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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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Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Bad Girls (2021)

Those eponymous Bad Girls, Val (Morgan Shaley Renew), Mitzi (Senethia Dresch), and Carolyn (Shelby Lois Guinn) by name, are (metaphorically) balls deep in one hell of an orgy of sex and violence as they rob and fuck their way on a roadtrip down Mexico way and sweet, sweet freedom. Along the way, our anti-heroines kidnap some rock stars, Bard Gainsworth (Cleveland Langdale) of Christmas Tits and Zerox Rhodesia (Micah Peroulis) of Poltergasm to be precise, which adds to the “sex” quotient mentioned up yonder, not to mention adding fistfuls of drugs (including theta from co-writer/director Christopher Bickel’s 2017 flick The Theta Girl)… so yeah, this turns into a complete psychotronic experience right fuckin’ quick! Will Val and the gals make it through this ballet of bullets (and the occasional knife), boobs, and bloodshed intact? Yeah, like I’d really tell you that… Because you cats n’ creeps dig on comparisons, let’s go with: Bad Girls is like the end result of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 20, 2021
Horror Fuel

Dive Into The True Story Inspired Aquatic Horror ‘Buoyancy’

From Dutch filmmaker, Roel Leijten is making his feature writing and directing debut with the true-story-inspired aquatic horror-thriller Buoyancy, starring “The Flash” actress Rebecca Finch. In the film, “when an overly ambitious student gets invited for a submarine journey by an eccentric entrepreneur, she comes to realize that deep-down inside people are not who they pretend to be.” Michael Wagner (“Rosamunde Pilcher”), Eline Havenaar and Portia Booroff also star. In 2018, Leijten wrote and directed the short film Never Mind about the MeToo-era, which was selected at several international festivals and premiered at the 32nd edition of the Braunschweig International Film Festival. Dive into Buoyancy when it arrives on VOD and Digital on March 2, 2021, from High Octane Pictures.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 19, 2021
Horror Fuel

RJLE & Shudder Will Introduce You To ‘Jakob’s Wife’ This April

RLJE Films and Shudder have acquired the rights to the horror film Jakob’s Wife ahead of its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. In the film, Anne is married to a small-town minister and feels like her life and marriage have been shrinking over the past 30 years. After a chance encounter with “The Master,” she discovers a new sense of power and an appetite to live bigger and bolder than before. As Anne is increasingly torn between her enticing new existence and her life before, the body count grows and Jakob realizes he will have to fight for the wife he took for granted. Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor) directs from the script he co-wrote with Mark Steensland (The Special) and Kathy Charles (Castle Freak). Jakob’s Wife stars Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, You’re Next), Larry Fessenden (Habit, Stake Land), Nyisha Bell (Coming 2 America), Mark Kelly (The Hot Zone), Sarah Lind (Wolfcop), Robert Rusler (A Nightmare

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 19, 2021
Horror Fuel

A Group Of Women Fight To Survive A Cult In The New ‘Sacrilege’ Trailer

Devilworks has set a March release date for Sacrilege, the pagan cult horror film from writer-director David Creed. The film follows a group of young women during celebrations for the Summer solstice, as they are offered up as a sacrifice to a mysterious pagan goddess, who has the ability to sense their greatest fears. Using this power against them, she turns their nightmares into a horrifying reality. The cast includes Tamaryn Payne (Stalled, Vendetta), Emily Wyatt (Mission of Honor, Rise of the foot soldier: The Heist), Naomi Willow (NSR: The Jade, Bonded by Blood 2), Emma Spurgin Hussey (The Curse of Hobbes House, A Werewolf in England), Rory Wilton (An English Haunting, Fisherman’s Friends), and Sian Abrahams (Listen, Complete Strangers). Mark Kenna produced for the British production company Bad Blood Films. Executive producers include both Creed and Kenna, alongside Robin Holder and Layan Nourouz. Sacrilege will be released on March 16, 2021, on DVD and premium TVOD, followed by its

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 18, 2021
Horror Fuel

Black Mandala Releases Trailer For Human Experiment Horror ‘Like Dogs’

Genre specialist sales outfit Black Mandala has acquired the survival horror movie Like Dogs with a release date being announced soon. Written and directed by Randy Van Dyke (Non-Stop to Comic-Con, Dark Crusaders: Into the Storm), Like Dogs follows a group of young scientists who lose control in the quest to experiment with human behavior. Mengele’s spirit haunts this story in which a horrible crime is taken to disturbing heights. The cast for this disturbing film includes Annabel Barrett, Ignacyo Matynia, Ryan Tran, Shay Denison, Katy Dore, Nicole Bleacher, Clay Coleman-Davis, Alan Maxson, Chris Calabrese, and Dustin Miller. Amos Burns and Kelly Faltis serve as producers with John Frank Rosenblum, Rachel Van Dyke, Randy Van Dyke, and Cindi Rice executive producing.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 18, 2021
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Random Acts Of Violence (2021)

