‘Heather takes a babysitting job surrounded by a mysterious secret’

Mother Krampus – aka 12 Deaths of Christmas – is a 2017 British horror film directed by James Klass (The House on Elm Lake) from a screenplay by co-producer Scott Jeffrey (The Legend of Mandy the Doll; Unhinged; Fox Trap). The Proportion Productions film stars Claire-Maria Fox, Faye Goodwin and Tony Manders.

Based on the myth of Frau Perchta, a witch that comes on the 12 days of Christmas taking children each night…

Main cast:

Claire-Maria Fox, Faye Goodwin, Tony Manders, Michelle Archer, Tara MacGowran, Dottie James, Oliver Ebsworth, Sian Crisp, Amy Burrows, Becca Hirani, Tim Freeman, Oliver John Lee, Penelope Read, Emily McQueen, Henry W. Smith.

IMDb

‘Devotion is eternal’

Apostle of Dracula – aka Dracula 0.9 – is a 2012 supernatural Spanish horror film directed by Emilio Schargorodsky from a screenplay co-written with Javier Caffarena and Jose Luis Matoso. It stars Javier Caffarena (as Dracula), Antonio Del Río, Francisco Del Río.

Lucy (Nathalie Le Gosles), a beautiful young woman holds a passionate and bloody affair with Dracula (Javier Caffarena). Van Helsing (Paul Lapidus) an occult expert tries to save Lucy from the clutches of the vampire. Many years later, after nine eclipses…

Lucy recovers from a strange amnesia and begins to realize her true identity remembering everything that happened to her and how she was turned into a creature thirsty of blood. Will Van Helsing be able to rescue her or will Lucys dark dream of living eternally with Dracula become true?

In the US, the film was released on DVD on August 8, 2017, by Wild Eye Releasing.

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

Main cast:

Javier Caffarena, Antonio Del Río, Francisco Del Río, Paul Lapidus, Nathalie Legosles, Jose Luis Matoso, Virginia Palomino.

IMDb | Facebook

‘They were perfectly trained for one task….manslaughter!’

Rottweiler: The Dogs of Hell, also known as Rottweiler and Dogs of Hell is a 1982 American horror/thriller film directed by Worth Keeter III starring Earl Owensby, Bill Gribble and Robert Bloodworth. The film was made and released as a 3-D film, with effects by Chris Condon.

The US military has bred and trained rottweilers, which have now escaped. And they are heading for a peaceful community. What they did not count on, was the local sheriff…

Reviews:

“It could have maybe done with one less side plot and a bit more on screen carnage, but there are a lot of deaths and a fair dose of the red stuff even if it’s just lazily sloshed around. Being originally made to cash in on the 80’s 3D boom, this is full of guns, hands and darts being poked and thrown at the screen too, which adds to the cheesy charm of it all.” David Brook, Blueprint: Review

A classic killer dog film worth watching. The movie does have some flaws and slow spots, but overall it’s cool and enjoyable! […] some good attack scenes, a decent amount of blood (though I expected more since a rottweiler is a big animal), and a plausible enough storyline.” The Undertaker, Buried.com

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

Lenny Lipton from StereoGraphics recalls his work on the 3D

Filming locations:

North Carolina and Georgia, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb

Image credits: Temple of Schlock

Please help us cover our web-hosting costs by buying from our affiliate links. Thank you.

Social media: Tumblr | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

‘Only outsiders fit in.’

Midnight, Texas is a 2017 American supernatural NBC television series based on the book series of the same name by author Charlaine Harris who also wrote The Southern Vampire Mysteries, the novels which were adapted into the True Blood television series. It stars François Arnaud, Dylan Bruce and Parisa Fitz-Henley.

Reviews:

“Even a show like the underrated Supernatural has found ways to tweak the formula in ways that Midnight, Texas feels afraid to do. It doesn’t help that Arnaud isn’t an engaging lead, but it’s more a world creation problem here in that none of this has enough personality. It’s a show about vampires, shapeshifters, assassins, and mediums that still finds a way to be boring. That’s almost an accomplishment.” Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“Little touches of character-driven darkness toward the end of the five episodes I watched maybe hinted at better things ahead for the show. I just don’t see the pieces in place at the center of the cast or in the creative aspirations for Midnight, Texas to be anything more than a PG-rated version of what ought to be a decadent and overblown summer guilty pleasure.” Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter

“Although the show’s NBC home greatly limits how far the show can go with sex, violence and the like, Midnight, Texas does squeeze in enough intrigue to keep viewers eager for more. In particular, Fitz-Henley — who viewers may remember as Luke Cage’s deceased wife Reva from Jessica Jones and Luke Cage — brings a bubbly sense of energy and righteous indignation to the forefront…” Robert Yaniz Jr., Screen Rant

Cast and characters:

