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Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Parlour Tricks (2018)

Family members gather in a Victorian parlour to attend a seance conducted to communicate with their deceased aunt…in order to determine how she wanted her possessions and money distributed as she left no will. As the seance occurs, these vultures…err, loving relatives encounter a spirit close to them, but not exactly the one they intended on… Written and Directed by legendary horror biz Scream Queen and Burlesque performer Tristan Risk (American Mary), Parlour Tricks is one hell of a campy, over-the-top, piece of creepy comedy! Starring a fantastically game cast including: Gidget Gravedigger (Caravan of Creeps, Dark Entries podcast, Abracadaver Cabaret), Emma Eldritch (Abracadaver Cabaret, Dark Entries podcast, Osculum Infame), Tyler Nichols (Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom, 28 Geeks Later), and Sean Covernton (Princess Blasteroid, TheBasketball Game, Trick or Treat:The Halloween Party), and featuring wonderfully moody black and white cinematography by Jordan Barnes-Crouse (which creates a nice contrast to the ridiculous action happening on screen) this is an impressive

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 16, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Shower Sharks (2018)

A shark obsessed dude attempts to write a screenplay as a shark (I predict I’m going to be writing that word a lot in this review) doc plays on the boob tube. Before long a news bulletin interrupts the show warning of a plague of shower sharks…sharks that emerge from drains to menace the populace…and you can guess what happens next! Shower Sharks gives the viewer exactly what you would expect; an absurd and enjoyable bite sized bit of nonsense in the Troma style. Film maker (and lead actor)Noah “Shark” Robertson has a keen eye (two in fact) for delivering off-the-wall horror comedy, and you can tell he has a ton of passion and heart. As for any negatives to be found here (and this isn’t really a “bad” thing…more of an observation of something that stood out); I’m fairly certain that Robertson just filmed an actual EMT call guerrilla style for the film’s coda…this is some real Corman level

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 19, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Panther Ridge (2018)

Panther Ridge concerns the fateful night a young acolyte descends into the BDSM underground…and what starts as a fairly rote bondage and knife play scenario, soon spins massively out of control into a level of violence that goes beyond mere sexual gratification and straight into “Holy fuck, you people are out of your goddamned minds” in the blink of an eye (and flash of the blade). Coming from Writer/Director Ryan Swantek, Panther Ridge is an enigmatic and shockingly violent short subject. Clocking in at just over six minutes, the film introduces us to both a novice dominatrix, and her seasoned mentor, not to mention a well dressed man that seems to be guiding the operation…but who he is, who is watching the live feed (the entire event is being filmed by an obsidian camera that almost becomes a character itself, besides being a rather ominous phallic symbol), and other questions are never answered…which could be frustrating if handled poorly, but

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 10, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: My Monster (2018)

It’s always a good day here in the Crypt O’ XIII when I get to slap my putrid peepers on a new film from Izzy Lee (creator of one of my favorite short fright flicks of all time; Innsmouth), so let’s take a look at her new picture; My Monster! My Monster tells the Yuletide-set tale of Lily (Brea Grant) and her well-meaning lunkhead of a partner Rob (Adam Egypt Mortimer) who must contend with the fact that our heroine is having some seriously disturbing visions…namely of a figure calling to her from outside of her window each night. Well come to find out, this is no mere apparition, rather it is a creature from another dimension who has arrived on our plane of existence with a sinister purpose, that once fulfilled leads to delightfully absurd results! Filled with great paradigm shifting story elements, a cool, practically realized monster, a strong cast, and an unexpected sense of fun; My Monster

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 1, 2018
Horror Fuel

Tristian Risk’s ‘Parlour Tricks’ Ready To Make Its Festival Rounds

Bad Cookie Productions has partnered up with House of Hiss to deliver Parlour Tricks, the new horror-comedy short film from the mind of scream queen Tristan Risk. Risk is well known in the genre for her roles in films like American Mary, Frankenstein Created Bikers, Aliens Ate my homework, Ayla, and ABC’s of Death 2. Set in the 1920’s, Parlour Tricks centers on a family who summons an unexpected guest during an unusual seance. The film stars several well known Vancouver performers such as Gidget Gravedigger (Caravan of Creeps, Dark Entries podcast, Abracadaver Cabaret), Emma Eldritch ( Abracadaver Cabaret, Dark Entries podcast, Osculum Infame), Tyler James Nichols (Howard Lovecraft, 28 Geeks Later), and Sean Covernton (Princess Blasteroid, The Basketball Game, Trick or Treat:The Halloween Party). Cinematographer and Editor Jordan Barnes-Crouse (Extra-Ordinary Amy, Ghost Can, The Sleep of Endymion) worked alongside Producer/Production Designer Topher Graham (The Man in the Rabbit Mask, Punks Vs. Lizards, Madre De Dios) with additional support from

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 11, 2018
Horror Fuel

Sinister Shorts: Girls Night 2, Blind Ben Says, and Jingle!

