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SXSW Announces First Wave of Horror Films for 2023

SXSW Announces First Wave of Horror Films for 2023

The 2023 SXSW Conference & Festivals, taking place in Austin, TX from March 10–19, has unleashed information about the first wave of horror and horror-adjacent titles premiering at the fest, and it’s a doozy! Have a gander at what’s on tap so far, and check back here for the next announcement wave. For ticketing and other information, visit https://www.sxsw.com/. Evil Dead Rise Director/Screenwriter: Lee Cronin, Producer: Rob Tapert Evil Dead Rise tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable. Executive Producers include Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Cast List: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher Deadland Director: Lance Larson, Producers: Elizabeth Avellan, Bob Bastarache, Jas Shelton, Lance Larson, Tara Pirnia, Chris Wilks, Screenwriters: Lance Larson, Jas Shelton A U.S. Border Patrol Agent

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Joseph Perry
Jan 13, 2023
Horror Fuel’s Top 10 Film Festival Premieres of 2022

Horror Fuel’s Top 10 Film Festival Premieres of 2022

Outstanding horror and horror-adjacent movies were in strong supply at film festivals this year, and whittling down my “best of 2022” list was no easy feat. Here are the selections on which I decided. Some are now available through digital, on-demand, subscription services, and physical media, while others are still making the rounds on the fest circuit. (1) Evil Eye (A Night of Horror) Awash in the atmosphere, visually beautiful, and boasting terrific performances and superb set design, Mexican chiller Evil Eye — from one of my favorite directors, Isaac Ezban — is a dark fairy tale/folk horror outing that is woven together masterfully in its telling of a teen girl’s suspicions that her grandmother may be a witch. (2) Skinamarink (Fantasia) This goosebumps-inducing, lo-fi slice of fear-fare cinema became an instant year-end best candidate when I saw it for its Fantasia run in the summer. It induces the feeling of fright we had as children, which is no small

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 24, 2022
Multiple Horror Titles Premiered At The Game Awards

Multiple Horror Titles Premiered At The Game Awards

The Game Awards 2022 wrapped up by delighting gaming fans around the world awarding fan favorites and scoring some upsets. But one thing was clear, there were plenty of world premiere trailers for some upcoming horror/dark fantasy titles! From the makers of Vampyr comes Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden where players play as a pair of literal ghost hunters in 1695 North America who hunt and banish ghosts, there’s just one problem, one of the Ghost Hunters is a ghost herself after getting killed on a mission. Now players will have to hunt spirits in the wilds of the new colony of New Eden and help rid the land of its ghosts while trying to find a way to save one of their own. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will be coming out towards the end of 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Atomic Heart premiered a new action-packed gameplay trailer for the upcoming FPS game that

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Dec 9, 2022
Shorts Reviews: SPECIAL DELIVERY, STUCK, and THE GIFT (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: SPECIAL DELIVERY, STUCK, and THE GIFT (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Special Delivery A fun horror comedy that could also serve as a tongue-in-cheek educational birth control film, director Andrew Melzer’s short Special Delivery (2022) finds a couple having their lives as they know them threatened by the news of a certain bundle of joy on the way. As they fight through their emotions, a stork intent on delivering its traditional package looms eerily nearby. The laughs come hard and fast here, with a subject highly relatable to parents and anyone who ever considered — or freaked out about — becoming one. Stuck Sophia (Ianua Coeli Linhart) is having second thoughts about moving into a new home with her significant other, and the demonic discovery she makes in the attic isn’t going to help matters any. With Stuck (Italy, 2022), writer/director David A. Roncone has crafted an eerie supernatural short that wrings a good deal of suspense from its classic set-up of a person alone in a new house who finds