The Shudder Original Random Acts of Violence, from director Jay Baruchel, has just been unleashed on Blu-ray and DVD by RLJE. Jessie Willams stars as Todd, a comic book creator whose ‘Slasherman’ comics center on a serial killer, who is actually real in the movie, known as the “1-90 Killer.” As Todd continues his road trip with his girlfriend (Jordana Brewster), business partner (Jay Baruchel), and their assistant (Niamh Wilson), murders begin popping up that mimic scenes from his comic. This comic book movie about a comic based on real events that is actually based on a real comic book of the same name by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Random Acts of Violence combines the violence and gore horror fans love with an interesting story about trauma, relationships, and a unique way of looking at life. As for the cast, Jessie Williams played his complex character well, but that’s no surprise, The Cabin in the Woods and “Grey’s Anatomy”

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

This February, A Winter Getaway Turns Into A ‘Death Trip’ For A Group Of Friends

A group of friends finds themselves in serious danger this February in the brutal film Death Trip (review). “Four friends take a cottage trip in the dead of winter. During their stay, they discover dark details about the neighboring cottagers. After one of the friends is found mutilated, the group worries they’re being targeted by angry locals.” Kelly Kay, Tatyana Olal, Garrett Johnson, Melina Trimarchi, Zoe Slobodzian, Bruce Watts, and Brad MacDonald star. Directed by James Watts, who co-wrote the film with Kelly Watts, Death Trip will be available February 16, 2021, On Digital from Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Psycho Goreman (2020)

Everyone has been flappin’ their lascivious lips about what a great dive into the ol’ (decidedly comedic) horror biz Psycho Goreman is, so I had to set my eerie eyeballs upon it and give it the once over as only yours cruelly can… for better or for worse, your mileage may vary! After assing around in the backyard, siblings Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre) unearth a strange jewel that is, in fact, a control module for an intergalactic murder machine (also buried in the backyard). That’s when the ultimate evil in the galaxy, newly christened Psycho Goreman (Matthew Ninaber with vocal duties provided by Steven Vlahos), falls under the control of a bossy weirdo girl from the ‘burbs. What follows is a wicked whirlwind of insanely over-the-top violent mayhem as ‘ol PG has to deal with both the children that are making his life a living hell, as well as every intergalactic shit-kicker that beams down to terra

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Ultra Controversial Film ’29 Needles’ Available For Pre-Order From Unearthed Films

Unearthed Films has announced the latest addition to its “Too Extreme for Mainstream Line” (TEFM) collection, 29 Needles, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD pre-order, but only 30 copies are available at this time. Exploring such topics as sadism, masochism, and one man’s ready descent into his personal hell, 29 Needles has all of the brutal nastiness you’d expect from a TEFM title, with subversive and beautiful, yet truly disturbing scenes. In the film, Francis (Brooke Berry) uses pain to hold back his inner demons, but when this no longer works, his obsessions for pain and sex lead him into new territory. Scott Philip Goergens, director, gallery owner, and artist had this to say, “My work is meant to challenge. To push the boundaries of what is conventionally comfortable and “normal”. 29 NEEDLES is meant to highlight aspects of the human condition in ways that evoke tones of anxiety, perversion, fear, and the things we do in our

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 14, 2021
Horror Fuel

Cassie Scerbo And Tony Todd Star In The Horror Thriller ‘Agoraphobia’

Following a lengthy legal battle, the long-awaited indie horror film Agoraphobia has finally been released. From writer-director Lou Simón (interview) and starring Cassie Scerbo from Sharknado and horror legend Tony Todd (Candyman), Agoraphobia tells the story of an agoraphobic who inherits her father’s house in a remote part of the Florida Keys. Afraid to go outside, she discovers that there’s something far more terrifying trapped inside the house with her. Cassandra Scerbo plays the role of the agoraphobic, Faye, and Tony Todd plays her psychiatrist, Doctor Murphy. The cast also includes Adam Brudnicki (Tom), Maria Olsen (Aunt Margie), Aniela McGuinness (Stephanie), Roberto Escobar (Detective Martinez), Gema Calero (Nina), and Julie Kendall (Elizabeth). Tara Cardinal produces the film with cinematography by Stephen Brevig. After being selected to screen and winning several awards at film festivals worldwide, Agoraphobia was picked up for distribution in various territories, including North America. However, when the film was inadvertently released without permission, the independent film company

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 13, 2021

More from Indie

Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Bad Girls (2021)

