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.
Joseph’s Review: The World We Knew
★★★★ 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.
Liz’s Book Report: Devil House
John Darneille invites readers to move into the Devil House.
Trailer Alert! British Supernatural/Gangster Chiller “The World We Knew”
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.
Dead List: The Elderly in Horror Movies
It’s hard enough being an older actor in the movies. In horror movies, it can be exponentially harder to make an impact, but there is a new and growing trend to feature older performers in horror movies. Is it a change in the movie culture? Is the audience growing older? The truth is probably that Horror films are casting a wider demographic net than ever, and Hollywood may now recognize that audiences who grew up as teens loving their ’70s cult films and ’80s slasher flicks are now in their 50s and 60s… and we still love our horror!
The Scariest Things Podcast Episode 138: The Best Horror Movies of 2021
Happy New Year Scariest Friends! The Scariest Things has now banked FOUR YEARS of podcasts and reviews, and despite a world-wide pandemic, we were able to see a lot of good movies and share our impressions with our ever growing fan base. It’s a good time to thank everybody who has checked in with us over the year. The new Golden Age of horror continues on, unabated, and we look forward to sharing with you a fantastic 2022!
Mike’s Review: Death Valley (2021)
★ out of ★★★★★
It’s always disappointing when someone takes one of your favorite horror sub-genres and brutally bastardizes it. The “we’re trapped in a secret military base and there’s only one way out” storyline takes some care and feeding. The situation is made even worse when it’s given the ham-fisted SyFy treatment. Little attention, little point, and little effort.
Movie Posters We Love: Top Ten Horror Movie Posters from 2021!
We warned you that we’d be back in the theaters in 2021 and we were! The Scariest Things Podcast, spread all across the globe, represented well in theaters far and wide. We were up close and personal for Conjuring III, Halloween Kills, Malignant, Candyman, and many, many others.
Mike’s Review: Bingo Hell (2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Last year brought us engaging septuagenarians battling it out the save their decrepit community center in VFW. Earlier this year saw the posthumous release of George Romero’s frightening PSA, Amusement Park. concerning the oft forgotten repugnance of elder abuse. Now, Amazon Studios is treating us to the latest in elder horror, Bingo Hell. The golden (girls) age is upon us with a new subgenera of horror, AARP horror. You heard it here first!
The Scariest Things Podcast Episode CXXXVII: The Psychology of Horror Movies
We Horror fans are an odd lot. We actively seek emotional sensations that make us uncomfortable, agitated, and if done well, terrified. To say that we are adrenaline junkies testing our courage is an easy way out, and doesn’t really get to the truth of things. Ashley Hirusina, a graphic artist managed in one poster, a deep but succinct analysis of why we seek the scary.
Eric’s Review: Bashira (2021): Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Bashira is an artistically ambitious and technically accomplished feature debut film from special effects auteur Nickson Fong. As much as it is a treat for your eyes and ears, though, the film’s plot is overly complex and the execution of the work sometimes over-shoots the target. The story often feels like two competing stories going at the same time.
Liz’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2021!
Big studio productions, festival gems and a TV series- they’re all on my list of the best of the best in 2021.
Mike’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2021!
In 2020, the global pandemic gave us an interesting dynamic in film. Stripped down productions. The re-rise of independent horror. Big budget films either shelved, delayed, or cancelled all together. Last year’s horror scene definitely had a peculiar and, well, dystopian quality.
Enter 2021! The big budget films that coldly sat on the shelves for the last year, or in some cases years, or in other cases almost a half century, are now out in the theaters for us all to enjoy. And enjoy them we did! It shouldn’t be a terrible surprise that (often) the more money, time, energy, and talent you ply to your project the better quality you’ll receive in return. Mostly.
Here’s some of the best from another spooky year…
Eric’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2021
Chalk 2021 into the history books! And, every year that I do this, I find it hard to separate my favorite films, and this year was no different. There were really good films from both the festival side and the studio wide release efforts from the past year.
Robert’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2021
It’s that time of year again! This is what’s been stewing in the cauldron all year long. Welcome to my Top 10 for 2021.
Joseph’s Top 10 Horror Films of 2021
What a great year for horror films! I hope some of your current and future favorites are on my list!
