‘Some men are born evil, others are created.’

Evil Souls is a 2015 Italian-British supernatural horror film directed by Maurizio and Roberto del Piccolo from a screenplay by the latter.

Main cast:

Julian Boote, Peter Cosgrove, Holli Dillon, Lisa Holsappel-Marrs, Emanuele Ignomirelli, Paola Masciadri, Federico Rossi, Sean James Sutton.

Plot:

A child is born with a prophecy preordained. The guardian of the room unleashes his wrath on those who challenge his will. His evil soul knows no boundary as he ravages his sister in sexual gratification, selling her to the highest bidder. Fate is written, but Valentine has to fulfil his destiny. kidnapping two girls he is intent upon unleashing hell, until a priest, sensing ancient evil, knows he must find a way to stop it. With subterfuge, hate, denial and lust, the journey to a room of terror has just begun…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Deliberately paced and well-directed by Maurizio and Roberto del Piccolo, Evil Souls does not shy away from displaying shocking gore or from exploring the most disturbing implications of the film’s scenario. It’s a well-made and intelligent film that I recommend every horror fan see. Just don’t expect to get a good night’s sleep afterward.” Lisa Marie Bowman, HorrorCritic.com

“Evil Souls is a head fucking that manipulates you so much that you are not sure how much more you can take. This is clearly not your parents horror film, it is made for an audience that not only wants to be terrified but wants a shockingly intense ride thru the gates of what hell could be like. I have sat thru Serbian Films, Bunny Games, etc. but there are some moments in this film that disturbing would not even touch the surface.” James D, WickedChannel.com

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

‘There are a lot of ways his world can hurt you’

Press release:

“XLrator Media has acquired North American distribution rights to the thriller Sun Choke and will release the film this Summer on its acclaimed “Macabre” genre label. The film has played over a dozen festivals including FrightFest and the Stanley Film Festival.

Written and directed by Ben Cresciman (Negative Space), Sun Choke stars iconic horror film actress Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Re-Animator, The Lords of Salem), Sarah Hagan (Freaks and Geeks, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Sara Malakul Lane along with Evan Jones, Joe Nieves and Jim Boeven. The film features a haunting score by noted musician/producer Boom Bip (aka Bryan Hollon).

Sun Choke is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller in the vein of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion that will leave audiences emotionally shaken and questioning the line between reality and nightmare. It’s an impressive, assured work that marks Ben Cresciman as an important filmmaker to watch,” said XLrator Media CEO Barry Gordon.”

Plot:

Janie (Sarah Hagan) is just trying to get well. As Janie recovers from a recent violent psychotic break, she’s subjected each day to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker, Irma (Barbara Crampton). Janie begins to veer off the road to recovery when she develops an obsession with a young woman, Savannah (Sarah Malakul Lane), whom Janie feels an inexplicable yet profound connection to.

The obsession turns increasingly invasive and wedges all three women into an ever-tightening and terrifying struggle for control. Will Janie pull herself back from the precipice of insanity? Or will she go over head-first, taking everyone down with her?

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Trailer:

IMDb

‘Evil lies beneath the surface. It has risen for revenge.’

Swamp Devil is a 2008 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by David Winning (Are You Afraid of the Dark? [TV series]; Black Swarm; Mutant World) from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman (Blood Monkey; Annabelle and sequel; It) and Ethlie Ann Vare. It is the thirteenth film in the Maneater Series.

Actor Bruce Dern broke his leg on camera running in the woods, one week into the shoot. He finished the film on crutches with various photo doubles and camera tricks employed to complete production.

Main cast: 

Bruce Dern (The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant; Twixt; Coffin Baby), Cindy Sampson (High Plains Invaders; The Shrine; Supernatural), Nicolas Wright and Robert Higden.

Plot:

Melanie Blaine returns to her small backwoods country hometown of Gibbington to check on her estranged ex-sheriff father Howard, who’s the primary suspect in a series of grisly murders. Nice guy local Jimmy Fuller helps Melanie out and she eventually finds her dad and discovers that something not human and much more sinister than a mere mortal man is responsible for the killings…

Reviews:

“… despite a silly concept and even sillier-looking villain, the content is treated with a straight face that’s oddly admirable. The cast commits fully, and Bruce Dern’s veteran presence anchors the film. The pace is thankfully brisk, elevating it to the level of benign background filler rather than irritating, change-the-channel garbage.” Mark H. Harris, About.com

