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September 2020

153 stories
Horror Fuel

Darren Lynn Bousman Discusses New Films ‘Death Of Me’ And ‘Spiral’

Darren Lynn Bousman, the horror heavy hitter behind films like Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Tales of Halloween, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and other frightening flicks, sat down with me to discuss his new film Death of Me as well as his new highly anticipated installment of the Saw franchise, Spiral, out in theaters next year. Death of Me follows a woman visiting an island off of Thailand with her photographer husband, played by Luke Hemsworth. After a night of celebrating the couple wakeup in their room with a huge gap of time missing from their memory of the night before. Upon discovering a terrifying video on her husband’s camera Christine’s (Maggie Q) world spirals into a nightmare filled with horrors and mysterious traditions. Horror Fuel: “I’m a big fan of your movies, especially Repo. It is brilliant!” Darren Lynn Bousman: “Oh, thank you very much!” Horror Fuel: “A few days ago I watched your new movie Death of

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 29, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Deeper You Dig (2019)

Ivy (Toby Poser, who also co-wrote and co-directed along with John Adams) is a psychic who has lost her supernatural spark, but the show must go on if her teen daughter Echo (Zelda Adams) is gonna eat, so she just kind of wings it going forward. Speaking of Echo, drunk driver Kurt (the aforementioned Adams) swerves to miss a deer and instead gets Echo under his wheels. This of course forces him to throw Operation: Save Ass into high fuckin’ gear, and he chucks Echo in the back of his truck and heads off to cover up his crime! With Echo missing, Ivy goes all-in on re-opening her third eye to solve the mystery… meanwhile ol’ Kurt is dealing with the vengeful ghost of Echo! The Deeper You Dig manages to convey both Ivy’s journey, and Echo’s horror biz in a way that makes for a film part tripped-out spirit quest, and full on ghost story supernatural shocker with neither

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: ivansxtc (2000)

ivansxtc begins the only place it could; the end. You see star Hollywood agent Ivan Beckham (30 Days of Night‘s Danny Huston) has died of lung cancer, which shocks his co-workers who would have bet that his demise would have been from the absolutely bonkers amount of drugs n’ booze he quaffed on the regular. Speaking of that wild life, we see Ivan’s last days laid bare via flashback ya dig… and what days they were; full of high-stakes Peter Weller-focused wheelin’ and dealin’, static from his girlfriend Charlotte (Lisa Enos), family and client drama… and of course plenty of full on illicit substance fueled hanky-panky! A raw as hell blend of Hollywood excess and Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Illyich, ivansxtc posses an almost documentary feel, and that brings us closer to the titular character’s swirling insanity than we may be comfortable with. Shot on digital video by Bernard Rose (most famous for fright fans from his 1992 cinematic

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

From The Writer-Director Of ‘The Strangers’ Comes ‘The Dark And The Wicked’

From the writer-director who brought us the Stangers, Bryan Bertino comes a new tale of terror, The Dark and the Wicked, starring Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy,” Hell or High Water), Michael Abbott Jr. (Loving, Mud), and Xander Berkeley (“The Walking Dead”). On a secluded farm, a man is slowly dying. Bedridden and fighting through his final breaths, his wife is slowly succumbing to overwhelming grief. To help their mother and say goodbye to their father, siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) return to their family farm. It doesn’t take long for them to see that something’s wrong with mom, though—something more than her heavy sorrow. Gradually, as their own grief mounts, Louise and Michael begin suffering from a darkness similar to their mother’s, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over their family. The Dark and the Wicked arrives in theaters, on Digital, and On Demand November 6, 2020, from

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Cruel Jaws (1995)

Ever want to watch the entire Jaws series of films in one go, but you just could never find the time? Well, fret not cats n’ creeps, because your kindly uncle Bruno (Mattei that is… he of Shocking Dark, Rats: Night of Terror, and a beastly billion more… even though he’s credited as William Snyder here for reasons most likely relating to permits and taxes) has managed to shove the entire series into a 94 minute gem titled Cruel Jaws! In the sleepy seaside town of Hampton Bay, Dag (Richard Dew… though it may actually be Hulk Hogan… Dagamania’s runnin’ wild brother!) operates an aquarium, though he’s down on his luck after an accident nearly ruined him, and left his poor waif of a daughter mighty pouty… and unable to walk I guess. To make matters worse, a greedy-ass businessman, the mafia, and the town’s mayor want his ass evicted pronto. Naturally, there’s also an annual festival (this time a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review (NOLA Horror Film Fest): Parable