Hey creeps, let’s focus our eerie eyeballs on a few new sinister shorts comin’ our way! Girls Night 2 Writer/Director David Teixeira returns with the sequel to his original short (this is all assumption…I have no idea if there actually is a Girls Night Part Uno, and I’m far too busy microwaving pizza rolls to check Google)! Anyway, the long and the short of Girls Night 2 is as follows: Jess (Marina de Sousa) hangs out with her pal Pierre (Vincent Conty) spending a night screening films and having terrible nightmares about being accosted by a sinister slasher from her past. Before long the paradigm is flipped and the maniac appears in the really real world bringing with it secrets and murder! Having not seen the first part of the story, Girls Night 2 is easy enough to follow with it’s standard stalk n’ slay scenario. Where the short shines is in it’s fever dream, giallo-esque qualities, where strange dreams

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2018
Horror Fuel

Viral Films Readying Lycanthropic Shocker Werehouse!

Viral Films, creators of last years impressive short For Her (which we reviewed right here), are preparing to unleash their next sinister short Werehouse…which as the title implies will feature some wicked werewolf action! Check out the official word from viscous Viral themselves! When a peaceful protest erupts into a full-blown riot, a trio of University Students who are caught in the middle seek refuge in a warehouse. Little do they realize that tonight is the one night of the month they really should’ve stayed out. The film is tentatively scheduled to shoot in the spring with a target release date of Halloween 2018! If you want to be part of the creation of Werehouse you can check out the film’s Kickstarter page right here!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 12, 2018
Horror Fuel

Terror Films Is Creating New Series And They Want Your Short Film!

Terror Films is adding to their major digital platform presence by creating a new limited television series and they want your finished short films! The original series concept will be titled “Terror Films Presents: Terrifying Tuesdays.” and will be comprised of six original, never-before-seen short films – presented in a weekly, episodic format. Each episode will be released as a stand-alone episode, once a week, every Tuesday for six weeks leading up to Halloween. On Halloween Day, Wednesday, October 31st, viewers will be able to binge watch all six episodes. Each episode would open with pre-produced prologue created by the label specifically for the series. Although Amazon Prime is the current platform the series would be released on, the label isn’t ruling out pitching the final product to many of their other relationships, including Shudder, Starz, Netflix, and Hulu. This is our take on ‘Tales From The Crypt,’ if you will,” Terror Films President Joe Dain said. “There are so

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 8, 2018
Horror Fuel

Film maker David Jung Readying R.O.A.M.; a New Dark Sci-Fi Short!

Writer/Director David Jung (The Possession of Michael King) is preparing to shoot his newest film; a dark sci-fi short titled R.O.A.M. in February. R.O.A.M. details the machinations of the eponymous corporation…and the woman brave enough to stand up to them, while adding a fantastic twist sure to leave lovers of comic book style fantasy well and truly satisfied! And while the short looks to be on track to being a ton of fun, the marketing behind the film is making the whole affair into an immersive experience, including an incredibly cool website, and trailer: Pretty damn cool isn’t it my creeps? If you want to be part of bringing R.O.A.M. to life, you can check out the film’s Kickstarter right here, and in the mean time, here’s a few more tasty bits o’ concept art to tide you over!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 1, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: A Creepy Cornucopia of Sinister Shorts!

In a remote snowed in cabin, a family lives in turmoil. The patriarch of the clan is an alcoholic abusive sumbitch, his wife has been cowed into quivering complacency, and his son…well beside being a human punching bag, is seriously infatuated with lions. In a night packed fat with violent news broadcasts and cheap beer, our antagonist is visited by an impossible (an impossibly violent) four legged visitor that proceeds to set right that which is wrong. At twelve minutes (well ten minutes plus credits); Lion is a tight lil’ fright flick, with a very unique spin on the ‘tormented child calls upon seemingly supernatural revenge’ trope. Well shot and acted, with strong visual effects for the titular beast, and a great sense of taut violence waiting to explode at a moments notice the film packs a real punch. The only negative I had with this was the usage of some ultra-dodgy CG to realize the exterior shots of the

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 17, 2018

More from Short film

Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Parlour Tricks (2018)

