Latest Articles
Book Review: The Light Reapers: End of the World
I have just had the chance to read the novel The Light Reapers: End of the World by Gary Hickman. Right off the bat, bluntly and honestly, I enjoyed this novel very much and I am grateful that Mr. Hickman sent it to me to read and review. The “Light Reapers” are an elite special ops group of soldiers who have a history of missions together that have bonded them over the years. They are deployed to rescue a scientist who may be able to find a cure for a viral pandemic caused by an ISIS faction which turns people into vicious, flesh eating hordes who who kill for any reason and in every grotesque way you can imagine. Story On the surface, the story of Light Reapers is not anything new. Zombies are a time honored horror tradition with a long, long list of media building their anthology of gnawing and feeding on flesh. For broad strokes purposes, this
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‘The Fanatic’ Gets A New DVD Release Date
John Travolta (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Pulp Fiction) stars in writer-director and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst‘s thriller The Fanatic. We’ve just learned that film has a new release date. In the film, Moose (Travolta), a celebrity-obsessed fan who feels slighted by his favorite movie star at an autograph convention. He quickly embarks on an unhinged quest to get a response, leading to a home invasion and a very long night that changes both men irreparably. Devon Sawa (Final Destination) and Ana Golja (Degrassi: Next Class) also star in The Fanatic, a tense and suspenseful thriller that boasts a commanding central performance from Travolta. Dazzler Media presents The Fanatic (review) on Digital June 8th, followed by its release on DVD on July 20th, 2020. You can pre-order your copy now.
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The ‘Coven’ Trailer Will Cast A Spell On You
The Craft meets Suspiria in the bewitching Coven, set to spellbind audiences on DVD and Digital this summer. In the film, five undergrad witches come together in order to perform a ritual to invoke the ancient powers of the witch Ashura. The leader of the coven gets carried away and accidentally kills one of the witches during the ritual. She needs the strength of a complete coven to invoke Ashura’s powers and sends them out to find a final witch. As she absorbs power the surviving girls plot to take her down but the possessed witch unleashes hell on campus with only one young witch left to stop her. Lizze Gordon, Jennifer Cipolla,, Margot Major, Adam Horner, and Terri Ivens star. Coven has now conjured a release date. It arrives on DVD and Digital July 14th from Uncork’d Entertainment.
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“Supernatural” Actor And Director Richard Speight Jr. Fills Us In On New Projects
Richard Speight Jr. has starred in many films and series including as Gabriel from the mega-hit series “Supernatural.” But that’s not all, he’s made quite the name for himself as a director, directing episodes of both “Supernatural,” “Lucifer,” and “Kings of Con.” Richard Speight Jr’s most recent role was in the soon to be released supernatural film Driven, written by Casey Dillard and directed by Glenn Payne, in which he plays a man on a mission to end his family’s curse and takedown the dark entities that the curse released. He’s not working alone, he’s teamed up with his driver Horror Fuel: “Forgive me if I have a “fangirl” moment. I’m a fan. I’m also a huge fan of Supernatural. What is it like to be part of something so big with such a huge fan base?” Richard Speight Jr.: “Well, you know, it’s interesting because my part and my involvement is seemingly pretty small if you look at the
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Blu-ray Review: The Wind (1986)
Super-horny famous novelist Sian Anderson (genre legend Meg Foster, she of Carpenter’s They Live, and Masters of the Universe to name but two) is ready to wing her way to Greece to finish her latest murder mystery novel. Once there she is shown her lodgings by pompous British windbag Elias Appleby (portrayed by a scene stealing Robert Morley), warned of the islands wind situation (spoiler: It ain’t great), and introduced to the villas deranged handyman Phil (portrayed by an equally scene stealing Wings Hauser). So, long story short; our heroine witnesses Phil possibly putting a murder on Appleby and soon she must not only deal with the forces of nature battering her left and right, but with ol’ Phil deciding to do a stalk n’ slay routine on her. Yeah, she’s not going to get much writing done… The Wind is a surprisingly fantastic entry in the rather over-crowded genre of ’80’s slasher flicks… and that has nothing to do
Continue reading →
New Images Surface From The Apocalyptic Thriller ‘2067’
Back in May Deadline shared the first look at sci-fi infection thriller 2067, set in a world plagued by disease after climate change has forced the adoption of artificial oxygen. Now, new images have surfaced, via Bloody-Disgusting, of writer-director Seth Larney’s (Tombiruo) English-language directorial debut. “With his wife sick and little hope for survival, Ethan (Smit-McPhee) is forced to travel to the future in search of a cure for the mysterious illness. Not knowing who to trust, he has to navigate a future filled with imminent danger and the possibility of never coming home.” The film was written by and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road, ParaNorman) and Ryan Kwanten’s (Dead Silence, “True Blood”). Aaron Glenane (“Snowpiercer”) stars as well along with Sana’a Shaik, Leeana Walsman, and Finn Little. 2067 is now headed to the virtual Cannes market.
