‘They’re not working for Santa… anymore’

Elves is a 1989 American horror film directed by Jeffrey Mandel from a screenplay co-written with Mike Griffin and Bruce A. Taylor. It was produced by Mark Paglia (Alien Seed).

It stars Dan Haggerty (Axe Giant; The Chilling), Deanna Lund, Ken Carpenter, Julie Austin, Borah Silver.

Opening plot:

When teenager Kristen (Julie Austin) accidentally cuts her hand during an “Anti-Christmas” pagan ritual with her friends in the woods, her spilled blood awakens an ancient demonic Christmas elf.

The elf is the central figure in a modern-day Neo-Nazi plot to finally bring about the master race that Hitler had always dreamed of conquering the world with. Rather than a race of pure-blood Aryans, it is revealed that Hitler instead dreamed of a race of half-human/half-elf hybrids.

Kristen is also a figure in this plot as she is the last remaining pure-blooded Aryan virgin in the world, her grandfather being a former Nazi who was once involved in the plot (but is now reformed); he is also her father, as inbreeding was somehow considered crucial to maintaining a pure Aryan bloodline.

Meanwhile, Mike McGavin (Dan Haggerty) is an ex-cop who lost his badge when he lost control of his alcoholism. Jobless, penniless, and recently served a notice of eviction from his ramshackle trailer home, winds up becoming the store Santa after the previous Santa is murdered by the elf…

Reviews:

“Sure, the plot’s ludicrous, the script is unbelievable, the elf could look better and gets overshadowed by other villains in its own film, and the acting runs from over-the-top to not-trying-at-all while hitting every point in between. But, in a movie like Elves, those serious weaknesses are also charms.”James Lasome, Horrorfreak News

“It might seem that because the film is so bad it’s funny, it would be worth a watch. It’s not – the plot ambles along so slowly, so pointlessly, that Elves is only recommended for those hardcore viewers who completely love bad movies for whatever reason.” Ryne Barber, HorrorNews.net

“Regardless, if you find yourself entertained by the worst of the worst, then I cannot encourage you enough to seek out an evening spent with Elves. Because, quite honestly, nothing says Christmas like incest, Nazis and a heavy dose of the Turkish blend.” Chuck Norris Ate My Baby

“It’s a Christmas movie, so we must have Christmas Witches, Nazi Scientists, Rubber Elf Puppets, and an evil plot to create a master race of elves -vs- The Valley Girls and Grizzly Adams. You just can’t make stuff like this up. Unlike other stinkers like The Beast of Yucca Flats, this movie did not even have the common courtesy of being brief…” Ruthless Reviews

“The continuity, acting abilities, logic, and gore effects are infamously terrible. However, there is no better Christmas Horror movie for 2016 than this, due in large part to the thematic subtexts running rampant all over this trash pile of cinematic adventure.” BJ Colangelo, Blumhouse.com

“…Elves is the perfect example of a so-bad-it’s-good film, because… even though it’s badly written and directed, poorly paced, packed with terrible acting and totally deserves a 4/10 rating, there’s so much wacky shit going on, you just have to love it, especially because of the absolutely outrageous plot.” Maynard’s Horror Movie Diary

” …hear about how Noah’s Ark had elves; hear about how “girls” are the “master race”; see Grizzly Adams smoke non-stop… even while brushing his teeth (!!!); experience the acid trip that happens when you kill an elf and much, much more! Recommended for lovers of shitty movies.” Happyotter

Choice dialogue:

Rubinkraur: “When there is no more room in Hell, the elves will walk the Earth!”

Mike McGavin: “What are you? A goddamn Nazi or something? Is that elf yours?”

Mike McGavin: “You demented, perverted son-of-a-bitch, you make me sick!”

Cast and characters:

• Dan Haggerty as Mike McGavin
• Julie Austin as Kristen
• Deanna Lund as Kristen’s mother
• Borah Silver as Kristen’s grandfather
• Dean Valley as Stan
• Mansell Rivers-Bland as Rubinkraur
• Christopher Graham as Willy
• Laura Lichstein as Brooke
• Stacey Dye as Amy
• Emilio Shane as Doug
• Gregory Fletcher as Lee
• Lyle Carter as Steven
• Monica Kelly as Cassie
• Jen Craze as Jessalyn
• Kyle Tapp as Ross
• Gary Zame as Jed
• Courtney Heather Simpson as Katie
• Kenny Clarks as Sam
• Winter Monk as Kurt
• Jeff Austin as Emil
• Allen Lee as Dr. Fitzgerald
• Paul Rohrer as Prof. O’Conner
• Ken Carpenter as Shaver
• Michael Tatlock as Hugh Reed
• Michael Herst as Sgt. DeSoto
• Chris Hamner as Kevin
• D.L. Walker as Dave
• James Albert as Mark

Filming locations:

Colorado Springs in Colorado, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘His country needed him’

Aux is a 2017 British action horror film directed by John Adams from a screenplay co-written with Peter Adams for Evolutionary Films.

Whilst playing in the woods, two young boys discover the entrance to a mysterious military bunker that had remained hidden since WWII…

The film stars John Rhys-Davies (The Half Dead; Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map; Medium Raw), Tanya Franks, Jack Derges, Rosie Fellner, Theo Devaney, Sally Mortemore, Paul Reynolds, James Fisher, Henry Douthwaite, Gary Mavers, Patrick Pearson, Tristam Summers,  Anniwaa Buachie, Michael Elkin, Greg Burridge.

IMDb

‘Sex and horror in one gigantic thrill show!’

Revolt of the Zombies is a 1936 American horror film directed and produced by the Halperin Brothers which stars Dean Jagger and Dorothy Stone. It is one of the earliest zombie films.

Although it was conceived as a loose sequel to Victor Halperin’s moderately successful 1932 film White Zombie, when compared with Halperin’s previous work, this film is generally regarded as a disappointment.

Although he is not credited in the film, Bela Lugosi’s eyes appear in Revolt of the Zombies whenever zombifying-powers are used; it is the same image of Lugosi’s eyes used in the film White Zombie.

