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Independent horror: micro-budget features, short films and first-time filmmakers doing more with less — and often doing it better.

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Game Review: 'Broken Pieces'

Game Review: ‘Broken Pieces’

Happy Halloween Ghouls and Ghoulettes! When you think of Halloween you don’t see yourself spending time at the beach right? Or at a beach out of time…and space? Well, that’s how I spent my Halloween in Broken Pieces. I want to give thanks to Elseware Experience and Freedom Games for the reviewing opportunity. Broken Pieces takes place on the seaside of France in 1993 where players take on the role of Elise, a woman searching for her missing fiance as the world seems to be outside of time and the village she’s in is devoid of life as an event took place resulting in the population going missing and supernatural threats stalk the streets. Now onto the game itself! When it comes to the controls, Broken Pieces thankfully has a tutorial system but the more I played it, it became evident that the game is more suited for mouse and keyboard which makes some interactions and movements awkward. The game’s

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 31, 2022
Six Short Horror Films To Watch This Halloween

Six Short Horror Films To Watch This Halloween

This Halloween, we’ve got a treat for you, six short terrifying tales of horror set on the spookiest night of the year. Trick or Treat During their first Halloween in their new home, Travis and Beth encounter an unexpected trick or treater. The films from writer-director Wesley Mellott. The House on Oak Street Four middle school kids discover the unimaginable when, on Halloween night, they venture into the old house on Oak Street. The Pumpkin Man: Demon of Fall Jenny Scott is an amateur photographer constantly looking for abandoned landmarks to add to her portfolio. But when she visits Alpine Groves, she stumbles upon something far darker and more sinister than she could have possibly imagined… The Pumpkin Man! Written & Directed by Ryan Sheets and starring Sylvia Muchmore. The Last Halloween As they go from house to house, four young trick-or-treaters collect strange treats that could signal the end of Halloween. “The Last Halloween” was directed by Marc Roussel.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 31, 2022
Watch The Short Horror Film 'It's Not Real' That Scared The "%#/[" Out Of Danny DeVito

Watch The Short Horror Film ‘It’s Not Real’ That Scared The “%#/[” Out Of Danny DeVito

Just in time for Halloween, we would like to present the chilling 8-minute horror short film It’s Not Real, directed by Tina Carbone. Starring Lucy DeVito (“Little Demon”), “It’s Not Real tells a frightening tale of a woman living alone—but perhaps not as alone as she thinks—and trying to figure out whether the creepy incidents in her creaky old apartment are happening. It is inspired by true events experienced by Carbone herself in her 1920s-era Los Angeles apartment.” Carbone is an experienced producer (the upcoming The Secret Art of Human Flight, starring Oscar nominee Paul Raci) and production manager (Jim Cummings’ well-received thriller TheBeta Test), making her return to solo directing after six years. The film is eerily lensed by DP Markus Mentzer (Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave), with evocative sound design from H.P. Mendoza (The Secret Art of Human Flight). It was written and produced by Carbone and Patrick T. Dorsey. It’s Not Real is an Ersatz Film

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 30, 2022
Stakeland Director Larry Fessenden Is Back With 'Blackout'

Stakeland Director Larry Fessenden Is Back With ‘Blackout’

Glass Eye Pix has just announced that director Larry Fessenden (House of the Devil, Stakeland) has completed principal photography on his seventh feature film, Blackout. The film stars Alex Hurt as Charley Barrett, a Fine Arts painter convinced that he is a werewolf wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon, wrapped under the glow of October 8th’s Hunter Moon. The film features a cast of Glass Eye staples and newcomers including Addison Timlin (Little Sister, Like Me, Depraved), Motell Gyn Foster (Marriage Story, Foxhole), Joseph Castillo-Midyett (Equalizer, Death Saved My Life), Ella Rae Peck (upcoming Crumb Catcher), Rigo Garay (upcoming Crumb Catcher), John Speredakos (Wendigo, I Sell The Dead), Michael Buscemi (Habit, BlacKkKlansman), Jeremy Holm (The Ranger, Brooklyn 45), Joe Swanberg (You’re Next, Offseason), Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Jakob’s Wife), James Le Gros (Foxhole, The Last Winter), and Marshall Bell (Total Recall, Stand By Me). Casting was handled by Lois Drabkin, who previously worked with Fessenden

