CategoryIndie
Independent horror: micro-budget features, short films and first-time filmmakers doing more with less — and often doing it better.
2,257 stories
IndieMoviesReviews
Coven of the Black Cube is about a coven of witches helping unsatisfied wives to murder their husbands… but that doesn’t stop the narrative to stream of consciousness itself into tales of falling in love with a serial killer and the creation of a video rental joint. It’s that kind of scatter-shot unconventional storytelling that makes ol’ Coven of the Black Cube such a uniquely psychotronic viewing experience. Created in our beloved shot on video (S.O.V.) format, the proceedings possess a gritty, almost documentary feel… which makes the entire affair delightfully surreal as we dive head first into a lived-in world that plays host to a large number of occult rites, sex, and bloodshed… but there’s more here than just exploitation thrills n’ spills… Standing front and center here is a queer romance that neither seems forced into the narrative nor is it fodder for titillation (though those elements are present)… it’s handled with heart and is a refreshing change
Continue reading →
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Our pal Sean (Darren McAree) has a lot on his plate… he’s a recovering alcoholic who’s abusive mother has just kicked the bucket… though on that last one our hero isn’t quite sure. To that end he signs up for a service that sticks a camera in a loved one’s coffin so family members can grieve longer… usually for a period of four weeks… but Sean is desperate for a longer look-see (by like eleven more months) so he throws money at the problem which ensures that will go down without a hitch. While initially quite gung-fucking-ho over spying on Mommy Deadest, Sean can’t bring himself to log in for the longest, but eventually a confrontational AA meeting gives him the courage to smash that button… and before long mum’s postmortem movement is becoming ever more obvious! Writer/Director John Williams (Creatures of the Night, Crispy’s Curse) delivers a rather skin-crawling premise with Watch Me Sleep… watching a family member decay
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Kasper Meltedhair’s Busted Babies is going to be a real bitch and a half to try and explain to you cats n’ creeps, but here fuckin’ goes… “______” (Kasper Meltedhair), is a strange lady possessing horns, polka dot skin, and strap-on bat wings. Our heroine can also turn babies to glass… which is of interest to a dancing gaggle of suited dudes that gain immortality when showered in the broken glass babies… Things get stranger as our non-linear, fever-dream narrative takes us through a world of bizarre folks (creatures?) that inhabit a world of odd punk rock shows, bizarre parties, and absolute brazen insanity. They way this psychotronic whirlwind is presented is as imaginative as it is mind-shatteringly weird. Kasper Meltedhair goes all in on creating a world unto it’s own, filtered through a low-fi, S.O.V. style that at times come across like our favorite drive-in flicks of yore (complete with bands providing padding) mixed with animation, unique yet simple
Continue reading →
DocumentariesEventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsThriller
Montréal’s Fantasia International Film Festival serves up an eye-popping amount of genre-film features with its second wave announcement for its 30th edition, scheduled for July 16 through August 2, 2026. Following is the official press announcement. The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 30th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 16 through August 2, 2026, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings and events at Montréal’s Cinéma du Musée. The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July but in the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a select second wave of its 2026 titles. CAPE FEAR IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE IN CHILLING APPLE TV ADAPTATION In this reimagining of CAPE FEAR, a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Amy Adams, ARRIVAL, NIGHTBITCH) and Tom Bowden (Patrick Wilson, THE CONJURING, INSIDIOUS) when Max Cady (Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD
Continue reading →
GamingIndieNewsProductReviews
Back in the early 2000s, CSI was insanely popular, as seen with almost every major city in the U.S. being represented in its own series. There were games based on the show, and they were…interesting. But now, fans of forensic science can look forward to a goofy indie game I was given to try by K148 Game Studio and JanduSoft titled FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol. In FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol, you take on the role of a cop that’s part of the forensics team, and it’s your job to investigate the scene of suspected crimes to determine if a crime was committed or not. Now, onto the game itself! The controls for this game will take some time to get used to, as it’s quite… unique. Unfortunately, there’s no real tutorial telling you how to use the controls, or even how to properly use some of the equipment you’re using in the game. There is a training level, but that