Reviews:

‘” …the most celebrated elements of White Zombie are left out and traded for bigger versions of its weakest parts. Halperin, who must had been more comfortable in silent cinema, seems lost at directing a sound film, with the characters reciting their lines as if was a theatre. The overall style of the acting is too stagy, as if the film was merely a filmed play. And not even a good play to begin with.” W-Cinema

“There are so many scenes of people standing still in front of photographed backdrops, mouthing clumsy and insipid dialogue full of coagulating curds of lumpy exposition … You might be asking yourself how anyone could possibly make an unbearably boring movie about zombies in Cambodia, amongst the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat. It’s an awfully tall order, but the Halperins found a way.” Nigel Honeybone, HorrorNews.net

“The film is briefly interesting when Armand starts to raise his zombie armies, but they never actually do anything. Revolt is only noteworthy in being unusually grandiose for its time – the swiftness with which Armand gains control over the minds of an entire nation anticipates the apocalyptic proportions of later zombie movies.” Peter Dendle, The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia

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“The film promptly degenerates into a silly triangular affair, which though it echoes White Zombie, is even more atrociously acted and lacks that films saving graces.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“‘B’ picture silliness with the germ of a good idea.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook

“Terribly inept, almost unwatchable. A low point in the career of Dean Jagger…”John Stanley, Creature Features

“You’ll spot the villain right away, as he does his best to overact every sinister eye shift.” Dr. Arnold T. Blumberg, Andrew Herschberger, Zombiemania

Wikipedia

‘Don’t trust what they say’

Demon Tongue is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Gavin Rapp (The Misgiving) from a screenplay by Vicky L. Neal (shorts: The Vampire Within; Money, Vampires & Weed; Blood Money).

Four paranormal research students are sent to an abandoned complex to conduct an investigation into strange occurrences that the locals feel are the results of demonic possessions.

The amateur ghost hunters get much more than they bargained for when the power goes out, they hear unearthly noises and discover demons lurking in a hidden basement deep beneath the cold, stone structure that now becomes their prison…

The film stars Jack Davis (Slaughter Drive; The Other Side; Bray Road), Debbie College, Seth Gontkovic (Slaughter Drive; Meltdown; Red Christmas), Jessica Long, Carrie Shoberg,  Jeff Monahan and John W. Iwanonkiw.

IMDb

‘Trapped in time. Surrounded by evil. Low on gas.’

Army of Darkness – aka Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness – is a 1992 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi from a screenplay co-written with Ivan Raimi. It was co-produced by Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell. It stars the latter and Embeth Davidtz. Principal filming took place in California during 1991.

It is the third entry in the Evil Dead franchise, following The Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987). In it, Ash Williams (Campbell) is trapped in the Middle Ages and battles the undead in his quest to return to the present.

The makeup and creature effects for the film were handled by two different companies: Tony Gardner and his company Alterian, Inc. were responsible for the Ash & Sheila Makeup Effects, while Kurtzman, Nicotero & Berger EFX Group was credited for the remaining Special Makeup Effects characters.

Danny Elfman, who composed the score for Darkman, wrote the “March of the Dead” theme for Army of Darkness. Joseph LoDuca, who composed the music for The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II, scored the remainder of the film.

Army of Darkness premiered on October 9, 1992 at the Sitges Film Festival, and was released in the United States on February 19, 1993. It grossed $21.5 million against a $11 million budget.

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The S-Mart ending was shot for the American release; Universal Pictures wanted to end the film on a high note for the character of Ash. The original ending, preferred by Raimi and Campbell themselves, is one in which Ash is shown being placed in a cave and given a potion which will put him to sleep for centuries. Echoing his experience in botching the recovery of the Necronomicon, Ash mishandles the specific instructions for the potion, accidentally taking an extra dose. Ash awakes and arises from his cave to find himself in a post-apocalyptic future, in which the city of London is in ruins. The original ending has subsequently been restored to the director’s cut of some releases.

Over the years, there were numerous rumours of an Army of Darkness 2 film being in development but Ash finally returned in the wonderful 2015 TV series Ash vs Evil Dead, with no mention of his medieval adventures in the first series due to copyright reasons.

Opening plot:

Being transported to the Middle Ages, Ash Williams is captured by Lord Arthur’s men, who suspect him an agent for Duke Henry, with whom Arthur is at war. He is enslaved along with the captured Henry, his gun and chainsaw confiscated, and is taken to a castle.

Ash is thrown in a pit where he kills a Deadite and regains his weapons from Arthur’s Wise Man. After demanding Henry and his men be set free, as he knew it was a witch hunt, and killing a Deadite publicly, Ash is celebrated as a hero. He grows attracted to Sheila, the sister of one of Arthur’s fallen knights.

According to the Wise Man, the only way Ash can return to his time is through the magical Necronomicon Ex-Mortis. Ash then starts his search for the Necronomicon. As he enters a haunted forest, an unseen force pursues Ash into a windmill, crashing into a mirror. Small reflections of Ash in the mirror shards come to life, with one becoming a life-sized clone, after which Ash kills and buries it.

When he arrives at the Necronomicon‘s location, he finds three books instead of one and determines which is the actual book. Attempting to say the phrase that will allow him to remove the book safely – “Klaatu barada nikto”, he forgets and tries to unsuccessfully mumble and cough “nikto”. He then grabs it and rushes back, while the dead and his evil copy resurrect, uniting into the Army of Darkness…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

On October 27, 2015 Shout Factory! released a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray with the following special features:

Disc One (Theatrical Version – 81 min.) – 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.78:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
-Medieval Times: The Making Of “Army Of Darkness” Featuring Interviews With Star & Co-Producer Bruce Campbell, Actors Marcus Gilbert, Ted Raimi, Timothy Quill, Richard Grove, Bill Moseley, Patricia Tallman And Angela Featherstone, Director Of Photography Bill Pope, Editor Bob Murawski, Production Designer Anthony Tremblay, Composer Joseph Lo Duca, Costume Designer Ida Gearon, Special Make-Up Effects Artists Howard Berger, Tony Gardner, Robert Kurtzman, And Greg Nicotero, Performer And Effects Artist William Bryan, Mechanical Effects Artist Gary Jones, First Assistant Director John Cameron, Visual Effects Supervisor William Mesa, and Stunt Coordinator Christopher Doyle (96 min.)
-Original Ending
-Original Opening with Optional Commentary By Sam Raimi And Bruce Campbell
-Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary By Sam Raimi And Bruce Campbell
-Theatrical Trailer
-TV Spots
-Home Video Promo

