The Hatred is a 2017 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Michael G. Kehoe (based on his 2015 short, Hush) and produced by Malek Akkad (Halloween franchise). It stars Sarah Davenport, Andrew Divoff and Darby Walker.

Four young women travel to their college professor’s new country home for a weekend getaway, only to discover that the house has a malevolent past…

The Hatred is currently playing at festivals such as Popcorn Frights Film Festival in Miami, prior to release details being announced.

Main cast:

Sarah Davenport (Dusk), Andrew Divoff (Demons; Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation; The Wishmaster films), Darby Walker, Gabrielle Bourne, Bayley Corman, Alisha Wainwright, David Naughton (Waking Nightmare; Sharknado 5; An American Werewolf in London), Amanda Wyss (The Id; The Graves; A Nightmare on Elm Street), Shae Smolik, Musetta Vander, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Nina Siemaszko, Andrew Matarazzo, Oksana Chester, Mandy Newton.

Trivia:

The film’s working titles were Alice and Alice: The Hatred.

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Sequence Break is a 2016 American romantic science fiction horror film written and directed by Graham Skipper (director of Space Clown; actor in The Mind’s Eye; Almost Human; et al). It stars Chase Williamson, Audrey Wasilewski and Fabianne Therese.

A loner video arcade technician experiences bizarre bio mechanical mutations and Cronenbergian hallucinations when a mysterious new arcade game appears in his shop. Reality itself threatens to fracture as he works to solve its mystery and the new chaos that has entered his life…

Sequence Break is currently playing at festivals such as Popcorn Frights Film Festival in Miami, prior to release details being announced.

Main cast:

Chase Williamson (Fetish Factory; SiREN; John Dies at the End; et al), Audrey Wasilewski (Bunnicula; Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), Fabianne Therese (Southbound; Starry Eyes; John Dies at the ), Lyle Kanouse, John Dinan.

Running time:

80 minutes

IMDb

‘Friends who slay together, stay together.’

Tragedy Girls is a 2017 comedy horror movie directed by Tyler MacIntyre from a screenplay co-written with Chris Lee Hill (they previously created Patchwork). It stars Alexandra Shipp, Brianna Hildebrand and Josh Hutcherson.

Two death-obsessed teenage girls use their online show about real-life tragedies to send their small mid-west town into a frenzy and cement their legacy as modern horror legends…

Reviews:

“The slashing is satisfying, the characters are memorable, and the jokes are genuinely funny — laugh-out-loud funny at times. This one gains almost immediate cult status and is guaranteed to be a fan favorite for years to come. It will leave you feeling satisfied in a way that very few films do, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.” Blair Hoyle, Cinema Slasher

“Tragedy Girls plot is a bit of a mess, and the captive-killer thread is lost for such long stretches that at times it appears to be a leftover remnant from an early draft. But these flaws are largely neutralized by MacIntyre’s bonkers stylistic abandon, as he cuts freely from bubbly high school farce to gooey dismemberment…” Andrew Barker, Variety

“MacIntyre deftly juxtaposes the traditional slasher narrative with eye-popping millennial colors in terms of visual style. He’s careful to strike a perfect balance with the grim and the bubbly, never veering to far over either line. There’s an underlying question posed on the parasitic, detached nature of social media in terms of our ability to connect with other humans, and a late game reveal further complicates that question.” Meagan Navarro, Modern Horrors

“Tragedy Girls can be surprisingly gruesome, and its “good things come to those who kill” undertone makes the material somewhat scandalously dark.  At the same time, the script’s smartness, the cast’s enthusiasm, and confident directing make the movie devilishly fun. Tyler MacIntyre has a unique take on how to make horror/comedy intelligent as well as entertaining.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

” …a wildly entertaining horror/comedy romp that feels exciting and original even as it channels imagery and ideas straight out of Tucker & Dale vs Evil, The Final Girls, Cannibal Holocaust, Halloween, and more. It’s a smart, funny ride that never shies away from the gooey red stuff – keep an eye out for the best gym-set practical gore effect since Death Spa – as the body count rises alongside the laughs and thrills.” Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects

Main cast:

Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse; Occult), Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Hutcherson, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, Jack Quaid, Timothy V. Murphy, Nicky Whelan, Austin Abrams, Kerry Rhodes.

IMDb

ARQ is a 2016 American-Canadian science fiction thriller film written and directed by Tony Elliott. It stars Robbie Amell, Rachael Taylor and Shaun Benson.

In a dystopian future, an engineer trapped in a house and surrounded by a mysterious gang of masked intruders must protect a technology that could deliver unlimited energy and end the wars that have consumed the world. Trapped in a timeloop, the engineer and his ex-lover repeatedly suffer the same violent home invasion, while different scenarios and allegiances develop…

The concept dates back to 2008, prior to writer-director Tony Elliot’s work on the television series Orphan Black; the show’s creators hired him based on his unproduced script. The script had been optioned but remained in development hell for years. After the rights reverted to Elliott, Netflix  offered to produce it. The film was released on Netflix worldwide on September 16, 2016.

