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Joseph Perry

652 stories

Movie Review (NOLA Horror Film Fest): The Unfamiliar

U.K. chiller The Unfamiliar treads some recognizable ground but balances that out by placing its characters in an unusual setting, that being in the world of the Hawaiian occult. Military doctor Elizabeth “Izzy” Cormack (Jemima West) has just returned from a tour of duty during which she was forced into combat. She is having a difficult time reconnecting with her distant teenage stepdaughter Emma (Rebecca Hanssen), preteen son Tommy (Harry McMillan-Hunt), her professor/writer husband Ethan (Christopher Dane), and their baby Lilly (Beatrice Woolrych). To make matters worse, Izzy starts seeing and being part of weird occurrences, and when she tries to record these events as proof that they aren’t part of her PTSD, naturally there is no video evidence. Meanwhile, Ethan oddly wants to abandon his recent book research about the myths and customs — some of them dealing with the occult — of Hawaii in favor of writing children’s books. Tommy is acting strangely, including performing Hawaiian supernatural rituals.

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Joseph Perry

Sep 24, 2020

Film FestivalsMoviesThriller

Movie Review (Mr. HoleHead’s Warped Dimension): Stray Dogs

Two brothers already uneasy in each other’s company find themselves in an increasingly tense situation when they encounter a stranger during a backpacking trip in director Adam Gascho’s thriller Stray Dogs. Solid acting and storytelling make Gascho’s debut feature an independent effort worth seeking out. Jeff’s (Skyler Pinkerton) beloved dog has just passed away, and Jeff wants to bury him in the remote forest area where he found him. Jeff insists that his brother Travis (Tad Davies) accompany him on the backpacking excursion, which will mean Travis having to miss custody time with his children. He reluctantly goes along with Jeff, and the two brothers quarrel often. Meanwhile, in the area where the brothers are hiking, Park Ranger Miller (April Martucci) happens upon the body of someone who appears to have been murdered. During their hike, the brothers run into a stranger named Angus (Gascho) and when Ranger Miller asks the men for their IDs and relationship, Jeff surprisingly backs

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Joseph Perry

Sep 23, 2020

News

NOLA Horror Film Fest Serves Up Aliens, Vampires, and Witches for Its 2020 Online Virtual Experience

This month, NOLA Horror Film Fest celebrates its 10th year with a real-time virtual online festival chock-full of fear-fare delights. The superb new occult feature The Reckoning from director Neil Marshall, the mind-blowing sophomore feature Sister Tempest from director Joe Badon of The God Inside My Ear fame, and U.K. supernatural outing The Unfamilar are just a few of the outstanding feature-length and short films on tap for the festival. Following is the official press release from NOLA Horror Film Fest. In its tenth year, NOLA Horror Film Fest will be a virtual online festival experience hosted live in real time when presented Central Standard Time on September 25-27, 2020. This year’s official selections include 54 films and 50 screenplay finalists from all over the world, chosen from 865 national and international submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway. Through three days of the best horror & sci-fi programs (Features & Film Shorts Screenings and Zoom Panel Discussions) the NOLA Horror Film Fest

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Joseph Perry

Sep 21, 2020

Film Festivals

Beyond Fest Goes to the Drive-In and Announces A Loaded Horror Slate

The highly regarded Beyond Fest has announced that it is forging ahead with the first physical genre festival of the year as it takes up a week-long drive-in residence at the Mission Tiki Drive-In From October 2nd–8th. The stellar lineup includes world premieres of Christopher Landon’s Freaky, Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Archenemy, and Jim Cummings’ The Wolf of Snow Hollow. Following is the fest’s official announcement. Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, is excited to announce its complete slate of 2020 programming comprising seven nights of double-bill features including three world premieres, one North American Premiere, and two US premieres of unadulterated cinematic excess. Following a sold-out Summer residence with the American Cinematheque at the Mission Tiki Drive-In, Beyond Fest returns to the socially-distanced safety of the drive-in Friday, October 2nd – Thursday, October 8th to generate funds for the 501c3 non-profit film institution. With a diverse slate celebrating all corners of genre cinema, Beyond Fest is

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Joseph Perry

Sep 20, 2020

Film Festivals

Lund Fantastic Film Festival Goes Hybrid for 2020, Announces Poster and First Two Features

Lund Fantastic Film Festival — a Swedish fest presenting amazing horror, science fiction, and fantasy movies from around the globe — has scheduled a hybrid version for this year. Most screenings will be online through Spamflix with a select few in-person screenings during the fest’s October 28–November 1 run. Lund Fantastic has also debuted its poster for this year and announced its first two films. I have already seen Woman of the Photographs, and can recommend it as a hypnotic character study and psychological thriller with body horror elements and superb sound design. German chiller Sleep promises to be a gripping psychological outing, as well. The following information is from Lund Fantastic’s press releases and official announcements. For more information, visit https://www.fff.se/. At age 26, Lund Fantastic shows no signs of slowing down and is proud to go through with its 2020 edition (October 28–November 1), even if the current state of the world brings changes to the usual format.