Disc Two (Director’s Cut – 96 min.) – 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.78:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
-Audio Commentary with Director Sam Raimi, Actor Bruce Campbell, and Co-Writer Ivan Raimi
-Additional Behind-The-Scenes Footage From KNB Effects (55 min.)
-Vintage “Creating The Deadites” Featurette (21 min.)
-Vintage “Making Of” Featurette
-Extended Interview Clips With Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert

Disc Three (International Cut – 88 min.) – 1080p High-Definition Widescreen (1.78:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
-4K Scan Of The International Inter-positive
-Television Version With Additional Footage (90 min., Standard Definition (1.33:1), DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0)
-Theatrical Trailer
-Still Galleries With Rare Behind-The-Scenes Photos From Production Designer Anthony Tremblay, Visual Effects Supervisor William Mesa And Special Make-Up Effects Artists Tony Gardner, and KNB EFX, Inc. (Over 200 Stills)
-Still Gallery Of Props And Rare Photos From The Collection Of Super Fan Dennis Carter Jr.
-Storyboards For Deleted Or Alternate Scenes
-Vintage “The Men Behind The Army” Featurette (19 min.)

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

The setting is Frank Frazetta by way of Monty Python, the action strictly Three Stooges Meet Jason and the Argonauts (lots of eye-boinking). Like Brian De Palma, Raimi borrows from a lot of sources but mooshes the stolen elements into an inspired style all his own … Raimi doesn’t have a thing on his mind except to give you a raucous good time, and he does.” Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

“With its glorious effects — not to mention a robust Bernard Herrmann-esque score by Joseph LoDuca — this film is first and foremost a tribute to Ray Harryhausen, though Raimi also finds room for shout-outs to William Shakespeare, The Day the Earth Stood Still and especially The Three Stooges.” Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

Buy: Amazon.com

” …unlike Raimi’s other Evil Dead flicks, the effect of all this cinematic wizardry has no unnerving cumulative effect … Without the visceral impact and maniacal energy of its predecessors, Army of Darkness fails as anything but a tongue-in-cheek kids’ adventure show.” Steve Newton, Ear of Newt

” …as this is mainly a comedy, its accomplishments there must also be mentioned. Aside from the numerous one-liners that are still often quoted to this day, just about as much of the comedy is physical as well. Great examples include a long portion of the film’s second act in which Ash is questing for The Necronomicon. It basically becomes a one-man show… Jeff Beck, The Blu Spot

“…the film spends its latter portion staging a prolonged battle between militias of men and skeletons that’s short on inspiration and urgency, and thus serves only to highlight Raimi’s clever (for the early ‘90s, at least) melding of live-action and stop-motion effects. By opting for gonzo mania over any element of unnerving otherworldly terror, the film proves just a throwaway goof, and ultimately one with an inflated sense of its own funniness.” Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

The film spawned a comic book series. Army of Darkness comics are based on the film of the same name published originally by Dark Horse Comics, and later by Dynamite Entertainment who initially published them through Devil’s Due Publishing. The stories follow the adventures of the Evil Dead series, Ash Williams, and has included a number of crossovers with a wide variety of characters such as, Marvel Zombies, Darkman, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Dracula, Xena, Danger Girl, Re-Animator and even Barack Obama.

Cast and characters:

• Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams/Evil Ash
• Embeth Davidtz as Sheila
• Marcus Gilbert as Lord Arthur
• Ian Abercrombie as Wise man
• Richard Grove as Duke Henry the Red
• Timothy Patrick Quill as Blacksmith
• Michael Earl Reid as Gold Tooth
• Bridget Fonda as Linda
• Patricia Tallman as Possessed witch
• Ted Raimi as Cowardly warrior/Second supportive villager/Anthony, the S-Mart clerk
• Angela Featherstone as S-Mart store girl
• Noah Gillispie as Pit Monster

Filming locations:

Bronson Canyon, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, and near Acton, on the edge of the Mojave Desert, California

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Wrong Side of the Art!

‘The portal to Hell has been opened.’

Curtain – also known as The Gateway – is a 2015 American horror film directed by Jaron Henrie-McCrea from a screenplay co-written with Carys Edwards. The film stars Danni Smith and Tim Lueke as two activists that investigate a series of disappearing shower curtains in Smith’s apartment.

The Jash Pictures production had its world premiere in London on 31 August 2015 at the Film4 FrightFest.

Opening plot:

Danni has recently left her job as a hospice nurse in order to become an activist for Whale Savers, a conservation group. She also moves into a recently vacated apartment in order to get a new start on life.

However, soon after she gets settled she discovers that her shower curtains have been disappearing. Danni decides to try to record her bathroom overnight in order to discover what is going on, only to find that her shower curtains are disappearing into a strange portal in her shower wall.

She brings this up with one of her fellow activists, Tim, who eagerly suggests that she put her contact information on a curtain. This way, if someone finds the curtain the person can call Danni and they can discover the portal’s destination.

They are contacted by Willy, a drifter that tells them that her curtain appeared in a wooded creek near Poughkeepsie, New York. He volunteers to take them to the area he discovered the curtain, but shortly after arriving he begins huffing paint, bringing out a hostile alter ego named Frankie and attacking the two activists. They manage to escape the area, but as soon as they arrive back to Danni’s apartment they are confronted by the Pale Man…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Curtain really is a great little treat of a film. It’s an unforgettable rollercoaster journey that has its own unique identity, but also manages to pay homage to ‘80s schlock. Without being too silly, it grounds its story in reality and uses the bizarre world behind the curtain as a metaphor for much more real, social problems.” Jessy Williams, Scream magazine

” …endlessly inventive and ambitious, blending the lo-fi creature effects (and 80s sensibilities) of Basket Case with the high-concept oddity of Being John Malkovich. Charming and weird enough to get away with its rough edges, it can along the way seem a bit meandering, especially in its focus on Tim’s Save the Whales fixation, but in the end every (narrative) hook on this Curtain fits neatly into place.” Anton Bitel, Sight & Sound