ARQ features an ambient yet throbbing synth score by Keegan Jessamy and Bryce Mitchell.

Reviews:

” …Robbie Amell and Rachael Taylor work so well to keep it fresh. Throughout the movie, things evolve and new plot twists manage to change Renton’s perspective on things. This also means we get to see the actors portray characters that develop over time, even if the situation is the same over and over again.” Karina Adelgaard, Heaven Horror

“Right around the time we start to worry that this infinite-loop business might be getting old, the film goes off the rails, having tossed in so many complications we give up the prediction game and just watch. Amazingly, given how many time-travel pix collapse in a tangle of logic around this point, ARQ knows how to wrap its paradoxes up in a way we can hardly criticize.” John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

“Taylor and Amell propel the action with suitably taut performances, while Elliot keeps the writing and direction tight, making sure that the twists continue surprise right until the end. With almost the entire movie taking place in just a few rooms with no more than a handful of characters, it’s a small package that delivers a sizeable punch.” Brad Newsome, The Sydney Morning Herald

Cast and characters:

• Robbie Amell as Renton (Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins and Scooby-Doo! Curse of the Lake Monster as Fred; Left for Dead)
• Rachael Taylor as Hannah / Mother (The Darkest Hour; Shutter; See No Evil)
• Shaun Benson as Sonny
• Gray Powell as Grimm / Father
• Jacob Neayem as Brother
• Adam Butcher as Cuz
• Tantoo Cardinal as The Pope
• Nicolas Van Burek as News Anchor
• Jamie Spilchuk as Mobius Common

Filming locations:

Toronto, Canada

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘You haven’t got a prayer.’

The Unholy is a 1988 American supernatural horror film directed by Camilo Vila from a screenplay by Philip Yordan (Cataclysm) and Fernando Fonseca. It stars Ben Cross, Ned Beatty and features Trevor Howard in his final role.

New Orleans: Having miraculously survived a fall from a seventeen storey building, Father Michael (Ben Cross) is appointed pastor of St. Agnes church, which has been closed for three years following the mysterious deaths of his predecessors.

Father Michael attempts to find out why he has become the ‘Chosen One’ while resisting a powerful demon who takes the form of a seemingly irresistible beautiful woman…

The film is released for the first time on Blu-ray on June 27, 2017 as part of Lionsgate’s new Vestron Video Collector’s Series line.

Buy: Amazon.com

• Audio Commentary with director Camilo Vila
• Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Roger Bellon
• Audio Interview with Production Designer and Co-Writer Fernando Fonseca, Featuring Isolated Selections from His Unused Score
• ”Sins of the Father” with Ben Cross
• Demons in the Flesh: The Monsters of The Unholy
• ”Prayer Offerings” with Fernando Fonseca
• Original Ending Featuring Optional Audio Commentary with Producer Mathew Hayden
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• Original Storyboard Gallery
• Still Gallery

Reviews:

“Whether you see the cruet as half empty or half full, The Unholy remains an intriguing curiosity due to its unusual evolution and unique position as a time capsule of late 1980s horror. Even undercut by hokey creatures, divergent dialogue, and a mishmash of myriad pieces, the gravitas of its cast and guts to go all in on ill-advised gambles sees the film holding up well enough three decades later, all things considered.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

“The Unholy embraces 1980s style and aesthetic – including colorful lighting from cinematographer Henry Vargas and an electronic score by Roger Bellon (Waxwork) – but its structure largely resembles that of religious horror films such as The Exorcist and The Omen. Struggling to find its footing between two styles, the film has the overt sexuality and gore of the ‘80s without the sense of fun commonly associated with the decade…” Alex DiVincenzo, Broke Horror Fan

“The practical effects work and creature creations that are employed in the last half of the film are sufficiently icky if never particularly terrifying (the two mini-demons that accompany the main demon are pretty goofy, but still kind of cool in their own strange way) and there’s a fair amount of gore and nudity on display. This keeps the picture’s exploitation content reasonably high.” Ian Jane, Rock! Shop! Pop!

“Vila leans into purely visual filmmaking, summoning up frenzied lighting and Jigoku-esque montages of Hell’s torments. If only the rest of the film could live up to this sort of potential instead of wasting just about everything, from its impressive cast to a New Orleans locale that’s rarely exploited. By the end, The Unholy feels less like an Exorcist rip-off and more like a half-hearted stab at cashing in on the previous year’s much superior Angel Heart.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

Cast and characters:

• Ben Cross – Father Michael
• Ned Beatty – Lieutenant Stern (Repossessed; Exorcist II: The Heretic; Deliverance)
• William Russ – Luke
• Jill Carroll – Millie
• Hal Holbrook – Archbishop Mosely (Creepshow; The Fog; Rituals)
• Trevor Howard – Father Silva (Craze; Persecution; The Night Visitor)
• Claudia Robinson – Teresa
• Nicole Fortier – Demon
• Peter Frechette – Claude

Trivia:

SFX creator Bob Keen (Hellraiser) was hired to add additional gore after production wrapped.

