Events

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Panic Fest Brings the Fearful and the Frightening to Kansas City — and Your Home — This April

Kansas City’s renowned Panic Fest has announced a 2023 hybrid slate that will have horror and genre-film fans reaching for their drool cups! Whether your cinematic appetites lean toward slashers or slitherers, maniacs or monsters, or practically anything in between, Panic Fest offers something for pretty much everyone next month. Have a gander at the fest’s official press announcement, which follows. Universal Pictures’ new Dracula horror-comedy Renfield, starring Emmy nominee Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Oscar winner Nicolas Cage as The Prince of Darkness, kicks off the 11th annual Panic Fest on Thursday, April 13, at Screenland Armour Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Our festival expands its 2023 programming to feature over 100 films along with special guest filmmakers and special events for opening weekend. Panic Fest will once again be a hybrid festival allowing genre fans to enjoy programming in-person and keep the party going online at home with our virtual programming. In-Person: April 13-19, 2023 Virtual Fest: April

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Joseph Perry

Mar 15, 2023

EventsFilm FestivalsNews

Brazil’s Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival 2023 Edition Offers Horror from the Classic to the Cutting Edge

The world renowned Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival has announced its 2023 lineup, bringing a terrifying treasure trove of chillers and thrillers to Porto Alegre, Brazil April 13–30. From the opening night centennial tribute to Lon Chaney vehicle The Hunchback of Notre Dame to the closing night Lovecraftian monster musical Minore and everything inbetween, the fest has plenty for fear-fare fans of all stripes to enjoy. Following is the official press announcement. Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival triumphantly returns to the cinemas of Porto Alegre, Brazil from April 13 through April 30 of 2023, with this year’s massive festival being held in four theatrical venues – one of which is dedicated solely to short films! And as they have done in years past, a portion of the festival’s program will also be available to audiences online, geo-blocked for viewers within Brazil. The stunning poster for this year’s festival was conceived by filmmaker Elizabeth Schuch: with art inspired by 1920s Expressionist films alongside

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Joseph Perry

Mar 9, 2023

EventsFilm FestivalsNews

The 23rd Annual Boston Underground Film Festival Announces Its Line-Up Of Mind-Bending, Genre-Blending Films

From the opening night world premiere of Shudder’s The Unheard to fest’s closer Rebel and everything inbetween, this year’s edition of the Boston Underground Film Festival has horror, science fiction, and genre-film goodness galore! Following is the official press announcement. Attention New England cinephiles: Spring festival season is nigh as the 23nd annual Boston Underground Film Festival returns to Harvard Square’s arthouse hub The Brattle Theatre with five days of vanguard cinemania from March 22nd through the 26th. This year’s lineup is stacked with fearsome folk horror, mendacious miscreants, harrowing horrors and hero/es/ines, godless god-complexes, eco-thrillers and chillers, sensational sci-fi, and all manner of midnight madness. BUFF is beyond honored to host the World Premiere of Jeffrey A. Brown’s haunting, Massachusetts-based horror thriller The Unheard for a homecoming heroes’ welcome on Opening Night. Starring Lachlan Watson (Chucky, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), The Unheard follows a deaf young woman ensconced in a signal-to-noise mystery of dueling senses, realities, truths, identities, and

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Joseph Perry

Mar 9, 2023

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsTrailers

‘The Burned Over District’ Shares Trailer Ahead Of World Premiere

The new horror film The Burned Over District will premiere this March at HorrorHound with filmmakers Vince and James Coleman of Coleman Bros. Films in attendance. The film already has a ton of nominations, which is a great sign. Horror Hound has nominated the movie for Best Feature, Judge’s Choice, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Sound Design, Best Production Design, Best Writing, and Best Special Effects. In the film, widower Will (Jon Sheedy) and his sister Katie (Amy) uncover a dark secret that waits in the woods on the outskirts of town. The local sinister cult (led by actor Michael Chase) is about to raise Hell. Literally. The film was recently viewed by legendary creature creator Steve Wang (Predator, Hellboy, Monster Squad), who excitedly stated, “The Burned Over District is the gruesome supernatural tale of a religious cult inspired by the Second Great Awakening. Like any good cult movie of the past, it does

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Mar 8, 2023

Events

How to Plan a Stay-In Weekend with Friends

A stay-in weekend with friends is perfect for socialization, catch-ups, and general enjoyment. There are few more amicable feelings than setting off knowing you’re in for a weekend of fun and good friendship. A stay-in weekend might feel like a budget-friendly option for getting everyone together, and it is also the perfect idea for cold-weather meet-ups. Here are some ideas for planning a stay-in weekend for your friend group. Pick the Perfect Location It is pretty typical as you get older to have friends all over the country and even the world. Even if you are still all living close to home and where you met, choosing the perfect location is a group decision. Everyone involved with the stay-in weekend should put an option into the metaphorical hat for consideration so the choice is fair for everybody. Don’t discredit the idea of staying at someone’s house either; sometimes this is a budget-friendly way to get everyone together if a person

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Ella Rebecca Horton

Mar 8, 2023

Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films

Spoiler-Free Reviews: THE UNCANNY and TEALIGHT (Romford Horror Festival)