“Curtain isn’t a bad film, despite its oddness. Danni and Tim are great protagonists, and the humour works to add levity to the strangeness … despite its best efforts, doesn’t have the same staying power as more traditional (and some non-traditional) horror films, demanding the viewer’s full attention in order to tell its story.” Pat Torfe, Bloody Disgusting

“We’re not in full-on comedy horror territory, but it certainly skews more in that direction than it does elsewhere (although its Hellraiser type cult is particularly creepy). Well, it is a film about disappearing shower curtains, after all. With a title and concept like that, Curtain was always going to be one of the year’s most original horror films. Thankfully, it also turns out to be one of the best.” Joel Harley, Starburst magazine

There are also lots of introductions for seemingly minor or useless details, which end up coming back into play. As with any film, that’s always a tough thing to pull off … Curtain is clever, well-performed and touts some very cool monster make-up.” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News

“Some might describe Curtain as quirky or eccentric. You’ll be able to appreciate that this was in fact what they were going for. This certainly wasn’t a lazy attempt at film making by director Jaron Henrie-McCrea, but it was not a successful one. Either avoid entirely or commit to losing 74 minutes of your life just for the super-odd ending alone.” Sadé Green, Flickering Myth

Cast and characters:

• Danni Smith as Danni
• Tim Lueke as Tim
• Martin Monahan as The Pale Man
• Rick Zahn as Uncle Gus
• Chuck McMahon as Bert
• Preston Lawrence as Preston the Super
• Gregory Konow as Willy

Filming locations:

New York City, New York, USA
West Milford and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb | Facebook | Twitter

‘They come from the darkness’

Out of the Shadows is a 2016 supernatural Australian horror film directed by Dee McLachlan from a screenplay co-written with Rena Owen, based on a story by Craig Henry. Working titles were The Shadow People and Scarlett.

A newly married detective and his pregnant wife move into their dream home unaware of its dark history. When his wife claims their baby is being tormented by a supernatural force and seeks the help of a renegade demonologist, he must investigate the past to save his family…

Main cast:

Kendal Rae, Jim Robison, Jake Ryan, Goran D. Kleut, Helmut Bakaitis, Blake Northfield, Madison Haley, Milan Pulvermacher, Fiona Press, Barbara Hastings, Anna Demidova, Miyuki Lotz.

Filming locations:

Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia

IMDb

‘Gigaler.com was poised to be the next billion dollar company. They didn’t make it.’

#Screamers is a 2016 American found footage horror film directed by Dean Ronalds (Netherbeast Incorporated; producer of The Graves) from a screenplay co-written with actor-producer Tom Malloy.

Internet gurus Tom Brennan [Malloy] and Chris Grabow [Barrow] know what sells on the Internet. They’ve built their viral video site Gigaler.com into a moneymaking machine, primarily by providing the audience with web ‘screamers’—videos that distract the audience, then scare them to death.

They are sent an amazing ‘screamer’ that features a young girl at a gravesite and ends with a truly disturbing-looking boogeyman. This screamer becomes the top video on the site.

After several conversations with the girl who claims to be the one in the video, it’s discovered that the latter looks exactly like Tara Rogers… who has been missing for years. It’s then that Tom and Chris decide to take their team on a road trip to confront this girl and find out the truth…

Main cast:

Chris Bannow, Emanuela Galliussi, Tom Malloy, Griffin Matthews, Theodora Miranne, Abbi Snee.

Reviews:

“#Screamers’ use of found footage may not be the most original idea, but you’re already a step ahead if you have at your production’s disposal: gifted actors, believable dialogue and expertly-produced scare tactics. With generous and effective gifts like that, it’s easy to overlook the fact that found footage films are still running rampant across our horror screens.” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News

“I enjoyed the hell out #Screamers, and I’m hoping a larger audience sees this one soon, as it’s more than worth a look, it’s perfectly chilling and strikes all the right chords, creating a near-flawless viewing experience that genre fans are going to be excited about.” Addicted to Horror Movies

Filming locations:

Rochester, New York, USA

IMDb | Official site

‘Find yourself, before they find you.’

RedWood is a 2017 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Paton (Pandorica).

After some bad news back at home, musician Josh and his girlfriend Beth head out to a secluded national park in search of some clarity on the situation they’ll face when they return.

However, the young couple get more than they bargained for when they ignore the advice of Park Rangers and venture off the trail, coming face to face with The Redwood’s legendary wildlife…

Main cast:

Nicholas Brendon (Attack of the Morningside Monster; Unholy;  Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Tatjana Inez Nardone (Stalking Eva), Jessica-Jane Stafford (Cannibals and Carpet Fitters; Devil’s Tower; Doghouse), Muzz Khan (The Hatching), Mike Beckingham, Luke D’Silva.

IMDb | Facebook | Twitter | Official site

Prevenge is a 2016 British comedy horror film written, directed by and starring Alice Lowe (Sightseers; The Ghoul; The World’s End; Kill List; Hot Fuzz).

Ruth is a pregnant woman on a killing spree. Her misanthropic unborn baby dictates Ruth’s murderous actions, holding society responsible for the absence of a father. The child speaks to Ruth from the womb, coaching her to lure and ultimately kill her unsuspecting victims.

Struggling with her conscience, loneliness, and a strange strain of prepartum madness, Ruth must ultimately choose between redemption and destruction at the moment of motherhood…

The Gennaker/Western Edge Pictures production will be released in the UK on 10 February 2017 via Kaleidoscope Film Distribution.

Main cast:

Alice Lowe, Jo Hartley (Inbred), Dan Renton Skinner (The Ghoul; High-Rise), Gemma Whelan (The Wolfman), Kayvan Novak (Doctor Who), Kate Dickie (The Frankenstein Chronicles; Prometheus; The Witch), Tom Davis, Mike Wozniak, Tom Meeten, Eileen Davies, Grace Calder, Sara Dee, Leila Hoffman, Marc Bessant, Della Moon Synnott.