” … the strength of David Winning’s work is evidenced whenever it relies on mood, mystery, and evolving character back stories as opposed to when we see the initially Harry and the Hendersons meets Bigfoot meets The Incredible Hulk-like CGI Swamp Devil… ” Jen Johans, Film Intuition

“The first third of Swamp Devil is rather anemic. A lot of talk and little action is all that greets the viewer. The last hour or so, however, is much more fun as the swamp devil starts to terrorize characters on screen in the woods. It’s all fairly routine, but if you’re into this cheap monster genre, then you should be reasonably diverted by this low budget runaround.” Justin Felix, DVD Talk

Buy: Amazon.com

” … what makes this one work is an emphasis on characters (there’s only like 10 people in the movie) and an actual motive for the monster. Usually these things are unleashed and just kill whoever they come across; not that there’s anything wrong with that, but they all start to blur together after awhile.” Horror Movie a Day

Cast and characters:

• Bruce Dern as Howard Blame
• Cindy Sampson as Melanie Blame
• Nicolas Wright as Jimmy Fuller
• Robert Higden as Jones
• Allison Graham as Deputy Jolene Harris
• James Kidnie as Sheriff Nelson Bois
• Bronwen Mantel as Shelly
• Kwasi Songui as Bigg
• Mari-Pier Gaudet as Lisa Jones
• Jenna Wheeler-Hughes as Young Dream Girl
• Marc V. Denis as Young Howard

Buy: Amazon.com

Filming locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Related: Man Thing

2 Jennifer is a 2016 American horror film written, directed and starring Hunter Johnson (60 Seconds to Die; Virus of the Dead; Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels). It is a sequel to the 2013 movie To Jennifer by James Cullen Bressack (Blood Lake; 13/13/13; Pernicious) and was shot entirely on an iPhone 6.

It stars Hunter Johnson, David Coupe, Lara Jean Mummert, Felissa Rose, Erin Marie Hogan, Veronica Ricci, Jody Barton, James Cullen Bressack, Jarrett Furst, Josh Brown.

Plot:

Two filmmakers attempt to make the perfect sequel to “To Jennifer,” however a dark secret threatens the lives of everyone involved. Jennifer, a beautiful actress, now has two options: become the heroine of the film, or face a brutal death…

Trailer:

IMDb

WH

‘Every life has a price.’

Sacrifice is a 2016 Irish horror thriller written and directed by Peter A. Dowling (Stag Night), based on a novel by S.J. Bolton [Sharon Bolton]. 

The film was released to New York movie theaters and VOD on April 29th via IFC Films.

Main cast:

Radha Mitchell, Rupert Graves, Ian McElhinney, David Robb, Joanne Crawford, Liam Carney, Declan Conlon, Peter Vollebregt, Rachel Oliva, Lesa Thurman, Conor Mullen, Megan Riordan and Deirdre Monaghan.

Plot:

Consultant surgeon Tora Hamilton and her husband Duncan move to the remote Shetland Islands, 100 miles off the north-east coast of Scotland.

Deep in the peat soil around her new home, Tora discovers the body of a young woman with rune marks carved into her skin and a gaping hole where her heart once beat. Ignoring warnings to leave well alone, Tora uncovers terrifying links to a legend that might never have been confined to the pages of the story-books…

Reviews:

“Sacrifice isn’t a bad film, it’s just not a good one. It lacks the twists and turns needed to really sell the ideas at play, which is a shame as there is certainly a good idea for a movie in there. Perhaps if it had been shot with more flair, or had something else to highlight besides the plodding plot, it could be redeemed.” Neurotic Monkey, Tiny Mix Tapes

“Don’t look forward to an avalanche of chills and thrills with this one either – for all intents and purposes, this will definitely appeal to those looking for a decent crime/mystery presentation, but the horror… oh, where has the horror gone?” Matt Boiselle, Dread Central

” … a unique kind of very bad movie. The spectacle of this misbegotten thriller is not amusing enough to recommend to fans of casual movie cheesiness, but it’s the filmmaking choices that made me laugh out loud. This movie should be taught in film school—just as Hitchcock movies can teach filmmaking, so can their failed imitators provide us with elementary examples of when technique goes horribly wrong.” Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com

“Sacrifice isn’t a bad film, nor is it necessarily boring: the acting is good, there are some good scares and a decent atmosphere. But we’ve been here before, and we’ve seen this story done in more interesting ways. Shelagh Rowan-Legg, Twitch

“Sacrifice‘s very design—a car chase, narrow escapes through small passageways, and a guess-who culprit that necessitates no guessing—turns out to be a whimpered bark followed by a toothless bite.” Clayton Dillard, Slant magazine

Trailer:

IMDb

Smothered is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by John Schneider. Five iconic horror actors find themselves the focus of a murderous hunt.

