Vidar the Vampire – aka VampyrVidar–  is a Norwegian comedy horror film written and directed by Thomas Aske Berg and Fredrik Waldeland. It stars Henrik Rafaelsen, Kim Sønderholm and Thomas Aske Berg.

Vidar Haarr is a thirty-three year-old, sexually frustrated bachelor farmer who leads a Christian, monotonous and strenuous working life on his mother’s farmstead in the Western outskirts of Norway.

In a desperate attempt to break free from routine, Vidar prays to a higher power to grant him a life without boundaries. Unfortunately, his prayers are heard and Vidar wakes up one evening as the Prince of Darkness in sin city, Stavanger…

Vidar the Vampire will premiere at The Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund on August 23rd, 2017 and will screen at both Fantasy Filmfest, Germany and FilmQuest, USA in September, 2017.

IMDb

Mid-July Days – aka 七月半之恐怖宿舍 –  is a 2015 Chinese supernatural horror film directed by Xiao‘ao Du. It stars Xintian Yu, Zimo Zhai and Yuan Ma.

It was released on August 14, 2015 and was followed by a sequel, Mid-July Days 2, released on August 19, 2016.

During mid-July, a the number of beautiful young female students begin to suffer from panic attacks. Then, one by one, they begin to die in bizarre ways…

Wikipedia

‘It’s out there waiting…’

The Howling is a 2017 British horror film written and directed by Steven M. Smith (The Doll Master; Haunted; Tales of the Supernatural: Naked). It stars Jon-Paul Gates, Elizabeth Saint and Tiffany-Ellen Robinson.

The story begins thirty years ago, in a remote English village. Then, many believed the odd tales they had heard of a millionaire scientist and socialite named Rathbone, who often performed ungodly animal experiments, then mysteriously disappeared one day from his mansion house.

However, the village locals’ version of the Rathbone legend took his oddities quite a bit further. They were quite sure that his experimenting included humans, in addition to the local fauna. So no-one was upset or too curious when he went missing, even after rumours that one of his human subjects had got loose, killed him, and escaped.

Now, a group of teenagers, decide to go looking for clues about the lore, or even about the crazed scientist himself. Then one night out in the woods, beyond the village…

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

Jon-Paul Gates (Knights of the Damned; The Doll Master; Decadent Evil II), Elizabeth Saint (Carver; Reaper), Tiffany-Ellen Robinson (The Ripper’s Son; The Dark Field; The Doll Master), Wendy Morgan, Zane Casablanca, Carla Shinall, Steven M. Smith, Tony Fadil, Matthew Fitzthomas Rogers, Hans Hernke, Jeremy Hill, Meriam Kaxuxwena, Maria Austin, Gaz de Vere, Vanessa Hider.

Filming locations:

Ipswich, Suffolk, England, UK

IMDb

‘When there’s no more room in Hell… Hell will rise’

Hellriser is a 2017 British horror film written and directed by Steve Lawson (KillerSaurus; Survival Instinct). The Creativ Studios production stars Steven Dolton, Charlie Bond and Nathan Head.

The film is a sequel to The Haunting of Annie Dyer aka Nocturnal Activity (2014).

When their city is rocked by a series of brutal occult murders, veteran detective John Locke and his young partner Terri Keyes are forced to put aside their differences and follow the trail of evidence to a formerly abandoned asylum, where the new owner Dr. Unnseine is conducting his own brand of Nazi-inspired “medical research” on the unwilling inmates…

One such inmate, the sexy but deadly Annie Dyer, may hold the key to the murders – and to the doorway to Hell itself – if only Locke and Keyes can stay alive long enough to discover what it is…

In the UK, Hellriser is released on DVD by 88 Films on 9 October 2017.

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” …Steve Lawson manages to pepper in intentionally humorous dialogue and moments without breaking the tonal consistency of the film and the result of this is a film that is comfortable with its limitations while maximising those areas that don’t cost money – namely decent writing and great timing.” Midlands Movies

“Raven Lee returns as Dyer and spends the majority of the film either being tortured, in a state of undress getting plenty of ‘lady love’ or wreathing orgasmically on her bed like she has ants in her pants […] Overall Hellriser has loads going for it such as the obligatory blood, boobs, chopped up bodies and plenty of dry ice to give it bags of atmosphere.” The Man with the Plan

Main cast:

Steven Dolton (The Curse of Robert the Doll; Devil’s Tower; Zombie Undead), Charlie Bond (Dead Air; Slumber; Strippers vs Werewolves; et al), Nathan Head (Ouijageist; Theatre of Fear; Virus of the Dead), Raven Lee (The Haunting of Annie Dyer), Andrew Coughlan (Survival Instinct), Evadne Fisher, Georgia Annable, Emmeline Kellie, M.J. Simpson (Toxic Apocalypse; Immune, Mr. Blades), Marcus Langford.

