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True-crime and horror documentaries — real cases, real crimes, and the films that retell them.

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Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Tales of the Uncanny (2020)

Director David Gregory (Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau) sets his sinister sights on the wicked world of arcane anthologies with his latest documentary effort; Tales of the Uncanny, which comes to us on Blu-ray courtesy of those crafty lil’ minxes o’er at Severin! Gregory, along with author and founder of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Kier-La Janisse, take a chronological journey through the putrid plethora of anthology-style fright flicks that have tickled the fiendish fancy of horror hounds world fuckin’ wide… from the silent era, to the truly suburb Amicus flicks of the shockin’ seventies (and the pictures created by Milton Subotsky after the legendary studio folded), to television (The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, et al.), to Creepshow and it’s descendants… all is paid heed (though some all too briefly, such as one of yours cruelly’s fav anthology films; Joseph

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 27, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Boris Karloff Documentary Explores “The Man Behind The Monster”

A new documentary is in the works that centers on legendary genre actor Boris Karloff, who played roles such as Frankenstein and appeared in films such as The Mummy along with 203 other films and series, Variety reports. Titled Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster, the documentary is currently in production by the writing and producing team of Ron MacCloskey and Thomas Hamilton with Hamilton in the director’s chair. The film delves into the film career of Karloff that spanned sixty years and his legacy as one of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry which is explored in the 2010 biography “Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster,” written by Karloff’s official biographer Stephen Jacobs who serves as the historical consultant for the documentary. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster, is 23 years in the making. MacCloskey and his team have spent over two decades working on the massive film that features 50 interviews with filmmakers and stars

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Review: “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” Is Not For The Faint Of Heart

The tragic and terrifying events that occurred at the two-story house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York have long been the subject of true crime fans and paranormal studies. There have been many investigations of the rumored haunting as well as many documentaries, so what makes “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” special? A lot. Discovery+’s “Shock Docs” series sets out to delve into the history of the most haunted house in America in their new special. It takes viewers back in time to November 13, 1974, at 3:15 am, when 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. brutally slaughtered his family in the middle of the night with a .35 Marlin rifle. He took aim and put a bullet into each of them as they slept. He then got dressed and went to work as nothing had happened then went to a bar pleading for help screaming that an intruder had wiped out his entire family. But it didn’t

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Programming Highlights: Discovery+ February 1st- 14th

There’s a whole lot to love about the discovery+ programming this February which includes new series premieres such as “Nostradamus: End of Days, the new Docu-Special “Shock Docs – The Exorcism of Ronald Doe” which delves into the terrifyingly true real-life story that inspired The Exorcist, and so much more! We’ve got the programming highlights for February 1st through the 14th to make sure you don’t miss a thing. discovery+ EXCLUSIVE PREMIERES NOSTRADAMUS: END OF DAYS NEW SERIES – Begins Streaming Monday, February 1 on discovery+ This all-new eight-episode series reveals exactly how the world will end, and who will be behind it, as predicted by history’s greatest prophet, Nostradamus. Combining the infamous seer’s ancient words with paintings from a mysterious lost book bearing his name, the series decodes new prophecies and causes of the world’s demise. Nostradamus saw the impending apocalypse 500 years ago, and now it’s up to experts to reveal the terrifying truth his visions can prepare

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 22, 2021
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Horror Fuel

Netflix Review: “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer”

Three decades after the story began, Netflix has now unleashed their new limited docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer” which delves into the investigation of the crimes committed by Richard Rameriez, the serial killer known as the “Night Stalker.” Director Tiller Russell takes us back into the 1980s world of the prolific killer and through his crimes without glamorizing Ramirez in any way or doing a disservice to the survivors or the relatives of Rameriz’s victims. He lays out the timelines for both the murders and assaults in a straight forward way while introducing us to the mindset of the investigators Gil Carrillo and the legendary investigator Frank Salerno in their own frank and sometimes brutally honest words. The fact that we hear so much testimony from so many involved with the case, including survivors and detectives, elevates its status above many other documentaries. The series gives true crime fans a ton of detail and information about

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

New Netflix Docuseries Explores The Mysterious Death Of Elisa Lam

Things don’t get much stranger than the unsolved death of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam who was found dead at the Cecil Hotel in L.A. back in 2013. The new Netflix docuseries “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” will delve into the mystery. Directed and executive produced by Joe Berlinger, who was also behind Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the series attempts to deconstruct the night the 21-year-old Canadian tourist died. And features interviews with investigators, hotel employees, and other guests. “As a true crime documentarian, I was fascinated in 2013 when the elevator video of Elisa Lam went viral and legions of amateur detectives used the internet to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her,” Barlinger said. “So, when journalist Josh Dean, who is also a producer on the project, brought us his research into this case, we realized there was as an opportunity to do something different by not just telling the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Film Documentary ‘Horror Noir’ Is Coming To Blu-Ray!