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 29, 2022
Movie Review: The Once and Future Smash (2022)

Movie Review: The Once and Future Smash (2022)

The Once and Future Smash transports us to a universe where a series of fright flicks, the End Zone series by name, was the trendsetter of all mother fuckin’ trendsetters when it comes to our beloved stalk n’ slay slasher genre… right down to the series villain, cannibal football player Smash-Mouth (more on that dude in a second), being the supposed inspiration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, and the film’s twist being lifted wholesale by the original Friday the 13th! Speaking of Smash-Mouth, two actors had the distinction of playing the sinister sportsman, The egotistical Mikey Smash (The greasy strangler himself, Michael St. Michaels) who portrayed Smash-Mouth for the first hour of End Zone 2 and William Mouth (Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.’s Bill Weeden) who took over the role once Mikey was fired for reasons of being an asshole, and created the character’s catch-phrase “Touchdown!”… not that anyone has ever heard it as the last thirty minutes of End Zone

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 28, 2022
Game Review: 'Charon's Staircase'

Game Review: ‘Charon’s Staircase’

Today the first-person mystery horror Charon’s Staircase was released for all consoles and PC in time for Halloween to give you some chills over the weekend, does it deliver? Let’s find out, but first, I would like to thank SOEDESCO and Indigo Studios for the reviewing opportunity. Charon’s Staircase (pronounced Karen) takes place in an unidentified (presumably) Eastern European country in the 1970s that will be joining the European Union but wants the totalitarian skeleton in its closet to be erased. This is where agent “Desmond” comes in. Desmond is assigned to retrieve and destroy secret documents relating to human experiments conducted at the Oak Grove estate. Once there Desmond uncovers darker secrets he wishes to share with the world…if he survives. Now onto the game itself! Charon’s Staircase‘s controls are limited as the game focuses mainly on exploring and puzzle-solving. The game is fully voice acted as it’s narrated at points of the game as Desmond tells his story.

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 28, 2022
Post-Apocalyptic Indie Thriller 'Shadows' Uncovers A Dark Truth This November (Trailer)

Post-Apocalyptic Indie Thriller ‘Shadows’ Uncovers A Dark Truth This November (Trailer)

Red Water Entertainment has just announced the North American VOD debut of Carlo Lavagna‘s Shadows, the Irish-Italian psychological thriller coming to Digital this November. Today, we have to new trailer to share with you. Shadows is the second feature from director Carlo Lavagna, with a script by Fabio Mollo, Damiano Bruè, Vanessa Picciarelli, and Tiziana Triana. The film stars Mia Threapleton, Lola Petticrew, and Saskia Reeves as a family of survivors living in an abandoned hotel after the apparent end of the world. In the film, Alma and Alex, two teenage sisters, are survivors of a catastrophic event. They live deep in the woods with their Mother, a strict, overprotective woman who has sheltered them from ominous presences, the Shadows, which live in the daylight and infest the world beyond the river. When they follow Mother out for hunting, Alma and Alex start a series of events that will lead them to discover the truth about the “Shadows” and their

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 28, 2022
Game Review: 'Saturnalia'

Game Review: ‘Saturnalia’

Giallo is a genre in Italian cinema, think of Noir films but with horror elements thrown into the story and occasional eroticism… can’t be European (especially Italian) without that right? Now combine that with old folklore from Sardinia and what do you get? You get Saturnalia, a survival horror game where players must uncover the truth in order to survive their stay in an ancient Italian village. I want to give thanks to Santa Ragione for the reviewing opportunity! Saturnalia takes place in an old village on the island of Sardinia where they play as one of four playable characters trying to make sense of the events going on in the village surrounding a mysterious ritual where a horned creature stalks the streets at night. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Saturnalia are limited but surprisingly a tad difficult to grasp at first. At the start of the game, it would have been nice to have a tutorial

