CategoryForeign
International horror: J-horror, European extremity, Latin American shocks and the films Hollywood keeps remaking.
902 stories
ForeignMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Tsui Chik (Jet Li, the Once Upon a Time in China series, Lethal Weapon 4) is a librarian leading a low-key lifestyle… so much so, that you’d hardly guess he was a top-secret super-soldier. Speaking of that Captain America biz, his former unit was disbanded due to one of his comrades going completely apeshit and putting a murder on a cop which resulted in the entire organization being marked for extermination. Now, our hero managed to lead his teammates to safety, but years later it appears that his fellow super soldiers have gone on a gangland killing spree… and since these dudes are near invulnerable, the police are practically helpless in dealing with the sitch at hand. Tsui then does the only logical thing; he dresses up like Kato from The Green Hornet and proceeds to begin a quest to whip super-soldier ass under his secret superhero identity; the Black Mask! Director Daniel Lee’s (working from a screenplay by directors
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoForeignFrom the CryptIndieMoviesNewsStreaming TVThrillerTrailersTubi
Delve into the realm of supernatural horror with The Sacrifice, the latest chilling film from the acclaimed director Alberto Serra (Remember). Inspired by rich Latino lore, the film sees two sisters thrust into a nightmare after they arrive at their grandmother’s isolated farm. As the sisters uncover dark family secrets, they must confront a terrifying curse that has plagued their grandmother for years. Soon, they are left fighting for their lives against evil forces, out for blood, lurking in the shadows of the farm. The talented cast is led by stars Ana Grethel Solis (The Morning After) and Isabella Sierra (“La Reina del Sur”), who play the roles of the terrified sisters. Stella Lauri, Nick Romano, and Freddy D’Elia round out the cast. The Sacrifice‘s story is filled with family secrets, ancient curses, and sinister forces and promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Check out the eerie trailer and watch The Sacrifice now on Tubi’s free
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
In Witch (U.K, 2024), codirectors Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit — who cowrote the screenplay with David Baboulene — have crafted a feature that combines gothic horror and folk horror with a science fiction element. In a small English town in 1575, young wife and mother Twyla (Sarah Alexandra Marks – KILL KANE, HELP) is falsely accused of witchcraft and will be put to death if found guilty. The young woman accusing her is Johanna (Mims Burton), who herself is on trial for murdering her parents — she even walked around the town holding both of their severed heads. Twyla’s blacksmith husband William (Ryan Spong) does everything he can to save her, even accepting the help of mysterious stranger Thomas (Russell Shaw). The main villains are the ruthless Judge Hopkins (Daniel Jordan), who seemingly never met a person he couldn’t accuse of something, and the local marshall (Fabrizio Santino), who follows the judge’s orders, sometimes at the threat of death.
Continue reading →
DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Director John MacLaverty’s terrific documentary Loch Ness: They Created a Monster looks at the personalities involved in the search for Nessie, the legendary monster of Scotland’s Loch Ness, during the heyday of that searching, the 1970s and early 1980s. It’s a fascinating look at the men and women who devoted large parts of their lives to try and discover solid proof of the famous cryptid’s existence. The documentary illustrates the difference in attitudes between then and now, when scientific researchers, businesspeople, photographers, and other professionals had a more open-minded view toward high strangeness including the probability of a large, undiscovered beast living in the lake than today. That was a time when imagination felt stronger than cynicism, and skepticism was not quite as prevalent as it is now. Among the personalities featured in Loch Ness: They Created a Monster — through archival footage and interviews, and modern interviews with family members and colleagues, as well as surviving explorers — are
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviewsTrailers
Our gal pal Jessica (Blanca Marsillach) spends her days getting’ her bean flicked courtesy of her saxophone player boyfriend Johnny’s (Stefano Madia) horny horn playing within the walls of his recording studio, as is the way. Meanwhile, hot-shit surgeon Dr. Wendell Simpson (Return of the Fly’s Brett Halsey) is stuck in a right shit of a marriage with his wife, Carol (Corinne Cléry, Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Moonraker)… a marriage that sees the dashing doc getting’ it on with prostitutes a-plenty, which shockingly drives Carol away. How do these incidents intertwine you may (or may not) ask? Well, after Johnny dies on Simpson’s operating table after a motorcycle accident near the Doc’s domicile, Jessica decides to take a stroll down Revenge Road and begins harassing Simpson like it’s her fuckin’ job… and soon she has the doctor chained up in her deceased beau’s majestic mansion! Will vigilante justice be sexually served, or does lust have other plans for
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Hot-shit photog Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, who you may recall was Zeus in Luigi (Starcrash) Cozzi’s mid-’80s Hercules pictures, but was also in The Island of the Fishmen from this film’s director, Sergio (2019: After the Fall of New York) Martino) is hired by a resort mogul (Mel Ferrer, Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City) to snap publicity pics to advertise his new jungle-set, disco-tastic vacay hot spot, Paradise House, along with his model/muse Sheena (Geneve Hutton). Once there, he meets anthropologist Alice (Barbara Bach, also from The Island of the Fishmen, but perhaps best known for her turns in 1977’s James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, and 1981’s prehistoric romp, Caveman, co-staring her hubs Ringo Starr) who fills our main man Dan in on the deets concerning the Kuma tribe, the indigenous people of the region who are paid in American blue jeans to huck dynamite at trees to clear land for further expansion… oh and their god is able
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesNewsTrailers
The supernatural horror film Disappear Completely will, after two years, finally terrify Netflix audiences later this month. This chilling tale, directed by Luis Javier Henaine, boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, leaving critics speechless and fans eager for more. A Gruesome Fate In this disturbing film, Santiago (played by Harold Torres), an ambitious crime scene photographer, becomes the target of a horrifying curse. After witnessing an alarming scene, he finds himself inexplicably stricken with a mysterious illness. As the days progress, Santiago’s senses begin to vanish one by one – a terrifying descent into sensory deprivation and a horrifying thought. Watch as Santiago confronts his mortality and the horrific consequences of his past actions. Streaming Titled in Spanish as Desaparecer por Completo, the film, featuring English subtitles, garnered widespread praise after its premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest. Now, it’s poised to leave home viewers with chills. Its unique premise, perfect critical score, and unsettling exploration of mortality make
Continue reading →
ForeignHistoryMoviesReviews
It’s the 1600’s and things are looking rather shitty for local witches ‘round ol’ London-town thanks to Judge Jeffreys (the legendary Sir Christopher Lee (who has appeared in so many things, I’m just going to do this) who hates them as much as he does rebels against the King… which is to say a lot. I mean sure he’s still willing to fuck the witches (this is a Jess Franco film after all), but he’s just as willing to burn them alive (doubly so if they fail to put out). His presence makes life truly a pain in the ass for young Harry Selton (Hans Haas Jr.), a rebel engaged to a witch named Mary (Franco regular Maria Rohm, Marquis de Sade’s Justine, Venus in Furs to name a few), and when they are incarcerated the Joltin’ Judge may face a full-on revolution! Brimming with a large number of costumed extras, battle sequences, and some ornate sets, it’s obvious that
Continue reading →
More from Foreign
ForeignMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Tsui Chik (Jet Li, the Once Upon a Time in China series, Lethal Weapon 4) is a librarian leading a low-key lifestyle… so much so, that you’d hardly guess he was a top-secret super-soldier. Speaking of that Captain America biz, his former unit was disbanded due to one of his comrades going completely apeshit and putting a murder on a cop which resulted in the entire organization being marked for extermination. Now, our hero managed to lead his teammates to safety, but years later it appears that his fellow super soldiers have gone on a gangland killing spree… and since these dudes are near invulnerable, the police are practically helpless in dealing with the sitch at hand. Tsui then does the only logical thing; he dresses up like Kato from The Green Hornet and proceeds to begin a quest to whip super-soldier ass under his secret superhero identity; the Black Mask! Director Daniel Lee’s (working from a screenplay by directors