• François Arnaud as Manfred Bernardo, a psychic who moves to Midnight trying to outrun trouble that is following him
• Dylan Bruce as Bobo Winthrop, a pawn shop owner
• Parisa Fitz-Henley as Fiji Cavanaugh, a witch
• Arielle Kebbel as Olivia, a freelance assassin with as many secrets as guns
• Jason Lewis as Joe Strong, a fallen angel who can sense that darkness is heading towards Midnight
• Sarah Ramos as Creek, a decidedly mortal waitress
• Peter Mensah as Lemuel, a vampire with a dark past who first came to Midnight in the 1950s and never left
• Yul Vazquez as Reverand Emilio Sheehan, a weretiger
• Sean Bridgers as the Sheriff from the nearby town of Davey, who meets an unfortunate end

Episodes:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘The hills have eyes’

The Haunting of Woodland Hills – aka Vacant House – is a 2014 American thriller film with horrific elements directed by Jeremy Casper from a screenplay co-written with Cris Cunningham, who stars alongside Dee Ann Newkirk and T.J. Maxwell.

A fugitive, an empty house, a rotting corpse. The journey begins. Cameron Matthews (Cris Cunningham), a petty criminal and fugitive from the law, hides from police by taking shelter in an old dilapidated house in the middle of the city. There he discovers the rotting corpse of Bart Giordano, the owner of the house, whose death has gone unnoticed by friends and family for years.

Though separated by death, the two men form an unlikely spiritual connection and help each other rebuild broken relationships in their personal lives…

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

Reviews:

” …it’s a drama through and through with, dare I say, a Christian theme to it. Forgiveness is central to the picture, enveloped by a storyline that leans heavily on building bridges and the importance of family, not to mention the absence of blood or bad language.” Dave Wain, The Schlock Pit

“We hear a lot of Cameron’s thought process throughout the feature. It has a skeleton and one event that borders on supernatural, but most likely was just Cameron’s mind. It is not a horror and not much of a thriller. It is a drama with a twist, which I saw coming from early on. You should too.” Michael Ledo

“Vacant House is a thoughtful, moody piece that takes its time getting where it’s going and delivers some powerful performances along the way. It’s important to know what you’re getting into with this film; if you’re looking for a horror film or suspense/thriller, your barometer to judge and enjoy the film will be off. It’s more of a character/think piece, but there’s nothing wrong with that.” Uncle Lee 83

Main cast:

Cris Cunningham, Dee Ann Newkirk, T.J. Maxwell, Richard Miraan, Don Bondi, Jason Zahodnik, Carlee Zabel, Brayden Armes, Carl Charroux, Walker Haynes

Filming locations:

Pasadena and Whittier, California, USA

IMDb

The Castle of the Living Dead – original title: Il Castello dei morti vivi – is a 1964 Gothic horror film, an Italian/French co-production written and directed by American Warren Kiefer as Herbert Wise.

It stars Christopher Lee as the sinister Count Drago who adds to his collection of embalmed corpses by murdering guests. Donald Sutherland made his film debut, in a triple role as both a police sergeant, a witch and an old man!

The cast also features Philippe Leroy, Gaia Germani, Jacques Stany and horror genre regular Alan Collins (a.k.a. Luciano Pigozzi) as a troupe of travelling players who fall into the count’s clutches.

The film was shot in black-and-white, utilizing the Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano and the “Parco dei Mostri” in Bomarzo as principal locations.

Italian bureaucracy has led to much confusion over the director’s identity. Many sources claim that Warren Kiefer is a pseudonym for Lorenzo Sabatini, but Kiefer was actually an American novelist and aspiring director who moved to Italy in 1962, leaving behind his family and day job in public relations. He joined forces with fellow ex-patriot Paul Maslansky (Sugar Hill; Death Line; The She Beast) so they could take advantage of state subsidies and debut – as director and producer, respectively – on a low budget movie.

Buy Italian Gothic Horror Films from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Kiefer later claimed that Lorenzo Sabatini was a pseudonym inspired by a 16th century painter: a necessary expedient because the project needed an Italian director to qualify for funding. Red tape meant that the Italian version eventually ended up with contradictory credits: “a film by Warren Kiefer” and “directed by Herbert Wise”. Herbert Wise is actually the anglicized pseudonym of Luciano Ricci. Kiefer is credited as director on all export prints, and Donald Sutherland named his son after him.

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Future British director Michael Reeves (The She-Beast, The Sorcerers, Witchfinder General) was also part of the crew, but his contribution has apparently been grossly exaggerated over the years. Assistant director Frederick Muller has confirmed that Reeves only provided a handful of pick-up shots: nothing that would make a notable difference to the finished film.

