Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart, directed by Julian Doan, took home the $100,000 first-place prize, the largest ever awarded at a short film festival.

The jurors faced an incredibly difficult task, evaluating 13 remarkable films that each made a case for the top spot. Even so, the festival’s distinguished jury, Tim Miller (Deadpool, Love, Death & Robots), Jean Lauer (Fantastic Fest), Lisa Ogdie (Sundance Film Festival), Neville Page (Avatar, Star Trek: Discovery) and Peter Phok (A24’s X trilogy), rose to the occasion and selected the most outstanding work.

“Last night, 13 filmmakers watched their work play on one of the most famous screens in the world, and this morning one of them walked away with $100,000 to launch the next chapter of their career,” said Charlie Cleveland, founder of Ripcord. “The fan vote was so close that we expanded the finals to thirteen films, because every one of these films earned its place. Congratulations to our first place winner, Julian Doan’s Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart, and to every filmmaker who took this ride with us.”

The winners were revealed this morning at a filmmaker breakfast in Los Angeles, following last night’s screening of the finalists at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The screening drew an audience of fellow filmmakers, press, genre tastemakers, festival jurors and programmers, and fans, and was followed by an afterparty. The finalists were chosen from a field of 50 shorts, curated from more than 500 submissions to the festival’s first edition, with fans voting online to help select the lineup.

The Winners

1st Prize – $100,000

LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART (17:53), directed by Julian Doan: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation.

2nd Prize – $50,000

ZIPPY’S HOUSE (12:40), directed by Sophia Parella: Forced to attend his strange classmate’s birthday, a teen discovers he’s the only guest at a house where the host’s brother is in permanent time-out.

3rd Prize – $25,000

HAROLD EATS MAUDE (12:32), directed by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith.

Runner Up – $4,000

IT HELPS (9:07), directed by J. Zachary Thurman: Spencer, sleepless due to her brother’s eerie sleep machine, discovers it isn’t designed to soothe — but to keep an unspeakable presence at bay.

Honorable Mentions – $3,500 each

BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME (9:19), directed by Tim Schwagel: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle.

BREEDER (7:14), directed by Sapphire Sandalo: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore.

DIRTY FUZZ (15:00), directed by Daniel Chimes: When an idealistic rookie cop accidentally shoots her corrupt partner in the slimy underbelly of Shit City, she must team up with a surprising crew of underworld characters to cover her tracks.

DREAM CREEP (12:34), directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.

HOUR OF BLOOD (17:29), directed by Marcella Ochoa: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat.

MAKE ME A PIZZA (12:00), directed by Talia Shea Levin: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?

RAT! (16:48), directed by Neal Suresh Mulani: When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to seek retribution.

SPANKED BY A GHOST (11:50), directed by Katelyn Douglass: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS (5:44), directed by Jennifer Bonior: Dismissed by every adult in her life, a young magician unleashes an explosive final act that proves underestimating her is a fatal mistake.

The festival is only the beginning. In the coming weeks, Ripcord will begin adding independent genre features and shorts, as well as a series of online events  to the platform, giving fans a place to discover, support and follow the filmmakers they love. Independent genre filmmakers interested in bringing their films to Ripcord can learn more at ripcord.film.

The post Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival: Full List of Winners Announced appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

If you ask me, the best explanation for this tradition happens to be the one cooked up by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson in the Scream franchise. In those films, Ghost Face is more of a mantle than a true character, with disgruntled killers donning the iconic costume as a way of adding to the mythology of the original Woodsboro murders. That’s why the franchise has seen nearly twenty characters wear the infamous Fun World mask since 1996!

With the franchise showing no sign of stopping even after three decades of meta scares, and NECA‘s Ultimate Ghost Face action figure, fully articulated and equipped with a horrifying haul of accessories, I’ve decided to come up with a list ranking every incarnation of Ghost Face that we’ve seen so far.

Naturally, this ranking is purely based on personal opinion, though I think it’s worth mentioning that I’ll be evaluating killers according to their skill, motivation, and charisma/scare-factor – not the overall quality of the movie they appeared in. I’ll also be bundling groups/pairs of killers together in order to keep things simple.