RLJE has snagged the rights to Shudder’s Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror and will be releasing it on Blu-ray and DVD next month. Based on the acclaimed book of the same name by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, Horror Noire takes a critical look at a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and embraced both black filmmakers and black audiences. The film also explores how black voices in front of and behind the camera, shaped and impacted the genre. Horror Noire features interviews with critically acclaimed filmmakers, and stars in the genre, including directors William Crain (Blacula), Ernest Dickerson (Bones), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned); actors Tony Todd (Candyman), Keith David (The Thing), Paula Jai Parker (Tales from the Hood), Â Richard Lawson (Scream Blacula Scream), Rachel True (The Craft); and authors Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep), and Dr. Robin R. Means

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Series “UFO Witness” Lands This Month On discovery+

For more than 70 years, the U.S. government has been documenting sightings and cases of unidentified flying objects. In cooperation with former Project Blue Book investigator Jennie Zeidman, a former federal agent and paranormal investigator, Ben Hansen reopens case files of some of the most astounding UFO encounters in history, files that have been hidden from the public for decades. In the new series, “UFO Witness.” Zeidman was the last surviving member of the Air Force’s top-secret UFO investigation called Project Blue Book, which looked into sightings from 1952 through 1970. She has broken her silence, speaking publicly for the first time about her decades of research – motivated to share her expertise because she believes we’ve been visited by UFOs before – and fears Earth is under extraterrestrial surveillance. Sadly, Zeidman passed away in April 2020, but she has given discovery+ exclusive access to the files from the chief scientific consultant of Project Blue Book, Dr. Allen J. Hynek,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 12, 2021
Horror Fuel

Filmmaking Documentary ‘Clapboard Jungle’ Coming This January

This January, journey inside the world of filmmaking with Justin McConnell‘s documentary Clapboard Jungle which gives viewers a rarely seen glimpse into what it really takes to get movies made. The documentary is described as “An emotional and introspective journey following five years in the life and career of an independent filmmaker, supported by dozens of interviews, posing one question: how does an indie filmmaker survive in the current film business?” The in depth documentary features interviews with Guillermo Del Toro, Richard Stanley, Barbara Crampton, Paul Schrader, Tom Savini, George A. Romero, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Michael Biehn, Frank Henenlotter, and many more.” The acclaimed documentary, sitting at 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, has been featured as an Official Selection of Fantasia, Sitges, Frightfest (Winner Best Documentary), Night Visions, IFI Horrorthon, South African Horrorfest (Winner Best Documentary), CUFF. Docs, Terror-Fi New Zealand, Buffalo Dreams (Winner Best Documentary), Fantaspoa (2021), and Canadian Film Fest. Clapboard Jungle, which explores the challenges and rewards

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 11, 2021
Horror Fuel

Your January Paranormal Guide To The Travel Channel And Discovery+

PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY 4 – 17 Beginning January 4, Experience Your Favorite Travel Channel Shows Along With All-New Exclusive Premieres on the New discovery+ Streaming Service! discovery+ EXCLUSIVE PREMIERES GHOST ADVENTURES: CECIL HOTEL TWO-HOUR SPECIAL: Begins Streaming Monday, January 4 on discovery+ Stationed along downtown Los Angeles’ Main Street stands the now-infamous Cecil Hotel with a checkered past, beset by multiple suicides, murders, devil-worshipping, and serial killers like the “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez. Riddled with stories of paranormal activity, the historic building is the epitome of creepy – an inspiration for books, films, and even a season of the “American Horror Story” series. Now, for the first time ever, the Cecil Hotel is allowing cameras inside for an investigation of ghostly proportions in the two-hour special, GHOST ADVENTURES: CECIL HOTEL launching exclusively on discovery+. The GHOST ADVENTURES team – Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, and Billy Tolley – begin their investigation retracing the steps of one of the most

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 30, 2020

More from Documentaries

Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Tales of the Uncanny (2020)