Reviews:

“Castle of the Living Dead has a potentially interesting idea but is hamstrung by a muddled approach and sluggish pacing. Although the film is slow going at times, director Luciano Ricci is still able to build a modicum of atmosphere, especially during the scenes inside the titular castle. While the flick is drawn out a little too much and features more than it’s fair share of padding, Castle of the Living Dead remains worth a look for the performances alone.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

“Typical Continental Gothic melodrama, notable only for Lee’s performance and Donald Sutherland’s first screen appearance.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook

” …as the panda-eyed Drago, Lee is more than his usual frosty self. His delighted laughter and applause during the troupe’s command performance is truly manic, and at the end, when stabbed with his own embalming scalpel by a vengeful witch, he enjoys one of his most memorable screen deaths […] As for Donald Sutherland, his turn as a local policeman is an engaging echo of Kiefer’s original comic intentions…” Jonathan Rigby, Euro Gothic

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

” …the premise is pretty cool (albeit kind of a let-down in light of the title), there are a few good performances that cut through the interference of the dubbing, and Castle of the Living Dead looks wonderful overall, despite obviously having been either shot on the shoddiest available film stock or processed by the most woefully inept development lab in Italy. No classic, but well worth a look.” Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

” …standard Gothic fare, distinguished only by the presence of Christopher Lee as a mad Count.” Monthly Film Bulletin, 1968

Release:

In the UK, the film was released by Tigon Films, playing on a double-bill with Barbara Steele vehicle Terror Creatures from the Grave. Tigon re-released it as a support feature for The Blood Beast Terror.

The film was released in 1965 in the United States where it was distributed by The Woolner Brothers.

Cast and characters:

• Christopher Lee as Count Drago
• Gaia Germani as Laura (Hercules in the Haunted World; Devil in the Brain)
• Philippe Leroy as Eric (Naked Girl Killed in the Park)
• Mirko Valentin as Sandro (The Virgin of Nuremberg)
• Donald Sutherland as Sgt. Paul / The witch / The old man (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Don’t Look Now; Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors)
• Antonio De Martino as Nick, the dwarf
• Luciano Pigozzi as Dart (Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eyes; Baron Blood; Lycanthropus)
• Luigi Bonos as Marc (Frankenstein ‘80; The Evil Eye)
• Ennio Antonelli as Gianni
• Jacques Stany as Bruno (The Cat O’ Nine Tails)
• Renato Terra Caizzi as Policeman

Filming locations:

Castello Orsini-Odescalchi and Bomarzo in Italy

Buy Castle of the Living Dead on DVD from Amazon.com

Buy Italian Horror Films of the 1960s from Amazon.com

We are grateful to Chilling Scenes of Dreadful Villany for some of the images above.

Posted by Mark Ashworth, with additional images added by Adrian J Smith

‘We love eating them, now it’s their turn!’

Attack of the Killer Donuts is a 2016 comedy science fiction horror film directed by Scott Wheeler (Avalanche Sharks; second unit director: Empire of the Sharks; Sharknado 4) from a screenplay co-written by Nathan Dalton, actor Chris De Christopher (Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre; Piranhaconda) and producer Rafael Diaz-Wagner (Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre). It stars Fredrick Burns, Kayla Compton and Lauren Compton. C. Thomas Howell has a cameo role as a cop.

A chemical accident turns ordinary donuts into blood thirsty killers. Now it’s up to Johnny, Michelle and Howard to save their sleepy town from… killer donuts!

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“As ludicrous as it sounds, this low-concept, low-budget schlock horror-comedy from vfx artist Scott Wheeler (Xena: Warrior Princess) is far from unwatchable and even manages to entertain for most of its first hour, before succumbing to creative burnout — and a bizarre kind of sentimentality — in its final stretch.” Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

“The story makes for fair part buddy-comedy and part outbreak pic. It’s a strange blend of things, but it has a few tense moments and the jokes never disappear for long. Those comical moments only last for a moment or so as director Scott Wheeler pulls out all the stops and we’re soon trapped in what is an often riotous, unpredictable situation.” Matt Molgaard, Addicted to Horror Movies

” …while the movie is fun it just never becomes a greatly entertaining one as well. It’s funny at moments but more often than not it’s being too much of a lame and simplistic movie, featuring a silly premise that never fully pays off. Horror-wise the movie is especially a weak one. There is no good gore, no real fun killings and certainly not any tension or good scares either.”Frank Veenstra, Boba_Fett1138

“Attack of the Killer Donuts is not as good as say ThanksKilling, but it’s just as entertaining and does enough that it stands well on its own merits; it’s good but not great and it’s funny yet not entirely over the top […] The CG isn’t spectacular, but given the scope of the budget, I think the killer donuts looked pretty decent and they even had some cute moments.” Valkor, The Other View

“The film has the most fun with the donut attacks – of squealing donuts rolling and leaping around, jumping out of the fryer en masse […] However, beyond the ridiculousness of the title concept, Attack of the Killer Donuts is far too penny-pinched. It is a cheap and shitty film with just not enough chutzpah or effort made to make it more than that.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Main cast:

Fredrick Burns, Kayla Compton, Lauren Compton, Chris De Christopher, Alison England, Phillip Fallon, Michael Gaglio, Aaron Groben, Ben Heyman, C. Thomas Howell (Bigfoot Wars; Camel Spiders; The Hitcher), Christine Nguyen, Grant O’Connell, Jack O’Connor, Justin Ray, Jed Rowen.