That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own personal Ghost Face rankings if you have a different take.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

9. Jessica & Marco – Scream VII (2025)

The seventh entry of the Friday the 13^th franchise already had Jason Voorhees facing off against a super-powered Carrie knock-off in an attempt to keep things fresh, so you can imagine that the creative team behind Scream VII had their work cut out for them when they had to come up with yet another original whodunnit without resorting to supernatural shenanigans.

Unfortunately, after so many variations of spurned lovers and vengeful film nerds, having the new pair of killers simply be a middle-aged couple motivated by Sidney’s absence in the previous Ghost Face murders just wasn’t going to cut it. And while I’ll concede that Jessica and Marco had a few brutal kills, that’s not enough to keep them from being the least interesting murderers in the series – especially after all that teasing about Stu Macher possibly still being alive.

8. Jamal & Beth – Scream: Resurrection (2018)

As a fan of the first two seasons of MTV’s Scream, it took me a while to accept Scream Resurrection as a worthy follow-up, even though I’m still sour about the previous show’s lack of a proper conclusion. While Resurrection certainly has its moments, the final reveal behind this urban whodunnit felt pretty underwhelming.

Jamal’s telenovela-like character arc involving twins swapping lives was silly enough, but having his partner’s motives turn out to be pretty much the same as Charlie’s from Scream 4 only compounded the disappointment even if their actual kills weren’t half-bad.

7. Piper & Kieran (+ Tom) – MTV’s Scream (2015-2016)

MTV’s Scream had a lot riding against it when it first came out, with the show not being allowed to use the iconic Fun World mask and presenting itself as more of a teen drama with slasher elements than a proper horror show. However, I’d argue that the showrunners were still able to tell a compelling story within those limitations, with their choice of Ghost Face killers suggesting that they understood what fans loved about the movies.

For instance, the scheming Piper felt like an effective combination of Gail’s darker side with a tinge of inherited fury like we saw in Sam Carpenter later on in the franchise, and I always thought Kieran made for a compelling follow-up to the Billy Loomis bad boy archetype. Hell, even Tom Martin made for an interesting killer despite being the most obvious suspect in the Halloween special, though a lot of that is due to Alexander Calvert’s natural charisma.

6. Richie & Amber – Scream (2022)

Dealing with toxic fandom may be rough, but it’s certainly not as big of a deal as Scream’s ultimate killer reveal makes it out to be – especially since the rest of this requel is more about criticizing the diminishing returns of Legacy Sequels rather than exploring the consequences of having a rabid fanbase.

Thankfully, memorable performances by both Jack Quaid and Mikey Madison more than make up for their characters’ flimsy motivations, with this killer couple being a big part of what made the movie such a big hit. That being said, I’m still a little mad that this is the duo who took out my favorite character in the franchise.

5. Ethan, Quinn & Wayne (+ Jason Carvey) – Scream VI (2023)

I wasn’t a fan of having a killer be motivated by the death of a previous Ghost Face even when Scream 2 did it back in ’97, but I’d argue that the triple threat of Ethan, Quinn and Wayne makes up for the recycled premise by being the most brutal ensemble of killers in the entire franchise.

From shotgun blasts at point-blank range to Anika’s prolonged suffering before falling to her death, Scream VI’s Ghost Face is likely the scariest version of the “character” so far. It’s just too bad that the masked figure loses much of that mystique once the killers’ identities are finally revealed.

I’d also like to give a shout out to that Jason Carvey cameo towards the beginning of the film, as his fake-out killer reveal feels like something straight out of a Stab film.

4. Nancy Loomis & Mickey Altieri – Scream 2 (1997)

While I get the irony of having the sequel’s vengeful killer serve as an inverted callback to Friday the 13^th’s Pamela Voorhees, Nancy and her psychotic protégé, wonderfully played by Timothy Olyphant, didn’t quite live up to the over-the-top perfection that was Billy and Stu.

However, that doesn’t mean that Mrs. Loomis and Mickey were any less threatening while wearing the iconic Ghost Face costume, with Scream 2 serving up some of the most thrilling chase sequences in the entire franchise – not to mention a gloriously meta opening kill.

3. Roman Bridger – Scream 3 (2000)

The identity of Scream 3’s solo killer may not make a lot of sense if you pay close attention to the film’s timelin, and pulling a criminal mastermind half-brother out of thin air was a sign that the franchise desperately needed a time-out, but I’m still of the opinion that having the final Ghost Face of the original trilogy be a movie director was a deliciously meta idea.