IMDb | Official site

Evil Dead 2 is an American comic book series officially licensed to Space Goat Publications (The Howling: Revenge of the Werewolf Queen). The series began with Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn, then continued with Evil Dead 2: Cradle of the Damned and the Lovecraftian Evil Dead 2: Dark Ones Rising.

Written by Frank Hannah, the Evil Dead 2: Beyond Dead by Dawn story arc picked up where Sam Raimi’s movie left off and features artwork by Barnaby Bagenda, Oscar Bazaldua and Chris Summers. Cover artwork is by Netho Diaz and Anton Kokarev.

“Dead” Annie Knowby is plunged into Hell. Armed with the Kandarian Dagger and the Ex-Mortis, Annie fights off hordes of Deadites (and Ash’s severed hand!) in her quest to save her parents souls! But will the book and the dagger be enough?

The first volume was collected in a trade paperback in 2016 and has since been re-issued as a 30th anniversary edition.

Space Goat Publications has also unleashed variant mash-up Evil Dead comic books: Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Dracula; Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Hitler; Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Evil Ed; Evil Dead 2: Revenge of the Martians; Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Jack the Ripper and Evil Dead 2: Tales of the Ex-Mortis.

“Dracula, the Prince of Darkness becomes the Prince of the Evil Dead Universe when his undead path crosses with Ash. When the stolen Ex-Mortis is used to revive Dracula, Ash must be the wooden stake that sends him back to the grave. But when Drac reveals the Ex-Mortis has also revived an even greater monster, Ash and the vampire must team up to stop it with the help of the Kandarian dagger.”

“Deadites in the desert! Highways to hell! Buses turned into killing machines! Ash wins a free trip to Las Vegas, but it turns out to be a trap when his bus gets attacked by Evil Ed and some of history’s worst dudes as henchman.”

“Everybody’s favorite badass is back. Oh, and Hitler too. The Evil Dead 2 Universe expands with the first in a series of “Revenge” one-shots. Adolf Hitler had the Book of the Dead tattooed onto his body so that he could live forever, except it didn’t quite work out that way. After he died in Berlin in 1945, it took someone to actually read the tattoo to reanimate him. Now he’s back in the present day, and the Hellish Powers are forced to recruit Ash to put an end to his reign of terror before history repeats with a new undead army.”

“Who was the real Jack the Ripper? Ash gets a bit part on a B-movie asking this very question. The answer comes when the obsessed Ripper -fanatic screenwriter gets his hands on the Ex-Mortis. Georgia Ball brings to terrifying un-life one of the greatest mysteries and murderers in Evil Dead 2: Revenge of Jack the Ripper! Good thing Ash is around to bring down the evil haunting the film set—that is, if he doesn’t get lost in the London smog himself!”

“First the Evil Dead came for Hitler, then Dracula, and now they’re after H.G. Wells’ infamous Martians in this destined-to-be-classic mash-up of Ash and War Of The Worlds! The Evil Dead 2 Universe continues to expand with this all-new “Revenge Of” title by Ty Templeton (best known for his work on Batman ’66). In a world where War Of The Worlds actually happened and Ash is now an Uber driver, he gets in over his head when a Deadite invasion revives the long-dormant Martians. Kick some Martian, Ash!”

“Evil Dead 2: Tales of the Ex-Mortis: Four separate stories, “Soul Power” by Justin Peniston and Enza Fontana; “Camp Deserted” by Georgia Ball and Eduardo Garcia; “The Lottery” by regular Evil Dead 2 writer Frank Hannah and Gabriel Rearte;  “Deadite Man Walking” by Ivan Cohen and Pericles “PJ” Junior. All tie into the Evil Dead 2 Universe and expand what we know about Deadites, Kandarians, and the Ex-Mortis.”

Related: Comics from Hell: The Horror Films That Spawned Comics – article

‘Fear the Second Coming.’

Seed of Chucky is a 2004 American supernatural comedy slasher horror film written and directed by Don Mancini (making his directorial debut), who created the series and has written all of the films. It is the fifth installment of the Child’s Play series, and sequel to 1998’s Bride of Chucky.

The film, shot in Romania, continues the series’ evolution from the pure horror genre of the first movie to a hybrid horror-comedy. It was the last Child’s Play film to be released in theaters and stars Jennifer Tilly, Redman and Hannah Spearritt. Italian composer Pino Donaggio provided the score.