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 6, 2022
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Shorts Reviews: RINGWORMS, SHADOWBAN, and FAMILIAR (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: RINGWORMS, SHADOWBAN, and FAMILIAR (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Ringworms Director Will Lee’s Ringworms (2022) is a blast — an insane, splatterific, mind-boggling trip that finds a young woman named Abbie (Faye Nightingale) on what was supposed to be a romantic weekend trip to a cabin with her boyfriend Jacob (Skylar Okerstrom-Lang). When she discovers that he plans to propose, she goes through doubts about whether she wants such a commitment with him. Meanwhile, something’s going on in the cabin basement that will make her worries about marriage seem miniscule in comparison to what goes down. Lee, who cowrote the screenplay with Ian Hedman, packs plenty of thrills, grue, and even some laughs into this high-energy affair that boasts solid direction and acting, along with some fantastic practical effects. Shadowban The modern phenomenon of social influencing crashes headlong into folk horror traditions in writer/director Shane W. Brennan’s solid Irish horror short Shadowban (2022). Fiona (Fiona Bergin) is livestreaming her side hustle deliveries on a lonely country road on Halloween

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 1, 2022
Film Review: Screamfest Horror Film Festival Winner “8 Found Dead”

Film Review: Screamfest Horror Film Festival Winner “8 Found Dead”

You would think that a film giving away its body count in its title and told by way of nonlinear fashion in which the fate of its characters are shown early on would be lacking in suspense, but 8 Found Dead defies the odds. Director Travis Greene, working from a screenplay by Jonathan Buchanan, wrings tension from an initially awkward situation that escalates to chilling, thanks in large part to characters that create highly uncomfortable edginess throughout. Four twenty-something friends with uncomfortable ties in both the present and the past plan a weekend retreat so that social influencer Sam (Alisha Soper) can make a big announcement to her boyfriend Dwayne (William Gabriel Grier) and couple Carrie (Aly Trasher) and Ricky (Eddy Acosta). The group books a short-term rental house only to find, as they arrive in separate pairs, that older couple Richard (Tim Simek) and Liz (Roseanna Limeres) are already ensconced and have no plans to leave. As the younger

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 1, 2022
Film Reviews: CRYPTID, THE CURSE, and MOJICA’S LAST CURSE (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Film Reviews: CRYPTID, THE CURSE, and MOJICA’S LAST CURSE (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Cryptid Writer/director Brad Rego’s Cryptid is a nifty creature feature that serves up The X-Files vibes with a dash of Kolchak: The Night Stalker for good measure. Former big-city journalist Max (Nicholas Baroudi) is working as a freelance reporter for a small-town newspaper in Maine, relegated to high-school sports items while hoping for a story that he hopes will give him a break back to the big time. He may have stumbled on a potential item when he comes across an animal attack victim that Sheriff Murdoch (Chopper Bernet) has bad feelings about. Max gets his photojournalist coworker and buddy Harriet (Ellen Adair) involved, and soon enough the pair are on the trail of the titular beast. Rego has crafted a fun monster movie that follows and respects the rules of classic creature features and sports an impressive monster-suit design and great-looking practical effects and makeup. The chemistry between Baroudi and Adair is super, with their characters having a “Will

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 24, 2022
Shorts Reviews: “The Cradle,” “Viewfinder,” and “Mindful Meditation” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: “The Cradle,” “Viewfinder,” and “Mindful Meditation” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Among its many offerings this year, Blood in the Snow Film Festival serves up some fine new horror short-shorts hailing from Canada. Here are reviews of three of them. The Cradle Rich in brooding atmosphere, writer/director Massimo Meo’s The Cradle sets the tone with creepy dolls, and noises outside a woman’s house getting closer before showing an eerie big reveal. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to like with this short. Viewfinder Photographer Christian (Jakub Zieba) is shooting model Steph (Becca Clapperton) but spies something odd and eerie through his camera that isn’t seen by the naked eye. Director Tiffany Wice wrings Viewfinder for maximum suspense and delivers a satisfyingly creepy ending. Mindful Meditation Director Louie La Vella and screenwriter/star Monica La Vella explore the story of a woman whose guided meditation exercise in her bedroom takes her down a truly dark path. Mindful Meditation uses classic visual ghost story cinema elements in a different way, which leads to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 24, 2022
Shorts Reviews: “AlieNation,” “Folk,” and “First Blood” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: “AlieNation,” “Folk,” and “First Blood” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

