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Horror events, screenings and experiences — premieres, festivals and one-night-only shows.
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EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Horror-on-Sea returns this coming year with a loaded slate of international independent horror features and short films. From ghosts to gorefests and monsters to murderous mayhem, there’s something for every fear-fare fanatic at the Southend fest. Following is the official press release. Following a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic, Horror-on-Sea will be making a welcome return to Southend in 2022 with what promises to be its biggest yet. Horror-on-Sea is recognised by many as the true home of independent horror and remains one of the UK’s biggest independent film festivals. Horror-on-Sea was originally formed to promote independent horror films and will continue to uphold that tradition, giving the horror fans an opportunity to see independent titles which would not normally be played on the big screen. Hosted once again at The Park Inn Palace Hotel (Southend-on-Sea) the festival will be running over two weekends from Friday 14th January to Sunday 16th January and Friday 21st January to Sunday
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Night Caller You’ll probably feel like you need a shower after viewing writer/director Chad Ferrin’s Night Caller. This paean to grindhouse gorefests oozes a 1970s vibe from practically every frame. The film is lurid in both senses of that word, from its color palette to its graphic violence. It pays obvious homage to Maniac (1980) with its killer’s method of murdering and scalping victims as it name checks — with video clips — psychic horror of the past such as Patrick (1978) and some public domain fear fare, with some spaghetti western and Laurel and Hardy references, as well. Clementine Carter (Susan Priver) works as a telephone psychic with boss Jade Mei (Bai Ling) when she begins receiving calls from a serial killer, whose upcoming acts of violence she sees in visions as they talk. As Clementine tries to solve the mystery of just who the fiend is, she brings danger closer to her elderly father (Robert Miano as Charles
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival, which runs in Toronto from November 18–23, 2021, features a jaw-dropping array of homegrown horror and horror-comedy features and shorts. Following are reviews of three of the short films that screen at the festival. Giant Bear Giant Bear (Canada, 2019) is a beautifully animated vision of an Inuit legend that is absolutely stunning. Codirectors Neil Christopher and Daniel Gies have crafted an absolutely gorgeous work. As beautiful as the snowy landscape is, the underwater world in the short is breathtaking. A lone hunter tries spearfishing with his dog, only to come face to face with a monstrously large bear. Much more than just an animated creature feature, Giant Bear is a riveting experience. Wolf in Dude’s Clothing Writer/director Solmund MacPherson’s Wolf in Dude’s Clothing (Canada, 2021) sees a wolf assume a human lifestyle after finding a suit of human skin in the wild. The wolf-man (Erik Athavale) — a fun play on the
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Filmmakers, take note: Austria’s prestigious SLASH Filmfestival is currently accepting submissions for its 13th edition next year. Following is the official press release. SLASH Filmfestival, Austria’s foremost festival for Fantastic Film and the country’s third largest film festival overall, is now accepting submissions for its 13th edition, which will run from September 22 through October 2, 2022. Filmmakers from across the world are invited to send in their work via FilmFreeway. Founded in 2010, SLASH Filmfestival has quickly grown in size and scope, now attracting close to 15.000 visitors over its 11-day run. The festival hosts a Fantastic Shorts competition with a cash prize of 1000 EUR decided by popular vote and also organizes the Méliès d’argent competition for European short films. Additionally, SLASH organizes a feature film competition with a cash prize of 3000 EUR, the winner of which is identified by a professional jury. SLASH celebrates genre films in various shapes and sizes. Both short films (30 min.