South African feature Parable is all over the place, in the best sense of the term. At times loopy, at other times bitingly satirical, and at still others creepy and unnerving as all get out, director Beer Adriaanse’s film is a blast. Teenager Esther (Jane de Wet) gets caught by her father in the act of kissing another girl, and he sends her off to a Christian camp where the controversial Reverend Day (Michael Richard) means to “cure” her of her sapphic desires. When Esther proves hard to “cure,” Day proclaims that she is possessed by a demon. The thing is, somewhere along the line, Esther does indeed find herself in the clutches of a diabolical force. Meanwhile, high schooler Kasper (Jay Hlatshwayo), his drug-dealing buddy Loyd (Danny Meaker), and their friend Lina (Carla Classen) are entering their gated community when Day drives in to hide Esther in one of the houses there. She scratches Kasper, forming a psychic bond

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

This Christmas Cute But Deadly ‘Creatures’ Invade Earth

Post-production has been completed on Creatures, the new movie from Tony Jopia, the director that brought you Cute Little Buggers and Crying Wolf, the executive producer of The Hive, and the creator of Good Tidings. In the movie, “a group of astronomy students gets more than they bargained for after finding an injured alien who is being targeted by a group of bloodthirsty alien creatures.” Jopia Productions and Creatures Media LLC aimed to create a Christmas themed creature feature that could sit alongside such classic movies as Night of the Creeps, Critters, Dead Heat, Ghoulies, They Live, and Gremlins. Our passion lies in melding practical and visual FX. We aim to deliver on the goods by bringing together some creatively nasty SFX, tremendous puppet creature work, and VFX work that will blow fans of action, horror-comedies truly away.“ Director Tony Jopia says. “Creatures’ will definitely be delivering a Red Christmas this year! We’re super excited to be making our biggest

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

“Rick And Morty: Season 4” Is Now Out Blu-Ray And DVD!

Awe, yeah, it’s time to schwifty! Season four of Adult Swim’s badass series “Rick and Morty” is out on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital! The Blu-ray is filled with gore, action, and hijinx. Witness the duo get themselves into stranger and stranger situations, like dealing with slut dragons (yes, you read that right) and chaos causing apps. Rick even learns a lesson about fatherhood. Hell, Ruth Bader Ginsberg even makes a cameo. The Blu-ray and DVD are jam-packed with goodies, including ten episodes and a ton of bonus features including behind-the-scenes videos, and a special short film titled “Samurai and Shogun.” Learn how snake Jazz is created, and what goes into designing characters. Season four of the Emmy winning-series (Outstanding Animated Program) is hilarious and badass in every way. Keeping its unique charm, the series does not disappoint. The characters we have come to love continue to evolve, especially Morty who seems to finally be coming into his own and learning

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Darren Lynn Bousman’s ‘Death Of Me’

I’ve long been a fan of writer-director Darren Lynn Bousman. He’s the brilliant filmmaker that brought us films like Saw II and Saw III, Tales of Halloween, and the fantastically twisted film Repo! The Genetic Opera, as well as the upcoming movie Spiral. What’s not to love? Well, he’s back with a new terror-filled film, Death of Me, which is set to be released this October. Maggie Q stars as Christine, a wife along on a trip with her travel writer husband Neil (Luke Hemsworth) who are traveling to a stunning island off of Thailand. After a night out at a local bar, the two wake up and themselves covered in dirt and bruises, with no memory of the night before. With their passports and ID missing, the two are stranded. After discovering a video on Neil’s camera, they are stunned at what they see and Christine is left confused and terrified of her husband and everyone around her. A

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary with a Stellar Streaming Version

More than 60 feature-length and short films inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft are slated for this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, which marks the 25th edition of this highly revered cinematic event. Festival directors Brian and Gwen Callahan are taking the fest online this year — as they did in June with Portland Horror Film Festival — which opens up H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival to a much larger audience than in the past. As one of H.P. Lovecraft Film Fesetival’s selection judges, I can personally attest to the quality of the films that the fest has on tap. These include the wild, wooly, and jaw-dropping ride The Hill and the Hole, based on a short story by Fritz Leiber, in which a state-employed archaeologist comes across a strange, undocumented mound in a highly remote area, and the Estonian portmanteau Eerie Fairy Tales, which collects a fine group of occult stories, ancient myths, and urban legends. A complete lineup