AlieNation Director Ray Raghavan’s AlieNation (Canada, 2022) finds a young girl named Maria (Maria Frazer) and her mother (Margarita Iturriaga) being chased through the woods by border patrol agents who aren’t shy about using their guns. Maria makes an astounding discovery while hiding in a cave entrance, and soon enough everyone finds themselves pursued by a deadly entity. The double-meaning title gives away what joins the chase, but that gives me the opportunity to say without giving away a spoiler that the creature design is highly impressive. Chase scenes and social issues combine to make this well-acted and deftly directed science fiction/horror hybrid a winner. Folk Director Gabriel Maron crafts a goosebumps-inducing Halloween folk horror in Folk (Canada, 2022), in which a young woman (Sara-Sue Vallée) turns away some trick-or-treaters at her front door, only to find that these are not your average children simply looking for candy handouts. This supernatural chiller sports an ominous tone and unsettling color palette,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2022
It’s All Systems Go for Another Hole in the Head Film Festival’s 19th Edition 

It’s All Systems Go for Another Hole in the Head Film Festival’s 19th Edition 

If you are a cinephile interested in the weird, the wild, the woolly, and the wonderful, San Francisco’s Another Hole in the Head Film has you covered. This year’s version, the 19th edition, takes place from December 1st–December 18th, 2022 with screenings and performances set to take place at the historic Roxie Cinema, 4 Star Theatre, and Stage Werx in San Francisco, California. It will also take place On Demand on Eventive and live on Zoom for those who can not attend the live screenings. Horror Fuel can already vouch for several of this year’s Another Hole in the Head Film features, with spoiler-free reviews of Satanic Hispanics, Swallowed, Extraneous Matter Complete Edition, HeBGB TV, and A Life on the Farm. Following is the official festival announcement. The 19th Another Hole in the Head Film Festival is an 18-day cinematic excursion through the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and assorted other genre fare. Under the auspices of SF IndieFest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 18, 2022

More from Events

SXSW Announces First Wave of Horror Films for 2023

SXSW Announces First Wave of Horror Films for 2023

The 2023 SXSW Conference & Festivals, taking place in Austin, TX from March 10–19, has unleashed information about the first wave of horror and horror-adjacent titles premiering at the fest, and it’s a doozy! Have a gander at what’s on tap so far, and check back here for the next announcement wave. For ticketing and other information, visit https://www.sxsw.com/. Evil Dead Rise Director/Screenwriter: Lee Cronin, Producer: Rob Tapert Evil Dead Rise tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Sutherland and Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable. Executive Producers include Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Cast List: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher Deadland Director: Lance Larson, Producers: Elizabeth Avellan, Bob Bastarache, Jas Shelton, Lance Larson, Tara Pirnia, Chris Wilks, Screenwriters: Lance Larson, Jas Shelton A U.S. Border Patrol Agent

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jan 13, 2023
Horror Fuel’s Top 10 Film Festival Premieres of 2022

Horror Fuel’s Top 10 Film Festival Premieres of 2022

Outstanding horror and horror-adjacent movies were in strong supply at film festivals this year, and whittling down my “best of 2022” list was no easy feat. Here are the selections on which I decided. Some are now available through digital, on-demand, subscription services, and physical media, while others are still making the rounds on the fest circuit. (1) Evil Eye (A Night of Horror) Awash in the atmosphere, visually beautiful, and boasting terrific performances and superb set design, Mexican chiller Evil Eye — from one of my favorite directors, Isaac Ezban — is a dark fairy tale/folk horror outing that is woven together masterfully in its telling of a teen girl’s suspicions that her grandmother may be a witch. (2) Skinamarink (Fantasia) This goosebumps-inducing, lo-fi slice of fear-fare cinema became an instant year-end best candidate when I saw it for its Fantasia run in the summer. It induces the feeling of fright we had as children, which is no small

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 24, 2022
Multiple Horror Titles Premiered At The Game Awards