Family members gather in a Victorian parlour to attend a seance conducted to communicate with their deceased aunt…in order to determine how she wanted her possessions and money distributed as she left no will. As the seance occurs, these vultures…err, loving relatives encounter a spirit close to them, but not exactly the one they intended on… Written and Directed by legendary horror biz Scream Queen and Burlesque performer Tristan Risk (American Mary), Parlour Tricks is one hell of a campy, over-the-top, piece of creepy comedy! Starring a fantastically game cast including: Gidget Gravedigger (Caravan of Creeps, Dark Entries podcast, Abracadaver Cabaret), Emma Eldritch (Abracadaver Cabaret, Dark Entries podcast, Osculum Infame), Tyler Nichols (Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom, 28 Geeks Later), and Sean Covernton (Princess Blasteroid, TheBasketball Game, Trick or Treat:The Halloween Party), and featuring wonderfully moody black and white cinematography by Jordan Barnes-Crouse (which creates a nice contrast to the ridiculous action happening on screen) this is an impressive

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 16, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Shower Sharks (2018)

A shark obsessed dude attempts to write a screenplay as a shark (I predict I’m going to be writing that word a lot in this review) doc plays on the boob tube. Before long a news bulletin interrupts the show warning of a plague of shower sharks…sharks that emerge from drains to menace the populace…and you can guess what happens next! Shower Sharks gives the viewer exactly what you would expect; an absurd and enjoyable bite sized bit of nonsense in the Troma style. Film maker (and lead actor)Noah “Shark” Robertson has a keen eye (two in fact) for delivering off-the-wall horror comedy, and you can tell he has a ton of passion and heart. As for any negatives to be found here (and this isn’t really a “bad” thing…more of an observation of something that stood out); I’m fairly certain that Robertson just filmed an actual EMT call guerrilla style for the film’s coda…this is some real Corman level

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 19, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: Panther Ridge (2018)

Panther Ridge concerns the fateful night a young acolyte descends into the BDSM underground…and what starts as a fairly rote bondage and knife play scenario, soon spins massively out of control into a level of violence that goes beyond mere sexual gratification and straight into “Holy fuck, you people are out of your goddamned minds” in the blink of an eye (and flash of the blade). Coming from Writer/Director Ryan Swantek, Panther Ridge is an enigmatic and shockingly violent short subject. Clocking in at just over six minutes, the film introduces us to both a novice dominatrix, and her seasoned mentor, not to mention a well dressed man that seems to be guiding the operation…but who he is, who is watching the live feed (the entire event is being filmed by an obsidian camera that almost becomes a character itself, besides being a rather ominous phallic symbol), and other questions are never answered…which could be frustrating if handled poorly, but

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 10, 2018
Horror Fuel

Short Film Review: My Monster (2018)

It’s always a good day here in the Crypt O’ XIII when I get to slap my putrid peepers on a new film from Izzy Lee (creator of one of my favorite short fright flicks of all time; Innsmouth), so let’s take a look at her new picture; My Monster! My Monster tells the Yuletide-set tale of Lily (Brea Grant) and her well-meaning lunkhead of a partner Rob (Adam Egypt Mortimer) who must contend with the fact that our heroine is having some seriously disturbing visions…namely of a figure calling to her from outside of her window each night. Well come to find out, this is no mere apparition, rather it is a creature from another dimension who has arrived on our plane of existence with a sinister purpose, that once fulfilled leads to delightfully absurd results! Filled with great paradigm shifting story elements, a cool, practically realized monster, a strong cast, and an unexpected sense of fun; My Monster

Continue reading →
DanXIII
May 1, 2018
Horror Fuel

Tristian Risk’s ‘Parlour Tricks’ Ready To Make Its Festival Rounds

Bad Cookie Productions has partnered up with House of Hiss to deliver Parlour Tricks, the new horror-comedy short film from the mind of scream queen Tristan Risk. Risk is well known in the genre for her roles in films like American Mary, Frankenstein Created Bikers, Aliens Ate my homework, Ayla, and ABC’s of Death 2. Set in the 1920’s, Parlour Tricks centers on a family who summons an unexpected guest during an unusual seance. The film stars several well known Vancouver performers such as Gidget Gravedigger (Caravan of Creeps, Dark Entries podcast, Abracadaver Cabaret), Emma Eldritch ( Abracadaver Cabaret, Dark Entries podcast, Osculum Infame), Tyler James Nichols (Howard Lovecraft, 28 Geeks Later), and Sean Covernton (Princess Blasteroid, The Basketball Game, Trick or Treat:The Halloween Party). Cinematographer and Editor Jordan Barnes-Crouse (Extra-Ordinary Amy, Ghost Can, The Sleep of Endymion) worked alongside Producer/Production Designer Topher Graham (The Man in the Rabbit Mask, Punks Vs. Lizards, Madre De Dios) with additional support from

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Apr 11, 2018
Horror Fuel

Sinister Shorts: Girls Night 2, Blind Ben Says, and Jingle!