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Portland Horror Film Festival Announces Its Terrific Virtual Edition Lineup
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a new trend of film festivals going virtual this year. Portland Horror Film Festival, the Pacific Northwest’s premiere horror genre film festival, is the latest fest to announce that it is offering a virtual version, and as a selection and awards judge on the fest’s film jury, I can tell Horror Fuel readers first-hand that the quality of fright fare selected for this outing is high, indeed. Best of all, you can partake of the terror from anywhere in the United States! Horror fans can dig into a selection of more than 60 short and feature films during the 6-night event, beginning June 10th with the first shorts block and a preview of the festival’s upcoming features. The terror continues June 17–21 with more shorts and feature films from around the world. Following is the official press release from Portland Horror Film Festival: In the midst of this pandemic, some businesses are finally starting
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‘The Color Out Of Space’ & ‘The Shed’ Coming To Shudder
Shudder announced today that it has acquired exclusive U.S. streaming rights for Richard Stanley’s (interview) Color Out of Space starring Nicolas Cage (Mandy), Joely Richardson (“The Rook”) and Madeleine Arthur (“Snowpiercer”). Shudder also announced the acquisition of exclusive U.S. streaming rights for The Shed, the sophomore feature from writer/director Frank Sabatella (Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet, interview), starring Jay Jay Warren (“Bosch”), Cody Kostro (“City on a Hill”), Sofia Happonen (Woman of a Certain Age), Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Men in Black) and Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show). Both films will premiere on Shudder later this year. We’re thrilled to be bringing Shudder members Stanley’s masterful adaptation of one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most influential stories—as well as another unforgettable Nicolas Cage performance—and Sabatella’s inventive new take on the vampire genre,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “The first half of 2020 has been the most successful in Shudder history, and these two great films
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Movie Review: Ouija Shark (2020)
Jill (Steph Goodwin) was all set for a day of waves and rays with her pals, but those mother fuckers were more ghost than Casper… who she could easily communicate with, because she finds a Ouija board while at the beach. Eventually her friends let her know they are in fact at a pool, where Jill brings the board… and with a strict “fuck you” they start using that beastly board, and as is so often the case, they summon a ghostly great white shark that begins eating them as it flies around the woods… you know, you mother fuckers would be surprised at the amount I whisper “What the fuck?” to myself at this job… Anyway, as you can tell, this production is ridiculous, it knows it is, and it manages to be damn entertaining to boot… not always the case in these “here’s a preposterous shark-centric idea, we can fill in the details later” productions that seem to
Continue reading →
From The Filmmakers Behind ‘The Samaritans’ Comes The New Horror Series “Scrawl”
“What are you afraid of? That’s the simple question being asked from the new upcoming series “Scrawl“. Fear can only be kept hidden away for so long. Eventually, it finds a way to crawl out of the story and into your mind.” It was announced today that production for “Scrawl,” the haunting new series from the minds of the award-winning filmmakers behind The Samaritans movie, Doug Bollinger (Waltzing Anna, Mail Order Bride), Keith Collins (The Evangelist), and Cory Green (The Jersey Devil). “Scrawl” tells the story of a struggling writer as he battles his insecurities, mental health, and inner demons as he desperately reaches for success. A stranger presents him with a dangerous opportunity to achieve fame and fortune. He makes a pact that may turn his dreams into realities. But what will this deal do to his nightmares? The cast includes Doug Bollinger, Keith Collins, Gervase Peterson (“Survivor”), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (“Asia”, ”Guns N’ Roses”), Sarah Osman (HBO Max’s
Continue reading →More latest articles
Book Review: The Light Reapers: End of the World
I have just had the chance to read the novel The Light Reapers: End of the World by Gary Hickman. Right off the bat, bluntly and honestly, I enjoyed this novel very much and I am grateful that Mr. Hickman sent it to me to read and review. The “Light Reapers” are an elite special ops group of soldiers who have a history of missions together that have bonded them over the years. They are deployed to rescue a scientist who may be able to find a cure for a viral pandemic caused by an ISIS faction which turns people into vicious, flesh eating hordes who who kill for any reason and in every grotesque way you can imagine. Story On the surface, the story of Light Reapers is not anything new. Zombies are a time honored horror tradition with a long, long list of media building their anthology of gnawing and feeding on flesh. For broad strokes purposes, this