Not only that, but Roman Bridger was Ghost Face at his most playful, especially with that silly new voice-changer, with the villain tackling Hollywood corruption in what felt like a natural conclusion to a satirical trilogy about the dark side of genre media.

I also love that this is technically the only Ghost Face to have ever performed alongside Creed!

2. Jill & Charlie – Scream 4 (2011)

Hearing a packed theater collectively gasp as Emma Roberts violently injured herself in order to convince the cops that she was a Final Girl remains one of my all-time favorite moviegoing memories. It was also one hell of a way to establish that the mastermind behind this particular murder spree was even more unhinged than her predecessors.

However, it’s not the surprise behind the reveal that Sidney’s own cousin and her cinephile friend Charlie were behind the killings that makes this incarnation of Ghost Face so memorable, nor the creativity behind the death scenes themselves, but the fact that Craven and Williamson so accurately predicted the rise of clout-chasing influencers willing to do anything for fifteen minutes of online fame.

Not only that, but you can also interpret Jill’s plan to force Sidney to “pass the torch” to a new generation as something of a condemnation of Legacy Sequels before they became such a popular way of reviving older horror IPs!

1. Stu Macher & Billy Loomis – Scream (1996)

I don’t think anyone will be surprised with my number one pick, as it’s hard to overstate just how shocking it was back in the day when the original Scream revealed that its movie-obsessed killer was in fact a pair of deeply disturbed high-schoolers!

This unique choice of murderers fit perfectly within the film’s meta exploration of a culture that might be a little too obsessed with media, but Skeet Ulrich and Mathew Lillard’s oddly sexy rapport was also so iconic that the franchise is still struggling to recreate that once-in-a-generation movie magic three decades down the line!

That’s why no one else could have taken the number one spot!

You can bring the Ultimate Ghost Face home for Halloween.

The post Ranking Every Ghost Face Killer in the ‘Scream’ Franchise appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The dozen will screen for a live audience at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood this Thursday, October 29th, where the finalists will compete for over $200,000 in cash prizes, including a $100,000 first-place prize, the largest ever awarded at a short film festival.

The finalists were chosen from a field of 50 shorts, itself curated from more than 500 submissions to the festival’s inaugural edition, that continue to screen for free at ripcord.film during the festival’s online run ahead of the live event. Originally planned as a Top 10, the lineup grew to 12 after fan voting came down to the wire and the festival directors couldn’t bring themselves to cut two more standout films.

 “We built this festival on a simple idea: put great genre filmmaking in front of fans and they’ll tell you what’s special. More than 500 filmmakers trusted us with their films, and the response to the final 50 has been incredible. This festival is a first step toward a direct line between filmmakers and fans, and a $100,000 prize can change a career.”

The festival also announced the five jurors who will watch the finalists alongside the TCL Chinese Theatre audience and determine the winners:

• Tim Miller is the director of Deadpool and Terminator: Dark Fate. He began as a visual effects artist and founded Blur Studio, and he co-created the Emmy-winning Netflix anthology Love, Death & Robots with David Fincher. He is also the creator of Prime Video’s Secret Level.
• Jean Lauer is Director of Short Film Programming at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, where she has worked since 2013. She previously directed the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival.
• Lisa Ogdie is a Short Film Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, where she has helped select the shorts slate from more than 10,000 submissions each year since 2009. She is also Head of Cinema Programming in North America for Soho House & Co.
• Neville Page is an Emmy Award-winning designer whose credits include Avatar, TRON: Legacy, Prometheus, Star Trek and Star Trek: Discovery, where he created the character Saru.
• Peter Phok is an independent film producer with more than two decades of experience in independent horror and genre cinema. He was executive producer on A24’s X trilogy (X, Pearl, MaXXXine) and earlier produced films including The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers and Stake Land with Glass Eye Pix. He was also executive producer of SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner Most Beautiful Island.

Fans can get closer to the finalists before the live event. Ripcord is hosting daily Q&As on ripcord.film with the filmmakers behind the top 12 shorts, giving viewers a chance to ask about the making of their films, their influences and what comes next. Fans can continue to register for free at ripcord.film to participate as well as screen the fest’s top 50 short films.

The horror, sci-fi, thriller and fantasy finalists will screen at the TCL Chinese Theatre on October 29 with winners announced the morning of October 30.

Watch the trailer compilation below and check out the full dirty dozen lineup shortly after.