Main cast:

Kane Hodder, Bill Moseley, R. A. Mihailoff, Malcolm Danare and Don Shanksas. Michael Berryman has a cameo role.

Plot:

After a convention appearance gig turns out to be wildly unsuccessful and unpleasant, a group of cult horror icons find themselves reluctantly persuaded to haunt a trailer park. Lured by the promise of $1,000 a piece for what should be relatively easy work, the group arrives at the park but soon discovers that there is more to the job than they had initially been led to believe and that their own lives are at risk…

Reviews:

“The film is told in book format which means you get information as you need it. This may be jarring to some as it can interrupt the flow, but we’ll see what happens once a release date is announced. With a top-notch cast and endearing performances, John Schneider’s film is worth a look.” Christopher Jimenez, Shock Till You Drop

“The scariest thing about Smothered is its low budget. Schneider (who also scripts and cameos) is working with next to nothing to bring the effort to life, keeping most of the action set in the woods, where he can burn through incidents and pages of dialogue without having to move around much, leaving the bulk of the picture to RV-bound encounters and camaraderie.”Brian Orndorf, Blu-ray.com

Cast and characters:

• Kane Hodder as Striper
• R. A. Mihailoff as R.A. Mihailoff
• Bill Moseley as Soggy Christian
• Dane Rhodes as Randy
• Malcolm Danare as Malcolm Danare
• Don Shanks as Don Shanks
• Rachel Alana Handler as Chunks
• Amy Brassette as Agness
• Ritchie Montgomery as Mountain Man
• Brea Grant as DeeDee
• John Schneider as Player
• Michael Berryman as Michael Berryman
• John Kassir as John Kassir
• Andrew Bowen as Carl
• Shanna Forrestall as Trixie

Choice dialogue:

Chunks: “I like being chunky. Boney women look like shit on a stick”.

Stiper: ” If Friday the 13th is shit then Saturday the 14th will be even shittier!”

Filming locations:

Filming took place mainly on Schneider’s John Schneider Studios lot in Louisiana and additional scenes were shot in downtown Baton Rouge during summer 2013.

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘What would it take to make you kill the one your love?’

WΔZ (pronounced double-u delta zed) is a 2007 British crime horror thriller film directed by Tom Shankland (The Children; Ripper Street) from a screenplay by Clive Bradley. The film was released in the United States as The Killing Gene. 

It stars Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George (The Amityville Horror; Turistas; 30 Days of Night), Selma Blair (The Fog) and Tom Hardy (Minotaur).

Plot:

There is something horribly wrong with the bodies found in the dark city streets. Some are mutilated while others have the Price equation (wΔz = Cov (w,z) = βwzVz) carved into their flesh.

Detective Eddie Argo and his new partner Helen Westcott unearth the meaning of the odd equation and realise each victim is being offered a gruesome choice: kill your loved ones, or be killed. Before long it becomes clear that the perpetrator has suffered a similar fate and is now coping by seeking a way to solve this philosophical dilemma…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Director Tom Shankland paints a grimy portrait that fits well with the Clive Bradley script. It is a great debut for both filmmakers who created a movie that works on almost every level.” Shawn S. Lealos, C.H.U.D.com

“This is a nasty horror thriller that has a Class of 1984 feel to it, although it has the most in common with the Saw series … boasts a talented cast, stark visuals and a grim story that’s equal parts unpleasant and (mildly) intriguing…” Cameron McGaughy, DVD Talk

“While the plot twists rarely come as a surprise, the film’s grimy feel and effective pacing, and a gripping – if occasionally rather over-exaggerated – central performance by Skarsgård, make this a genuinely thrilling venture into Se7en territory, despite the unfortunate silliness of the title.” Fortean Times

“Many of the answers are unbearably depressing, and Waz represents such an excruciating assault on our fragile notions of human decency that some viewers may not make it to the end – this would be an enormous pity; the scenario of the film’s conclusion, whilst foreseeable, is not only one of the most moving love-songs to human hope since Krzysztof Kieslowski’s A Short Film About Love (1988) but issues directly from the character-driven thrust of the narrative.” Martin Anderson, Den of Geek!