Continue reading →
‘The Fanatic’ Gets A New DVD Release Date
John Travolta (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Pulp Fiction) stars in writer-director and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst‘s thriller The Fanatic. We’ve just learned that film has a new release date. In the film, Moose (Travolta), a celebrity-obsessed fan who feels slighted by his favorite movie star at an autograph convention. He quickly embarks on an unhinged quest to get a response, leading to a home invasion and a very long night that changes both men irreparably. Devon Sawa (Final Destination) and Ana Golja (Degrassi: Next Class) also star in The Fanatic, a tense and suspenseful thriller that boasts a commanding central performance from Travolta. Dazzler Media presents The Fanatic (review) on Digital June 8th, followed by its release on DVD on July 20th, 2020. You can pre-order your copy now.
Continue reading →
The ‘Coven’ Trailer Will Cast A Spell On You
The Craft meets Suspiria in the bewitching Coven, set to spellbind audiences on DVD and Digital this summer. In the film, five undergrad witches come together in order to perform a ritual to invoke the ancient powers of the witch Ashura. The leader of the coven gets carried away and accidentally kills one of the witches during the ritual. She needs the strength of a complete coven to invoke Ashura’s powers and sends them out to find a final witch. As she absorbs power the surviving girls plot to take her down but the possessed witch unleashes hell on campus with only one young witch left to stop her. Lizze Gordon, Jennifer Cipolla,, Margot Major, Adam Horner, and Terri Ivens star. Coven has now conjured a release date. It arrives on DVD and Digital July 14th from Uncork’d Entertainment.
Continue reading →
“Supernatural” Actor And Director Richard Speight Jr. Fills Us In On New Projects
Richard Speight Jr. has starred in many films and series including as Gabriel from the mega-hit series “Supernatural.” But that’s not all, he’s made quite the name for himself as a director, directing episodes of both “Supernatural,” “Lucifer,” and “Kings of Con.” Richard Speight Jr’s most recent role was in the soon to be released supernatural film Driven, written by Casey Dillard and directed by Glenn Payne, in which he plays a man on a mission to end his family’s curse and takedown the dark entities that the curse released. He’s not working alone, he’s teamed up with his driver Horror Fuel: “Forgive me if I have a “fangirl” moment. I’m a fan. I’m also a huge fan of Supernatural. What is it like to be part of something so big with such a huge fan base?” Richard Speight Jr.: “Well, you know, it’s interesting because my part and my involvement is seemingly pretty small if you look at the
Continue reading →
Blu-ray Review: The Wind (1986)
Super-horny famous novelist Sian Anderson (genre legend Meg Foster, she of Carpenter’s They Live, and Masters of the Universe to name but two) is ready to wing her way to Greece to finish her latest murder mystery novel. Once there she is shown her lodgings by pompous British windbag Elias Appleby (portrayed by a scene stealing Robert Morley), warned of the islands wind situation (spoiler: It ain’t great), and introduced to the villas deranged handyman Phil (portrayed by an equally scene stealing Wings Hauser). So, long story short; our heroine witnesses Phil possibly putting a murder on Appleby and soon she must not only deal with the forces of nature battering her left and right, but with ol’ Phil deciding to do a stalk n’ slay routine on her. Yeah, she’s not going to get much writing done… The Wind is a surprisingly fantastic entry in the rather over-crowded genre of ’80’s slasher flicks… and that has nothing to do
Continue reading →
New Images Surface From The Apocalyptic Thriller ‘2067’
Back in May Deadline shared the first look at sci-fi infection thriller 2067, set in a world plagued by disease after climate change has forced the adoption of artificial oxygen. Now, new images have surfaced, via Bloody-Disgusting, of writer-director Seth Larney’s (Tombiruo) English-language directorial debut. “With his wife sick and little hope for survival, Ethan (Smit-McPhee) is forced to travel to the future in search of a cure for the mysterious illness. Not knowing who to trust, he has to navigate a future filled with imminent danger and the possibility of never coming home.” The film was written by and stars Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road, ParaNorman) and Ryan Kwanten’s (Dead Silence, “True Blood”). Aaron Glenane (“Snowpiercer”) stars as well along with Sana’a Shaik, Leeana Walsman, and Finn Little. 2067 is now headed to the virtual Cannes market.