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

Death Note is a 2017 American supernatural thriller film directed by Adam Wingard (Blair Witch; A Horrible Way to Die; You’re Next; et al) from a screenplay by Charles and Vlas Parlapanides and Jeremy Slater (Pet; The Lazarus Effect), based on the manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

The film stars Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley, Keith Stanfield, Paul Nakauchi, Shea Whigham and Willem Dafoe.

A young man comes to possess a supernatural notebook, the Death Note, that grants him the power to kill any person simply by writing down their name on the pages.

He decides to use the notebook to kill criminals and change the world, but an enigmatic detective attempts to track him down and end his reign of terror…

The film is scheduled for an August 25, 2017 release on Netflix.

Cast and characters:

• Nat Wolff as Light Turner
• Margaret Qualley as Mia Sutton
• Keith Stanfield as L (Get Out; The Purge: Anarchy)
• Paul Nakauchi as Watari
• Shea Whigham as James Turner
• Willem Dafoe as Ryuk [voice] (Odd Thomas; Daybreakers; Antichrist)
• Masi Oka

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘A soak in the tub is a relaxing way to DIE!’

Hot Tub Party Massacre is a 2016 Canadian slasher horror film written and directed by Chris Greenaway (Grindsploitation 3: Video Nasty; Witchstalker). It stars Erin Hyndman, Jynx Vandersteen and Amanda Nickels. Former Scream Queen Brinke Stevens has a cameo role.

The sisters of the Delta Omega sorority won a free weekend at a luxurious hotel & spa. They planned on having a fun and steamy weekend. However, things go from steamy to bloody when an escaped serial killer checks in to the hotel and crashes their party…

SRS Cinema is releasing the film in summer 2017 on Blu-ray and VHS.

Reviews:

” …it’s a nice throwback to slasher movies as they were done in the 1980s, before there was post-modern irony or any of that shit. Instead we get some fun characters, violence in all the right places but also plenty of tits and ass, and a comic book-like approach to things.” Mike Haberfelner, (Re)Search My Trash

” …a good attempt at the types of slasher films it aims to give a nod to from the 1980’s. This is complete with a character who is like Ralph from Friday the 13th (1980) announcing that they are all doomed, which of course no one pays attention to. There is a little blood and the kills are far from original but the film does have a couple of fun characters.” Peter Hopkins, Horrorscreams Videovault

Main cast:

Chrissy Cooke, Stu Ford, Sarah Foster, Erin Hyndman, Mark Kiazyk, Brian Langlotz, Nicholas MacDonald, Frank McGwire, Amanda Nickels, Tony Lee Porteous, Sarah Soda, Brinke Stevens, Corey Taylor, Jynx Vandersteen, Danny Warren.

Filming locations:

Brandon and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

IMDb | Facebook

‘He can taste your fear’

Jeepers Creepers 2 is a 2003 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Victor Salva (Dark House; Clownhouse). It stars Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck and Luke Edwards and is, obviously, as sequel to Salva’s Jeepers Creepers (2001).

At the box office, the film took $63.1 million against a reported budget of $17 million. An expected yet long-belated sequel, Jeepers Creepers 3, finally arrived in 2017.

The Creeper, disguised as a scarecrow, abducts young Billy Taggart in front of his father and Billy’s older brother. The following day, a school bus carrying a high school basketball team and cheerleaders suffers a blowout, after one of the wheels is hit by a handcrafted shuriken made from bone.

Cheerleader Minxie has a vision of Billy and Darry Jenner, the Creeper’s victim from the first film, who both attempt to warn her about the Creeper. With the party stranded, the Creeper singles out several of the occupants. Minxie has another vision in which Darry explains that every twenty-third spring, for twenty-three days, the creature emerges from hibernation and hunts victims for specific body parts which it then consumes in order to replace those of its own…

On June 14, 2016, Scream Factory released the film on a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray. Special Features Include:

Disc 1:
Audio Commentary by writer/director Victor Salva, and cast members
Audio Commentary by Jonathan Breck (The Creeper), Brad Parker (Production Illustrator), and Brian Penikas (Special Effects Makeup)

