JoinedMarch 18, 2018
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★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★

🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Prepare to be entertained! Onyx the Fortuitous, the fan-favorite award winner at the Portland Horror Film Festival, pulls out all the stops to catch your attention, get you laughing, and keeps piling on. It is wall-to-wall zany, filled with scene-chewing characters, fantastic puppet practical effects, an easy hook of a premise, and the frantic energy of actor/director Andrew Bowser who plays Onyx the Fortuitous, your gonzo lead character in the movie.

The 8th Annual Portland Horror Film Festival is back in action, live at the Hollywood Theater in Portland Oregon OR... streaming live at your home! This years offerings conjure up one word: GONZO. Come see Barabara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs reuinite for the wild Onyx The Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. The much praised Black Mold will be the Opening Night feature, and there will be a total of 9 features and 60 Horror Shorts... at a festival noted for giving you the best horror shorts on the festival circuit. See you there!
A Film Festival meets Slumber Party meets Glamping. That's the Cabin in the Woods Film Festival, a brand new experience being brought to you from horror Author Crystal Connor. Join the Scariest Things, and all of Crystal's special guests for a one-of-a-kind experience, made special for horror fans. Come join us!
Summer is nearly here, and it is now time to reflect back at how the horror genre has done so far, and look forward to some wonderfully stoopid action like the Meg2! Plus Liz is on the Fantasia Press Pool and Robert found some Lovecraft short stories for those of you literate enough to digest the prose.
It's the Original Crew of Mike and Eric for Episode 13! We gave Robert and Liz the day off... In this Episode, Mike announces a new Faces of Death movie (Really!) and the release of Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter. Eric talks about his new Horror Movie production fantasy draft experience: The Horror Movie Greenlight Pitch that will be coming out at Crypticon later this month.
We have a full house of Scariest Things for Spooky Time 12! We shill for some of our favorite scary shops. We review a BLOODY action film that is getting lots of attention, and Mike continues his pursuit of Texas Chainsaw completion. Good Luck, Mike.
In This Episode of Spooky Time 11: - Mike breaks down the various versions of the Boston Strangler. - Liz gets you ready for Panic Fest, and shows of the latest novel from S.A. Cosby. - Eric points you to two big new horror trailers, and shows off an essential horror movie reference book!
The Overlook Film Festival just concluded its 2023 event, and it really flexed its influence this year. By my count there were two ★★★★★ movies and at least five ★★★★ movies, meaning that we will see several of them back at the best of awards this year. There are several films here that will be influential for years to come, I am certain. Overlook has once again treated us to some of the best curated films in the genre, and from this festival I can assure our fans that there is much to look forward to coming soon to a theater near you. Listen to Eric and Liz discuss the best (and worst) of the event.
★★★ out of ★★★★★

🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 for murderous revenge, exploding heads, and nasty tricks and traps.

Want to see a teenage girl completely wreck a cell of right wing domestic terrorists? If you do, the Wrath of Becky will satisfy your soul. You just don't go stealing a girl's mastiff. Light on logic but full of bloodshed, The Wrath of Becky has been featured at both SXSW and Overlook.

★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 for constant pervasive gore, grotesque transformations, and severe violence against children

Evil Dead Rise is everything you would want a film in this franchise to be. It gets to the bloody action right from the start, and does not let up once it gets rolling. This incredibly gory film reconstructs the fundamental Evil Dead script in by making it a family-forward story, but it still walks a familiar path.

★★★★ out of ★★★★★ 🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸for raw intensity and domestic abuse, and a rough exorcism. This is a horror movie that examines exorcisms, not from the horror of the demonic possession itself, but that of the zealotry and shoddy practices of non-sanctioned exorcisms as exercised by charismatic charlatans. It recognizes the fragility of those who are mentally ill and the unfortunate abuse that they receive when those who are supposed to love and care for them instead seek help from the questionable practices of religious hucksters.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★

🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 for horrific gun violence, some torture, and some crunchy re-animated dead.

Ted Geoghegan wrote and directed a nifty mystery box of a film wherein a group of WWII army officers support their friend, Lt. Colonel Hockstetter (Larry Fessenden) in his attempts to to reconnect with his recently deceased wife. A terrific veteran cast delivers the drama in this well constructed (and occasionally bloody) ghostly escape room of a story.