Glen, the kind and benevolent son of Chucky and Tiffany, has a nightmare in which he murders a little girl’s parents. In reality, he is living a life of embarrassment and abuse as a ventriloquist’s dummy. After being forced to perform and locked inside a cage, Glen sees Chucky and Tiffany on TV and realizes that he is their son.

Desperate to know his parents, Glen tracks Chucky and Tiffany down to Hollywood, where they are first shown killing a man who is dressed as Santa Claus for a movie.

Jason Flemyng as Santa is killed off

Glen manages to escape his abusive owner, hitch a ride on a truck, and mail himself in a box to California. He wakes up in the prop room of Jennifer Tilly’s horror film, which includes the Chucky and Tiffany dolls. Glen uses the same voodoo amulet seen in previous films to bring them back to life…

Buy Blu-ray collection: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“With its wealth of sly digs at Hollywood (Jennifer Tilly gives a hilarious, self-mocking performance and deserves kudos for it), its display of the most fun dysfunctional family to consist of animated child’s dolls and it’s liberal sprinkling of gore, Seed of Chucky takes the ideas alluded to in Bride… and simply follows them to their natural end.” Kevin Matthews, Flickfeast

“If you’re thinking of Seed of Chucky as a horror movie, you can forget about it. It’s not scary. If you do not by now find Chucky and the other killer dolls tiresome, I do (this is their fifth movie). If you like the way Jennifer Tilly has fun with her image (and, in what can only be called selfless generosity, with Gina Gershon’s image), Seed of Chucky is a movie to be seen on television.” Roger Ebert

“The horror is bland, the characterization is lame, the performances are phoned in especially by Jennifer Tilly who spoofs herself… oddly, and the film’s idea of comedy is having two dolls karate fight, which I’m still uncertain if it was played for comedy or not. Safely speaking, it’s a very bad film that won’t save a franchise that’s already DOA.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

“Don Mancini pumps Seed of Chucky up into an outrageous work that quite takes one aback. He plays up the black comedy angle from Bride of Chucky by a factor of ten and delves into an arena that frequently verges on outrageously bad taste. Moreover, his one other ingenious idea is to set Seed of Chucky during the making of a Child’s Play sequel, casting Jennifer Tilly as herself and allowing some rather funny gags at both the meta-film and Tilly’s career.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Cast and characters:

• Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky (Chucky series; Malignant; Spontaneous Combustion)
• Jennifer Tilly as herself / voice of Tiffany (Bride of Chucky)
• Billy Boyd as the voice of Glen/Glenda
• Redman as Himself
• Hannah Spearritt as Joan
• John Waters as Pete Peters (Suburban Gothic)
• Jason Flemyng as himself / Santa (Eat Local; Forbidden Empire; The Bunker; From Hell)
• Steve Lawton as Stan
• Tony Gardner as himself
• Martha Stewart (uncredited, archive footage) as herself
• Rebecca Santos as Fulvia
• Keith-Lee Castle as Bill “Psychs” Sykes
• Paul Grossman as Little Boy
• Simon James Morgan as Richard
• Stephanie Chambers as Claudia’s mom
• Betty Simons-Denville as Claudia
• Debbie Lee Carrington as herself (DVD deleted scenes, uncredited)

Filming locations:

Almost entirely on the Castel soundstages in Romania

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘The student body is going home in a bag’

Seven Dorms of Death is a 2015 American horror film directed by Richard Griffin (Flesh for the Inferno; Murder University; Frankenstein’s Hungry Dead; et al) from a screenplay by Michael Varrati (Tales of Poe; The Sins of Dracula; 60 Seconds to Die) and Matthew Jason Walsh. It stars Jesse Dufault, Hannah Heckman-McKenna and Michael Varrati.

A cursed stage play that is about to be performed at a New England college. Unfortunately for the director, the young cast, and anyone else unlucky enough to be involved with the production, someone has deadly plans for the play!

Reviews:

“Taken all together, this is a beautifully hot mess, that any fan of the genre will watch with glee in the same way one would watch an April Fool’s version of The Simpsons or Family Guy (also taking place in Rhode Island!), where the references are more visual than just

verbal connections.” Richard Gary, Indie Horror Films

Seven Dorms of Death is an eighty-nine minute delight. It that will appeal to those of us who grew up with an unquenchable thirst for low-budget opuses […] Griffin, as always, finds the right note to create his special blend of admiration filled genre spoof instantly…” Andrew Buckner, A Word of Dreams

“It’s impossible to convey the surreal nature of the experience of watching this production. Griffin has really outdone himself this time, breaking just about all of the conventions of filmmaking to inspire an hour and a half of continuous laughter, defying audience expectations in ways that a less daring director would not risk.” Michael Bilow, Motif magazine