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 27, 2022
Movie Review: Bridge of the Doomed (2022)

Movie Review: Bridge of the Doomed (2022)

Bridge of the Doomed starts things off right with some straight up, red-blooded mother fuckin’ action (which differs from regular “action” by one “mother fuckin’”s worth, which trust me is a considerable amount) with zombies rippin’ an army base a new one! After that frightful fracas, ol’ General Vasquez (the always great Robert LaSardo) gathers up Lt. Whitmore (Dane Bingenheimer) and Sgt. Hernandez (Kate Watson) and charges them and their troops with the task of defending a nearby bridge until reinforcements arrive. Soon our heroes are squaring off against hostile human survivors of the outbreak and the ever advancing shambling dead… but what lurks under that beastly bridge may be the biggest danger of them all! I’ll tell you one thing, director Michael Su (Death Count) and screenwriter Adrian Milnes (Night of the Tommyknockers) make double damn sure that Bridge of the Doomed is never, ever boring… this picture is filled to the brutal brim with all manner of action,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 27, 2022
Movie Review: Frost (2022)

Movie Review: Frost (2022)

Grant (Vernon Wells of Commando and The Road Warrior fame) and Abby (Devanny Pinn, Death Count) are a father/daughter combo that have grown apart over the years, but the impending birth of Abby’s child have spurned a re-connection between the two. After some of that good ol’ reminiscing, the pair head out for a fishing trip near Grant’s remote cabin, deep in the woods. One car crash en route to said trip makes everyone’s plans go completely tits up as Abby becomes trapped in the car, and as the weather gets worse and worse Grant has no choice but to leave Abby and head out for help. All of that aside, there’s also a surly wolf stalking about, because being pregnant and alone in the freezing cold didn’t suck hard enough for our heroine… Director Brandon Slagle (working from a script from writer Robert Thompson and a story by James Cullen Bressack) have presented a razor-sharp tale of desperation and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 26, 2022

More from Indie

Game Review: 'Broken Pieces'

Game Review: ‘Broken Pieces’

Happy Halloween Ghouls and Ghoulettes! When you think of Halloween you don’t see yourself spending time at the beach right? Or at a beach out of time…and space? Well, that’s how I spent my Halloween in Broken Pieces. I want to give thanks to Elseware Experience and Freedom Games for the reviewing opportunity. Broken Pieces takes place on the seaside of France in 1993 where players take on the role of Elise, a woman searching for her missing fiance as the world seems to be outside of time and the village she’s in is devoid of life as an event took place resulting in the population going missing and supernatural threats stalk the streets. Now onto the game itself! When it comes to the controls, Broken Pieces thankfully has a tutorial system but the more I played it, it became evident that the game is more suited for mouse and keyboard which makes some interactions and movements awkward. The game’s

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 31, 2022
Six Short Horror Films To Watch This Halloween

Six Short Horror Films To Watch This Halloween

This Halloween, we’ve got a treat for you, six short terrifying tales of horror set on the spookiest night of the year. Trick or Treat During their first Halloween in their new home, Travis and Beth encounter an unexpected trick or treater. The films from writer-director Wesley Mellott. The House on Oak Street Four middle school kids discover the unimaginable when, on Halloween night, they venture into the old house on Oak Street. The Pumpkin Man: Demon of Fall Jenny Scott is an amateur photographer constantly looking for abandoned landmarks to add to her portfolio. But when she visits Alpine Groves, she stumbles upon something far darker and more sinister than she could have possibly imagined… The Pumpkin Man! Written & Directed by Ryan Sheets and starring Sylvia Muchmore. The Last Halloween As they go from house to house, four young trick-or-treaters collect strange treats that could signal the end of Halloween. “The Last Halloween” was directed by Marc Roussel.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 31, 2022
Watch The Short Horror Film 'It's Not Real' That Scared The "%#/[" Out Of Danny DeVito

Watch The Short Horror Film ‘It’s Not Real’ That Scared The “%#/[” Out Of Danny DeVito