Multiple Horror Titles Premiered At The Game Awards

The Game Awards 2022 wrapped up by delighting gaming fans around the world awarding fan favorites and scoring some upsets. But one thing was clear, there were plenty of world premiere trailers for some upcoming horror/dark fantasy titles! From the makers of Vampyr comes Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden where players play as a pair of literal ghost hunters in 1695 North America who hunt and banish ghosts, there’s just one problem, one of the Ghost Hunters is a ghost herself after getting killed on a mission. Now players will have to hunt spirits in the wilds of the new colony of New Eden and help rid the land of its ghosts while trying to find a way to save one of their own. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden will be coming out towards the end of 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Atomic Heart premiered a new action-packed gameplay trailer for the upcoming FPS game that

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Dec 9, 2022
Shorts Reviews: SPECIAL DELIVERY, STUCK, and THE GIFT (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: SPECIAL DELIVERY, STUCK, and THE GIFT (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Special Delivery A fun horror comedy that could also serve as a tongue-in-cheek educational birth control film, director Andrew Melzer’s short Special Delivery (2022) finds a couple having their lives as they know them threatened by the news of a certain bundle of joy on the way. As they fight through their emotions, a stork intent on delivering its traditional package looms eerily nearby. The laughs come hard and fast here, with a subject highly relatable to parents and anyone who ever considered — or freaked out about — becoming one. Stuck Sophia (Ianua Coeli Linhart) is having second thoughts about moving into a new home with her significant other, and the demonic discovery she makes in the attic isn’t going to help matters any. With Stuck (Italy, 2022), writer/director David A. Roncone has crafted an eerie supernatural short that wrings a good deal of suspense from its classic set-up of a person alone in a new house who finds

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 6, 2022
Shorts Reviews: RINGWORMS, SHADOWBAN, and FAMILIAR (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: RINGWORMS, SHADOWBAN, and FAMILIAR (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Ringworms Director Will Lee’s Ringworms (2022) is a blast — an insane, splatterific, mind-boggling trip that finds a young woman named Abbie (Faye Nightingale) on what was supposed to be a romantic weekend trip to a cabin with her boyfriend Jacob (Skylar Okerstrom-Lang). When she discovers that he plans to propose, she goes through doubts about whether she wants such a commitment with him. Meanwhile, something’s going on in the cabin basement that will make her worries about marriage seem miniscule in comparison to what goes down. Lee, who cowrote the screenplay with Ian Hedman, packs plenty of thrills, grue, and even some laughs into this high-energy affair that boasts solid direction and acting, along with some fantastic practical effects. Shadowban The modern phenomenon of social influencing crashes headlong into folk horror traditions in writer/director Shane W. Brennan’s solid Irish horror short Shadowban (2022). Fiona (Fiona Bergin) is livestreaming her side hustle deliveries on a lonely country road on Halloween

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 1, 2022
Film Review: Screamfest Horror Film Festival Winner “8 Found Dead”

Film Review: Screamfest Horror Film Festival Winner “8 Found Dead”

You would think that a film giving away its body count in its title and told by way of nonlinear fashion in which the fate of its characters are shown early on would be lacking in suspense, but 8 Found Dead defies the odds. Director Travis Greene, working from a screenplay by Jonathan Buchanan, wrings tension from an initially awkward situation that escalates to chilling, thanks in large part to characters that create highly uncomfortable edginess throughout. Four twenty-something friends with uncomfortable ties in both the present and the past plan a weekend retreat so that social influencer Sam (Alisha Soper) can make a big announcement to her boyfriend Dwayne (William Gabriel Grier) and couple Carrie (Aly Trasher) and Ricky (Eddy Acosta). The group books a short-term rental house only to find, as they arrive in separate pairs, that older couple Richard (Tim Simek) and Liz (Roseanna Limeres) are already ensconced and have no plans to leave. As the younger

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Dec 1, 2022
Film Reviews: CRYPTID, THE CURSE, and MOJICA’S LAST CURSE (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Film Reviews: CRYPTID, THE CURSE, and MOJICA’S LAST CURSE (Another Hole in the Head Film Festival)