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

IMDb

‘Fear is rising.’

The Thing Below – aka Sea Ghost – is a 2004 science fiction horror film directed by Jim Wynorski [as Jay Andrews] (Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre; CobraGator; Chopping Mall; et al) from a screenplay by Raul Inglis (Goblin; Ghoul; Sand Serpents; Cerberus) and Keith Shaw [as Lindsay James] (Avalanche Sharks; Ice Road Terror; Deep Evil). It stars Billy Warlock, Kurt Max Runte and Catherine Lough Haggquist.

The film is also known as Ghost Rig 2: The Legend of the Sea Ghost in the UK.

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

A top secret drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico raises a dormant alien creature from the depths. Once loose, the creature goes on a murderous rampage by telepathically exploiting the fears and desires of anyone to cross its path…

Reviews:

” …most of The Thing Below isn’t that bad. It’s just that damn CGI creature that ruins it all. If they’d of taken the monster out completely and played the movie out as a supernatural being causing all the havoc then this could’ve actually been better. Scripters Raul Sanchez Inglis and Lindsay James make the creature able to play with the crews’ minds, which leads to a whole slew of okay hallucinations…” Chris Hartley, The Video Graveyard

“Of course, this kind of film can only be so good to begin with, but given the inherent natural ceiling above low budget alien creature films in general, Sea Ghost really could have been OK – except for one thing: Worst … CGI … ever. The creature looks about as real as Pete’s Dragon, but not as scary.” Johnny Web, Scoopy.com

“I’m sure once the filmmakers saw the quality of their monster special effects, (terrible, awful, etc), they decided to take the telepathic creature route. It didn’t really matter which monster they chose because there’s no suspense, no thrills and pretty much nothing below. Well, nothing worth getting excited about that’s for sure.” Dr. Gore’s Movie Reviews

“The Case For: I guess if you wanted to watch a movie about mind-controlling aliens and isolation you could rent this if The Thing was out. The Case Against: Somewhere, someone’s going to make money off that rental, and that just encourages them to make more movies like this.” Evan Wade, Something Awful

Choice dialogue:

“Shit’s going to blow like fireworks on the 4th of July!”

“Dammit, Colonel, listen. We’ve got five good troops on that boat and they have a snowball’s chance of finding a needle in a haystack. I know a stitch in time saves nine, but the buns are burning and the oven’s getting cold. We need an answer, and we need it now!”

Cast and characters:

• Billy Warlock as Captain Jack Griffin (Society; Halloween II)
• Kurt Max Runte as Crank Wowchowski
• Catherine Lough Haggquist as Anna Davis
• Peter Graham-Gaudreau as Dean Rieser
• Warren Christie as Cassidy
• Kiara Hunter as Mel Rodgers
• David Richmond-Peck as Bobby Gibbons
• Colin Lawrence as Dixon
• Jim Thorburn as Cole Griffin
• Craig Bruhnanski as Captain Mark Stewart
• John Reardon as Lance Taylor
• Ari Solomon as Prouty
• Julie Hill as Professor Glenda Marshall
• Ken Kramer as Dr. Edgar Pretorious
• Darryl Scheelar as Peters
• Jano Frandsen as Commander Korda
• Michael Rogers as Mr. Paul
• Eric Breker as Bob Davis
• Glori-Anne Gilbert as Cindy Mayberry

Filming locations:

Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada

Wikipedia | IMDb

Anna and the Apocalypse is a 2017 British comedy horror film directed by John McPhail from a screenplay by Ryan McHenry and Alan McDonald. The Blazing Griffin production stars Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming and Sarah Swire.

When the zombie apocalypse hits the sleepy town of Little Haven – at Christmas – teenager Anna (Ella Hunt) and her high school friends have to fight, sing and dance to survive, with the undead horde all around them.

Teaming up with her best friend John (Malcolm Cumming), Anna has to fight her way through zombified snowmen, Santas, elves and Christmas shoppers to get across town to the high school, where they’ll be safe. But they soon discover that being a teenager is just as difficult as staying alive, even at the end of the world…

The film is currently in post-production.

Main cast:

Ella Hunt (Intruders), Malcolm Cumming, Sarah Swire, Christopher Leveaux, Ben Wiggins, Marli Siu, Mark Benton, Paul Kaye, Ella Jarvis, and Calum Cormack

IMDb

Siccin 4 is a 2017 Turkish supernatural horror film written and directed by Alper Mestçi (Üç Harfliler 3; Musallat and sequel; Siccin and sequels). We have no cast or plot details yet but the trailer below gives an indication of the film’s content.

English subtitles are available, although you may need to click the YouTube CC button on the control bar to see them.

