of the plight of the teen. In his feature length debut director Michael Pickle looks to tackle all these issues in the context of a troubled high school senior who is haunted by the worst kind of spirits —the malevolent kind.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️.5 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Horror films in the modern era tend to tilt towards the academic and erudite. Sure there’s still wealth of garbage floating around in the ocean, including Minnie’s Midnight Massacre, Spiders on a Plane, and Meth Gator. However, these two worlds — trash and highbrow — seldom come together in perfect harmony.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Obsession is the latest movie to apply the Monkey's Paw wish dilemma. Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it. This independent horror gem is the latest example of how original storytelling and great performances can launch a tiny-budget movie into the box-office stratosphere.
Indie horror filmmakers Gabby Rosson and Emily Tullock are creating Trash Queen, a sci-fi horror comedy, starring Tulloch and legendary scream queen Lynn Lowery. They joined the Scariest Things to talk about what goes into developing a self-funded independent horror film. It is the journey of many an ambitious creator, and we talked about all of the joys and difficulties of crafting a horror movie. If you have ever wanted to produce a movie yourself, this may be an instructive conversation, so join us as we take a trip to the dump, for all the right reasons.
⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What do you get when you mash up Alice in Wonderland with Rosemary’s Baby, add in hint of Midsommar, and include the American sister of the most famous scream queen, with an Italian writer and director for a film that’s shot in Germany? Why you get The Sect — AKA The Devil’s Daughter.
The Scariest Things, once again, is proud to be a sponsor of The Portland Horror Film Festival, and they have just announced their 2026 lineup. If you are attending, don't forget to join us for The Fifth Annual Horror Movie Greenlight Pitch event at Dot's Cafe following Saturday June 6th's movies at the Clinton Street Theater. We hope to see you there!
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In the latest installment of the Breakfast Club meets Final Destination we’re treated to a modern fixation that clumsily follows a gaggle of hyper-stereotypical teens. This one has it all. The stoner (Rel), the loner (Chrys), the brain (Ellie), the jock (Dean), and the beauty queen (Grace). More miraculous? They’re all best friends. Even more miraculous? The loner is a former drug addict who is new to the school and everyone is dying to hang with her.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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There are certain things in life worth obsessing over. In fact, there may be a direct correlation between the importance of the obsession and the meaninglessness of the object of fascination. Your favorite soccer club. The hunt for the perfect slice of pizza. The original pressing of the 1971 German prog LP that no one — except for you — has ever heard of. All these things and many more deserve your undivided and undying attention.
Comfort Horror. It's a thing. It keeps the fandom fed. We come back time and again to get scared, and we love it. Why? This is the third of my series of Crypticon Seattle convention panel recordings. Panels are the lifeblood of this annual horror gathering, feeding the fandom's macabre knowledge cravings. Horror movies are the bonds this community shares, and to understand why, this panel examines the lure of horror for many of us. It seems antithetical that many of us crave the experience of being scared.
★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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The Yeti combines nostalgic creature feature elements with modern filmmaking techniques to deliver a top-flight monster movie dead set on entertaining.
Feel the sweat and the tropical breezes; it's time to discuss Tiki Terrors and its tropical horror cousins. Transport yourself to an island in the South Pacific or the Caribbean. The exoticism and the removal from "civilization" provide the grounds for some evocative scares. These movies have been with us since the Golden Age. Think King Kong, The Mont Dangerous Game, and The Island of Lost Souls, and it found its heyday in the '50s and '60s. Listen and learn from veteran Crypticon panelists as they talk all things Tiki Terror.
Crypticon Seattle, the great Pacific Northwest horror convention, has once again come and gone, but the memories linger. The panels are what make the convention feel like a class reunion. The panels are produced entirely by volunteer experts from across the region and are the ultimate in fan interaction. This is what it feels like to create a horror community, sharing our ideas and experiences with each other. This year, I decided to record some of the panels I participated in and attended to give you a sense of what happens at these events. This Pets in Horror panel was hosted by Brien Gorham, and I participated in it along with Kathy Fennesy and Todd Johnstson.
At Crypticon Seattle, we held a Slasher Movie King of the Mountain Bracket Battle to decide the greatest slasher movie of all time. Cheers, groans, hoots, and pleading were all part of the event. I asked the audience to get loud, and they made it happen! The final four were from franchises that would not surprise you, but the actual champion was not a highly seeded favorite. Who won? Check out the full interactive bracket right here!
If you're a self-respecting horror fan then this film has been on your must see list for quite some time. Good news! The wait was worth it. This trailer pulls zero, and we do mean ZERO, punches.
It's been twenty years, and now we are getting a sequel to Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. I had a golden opportunity to interview Nathan Baesel, to discuss the announcement of the Kickstarter Campaign for the upcoming movie.
⭐️⭐️.5 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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What if a film tried to mash up the Oedipus complex with vampires, Crips, Bloods, crooked cops, not-so-crooked cops, vampire cops, mother/son tensions, father/son tensions, and African mysticism? Not possible, right?
⭐️⭐️.75 out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Truth be told Dolly is a pretty boring affair. That said, the film is punctuated with some pretty exceptional pieces of gore — including one moment that may not have ever been laid down on celluloid.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
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The Southern Gothic film Parasomnia dips into the "dream demon" trope, infusing it with a voodoo twist and a delicious betrayal to spice up the story. Solid performances and carefully crafted character relationships help offset a somewhat pedestrian depiction of the demon.
South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival unveils its poster art for this year's 30th edition of the fest.
In reality hippos are pretty far down the list of the most dangerous animals with 500 kills a year, but it's safe to say that getting mauled by a hippo is a far worse fate than a nibble from THE most dangerous creature, the mosquito. No big deal, but mosquitos lay waste to nearly a million people each year -- but that's a different story.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
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Goody Goody delivers pregnancy horror aplenty!






