Disc 2:
“Jeepers Creepers 2: Then and Now” featuring new interviews with writer/director Victor Salva, director of photography Don FauntLeRoy, editor Ed Marx, and actor Tom Tarantini (22 minutes)
“A Father’s Revenge” – an interview with actor Ray Wise (15 minutes)
“Don’t Get Off the Bus” – interviews with actors Tom Tarantini, Thom Gossom Jr., and Diane Delano (20 minutes)
-“A Day in Hell” – A look at the filming of Jeepers Creepers 2 (26 minutes)
-“Lights, Camera, Creeper: The Making of Jeepers Creepers 2” featuring writer/director Victor Salva, actors Travis Schiffner, Josh Hammond, Billy Aaron Brown, Eric Nenninger, Nicki Aycox, director of photography Don FauntLeRoy, and more (15 minutes)
-“Creeper Creation” featuring interviews with production illustrator Brad Parker, special makeup effects artist Brian Penikas, and Jonathan Breck (12 minutes)
-“The Orphanage” visual effects reel (4 minutes)
-“Creeper Composer” – an interview with composer Bennett Salvay and writer/director Victor Salva (10 minutes)
-Storyboard Renditions of Scenes Not Filmed – “The Creeper’s Lair” and “Ventriloquist Creeper”
-Deleted Scenes (16 minutes)
-Photo Gallery
-Theatrical Trailer

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Few things are scarier than a sequel to a bad movie, but, in fact, Jeepers Creepers 2 is substantially better than its predecessor, even while staying strictly within the genre’s well-defined boundaries […] Bennett Salvay’s score may be hugely derivative — bits of Stravinsky, Bartok, and Marius Constant’s Twilight Zone theme drift through — but it’s very effective.” Andy Klein, Variety

“Instantly taking to the meals-on-wheels concept, the creature selectively dines out on the captive students, and any remaining inventiveness and suspense has exited quicker than the air in the stranded vehicle’s tires […] while it may have minimized location setups, the concept gets old really quickly, and it certainly doesn’t help matters when those bickering kids are so annoying that the Creeper can’t seem to pluck them away fast enough.” Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter

“JC 2 is by no means a great film, but it is a good one, especially if you’ve been disappointed by a lot of Teen Slashers out there right now. It’s probably too straightforward for its own good, and the middle, when the Creeper calmly takes its time assaulting the bus, might be a bit too slow for the teen crowd. Still, the film has enough action, suspense, and good special effects to satisfy most people.” Beyond Hollywood

“Jeepers Creepers 2 is competently made, but it lacks the suspense – and the scares – of its predecessor. As a sequel it delivers on bigger set pieces, improved special effects, and more bloodshed, but the writing fails to give us any compelling characters. The teenagers are entirely unlikeable, and I found myself excited by the prospect of watching the Creeper turn their school bus into a smörgåsbord.” Adam Frazier, Geeks of Doom

“The most notable character on the bus is Scott Braddock (Eric Nenninger), a virulent homophobe who doth, I think, protest too much as he accuses fellow team members of being gay […] To call the characters on the bus paper-thin would be a kindness. Too bad, then, that we spend so much time on the bus, listening to their wretched dialogue and watching as they race from one window to another to see what foul deeds are occurring outside.” RogerEbert.com

“JC 2 is by no means a great film, but it is a good one, especially if you’ve been disappointed by a lot of Teen Slashers out there right now. It’s probably too straightforward for its own good, and the middle, when the Creeper calmly takes its time assaulting the bus, might be a bit too slow for the teen crowd. Still, the film has enough action, suspense, and good special effects to satisfy most people.” Beyond Hollywood

“Jeepers Creepers 2 looks far more elaborate, and yet…it’s nowhere near as frightening as the first half hour or so of the original, nor is it any more coherent or meaningful than the original’s last half hour. Gloss has overtaken terror here, as director Salva indulges in longer and longer takes of wide, wide shots that certainly look pretty […], but which are inevitably drained of any substantial tension or suspense.” Paul Mavis, DVD Drive-In

Cast and characters:

• Jonathan Breck as the Creeper
• Ray Wise as Jack Taggart, Sr. (Halloweed; Suburban Gothic; Big Ass Spider!, et al)
• Luke Edwards as Jack “Jackie” Taggart, Jr.
• Garikayi Mutambirwa as Deaundre “Double D” Davis
• Nicki Aycox as Minxie Hayes
• Eric Nenninger as Scott “Scotty” Braddock
• Travis Schiffner as Izzy Bohen
• Marieh Delfino as Rhonda Truitt
• Billy Aaron Brown as Andy “Bucky” Buck
• Lena Cardwell as Chelsea Farmer
• Josh Hammond as Jake Spencer
• Al Santos as Dante Belasco
• Kasan Butcher as Kimball “Big K” Ward
• Drew Tyler Bell as Jonny Young
• Diane Delano as Bus Driver Betty Borman
• Thom Gossom, Jr. as Coach Charlie Hanna
• Tom Tarantini as Coach Dwayne Barnes
• Shaun Fleming as Billy Taggart
• Justin Long as Darius “Darry” Jenner

Wikipedia | IMDb

Maniac is a 2017 American comic book from VHS Comics – part of the Eibon Press Comics Group – based on William Lustig’s 1980 slasher movie Maniac, which stars Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro.

The comic is written by Stephen Romano with artwork by Pat Carbajal and colours by Chris Hall. The first issue will be available for pre-order on October 13, 2017.