Continue reading →
GamingIndieNewsParanormalProductReviews
What happens when Lovecraft meets Beksiński? You get Necrophosis: Full Consciousness. That alone should be exciting news. Unfortunately, the copy I got for the Xbox is, as the title says, an unplayable mess. I was only able to get to the second map in the game, where I’m softlocked by a puzzle. At the time of writing this, when I reported the game-crashing bug, I was told that it’s just me and that the game is fine. I call BS. I don’t know if it’s just for the Xbox that this bug happened, or if the other console ports of this game have this issue. I know the good ol’ adage of turning it off and on again is running through some of your minds, and I did just that. I did a hard restart of the game, and even restarted the main game’s story. The game break took a strange turn. Instead of restarting me at the start of
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsShort Films
Portland Horror Film Festival holds its 11th annual edition from June 3-7, 2026, at Portland, Oregon’s Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. The fest also offers a virtual version for those who wish to watch from the comfort of their homes. Either way, you’ll be treated to a top-notch selection of scare fare from around the world. Following is the official press announcement. The 11th annual Portland Horror Film Festival returns June 3-7, 2026, bringing five days of independent and international horror cinema to Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. This year’s festival will feature a special 45th Anniversary screening of My Bloody Valentine with director George Mihalka and Rue Morgue Executive Editor and “Faculty of Horror” co-host Andrea Subissati, and a live performance by Aurelio Voltaire, alongside a massive lineup of feature films, short films, premieres, and special events celebrating the best in contemporary horror filmmaking. Known as Portland’s premier festival dedicated to all genres of independent
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
Something preternatural is taking place within the wicked walls of The Englewood theater down Missouri way! Enter: Kyle Jennings (Todd Norris, who directed and co-wrote the picture along with C. Wayne Owens… who has a roll in the film as well), a paranormal investigator desperate to prove his scientific worth to the university he’s employed by. Kyle, along with his Department Head/believer in the supernatural, Cass Charbonneau (Lisa Winegar), head out to the eerie Englewood (located in his ol’ hometown no less), and finds the theater to be managed by his old high school gal pal, Lynne Meredith (Audrey Crabtree)… who is one of two employees of the establishment along with projectionist Johnnie (Gina Tarantino). The ghostly presence wastes no time, as shortly after our hero’s arrival a campy action/horror film called Z is for Zombie begins playing on it’s own and the doors to the outside world are locked tight by an outré force! To make matters worse, during
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Scientist Meredith Weaver (Anna Zizzo) catches her hubby Jim Matthews (David Rommel) having an affair so she does what anyone would do in that situation… she infects him with her latest experiment that results in severe, uncurbable mutation. Meredith’s problem soon becomes everyone’s dilemma as her douche of a husband gains the ability to send forth monstrous versions of his various and sundry body parts to do the ol’ murder biz on anyone they choose… and given Jim’s ever increasing desire to eat live meat, that body count is going to rise quickly! Tom Berna’s Colony Mutation is like an early Cronenberg flick minus the Canadian tax breaks… but lack of funds did nothing to reduce this feature’s imagination! David Rommel is fantastic as our sleazy, horny, main character, and he really sells both the character’s smarminess as well as his ramping psychosis… not to mention how he relishes in his body’s new found ability to fuck up everyone’s day
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
The Alaska Territory, 1947… it’s cold… real cold… it’s also up to it’s ass with an unreasonable amount of Yeti-committed murder. Among the possible victims of the beast’s absolutely ape-shit rampage are an adventurer, Hollis Bannister (William Sadler, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, The Shawshank Redemption, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight), and an oil magnate by the name of Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen, The Dentist and it’s sequel, the Major League franchise)… the son of which, Merriell Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen, 1883), assembles a rag-tag group of adventurers, including Bannister’s estranged daughter Ellie (Brittany Allen, The Boys), to bring ’em back alive… or get their ass handed to them by a crazed cryptid! Co-writers/Directors Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta really go for the gold with The Yeti cats n’ creeps! What could be a standard creature feature becomes anything but under their guidance as we are thrown into a pulp fantasy adventure starring a Doc Savage and his