Just in time for Halloween, we would like to present the chilling 8-minute horror short film It’s Not Real, directed by Tina Carbone. Starring Lucy DeVito (“Little Demon”), “It’s Not Real tells a frightening tale of a woman living alone—but perhaps not as alone as she thinks—and trying to figure out whether the creepy incidents in her creaky old apartment are happening. It is inspired by true events experienced by Carbone herself in her 1920s-era Los Angeles apartment.” Carbone is an experienced producer (the upcoming The Secret Art of Human Flight, starring Oscar nominee Paul Raci) and production manager (Jim Cummings’ well-received thriller TheBeta Test), making her return to solo directing after six years. The film is eerily lensed by DP Markus Mentzer (Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave), with evocative sound design from H.P. Mendoza (The Secret Art of Human Flight). It was written and produced by Carbone and Patrick T. Dorsey. It’s Not Real is an Ersatz Film

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 30, 2022
Stakeland Director Larry Fessenden Is Back With 'Blackout'

Stakeland Director Larry Fessenden Is Back With ‘Blackout’

Glass Eye Pix has just announced that director Larry Fessenden (House of the Devil, Stakeland) has completed principal photography on his seventh feature film, Blackout. The film stars Alex Hurt as Charley Barrett, a Fine Arts painter convinced that he is a werewolf wreaking havoc on a small American town under the full moon, wrapped under the glow of October 8th’s Hunter Moon. The film features a cast of Glass Eye staples and newcomers including Addison Timlin (Little Sister, Like Me, Depraved), Motell Gyn Foster (Marriage Story, Foxhole), Joseph Castillo-Midyett (Equalizer, Death Saved My Life), Ella Rae Peck (upcoming Crumb Catcher), Rigo Garay (upcoming Crumb Catcher), John Speredakos (Wendigo, I Sell The Dead), Michael Buscemi (Habit, BlacKkKlansman), Jeremy Holm (The Ranger, Brooklyn 45), Joe Swanberg (You’re Next, Offseason), Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Jakob’s Wife), James Le Gros (Foxhole, The Last Winter), and Marshall Bell (Total Recall, Stand By Me). Casting was handled by Lois Drabkin, who previously worked with Fessenden

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 29, 2022
Movie Review: The Once and Future Smash (2022)

Movie Review: The Once and Future Smash (2022)

The Once and Future Smash transports us to a universe where a series of fright flicks, the End Zone series by name, was the trendsetter of all mother fuckin’ trendsetters when it comes to our beloved stalk n’ slay slasher genre… right down to the series villain, cannibal football player Smash-Mouth (more on that dude in a second), being the supposed inspiration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, and the film’s twist being lifted wholesale by the original Friday the 13th! Speaking of Smash-Mouth, two actors had the distinction of playing the sinister sportsman, The egotistical Mikey Smash (The greasy strangler himself, Michael St. Michaels) who portrayed Smash-Mouth for the first hour of End Zone 2 and William Mouth (Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.’s Bill Weeden) who took over the role once Mikey was fired for reasons of being an asshole, and created the character’s catch-phrase “Touchdown!”… not that anyone has ever heard it as the last thirty minutes of End Zone

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 28, 2022
Game Review: 'Charon's Staircase'

Game Review: ‘Charon’s Staircase’

Today the first-person mystery horror Charon’s Staircase was released for all consoles and PC in time for Halloween to give you some chills over the weekend, does it deliver? Let’s find out, but first, I would like to thank SOEDESCO and Indigo Studios for the reviewing opportunity. Charon’s Staircase (pronounced Karen) takes place in an unidentified (presumably) Eastern European country in the 1970s that will be joining the European Union but wants the totalitarian skeleton in its closet to be erased. This is where agent “Desmond” comes in. Desmond is assigned to retrieve and destroy secret documents relating to human experiments conducted at the Oak Grove estate. Once there Desmond uncovers darker secrets he wishes to share with the world…if he survives. Now onto the game itself! Charon’s Staircase‘s controls are limited as the game focuses mainly on exploring and puzzle-solving. The game is fully voice acted as it’s narrated at points of the game as Desmond tells his story.