“The story for this one is one we have seen so many times before.  In fact, it reminded me a lot of the college slasher Murder University from Griffin. Griffin takes the “who-done-it” angle that is typical for slashers and S.O.V. flicks and made it fun. The film never discloses the killer and dances around who it is making it funny for the viewer to witness while turning every cliche inside out.” Blacktooth, Horror Society

“I enjoyed the obvious homage to Lovecraft, but it’s not every day you get to see The Beyond aka Seven Doors of Death parodied. I think I even saw a nod to Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man at the end. And I’m pretty sure the twist regarding the killer’s identity is one that’s never been done before, which is quite an accomplishment.” Erin Lashley, Seven Doors of Cinema

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

IMDb

‘Turn the page to terror’

Bloodsucker’s Handbook is a 2012 American surrealist horror film written, produced, edited and directed by Mark Beal. Originally titled Enchiridion, the film, some of which is animated, was re-shot, re-edited and the title was changed. It stars Cory W. Ahre, Jeremy Herrera and Jessica Bell.

A priest is recruited by federal marshals to help deal with a vampire they’ve taken into custody. Then things get weird…

Reviews:

It starts out only slightly odd and slowly draws the audience into its increasingly surreal world. Good performances by the leads, most especially Jeremy Herrara as the vampire Condu, help keep the viewers engaged and anchored amidst the madness. It may be a little rough around the edges, but that only adds to its quirky charm.” Paul Cardullo, Gruesome magazine

“It looks awful, there’s little to no acting and the dialog reads like the transcript of a Sunday morning hangover after a too-many-cheap-burritos-and-tequila bender. Yet, all that said, I like it. Somehow despite the low quality Beal has shaped surrealistic tackiness into a thrilling dark horror film experience, probably most prudently undertaken with some absinthe on hand.” Bradley Gibson, Film Threat

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“Some of the bright spots include pretentious performance art, an old man licking a toad, a pterodactyl on the dance floor, a primate bookkeeper, and of course, the dog detective we all love. The atmosphere is weird and unpredictable, the stop motion is bizarre but awesome, and this is just one of those movies you need to see to believe.” marcfusion.com

“Straight faced surrealism that mixes the look and feel of an off beat, low budget late noir film (it’s set in 1966) with a vampire movie and a priest’s crisis of faith story […] There’s a very good, very restrained jazz score that matches the equally restrained acting and visual style, all of which somehow keeps one from thinking how absurd the whole thing is. A bit like a David Lynch film, especially Eraserhead, but with a cooler sensibility.” Larcher-2, IMDb

IMDb

Image credits: Gruesome magazine

Daniel James Licht (March 13, 1957 – August 2, 2017) was an American soundtrack composer and musician, best known for writing the score of Showtime TV series Dexter.

Daniel Licht grew up in Detroit and started playing music at the age of eight with his first instrument being the clarinet. He began his musical career while still in high school playing guitar with a small jazz ensemble.

He attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts then moved to New York City and established himself as a musical artist. He would often travel to Germany, the Netherlands and Northern Europe to perform and compose music for theatre and dance companies.

Licht then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career in film scoring. His first major project was the 1991 feature film Children of the Night. He was spotted by macabre director Clive Barker, and would compose for many more horror films, such as: Amityville: It’s About Time (1992); Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992); Ticks (1993); Amityville: A New Generation (1993); Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995); Thinner (1996); Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996); Bad Moon (1996); Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! (1998); Disney’s Halloween movie Don’t Look Under The Bed (1999); Cabin by the Lake (2000); Soul Survivors (2001); and Ghostmates (2016).

Licht scored all seasons of Dexter, which he considered to be one of his “more visible projects”, but was reluctant to refer to it as his best work. From 2012 to 2015 he was the main composer of the Silent Hill: Downpour and Silent Hill: Book of Memories video games.

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Will you survive?’

Escape Room is a 2017 horror thriller co-produced and directed by Will Wernick from a screenplay co-written with Noah A.D. It stars Evan Williams, Annabelle Stephenson and Elisabeth Hower.

For Tyler’s 30th birthday, his girlfriend Christen gets him an unusual gift: admission to a mysterious escape room event.

As they enter with four friends, they find themselves trapped in bizarre rooms where they must solve tricky puzzles in order to advance. However, Christen has disappeared, and Tyler is shocked to see her on a video monitor, naked and trapped in a cage while the seconds count down.

When the cruel game begins to turn deadly, he realizes they may not all escape with their lives…

In the US, Lionsgate release Escape Room on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand October 17, 2017. The DVD will include a director’s commentary, deleted scenes, and bloopers.