Director David Gregory (Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau) sets his sinister sights on the wicked world of arcane anthologies with his latest documentary effort; Tales of the Uncanny, which comes to us on Blu-ray courtesy of those crafty lil’ minxes o’er at Severin! Gregory, along with author and founder of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies Kier-La Janisse, take a chronological journey through the putrid plethora of anthology-style fright flicks that have tickled the fiendish fancy of horror hounds world fuckin’ wide… from the silent era, to the truly suburb Amicus flicks of the shockin’ seventies (and the pictures created by Milton Subotsky after the legendary studio folded), to television (The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, et al.), to Creepshow and it’s descendants… all is paid heed (though some all too briefly, such as one of yours cruelly’s fav anthology films; Joseph

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 27, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Boris Karloff Documentary Explores “The Man Behind The Monster”

A new documentary is in the works that centers on legendary genre actor Boris Karloff, who played roles such as Frankenstein and appeared in films such as The Mummy along with 203 other films and series, Variety reports. Titled Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster, the documentary is currently in production by the writing and producing team of Ron MacCloskey and Thomas Hamilton with Hamilton in the director’s chair. The film delves into the film career of Karloff that spanned sixty years and his legacy as one of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry which is explored in the 2010 biography “Boris Karloff: More Than A Monster,” written by Karloff’s official biographer Stephen Jacobs who serves as the historical consultant for the documentary. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster, is 23 years in the making. MacCloskey and his team have spent over two decades working on the massive film that features 50 interviews with filmmakers and stars

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Review: “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” Is Not For The Faint Of Heart

The tragic and terrifying events that occurred at the two-story house located at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York have long been the subject of true crime fans and paranormal studies. There have been many investigations of the rumored haunting as well as many documentaries, so what makes “Shock Docs: Amityville Horror House” special? A lot. Discovery+’s “Shock Docs” series sets out to delve into the history of the most haunted house in America in their new special. It takes viewers back in time to November 13, 1974, at 3:15 am, when 23-year-old Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. brutally slaughtered his family in the middle of the night with a .35 Marlin rifle. He took aim and put a bullet into each of them as they slept. He then got dressed and went to work as nothing had happened then went to a bar pleading for help screaming that an intruder had wiped out his entire family. But it didn’t

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 24, 2021
Horror Fuel

Programming Highlights: Discovery+ February 1st- 14th

There’s a whole lot to love about the discovery+ programming this February which includes new series premieres such as “Nostradamus: End of Days, the new Docu-Special “Shock Docs – The Exorcism of Ronald Doe” which delves into the terrifyingly true real-life story that inspired The Exorcist, and so much more! We’ve got the programming highlights for February 1st through the 14th to make sure you don’t miss a thing. discovery+ EXCLUSIVE PREMIERES NOSTRADAMUS: END OF DAYS NEW SERIES – Begins Streaming Monday, February 1 on discovery+ This all-new eight-episode series reveals exactly how the world will end, and who will be behind it, as predicted by history’s greatest prophet, Nostradamus. Combining the infamous seer’s ancient words with paintings from a mysterious lost book bearing his name, the series decodes new prophecies and causes of the world’s demise. Nostradamus saw the impending apocalypse 500 years ago, and now it’s up to experts to reveal the terrifying truth his visions can prepare

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 22, 2021
Horror Fuel

Netflix Review: “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer”

Three decades after the story began, Netflix has now unleashed their new limited docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer” which delves into the investigation of the crimes committed by Richard Rameriez, the serial killer known as the “Night Stalker.” Director Tiller Russell takes us back into the 1980s world of the prolific killer and through his crimes without glamorizing Ramirez in any way or doing a disservice to the survivors or the relatives of Rameriz’s victims. He lays out the timelines for both the murders and assaults in a straight forward way while introducing us to the mindset of the investigators Gil Carrillo and the legendary investigator Frank Salerno in their own frank and sometimes brutally honest words. The fact that we hear so much testimony from so many involved with the case, including survivors and detectives, elevates its status above many other documentaries. The series gives true crime fans a ton of detail and information about

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

New Netflix Docuseries Explores The Mysterious Death Of Elisa Lam

Things don’t get much stranger than the unsolved death of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam who was found dead at the Cecil Hotel in L.A. back in 2013. The new Netflix docuseries “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” will delve into the mystery. Directed and executive produced by Joe Berlinger, who was also behind Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the series attempts to deconstruct the night the 21-year-old Canadian tourist died. And features interviews with investigators, hotel employees, and other guests. “As a true crime documentarian, I was fascinated in 2013 when the elevator video of Elisa Lam went viral and legions of amateur detectives used the internet to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her,” Barlinger said. “So, when journalist Josh Dean, who is also a producer on the project, brought us his research into this case, we realized there was as an opportunity to do something different by not just telling the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

Film Documentary ‘Horror Noir’ Is Coming To Blu-Ray!