Cryptid Writer/director Brad Rego’s Cryptid is a nifty creature feature that serves up The X-Files vibes with a dash of Kolchak: The Night Stalker for good measure. Former big-city journalist Max (Nicholas Baroudi) is working as a freelance reporter for a small-town newspaper in Maine, relegated to high-school sports items while hoping for a story that he hopes will give him a break back to the big time. He may have stumbled on a potential item when he comes across an animal attack victim that Sheriff Murdoch (Chopper Bernet) has bad feelings about. Max gets his photojournalist coworker and buddy Harriet (Ellen Adair) involved, and soon enough the pair are on the trail of the titular beast. Rego has crafted a fun monster movie that follows and respects the rules of classic creature features and sports an impressive monster-suit design and great-looking practical effects and makeup. The chemistry between Baroudi and Adair is super, with their characters having a “Will

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 24, 2022
Shorts Reviews: “The Cradle,” “Viewfinder,” and “Mindful Meditation” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: “The Cradle,” “Viewfinder,” and “Mindful Meditation” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Among its many offerings this year, Blood in the Snow Film Festival serves up some fine new horror short-shorts hailing from Canada. Here are reviews of three of them. The Cradle Rich in brooding atmosphere, writer/director Massimo Meo’s The Cradle sets the tone with creepy dolls, and noises outside a woman’s house getting closer before showing an eerie big reveal. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to like with this short. Viewfinder Photographer Christian (Jakub Zieba) is shooting model Steph (Becca Clapperton) but spies something odd and eerie through his camera that isn’t seen by the naked eye. Director Tiffany Wice wrings Viewfinder for maximum suspense and delivers a satisfyingly creepy ending. Mindful Meditation Director Louie La Vella and screenwriter/star Monica La Vella explore the story of a woman whose guided meditation exercise in her bedroom takes her down a truly dark path. Mindful Meditation uses classic visual ghost story cinema elements in a different way, which leads to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 24, 2022
Shorts Reviews: “AlieNation,” “Folk,” and “First Blood” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

Shorts Reviews: “AlieNation,” “Folk,” and “First Blood” (Blood in the Snow Film Festival)

AlieNation Director Ray Raghavan’s AlieNation (Canada, 2022) finds a young girl named Maria (Maria Frazer) and her mother (Margarita Iturriaga) being chased through the woods by border patrol agents who aren’t shy about using their guns. Maria makes an astounding discovery while hiding in a cave entrance, and soon enough everyone finds themselves pursued by a deadly entity. The double-meaning title gives away what joins the chase, but that gives me the opportunity to say without giving away a spoiler that the creature design is highly impressive. Chase scenes and social issues combine to make this well-acted and deftly directed science fiction/horror hybrid a winner. Folk Director Gabriel Maron crafts a goosebumps-inducing Halloween folk horror in Folk (Canada, 2022), in which a young woman (Sara-Sue Vallée) turns away some trick-or-treaters at her front door, only to find that these are not your average children simply looking for candy handouts. This supernatural chiller sports an ominous tone and unsettling color palette,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 22, 2022
It’s All Systems Go for Another Hole in the Head Film Festival’s 19th Edition 

It’s All Systems Go for Another Hole in the Head Film Festival’s 19th Edition 

If you are a cinephile interested in the weird, the wild, the woolly, and the wonderful, San Francisco’s Another Hole in the Head Film has you covered. This year’s version, the 19th edition, takes place from December 1st–December 18th, 2022 with screenings and performances set to take place at the historic Roxie Cinema, 4 Star Theatre, and Stage Werx in San Francisco, California. It will also take place On Demand on Eventive and live on Zoom for those who can not attend the live screenings. Horror Fuel can already vouch for several of this year’s Another Hole in the Head Film features, with spoiler-free reviews of Satanic Hispanics, Swallowed, Extraneous Matter Complete Edition, HeBGB TV, and A Life on the Farm. Following is the official festival announcement. The 19th Another Hole in the Head Film Festival is an 18-day cinematic excursion through the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and assorted other genre fare. Under the auspices of SF IndieFest,

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Nov 18, 2022
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