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

• Stellan Skarsgård as Eddie Argo
• Melissa George as Helen Westcott
• Selma Blair as Jean Lerner
• Tom Hardy as Pierre Jackson
• Ashley Walters as Daniel Leone
• Paul Kaye as Gelb
• Michael Wildman as O’Hare
• Sally Hawkins as Elly Carpenter
• Michael Liebman as Wesley Smith
• John Sharian as Jack Corelli
• Alibe Parsons as Miss Allaway
• Sean Brian Chipango as Jamal Osman / Khaled Osman
• Barbara Adair as Alice Jackson
• Lauren Hood as Sharon Williams
• Sheila Kerr as Alison Lerner
• Joshua O’Gorman as Dominic Carpenter
• Robert Phillips as Captain Maclean
• Marcus Valentine as Hassan Harbi
• Peter Ballance as Trucker
• Igor Smiljevic as SWAT leader
• Larry Cowan as Junkie
• Laurence Doherty as NY Detective
• Roy McManus as Paramedic

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘… Pray you never meet them!’

The Children – aka The Children of Ravensback – is a 1980 American horror film co-produced and directed by Max Kalmanowicz from a screenplay by co-producer Carlton J. Albright (Luther the Geek) and Edward Terry. Harry Manfredini provided the score, which he subsequently tweaked for his seminal Friday the 13th soundtrack.

The film stars Martin Shakar (Blood Bath; The Dark Secret of Harvest Home), Gil Rogers (Luther the Geek) and Gale Garnett (Mad Monster Party?; Friday’s Curse [TV episode]), Shannon Bolin, Tracy Griswold.

Plot:

Jim and Slim, a couple of workers at a nuclear plant in the fictional New England town of Ravensback, decide to call it a day and head for a bar. Unfortunately, a large buildup of pressure leaks from one of the pipes, forming a yellow toxic cloud that drifts across the ground.

Meanwhile, a school bus is taking children home. Suddenly the bus passes through the toxic cloud…

Reviews:

“The disgusting idea that adults must go out with machetes and cut off the kids’ hands gives this a perverse twist. Producer Max Kalmanowicz directs it like a monster flick of the ’50s.” John Stanley, Creature Features

“Wisely, our filmmakers realized that such an audacious idea deserved not seriousness but camp.The first 20 minutes seem serious, but it gets funnier as it goes, especially in the final third when it purposefully copies Psycho and Jaws in the score.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

“A cheap but fun take on the killer kids genre, with the producer’s children cast as some of the zombie kids.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990

“So if 8-year-old kids with cheap 99-cent Halloween makeup and black fingernails are your thing, then check out The Children and maybe it will give you a creep or two. If you’re more about the modern times though, it wouldn’t hurt to check out the 2008 UK non-remake of the same name.” Dirty Horror

“Like Crash! or some other low budget horror movies, it’s essentially a moebius strip film, where the same two scenes more or less repeat in succession for the bulk of the running time.” Horror Movie a Day

“The Children pretty much mixes up what went down in Village of the Damned with a dash of Night of the Living Dead‘s killer zombie child, but this low-budget offering at least offers up an amusing twist to the standard formula.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

Cast and characters:

• Martin Shakar as John Freemont
• Gil Rogers as Sheriff Billy Hart
• Gale Garnett as Cathy Freemont
• Shannon Bolin as Molly
• Tracy Griswold as Deputy Harry Timmons
• Joy Glaccum as Suzie MacKenzie
• Jeptha Evans as Paul MacKenzie
• Clara Evans as Jenny Freemont
• Sarah Albright as Ellen Chandler
• Nathanael Albright as Tommy Button
• Julie Carrier as Janet Shore
• Michelle Le Mothe as Dr. Joyce Gould
• Edward Terry as Hank
• Peter Maloney as Frank
• Jessie Abrams as Clarkie Freemont
• Rita Montone as Dee Dee Shore
• John P. Codiglia as Jackson Lane
• Martin Brennan as Sanford Butler-Jones
• J.D. Clarke as Jim (hardhat)
• James Klawin as Slim (hardhat)
• Arthur Chase as Cyrus MacKenzie
• Suzanne Barnes as Leslie Button
• Diane Deckard as Rita Chandler
• David Platt as Chauffeur
• Ray Delmolino as Bus driver
• Michael Carrier as Bob Chandler
• X. Ben Fakackt as Newscaster voice

Release:

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by World Northal in 1980. It was subsequently released in the US on VHS by Vestron Video. The film was released on DVD in a 25th Anniversary edition by Troma Entertainment in 2005 and then posted free-to-view online in 2012.

