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Living Nightmares, Sea Monsters and Undead Things
I’ve been really into monsters lately. You might’ve noticed. I blame it on Doom and the 30+ hours I’ve spent painting every square inch of its gorgeous virtual world with the wet and squishy insides of the myriad demons that have been foolish enough to think they were safe in Hell. By the time they realized their home turf advantage doesn’t apply to the BFG-9000, it was too late. I have an Imp’s death scream as my ringtone now, and that was not easy to get.
The folks at id Software could’ve saved me a lot of time had they made the story mode playable in co-op. That way, I wouldn’t have had to pin the Imp down with a boot to the throat while I struggled to record it before it drowned on its own blood. It was totally worth it.
Anyway, the reason I’m bringing this up is because it relates to the pretty pretty pictures we’re about to soak up with our eye sponges. This wonderful horror art comes from Ramsés Meléndez, an artist who’s exceedingly skilled at creating monsters that are equal parts terrifying and hauntingly beautiful to look at. Also impressive is how they each work on their own, as well as in a group, thanks to Meléndez’s clever use of color.
We see this sort of thing all the time in survival horror, where games like Silent Hill, Resident Evil or Dead Space can feature a variety of monsters that also, usually, need to be identifiable as belonging to each other. Silent Hill has its abstract abominations that tend to be fleshy and confusing to look at, then Dead Space takes the bewildering body horror to the next level with the Necromorphs, and Resident Evil has been coming up with fresh casts of themed baddies for some time (Umbrella’s BOWs, Ganados, Majini, J’avo, etc.).
You can find more of his work in his gallery, and he has a horror blog and a web comic that are also worth checking out.
We have an exclusive first look at A Man in the Woods With an Axe, a blood-soaked, genre-twisting homage to 1980s slasher films.
Spanning four decades, A Man in the Woods With an Axe begins in the summer of 1987 before pushing into the modern era, weaving together timelines and perspectives in a way that builds both dread and intrigue.
Drawing inspiration from genre standouts like Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Hatchet, and The Cabin in the Woods, the film blends visceral horror with moments of dark humor, creating a uniquely balanced experience that honors tradition while carving its own identity.
Writer-director Dillon Brown (Primal Darkness) aims to deliver everything fans crave from a slasher while boldly subverting expectations with a mid-film twist that redefines the story.
“This is an unapologetic love letter to the films that made me fall in love with horror,” Brown tells Bloody Disgusting. “But I didn’t just want to recreate that feeling; I wanted to challenge it. About halfway through, the film takes a turn that completely changes how you view not only this story, but the genre itself.”
Brown describes the vintage-inspired production as “far and away the bloodiest film I’ve ever made,” with practical effects helmed by Cody Ruch (The Mill, Pig Hill), an instructor at Tom Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program.
From Horror Dadz Productions, A Man in the Woods With an Axe is currently in production and targeting an early 2027 release.
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