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 28, 2022
Post-Apocalyptic Indie Thriller 'Shadows' Uncovers A Dark Truth This November (Trailer)

Post-Apocalyptic Indie Thriller ‘Shadows’ Uncovers A Dark Truth This November (Trailer)

Red Water Entertainment has just announced the North American VOD debut of Carlo Lavagna‘s Shadows, the Irish-Italian psychological thriller coming to Digital this November. Today, we have to new trailer to share with you. Shadows is the second feature from director Carlo Lavagna, with a script by Fabio Mollo, Damiano Bruè, Vanessa Picciarelli, and Tiziana Triana. The film stars Mia Threapleton, Lola Petticrew, and Saskia Reeves as a family of survivors living in an abandoned hotel after the apparent end of the world. In the film, Alma and Alex, two teenage sisters, are survivors of a catastrophic event. They live deep in the woods with their Mother, a strict, overprotective woman who has sheltered them from ominous presences, the Shadows, which live in the daylight and infest the world beyond the river. When they follow Mother out for hunting, Alma and Alex start a series of events that will lead them to discover the truth about the “Shadows” and their

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 28, 2022
Game Review: 'Saturnalia'

Game Review: ‘Saturnalia’

Giallo is a genre in Italian cinema, think of Noir films but with horror elements thrown into the story and occasional eroticism… can’t be European (especially Italian) without that right? Now combine that with old folklore from Sardinia and what do you get? You get Saturnalia, a survival horror game where players must uncover the truth in order to survive their stay in an ancient Italian village. I want to give thanks to Santa Ragione for the reviewing opportunity! Saturnalia takes place in an old village on the island of Sardinia where they play as one of four playable characters trying to make sense of the events going on in the village surrounding a mysterious ritual where a horned creature stalks the streets at night. Now onto the game itself. The controls for Saturnalia are limited but surprisingly a tad difficult to grasp at first. At the start of the game, it would have been nice to have a tutorial

Continue reading →
Daniel S. Liuzzi
Oct 27, 2022
Movie Review: Bridge of the Doomed (2022)

Movie Review: Bridge of the Doomed (2022)

Bridge of the Doomed starts things off right with some straight up, red-blooded mother fuckin’ action (which differs from regular “action” by one “mother fuckin’”s worth, which trust me is a considerable amount) with zombies rippin’ an army base a new one! After that frightful fracas, ol’ General Vasquez (the always great Robert LaSardo) gathers up Lt. Whitmore (Dane Bingenheimer) and Sgt. Hernandez (Kate Watson) and charges them and their troops with the task of defending a nearby bridge until reinforcements arrive. Soon our heroes are squaring off against hostile human survivors of the outbreak and the ever advancing shambling dead… but what lurks under that beastly bridge may be the biggest danger of them all! I’ll tell you one thing, director Michael Su (Death Count) and screenwriter Adrian Milnes (Night of the Tommyknockers) make double damn sure that Bridge of the Doomed is never, ever boring… this picture is filled to the brutal brim with all manner of action,

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 27, 2022
Movie Review: Frost (2022)

Movie Review: Frost (2022)

Grant (Vernon Wells of Commando and The Road Warrior fame) and Abby (Devanny Pinn, Death Count) are a father/daughter combo that have grown apart over the years, but the impending birth of Abby’s child have spurned a re-connection between the two. After some of that good ol’ reminiscing, the pair head out for a fishing trip near Grant’s remote cabin, deep in the woods. One car crash en route to said trip makes everyone’s plans go completely tits up as Abby becomes trapped in the car, and as the weather gets worse and worse Grant has no choice but to leave Abby and head out for help. All of that aside, there’s also a surly wolf stalking about, because being pregnant and alone in the freezing cold didn’t suck hard enough for our heroine… Director Brandon Slagle (working from a script from writer Robert Thompson and a story by James Cullen Bressack) have presented a razor-sharp tale of desperation and

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Oct 26, 2022
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