Source: Broke Horror Fan

‘He’ll love you to death’

The Undertaker is a 1988 American horror film directed by Franco Steffanino from a screenplay by William James Kennedy. It stars Joe Spinell (The Last Horror Film; Maniac; Starcrash), in his penultimate film role before his untimely death, plus Rebeca Yaron, Patrick Askin, Susan Bachli, Martha Somoeman, Charles Kay-Hune, and scripter William James Kennedy.

The film was never officially released and only emerged via bootlegs releases on VHS, heavily re-edited and re-titled Death Merchant or Corpse Vanishes 2. Finally a better quality version of the film debuted on DVD in 2010 via Code Red.

In 2017, Vinegar Syndrome released a limited to 3,000 units Blu-ray/DVD edition that is currently only available via their website, and comes packaged in a blood soaked coffin cut-out o-card. This is the never officially released original 35mm version of The Undertaker, as it was originally made and finished in 1988. Special features include:

• Scanned and restored in 2K from 35mm camera negative, with select shots sourced from tape elements
• Commentary track with director / writer / actor William Kennedy
• “Making the Undertaker” interview with William Kennedy
• Director introduction
• Outtakes
• Archival promotional video
• Production still gallery
• Booklet essay by Michael Gingold
• Reverse cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles

Review:

Joe Spinell plays Roscoe, a crackpot working in a mortuary with a morbid passion for the ladies, irrespective of whether they have rigor mortis or not.

Business is slacking and Roscoe decides to help matters along by taking to the streets and bumping off lovely ladies, solving the problems of both business and pleasure.

Meanwhile, his nephew, Nicky, is at a lecture about necrophilia (university was a bit different in the 1980s) and begins to suspect his creepy uncle. He and his professor get together to try to solve the corpse bothering mystery once and for all.

Although the grimy settings and plot, such as it is, are in the same ballpark as Spinell’s imperious Maniac, the films are sadly not in the same league. Only Spinell is worthy of note, his co-stars, director and writer all but disappearing off the map before and after the film’s release. Certainly, he is the only reason to ever consider watching the film, holding your attention whenever he appears onscreen.

Though suffering from a low budget, there is still little excuse for the curious amount of padding the film is stuffed with; meaninglessly long conversations that have no bearing on the plot, frantic cuts to and from scenes that aren’t related to each other, it certainly keeps you on your toes.

As a curiosity it’s worth a look and Spinell fans will need it whatever but for fans of sleazy, greasy serial killers, his earlier Maniac is the place to start with perhaps a trip to the self-referential Last Horror Film to follow.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

Other reviews:

“The Undertaker is an odd but interesting footnote in horror history. It boils down to little more than a series of loosely strung together murder set pieces, with no shortage of nudity and a bit of cheap gore along the way, but it’s special to see the late Spinell on screen again. Vinegar Syndrome deserves praise for unearthing this long-lost picture from its coffin.” Alex DiVincenzo, Broke Horror Fan

IMDb

‘It came from another planet to save ours’

Alien vs. Zombies is a 2017 American science fiction horror film directed by Rocco Nisivoccia from a screenplay co-written with Matthew G. Hill. It stars Alex Knapp, Siena Tickle and Amandine Thomas.

An alien travels over galaxies to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting Earth, only to discover that the planet has been overrun by a zombie plague, caused by a mysterious virus. Now he must team up with a small band of human survivors to save what is left of our world, while fighting off a bounty hunter from his home planet, who wants him to return home a crime he did not commit…

Wild Eye Releasing is distributing the film worldwide.

IMDb

‘Evil has an hour to kill.’

6:66 P.M. is a 2017 American comedy horror film directed by Jim Klock (actor in Massacre on Aisle 12; Scream Queens) from a screenplay by Tommy McLaughlin and Chad Ridgely. The Full Auto Films/Code 3 Films production stars Jim Klock, Chad Ridgely and Alexis Kelley.

A team of television ghost hunters gets more than they bargained for when the house that they are pretending is haunted, turns out to be occupied by the evil spirit of an insane serial killer. Their scripted reality show goes haywire as the demon fights to take possession of their bodies…

6:66 P.M. has been acquired by distribution house Indican Pictures, for home entertainment release. Meanwhile, the film will continue a festival run into 2018.

Main cast:

Jim Klock, Chad Ridgely, Alexis Kelley, Autumn Federici, Michael Buonomo, Robin F. Baker, Scott Burkhardt, Michael D. Moore, Bobby Liga, Mike Capozzi.

Filming locations:

Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, USA

IMDb | Facebook

‘They came with false teeth’

Granny of the Dead is a 2017 British comedy horror film written and directed by Tudley James. The TudorFilms production stars Marcus Carroll, Abigail Hamilton and Oliver Ferriman.

Horrorpedia originally reported on this film when it was in pre-production in 2013 and known as O.A.Z. Nan from Hell.