RLJE has snagged the rights to Shudder’s Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror and will be releasing it on Blu-ray and DVD next month. Based on the acclaimed book of the same name by Dr. Robin R. Means Coleman, Horror Noire takes a critical look at a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined, and embraced both black filmmakers and black audiences. The film also explores how black voices in front of and behind the camera, shaped and impacted the genre. Horror Noire features interviews with critically acclaimed filmmakers, and stars in the genre, including directors William Crain (Blacula), Ernest Dickerson (Bones), Rusty Cundieff (Tales from the Hood), Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us), Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned); actors Tony Todd (Candyman), Keith David (The Thing), Paula Jai Parker (Tales from the Hood), Â Richard Lawson (Scream Blacula Scream), Rachel True (The Craft); and authors Tananarive Due (My Soul to Keep), and Dr. Robin R. Means

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 15, 2021
Horror Fuel

New Series “UFO Witness” Lands This Month On discovery+

For more than 70 years, the U.S. government has been documenting sightings and cases of unidentified flying objects. In cooperation with former Project Blue Book investigator Jennie Zeidman, a former federal agent and paranormal investigator, Ben Hansen reopens case files of some of the most astounding UFO encounters in history, files that have been hidden from the public for decades. In the new series, “UFO Witness.” Zeidman was the last surviving member of the Air Force’s top-secret UFO investigation called Project Blue Book, which looked into sightings from 1952 through 1970. She has broken her silence, speaking publicly for the first time about her decades of research – motivated to share her expertise because she believes we’ve been visited by UFOs before – and fears Earth is under extraterrestrial surveillance. Sadly, Zeidman passed away in April 2020, but she has given discovery+ exclusive access to the files from the chief scientific consultant of Project Blue Book, Dr. Allen J. Hynek,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 12, 2021
Horror Fuel

Filmmaking Documentary ‘Clapboard Jungle’ Coming This January

This January, journey inside the world of filmmaking with Justin McConnell‘s documentary Clapboard Jungle which gives viewers a rarely seen glimpse into what it really takes to get movies made. The documentary is described as “An emotional and introspective journey following five years in the life and career of an independent filmmaker, supported by dozens of interviews, posing one question: how does an indie filmmaker survive in the current film business?” The in depth documentary features interviews with Guillermo Del Toro, Richard Stanley, Barbara Crampton, Paul Schrader, Tom Savini, George A. Romero, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Michael Biehn, Frank Henenlotter, and many more.” The acclaimed documentary, sitting at 96% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, has been featured as an Official Selection of Fantasia, Sitges, Frightfest (Winner Best Documentary), Night Visions, IFI Horrorthon, South African Horrorfest (Winner Best Documentary), CUFF. Docs, Terror-Fi New Zealand, Buffalo Dreams (Winner Best Documentary), Fantaspoa (2021), and Canadian Film Fest. Clapboard Jungle, which explores the challenges and rewards

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jan 11, 2021
Horror Fuel

Your January Paranormal Guide To The Travel Channel And Discovery+

PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY 4 – 17 Beginning January 4, Experience Your Favorite Travel Channel Shows Along With All-New Exclusive Premieres on the New discovery+ Streaming Service! discovery+ EXCLUSIVE PREMIERES GHOST ADVENTURES: CECIL HOTEL TWO-HOUR SPECIAL: Begins Streaming Monday, January 4 on discovery+ Stationed along downtown Los Angeles’ Main Street stands the now-infamous Cecil Hotel with a checkered past, beset by multiple suicides, murders, devil-worshipping, and serial killers like the “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez. Riddled with stories of paranormal activity, the historic building is the epitome of creepy – an inspiration for books, films, and even a season of the “American Horror Story” series. Now, for the first time ever, the Cecil Hotel is allowing cameras inside for an investigation of ghostly proportions in the two-hour special, GHOST ADVENTURES: CECIL HOTEL launching exclusively on discovery+. The GHOST ADVENTURES team – Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, and Billy Tolley – begin their investigation retracing the steps of one of the most

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Dec 30, 2020
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