Main cast:

Evan Williams, Annabelle Stephenson, Elisabeth Hower, Dan J. Johnson, John Ierardi, Kelly Delson, Iris Avalee, Darrel Cherney, Cathy Diane Tomlin, Cali Fredrichs, Lance Caraway, David Hill.

IMDb

Source: Bloody Disgusting

Phobia is a 2017 British/Italian horror anthology film produced by Tony Newton (Grindsploitation: The Movie; Virus of the Dead) for Vestra Pictures and Domiziano Cristopharo (Red Krokodil; Sacrifice) for Enchanted Architect.

The film delves into the horrors of an individual phobia via each segment. The featured directors and phobias are:

Michael J. Epstein (USA) – Somniphobia: Fear of sleep

Domiziano Cristopharo (Italy) – Mageirocophobia: Fear of cooking

Poison Rouge (Italy) – Misophobia: Fear of bacteria

Chris Milewski (USA) – Pharmacophobia: Fear of taking medicine

Sam Mason Bell (UK) – Oneirophobia: Fear of dreams

Alessandro Giordani (Italy) – Astrophobia: Fear of stars or celestial space

Jason Impey (UK) – Achluophobia: Fear of darkness

Alessandro Redaelli (Italy) – Parthenophobia: Fear of virgins or young girls

Sunny King (Nigeria) – Nychtohobia: Fear of night

Rob Ulitski (UK) – Gerascophobia – Fear of growing old

Lorenzo Zanonin and Alessandro Sisti (Italy) – Caetophobia: Fear of hairs

Davide Pesca (Italy) – Hemophobia: Fear of blood

Jackson Batchelor (UK) – Politicophobia: Fear of Politics

Dustin Ferguson (USA) – Mazeophobia: Fear of being lost

IMDb

Source: Screen Anarchy

Hellraiser: Bloodline – aka Hellraiser IV: Bloodline – is a 1996 American science-fiction horror film directed by Kevin Yagher and Joe Chappelle [as Alan Smithee] from a screenplay by Peter Atkins. It stars Doug Bradley, Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, and Kim Myers. The soundtrack score was composed by Daniel Licht.

The film had a troubled history, and director Kevin Yagher left the production after backers Miramax demanded new scenes be shot. It was subsequently completed by Joe Chappelle. The new scenes and re-shoots changed several characters’ relationships, gave the film a happy ending, introduced Pinhead earlier, and cut 25 minutes.

In 2127, Dr. Paul Merchant, an engineer, seals himself in a room aboard The Minos, a space station that he designed. Merchant manipulates a robot into solving the Lament Configuration, as he is apprehended and agrees to explain his motivations.

Paris, France, 1796. Dr. Merchant’s ancestor, Phillip LeMarchand, a French toymaker, makes the Lament Configuration on commission for libertine aristocrat Duc de L’Isle. Unbeknownst to LeMarchand, L’Isle’s specifications for the box make it a portal to Hell.

In 1996, LeMarchand’s descendant, John Merchant, has built a skyscraper in Manhattan that resembles the Lament Configuration. Angelique travels to America. Discovering the Lament Configuration in the building’s foundation, Angelique tricks a security guard into solving it, which summons Pinhead…

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“From here, the series takes a very different turn, for better or worse, not that this is all that faithful in tone to the first two films. There is plenty of gore, courtesy of Kevin Yagher, a scene directed by Barker, chilling Pinhead dialogue and a host of other reasons why this should be one of your favorite films in the series.” David J. Sharp, Beneath the Underground

“I commend franchise writer Peter Atkins (who is also responsible for the Wishmaster franchise) for trying to close out the series with an ambitious story. Unfortunately he’s trying to squeeze at least two movies into one here, and the result is unconvincing narrative and flat acting work. The only thing Bloodline does well is its vast amount of gore.” Nix, Beyond Hollywood

“Despite being a theater release, the movie has a bit of a cheap look to it. What could have been a dark and brooding space station (like in Alien) turns into a cheap set with only a few halls. The period piece portion of the movie has a similar feel, and the 1996 portion is the most textured of the realities even though it too is a pretty bland set.” JP Roscoe, Basement Rejects

” …the picture from a visual perspective teetering on the look expected of a low-end direct-to-video production, not a low-budget theatrical release. Still, the plot is strong enough to overcome, and while Bloodline is no match for superior horror pictures from this or other top-ten series, it’s a welcome addition to the Hellraiser universe.” Martin Liebman, Blu-ray.com

“Bloodline is filled with so many inconsistencies and flat pieces of horror and suspense that by the time the director has provided a ridiculous unnecessary ode to Star Wars (this time it’s a cube exploding in space, not a globe, get it?), I’ve already forgotten most of the film and still haven’t decided on what the purpose of this new film was. I know… In space! I’m still not sure why we needed an origin of the puzzle box anyway.” Felix Vasquez, Cinema Crazed

“Doug Bradley’s performance is excellent, as always, and he actually gets most of the better lines in the film. The sequences of blood and grue are also spectacular, but that is to be expected with an effects wizard like Yagher at the helm (he is best known for perfecting the Freddy Krueger makeup in the Nightmare on Elm Street series). In this way, the film really satisfies the gorehound in me, but I can’t help but think the story was a bit compromised as a result.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

Choice dialogue:

Pinhead: “Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you, gentleman. I am pain!”