Ed (Marcus Carroll) awakes one morning to find that his grandmother has become one of the living dead. Trapped in his home he struggles to cope, and with a little help from his friends he tries to survive the day, but the more nan feeds the stronger she gets and soon it becomes a battle to keep the house zombie free…

Granny of the Dead is unleashed on DVD in the UK on 28 August 2017 by Matchbox Films. In the US, the film will be available on VOD on July 14, 2017.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

Marcus Carroll (Monstrum), Abigail Hamilton (Charismata; The Hatching; The Seasoning House), Oliver Ferriman (Torchwood), William Huw, Tudley James, Sabrina Dickens, Josh Wood, Nia Ann, Steve Purbrick, Kathy Saxondale, Victor Ptak, Edward Way, Linda Bailey, Ricky Valentine, Tom Barker.

Trivia:

The film’s working titles were O.A.Z: Nan from Hell and O.A.Z: Old Age Zombies

IMDb | Twitter | Facebook

Related: Rabid Grannies

‘First you find the sharks. Then they find you.’

Open Water 3: Cage Dive is a 2017 Australian horror thriller film written and directed by Gerald Rascionato from a story co-written with Stephen Lister. The Just One More/Exit Strategy production stars Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff and Megan Peta Hill.

Three friends filming an audition tape for an extreme reality show, take part in shark cage diving, only to be left in great white infested waters, turning their recording into life and death…

Reviews:

“There’s absolutely nothing new in Cage Dive. We’re stuck with the same shaky-cam found footage, the same idiotic characters and the same lapses in logic AND judgement that plague these types of genre films each and every time. Hey, but at least Rascionato’s film does have one thing going for it: the film actually explains how the footage was found…” Phil Wheat, Nerdly

“After a sequence of Open Water bobbing about, an inflatable liferaft turns up and offers the illusion of safety (and a bit of visual variety) which doesn’t last long. The performances are fine, with Hogan especially getting some meat to chew on as the superficial jock who has everything pulled out from under him – and turns nasty, but doesn’t become an outright villain.” The Kim Newman Web Site

Main cast:

Joel Hogan, Josh Potthoff, Megan Peta Hill, Pete Valley, Mark Fell, Christopher Callen, Tara Wraith, Teagan Berger, Chris Bath, Robert Ovadia, Paul Adams, Wilma Adams, Mary O’Neill, Nicholas Phelan, Matthew Phelan.

Trivia:

The film’s working titles were Under The Deep and Cage Dive.

IMDb

‘Time for a change’

Attack of the Adult Babies is a 2017 British comedy horror film directed by Dominic Brunt (Before Dawn) from a screenplay by Paul Shrimpton, based on a storyline by Joanne Mitchell. It stars Kurtis Lowe, Andrew Dunn and Sally Dexter.

A home invasion forces two teenagers to break into a remote country manor and steal top secret documents. Little do they know but the stately pile is also the venue where a group of high-powered middle-aged men go to take refuge from the stresses of daily life by dressing in nappies and indulging their every perverse sexual nursery-themed whim. Or that this grotesque assembly intends to refuel the world’s economy by very sinister, sick and monstrous means…

The film has its world premiere in London, England, at the Horror Channel FrightFest on 26 August 2017.

Main cast:

Kurtis Lowe, Andrew Dunn, Sally Dexter, Nicky Evans, Thaila Zucchi, Joanne Mitchell, Seamus O’Neill, Charlie Chuck, Kate Coogan, Mica Proctor, Keith Nahon.

Filming locations:

Yorkshire, England, UK

Running time:

80 minutes

IMDb

The Terror of Hallow’s Eve is a 2017 supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Todd Tucker from a screenplay by Zack Ward (Bethany; Circus Kane; Restoration), based on a story by Ronald L. Halvas and Todd Tucker. The Illusion Industries/Quixotic production stars Caleb Thomas, Sarah Lancaster and Annie Read.

Fifteen-year-old Timmy Stevens is brutally beaten up by high school bullies on Halloween. Yearning for revenge while carving out a pumpkin head, he unknowingly summons up the evil spirit of the hideous scarecrow. And before long Timmy has unleashed a mighty supernatural force offering to grant his dark desires to scare his hated enemies to death…

The film is being shown in London, England, at the Horror Channel FrightFest on 28 August 2017.

Main cast:

Caleb Thomas, Sarah Lancaster, Annie Read, JT Neal, Mcabe Gregg, Niko Papastefanou, Doug Jones, Kent Kasper, Christie Nicole Chaplin, Christian Kane, Brett Stimely, Eric Roberts (Sorority Slaughterhouse; Evil Exhumed; Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs; et al) Reatha Grey, Jade Warner, Jentzen Ramirez, Damaris Diaz, Chelsea Marie Mckenzie, Juliet Landau, Audrey Huynh, Allegra Copeland, Troy Verso, Baylie Hileman, Enrique Tito Contreras, Wyatt McClure, Marissa Caprielian, Peter Jason, Emma Rose Maloney, Todd Tucker, Tom Harrison, Eric R. Evans.

