MidWest WeirdFest delivers another flurry of the mystical and the mind-boggling this year with its first-wave announcement for its seventh edition. Taking place March 3–5, 2023 at the Micon Downtown Cinema in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the fest presents thought-provoking documentaries and cutting-edge narrative films.
★★.5 out of ★★★★★
Regicide is one of those awesome $5 dollar SAT words. You’d swear you know what it means, but always end up have to look it up online. We’ll save you they trouble. Regicide is the killing of a monarch or king. In the case of 2022’s uber-indy flick Regicide, this kind of makes sense, but it takes the film an awfully long time to find the metaphor.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Agatha resides at the intersection of an experimental art piece and a horror movie. Knowing that, you know how to proceed with this film. Agatha is visually stunning but ultimately difficult to process at times. It is mesmerizing and dreamy and entirely devoid of dialogue, so your attention span will be tested. Ultimately if you like visually poetic and painterly films, this will be your bag.
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Night of the Bastard is fun. Stupid fun. Be ready for a low-budget B-Movie brawler of a picture. A desert trailer-trash and Satanic Cult mashup awaits.
★★★ out of ★★★★★
While no one on the Scariest Things Podcast is a licensed cryptozoologist, it’s fair to say that we all have an interest in this murky science. There’s even a few of us — gasp — that might actual believe in the cryptids! When this most recent offering popped up at the Another Hole in the Head Film fest we knew we had to search it out.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A crumbling relationship leads a couple to take their frustrations out on a jog around a nearby pond, but they get trapped in a mysterious Mobius loop that becomes a private hell for the two of them. A smart,, if repetitive (of course) time paradox tale that explores the truly destructive nature of a breakup in some very clever ways.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
A high school counselor’s trip to Kansas City, Kansas so that he can help out a student turns into an oddball odyssey in this winning, blood-soaked comedy.
★★.5 out of ★★★★★
An evocative film name for an equally evocative true story. Pig Killer should not be taken lightly and nor should the horrible tale of Willy Pickton who killed and killed until he made his way in to Canadian history books as the most prolific serial killer in the country’s history.
Joseph reviews three ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ short films from Another Hole in the Head Film Festival: 7 MINUTES IN HELL, ANGEL CITY HORROR, and THE WELL.
Cognitive ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Keys ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A King in Yellow ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews three thrilling slices of fear-fare from Another Hole in the Head Film Festival.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A skeptical husband goes against his superstitious wife’s wishes and finds himself in a downward spiral of tragedy in this brooding Korean chiller.
Prom Car ’91 ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Gnomes ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two excellent shorts from Nightmares Film Festival.
Summoners ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Mother, May I? ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two “But is it horror?” features from Brooklyn Horror Film Festival.
Good Boy ★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Stephane ★★★ out of ★★★★★
Look out for two new European thrillers fresh from their world premiers at Beyond Fest!
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
V/H/S/99, the latest installment in the V/H/S horror anthology franchise, delivers plenty of the gory and the gruesome along with a nice balance of chills and chuckles.
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A father and daughter going through difficult times are about to have matters get even worse, as they are stranded on a road next to a forest at night, and they are definitely not alone.
The Trunk ★★★★ out of ★★★★★ Directed by Travis Laidlaw In Canadian supernatural shocker The Trunk, Marco (Craig Monk) and […]
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Freeze takes elements from the Legenary H.P. Lovecraft library: The Shadow over Innsmouth and At the Mountains of Madness have been combined to make it into an entertaining romp through the arctic. For the independent production house Dark Temple Motion Pictures, this is their most ambitious effort to date, and it looks terrific, though it really could have used several more actors to flesh out the environment. (literally).
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
This Australian indie effort punches above its weight and delivers a thrilling, mesmerizing watch about a teenage girl whose recently deceased mother has been replaced in the family unit by a woman who looks alarmingly like that very mother.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Fear the Pythagorean Theorem!
Wait… what?
The latest film from trendsetting actor/directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson explores the fear of pattern languages. Math can be a frustratingly daunting experience at best and mind-bogglingly cryptic at the extremes. Think of it. Irrational numbers. ∞. Triskadecaphobia. π. Abstract numbers. Dividing by zero. What does it all mean? The laws and rules of mathematics that govern our lives can be twisted. Oh, the Horror!
Here are six slices of fright-fare from Brooklyn Horror Film Festival that we here at The Scariest Things are itching to see.
RUPTURE ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
NR. 10 ★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Joseph reviews two excellent features from Vienna’s SLASH Film Festival.
When the calendar turns from September to October, that means it’s time for the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, one of the premiere horror events in the Pacific Northwest. This year there are some big-time guests who will be at the event in person to represent their iconic films, so if you are within driving distance (or if you want to fly in) you should come to the Hollywood Theater in Portland, and check it out! It is one of the best-curated horror festivals in the country, and you will not find a finer group of short films anywhere.
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
The Elderly is a multifaceted horror film that will have you looking inward and up to the sky…
★★3/4 out of ★★★★★
Evil is lurking under the streets of Paris in Deep Fear!
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Will the search for life on other planets alienate us from each other? That is at the heart of The Antares Paradox.
The 14th edition of A Night of Horror International Film Festival takes place at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, Sydney, Australia, from October 17th until October 23rd, 2022, and what a lineup the fest has in store!
Vienna’s SLASH Film Festival is set to kick off in a couple of days, and it’s a stunner! From the world premieres of Austrian features Rupture and Mother Superior to the opening episodes of Lars von Trier’s Kingdom Exodus to a fine selection of other horror features and shorts from around the globe boasting monsters, murderers, and all other sorts of mayhem, SLASH Film Festival is a can’t-miss event.
TERRIFIER 2, SMILE, and the North American premiere of SCARE PACKAGE II headline this year’s Popcorn Frights’ Wicked Weekend!
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
This remake of the surprise Japanese hit One Cut of the Dead puts a French spin on the proceedings — and it works!
