What The Exorcist is to possession movies, Jaws is to shark movies: a classic film that will likely never be equaled in its subgenre. There have been some fine shark attack films during the past few years, though, and absolutely some fun ones. RLJE Films and Shudder are releasing their entry into sharksploitation and survival horror this summer with Great White, and it sounds like it should be a winner.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
The Banishing serves up several haunted house tropes, but it looks good while doing so, with solid performances and conspiracy angles.
RLJE Films & Shudder go back to school for some supernatural horror with Seance, the directorial debut from Simon Barrett, screenwriter of You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014). The trailer and poster dropped today, and The Scariest Things has them both for you!
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival follows up its massively successful virtual version in 2020 with another online fest this year as it celebrates its 25th edition from August 5 through August 25, 2021. Opening Fantasia this year will be Québécois zombie comedy Brain Freeze from director Julien Knafo. Fanstasia has also revealed the super cool poster for its 2021 edition.
Along with SXSW Online 2021’s incredible horror feature-film lineup, the festival offered plenty of fear fare in short form, too. Here are capsule reviews of four of these short-length shudder makers.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Power is a riveting U.K. supernatural horror film set in a hospital during that country’s 1970s rolling blackouts, following a nurse on her first night on the job. Real-world horrors are exposed by an otherworldly force in this first-rate chiller.
Directed by Corrina Faith
★★★ out of ★★★★★
A young woman who saw her family murdered tries to recreate through music the feeling that occurred at that time in this horror outing that is heavy on human suffering but light on logic.
Directed by Alex Noyer
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
All Paul Dood wants to do is be the next big star on a weekly talent show, but the ill will of people who Paul holds responsible for failing his audition will be their downfall as Paul plots gruesome revenge in this U.K. dark comedy.
Directed by Nick Gillespie
Teen horror and social commentary make for a fine union in this feature about a deadly U.S. government clampdown on witchcraft and the women who practice it.
Directed by Elle Callahan
Vienna, Austria’s SLASH Filmfestival spotlights horror, science fiction, fantasy, and other genre films from around the world — both features and shorts — and the fest is now open for submissions for two outstanding events this year. Following is the official press announcement.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Vigil puts a unique cultural spin on evil entity horror and boasts an incredible lead performance.
Home invasion thriller meets zombie horror in The Curse of Hobbes House, which hits DVD and Digital download in the U.K. beginning March 8, 2021, and The Scariest Things has the trailer for you!
Kerry Prior, who directed the 2009 horror outing The Revenant, made a found-footage film in 1999 that was considered lost since that time. Recently found, The Blare Rabbit Project will have its world premiere in March at Wisconsin’s MidWest WeirdFest.
The full official trailer for The Heiress, Chris Bell’s supernatural chiller, has been released today. The shocker is available to download and […]
Wisconsin’s MidWest WeirdFest reliably features some of the most unusual, exciting, and entertaining narrative features and documentaries from around the world, and the fest’s first wave announcement for this year shows that the tradition continues. From Lovecraft and Poe to Mokele-Mbembe and far, far beyond, the first seven features announced are something to look forward to as the fest’s March 5–7 dates quickly approach. Following is MidWest WeirdFest’s official press announcement.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
This super-fun, highly absurd horror comedy twists a family adventure movie with a gory tokusatsu vibe and delivers the mind-blowing goods.
Directed by Steven Kostanski
Here’s the trailer for upcoming horror thriller Dreamcatcher, in which, according to the press release, “Dylan, known to his fans […]
★★★ out of ★★★★★
This Chilean haunted house shocker may follow some familiar beats, but its unique filming shoot, solid lead performance, and dark psychological elements help it stand out from the pack.
Genre-film fans with an interest in the paranormal, UFOs, cryptids, and offbeat cinema fare absolutely need to know about Wisconsin’s MidWest WeirdFest. Each year, the festival features superb narrative and documentary features and shorts from around the globe, and this year, the fest has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help continue its tradition of bringing the fine fare for which it is known and to support its home base, Eau Claire’s Micon Downtown Cinema.
★★★ out of ★★★★★ Bright Hill Road traverses some familiar territory but is worth the trip at least once. Directed […]
An Iranian family spends the night in a hotel and supernatural events occur, with our own Eric proclaiming the film to be his favorite of 2020, and that’s all I need to know going in to The Night besides the eerie atmosphere shown in the trailer below. In case you need more enticing beyond that, following is the official press information regarding the IFC Midnight film. I’m looking forward to this one!
Supernatural horror and familial drama meet in the U.K. feature The Heiress, set for March 15 release in the U.K. and across the world on March 15, with a U.S. and Canada release one day later.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Prepare for a big dose of fun, and a very cool-looking monster, in this creature feature/action movie mash-up about a young female officer on a danger-filled mission.
Chloë Grace Moretz versus a gremlin? Say no more . . . I’m on board! That’s just what you’ll see in […]
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Sharks, rotting corpses/ghosts, and a survivor guilt haunt a young woman in this psychological horror.
From supernatural horror to the immediacy of pandemic terror, Female Voices Rock Film Festival’s After Midnight block offers a unique selection of remarkable fright-fare shorts.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A troubled neuroscientist unwisely experiments on himself and creates a deadly dilemma when 10 different fragments of his personality vie for dominance in this intriguing science fiction outing.
After critically acclaimed screenings as part of Fantasia and other top-notch film festivals, the mind-warping science fiction chiller Minor Premise […]
★★★ out of ★★★★★
This moody, brooding gothic ghost tale makes up in atmosphere what it lacks in likable characters.
★★ out of ★★★★★
Russian torture horror for torture horror fans, of which yours truly is not one.