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2020

More from this archive

Horror Fuel

Darren Lynn Bousman Discusses New Films ‘Death Of Me’ And ‘Spiral’

Darren Lynn Bousman, the horror heavy hitter behind films like Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, Tales of Halloween, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and other frightening flicks, sat down with me to discuss his new film Death of Me as well as his new highly anticipated installment of the Saw franchise, Spiral, out in theaters next year. Death of Me follows a woman visiting an island off of Thailand with her photographer husband, played by Luke Hemsworth. After a night of celebrating the couple wakeup in their room with a huge gap of time missing from their memory of the night before. Upon discovering a terrifying video on her husband’s camera Christine’s (Maggie Q) world spirals into a nightmare filled with horrors and mysterious traditions. Horror Fuel: “I’m a big fan of your movies, especially Repo. It is brilliant!” Darren Lynn Bousman: “Oh, thank you very much!” Horror Fuel: “A few days ago I watched your new movie Death of

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 29, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Deeper You Dig (2019)

Ivy (Toby Poser, who also co-wrote and co-directed along with John Adams) is a psychic who has lost her supernatural spark, but the show must go on if her teen daughter Echo (Zelda Adams) is gonna eat, so she just kind of wings it going forward. Speaking of Echo, drunk driver Kurt (the aforementioned Adams) swerves to miss a deer and instead gets Echo under his wheels. This of course forces him to throw Operation: Save Ass into high fuckin’ gear, and he chucks Echo in the back of his truck and heads off to cover up his crime! With Echo missing, Ivy goes all-in on re-opening her third eye to solve the mystery… meanwhile ol’ Kurt is dealing with the vengeful ghost of Echo! The Deeper You Dig manages to convey both Ivy’s journey, and Echo’s horror biz in a way that makes for a film part tripped-out spirit quest, and full on ghost story supernatural shocker with neither

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: ivansxtc (2000)

ivansxtc begins the only place it could; the end. You see star Hollywood agent Ivan Beckham (30 Days of Night‘s Danny Huston) has died of lung cancer, which shocks his co-workers who would have bet that his demise would have been from the absolutely bonkers amount of drugs n’ booze he quaffed on the regular. Speaking of that wild life, we see Ivan’s last days laid bare via flashback ya dig… and what days they were; full of high-stakes Peter Weller-focused wheelin’ and dealin’, static from his girlfriend Charlotte (Lisa Enos), family and client drama… and of course plenty of full on illicit substance fueled hanky-panky! A raw as hell blend of Hollywood excess and Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Illyich, ivansxtc posses an almost documentary feel, and that brings us closer to the titular character’s swirling insanity than we may be comfortable with. Shot on digital video by Bernard Rose (most famous for fright fans from his 1992 cinematic

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

From The Writer-Director Of ‘The Strangers’ Comes ‘The Dark And The Wicked’

From the writer-director who brought us the Stangers, Bryan Bertino comes a new tale of terror, The Dark and the Wicked, starring Marin Ireland (“The Umbrella Academy,” Hell or High Water), Michael Abbott Jr. (Loving, Mud), and Xander Berkeley (“The Walking Dead”). On a secluded farm, a man is slowly dying. Bedridden and fighting through his final breaths, his wife is slowly succumbing to overwhelming grief. To help their mother and say goodbye to their father, siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) return to their family farm. It doesn’t take long for them to see that something’s wrong with mom, though—something more than her heavy sorrow. Gradually, as their own grief mounts, Louise and Michael begin suffering from a darkness similar to their mother’s, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over their family. The Dark and the Wicked arrives in theaters, on Digital, and On Demand November 6, 2020, from

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Cruel Jaws (1995)

Ever want to watch the entire Jaws series of films in one go, but you just could never find the time? Well, fret not cats n’ creeps, because your kindly uncle Bruno (Mattei that is… he of Shocking Dark, Rats: Night of Terror, and a beastly billion more… even though he’s credited as William Snyder here for reasons most likely relating to permits and taxes) has managed to shove the entire series into a 94 minute gem titled Cruel Jaws! In the sleepy seaside town of Hampton Bay, Dag (Richard Dew… though it may actually be Hulk Hogan… Dagamania’s runnin’ wild brother!) operates an aquarium, though he’s down on his luck after an accident nearly ruined him, and left his poor waif of a daughter mighty pouty… and unable to walk I guess. To make matters worse, a greedy-ass businessman, the mafia, and the town’s mayor want his ass evicted pronto. Naturally, there’s also an annual festival (this time a

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review (NOLA Horror Film Fest): Parable