Pinhead: “Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks!?”

Pinhead: “I am so exquisitely empty.”

Cast and characters:

• Doug Bradley as Pinhead
• Bruce Ramsay as Philippe “Toymaker” Lemarchand / John Merchant / Doctor Paul Merchant
• Valentina Vargas as Peasant Girl / Angelique / Angelique-Cenobite
• Kim Myers as Bobbi Merchant 
• Adam Scott as Jacques, de L’Isle’s assistant
• Christine Harnos as Rimmer
• Charlotte Chatton as Genevieve Lemarchand. 
• Mickey Cottrell as Duc de L’Isle
• Jody St. Michael as Chatterer Beast, a Cenobite 
• Courtland Mead as Jack Merchant

Wikipedia | IMDb

Haruo Nakajima (中島 春雄 Nakajima Haruo) (January 1, 1929 – August 7, 2017) was a Japanese actor, best known for portraying Godzilla in twelve consecutive films, from Godzilla (1954) to Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972).

Nakajima was born in Yamagata, Japan. He was considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the franchise. At the time, Toho’s visual effects director, Eiji Tsuburaya considered him completely invaluable, and he was employed to essay the roles of most of the kaiju (Japanese monsters) during his career as a suit actor.

After twenty-four years, Nakajima retired from suit acting, when the studio cycled him out of their contract actor system, having been split into several subsidiaries in 1970.

He stayed employed by Toho for several years, and was transferred to a job at their bowling alley, located on the studio lot.

Selected filmography:

• 1954 – Godzilla (Godzilla, Newspaper Writer)
• 1954 – Tomei Ningen (Invisible Man)
• 1955 – Godzilla Raids Again (Godzilla)
• 1956 – Rodan (Rodan, Meganulon, JSDF Officer)
• 1957 – The Mysterians (Mogera, JDSF Officer)
• 1958 – Varan the Unbelievable (Varan)
• 1958 – The H-Man (The H-Man, Fishing Boat Crew)
• 1960 – Secret of the Telegian
• 1960 – The Human Vapor
• 1961 – Mothra (larval Mothra)
• 1962 – King Kong vs. Godzilla (Godzilla)
• 1963 – Matango (Matango)
  1963 – Atragon
  1964 – Mothra vs. Godzilla (Godzilla)
  1964 – Dogora, the Space Monster
  1964 – Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (Godzilla)
  1965 – Frankenstein vs. Baragon (Baragon)
  1965 – Invasion of the Astro-Monster (Godzilla)
  1966 – The War of the Gargantuas (Gaira)
  1966 – Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (Godzilla)
  1967 – Son of Godzilla (Godzilla; water scenes only)
  1967 – King Kong Escapes (King Kong)
  1968 – Destroy All Monsters (Godzilla, Baragon, Military Adviser)
  1969 – Latitude Zero (Gryphon, Manbat, Giant Rat, Lion)
  1969 – All Monsters Attack (Godzilla)
  1970 – Space Amoeba (Gezora, Ganime)
  1971 – Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla)
  1972 – Godzilla vs. Gigan (Godzilla, Comic Book Publisher, Defense Forces Officer)

Wikipedia | IMDb

Extremity is an upcoming 2018 Canadian horror film directed by Anthony DiBlasi (Most Likely to Die; Last Shift; Cassadaga) from a screenplay by producer David Bond (Boogeyman: Reincarnation; The Profane Exhibit) and Scott Swan (Maskhead; Masters of Horror). The Dark Elegy Films production stars Dana Christina, Chad Rook and J. LaRose.

Allison, a young woman with a severely troubled past signs up for an extreme haunt called Perdition. She believes that putting herself through Perdition’s nightmarish trials will help her exorcise her internal traumas, but has no way of knowing just how shocking her ordeal will be-or what dark secrets buried in her psyche will emerge…

Main cast:

Dana Christina, Chad Rook (Death Cab; iZombie; Sleepover Nightmare), J. LaRose (Sky Sharks; Big Top Evil; Abattoir; et al), Cam Damage, Angelique Berry, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Chantal Perron, Ashley Smith, Tiggy Heitzler, September D’Angelo, Kelsey Andries, Paul Braaten, Ami Tomite, Jen Znack, Scott Swan.