Continue reading →
More from Indie
IndieMoviesReviews
Coven of the Black Cube is about a coven of witches helping unsatisfied wives to murder their husbands… but that doesn’t stop the narrative to stream of consciousness itself into tales of falling in love with a serial killer and the creation of a video rental joint. It’s that kind of scatter-shot unconventional storytelling that makes ol’ Coven of the Black Cube such a uniquely psychotronic viewing experience. Created in our beloved shot on video (S.O.V.) format, the proceedings possess a gritty, almost documentary feel… which makes the entire affair delightfully surreal as we dive head first into a lived-in world that plays host to a large number of occult rites, sex, and bloodshed… but there’s more here than just exploitation thrills n’ spills… Standing front and center here is a queer romance that neither seems forced into the narrative nor is it fodder for titillation (though those elements are present)… it’s handled with heart and is a refreshing change
Continue reading →
ForeignIndieMoviesReviews
Our pal Sean (Darren McAree) has a lot on his plate… he’s a recovering alcoholic who’s abusive mother has just kicked the bucket… though on that last one our hero isn’t quite sure. To that end he signs up for a service that sticks a camera in a loved one’s coffin so family members can grieve longer… usually for a period of four weeks… but Sean is desperate for a longer look-see (by like eleven more months) so he throws money at the problem which ensures that will go down without a hitch. While initially quite gung-fucking-ho over spying on Mommy Deadest, Sean can’t bring himself to log in for the longest, but eventually a confrontational AA meeting gives him the courage to smash that button… and before long mum’s postmortem movement is becoming ever more obvious! Writer/Director John Williams (Creatures of the Night, Crispy’s Curse) delivers a rather skin-crawling premise with Watch Me Sleep… watching a family member decay
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
Kasper Meltedhair’s Busted Babies is going to be a real bitch and a half to try and explain to you cats n’ creeps, but here fuckin’ goes… “______” (Kasper Meltedhair), is a strange lady possessing horns, polka dot skin, and strap-on bat wings. Our heroine can also turn babies to glass… which is of interest to a dancing gaggle of suited dudes that gain immortality when showered in the broken glass babies… Things get stranger as our non-linear, fever-dream narrative takes us through a world of bizarre folks (creatures?) that inhabit a world of odd punk rock shows, bizarre parties, and absolute brazen insanity. They way this psychotronic whirlwind is presented is as imaginative as it is mind-shatteringly weird. Kasper Meltedhair goes all in on creating a world unto it’s own, filtered through a low-fi, S.O.V. style that at times come across like our favorite drive-in flicks of yore (complete with bands providing padding) mixed with animation, unique yet simple
Continue reading →
DocumentariesEventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsThriller
Montréal’s Fantasia International Film Festival serves up an eye-popping amount of genre-film features with its second wave announcement for its 30th edition, scheduled for July 16 through August 2, 2026. Following is the official press announcement. The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 30th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 16 through August 2, 2026, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings and events at Montréal’s Cinéma du Musée. The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July but in the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a select second wave of its 2026 titles. CAPE FEAR IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE IN CHILLING APPLE TV ADAPTATION In this reimagining of CAPE FEAR, a storm is coming for happily married attorneys Anna (Amy Adams, ARRIVAL, NIGHTBITCH) and Tom Bowden (Patrick Wilson, THE CONJURING, INSIDIOUS) when Max Cady (Javier Bardem, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD
Continue reading →
GamingIndieNewsProductReviews
Back in the early 2000s, CSI was insanely popular, as seen with almost every major city in the U.S. being represented in its own series. There were games based on the show, and they were…interesting. But now, fans of forensic science can look forward to a goofy indie game I was given to try by K148 Game Studio and JanduSoft titled FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol. In FORENSIC – M.E. Protocol, you take on the role of a cop that’s part of the forensics team, and it’s your job to investigate the scene of suspected crimes to determine if a crime was committed or not. Now, onto the game itself! The controls for this game will take some time to get used to, as it’s quite… unique. Unfortunately, there’s no real tutorial telling you how to use the controls, or even how to properly use some of the equipment you’re using in the game. There is a training level, but that
Continue reading →
GamingIndieNewsParanormalProductReviews