Buy: Amazon.com

Choice dialogue:

Sanford Butler-Jones: “Apparently you’re new here… I’m Sanford Butler-Jones!”

Sheriff: “I’ve never seen anything like it. They were burnt. But mutilated. It, it, was horrible!”

Filming locations:

Great Barrington, Massachusetts, USA

TV trailer:

Whole film online:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image thanks: The Bloody Pit of Horror

Related: Hell of the Living Dead

‘One killer reunion’

Most Likely to Die is a 2015 slasher horror film directed by Anthony DiBlasi (Dread; Cassadaga; Last Shift) from a screenplay by Laura Brennan.

The film is being released in the US on May 13, 2016.

Main cast:

Heather Morris, Chad Addison (Stalker; The Sunday Night Slaughter; December), Tess Christiansen, Ryan Doom (The Roommate), Marci Miller, Johnny Ramey, Jason Tobias, Tatum Miranda, Perez Hilton (Campfire Stories), Jake Busey (The Frighteners; Hitcher II; The Devil’s Dozen).

Plot:

A group of former classmates gather for a pre-party at one of their homes the night before their 10-year high school reunion, and one by one, they are brutally slain in a manner befitting each’s senior yearbook superlative…

Reviews:

“Most Likely to Die is only okay from a nostalgic point of view. There is nothing wrong with DiBlasi’s direction, Brennan’s script or the well-rounded cast, but Most Likely to Die is rather unimpressive. Even if this movie had been made when the subgenre was in a peak, it wouldn’t have resonated with the audience and would have never have stood shoulder to shoulder with the genre leaders.” Luke Owen, Flickering Myth

“Overall, Most Likely to Die does a great job of emulating the tried and tested approach to the subgenre but it is a shame that it doesn’t quite stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the more popular ’90s slashers. Even so, there’s a fair bit of fun to be had here and with the ending leaving way for a possible sequel I would be interested to see the story progress.” Jon Dickinson, Scream magazine

“Most Likely To Die starts off with a great opening scene and the pacing remains fantastic throughout. The movie clocks in at roughly eighty minutes, so there’s no time to waste … I have to give credit to screenwriter Laura Brennan for adding on layers (not too much thankfully), occasionally revealing deeper emotions and secrets to what would otherwise be cardboard cutouts.” Angel Van Croft, HorrorNews.net

“There’s no denying that the natural charm that comes with slashers is present here, especially with DiBlasi’s visual finesse to help modernize some of the old school tropes. But Most Likely To Die is held back by its own limited ambition, and while there’s fun to be had in seeing all the bloody action unfold, it’s a bit too predictable and pedestrian to drop jaws or turn heads.” Ken W. Hanley, Fangoria

Filming locations:

Topanga, California, USA

Trailer:

IMDb

‘World War III begins on your toy shelf’

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich is a 2017 American horror film reboot of the Charles Band’s Full Moon Puppet Master franchise. Although a director has yet to be announced the film is currently being penned by Bone Tomahawk writer-director S. Craig Zahler for Di Bonaventura Pictures and Caliber Media.

The new film focuses on a recently divorced young man who discovers a mint condition Blade doll in his dead brother’s closet and plans to sell the toy at a convention being held in Oregon celebrating the 30th anniversary of the infamous Toulon Murders.

Murder mayhem is unleashed at the Postville Lodge during the auction when a strange force animates all of the various puppets throughout the convention as they go on a bloody killing spree…

Source: Deadline Hollywood

The First Omen is a 2017 American supernatural horror movie prequel to the 1976 smash hit The Omen, to be directed by Antonio Campos (Afterschool; Simon Killer) from a screenplay by Ben Jacoby (Bleed).

The film is being produced by David Goyer (The Forest) and Kevin Turen via their Phantom Four banner for 20th Century Fox.

The original Omen went on to spawn two direct sequels, Damien: Omen II in 1978 and Omen III: The Final Conflict in 1981, plus a TV movie continuation. A reasonably successful theatrical remake of the film emerged in 2006 and there is currently a TV series about the exploits of grown-up Damien.

IMDb

‘How well do you know your neighbours?’

The Ones Below is a 2015 British psychological thriller film written and directed by David Farr. It stars Clémence Poésy, David Morrissey, Stephen Campbell Moore and Laura Birn.

Plot:

London: Kate (Clémence Poésy) and Justin (Stephen Campbell Moore) are expecting their first baby. They are thirty-something, successful and affluent. All appears well on the surface but Kate harbours deeply rooted fears about her fitness to be a mother and her ability to love the child within.