Continue reading →
Portland Horror Film Festival Announces Its Terrific Virtual Edition Lineup
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a new trend of film festivals going virtual this year. Portland Horror Film Festival, the Pacific Northwest’s premiere horror genre film festival, is the latest fest to announce that it is offering a virtual version, and as a selection and awards judge on the fest’s film jury, I can tell Horror Fuel readers first-hand that the quality of fright fare selected for this outing is high, indeed. Best of all, you can partake of the terror from anywhere in the United States! Horror fans can dig into a selection of more than 60 short and feature films during the 6-night event, beginning June 10th with the first shorts block and a preview of the festival’s upcoming features. The terror continues June 17–21 with more shorts and feature films from around the world. Following is the official press release from Portland Horror Film Festival: In the midst of this pandemic, some businesses are finally starting
Continue reading →
‘The Color Out Of Space’ & ‘The Shed’ Coming To Shudder
Shudder announced today that it has acquired exclusive U.S. streaming rights for Richard Stanley’s (interview) Color Out of Space starring Nicolas Cage (Mandy), Joely Richardson (“The Rook”) and Madeleine Arthur (“Snowpiercer”). Shudder also announced the acquisition of exclusive U.S. streaming rights for The Shed, the sophomore feature from writer/director Frank Sabatella (Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet, interview), starring Jay Jay Warren (“Bosch”), Cody Kostro (“City on a Hill”), Sofia Happonen (Woman of a Certain Age), Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction), Siobhan Fallon Hogan (Men in Black) and Timothy Bottoms (The Last Picture Show). Both films will premiere on Shudder later this year. We’re thrilled to be bringing Shudder members Stanley’s masterful adaptation of one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most influential stories—as well as another unforgettable Nicolas Cage performance—and Sabatella’s inventive new take on the vampire genre,” said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler. “The first half of 2020 has been the most successful in Shudder history, and these two great films
Continue reading →
Movie Review: Ouija Shark (2020)
Jill (Steph Goodwin) was all set for a day of waves and rays with her pals, but those mother fuckers were more ghost than Casper… who she could easily communicate with, because she finds a Ouija board while at the beach. Eventually her friends let her know they are in fact at a pool, where Jill brings the board… and with a strict “fuck you” they start using that beastly board, and as is so often the case, they summon a ghostly great white shark that begins eating them as it flies around the woods… you know, you mother fuckers would be surprised at the amount I whisper “What the fuck?” to myself at this job… Anyway, as you can tell, this production is ridiculous, it knows it is, and it manages to be damn entertaining to boot… not always the case in these “here’s a preposterous shark-centric idea, we can fill in the details later” productions that seem to
Continue reading →
From The Filmmakers Behind ‘The Samaritans’ Comes The New Horror Series “Scrawl”
“What are you afraid of? That’s the simple question being asked from the new upcoming series “Scrawl“. Fear can only be kept hidden away for so long. Eventually, it finds a way to crawl out of the story and into your mind.” It was announced today that production for “Scrawl,” the haunting new series from the minds of the award-winning filmmakers behind The Samaritans movie, Doug Bollinger (Waltzing Anna, Mail Order Bride), Keith Collins (The Evangelist), and Cory Green (The Jersey Devil). “Scrawl” tells the story of a struggling writer as he battles his insecurities, mental health, and inner demons as he desperately reaches for success. A stranger presents him with a dangerous opportunity to achieve fame and fortune. He makes a pact that may turn his dreams into realities. But what will this deal do to his nightmares? The cast includes Doug Bollinger, Keith Collins, Gervase Peterson (“Survivor”), Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (“Asia”, ”Guns N’ Roses”), Sarah Osman (HBO Max’s
Continue reading →