What happens when Lovecraft meets Beksiński? You get Necrophosis: Full Consciousness. That alone should be exciting news. Unfortunately, the copy I got for the Xbox is, as the title says, an unplayable mess. I was only able to get to the second map in the game, where I’m softlocked by a puzzle. At the time of writing this, when I reported the game-crashing bug, I was told that it’s just me and that the game is fine. I call BS. I don’t know if it’s just for the Xbox that this bug happened, or if the other console ports of this game have this issue. I know the good ol’ adage of turning it off and on again is running through some of your minds, and I did just that. I did a hard restart of the game, and even restarted the main game’s story. The game break took a strange turn. Instead of restarting me at the start of
Continue reading →
EventsFilm FestivalsForeignIndieMoviesNewsShort Films
Portland Horror Film Festival holds its 11th annual edition from June 3-7, 2026, at Portland, Oregon’s Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. The fest also offers a virtual version for those who wish to watch from the comfort of their homes. Either way, you’ll be treated to a top-notch selection of scare fare from around the world. Following is the official press announcement. The 11th annual Portland Horror Film Festival returns June 3-7, 2026, bringing five days of independent and international horror cinema to Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre and Clinton Street Theater. This year’s festival will feature a special 45th Anniversary screening of My Bloody Valentine with director George Mihalka and Rue Morgue Executive Editor and “Faculty of Horror” co-host Andrea Subissati, and a live performance by Aurelio Voltaire, alongside a massive lineup of feature films, short films, premieres, and special events celebrating the best in contemporary horror filmmaking. Known as Portland’s premier festival dedicated to all genres of independent
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesParanormalReviews
Something preternatural is taking place within the wicked walls of The Englewood theater down Missouri way! Enter: Kyle Jennings (Todd Norris, who directed and co-wrote the picture along with C. Wayne Owens… who has a roll in the film as well), a paranormal investigator desperate to prove his scientific worth to the university he’s employed by. Kyle, along with his Department Head/believer in the supernatural, Cass Charbonneau (Lisa Winegar), head out to the eerie Englewood (located in his ol’ hometown no less), and finds the theater to be managed by his old high school gal pal, Lynne Meredith (Audrey Crabtree)… who is one of two employees of the establishment along with projectionist Johnnie (Gina Tarantino). The ghostly presence wastes no time, as shortly after our hero’s arrival a campy action/horror film called Z is for Zombie begins playing on it’s own and the doors to the outside world are locked tight by an outré force! To make matters worse, during
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviewsSci-Fi
Scientist Meredith Weaver (Anna Zizzo) catches her hubby Jim Matthews (David Rommel) having an affair so she does what anyone would do in that situation… she infects him with her latest experiment that results in severe, uncurbable mutation. Meredith’s problem soon becomes everyone’s dilemma as her douche of a husband gains the ability to send forth monstrous versions of his various and sundry body parts to do the ol’ murder biz on anyone they choose… and given Jim’s ever increasing desire to eat live meat, that body count is going to rise quickly! Tom Berna’s Colony Mutation is like an early Cronenberg flick minus the Canadian tax breaks… but lack of funds did nothing to reduce this feature’s imagination! David Rommel is fantastic as our sleazy, horny, main character, and he really sells both the character’s smarminess as well as his ramping psychosis… not to mention how he relishes in his body’s new found ability to fuck up everyone’s day
Continue reading →
IndieMoviesReviews
The Alaska Territory, 1947… it’s cold… real cold… it’s also up to it’s ass with an unreasonable amount of Yeti-committed murder. Among the possible victims of the beast’s absolutely ape-shit rampage are an adventurer, Hollis Bannister (William Sadler, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, The Shawshank Redemption, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight), and an oil magnate by the name of Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen, The Dentist and it’s sequel, the Major League franchise)… the son of which, Merriell Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen, 1883), assembles a rag-tag group of adventurers, including Bannister’s estranged daughter Ellie (Brittany Allen, The Boys), to bring ’em back alive… or get their ass handed to them by a crazed cryptid! Co-writers/Directors Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta really go for the gold with The Yeti cats n’ creeps! What could be a standard creature feature becomes anything but under their guidance as we are thrown into a pulp fantasy adventure starring a Doc Savage and his
Continue reading →