Source: Screen Anarchy

‘Death used to be the end. Now it is only the beginning’

The Resurrected is a 1991 American supernatural horror film directed by Dan O’Bannon (director of The Return of the Living Dead; writer of Invaders from Mars; Lifeforce; Dead & Buried; Alien) from a screenplay by Brent V. Friedman (Syngenor; Ticks; Necronomicon). It is an adaptation of the H. P. Lovecraft novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and stars John Terry, Jane Sibbett, and Chris Sarandon.

Director O’Bannon and screenwriter Brent V. Friedman had apparently developed the Lovecraft property independently of each other. Friedman’s version of the script was titled Shatterbrain. While Friedman receives sole writing credit, O’Bannon incorporated some of his own ideas into the project. O’Bannon’s title for the film was The Ancestor, which was later changed by the producers.

Claire Ward employs John March, a private detective, to investigate what her husband Charles Dexter Ward is doing in a remote cabin owned by his family for centuries.

Charles is a chemical engineer, and the smells emanating his experiments (and the delivery of what appear to be human remains at all hours) are arousing the attention of neighbours and local law enforcement officials.

When John March and Claire discover the diary of the husband’s ancestor Joseph Curwen from 1771, and reports of gruesome murders in the area begin to surface, they suspect that unnatural experiments are being conducted in the old house…

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

• 2K transfer from the film’s vaulted interpositive film element
• Claire’s Conundrum – an interview with actress Jane Sibbett
• The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward – an interview with S.T. Joshi, author of I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H.P. Lovecraft
• Audio Commentary with producers Mark Borde and Kenneth Raich, screenwriter Brent V. Friedman, actor Richard Romanus and make-up effects artist Todd Masters
• The Resurrected Man – an interview with Chris Sarandon
• Abominations & Adaptations – an interview with screenwriter Brent Friedman
• Grotesque Melodies – an interview with composer Richard Band
• Lovecraftian Landscapes – an interview with production designer Brent Thomas
• Human Experiments – an interview with special effects artist Todd Masters
• Deleted and Extended Scenes from the workprint
• Home Video Trailer & Japanese Trailer
• Photo Gallery

Reviews:

“This one manages to do it right by sticking to the pulpy, grotesque tone of Lovecraft’s prose, and while some of the pacing and acting are highly erratic in the first third or so, the film really works its  magic once the story picks up a full head of steam. It also wisely sticks closely to the source, wisely retaining the central twist ignored completely in the earlier Vincent Price version…” Nathaniel Thomson, Mondo Digital

“Lovecraft lunatics may be able to appreciate the studied, respectful, and somewhat deliberate way in which O’Bannon approaches the master’s material, but the simple truth is that The Resurrected looks, sounds, and feels a whole lot like a late-70s made-for-TV flick. The production was clearly a low-budget one, and most of the actors deliver their work in dry and dusty monotones.” Scott Weinberg, DVD Talk

“This terrifying and spellbinding feature starts out deliberately slow, drawing the viewer deeper and deeper into the unknown. The flashback device is never obtrusive. It instead allows the viewer to pick up clues along the way. There are some truly masterful sequences in this film…” Fred Adelman, Critical Condition

“The Resurrected is the best serious Lovecraftian screen adaptation to date, with a solid cast, decent script, inventive direction, and excellent special effects that do justice to one of [Lovecraft’s] darker tales.” Andrew Migliore and John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

” …Dan O’Bannon conjures something of the mood of Lovecraft and his sense of abominable experiments, unspeakable monstrosities and forbidden knowledge. This makes The Resurrected one of the few post-Re-Animator films that successfully captures the mood of H.P. Lovecraft.” Richard Scheib, Moria

Choice dialogue:

John March: “There are enough explosives in there to give Mount Rushmore a headache.”

Cast and characters:

• John Terry as John March (Nine Dead; Zodiac)
• Jane Sibbett as Claire Ward (Fear, 1990)
• Chris Sarandon as Charles Dexter Ward/Joseph Curwen (Bordello of Blood; Child’s Play; Fright Night; The Sentinel)
• Robert Romanus as Lonnie Peck (Pulse; Tales from the Darkside TV series)
• Laurie Briscoe as Holly Tender
• Ken Camroux-Taylor as Captain Ben Szandor
• Patrick P. Pon as Raymond
• Bernard Cuffling as Dr. Waite

Filming locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Wikipedia | IMDb

Related: Creature of the Walking Dead (1965) |  The Haunted Palace (1963)

Terror-Creatures from the Grave – original title: Cinque tombe per un medium “Five Graves for a Medium” – is a 1965 Italian/American supernatural horror film directed by Massimo Pupillo (Bloody Pit of Horror). The film stars Barbara Steele, Walter Brandi, and Mirella Maravidi. In the UK, it was released as Cemetery of the Living Dead.

Massimo Pupillo was apparently not satisfied with the final result of the film, and allowed the film’s American producer, Ralph Zucker, to take the director’s credit. Zucker also allegedly shot some of the more gruesome scenes that occur in the US version.