The Uncanny Art therapist Zouzou (Marie Laurin) takes the suicide of one of her charges quite painfully, leaving her job and moving to a new area in The Uncanny. Her new home, initially unbeknownst to her, is filled with past traumas and no small amount of dread. Her neighbors and new acquaintances can’t help but notice her increasingly strange behavior, which is caused in part by recurring visits from a young girl. The Uncanny doesn’t offer shocks and gratuitous gore; rather, director Clara Gabrielle — who cowrote the screenplay with Laurin, her mother — focuses more on the drama regarding grief, loss, depression, and the slow decline of sanity, which are heightened here by supernatural forces. The third act does serve up a decidedly eerie set piece, though. Laurin’s hypnotic lead performance is something to behold, with solid assistance from the sizable supporting cast. Gabrielle does an impressive job at the helm, crafting a feature that should give aficionados of

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Joseph Perry

Mar 6, 2023

Film FestivalsMoviesNewsTrailers

Trailer for Puppet Horror ‘Abruptio’ Features Jordan Peele, Robert Englund And Sid Haig

HellBent Pictures has just announced the long-anticipated screening of Evan Marlowe‘s life-sized puppet horror Abruptio is coming to Cinejoy, the virtual version of Silicon Valley’s Cinequest. Comedy, mystery, blood, A-List voices, action, and puppets combine in the first-of-its-kind surrealistic horror-thriller. Abruptio features the voice talents of James Marsters (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Jordan Peele (Nope), Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Hana Mae Lee (Pitch Perfect), Christopher McDonald (The Faculty), Darren Darnborough (“True Blood”), Rich Fulcher (“Rick and Morty”), and the iconic Sid Haig (House of 1000 Corpses) in one of his final roles. The film centers on Les Hackel, who hates his life. “He works a dead-end job, was just dumped by his high-maintenance girlfriend, and still lives with his nagging mom. One night, he discovers a fresh incision behind his neck. His friend Danny tells him it’s a bomb, that someone has implanted one in his neck, too. And then the messages start coming in, forcing Les

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Kelli Marchman McNeely

Mar 4, 2023

Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films

Shorts Reviews: TWO SISTERS, THE MEAN SPIRITED, and UNREEL (Romford Horror Festival)

Two Sisters Italian short Two Sisters is a period piece horror with folk horror elements. Set in the late 15th century in the Lessini Mountains of Verona, writer/director Diego Carli’s film involves the titular siblings (Jenni Tatani and Marianna Caporalito in marvelous performances) being pursued by a group of men hunting for witches. The teen girls have good reason to hide, and they do so using magical powers. When they come under attack, a horrifically violent event occurs, and the two sisters find their close bond being challenged. Carli invests his short with incredible detail, from researching facts around that time period’s height of witch hunting to costumes and recreating authenticity of the sets and outdoor shots on display. Cinematographer Edoardo Olivieri beautifully captures the proceedings, with Luigi Maria Mennella’s score providing perfect musical accompaniment. The Mean Spirited Codirectors Jack Archer (who wrote the screenplay) and Joseph Archer deliver a very special work with their U.K. short The Mean Spirited.

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Joseph Perry

Feb 28, 2023

Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films

Shorts Reviews: FAMILY NIGHT, SONAR, and WHERE’S WEIRDO (Romford Horror Festival)

Family Night Writer/director Alan Dunne serves up an absolutely harrowing experience in the Irish horror short Family Night. Eoin Quinn gives a riveting, unnerving performance as a father whose unpredictable behavior has his wife (Denise McCormack), teen daughter (Molly McLoughlin), and preteen son (Flynn Gray) walking on eggshells, fearing angry outbursts that could happen at any moment. Dunne builds the suspense expertly, leading things to a jaw-dropping climax. This one is a true chiller that viewers need to go into as cold as possible. It’s virtually impossible not to be shaken up by Family Night. You can watch the trailer at https://vimeo.com/688022245 Sonar One of the most beautiful looking genre shorts I have seen in recent memory, director James Hughes’ U.K. film Sonar finds a young woman (Amy Marie Campbell) swimming in a pool at night when she hears a sonar sound. She submerges into the deep end of the swimming pool to investigate, and finds . . . well,

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Joseph Perry

Feb 27, 2023

ConventionsHalloweenHoliday HorrorProductReviews

Product Review: Techno Glow

It’s never too early to make plans for Halloween decorating or making a funhouse, but you want to add some flair to it to make it memorable. UV and glow-in-the-dark props always add a nice touch but sometimes it’s hard to find some good paint plus you don’t want to shovel out a lot of money. From my experience in building and painting sets and props for live theatre, we always said “Make your own!” and Techno Glow is where you should start! I want to thank Techno Glow for making this review possible as I feel their products are affordable with endless possibilities for uses. I was sent some chartreuse glow-in-the-dark powder along with aqua, along with a UV flashlight as I planned on using some UV resin for a part of this review. I ended up using a silicone ice cube tray that made the face of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. I used a mix of UV

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Daniel S. Liuzzi

Feb 22, 2023

Events

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