Filming locations:

Burbank, Los Angeles National Forest and Santa Clarita, California, USA

Trivia:

The film’s working titles were The Terror and Terror of Halloween

IMDb

‘It’s time to play’

Dolly Dearest is an American 1991 supernatural horror film written and directed by Maria Lease, based on a story by Rod Nave and Peter Sutcliffe, and produced by Daniel Cady (scripter of Kiss of the Tarantula; Dream No Evil; Garden of the Dead). It stars Denise Crosby, Sam Bottoms and Rip Torn.

An American family moves to Mexico to fabricate dolls, but their toy factory happens to be next to a Sanzian grave and the toys come into possession of an old, malicious spirit…

Reviews:

“This movie can’t decide on what it wants to be, an Omen rip-off or a Child’s Play rip-off so it tries to be both and fails miserably. This is a horror movie that wants to play it straight but forgets that in order to do that you need a good script otherwise it comes across as bad. I’m not talking about so bad its good here… just plain bad.” The Arrow, Joblo

“It goes from creepy parts to boring parts. The story is alright, but there isn’t enough false scares and stuff like that to keep it interesting until the real shit starts going down. It’s basically a drama until a doll decides to kill someone. The acting isn’t terrible besides the little girl, but you expect that from child actors.” John Moser, Awful Horror Movies

“The effects are quite good, and the doll herself looks creepy and the illusion of her coming alive works for me. Not much on the gore front though, expect when a character gets his hand stuck in a sewing Machine. Dolly Dearest also has slick look and could pass for a bigger horror movie, if it was made in the eighties and had even more gore and killer-dolls.” Fred Anderson, Ninja Dixon

” …a truly terrible little Child’s Play ripoff that’s as overtly low-budget as it is eye-scratchingly stupid.” Scott Weinberg, DVD Talk

Hand drawn poster from Ghana

Cast and characters:

• Denise Crosby as Marilyn Wade
• Sam Bottoms as Eliot Wade (Uncle Sam; Up from the Depths)
• Rip Torn as Karl Resnick (RoboCop 3; Scarab; A Stranger is Watching)
• Lupe Ontiveros as Camilla, the housekeeper
• Candace Hutson as Jessica “Jessie” Wade
• Chris Demetral as Jimmy Wade
• Ed Gale as the Dolly double

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Don’t go near the barn’

Dream No Evil is a 1970 horror thriller film written and directed by John Hayes (End of the World; Grave of the Vampire; Garden of the Dead). It stars Edmond O’Brien, Brooke Mills, Marc Lawrence and Michael Pataki.

A young preacher’s assistant goes insane and becomes lost in a murderous fantasy of her own creation…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“The murders are a tad on the bloodless side (again, the infernal PG rating), but there is at least one great death-by-scythe scene. Despite moments of genuine atmosphere (like the scene where O’Brien returns to life), this is just another tame 70’s psychological horror flick.” Mitch, The Video Vacuum

“Dream No Evil is the very definition of random. One minute Grace is in a seedy motel full of passed out octogenarians, in the next she is dressed like Ann of Green Gables dancing an Irish jig while her father plays the accordion. Nothing makes any sense.” Jason McElreath, DVD Drive-In

” …has some voice-over narration that essentially gives away the game at a crucial point in the movie; you’re pretty much in on the truth of the situation before the first murder even occurs. Still, this is not to say that this movie doesn’t use some interesting approaches to telling its story, and there is a real surreal oddity that cuts through many of the scenes to help compensate for the extreme low-budget of the undertaking.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

Main cast:

Edmond O’Brien (Isn’t It Shocking?), Brooke Mills (Night Gallery, segment: ‘The Tune in Dan’s Cafe’), Marc Lawrence (From Dusk Till Dawn; Cataclysm; Pigs), Michael Pataki (Death House; Dead & Buried; Love at First Bite; et al), Paul Prokop, Arthur Franz, Donna Anders, Nadyne Turney, Vicki Schreck, William Guhl, Pearl Shear, Elizabeth Ross, Mary Carver, Jay Scott.

IMDb

‘The legend. Infused.’

Dracula: Reborn is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Patrick McManus (The Mummy Resurrected), making his feature film debut. Loosely based on Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula, the film stars Corey Landis, Victoria Summer and Stuart Rigby.

This film should not be confused with Attila Luca’s Dracula Reborn (2015).

In Los Angeles, California, realtor Jonathan Harker (Corey Landis) proposes the sale of an abandoned building in a gang-dominated neighborhood for $12.5 million to his wealthy client Vladimir Sarkany – who is actually the vampire Count Dracula (Stuart Rigby).

The sale make Jonathan enough money to start a family with his wife, Lina (Victoria Summer). The night that Jonathan visits Dracula at his home to have the property deed signed, he notices a painted picture reminiscent of Lina.