Reviews:

” …while Prevenge delivers cult thrills and devilish humour, Lowe is adept at probing the existential darkness of her protagonist … However, all the while, there is a glint in her eye – a thrill, no doubt shared by Lowe, of subverting expectations, of stepping out from behind the sanctified image of the glowing mum-to-be, and embracing a transgressive madness.” Michael Leader, Sight & Sound

“Prevenge is a breathtaking, savage debut from Alice Lowe, one that boasts horrific moral deprivation and a sense of humor drenched in maternal madness … Sympathy, fear, admiration, doubt – those are just a handful of the emotions Lowe so emphatically conveys on-screen, and they explosively combine for the film’s final, absolutely perfect closing frame.” Matt Donato, We Got This Covered

“Having both a really rough-and-ready cinematography and quite a shaky filming style, there seems a very conscious effort to place Prevenge within a proud tradition of low-budget British slasher fiction … it definitely feels like a film that seems destined to become a cult classic.” Thomas Humphrey, Screen Anarchy

” …a neat, often very funny, but in many ways bleak psycho thriller of brooding maternal fear that embraces an alternative look at established roles of motherhood and pregnancy in its own violent manner and its great to see the British genre scene producing surprising and original, often transgressive work.” James Pemberton, UK Horror Scene

IMDb

There Shall Come Angels is a 2016 American horror short directed by Matthew Fackrell (To Live) and Matt Nix from a script by the latter. The working title was Christmas Miracle.

On a winter’s night, a group of young carolers bring festive magic to a suburban neighborhood. They enchant a smiling young couple but annoy a Scrooge-like neighbour…

The film stars Jeff Daniel Phillips (The Ice Cream Truck; Psychopaths; 31; Halloween II), Lauren Stamile and Matt Kelsey.

Filming locations:

Altadena, California, USA

IMDb

Psychopaths is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by Mickey Keating (Carnage Park; Darling; Pod; Ritual).

It is described as “a sprawling, psychedelic ensemble piece that follows several serial killers over the course of a single night.”

The film stars Jeff Daniel Phillips (The Ice Cream Truck; 31; Halloween II), Ashley Bell (Carnage Park; The Day; The Last Exorcism and sequel), Angela Trimbur (Trash Fire; The Final Girls), James Landry Hébert (Ghost House; Carnage Park), Helen Rogers (Darling; Body; V/H/S), Matt Mercer (Beyond the Gates; The Mind’s Eye; Contracted and sequel), Mark Kassen, Jeremy Gardner (The Mind’s Eye; The Battery; Spring), Padraig Reynolds (director of The Devil’s Dolls; Rites of Spring).

Principal shooting on the Bad Camal/Glass Eye Pix/High Window Films production wrapped on March 4 and the film is now in post-production.

Keating was also a producer, along with Jenn Wexler, William Day Frank, Cam McLellan and Al Lewison. Larry Fessenden served as executive producer.

IMDb | Facebook | Image credit: Entertainment Weekly

‘Prey for the children’

Out of the Dark is a 2014 English-language Spanish-Colombian supernatural horror film directed by Lluís Quílez based on a screenplay by Alex Pastor, David Pastor, and Javier Gullón. It stars Julia Stiles (The Omen; Wicked), Scott Speedman (The Monster; The Moth Diaries; The Strangers), Stephen Rea (Asylum; Werewolf: The Beast Among Us; Underworld: Awakening) and Pixie Davies. The Colombian/Spanish title is Aguas rojas (“Red Water”).

Opening plot:

In 1992, Doctor Contreras Sr. (Elkin Díaz) prepares to abandon a finca in Santa Clara, Colombia. On the second floor, he is chased by a group of children, falling to his death impaled on a spike when he is pushed from the balcony.

Twenty years later, Sara (Julia Stiles) and Paul (Scott Speedman) move from the UK to Santa Clara with their daughter, Hannah. Sara is to be the new manager at a paper mill that her father Jordan (Stephen Rea) owns. They move into the finca, which is owned by the company, and adore it. However, Hannah is frightened by the open dumbwaiter in the wall of her room…

Reviews:

” …a handsome enough package that makes decent use of locations. The lead actors are solid as usual, but you can feel them all knocking their heads against the low ceiling of material that’s afraid to take any risks — playing it so safe that the film ends up lacking anything in the way of real personality, scares or plot surprises.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

“The film does have something to say about hubris and how conquistadors (in this case white people) feel the need to civilize local populations (whether they want to be or not). Like most of the story, this message is delivered in a foreseeable way, hitting beats that harken back to films like The Devil’s Backbone and The Orphanage.” Patrick Cooper, Bloody Disgusting

“Stylishly filmed and often scary, Out of the Dark unspools a conclusion as conventional and button-down as a wide tie knot and a pair of wingtips.” Chris Packham, The Village Voice

“From its generic title to its familiar child in distress storyline to its hackneyed depiction of things going bump in the night, Out of the Dark is thoroughly forgettable. But at least everyone involved got a nice trip out of it.” Franck Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

” …director Lluís Quílez is too in love with Isaac Vila’s rich location cinematography to make the tale meaningful or suspenseful. In hurrying to hammer home its point about big business and threatened environments, Out of the Dark forgets to be interesting.” Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

“The sweat of three writers and the acting chops of Stephen Rea still don’t come close to earning Out of the Dark a passing grade. Derivative and devoid of tension, this stagey first feature from the Spanish director Lluís Quílez mystifies solely on account of its R rating.” Jeanette Catsoulis, The New York Times

“For a feature that pushes 90-plus minutes, there are more than just a few slogging scenes, unfortunately with little or no reward at the end, and performance wise, the three-headed dragon consisting of Stiles, Speedman and Rea limps harmlessly through the film with little Pixie providing the early chops to outshine them all.” Matt Boiselle, Dread Central

Main cast and characters:

• Julia Stiles as Sarah Harriman
• Scott Speedman as Paul Harriman
• Stephen Rea as Jordan
• Pixie Davies as Hannah Harriman
• Alejandro Furth as Dr. Andres Contreras, Jr.
• Guillermo Morales Vitola

Production:

Principal filming took place in Colombia between April 2013 and July 2013, followed by post-production. The film premiered at Germany’s Fantasy Filmfest on August 27, 2014.