A lawyer arrives at Villa Hauff to settle the estate of its recently deceased owner. The owner’s wife and daughter reveal that he was someone who was able to summon the souls of ancient plague victims and, in fact, his spirit was roaming the castle at that very moment. Soon occupants of the castle begin to die off in gruesome, violent ways…

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

Reviews:

” …a wonderfully grisly affair thanks to the plague spreaders backstory, the desolate village and Castello Chigi settings, the handsome monochrome cinematography was the work of Woody Allen’s later regular cinematographer Carlo Di Palma, and the special effects work.” Eric Cotenas, DVD Compare

“This movie has some nice moments; in particular, a bizarre shot of plants moving in a tank of water, and a shot of a row of severed hands coming to life stay in the memory. The ending itself is pretty good as well, and some of the murders are memorable. Unfortunately, the middle section of the movie feels protracted and tedious…” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

” …an atmospheric picture that moves at a fairly languid pace. There are some really impressive shots in here, lots of spooky imagery and of course, the presence of the inimitable Ms. Steele all working in the film’s favor, and those are all very good things indeed. The story itself is a bit clunky…” Ian Jane, Rock! Shock! Pop!

” …the film is far from bad and quite arresting in parts: Dr. Hauff’s voice croaking on a phonograph record; the unsettling image of flowers slowly wilting in glass bowl; and the eerily beautiful children’s lullaby that clues the heroes how to survive the horror. Pupillo undercuts the eerie mood with chattering narration from his dopey hero…” Andrew Pragasam, The Spinning Image

“Five Graves for a Medium is a fairly routine mid-60’s Italian horror film. While it isn’t nearly as goofy as Pupillo’s contemporary Bloody Pit of Horror had led me to anticipate, it certainly isn’t any good either, at least in the sense that normal people use the term. I still found it moderately enjoyable, though. There are a few outbursts of amusingly incontinent overacting, some really choice dialogue…” Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

Choice dialogue:

Albert Kovac: “There’s an owl caught in the engine.”

Cast and characters:

• Walter Brandi as Albert Kovac (The Slaughter of the Vampires)
• Mirella Maravidi as Corinne Hauff
• Barbara Steele as Cleo Hauff (Shivers; The She Beast; The Pit and the Pendulum; et al)
• Alfredo Rizzo as Dr. Nemek (The Bloodsucker Leads the Dance; Playgirls and the Vampire)
• Riccardo Garrone as Joseph Morgan
• Luciano Pigozzi as Kurt, the servant
• Tilde Till as Louise, the maid
• Ennio Balbo as Oskar Stinner
• Steve Robinson
• René Wolf

Filming locations:

Castel Fusano, Rome, Lazio, Italy (Girl in Room 2a; Cold Blooded Beast)

Wikipedia | IMDb

Image credits: DVD Beaver

Lust of the Vampire Girls is a 2017 American horror film written and directed by MattJohnson (short: Ancient Evil XIV). The Some Hero Productions film stars Jeff Christensen, Cherish Dawn and Mary Etuk.

A man searches for his missing girlfriend, who has been abducted by a clan of vampires, led by an insane Nazi doctor. He must now battle this horde of bloodsuckers in order to retrieve the soul of the woman he loves, and save his own from eternal damnation…

The film, which is cited as an homage to European exploitation of the ’60s and ’70s, is being distributed by Wild Eye Releasing.

Main cast:

Jeff Christensen (American Gothic; Godsend), Cherish Dawn, Mary Etuk (Sorrow), Jami Kelly, Flo Median, Victor Medina, Dave Nilson, Bri Northem, Ashley Eliza Parker, Amy Savannah.

IMDb

‘Lincoln’s army battles the undead’

Vampire Wars – aka Dead South – is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by Craig Ross Jr. (Bones TV series; Killjoy) from a screenplay by Jerry Quickley. It stars Matthew Marsden, Samuel Hunt and John Savage.

This film should not be confused with the 1990 Japanese anime movie Vampire Wars directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi.

In the wake of the American Civil War two Confederate brothers rise as vampires and fight to reclaim their land from the inhabitants of a sleepy Southern town…

Reviews:

“The camera-work, directing and editing all feels extremely lacking and makes this movie more of an amateur-like project at times. It genuinely feels clumsy at parts, especially the editing. It’s as if they shot a whole bunch of sequences and the editor had no idea how to put all of them together and in what other.” Frank Veenstra, Boba_Fett1138

” …there are glaring inconsistencies and plot holes in the movie such as the brothers being told that they will be in incredible pain in direct sunlight and then walking and fighting in direct sunlight without any issues. Overall, a very poor effort with a mostly unknown cast which makes Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter look like a cinematic masterpiece in comparison.” Nebk

“The whole film just had a hokey vibe. You got the Night Walkers (the vampires) and the Eaters (the cannibals) who are constantly doing battle with Savage conducting everything. It does seem that the vampires always win. Not much in the way of effects just some vampire teeth and the odd red stain.” Shawn Blackman

Main cast:

Matthew Marsden, Samuel Hunt, John Savage (Empire of the Sharks; They Nest; The Killing Kind; et al), Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ray Stoney, V.J. Foster, Nathanyael Grey, Carl Gilliard, Ritchie Montgomery, Dwight Williams, Dale Gibson, Rusty Jenkins, Colby Passman, Myke Michaels.