Mike’s Review: The Brilliant Terror (2021) (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
To be clear, horror is the human condition. Sure there’s ghosts, robots, cannibals, witches, and Jason Voorhees, but all these finely finessed sub-genres are really just an extension of the human condition. Much ink has been poured over this subject, but rarely does a horror documentary get at this hyper-simple truism.
Eric’s Review: Human Resources (2021): Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
★★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
A remarkably nuanced slice of horror at work, from a 19-year-old writer/director that poses the question as to how far would you be willing to go to unearth and expose the dirty secrets at your place of employment. The movie is probably twenty minutes too long, but the plot has a solid mystery backbone to tell a good story, and it is graced with great characters and snappy dialogue.
Mike’s Review: My Cherry Pie (2021) (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
★★.5 out of ★★★★★
There’s no telling if 2021’s My Cherry Pie qualifies as Oz-spoitation, but it sure looks, sounds, and feels like something straight off of 42nd street. It’s not the pastoral Picnic at Hanging Rock, nor is it the ever-haunting Lake Mungo. Think Wolf Creek with little-to-no-budget, an extra bit of nastiness, and a pinch of grindhouse.
Joseph’s Reviews: “The Last Frankenstein” and “Night, Knight Teddy” (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
Joseph reviews two films from Another Hole in the Head Film Festival: “The Last Frankenstein” and “Night, Knight Teddy.”
Eric’s Review: Crabs! (2021): (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
★★★ out of ★★★★★
Do you miss goofy ’80s era R-rated monster movies? Crabs! is one of those cheesy nature-gone-wrong films that doesn’t take itself too seriously and manages to deliver some good gory entertainment. It’s inconsistent, but there’s enough here to have a good night with a bag of popcorn and a B-movie creature feature.
Eric’s Review: Apps (2021) : (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
If V/H/S was done in Spanish, that would be Apps, an Argentinian horror anthology that is filled with plenty of shocks and bloody mayhem. Each chapter is really well executed and continues to prove that Argentina is a major player in the horror movie market.
Mike’s Review: The Whooper Returns (2021) (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)
★★★.5 out of ★★★★★
It’s always fascinating to see how something of little-to-no-value can bring out the worst in people as soon as they realize that someone else is interested in the same valueless item. This dynamic is made all the worse when it’s families fighting over the same scrap of trash. Worse yet? When that scrap of trash is the site of a 1979 horror film, the Whooper.
The Scariest Things Episode CXXXVI: UFO Horror
Hey! Watch where you’re sticking that thing! Do you believe in UFO’s? Do you think of aliens from outer space with fascination… or dread? Sometimes the aliens look like Alf. Sometimes they look like little green men (and later… little grey men). Some come for peace, and some come to carry us off the earth for experiments of the most awful kind. We will be talking about the latter! Enjoy Episode 136: UFO Horror!
Liz’s Review: The Advent Calendar (2021)
★★★★ out of ★★★★★
Stylish, creepy and strange. Begin the countdown to Christmas with The Advent Calendar.
Trailer Alert: Studio 666
When we caught wind of this (assuredly) horror comedy last month we weren’t entirely clear if we were looking at an elaborate album hype, a hoax, or an actual film.
Mike’s Review: Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
★.5 out of ★★★★★
Alright. Move along. Move along. There’s nothing to see here. Really, there’s nothing to see. A sad commentary on what should have been one of the most celebrated films this side of Halloween Kills. But, it’s true. The reimagining of the Slumber Party Massacre is a dull and uneven homage to its predecessor.
Joseph’s Monster Fest Reviews: “Button Man” and “Scam”
Joseph reviews two fine films from Australia’s Monster Fest film festival: sylvan horror short “Button Man” and Ozploitation feature “Scam.”
Joseph’s Reviews: Posted No Hunting, The Clump, A Darker Place, and Don’t Touch (Another Hole in the Head Fantastic Film Festival Horror Shorts)
San Francisco’s Another Hole in the Head Film Festival, which runs online and in the theater from December 1st–15th, 2021, […]
Eric’s Review: Super Hot (2021)
★★1/2 out of ★★★★★
Super Hot is a film that has been popping up on my recommended list on Amazon Prime, so I gave the little nerds vs. vampires movie a shot. Kandace Kale is solid as the goofy deadpan lovelorn lead, and at its best, the movie has its fun and silly moments. On the whole, though, it’s a pretty pedestrian production. (Shrugs)