Along with the terrific feature-film lineup from Vienna’s SLASH Film Festival, plenty of short-form fright fare is on tap, too. Here are capsule reviews of just a few of the short films on offer.
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Genre-Movie Mecca FilmQuest Reveals 2021 In-Person Lineup
Provo, Utah’s FilmQuest film festival has announced its lineup of cinematic genre-film gems — including 14 feature films and dozens of short films from around the globe — for its 2021 in-person lineup. The fest takes place from October 29–November 6.
North Carolina’s Wreak Havoc Horror Film Festival Brings on the Frights
North Carolina’s Wreak Havoc horror Film Festival presents award-winning independent horror features and shorts from around the world on October 1 and 2, 2021.
Joseph’s Sinister Six Picks from Fantastic Fest — Plus Two Bonus Restored Titles!
Among the Fantastic Fest films I have had a sneak peek at or can’t wait to watch are these half-dozen features, plus a bonus pair of newly restored rereleases.
Beyond Fest Returns Indoors with Fear-Fare Premieres and Restored Classics Galore
Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest returns to indoor cinemas this year with a mouth-watering lineup of horror, science fiction, and genre-film fare. From September 29th–October 11th, the festival features cutting edge fear fare including world and west coast premieres, 4K restorations of beloved classics, and much more.
Joseph’s Arrow Video FrightFest 2021 Reviews: The Parker Sessions, Killer Concept, and Mystery Spot
Joseph reviews three films from London’s Arrow Video FrightFest: psychochiller “The Parker Sessions,” comedy “Killer Concept,” and the enigmatic “Mystery Spot.”
Joseph’s Japan Cuts Review: Wonderful Paradise
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
If you are looking for something outrageously different, you need look no further than this mind-boggling slice of surreal Japanese comedy.
Joseph’s Review: On the 3rd Day (Fantasia 2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Macabre, mysterious, imaginative, and a delight to watch unfold, this Argentinian chiller is must-see viewing for fans of horror cinema.
Joseph’s Review: Night at the Eagle Inn (Popcorn Frights)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
This frenetic independent chiller is a fun entry in the hotel-horror subgenre.
Joseph’s Review: Hellbender (Fantasia 2021)
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A true family effort, Hellbender sees a mother and daughter at odds when the youngster discovers a secret that her mother kept from her and the power that it involves.
Joseph’s Review: The House at the End of the Forest (2021 Popcorn Frights)
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Swedish puzzler The House at the End of the Forest serves up more head scratching than it does hand wringing.
Joseph’s Fantasia 2021 Reviews: We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Kratt, and Ultrasound
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Kratt, and Ultrasound screen as part of Montreal’s Fantasia 2021, which runs online from August 5–25, 2021.
Joseph’s Review: Man Under Table
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Man Under Table is a surreal, darkly comic commentary on the trials and tribulations of independent filmmaking. It has an air of dread and bleakness of the horror-adjacent kind.
A Half-Dozen Horrors We Can’t Wait to See at Fantasia
Every year, Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival serves up North America’s largest selection of genre-film goodness, and this year’s 25th edition running August 5–25 is no exception. Along with science fiction, thriller, dark comedy, action, animation, and other exciting genres, horror has always been a big part of Fantasia. Here are six of Fantasia’s exciting fear-fare feature offerings on tap this year.
Joseph’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival Reviews: The Barcelona Vampiress, The Lift, and Shadows
Here are three reviews from South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, for a highly artistic Spanish historical chiller, a moody Vietnamese horror based on Asian urban legends, and a fine Hong Kong psychological horror thriller.
Movie News! VFX-Heavy Array of Demons And Monsters Abound in “Behemoth”
If you’re as big a creature feature fan as some of us here at The Scariest Things are, you should […]
Joseph’s Review: Great White
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Great White delivers some effective shark-attack–movie thrills with solid acting but not many new elements.
Arrow Video FrightFest Reveals Its 2021 Poster Design
The United Kingdom’s superb Arrow Video FrightFest is one of the highlights each summer for scare-fare fans, and the fest has just presented its stunning poster this year, designed by Graham Humphreys. Following is the official press announcement.
Joseph’s Review: He’s Dead and So Am I (Chattanooga Film Festival)
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
This horror comedy about two ghosts trying to work their way out of purgatory features humor that ranges from the broad to the uncomfortable, and is brought to cinematic life by a game cast.
Joseph’s Review: Werewolves Within
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The new park ranger in town teams up with the local mail delivery person to try and calm down the unconventional locals when it seems a werewolf may be on the loose in this lighthearted creature-feature comedy.
Fantasia’s Second Wave Announcement Includes the Supernatural and Supeheroes
The Fantasia International Film Festival has outdone itself with today’s mind-warping second-wave announcement. Featuring horror titles such as #BLUE_WHALE, Ghosting Gloria, and Hellbender (to name but a few) along with a plethora of science fiction, dark comedy, thriller, and other horror-adjacent genres, Montreal’s premiere genre-film fest promises to be a blast, as it is every year.
Joseph’s Review: The Nowhere Inn (Slash ½ Film Festival 2021)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Where does Annie Clark end and her St. Vincent rock star persona begin? Her friend Carrie Brownstein attempts to document that until the answer to that question winds up in an absurd, sometimes surreal blur in this ambitious mockumentary.
North Bend Film Festival Announces the Lineup for Its 2021 Hybrid Edition
Washington’s North Bend Film Festival is back, and it is serving up a hybrid in-person and virtual version this July. […]
Trailer Alert! Great White
What’s summer without a shark attack movie? If you share this sentiment, check out the trailer and poster reveal for Great White, an Australian entry in the shark survival horror thriller subgenre headed our way in July.
Joseph’s Review: Agnes (Tribeca Festival 2021)
Destined to be one of the most talked-about and divisive fright-fare films of the year, auteur Mickey (Climate of the Hunter) Reece’s possession-horror feature brings “But is it horror?” to a whole new level.
Joseph’s Reviews: Twisted Dreams Film Festival Online 2021 Horror Shorts: Possessions; Goodbye; and Sundown Trail
Along with the terrific feature-film lineup from Twisted Dreams Film Festival’s 2021 virtual version, the festival serves up plenty of short-form fright fare, too. Here is a second set of capsule reviews of just a few of the short films on offer.
Joseph’s Reviews: Twisted Dreams Film Festival Online 2021 Horror Shorts: Momma, Don’t Go; Make a Wish; and The Guard Station
Along with the terrific feature-film lineup from Twisted Dreams Film Festival’s 2021 virtual version, the fest serves up plenty of superb short-form fright fare, too. Here are capsule reviews of just a few of the short films on offer.
Twisted Dreams Film Festival Goes Virtual Again for Its 6th Edition
The fine folks behind Milwaukee’s Twisted Dreams Film Festival have done it again, booking an incredible array of pulse-pounding cinema for the fest’s sixth edition, and its second virtual version. Following you will find what’s playing, how to see it, and more . . .
Joseph’s Review: Digging to Death
A man going through some difficult times discovers $3 million on his new property, but it comes with ever-heavier emotional baggage and a corpse that won’t stay buried in this well-crafted chiller.
Slash ½ Features Shocks Aplenty and Gore Galore
Austrian film festival Slash ½, presented by the fine folks behind Slash Filmfestival, returns to cinemas after an absence last year, and the slate of 11 incredible films is highly impressive. The fest, which runs June 17–20, 2021 at Filmcasino in Vienna, Austria, features the gory trappings of The Stylist, the gross-out horror comedy Cyst, the supernatural shocker Son, and much more.