Filming locations:

Natchez, Mississippi, USA

IMDb

Impuratus is a 2017 horror film written, co-produced and directed by Michael Yurinko. It stars Holt Boggs, Jody Quigley and John Savage (Empire of the Sharks; Vampire Wars; The Killing Kind; et al).

1922: A police detective is called to a remote mental hospital to witness a mysterious Civil War veteran’s outrageous death bed confession that forces him to accept the supernatural…

Main cast: 

Holt Boggs, Jody Quigley, John Savage, Bill Oberst Jr., Maria Olsen, Lili Bordan, Blanca Blanco, Airen DeLaMater, Stella McCarty, Sarah Fae Yurinko

Filming locations:

Allentown and Furlong, Pennsylvania, USA

IMDb | Facebook | Twitter

The Exorcist is a play adapted for the stage by John Pielmeier from William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel. The new 2017 theatrical production is presented by Bill Kenwright and directed by Sean Mathias (Waiting for Godot). It is being staged in London’s West End at the Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road.

The play’s run begins on 20 October 2017, just in time for Halloween, and will last until 10 March 2018.

Infamously, the story of possession surrounds the shocking symptoms suffered by young Regan, whose startling sudden transformation prompts desperate mother Chris to turn to a local priest for help when science cannot help. However, even Father Damien’s beliefs are shaken by the horrors he bears witness to, and he is forced to confront his own doubts in a divine battle for the girl’s soul…

William Friedkin’s 1973 film adaptation of The Exorcist is generally considered to be one the most unsettling and disturbing movies of all-time.

Linda Blair in the 1973 film version

This new stage adaptation originally premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in November 2016.

The Phoenix Theatre production is being designed by Olivier Award-winning Anna Fleischle (Hangmen), with lighting design by Tim Mitchell (Royal Shakespeare Company), sound design by Adam Cork (London Road), and illusions by Ben Hart (Impossible). The cast is yet to be announced but advance tickets for the strictly 18+ show are already available

‘This may be your last ryde.’

Ryde is a 2016 American horror thriller film directed by Brian Visciglia (Malady) from a screenplay co-written with Dustin Frost and Kat Silvia. It stars David Wachs, Jessica Serfaty and Ronnie Alvarez.

Technology brings us closer. Or perhaps it brings strangers, a little too close. But how much can you really trust someone? With a new ride share service, you never know who will be getting in a car with. Or if you’ll ever get out…

Reviews:

“Ryde is a brutal yet enjoyable horror thriller that succeeds mostly due to an intense performance from David Wachs as the killer. The film features mean spirited kills, some T&A, and is a whole lot of fun. What more can you ask for? If you dig serial killer movies, give Ryde a shot.” Charlie Cargile, Pop Horror

“Ryde is an occasionally stylish (it’s impossible not to think of Michael Mann when watching the rain-reflected midnight L.A. combined with a mildly tragic electronic score), but ultimately unsatisfying slasher which borders on torture p*rn far more frequently than it bothers to explore a dark soul. It’s black of heart and morally confused, and really not worth 84 minutes of your time.” Rupert Harvey, Critical Movie Critics

Main cast:

David Wachs (Malady; The Jinn), Jessica Serfaty (V/H/S Viral), Ronnie Alvarez, Kyle Thomas Schmidt, Veronica Loren, Delpaneaux Wills, Valerie Lynn Smith, Dylan Taylor, RiRia, Chance Guess, Chloe Catherine Kim, Ayesha Perry-Iqbal, Gayathri Iyer, Dennis Nicomede, Claudia Funk.

IMDb

Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film is an exhibition being hosted by The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle from September 30, 2017.

The original exhibit takes an in-depth look at more than a century of horror cinema. From bloodthirsty vampires and unrelenting zombies to fiendish slashers, this immersive experience presents the broad range of iconic horror villains and the stories over the generations that have brought them to life.

The exhibit features a macabre display of more than 50 props and costumes from film and television including The Walking Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Blade, Bride of Frankenstein, The Thing, Dawn of the Dead, Hostel, Jeepers Creepers, Pet Sematary, and more.

Taking inspiration from the genre, the 3,000 square foot gallery space is designed to evoke the unsettling sensations associated with cinematic terror. Themed sections include an unholy vampire chapel with walls dripping blood, a zombie containment area with an aquarium wall of submerged zombie heads from The Walking Dead, and a slasher’s den with a thicket of corpses suspended from the ceiling.

The exhibit will also feature multi-media experiences including exhibit films, oral history interviews, and interactive photo ops.