Filming locations:

Honda, Tolima, Colombia

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Crescent is a 2017 Canadian supernatural horror film directed by Seth Smith (Lowlife) from a screenplay by Darcy Spidle that centres on a woman and her young son following an unexpected death in the family. While the mother and toddler struggle to find spiritual healing, a mysterious force from the sea threatens to tear their souls apart…

The film stars Andrew Gillis, Chik White, Amy Trefry, Terrance Murray, Danika Vandersteen, Woodrow Graves and Britt Loder. Executive producer Rob Cotterill previously produced Hobo With a Shotgun.

Screen Daily has reported that principal filming has just been completed. Raven Banner (It Came from the Desert; Another Evil; The Blackburn Asylum) holds Canadian distribution rights to The Crescent.

Filming locations:

Nova Scotia, Canada

IMDb

‘Centuries of evil have just been awakened’

Mausoleum is a 1983 American supernatural horror film directed by Michael Dugan from a screenplay by producers Robert Barich and Robert Madero.

Susan Nomed (Bobbie Bresee) was ten when her mother died. Now thirty, blonde and beautiful, she is heiress to the family fortune. But for the women of the Nomed family there is another legacy that no-one wants to remember, an ancient and evil curse.

Possessed by powers that overtake her, Susan’s life becomes a nightmare of lust, terror and murder until even her husband finds himself confronting the face of evil. Only one person can help her cast away the evil, but he will have to face the prince of darkness to free Susan from the grip of Satan…

Main cast:

Marjoe Gortner (Hellhole; Starcrash; The Food of the Gods), former Playboy model Bobbie Bresee (Evil Spawn; Star Slammer; Ghoulies), Norman Burton (Deep Space; Fade to Black; The Reincarnation of Peter Proud), Maurice Sherbanee, LaWanda Page, Laura Hippe, Sheri Mann, Julie Christy Murray.

Reviews:

“If you’re looking for a really bad B-movie, though, Mausoleum excels. There are a lot of laughs to be had, most of them at the filmmakers’ expense. The demon makeup reminds of some of the better monster movies of the ‘80s, and there are gory moments that almost make sitting through 90 minutes of stiff acting worth it.” Ryne Barber, HorrorNews.net

“The effects are foamy rubber and poster paint. The gore is gooey but it is amateurish and repeatedly shot in a poor manner so that the effects are obscured or unseen. Every character is written to be so dim that the notion that Nomed = Demon is lost on them …The final scene involves a hooded man laughing directly at the viewer as if mocking the waste of time that this film has been.” Blood Soaked Horror Reviews

“The monster makeup is clearly the only reason the movie exists, and it’s pretty good stuff. Bobbie Bresee also wears a number of demonic contact lenses and makeup appliances, and then there’s a full inhuman creature that appears (the one with the killer breasts). There is some great cheesy lighting throughout the film, and you always know when there’s some demon stuff happening because usually it is accompanied by a green and purple light show, along with lots of fog where no fog should be.” Groovy Doom

“The story itself is nonsense and, of course, there’s a weird ending (as is usually the case with ’80s horror films) but there are enough scares and tension to make it uncomfortable viewing without being too exploitative. It doesn’t explain itself very well (what does the demon want? How did the curse start? Why does it wait until you are thirty?) but really who cares?  An attractive lady kills everyone around her and that’s all you really need to know about Mausoleum.” The 80s Movie Club

“Minor supernatural tale with hokey effects … John Buechler’s makeup and fright masks are only fair.” John Stanley, Creature Features

Release:

The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by Motion Picture Marketing (MPM) in 1983. It was subsequently released on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment. In the UK, it was released on VHS by Satanica.

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The film was released on DVD by BCI Entertainment as part of their Exploitation Cinema double feature line alongside the film Blood Song.

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Filming locations:

Los Angeles and Ventura, California, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Blood Soaked Horror Reviews | Groovy Doom

Sex and Horror: The Art of Emanuele Taglietti is a 2015 book by Mark Alfrey published by Korero Press about the Italian comic book cover artist known for his outrageous artwork. In the course of his career in the 1970s and 1980s, Taglietti painted more than 500 covers, for fumetti comic books such as Zora la Vampira, Sukia, Ulula, Cimiteria, Stregonaria and Vampirissimo.

Taglietti was one of most outstanding artists of the golden age of Italian comics. His distinctive iconic work brims with violence and eroticism. This highly visual biography displays dozens of his full-colour paintings and discusses his artistic techniques.

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‘What are you willing to do for love?’

Honeymoon – original title: Luna de miel – is a 2015 Mexican horror thriller directed by Diego Cohen (México Bárbaro II; Romina; Perdidos) from a screenplay by Marco Tarditi Ortega (Dame tus ojos).

Jorge, an eccentric and lonely medical doctor, kidnaps Isabel, his attractive young neighbour, in an apparent effort to submit her to a classical conditioning experiment to make her his woman. However, appearances often hide a more terrifying truth…

Main cast:

Hector Kotsifakis, Alberto Agnesi, Paulina Ahmed, Dunia Alexandra.

Reviews:

“It is gory, and so will both gain and lose audiences because of this, and there are some inevitable tropes, but it does them pretty well all the same, certainly better than most, although it did sorely lack any proper character development or background story, and therefore ultimately any real depth, which potentially could have lifted it beyond its own constraints and above most all others of this genre.” Ionizing

“Honeymoon ends on an epilogue of sorts that doesn’t quite come off, and won’t occupy your brain as long as anything from the previous 90 minutes. It’s a minor misstep however, and not one that can detract from the originality, beauty and stark realism that this incredibly taught and involving gem so expertly builds.” Kevan Farrow, Scream magazine

“An unoriginal story doesn’t stop this film from being a worthwhile watch, Honeymoon has intensity in places which prove rewarding.” Nymus

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“There are some quite strong scenes that might unease some people, specially those that are not into gore, the effects are very well done, and they actually made me cringe a couple of times. While there are some nude scenes that I think could have been avoided, they worked well in the story, and didn’t feel forced.” Zed Kosnar, Desde Abajo

This Grotesque film production should not be confused with the 2014 American movie Honeymoon, directed by Leigh Janiak.

