★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Horror icon Brea Grant delivers a great-looking film with one cowboy-boot–wearing foot in modern gothic horror territory and the other in slasher-style fare, loading Nashville music scene chiller Torn Hearts with commentary on the price of fame.
Wellbeck Publishing is getting ready to unleash a book for aficionados of horror and fantasy cinema this September that will make jaws drop when it releases Masters of Make-up Effects by Howard Berger & Marshall Julius.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Can a misogynistic rideshare driver and a trio of strong-willed women work together to survive a monstrous attack? Spanish horror outing The Passenger attempts to answer that question in a gruesome, fast-paced romp.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Christina Ricci is the main reason to check out this tale of a mother and her young son haunted by something that emerges from a nearby body of water, but Monstrous definitely has other things going for it, as well.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A peepshow dancer and a religious zealot must try to work together during the apocalypse or suffer abominable fates in this wild eighties-set chiller.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
This Argentinian tale of a sorcerer trying to save his daughter from a diabolical creature is bound to put a lump in your throat as it sends shivers down your spine.
The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) brings another fine assortment of chillers, thrillers, the funny, and the fantastic, to this year’s virtual edition. The fest has announced its first wave of films, and from the frightening (such as The Ones You Didn’t Burn) to the freaky (the found footage mind-bender The Outwaters), CFF has something for genre film aficionados of all kinds.
Luzifer ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Gatlopp★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two films from Calgary Underground Film Festival.
Follow Her ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Ox-Head Village ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Yellow Dragon’s Village ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews three films from Brazil’s Fantaspoa film festival, all of which are well worth seeking out!
****1/2 out of *****
Roma curses! Vicious, shape-shifting monsters! Captivating gothic imagery! Period-piece horror feature The Cursed has all this and much more, resulting in one of the best fear-fare efforts of the year.
Moshari ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Homesick ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Wild Bitch ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews three fine short films from SXSW.
Nitram ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A Family Affair ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two strong films from Boston Underground Film Festival, Australian true-crime drama “Nitram” and winter-set horror short “A Family Affair.”
The Outwaters: ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
The Zand Order ★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two features from San Francisco’s Unnamed Footage Festival, “The Outwaters” and “The Zand Order.”
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A gripping film that finds a fine balance between the terror of having a stalker with dark humor rooted in the supernatural, Jethica is a must-see for fans of well-crafted independent cinema.
Emergency: ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
as I was during the dark-comedy thriller Emergency. Its trio of protagonists have different views on what the right thing to do in their situation might be, and everything they do seems to get them in deeper and hotter water.
Blink: ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A young woman named Mary (Sophie Thatcher) wakes up in a hospital bed, paralyzed and only able to communicate with the nurse on duty (Alicia Coppola) by blinking. Full Short included here!
Mandrake ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ Directed by Lynne Davison Blending folk horror with crime and family drama, Mandrake, Lynne Davison’s […]
Norwegian creepy-kid chiller “The Innocents” receives a May 13 release from IFC Midnight, and The Scariest Things has the new trailer for you!
Joseph reviews two films from MidWest WeirdFest: Crime caper/horror outing “Hair-Trigger” and creature feature “Reeds Point.”
Joseph reviews two fine new chillers screening at Wisconsin’s MidWest WeirdFest.
Wisconsin’s MidWest WeirdFest has announced the full lineup for its March 4-6 run this year, and it’s a doozy! Along […]
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ A strong display of impressive visuals sets this death-cult chiller apart from lesser offerings in the […]
Visitors ★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Directed by Kenichi Ugana Japanese filmmaker Kenichi Ugana makes some seriously messed up films, and […]
MidWest WeirdFest has a stellar reputation for presenting edgy, provocative cinema fare, and the first wave announcement for this year’s edition of the Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based fest shows that the tradition continues. From paranormal strangeness to creepy creature features, MidWest WeirdFest has it all!
Nocturna: Side A — The Great Old Man’s Night ★★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★ Director Gonzalo Calzada takes two decidedly different […]
Here’s a truly promising trailer for Scout Taylor-Compton’s (Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II) latest fear-fare feature, The Long Night, which […]
Breaking Glass Pictures is set to release Argentine writer-director Gonzalo Calzada’s double bill Nocturna: Side A – The Great Old Man’s Night and Nocturna: Side B – Where the Elephants Go to Die on DVD and Digital on January 18.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
British featureThe World We Knew combines a gangster film with supernatural and psychological horror elements. The result is a sharp-as-nails outing that delivers plenty of eeriness along with solid direction and crackerjack performances.
Independent distributor/sales agency Mutiny Pictures will be releasing the UK horror/thriller THE WORLD WE KNEW on VOD and DVD on January 11th, 2022.
What a great year for horror films! I hope some of your current and future favorites are on my list!
Joseph reviews two films from Another Hole in the Head Film Festival: “The Last Frankenstein” and “Night, Knight Teddy.”