“Following the success of MoPOP’s first horror exhibition, Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film, we dramatically expanded and elevated the experience with new artifacts; and designed a bolder, morbidly elaborate exhibit environment,” says Jacob McMurray, Senior Curator, MoPOP. “We are also thrilled to add acclaimed directors Karyn Kusama and Roxanne Benjamin to join our guest curators, Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth.”

Artifact highlights:

• Sweater worn by Freddy Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
• Severed heads from The Walking Dead, 2012

• Church the Cat prop from Pet Sematary, 1989
• Creeper costume worn by Jonathan Breck in Jeepers Creepers, 2001
• Machete prop from Dawn of the Dead, 1978
• Costume worn by Wesley Snipes in Blade, 1998
• Lament Configuration box from Hellraiser: Inferno, 2000

• Pamela Voorhees severed head prop, from Friday the 13^th, 1980
• Stunt stake gun used in Fright Night, 2011
• Hacksaw used by Carey Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon in Saw, 2004
• Hero functioning repeater crossbow used by Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing, 2004
• Hi-8 camcorder used onscreen in The Blair Witch Project, 1999
• “Gill Man” mask from Creature from the Black Lagoon, 1954
• Mr. Pointy stake used by Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1998
• Pages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis (Book of the Dead) from Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, 1987

• Special effects switchboard used in Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and other films 1930-1965
• Axe used by Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in The Shining, 1980
• Chainsaw used by the German Surgeon in Hostel, 2005

Due to some graphic content, this exhibit is recommended for ages 13 and up.

Visit the MoPOP website for more details and tickets

‘Tokyo is on fire’

Meatball Machine Kodoku – original title: Kodoku: Mîtobôru mashin – is a 2017 Japanese science fiction comedy horror film directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura (Helldriver; Tokyo Gore Police; Zombie TV) from a screenplay co-written by Sakichi Satô (A Chain of Cursed Murders; Tokyo Zombie; Ichi the Killer). The film is a belated sequel to Meatball Machine (2005). It stars Tomori Abe, Kensuke Ashihara and Satoshi Eishima.

A lonely man’s life is thrown into chaos when alien parasites turn a city’s average citizens into kill-crazy cyborg creatures…

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

Reviews:

“It’s meant to be a midnight movie gore extravaganza with excessive grunting in place of dialogue, boobs (some of which function as bullet-firing weapons) instead of storytelling structure, and buckets of blood occupying the entire second and third acts. As far as these goals go, Kodoku kicks all three square in the groin as hard as it can.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

“While these crazy Japanese films are a blast in short spurts, they start to become a little tiring when they venture past the 80-minute mark, and it’s even worse when there are noticeable scenes that could have been trimmed or deleted altogether. Overall, though, there’s still a lot of fun to be had here.” Blair Hoyle, Cinema Slasher

“Cinematographer Keizo Suzuki has given Kodoku Meatball Machine a neon sheen that recalls some of Nicolas Refn’s recent work and there’s an eerie nightclub scene that evokes the palette and vibe of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Some groovy stop-motion animation comes on like Ray Harryhausen on DMT and a load of intentionally cheesy special effects give the movie a deranged hallucinatory brilliance. The second half of the film is a relentless mindf*ck.” Marc Campbell, Dangerous Minds

“Right, at least four tons of fake blood. You can’t say you don’t know what you’re getting into with KMM. It should safely vault Nishimura past Noboru Iguchi to become the uncontested king of Japanese gore. Yet, the fact that he maintains a semblance of a human element amid all the berserk chaos is rather impressive.” Joe Bendel, J.B. Spins

“It is leaps and bounds ahead of the film that preceded it in the series […] The use of practical effects is great and very effective, with the costumes of infected people looking very detailed and realistic. The gore effects, while absurdly excessive, are gorgeous and decadent. This is just a well-crafted, completely bonkers, yet easily lovable gorefest.” Bron Anderson, Why So Blu?

Main cast:

Tomori Abe, Kensuke Ashihara, Satoshi Eishima, Gôki, Yôta Kawase, Riri Kôda, Rima Matsuda, Masanori Mimoto, Maki Mizui, Seminosuke Murasugi, Takashi Nishina, Takumi Saitô, Ririne Sasano, Eihi Shiina (Helldriver; Tokyo Gore Police; Audition), Kentarô Shimazu

IMDb

‘I pray the Lord my soul to take’

Entity – aka The Darkening – is a 2013 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Michael Yurinko (Impuratus). It stars Holt Boggs, Nick Mancuso and Brandon Slagle.

A man deals with the personal tragedy of his family’s death by living at the vacation cabin that they last stayed at. He soon discovers he’s not alone…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

Holt Boggs (Impuratus; From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series; Bigfoot Wars), Nick Mancuso (Bloody Blacksmith; Rise of the Gargoyles; Nightwing; et al), Brandon Slagle (Daylight’s End; Dead Sea; House of Manson) Fred Doss, Emma Waldron, Natalie Wilemon, Jena Waldron.

Filming locations:

Bangor, Hawley, Honesdale, Lake Ariel and Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA

IMDb | Facebook