One day another couple, Jon (David Morrissey) and Teresa (Laura Birn) move in to the flat below. They become ‘The Ones Below’ and are also expecting a baby….

Reviews:

“A more imaginative director might have added more dark humor and social commentary, playing on the class tensions, property-based anxieties and aspirational status signifiers that obsess many well-heeled Londoners. But for all its limited ambitions, The Ones Below serves its purpose as a solid calling card for Farr’s filmmaking future…” Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter

“Farr cleverly exploits the obvious anxiety and unease involved in simply being pregnant, the need for cocooning and privacy of the kind often unavailable in the big crowded city. There is also the unspoken fear of post-natal depression, and fear of personal failure … It is a thoroughly gripping, horribly absorbing movie.” Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

It’s an effective, creepy, unsettling picture for much of its running time, but works better when the plot is subtle (should Kate blithely drink so much milk or Teresa’s homemade lemonade?) than in a last reel which changes viewpoint inelegantly and then has to spring a what-really-happened montage that explains developments which would work better left ambiguous.” The Kim Newman Web Site

“Scene by scene, Farr piles on the atmosphere: uncomfortable silences, languorous shots of flowers blooming, cacophonies of car alarms and the cries of a baby. He conveys Kate’s mental state with expert precision, cajoling an unshowy performance of quiet fragility from Poésy, who lulls viewers into thinking that she might have lost her mind.” Patrick Smith, The Telegraph

“Ultimately, Farr bets all his chips on a series of third-act rug pulls that seem totally ridiculous at first blush and only mildly ridiculous at second. Viewers may puzzle over the twists for a while — and maybe poke a hole or three — but mainly because The Ones Below leaves no more lasting impression. At best, it’s Polanski in the pinch.” Scott Tobias, Variety

Cast and characters:

• Clémence Poésy as Kate
• David Morrissey as Jon
• Stephen Campbell Moore as Justin
• Laura Birn as Teresa
• Deborah Findlay as Tessa

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Human beings stripped raw in a savage orgy of splatter and lust!!’

Flesh Eaters from Outer Space is a 1989 American science fiction horror film written and directed by Warren F. Disbrow (Invasion for Flesh and Blood; Scarlet Moon; Hate’s Haunted Slay Ride). The film’s original title was A Taste for Flesh and Blood and it is currently being distributed by Troma Entertainment

Main cast:

Greg Scott, Kathy Monks, Lena Hunter, Samantha Scott, Stephen Mezo, Tim Ferrante, Roy Dipietro, Douglas S. Kalinowski, Allen Stanier, Jack Predale, James D. Manley, Gary L. Meier, Savino Cuppari.

Reviews:

“Disbrow knows exactly what he’s trying to achieve with his limited budget and limited acting abilities of the main cast … and he manages to meld two intertwined stories with a rubber suit, fake blood, numerous death scenes, numerous still photographs inserted to create dramatic moments (the space shuttle being my favourite)… wow” Calgary Movies

“The alien is an over-sized costume that looks more like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Images are fleeting and it is kept in darkness for the most part. Every attack has this repeating shot of its face up close with this irritating noise it makes. By the end of the film that noise will be the only thing you really remember and you’ll wish you didn’t.” Games, Brains and a Head-Banging Life

“The picture quality is dreadful, but the special effects are so bad it doesn’t matter. The dialogue was obviously dubbed in after the fact and it doesn’t always mesh. There’s a woman who has visions of the deaths in her dreams. The victims are invariably jerks who aren’t bright enough to run away.” Games & Movies

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Filming Locations:

Keyport, New Jersey, USA

Whole film:

IMDb | Warren F. Disbrow official site

Santo y Blue Demon vs Drácula y el Hombre Lobo (“Santo and Blue Demon vs. Dracula and the Wolf Man”) is a 1973 Mexican supernatural horror film directed by Miguel M. Delgado (El fantasma de la casa roja; Santo vs. the Son of Frankenstein) from a screenplay by Alfredo Salazar (The Witch; Doctor of Doom; Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy).

Plot:

El Santo gets drawn into the action by his girlfriend Lina Cristaldi. The Cristaldis (Lina, the Professor, his daughter Laura, and her young daughter, Rosita) turn out to be the last descendants of a wizard who killed Dracula and the Wolf Man 400 years ago.