IMDb

‘Play time is over’

Haunted Maze is a 2017 horror film written, produced and directed by Susan Engel (A Twisted Tale). It stars David Mingrino, John Beasley and Delaney Driscoll.

Clancy and his carnival of misfits, roll into a sleepy mid-West town for their annual Halloween festival. Some are looking for a good time. Clancy has something else on his mind…

IMDb

House of the Disappeared – aka 시간위의 집; Si-gan-wi-ui jib – is a 2017 South Korean horror film directed by Dae-wung Lim [as Lim Dae-Woong] from a screenplay by Jae-hyun Jang. The film is a remake of Alejandro Hidalgo’s Venezuelan hit The House at the End of Time (2013). It stars Kim Yunjin, Ok TaecYoon and Jo Jae-yun.

Falsely arrested for murdering her husband, a woman returns to the house where the incident occurred after twenty-five years of imprisonment to solve the mystery surrounding her husband’s death and son’s disappearance…

Reviews:

“Featuring a genuinely surprising twist that, unless you’re familiar with the film it is based on, seems to come out of nowhere, House of the Disappeared plays by its own rules from top to bottom. Small details in the first act end up becoming important details in the finale.” Blair Hoyle, Cinema Slasher

“The House that Disappeared is an intense horror mystery thriller with a complicated plot delicately handled by the production team. the violent acts are few but the threat is prevalent throughout the film. the actors do not make a wrong step in an emotional piece that I can recommend.” Norman McGlashan, Flick Hunter

“As with the original, the loose ends are eventually tied. Not all audiences will ‘get’ that – which is also okay, because the film feels like it may mean to do that. The confusion assists the horror aspect of the plot. The twists themselves are well executed, as is the acting.” Daria Gamliel, Cinetalk

“Viewers who’ve seen the relatively recent original film might find this slightly slow-paced as it has to sell quite complicated concepts while posing as a familiar paranormal drama – with shock apparitions, lots of interior gloom, jump scares and the like.” The Kim Newman Web Site

“Disappeared is one of the few remakes that seems to offer the story a more suitable home. The Catholicism is still there, but the added elements of feng shui and shamanism give it more texture and depth. Highly recommended, especially if you haven’t seen the Venezuelan original…” Joe Bendel, J.B. Spins

“Aside from being well-built, it’s got a few pretty decent scares as well. It’s not closed to all jump scares, but the filmmakers know when is okay to give the puzzle-oriented stuff a bit of a kick. There’s a fun sort of inversion going on at times, as the people who supposedly know about the paranormal occasionally get more freaked out than Mi-hee, and a very good slow build of Chul-joong’s alcoholism and anger as a threat…” Jay Seaver, eFilm Critic

Cast and characters:

• Kim Yun-jin as Kang Mi-hee
• Ok Taec-yeon as Priest Choi
• Jo Jae-yoon as Chul-joong
• Park Jun-myeon
• Lee Han-wi
• Baek Do-bin
• Park Sang-hoon
• Yoo In-young [cameo]
• Park Won-ho
• Go Woo-rim
• Ryu Won

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘All hail Cthulhu!’

Arkham Sanitarium: Soul Eater is a 2014 American found footage horror film written and directed by Julian Grant (The Defiled; short: Haunted). The Sector 5 Films production stars Shannon Brown, Rinska Carrasco and Marc Edwards.

Arkham Sanitarium was vacant for years after members of a sex and death cult were arrested for committing heinous acts on patients. Today, three paranormal investigators are trapped and battling malevolent forces as they grapple with the very creatures created by H.P. Lovecraft…

Reviews:

“One of those precious few found footage movies that have come out in recent years that actually adds something new to the genre: Very dark and very twisted humour (including healthy doses of sarcasm). That’s not to say that Arkham Sanitarium: Soul Eater isn’t properly scary, at times fittingly grotesque in all the right places…” Mike Haberfelner, Search My Trash

” …there are a few modest thrills to be found in the last half hour as the characters actually do get confronted with a Lovecraftian beastie amidst the usual menagerie of female ghosts, bald torturers, and general screaming for 72 minutes. There’s also a squishy twist ending, too.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

“The Lovecraft name and use of his mythos give fans of the writer a little something to chew on – but they’re small morsels, at best. For the most part, it’s business as usual – billed as a horror comedy, there’s more humour than you might expect, but nothing revelatory – lots of running around in the dark, screaming at mostly unseen terrors and demonic possessions.” Joel Harley, Starburst

“There are moments of genuine tension and creepiness, but also scenes that largely miss the mark. The climactic scene with the Lovecraft Cult is one such moment of failing to be as scary as intended. This is a found footage style film, and more or less handles the question of “why are they still filming”, not always with perfect success.” Jeremy Biltz, DVD Talk

Main cast:

Shannon Brown, Rinska Carrasco, Marc Edwards, Ron Fitzgerald, Jim Sorfleet, Shayla Sullivan, Patricia Urbonas Clark, Cameron Lawless.