★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★

🩸🩸🩸🩸 out of 🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸 for copious amounts of bloodshed, dismemberments, beheadings, exploding bodies, the use of severed limbs as weapons, and eviscerations.

The Dracula tale has never been more fun to watch than in Chris McKay's Renfield. Nicholas Hoult is the remorseful and downtrodden manservant Renfield who struggles with how to escape servitude from his vile master. Nic Cage is perfectly cast as the dapper and ferocious Count Dracula, mixing a looming malevolence with goofy charm. Universal has found its footing again with its legendary roster of monster films. Renfield mixes full-theater belly laughs with spectacular gory action to create a movie destined to get repeat viewings. Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee would be proud.

It's Spring Break Time! The Scariest Things has lined up some things for you to get ready for your Horror-Themed spring break! - Robert advocates for Fright Rags for your Tee Shirt needs, before heading out for Festival Season. - Mike has some great reading material for you from horror novelist Clay McLeod Chapman. - Eric has found your Spring Break Horror Road Trip guide! And a wacky summer time horror camp. Episode 9 Starts NOW!
In Episode 8 of Spooky Time: - Mike and Liz Report back from their experiences at SXSW - Mike, got a chance to do some Texas Chainsaw Massacre touring . - Eric comes to the table with his review of the Variety Top 100. - Liz finds another favorite book of hers that is being given the chance at a premium TV series. - Eric reports on Guillermo Del Toro's next Horror Movie. (It's familiar)
The Scariest Things is heading down to Austin for SXSW and The Overlook Film Festival, two of the most influential festivals in America and we are previewing them for you in Episode 7 of Spooky Time!
Hello? I'd like a room for the night. Famous. Last. Words. If you are tired and driving down a remote desert highway, and are feeling a bit tired, you will know that the last thing you should do is check into a skeevy Motel at the side of the road. The Scariest Things pulls off on the side of the road to scout the dodgy lodging in advance for you in Episode 163: Hotel-Motel-BnB Horror.
It's time for a zombie March Madness bracket fight! The scary ladies of The Jersey Ghouls, Marissa and Jacki, abducted Eric and Liz and forced us to participate in this fiendish experiment. And we had a BLAST! Check out the Jersey Ghouls Podcast, or click on the streaming feed on this post!
★★★★ out of ★★★★★ 🩸🩸🩸 This is a grisly (not grizzly... the bear is a black bear) romp through the forest, amped up with narcotics and has some wildly entertaining moments. Elizabeth Banks continues her transformation from in front of the camera star to behind the camera, and she hit the comedic and gory tone just right with Cocaine Bear.
It's the age old debate: Book vs. Movie. Which did it better? In the spotlight in Episode 6 of Spooky Time: Paul Tremblay's novel: The Cabin at the End of the World vs. M. Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin.
It's SPOOKY TIME! In this week's episode: Liz returns from Rome, with a report on the Profondo Rosso Store. Robert found a highly curated horror book subscription service. Eric announced a team up with the Jersey Ghouls for a Zombie March Madness Bracket Dance. And... Mike was on a train to the great white oblivion.
★★★1/2out of ★★★★★

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The WWI trench warfare horror film Bunker follows a mixed squad of British and American doughboys who are trapped in a deserted German bunker and encounter something far more sinister than enemy forces waiting for them. With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, it's only appropriate that movie goers return to the horror of trench warfare.

We now have a Gore Intensity Rating for our reviews! Being that we are your gateway to the trends and tropes of the horror genre, we need to be able to convey to the newcomers (and our gore hounds) what to expect with these movies. Keep an eye out for the 🩸 on forthcoming reviews.
Liz flees to Rome to escape the oncoming hordes of Mardi Gras invaders (and to go on a Dario Argento Pilgrimage), leaving Robert, Eric, and a freshly shaven Mike Campbell sans beard to carry on with Spooky Time. Topics Include: Deadstream, The Last of Us, Children of the Corn, and a Cronenberg TV Conversion.
Behold, the Horror Movie Mullet: Slow-Burn Horror! It's business (plot building) in the front, and a party (big third-act finish). You can thank Liz Williams for that analogy! The concept of the slow-burn horror movie is not new, but it is a prominent description for many contemporary horror movies. Break out the coffee, and try not to spill it in the shocking third act of Episode 162: Slow-Burn Horror!

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