South African feature Parable is all over the place, in the best sense of the term. At times loopy, at other times bitingly satirical, and at still others creepy and unnerving as all get out, director Beer Adriaanse’s film is a blast. Teenager Esther (Jane de Wet) gets caught by her father in the act of kissing another girl, and he sends her off to a Christian camp where the controversial Reverend Day (Michael Richard) means to “cure” her of her sapphic desires. When Esther proves hard to “cure,” Day proclaims that she is possessed by a demon. The thing is, somewhere along the line, Esther does indeed find herself in the clutches of a diabolical force. Meanwhile, high schooler Kasper (Jay Hlatshwayo), his drug-dealing buddy Loyd (Danny Meaker), and their friend Lina (Carla Classen) are entering their gated community when Day drives in to hide Esther in one of the houses there. She scratches Kasper, forming a psychic bond

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

This Christmas Cute But Deadly ‘Creatures’ Invade Earth

Post-production has been completed on Creatures, the new movie from Tony Jopia, the director that brought you Cute Little Buggers and Crying Wolf, the executive producer of The Hive, and the creator of Good Tidings. In the movie, “a group of astronomy students gets more than they bargained for after finding an injured alien who is being targeted by a group of bloodthirsty alien creatures.” Jopia Productions and Creatures Media LLC aimed to create a Christmas themed creature feature that could sit alongside such classic movies as Night of the Creeps, Critters, Dead Heat, Ghoulies, They Live, and Gremlins. Our passion lies in melding practical and visual FX. We aim to deliver on the goods by bringing together some creatively nasty SFX, tremendous puppet creature work, and VFX work that will blow fans of action, horror-comedies truly away.“ Director Tony Jopia says. “Creatures’ will definitely be delivering a Red Christmas this year! We’re super excited to be making our biggest

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

“Rick And Morty: Season 4” Is Now Out Blu-Ray And DVD!

Awe, yeah, it’s time to schwifty! Season four of Adult Swim’s badass series “Rick and Morty” is out on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital! The Blu-ray is filled with gore, action, and hijinx. Witness the duo get themselves into stranger and stranger situations, like dealing with slut dragons (yes, you read that right) and chaos causing apps. Rick even learns a lesson about fatherhood. Hell, Ruth Bader Ginsberg even makes a cameo. The Blu-ray and DVD are jam-packed with goodies, including ten episodes and a ton of bonus features including behind-the-scenes videos, and a special short film titled “Samurai and Shogun.” Learn how snake Jazz is created, and what goes into designing characters. Season four of the Emmy winning-series (Outstanding Animated Program) is hilarious and badass in every way. Keeping its unique charm, the series does not disappoint. The characters we have come to love continue to evolve, especially Morty who seems to finally be coming into his own and learning

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Darren Lynn Bousman’s ‘Death Of Me’

I’ve long been a fan of writer-director Darren Lynn Bousman. He’s the brilliant filmmaker that brought us films like Saw II and Saw III, Tales of Halloween, and the fantastically twisted film Repo! The Genetic Opera, as well as the upcoming movie Spiral. What’s not to love? Well, he’s back with a new terror-filled film, Death of Me, which is set to be released this October. Maggie Q stars as Christine, a wife along on a trip with her travel writer husband Neil (Luke Hemsworth) who are traveling to a stunning island off of Thailand. After a night out at a local bar, the two wake up and themselves covered in dirt and bruises, with no memory of the night before. With their passports and ID missing, the two are stranded. After discovering a video on Neil’s camera, they are stunned at what they see and Christine is left confused and terrified of her husband and everyone around her. A

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Sep 28, 2020
Horror Fuel

H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary with a Stellar Streaming Version

More than 60 feature-length and short films inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft are slated for this year’s H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, which marks the 25th edition of this highly revered cinematic event. Festival directors Brian and Gwen Callahan are taking the fest online this year — as they did in June with Portland Horror Film Festival — which opens up H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival to a much larger audience than in the past. As one of H.P. Lovecraft Film Fesetival’s selection judges, I can personally attest to the quality of the films that the fest has on tap. These include the wild, wooly, and jaw-dropping ride The Hill and the Hole, based on a short story by Fritz Leiber, in which a state-employed archaeologist comes across a strange, undocumented mound in a highly remote area, and the Estonian portmanteau Eerie Fairy Tales, which collects a fine group of occult stories, ancient myths, and urban legends. A complete lineup

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Sep 28, 2020
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