Filming locations:

Shot over five days in Gary, Indiana, USA

IMDb | Facebook

Blood Fest is a 2018 American horror film written and directed by Owen Egerton (director of Follow; writer of The Axe Murders of Villisca). The Rooster Teeth Productions film stars Seychelle Gabriel, Jacob Batalon and Tate Donovan.

Fans flock to a festival celebrating the most iconic horror movies, only to discover that the charismatic showman behind the event has a diabolical agenda.

As festival attendees start dying off, three teenagers – more schooled in horror-film cliches than practical knowledge about neutralizing psycho killers – must band together and battle through various madmen and monstrosities to survive…

Main cast:

Seychelle Gabriel, Jacob Batalon (North Woods), Tate Donovan (Godzilla: The Series; Tales from the Crypt TV series), Robbie Kay (Sleepy Hollow TV series; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; Hannibal Rising), Nicholas Rutherford (Pacific Heights), Barbara Dunkelman, Chris Doubek (short: The Horrible Life of Dr. Ghoul).

IMDb

Hell No is a 2013 American comedy horror short film directed by Joe Nicolosi from a screenplay co-written with John Freiler and produced by Stephanie Noone. It stars Alex Dobrenko, Ashley Spillers and Jessie Tilton.

Imagine a realm where the most horrifying terrors of the underworld emerge to wreak bloody vengeance upon any who… hmm? What’s that? You wanna go literally anywhere else? Yeah, good idea let’s get out of here…

Reviews:

“Spoofing several classic horror movies and sub-genres, Hell No plays like a string of trailers with a witty voiceover and clever use of fake review quotes (“You will believe your eyes!”) […] It’s a funny idea, done very well.” Gore Blimey Blog

IMDb

Please feel free to comment about Hell No below…

‘If you raise the dead prepare to join them’

The Unliving is a 2004 American erotic horror film written and directed by Fred Olen Ray (Scalps; Evil Toons; Super Shark). It was originally released in a ‘softer’ version as Tomb of the Werewolf. It stars Paul Naschy, Jay Richardson and Michelle Bauer.

A TV crew makes its way to Castle Daninsky in search of a story. The castle is rumoured to possess a secret treasure hidden within its walls, but ultimately death is all they find as the eternal Countess Elizabeth Bathory (Michelle Bauer) seeks to sacrifice them in order to please the Lord of Darkness, bathe in their blood, and revive Daninsky (Paul Naschy) from his tomb…

Buy uncut DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Commentary by Fred Olen Ray and David DeCoteau | ‘A Werewolf in Hollywood” Behind the Scenes documentary | original trailers | stills gallery | Presented in 1.66 anamorphic widescreen

Reviews:

“That Naschy appears in The Unliving at all is reason enough for his fans to watch, although they should temper their expectations that this Daninsky outing feels like it tonally belongs with the others; it does not. As anyone familiar with the Olen Ray oeuvre knows, pure horror is not his thing; intentionally campy homages to pure horror are.” Rod Lott, Flick Attack

“I’m not saying it’s a bad movie, it delivers what it’s set out to deliver: boobs. But for us who really doesn’t care about boobs it’s Naschy that leads the dance. He’s old and somewhat frail, but makes the best of it even if the wigs are shoddy and the dialogue stiff. Too much sex, not enough gore, too little Naschy is my judgement.” Fred Anderson, Schmollywood Babylon

“Naschy himself does a commendable job and his audio, for once, isn’t dubbed over. He doesn’t say much and it’s in a thick Spanish accent, but they chose to keep his original voice.While it may be among the worst Naschy werewolf movies it’s an obligatory view for anyone who is a fan of the series.” The Gravedigger, Buried.com

“Tomb of the Werewolf is about breasts. Naked female breasts. It is not about a Tomb or a Werewolf. There is a wolf man running around but he’s just filler until the next breast scene.” Dr. Gore’s Movie Reviews

Main cast:

Paul Naschy, Jay Richardson, Michelle Bauer, Stephanie Bentley, Danielle Petty, Jacy Andrews, Beverly Lynne, Leland Jay, Frankie Cullen, Don Scribner, Brian Carrillo, Evan Stone, Monique Alexander, Randy Carter, Katy Adams.

IMDb