Continue reading →
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Peppergrass Eula Baek (Chantelle Han) and Morris Weiss (Charles Boyland) are in a relationship — and quite obviously not a happy one, judging from their constant sniping and bickering — and are driven to desperation during the COVID lockdown for her titular restaurant and his bar. They hatch a plan to scam veteran Captain Reuben Lom (Michael Copeman) — who lives in a very rural area and who was friends with Eula’s father — into giving them some valuable truffles that they can resell to try to make ends meet. Morris gets greedy and aggressive, and suddenly the three people are fighting for their lives. Peppergrass (Canada, 2021) toys with the “home invasion goes south” style of fear fare before diving headlong into survival horror, but rather than fully committing to the more grueling side of the latter, focuses instead on being more of a dread-filled mood piece with lots of wandering around in the woods. Codirectors Steven Garbas and
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes Similar to how films like The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears and Berberian Sound Studio have evoked giallo, director Kevin Kopacka’s Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes (Germany, 2021) draws its inspiration from European arthouse films, of the horror genre and otherwise. It’s best to go into this outing cold, so I will only give a brief, spoiler-free set-up regarding its plot: Margot (Luisa Taraz) and her husband Deiter (Frederik von Lüttichau) have inherited a remote castle — with Bava influences in more than just lighting — and as the tension between the couple rises, gothic-horror madness sets in. Try learning nothing more than that for maximum surprise from the film. Kopacka, who cowrote the screenplay with Lili Villányi, has crafted a mind-bender of a movie that fairly drips eerie atmosphere, with scenes that range from the tried-and-true method of having off-screen occurrences for viewers to fill in with their imagination, to a graphic gore
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Director Carlo Ledesma takes viewers on a wild ride of the supernatural in Sunod (AKA Followed; Philippines, 2019), which captured the awards for Best International Feature Film, Best Performance in an International Feature Film (Carmina Villarroel), and Best International Feature Film Director (Ledesma) at the recent A Night of Horror International Film Festival in Australia. Although the film sometimes deals in familiar fear-fare trappings, the overall result is a gripping chiller well worth a watch. Villarroel portrays Olivia, a single mother to teen daughter Anelle (Krystal Brimner) who is hospitalized with a heart condition. Olivia asserts herself, out of financial desperation, into a new night job at a call center. Her place of employment happens to be the same building that served as a hospital in the 1970s, and savvy horror movie viewers know that nothing good ever comes of being in a former hospital. Below the call center are abandoned floors. When Olivia finds herself on one of those
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
You’ll rarely find a character that you can’t wait to see get his as much as you will with paranormal researcher/exploiter Steven Caramore (Corey Johnson) in the U.K. feature Lair. As if being responsible for his business partner Ben’s (Oded Fehr) slaughtering of his wife and child, Caramore then sets up shop in a London apartment building, outfitting one flat with allegedly cursed objects while rigging up cameras in a neighboring one to watch what happens to an unsuspecting family in the first flat. The vacationing family in question brings their own personal demons into the mix — lots of arguing, bickering, bruised egos, and teen rebellion — and really they should have demanded a refund on their vacation rental as soon as Caramore told them — on their second day of the stay — that he placed a cursed doll in their flat, a toy to which little Lily (Lara Mount) took an instant liking. But Lily and her
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsReviews
Last Survivors, the latest entry in the thriller subgenre of “children beginning to question their parents’ philosophies after an apocalyptic event” (this year’s Gaia being one example) is a solid outing fueled by fine performances from its three leads. Troy (Stephen Moyer) is a stern man who has raised his adult son Jake (Drew Van Acker) from very young childhood in a remote mountain area, with the two of them living off the land and storing venison jerky for long winters. Troy has been training Jake to kill any intruders without hesitation to protect what is theirs, and Jake declares himself ready to do so. When Troy is injured during one such confrontation, he tells Jake where a supply of medicine is hidden. The young man goes to fetch it and spies a woman just outside of their property. He has second thoughts about shooting her, and instead breaks into her house, where he learns that her name is Henrietta