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Santo und der blaue Dämon contra Dracula und Werwolf
10: Während der große Wrestling-Kämpfer El Santo im Ring beschäftigt ist, wird Vampir Dracula (Aldo Monati) zum Leben erweckt.
© Winkler Film
Foto: ARD
Honorarfreie Verwendung nur im Zusammenhang mit genannter Sendung und bei folgender Nennung “Bild: Sendeanstalt/Copyright”. Andere Verwendungen nur nach vorheriger Absprache: ARTE-Bildredaktion, Silke Wölk Tel.: +33 3 881 422 25, E-Mail: bildredaktion@arte.tv

Revived in modern Mexico (by a hunchback), the two monsters plot their revenge, planning to kill, seduce, and/or convert the last Cristaldis…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Trailer:

Whole film:

IMDb | Plot details courtesy of TV Tropes | Image credits: VHS Collector | Wrong Side of the Art! | Zombo’s Closet

The Haunting of Alice D is a 2014 American supernatural horror film written and directed by actress Jessica Sonneborn (The House Across the Street; Piranha Sharks; One Night of Fear). The original titles were Alice D and Tainted.

Main cast:

Kane Hodder (Jason Vorhees in four Friday the 13th films and Victor Crowley in the Hatchet films), Al Snow (WWE wrestler), Juan Riedinger (Jennifer’s Body; Grave Encounters), Josh Hammond (Jeeper Creepers 2) and Megan Hensley (The Crazies).

The film is available on DVD and VOD via RLJ Entertainment.

Plot:

In the late 1890s, Davenport House was a famously successful brothel, ruled with an iron fist by an owner notorious for his cruelty and insatiable greed. Virtually imprisoned inside these walls, young Alice was forced to endure years of brutality and sexual slavery – until she took murderous revenge on her captors and tragically ended her own life.

More than a century later, the latest Davenport heir is hosting a decadent bash in the newly renovated mansion – complete with drugs, prostitutes and just one rule: anything goes. But the “fun” has barely begun when strange, terrifying things begin to happen. Suddenly, the legend of Alice’s tormented ghost proves to be very real as the guests discover firsthand that vengeance never rests in peace…

Trailer:

IMDb | Facebook

‘Terror is taking over’

Zombie Kill! – original title: Zombibi – is a 2012 Dutch splatter comedy horror film directed by Martijn Smits and Erwin van den Eshof from a screenplay by Tijs van Marle.

Main cast:

Yahya Gaier, Gigi Ravelli, Mimoun Ouled Radi, Sergio Hasselbaink, Uriah Arnhem and Noel Deelen.

Plot:

Aziz works in an Amsterdam office building. He dislikes his job and his boss, but he has just begun dating his dream girl, Tess. Jealous of his success with Tess, his boss uses the constant phone calls by Aziz’s brother Mo as an excuse to fire him. Annoyed, Aziz reluctantly joins Mo at a pool party, only to become an unwilling participant in a fight accidentally initiated by Mo’s stupid bravado.

Mo and Aziz end up jailed with Jeffrey and Nolan, incompetent bouncers from the party, and Joris, a thief. All but Aziz hit on Kim, a tough blonde female cop, and so she tasers both Mo and Jeffrey. Later, alarms go off and the building loses power. When the cell doors open, they leave the station, but zombies covered in green slime attack them…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” … takes its lead from Shaun of the Dead rather than the po-faced string of cash-in nasties which followed (and continue to follow) in its wake. Kill Zombie! is big, loud, non-stop nonsense full of over-the-top unsubtle European slapstick style humour and a commendable amount of extremely-creative gore and eye-opening splatter FX.” Paul Mount, Starburst

“I like pretty much everyone in the cast, and I certainly appreciate the diversity. It’s startling what these Dutch filmmakers were able to produce on a relatively tiny budget … What rings hollow is that Kill Zombie! feels as if it’s content to parrot the favorite genre flicks of its writer and pair of directors.” Adam Tyner, DVD Talk

“Kill Zombie! isn’t a disaster. It’s well made and has some decent laughs. Unfortunately, it also retreads what other filmmakers have done. Here’s hoping co-directors Martijn Smits and Erwin Van Den Eshof can develop a style and voice of their own in the future.” Mac McEntire, DVD Verdict

Buy: Amazon.com

“Still, the flick manages to keep the entertainment level at the upper end of the scale throughout – sporting a lively and convincing cast, consistently upbeat tempo and, surprisingly, a pretty poignant amount of heart as well. It’s no Shaun of the Dead, but Kill Zombie! makes for a great evening’s sofa-bound distraction that any zombie fan will be hard pushed to dislike.” Gareth Jones, This is Horror

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

Here Alone is a 2016 American science fiction post-apocalypse horror film directed by Rod Blackhurst from a screenplay by David Ebeltoft.