Filming locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

IMDb

The Hunchback of Soho – original title: Der Bucklige von Soho – is a 1966 West German krimi horror thriller directed by Alfred Vohrer (Creature with the Blue Hand; The College Girl Murders; Dead Eyes of London) from a screenplay by Herbert Reinecker (The Monster of Blackwood Castle; The Mysterious Magician), based on a novel by British author Edgar Wallace.

The kitschy soundtrack was provided by Peter Thomas (Castle of the Walking Dead).

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Main cast:

Günther Stoll, Pinkas Braun, Monika Peitsch, Siegfried Schürenberg, Agnes Windeck, Gisela Uhlen, Hubert von Meyerinck, Uta Levka, Suzanne Roquette, Joachim Teege, Hilde Sessak, Susanne Hsiao, Kurt Waitzmann, Ilse Pagé, Albert Bessler, Richard Haller, Eddi Arent.

Plot:

When Wanda Merville inherits a million pounds, she’s promptly kidnapped, replaced by a fake “Wanda,” and spirited away to a school for delinquent girls.

Sponsored by crazy General Perkins (who’s still fighting the Battle of Tobruck in his basement) and the General’s dotty wife Lady Marjorie (“Give me some whiskey… Straight!”), the school is actually run by evil, reptilian-faced Alan Oavis, the Reverend Dave (who sings church choirs in German), and a masculine matron with a riding crop who force the girls to work in a laundry sweat-shop that resembles something out of White Zombie.

The more attractive young gals are sent to work as “hostesses” in Mrs. Tindle’s Mekka gambling club while the more rebellious are strangled by Harry the hunchback and his hilariously huge hump…

Review:

“Another terrific Edgar Wallace shocker where almost no one is whom they appear to be (even Harry has an ersatz hump). Fast paced and stylish with rich, atmospheric color and a great swinging 60’s score.” Frank Henenlotter, Something Weird Video

” …this particularly zesty offering is directed by the highly skilful Alfred Vohrer who, as always, keeps the pace at delirious speeds. Plot is standard Wallace fare: a bizarre individual is killing young women and a considerable inheritance is involved. But the real kicker here is the truly astonishing and uber funky burlesque score by Peter Thomas.” Lurid Screams of Death

” …once you get through the confusing first half of the movie, the plot finally gains momentum and it turns out not half bad. The hunchback strangler is the horror element of this one, which isn’t a giveaway – it’s established before the opening credits … it was starting to be obvious at this point that the series was starting to go downhill.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

IMDb | Plot synopsis courtesy of Something Weird Video | Image credits: Kino-50er.de

‘The nightmare is about to begin… again’

Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a 1987 American black comedy horror slasher film edited and directed by Lee Harry from a screenplay co-written with Joseph H. Earle.

It is the sequel to Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) and was followed by Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989).

Plot:

Ricky Caldwell, the eighteen-year-old brother of the first film’s killer, is now being held in a mental hospital, awaiting trial for a series of murders that he committed.

While being interviewed by the psychiatrist Dr. Henry Bloom, Ricky tells the story of the murders his brother Billy committed throughout a series of several flashbacks using extensive footage from the original film.

These flashbacks include new shots to make Ricky appear in more of Billy’s original story…

Main cast:

Eric Freeman (Ghost Writer; Murder Weapon; Children of the Corn), James L. Newman (Celia), Elizabeth Kaitan [as Cayton] (Necromancer; Friday the 13th Part VII; Silent Madness) and Jean Miller (Escapes).

Review:

“Although nowhere near as much fun as its predecessor, Part II does have some fine moments, once you’ve waded through all the reused clips. It’s worth watching just to see the nun get her final comeuppance. Skip the first forty five minutes and watch immediately after seeing the first instalment.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies

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“Director-editor Lee Harry succeeds in making this one of the most mean-spirited slasher films ever made.” John Stanley, Creature Features

“Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is the epitome of a bad movie, yet it has that ridiculous bad movie charm to it that makes it a great choice to invite friends over for a Mystery Science Theater type showing … It can be looked at as good, even one of the best… if you’re into that special kind of bad.” Ronnie Angel, Slashed Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Films

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Reception:

Due to the excessive use of footage from the original movie, the film was panned by critics. However, the film does have an audience with slasher fans/horror fans, and has gained a cult following as an unintentional comedy due to Freeman’s over-the-top performance.

During Ricky’s suburban shooting rampage, he kills a neighbour that is taking out trash cans, shouting “Garbage day!” before firing on the person. The scene has become an Internet meme due to the seemingly non-sequitur nature of the scene as well as the comedic cheesiness of the line’s delivery.

Meanwhile, Ricky’s murder of a mobster by stabbing him with an umbrella, then unfurling it with the victim hoisted against the wall, has also become a popular horror movie death, and was the inspiration for the horror reference book, Death by Umbrella! The 100 Weirdest Horror Movie Weapons.

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“So what is good? Well beside Ricky’s “garbage day” delivery…there are some cool deaths. Ricky’s size and imposing demeanour make him seem like a viable threat so it’s not surprising he can kill other men with ease…it’s just a pity that it’s backed up with that horrible laugh.” Games, Brrrraaains & a Head-Banging Life

Release:

The film received a limited release theatrically in the United States in 1987. It grossed $154,323 at the box office. It was subsequently released on VHS by International Video Entertainment in 1987.

On December 4, 2012, the film was released alongside Part 1 as a two-disc “Christmas Survival Double Feature,” containing the same archival bonus features as a 2003 DVD release.

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In the UK, it was banned by the BBFC when submitted by Trans Global Pictures on 22/12/1987 and has not been submitted since.

Choice dialogue:

Toy store owner: “I just remembered. Lots of ‘ho, ho, ho.’ Try not to scare the little bastards.”