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who
Continue reading →
More from Events
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Horror-on-Sea returns this coming year with a loaded slate of international independent horror features and short films. From ghosts to gorefests and monsters to murderous mayhem, there’s something for every fear-fare fanatic at the Southend fest. Following is the official press release. Following a hiatus in 2021 due to the pandemic, Horror-on-Sea will be making a welcome return to Southend in 2022 with what promises to be its biggest yet. Horror-on-Sea is recognised by many as the true home of independent horror and remains one of the UK’s biggest independent film festivals. Horror-on-Sea was originally formed to promote independent horror films and will continue to uphold that tradition, giving the horror fans an opportunity to see independent titles which would not normally be played on the big screen. Hosted once again at The Park Inn Palace Hotel (Southend-on-Sea) the festival will be running over two weekends from Friday 14th January to Sunday 16th January and Friday 21st January to Sunday
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsMoviesReviews
Night Caller You’ll probably feel like you need a shower after viewing writer/director Chad Ferrin’s Night Caller. This paean to grindhouse gorefests oozes a 1970s vibe from practically every frame. The film is lurid in both senses of that word, from its color palette to its graphic violence. It pays obvious homage to Maniac (1980) with its killer’s method of murdering and scalping victims as it name checks — with video clips — psychic horror of the past such as Patrick (1978) and some public domain fear fare, with some spaghetti western and Laurel and Hardy references, as well. Clementine Carter (Susan Priver) works as a telephone psychic with boss Jade Mei (Bai Ling) when she begins receiving calls from a serial killer, whose upcoming acts of violence she sees in visions as they talk. As Clementine tries to solve the mystery of just who the fiend is, she brings danger closer to her elderly father (Robert Miano as Charles
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Canada’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival, which runs in Toronto from November 18–23, 2021, features a jaw-dropping array of homegrown horror and horror-comedy features and shorts. Following are reviews of three of the short films that screen at the festival. Giant Bear Giant Bear (Canada, 2019) is a beautifully animated vision of an Inuit legend that is absolutely stunning. Codirectors Neil Christopher and Daniel Gies have crafted an absolutely gorgeous work. As beautiful as the snowy landscape is, the underwater world in the short is breathtaking. A lone hunter tries spearfishing with his dog, only to come face to face with a monstrously large bear. Much more than just an animated creature feature, Giant Bear is a riveting experience. Wolf in Dude’s Clothing Writer/director Solmund MacPherson’s Wolf in Dude’s Clothing (Canada, 2021) sees a wolf assume a human lifestyle after finding a suit of human skin in the wild. The wolf-man (Erik Athavale) — a fun play on the
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsNews
Filmmakers, take note: Austria’s prestigious SLASH Filmfestival is currently accepting submissions for its 13th edition next year. Following is the official press release. SLASH Filmfestival, Austria’s foremost festival for Fantastic Film and the country’s third largest film festival overall, is now accepting submissions for its 13th edition, which will run from September 22 through October 2, 2022. Filmmakers from across the world are invited to send in their work via FilmFreeway. Founded in 2010, SLASH Filmfestival has quickly grown in size and scope, now attracting close to 15.000 visitors over its 11-day run. The festival hosts a Fantastic Shorts competition with a cash prize of 1000 EUR decided by popular vote and also organizes the Méliès d’argent competition for European short films. Additionally, SLASH organizes a feature film competition with a cash prize of 3000 EUR, the winner of which is identified by a professional jury. SLASH celebrates genre films in various shapes and sizes. Both short films (30 min.