Those eponymous Bad Girls, Val (Morgan Shaley Renew), Mitzi (Senethia Dresch), and Carolyn (Shelby Lois Guinn) by name, are (metaphorically) balls deep in one hell of an orgy of sex and violence as they rob and fuck their way on a roadtrip down Mexico way and sweet, sweet freedom. Along the way, our anti-heroines kidnap some rock stars, Bard Gainsworth (Cleveland Langdale) of Christmas Tits and Zerox Rhodesia (Micah Peroulis) of Poltergasm to be precise, which adds to the “sex” quotient mentioned up yonder, not to mention adding fistfuls of drugs (including theta from co-writer/director Christopher Bickel’s 2017 flick The Theta Girl)… so yeah, this turns into a complete psychotronic experience right fuckin’ quick! Will Val and the gals make it through this ballet of bullets (and the occasional knife), boobs, and bloodshed intact? Yeah, like I’d really tell you that… Because you cats n’ creeps dig on comparisons, let’s go with: Bad Girls is like the end result of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 20, 2021
Horror Fuel

Dive Into The True Story Inspired Aquatic Horror ‘Buoyancy’

From Dutch filmmaker, Roel Leijten is making his feature writing and directing debut with the true-story-inspired aquatic horror-thriller Buoyancy, starring “The Flash” actress Rebecca Finch. In the film, “when an overly ambitious student gets invited for a submarine journey by an eccentric entrepreneur, she comes to realize that deep-down inside people are not who they pretend to be.” Michael Wagner (“Rosamunde Pilcher”), Eline Havenaar and Portia Booroff also star. In 2018, Leijten wrote and directed the short film Never Mind about the MeToo-era, which was selected at several international festivals and premiered at the 32nd edition of the Braunschweig International Film Festival. Dive into Buoyancy when it arrives on VOD and Digital on March 2, 2021, from High Octane Pictures.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 19, 2021
Horror Fuel

RJLE & Shudder Will Introduce You To ‘Jakob’s Wife’ This April

RLJE Films and Shudder have acquired the rights to the horror film Jakob’s Wife ahead of its world premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival. In the film, Anne is married to a small-town minister and feels like her life and marriage have been shrinking over the past 30 years. After a chance encounter with “The Master,” she discovers a new sense of power and an appetite to live bigger and bolder than before. As Anne is increasingly torn between her enticing new existence and her life before, the body count grows and Jakob realizes he will have to fight for the wife he took for granted. Travis Stevens (Girl on the Third Floor) directs from the script he co-wrote with Mark Steensland (The Special) and Kathy Charles (Castle Freak). Jakob’s Wife stars Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, You’re Next), Larry Fessenden (Habit, Stake Land), Nyisha Bell (Coming 2 America), Mark Kelly (The Hot Zone), Sarah Lind (Wolfcop), Robert Rusler (A Nightmare

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 19, 2021
Horror Fuel

A Group Of Women Fight To Survive A Cult In The New ‘Sacrilege’ Trailer

Devilworks has set a March release date for Sacrilege, the pagan cult horror film from writer-director David Creed. The film follows a group of young women during celebrations for the Summer solstice, as they are offered up as a sacrifice to a mysterious pagan goddess, who has the ability to sense their greatest fears. Using this power against them, she turns their nightmares into a horrifying reality. The cast includes Tamaryn Payne (Stalled, Vendetta), Emily Wyatt (Mission of Honor, Rise of the foot soldier: The Heist), Naomi Willow (NSR: The Jade, Bonded by Blood 2), Emma Spurgin Hussey (The Curse of Hobbes House, A Werewolf in England), Rory Wilton (An English Haunting, Fisherman’s Friends), and Sian Abrahams (Listen, Complete Strangers). Mark Kenna produced for the British production company Bad Blood Films. Executive producers include both Creed and Kenna, alongside Robin Holder and Layan Nourouz. Sacrilege will be released on March 16, 2021, on DVD and premium TVOD, followed by its

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 18, 2021
Horror Fuel

Black Mandala Releases Trailer For Human Experiment Horror ‘Like Dogs’

Genre specialist sales outfit Black Mandala has acquired the survival horror movie Like Dogs with a release date being announced soon. Written and directed by Randy Van Dyke (Non-Stop to Comic-Con, Dark Crusaders: Into the Storm), Like Dogs follows a group of young scientists who lose control in the quest to experiment with human behavior. Mengele’s spirit haunts this story in which a horrible crime is taken to disturbing heights. The cast for this disturbing film includes Annabel Barrett, Ignacyo Matynia, Ryan Tran, Shay Denison, Katy Dore, Nicole Bleacher, Clay Coleman-Davis, Alan Maxson, Chris Calabrese, and Dustin Miller. Amos Burns and Kelly Faltis serve as producers with John Frank Rosenblum, Rachel Van Dyke, Randy Van Dyke, and Cindi Rice executive producing.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 18, 2021
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Random Acts Of Violence (2021)