Continue reading →
Amazon Prime VideoForeignFrom the CryptIndieMoviesNewsStreaming TVThrillerTrailersTubi
Delve into the realm of supernatural horror with The Sacrifice, the latest chilling film from the acclaimed director Alberto Serra (Remember). Inspired by rich Latino lore, the film sees two sisters thrust into a nightmare after they arrive at their grandmother’s isolated farm. As the sisters uncover dark family secrets, they must confront a terrifying curse that has plagued their grandmother for years. Soon, they are left fighting for their lives against evil forces, out for blood, lurking in the shadows of the farm. The talented cast is led by stars Ana Grethel Solis (The Morning After) and Isabella Sierra (“La Reina del Sur”), who play the roles of the terrified sisters. Stella Lauri, Nick Romano, and Freddy D’Elia round out the cast. The Sacrifice‘s story is filled with family secrets, ancient curses, and sinister forces and promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Check out the eerie trailer and watch The Sacrifice now on Tubi’s free
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
In Witch (U.K, 2024), codirectors Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit — who cowrote the screenplay with David Baboulene — have crafted a feature that combines gothic horror and folk horror with a science fiction element. In a small English town in 1575, young wife and mother Twyla (Sarah Alexandra Marks – KILL KANE, HELP) is falsely accused of witchcraft and will be put to death if found guilty. The young woman accusing her is Johanna (Mims Burton), who herself is on trial for murdering her parents — she even walked around the town holding both of their severed heads. Twyla’s blacksmith husband William (Ryan Spong) does everything he can to save her, even accepting the help of mysterious stranger Thomas (Russell Shaw). The main villains are the ruthless Judge Hopkins (Daniel Jordan), who seemingly never met a person he couldn’t accuse of something, and the local marshall (Fabrizio Santino), who follows the judge’s orders, sometimes at the threat of death.
Continue reading →
DocumentariesFilm FestivalsForeignMoviesParanormalReviews
Director John MacLaverty’s terrific documentary Loch Ness: They Created a Monster looks at the personalities involved in the search for Nessie, the legendary monster of Scotland’s Loch Ness, during the heyday of that searching, the 1970s and early 1980s. It’s a fascinating look at the men and women who devoted large parts of their lives to try and discover solid proof of the famous cryptid’s existence. The documentary illustrates the difference in attitudes between then and now, when scientific researchers, businesspeople, photographers, and other professionals had a more open-minded view toward high strangeness including the probability of a large, undiscovered beast living in the lake than today. That was a time when imagination felt stronger than cynicism, and skepticism was not quite as prevalent as it is now. Among the personalities featured in Loch Ness: They Created a Monster — through archival footage and interviews, and modern interviews with family members and colleagues, as well as surviving explorers — are
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviewsTrailers
Our gal pal Jessica (Blanca Marsillach) spends her days getting’ her bean flicked courtesy of her saxophone player boyfriend Johnny’s (Stefano Madia) horny horn playing within the walls of his recording studio, as is the way. Meanwhile, hot-shit surgeon Dr. Wendell Simpson (Return of the Fly’s Brett Halsey) is stuck in a right shit of a marriage with his wife, Carol (Corinne Cléry, Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Moonraker)… a marriage that sees the dashing doc getting’ it on with prostitutes a-plenty, which shockingly drives Carol away. How do these incidents intertwine you may (or may not) ask? Well, after Johnny dies on Simpson’s operating table after a motorcycle accident near the Doc’s domicile, Jessica decides to take a stroll down Revenge Road and begins harassing Simpson like it’s her fuckin’ job… and soon she has the doctor chained up in her deceased beau’s majestic mansion! Will vigilante justice be sexually served, or does lust have other plans for
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesReviews
Hot-shit photog Daniel (Claudio Cassinelli, who you may recall was Zeus in Luigi (Starcrash) Cozzi’s mid-’80s Hercules pictures, but was also in The Island of the Fishmen from this film’s director, Sergio (2019: After the Fall of New York) Martino) is hired by a resort mogul (Mel Ferrer, Umberto Lenzi’s Nightmare City) to snap publicity pics to advertise his new jungle-set, disco-tastic vacay hot spot, Paradise House, along with his model/muse Sheena (Geneve Hutton). Once there, he meets anthropologist Alice (Barbara Bach, also from The Island of the Fishmen, but perhaps best known for her turns in 1977’s James Bond flick The Spy Who Loved Me, and 1981’s prehistoric romp, Caveman, co-staring her hubs Ringo Starr) who fills our main man Dan in on the deets concerning the Kuma tribe, the indigenous people of the region who are paid in American blue jeans to huck dynamite at trees to clear land for further expansion… oh and their god is able
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviewsShort Films
Following is a capsule review roundup of six of the short-film shockers that screened at this year’s edition of New Orlean’s Overlook Film Festival. Bookworm Bookworm (Ratón de biblioteca; Spain, 2023) from director Javier Yañez envelops viewers in a phantasmagorical vibe before suddenly ramping up the visceral shocks. Irene (Aria Bedmar in a wonderful performance) is a young librarian in 1979 Spain who wants to become a writer, much to her mother’s dismay. Irene and her fellow librarian often see the ghost of a young man — though they can’t quite catch a glimpse of his face — browsing books. Determined to try to make contact with this potential soulmate, Irene sets out to find out what his visage looks like. With beautiful set design and cinematography, Bookworm both charms and chills. Hevel In writer/director David Grace’s Hevel, devout Jewish woman Edra (Mor Cohen) begins a Shabbat service. A dybbuk has other plans for her, however, in this demonic possession
Continue reading →
Film FestivalsForeignMoviesReviews
Blind Cop 2 (2024) A sequel to a film that doesn’t exist, director Alec Bonk’s Blind Cop 2 follows the tropes of movies depicting good cops kicked off the force for using excessive violence and seeking redemption without having a badge — and then there’s the trusty new sidekick, too. Imagine Marvel’s Daredevil as an alcoholic police officer wearing a bulletproof vest rather than a superhero costume and you’re only partially on your way to getting an inkling about how this irreverent title character (played with verve by George Fearing) goes about his business. You can’t forget Blind Cop’s name, either, as just about every person who addresses him calls him that. Using those aforementioned tropes, Bonk, who cowrote the screenplay with Augustin Huffman and Isaac McKinnon, directs with flare, deftly balancing the humor with plenty of dramatic elements and bloody action. Fearing is fantastic in the title role, and McKinnon makes for a fine sidekick-in-training as Schmidty. The humor
Continue reading →
ForeignMoviesNewsTrailers
The supernatural horror film Disappear Completely will, after two years, finally terrify Netflix audiences later this month. This chilling tale, directed by Luis Javier Henaine, boasts a rare perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, leaving critics speechless and fans eager for more. A Gruesome Fate In this disturbing film, Santiago (played by Harold Torres), an ambitious crime scene photographer, becomes the target of a horrifying curse. After witnessing an alarming scene, he finds himself inexplicably stricken with a mysterious illness. As the days progress, Santiago’s senses begin to vanish one by one – a terrifying descent into sensory deprivation and a horrifying thought. Watch as Santiago confronts his mortality and the horrific consequences of his past actions. Streaming Titled in Spanish as Desaparecer por Completo, the film, featuring English subtitles, garnered widespread praise after its premiere at the 2022 Fantastic Fest. Now, it’s poised to leave home viewers with chills. Its unique premise, perfect critical score, and unsettling exploration of mortality make
Continue reading →
ForeignHistoryMoviesReviews
It’s the 1600’s and things are looking rather shitty for local witches ‘round ol’ London-town thanks to Judge Jeffreys (the legendary Sir Christopher Lee (who has appeared in so many things, I’m just going to do this) who hates them as much as he does rebels against the King… which is to say a lot. I mean sure he’s still willing to fuck the witches (this is a Jess Franco film after all), but he’s just as willing to burn them alive (doubly so if they fail to put out). His presence makes life truly a pain in the ass for young Harry Selton (Hans Haas Jr.), a rebel engaged to a witch named Mary (Franco regular Maria Rohm, Marquis de Sade’s Justine, Venus in Furs to name a few), and when they are incarcerated the Joltin’ Judge may face a full-on revolution! Brimming with a large number of costumed extras, battle sequences, and some ornate sets, it’s obvious that
Continue reading →