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Peppergrass Eula Baek (Chantelle Han) and Morris Weiss (Charles Boyland) are in a relationship — and quite obviously not a happy one, judging from their constant sniping and bickering — and are driven to desperation during the COVID lockdown for her titular restaurant and his bar. They hatch a plan to scam veteran Captain Reuben Lom (Michael Copeman) — who lives in a very rural area and who was friends with Eula’s father — into giving them some valuable truffles that they can resell to try to make ends meet. Morris gets greedy and aggressive, and suddenly the three people are fighting for their lives. Peppergrass (Canada, 2021) toys with the “home invasion goes south” style of fear fare before diving headlong into survival horror, but rather than fully committing to the more grueling side of the latter, focuses instead on being more of a dread-filled mood piece with lots of wandering around in the woods. Codirectors Steven Garbas and
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes Similar to how films like The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears and Berberian Sound Studio have evoked giallo, director Kevin Kopacka’s Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes (Germany, 2021) draws its inspiration from European arthouse films, of the horror genre and otherwise. It’s best to go into this outing cold, so I will only give a brief, spoiler-free set-up regarding its plot: Margot (Luisa Taraz) and her husband Deiter (Frederik von Lüttichau) have inherited a remote castle — with Bava influences in more than just lighting — and as the tension between the couple rises, gothic-horror madness sets in. Try learning nothing more than that for maximum surprise from the film. Kopacka, who cowrote the screenplay with Lili Villányi, has crafted a mind-bender of a movie that fairly drips eerie atmosphere, with scenes that range from the tried-and-true method of having off-screen occurrences for viewers to fill in with their imagination, to a graphic gore
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Director Carlo Ledesma takes viewers on a wild ride of the supernatural in Sunod (AKA Followed; Philippines, 2019), which captured the awards for Best International Feature Film, Best Performance in an International Feature Film (Carmina Villarroel), and Best International Feature Film Director (Ledesma) at the recent A Night of Horror International Film Festival in Australia. Although the film sometimes deals in familiar fear-fare trappings, the overall result is a gripping chiller well worth a watch. Villarroel portrays Olivia, a single mother to teen daughter Anelle (Krystal Brimner) who is hospitalized with a heart condition. Olivia asserts herself, out of financial desperation, into a new night job at a call center. Her place of employment happens to be the same building that served as a hospital in the 1970s, and savvy horror movie viewers know that nothing good ever comes of being in a former hospital. Below the call center are abandoned floors. When Olivia finds herself on one of those
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
You’ll rarely find a character that you can’t wait to see get his as much as you will with paranormal researcher/exploiter Steven Caramore (Corey Johnson) in the U.K. feature Lair. As if being responsible for his business partner Ben’s (Oded Fehr) slaughtering of his wife and child, Caramore then sets up shop in a London apartment building, outfitting one flat with allegedly cursed objects while rigging up cameras in a neighboring one to watch what happens to an unsuspecting family in the first flat. The vacationing family in question brings their own personal demons into the mix — lots of arguing, bickering, bruised egos, and teen rebellion — and really they should have demanded a refund on their vacation rental as soon as Caramore told them — on their second day of the stay — that he placed a cursed doll in their flat, a toy to which little Lily (Lara Mount) took an instant liking. But Lily and her
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsReviews
Last Survivors, the latest entry in the thriller subgenre of “children beginning to question their parents’ philosophies after an apocalyptic event” (this year’s Gaia being one example) is a solid outing fueled by fine performances from its three leads. Troy (Stephen Moyer) is a stern man who has raised his adult son Jake (Drew Van Acker) from very young childhood in a remote mountain area, with the two of them living off the land and storing venison jerky for long winters. Troy has been training Jake to kill any intruders without hesitation to protect what is theirs, and Jake declares himself ready to do so. When Troy is injured during one such confrontation, he tells Jake where a supply of medicine is hidden. The young man goes to fetch it and spies a woman just outside of their property. He has second thoughts about shooting her, and instead breaks into her house, where he learns that her name is Henrietta
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Writer/director Mark O’Brien’s The Righteous is a gripping, slow-burn gothic horror that examines the dark hearts of people and the secrets they hide. Conflicts in religious faith and the consequences of sins are at the forefront, with top-notch performances and brilliant use of light and shadow driving the film. Former priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) left the church to marry his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk). As the film opens, the two have just lost their young, adopted daughter in an accident. Frederic prays and seeks the advice of a practicing priest. Soon thereafter, a stranger who claims he is named Aaron Smith (O’Brien) shows up on the Mason’s property, injured and pleading for help. Frederic uncharacteristically allows him to spend the night in their home, even lying to a local police officer who the couple knows well, saying that the man is someone he knows. Ethel is shocked by Frederic’s invitation but soon becomes fond of the young stranger, who
Continue reading →