The Shudder Original Random Acts of Violence, from director Jay Baruchel, has just been unleashed on Blu-ray and DVD by RLJE. Jessie Willams stars as Todd, a comic book creator whose ‘Slasherman’ comics center on a serial killer, who is actually real in the movie, known as the “1-90 Killer.” As Todd continues his road trip with his girlfriend (Jordana Brewster), business partner (Jay Baruchel), and their assistant (Niamh Wilson), murders begin popping up that mimic scenes from his comic. This comic book movie about a comic based on real events that is actually based on a real comic book of the same name by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Random Acts of Violence combines the violence and gore horror fans love with an interesting story about trauma, relationships, and a unique way of looking at life. As for the cast, Jessie Williams played his complex character well, but that’s no surprise, The Cabin in the Woods and “Grey’s Anatomy”

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

This February, A Winter Getaway Turns Into A ‘Death Trip’ For A Group Of Friends

A group of friends finds themselves in serious danger this February in the brutal film Death Trip (review). “Four friends take a cottage trip in the dead of winter. During their stay, they discover dark details about the neighboring cottagers. After one of the friends is found mutilated, the group worries they’re being targeted by angry locals.” Kelly Kay, Tatyana Olal, Garrett Johnson, Melina Trimarchi, Zoe Slobodzian, Bruce Watts, and Brad MacDonald star. Directed by James Watts, who co-wrote the film with Kelly Watts, Death Trip will be available February 16, 2021, On Digital from Gravitas Ventures and Kamikaze Dogfight.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 16, 2021
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Psycho Goreman (2020)

Everyone has been flappin’ their lascivious lips about what a great dive into the ol’ (decidedly comedic) horror biz Psycho Goreman is, so I had to set my eerie eyeballs upon it and give it the once over as only yours cruelly can… for better or for worse, your mileage may vary! After assing around in the backyard, siblings Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre) unearth a strange jewel that is, in fact, a control module for an intergalactic murder machine (also buried in the backyard). That’s when the ultimate evil in the galaxy, newly christened Psycho Goreman (Matthew Ninaber with vocal duties provided by Steven Vlahos), falls under the control of a bossy weirdo girl from the ‘burbs. What follows is a wicked whirlwind of insanely over-the-top violent mayhem as ‘ol PG has to deal with both the children that are making his life a living hell, as well as every intergalactic shit-kicker that beams down to terra

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Ultra Controversial Film ’29 Needles’ Available For Pre-Order From Unearthed Films

Unearthed Films has announced the latest addition to its “Too Extreme for Mainstream Line” (TEFM) collection, 29 Needles, which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD pre-order, but only 30 copies are available at this time. Exploring such topics as sadism, masochism, and one man’s ready descent into his personal hell, 29 Needles has all of the brutal nastiness you’d expect from a TEFM title, with subversive and beautiful, yet truly disturbing scenes. In the film, Francis (Brooke Berry) uses pain to hold back his inner demons, but when this no longer works, his obsessions for pain and sex lead him into new territory. Scott Philip Goergens, director, gallery owner, and artist had this to say, “My work is meant to challenge. To push the boundaries of what is conventionally comfortable and “normal”. 29 NEEDLES is meant to highlight aspects of the human condition in ways that evoke tones of anxiety, perversion, fear, and the things we do in our

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 14, 2021
Horror Fuel

Cassie Scerbo And Tony Todd Star In The Horror Thriller ‘Agoraphobia’

Following a lengthy legal battle, the long-awaited indie horror film Agoraphobia has finally been released. From writer-director Lou Simón (interview) and starring Cassie Scerbo from Sharknado and horror legend Tony Todd (Candyman), Agoraphobia tells the story of an agoraphobic who inherits her father’s house in a remote part of the Florida Keys. Afraid to go outside, she discovers that there’s something far more terrifying trapped inside the house with her. Cassandra Scerbo plays the role of the agoraphobic, Faye, and Tony Todd plays her psychiatrist, Doctor Murphy. The cast also includes Adam Brudnicki (Tom), Maria Olsen (Aunt Margie), Aniela McGuinness (Stephanie), Roberto Escobar (Detective Martinez), Gema Calero (Nina), and Julie Kendall (Elizabeth). Tara Cardinal produces the film with cinematography by Stephen Brevig. After being selected to screen and winning several awards at film festivals worldwide, Agoraphobia was picked up for distribution in various territories, including North America. However, when the film was inadvertently released without permission, the independent film company

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 13, 2021
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