Later, Quincy Morris (Krash Miller) warns him about Dracula, who murdered his girlfriend, Lucy Spencer (Linda Bella)…

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“There isn’t a whole lot of blood and gore, yet at the same time there isn’t much invested into emotion or character development. The use of cinematic close ups with the character of Dracula or Vladimir Sarkany (who incidentally resembles a poor man’s Tom Cruise) is a little bizarre at first yet it tends to grow on you. The sound effects of simultaneous unholy whispers is bone chilling…” Dave Gammon, HorrorNews.net

“Dracula Reborn was never going to knock off socks as a must-see version of the story, although it does possess decent digital FX work and an okay look for this level of production. Aside from giving the locale a facelift, the film is a misfire in terms of revitalizing, much less improving, a 100-year-old tale for modern interests.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

“The British-accented Rigby […] rasps his lines in a Terence Stampish British accent (Stamp was a stage Dracula) and stares into space often, but writer-director Patrick McManus makes the odd choice to overlay his face with marble pallor, blue veins, hollow cheeks and neon eyes in post-production image tampering which just looks cartoony. With few locations, clumsy action, dull soap opera set-up scenes and no sense of Sarkany/Dracula as a growing threat to anyone much, this is one of the less-felt screen Draculas.” The Kim Newman Web Site

“Though most of the effects are CG, they aren’t bad, especially the dead eyes look the vamps get when they fang out. The crooked false chompers of the vamps are a nice touch to make them feel a bit more visceral. That said, out of the million and one retellings of Stoker’s classic, this is one of the more forgettable ones.” Ambush Bug, Ain’t It Cool News

” …the film might have been an average movie but for the wooden acting (more than anything) and the lack of exposition. As it is, it falls below average.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires

Cast and characters:

• Corey Landis as Jonathan Harker (Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre; Camel Spiders; Dinocroc vs. Supergator)
• Victoria Summer as Lina Harker (Dawn of 5 Evils; Terrordactyl; The Zombie Diaries)
• Krash Miller as Quincy Morris (Primal)
• Stuart Rigby as Vladimir Sakarny/Count Dracula (The Mummy Resurrected)
• Ian Pfister as Renfield (Never Alone; The Millennium Bug; Vampire Birth Certificate)
• Keith Reay as Van Helsing
• Preston James Hillier as Detective Holmwood
• Linda Bella as Lucy Spencer
• Amy Johnston as Vampire Lucy
• Charlie Garcia as Detective Varna
• Dani Lennon as Dr. Joan Seward
• Rene Arreola as Bandana Vato
• Haref Topete as Gangbanger
• Patrick F. McCallum as Trigger
• Sharlene Brown as Harker’s Assistant
• Christianna Carmine as Petra Hawkings

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘He’s just a scream away.’

Engine Trouble – aka Junior and Damned Forest – is a 2002 Belgian slasher horror film directed by Marc Ickx from a screenplay co-written with Liam Bradley. It stars Cecilia Bergqvist, Bob Dougherty and Marcel Romeijn.

Originally released in the US on DVD via Lionsgate Pictures as well as on Showtime Cable Television in standard definition, it is now available via SGL Entertainment for the first time in high definition widescreen, with a new edit. Blu-ray, DVD and VOD releases will follow via MVD Entertainment, Allied Vaughn and others.

When Sandra and Rebecca borrow a car for a weekend adventure, the girls decide to go for a car trip to the country for sun, fun and relaxation.

However, when they take a shortcut that lands them smack dab in the middle of nowhere and their car breaks down, an adventure begins that may be the very last one they take.

When a tow truck happens by the stranded car, but what seems like a godsend quickly turns into a nightmare. The “good” people at the gas station act oddly, hiding something that the girls could not have ever imagined…

Reviews:

“The most offensive thing about the movie is that it runs 90+ minutes, despite only having a pair of protagonists (a lesbian couple, one of the movie’s few somewhat novel ideas), an obvious plot you’ve seen in 596 other movies, and (ironically enough) a fairly quick route to the point of the movie where the car breaks down – it’s only like 15 minutes or so into it when someone who has never seen a movie before would recognize that something was amiss.” Brian W. Collins, Horror Movie a Day

“Director/co-writer Mark Ickx doesn’t have any idea how to stage scenes of horror even managing to make a decapitation scene boring and when you pair that with a script that’s muddled at best you’re in for trouble. If they were going for a distinct look for their killer they should have maybe not made him look like they basically rummaged in a trunk and threw together something in a few minutes.” Chris Hartley, The Video Graveyard

Main cast:

Cecilia Bergqvist, Bob Dougherty, Marcel Romeijn, Marlene Simons, Christa De Vries, Corine Boon, Arlette Adriani, Ron Smoorenburg, Karin Van Duuren, Sharon Gosler.

Filming locations:

Kortrijk and Lombardsijde, Belgium

Trivia:

Director Marc Ickx previously composed the soundtrack for Lucker the Necrophagous (1986).

IMDb