Main cast:

Holly Adams, Abel McSurely Bradshaw, Jonathan Gundel, Mary Guzzy, Aubrey Hart, Willow Keith,  Mike Lavarnway, Sophia Nickerson and Gina Piersanti.

Plot:

Deep in New York’s upstate wilderness, Ann, a young woman in her late 20’s, struggles to survive after a mysterious epidemic decimates society. On the constant brink of starvation, Ann leads an isolated and regimented life. Haunted by memories of her past she also battles the current bloodthirsty threat that lurks just outside of the forests borders, those that the epidemic has infected.

When her food stores run dangerously low Ann must make the desperate journey into a nearby town to forage for any remaining food. During one of these raids, a chance encounter brings Olivia, a teenage girl, and her injured stepfather, Chris, into Ann’s life and regimen of survival…

Review:

“The performers are all credible as ordinary, fallible folk who’ve managed to survive a plague (so far) through sheer luck as much as anything; no one here is larger-than-life. Adam McDaid’s handsome widescreen photography of the almost entirely outdoor locations and Eric D. Johnson’s edgy, melancholy score highlight a sharp overall assembly.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

“What is compelling about Here Alone is the protagonist’s ability to survive in the wilderness when deprived of nearly all resources. What does not invigorate interest or entertainment is the film’s reliance on archaic platitudes and hackneyed tactics.” Daniel Engelke, The Upcoming

” … because Here Alone is set on slow cook, subdued scenes of Ann and Chris getting to know each other eventually become tiresome. Even though both actors have chemistry and the writing (at least until the end confrontation) is confident, there’s just not much happening underneath the surface and too few characters to create any real spark.” Drew Tinnin, Dread Central

Teaser trailer:

IMDb | Official site | Facebook | Twitter

‘A crash course in terror’

Fender Bender is a 2016 American horror thriller film written and directed by Mark Pavia (The Night Flier). The first Scream Factory original production, the film will premiere on Chiller TV on June 3, 2016. 

Main cast:

Makenzie Vega, Bill Sage, Cassidy Freeman, Kelsey Leos Montoya, Dre Davis, Steven Michael Quezada, Lora Martinez-Cunningham, Gus Krieger,Harrison Sim

Plot:

In a small New Mexico town, a 17-year-old high school girl who just got her driver”s license gets into her first fender bender, innocently exchanging her personal information with an apologetic stranger.

Later that stormy night, she is joined in her desolate suburban home by a couple of her school friends, who try their best to make a night out of it, only to be visited by the stranger she so willingly handed all of her information to — a terrifying and bizarre serial killer who stalks the country”s endless miles of roads and streets with his old rusty car, hungrily searching for his next unsuspecting victim…

Trailer teaser:

IMDb | Facebook

Monsterland is a 2016 American horror anthology film directed by Graham Denman, Jack Fields, Erik Gardner, Andrew Kasch, Patrick Longstreth, Sander Maran, Robert Mclean, The McCoubrey Brothers, Corey Norman, John Skipp, Frank J. Sudol

It should not to be confused with the 2008 and 2009 movies of the same title.

In the US, the film is released by RLJ Entertainment on June 7, 2016.

Main cast:

Josh LaCasse, Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Plot:

Amidst a bloody backdrop of chaos and carnage, one panicked, lowly survivor of the Monster Apocalypse takes shelter in a movie theater to buy himself a few extra moments of precious life.

Little does he know, he’s taken a flying leap out of the frying pan and smack dab into the fires of hell by attending the last movie marathon he’ll ever see. Welcome to Monsterland…

Trailer:

Accidental Exorcist is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by and starring Daniel Falicki from a screenplay by producers Warren Croyle and Sheri Beth Dusek. The film also features Sherryl Despres, Patrick Hendren, Chris Kotcher and Jason Roth. It is unrelated to the novella The Accidental Exorcist by Joshua Graham.

Plot:

Alcoholic writer Richard Vanuck is a natural born exorcist. In fact, he’s the best there ever was and with possessions on the rise across the city, he’s booked solid. Reluctantly, he faces the fact that performing exorcisms is the only thing he’s truly good at even though it’s wearing him down and making his life utterly miserable.

Trailer:

IMDb