Cast and characters:

• Eric Freeman as Richard “Ricky” Caldwell
  • Darrel Guilbeau as Ricky at 15
  • Brian Michael Henley as Ricky at 10
• James L. Newman as Doctor Henry Bloom
• Elizabeth Kaitan as Jennifer Statson
• Lilyan Chauvin (archive footage) / Jean Miller as Mother Superior
• Corrine Gelfan as Martha Rosenberg
• Michael Combatti as Morty Rosenberg
• Jill K. Allen as Mrs. Rosenberg’s Friend
• Ken Weichert as Chip
• Ron Moriarty as Detective
• Frank Novak as Rocco the Loan Shark
• Randall Boffman as Eddie
• Joanne White as Paula
• Lenny Rose as Loser
• Nadya Wynd as Sister Mary
• Kenneth McCabe as Rent-A-Cop
• J. Aubrey Island as Orderly
• Jeremiah Sird as Gregg
• Randy Post as Loudmouth In Theater
• Kent Koppase as Cop #1
• Michael Marloe as Cop #2
• Larry Kelman as Cop #3/Paramedic
• John Fitzgibbons as Kid At Play
• Scottie Simpfender as Kid At Play
• Erin Darini as Kid At Play
• Lara Darini as Kid At Play
• Brian Darini as Kid At Play

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Raven is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe.

First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven’s mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man’s slow fall into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word “Nevermore”. The poem makes use of a number of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references.

The poem was partly inspired by a talking raven in the novel Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of ‘Eighty by Charles Dickens. Poe borrows the complex rhythm and meter of Elizabeth Barrett’s poem “Lady Geraldine’s Courtship”, and makes use of internal rhyme as well as alliteration throughout.

“The Raven” was first attributed to Poe in print in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845. Its publication made Poe widely popular in his lifetime, although it did not bring him much financial success. The poem was soon reprinted, parodied, and illustrated. Critical opinion is divided as to the poem’s literary status, but it nevertheless remains one of the most famous poems ever written.

The New World said, “Everyone reads the Poem and praises it … justly, we think, for it seems to us full of originality and power.”The Pennsylvania Inquirer reprinted it with the heading “A Beautiful Poem”. Elizabeth Barrett wrote to Poe, “Your ‘Raven’ has produced a sensation, a fit o’ horror, here in England. Some of my friends are taken by the fear of it and some by the music. I hear of persons haunted by ‘Nevermore’.” Poe’s popularity resulted in invitations to recite “The Raven” and to lecture – in public and at private social gatherings.

“The Raven” was praised by fellow writers William Gilmore Simms and Margaret Fuller, though it was denounced by William Butler Yeats, who called it “insincere and vulgar … its execution a rhythmical trick”. Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I see nothing in it.” A critic for the Southern Quarterly Review wrote in July 1848 that the poem was ruined by “a wild and unbridled extravagance” and that minor things like a tapping at the door and a fluttering curtain would only affect “a child who had been frightened to the verge of idiocy by terrible ghost stories”

Poe wrote the poem as a narrative, without intentionally creating an allegory or falling into didacticism. The main theme of the poem is one of undying devotion. The narrator experiences a perverse conflict between desire to forget and desire to remember. He seems to get some pleasure from focusing on loss. The narrator assumes that the word “Nevermore” is the raven’s “only stock and store”, and, yet, he continues to ask it questions, knowing what the answer will be. His questions, then, are purposely self-deprecating and further incite his feelings of loss. Poe leaves it unclear if the raven actually knows what it is saying or if it really intends to cause a reaction in the poem’s narrator.

Popular culture:

• “The Raven” was recreated as a hallucination of Poe’s in the 1915 silent film The Raven. A fictionalized biography, it starred Henry B. Walthall as Poe.
• The 1935 film The Raven has Bela Lugosi as a Poe-obsessed doctor and co-stars Boris Karloff. The film has an interpretive dance of “The Raven”.
• In 1942, Fleischer Studios created A Cartoon Travesty of The Raven. A two-reel Technicolor cartoon that turned the story of the poem into a lighthearted comedy.
• A Bugs Bunny cartoon, No Parking Hare, has Bugs reading a few lines from the poem, starting with the words, “While I nodded nearly napping”. The comic he reads them from is stated as “Poe’s Kiddie Comics”.
• In 1963, Roger Corman directed The Raven, a comedy horror film with Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, very loosely based on the poem.

• In the 1967 stop-motion film Mad Monster Party?, Baron von Frankenstein tests his new potion on a raven, and lets it fly until it lands on a tree branch. Watching the resulting explosion, he says with a chuckle, “Quoth the raven… nevermore. Ah, I’ve done it — created the means to destroy matter!”
• The stop-motion short film Vincent (1982), by Tim Burton, features a protagonist named Vincent Malloy, whose “favorite author is Edgar Allan Poe.” As Vincent lies, seemingly dying, at the end of the film, he quotes the final couplet of “The Raven”.
• In the 1983 film The Dead Zone, Christopher Walken (as a school teacher Johnny Smith) quotes “The Raven” to his class during a lesson.
• In the 1986 film Short Circuit, the robot Number 5 (voiced by Tim Blaney) makes the comment “nevermore” in reference to a pet raven of Stephanie Speck’s (portrayed by Ally Sheedy).
• In the 1989 film Batman, Jack Nicholson (as The Joker) quotes “The Raven” to Kim Basinger’s Vicky Vale when he says, “Take thy beak from out my heart.”
• Hannes Rall directed an animated, German-language version of The Raven (Der Rabe) in 1998.
• In the 1994 film The Crow, Eric, the tragic main character, references “The Raven” after breaking down the door to Gideon’s pawn shop: “‘Suddenly, I heard a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.’ You heard me rapping, right?”
• A 2003 album by Lou Reed

• The film Nightmares from the Mind of Poe (2006) adapts “The Raven” along with three Poe short stories: “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Premature Burial”.
• In the 2005 film The Crow: Wicked Prayer the third sequel to The Crow, during the final battle between Jimmy and Luc, Jimmy tauntingly shouts “Quoth the raven nevermore, motherfucker!”
• A film entitled The Raven, which stars a fictionalized Poe, was released in March 2012.
• The Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror parodies the poem in its third segment as Lisa reads the story to Bart and Maggie. In the animated segment, Homer serves as the protagonist, Bart takes the raven’s form, Marge appears in a painting as Lenore and Lisa and Maggie are angels. Bart complains that the poem is not scary, and at one point the raven says his catchphrase “Eat my shorts” instead of “Nevermore.”

The Raven

Wikipedia