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Joseph Perry

Sep 14, 2020

Film Festivals

Mr. HoleHead’s Warped Dimension Presents an Independent Film Fest of Horror and Genre Films on Zoom

The first-ever online film festival to be presented entirely through the Zoom app is mere days away, and it is chock-full of mouth-watering fright flicks and other genre movies! Mr. HoleHead’s Warped Dimension will present more than 100 feature-length and short films when it runs from September 24th through the 29th. Genre film aficionados will find a gold mine of independent filmmaking efforts ready for discovery. Following is the festival’s official press release. For more information, visit https://www.ahith.com/. Mr. HoleHead’s Warped Dimension is the first online film festival to be presented entirely through the Zoom app. Taking place from September 24th through the 29th, 2020, it will showcase Independent films from the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Horror, Thriller, Dark & Off-the-Wall Comedy, Animation, and Art/Experimental–as well as Music Videos and Documentaries with related content. 13 Features and 97 Short Films will be streamed over the six days of the fest. Conceived at a time when conventional online festival

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Joseph Perry

Sep 13, 2020

MoviesReviews

Movie Review: Rent-A-Pal

A lonely bachelor resigned to being the full-time caretaker for his ailing mother becomes increasingly obsessed by a videotape in writer/director Jon Stevenson’s Rent-A-Pal, an unsettling character study that builds into a full-on thriller in its third act. Wonderfully acted and gripping throughout, Stevenson’s directorial debut is a chilling watch. Set in 1990, Rent-A-Pal stars Brian Landis Folkins as David, a 40-year-old man who lives with his elderly, verbally abusive mother Lucille (Kathleen Brady), who suffers from dementia. With no real outside contact, he seeks a romantic relationship through a video dating service that has questionable practices. One day at the service’s offices, he impulse purchases a videotape called “Rent-A-Pal,” and begins to connect with the character named Andy (Wil Wheaton in a creepy performance), who asks for personal information, suggests drinks and card games, and slowly becomes a heavily influential part of David’s lonely life. Enter Lisa (Amy Rutledge), a fellow caregiver who matches through the dating service with

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Joseph Perry

Sep 11, 2020

News

“Friday the 13th” Fan Film “Never Hike in the Snow” Announces Trailer and Final Call for IndieGoGo Campaign

Womp Stomp Films has released a trailer for its next Friday the 13th fan film project, Never Hike in the Snow. The film is set for release on YouTube on October 13th, but the IndieGoGo crowdfunding project for the film also offers supporters an opportunity to get their name in the credits and to preorder a first edition Never Hike in the Snow Blu-Ray, set for release on December 1st. Following is the official press release. The team at Womp Stomp Films is excited to release the official trailer for Never Hike in the Snow, the prequel to 2017’s mega hit Friday the 13th fan film, Never Hike Alone. Never Hike in the Snow is a prequel set three months prior to the events of Never Hike Alone. The film follows the events surrounding the strange disappearance of Mark Hill (Courtlan Gordon), a young resident of Crystal Lake who went for a hike in the dead of winter and never

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Joseph Perry

Sep 10, 2020

Film FestivalsNews

Twisted Dreams Announces Its 2020 Virtual Version

Milwaukee’s Twisted Dreams Film Festival has announced that it will, for the first time ever, present a completely virtual version this year. The fest, which proudly proclaims that it features “the most Twisted Independent Films from around the world,”runs from October 1–4. Following is the festival’s official press release: Twisted Dreams 2020 will be completely virtual for the first time. The festival will kick off Thursday, October 1st at 7pm with a 2-hour block including twisted Wisconsin shorts, spook show shorts, h0us3 Q&A, reality, animation, thrills, and comedy shorts. All purchases will be available to watch until the end of the festival October 4th at 9pm. Feature events for Twisted dreams will include Q&As with filmmakers including director Michael Fausti on Saturday Oct 3rd at 2pm. For the main event, we will be hosting legendary Troma director Lloyd Kaufmann. There will be a premiere of the new Troma film Slashening 2: The Final Beginning, followed by a live Q&A With

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Joseph Perry

Sep 9, 2020

Film FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormal

Movie Review (Arrow Video FrightFest): They’re Outside

Folk horror meets found footage in They’re Outside, a solid U.K. fear-fare effort from codirectors Sam Casserly and Airell Anthony Hayles. Max Spencer (Tom Wheatley) plays psychologist on his YouTube channel, despite his qualifications being questionable. He sets a 10-day goal to cure agoraphobic Sarah Sanders (Chrissy Randall) and get her to go outside of her home for the first time in a few years. Sarah’s fear of the outdoors stems from the death of her daughter, who she believes was taken by Green Eyes, a local, woods-dwelling supernatural legend said to haunt people by degrees before leading them to their demise. Max is a hardcore skeptic who refuses to listen to anything having to do with Green Eyes, despite his cameraperson/girlfriend Nicole (Nicole Miners) and Sarah’s friend Penny Arnold (genre veteran Emily Booth of Event Horizon and Grindhouse in a delightful supporting role) pleading with him to at least consider Sarah’s viewpoint. Sarah isn’t as easy a case to

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Joseph Perry

Sep 2, 2020

Joseph Perry

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