Hey creeps, let’s focus our eerie eyeballs on a few new sinister shorts comin’ our way! Girls Night 2 Writer/Director David Teixeira returns with the sequel to his original short (this is all assumption…I have no idea if there actually is a Girls Night Part Uno, and I’m far too busy microwaving pizza rolls to check Google)! Anyway, the long and the short of Girls Night 2 is as follows: Jess (Marina de Sousa) hangs out with her pal Pierre (Vincent Conty) spending a night screening films and having terrible nightmares about being accosted by a sinister slasher from her past. Before long the paradigm is flipped and the maniac appears in the really real world bringing with it secrets and murder! Having not seen the first part of the story, Girls Night 2 is easy enough to follow with it’s standard stalk n’ slay scenario. Where the short shines is in it’s fever dream, giallo-esque qualities, where strange dreams

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Apr 6, 2018
Horror Fuel

Viral Films Readying Lycanthropic Shocker Werehouse!

Viral Films, creators of last years impressive short For Her (which we reviewed right here), are preparing to unleash their next sinister short Werehouse…which as the title implies will feature some wicked werewolf action! Check out the official word from viscous Viral themselves! When a peaceful protest erupts into a full-blown riot, a trio of University Students who are caught in the middle seek refuge in a warehouse. Little do they realize that tonight is the one night of the month they really should’ve stayed out. The film is tentatively scheduled to shoot in the spring with a target release date of Halloween 2018! If you want to be part of the creation of Werehouse you can check out the film’s Kickstarter page right here!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 12, 2018
Horror Fuel

Terror Films Is Creating New Series And They Want Your Short Film!

Terror Films is adding to their major digital platform presence by creating a new limited television series and they want your finished short films! The original series concept will be titled “Terror Films Presents: Terrifying Tuesdays.” and will be comprised of six original, never-before-seen short films – presented in a weekly, episodic format. Each episode will be released as a stand-alone episode, once a week, every Tuesday for six weeks leading up to Halloween. On Halloween Day, Wednesday, October 31st, viewers will be able to binge watch all six episodes. Each episode would open with pre-produced prologue created by the label specifically for the series. Although Amazon Prime is the current platform the series would be released on, the label isn’t ruling out pitching the final product to many of their other relationships, including Shudder, Starz, Netflix, and Hulu. This is our take on ‘Tales From The Crypt,’ if you will,” Terror Films President Joe Dain said. “There are so

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Feb 8, 2018
Horror Fuel

Film maker David Jung Readying R.O.A.M.; a New Dark Sci-Fi Short!

Writer/Director David Jung (The Possession of Michael King) is preparing to shoot his newest film; a dark sci-fi short titled R.O.A.M. in February. R.O.A.M. details the machinations of the eponymous corporation…and the woman brave enough to stand up to them, while adding a fantastic twist sure to leave lovers of comic book style fantasy well and truly satisfied! And while the short looks to be on track to being a ton of fun, the marketing behind the film is making the whole affair into an immersive experience, including an incredibly cool website, and trailer: Pretty damn cool isn’t it my creeps? If you want to be part of bringing R.O.A.M. to life, you can check out the film’s Kickstarter right here, and in the mean time, here’s a few more tasty bits o’ concept art to tide you over!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Feb 1, 2018
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: A Creepy Cornucopia of Sinister Shorts!

In a remote snowed in cabin, a family lives in turmoil. The patriarch of the clan is an alcoholic abusive sumbitch, his wife has been cowed into quivering complacency, and his son…well beside being a human punching bag, is seriously infatuated with lions. In a night packed fat with violent news broadcasts and cheap beer, our antagonist is visited by an impossible (an impossibly violent) four legged visitor that proceeds to set right that which is wrong. At twelve minutes (well ten minutes plus credits); Lion is a tight lil’ fright flick, with a very unique spin on the ‘tormented child calls upon seemingly supernatural revenge’ trope. Well shot and acted, with strong visual effects for the titular beast, and a great sense of taut violence waiting to explode at a moments notice the film packs a real punch. The only negative I had with this was the usage of some ultra-dodgy CG to realize the exterior shots of the

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jan 17, 2018
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