The Dirty Dozen

BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME (9:19), directed by Tim Schwagel: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle.

BREEDER (7:14), directed by Sapphire Sandalo: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore.

DIRTY FUZZ (15:00), directed by Daniel Chimes: When an idealistic rookie cop accidentally shoots her corrupt partner in the slimy underbelly of Shit City, she must team up with a surprising crew of underworld characters to cover her tracks.

DREAM CREEP (12:34), directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.

HAROLD EATS MAUDE (12:32), directed by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith.

HOUR OF BLOOD (17:29), directed by Marcella Ochoa: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat.

IT HELPS (9:07), directed by J. Zachary Thurman: Spencer, sleepless due to her brother’s eerie sleep machine, discovers it isn’t designed to soothe — but to keep an unspeakable presence at bay.

LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART (17:53), directed by Julian Doan: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation.

MAKE ME A PIZZA (12:00), directed by Talia Shea Levin: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?

RAT! (16:48), directed by Neal Suresh Mulani: When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to seek retribution.

SPANKED BY A GHOST (11:50), directed by Katelyn Douglass: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.

ZIPPY’S HOUSE (12:40), directed by Sophia Parella: Forced to attend his strange classmate’s birthday, a teen discovers he’s the only guest at a house where the host’s brother is in permanent time-out.

The post Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival – Top 12 Shorts Revealed! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bonus points if the dolls in question are of a size to do some real damage.

NECA‘s 1:1 life-size replica of the robot doll from the hit film M3GAN serves as a good example of life-sized dolls that unleash serious punishment. The Model 3 Generative Android (M3GAN) was designed to be a parent’s greatest ally and programmed to be a child’s best friend…but, well, the sassy robot comes with her own host of sinister problems.

Whether scaring your friends and family or serving as a good horror marathon companion, here’s a handy list of killer doll horror movies that M3GAN and life-sized killer dolls like her would approve of watching this Halloween season.

M3GAN 

M3GAN reunited producer James Wan and screenwriter Akela Cooper, responsible for 2021’s highly entertaining Malignant, and put Housebound’s Gerard Johnstone at the helm. It resulted in a murderous killer doll with style and dance moves, ensuring the year kicked off with a meme-able horror comedy that had everyone talking. This pick is for those looking to catch up on 2023 horror offerings and those looking to prepare for the Halloween season; the fashionable doll will surely dominate the costumes this year.

Magic 

The ventriloquist dummy at the center of this horror film, Fats, was so creepy that the TV spots had to be taken off the air during the promotion of Magic. The 30-second ad featuring Fats was enough to cause nightmares in children, scarring some for life. Who can blame them? Ventriloquist dummies are a particular brand of horror on their own, but one as menacing as Fats? That he resembles his human counterpart, Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins, who also voices Fats), probably doesn’t help either. Ventriloquists and their dummies have nightmarish co-dependency issues in horror, which drives this fantastic psychological horror feature from director Richard Attenborough and writer William Goldman.

Dolly Dearest

Following in the tiny footsteps of Chucky, this early ’90s killer doll flick saw a family uproot to Mexico after dad acquires ownership of a doll factory. He doesn’t know that a nearby tomb has been disturbed, letting the malevolent spirit of Sanzia loose. It just so happens to take root in the dolls, with which the factory owner’s daughter becomes obsessed. If you were to apply the zany antics of Cathy’s Curse to Child’s Play‘s general setup, you have Dolly Dearest. It brings the B-movie mayhem and stars Denise Crosby (Pet Sematary), Lupe Ontiveros, and Rip Torn.

Dead Silence 

A young widower heads home for answers regarding his wife’s murder, which may be linked to the restless spirit of a ventriloquist. While Mary Shaw had many dolls, ventriloquist dummy Billy was by far her favorite. Billy cut out Jamie’s wife’s tongue in the opening sequence, and it was Billy that haunted him more frequently than any other puppet. Before Annabelle’s first appearance in The Conjuring, James Wan practiced scaring audiences with Billy. The vengeful ghost of Mary Shaw might be just as spooky. Dead Silence features Billy the most, but the glimpse of Mary Shaw’s vast collection makes you wish this one received a sequel.

Curse of Chucky

Whether it’s to get into the spooky season spirit or brush up on Child’s Play franchise lore, it’s a great time to watch this fantastic reboot entry. In Curse of Chucky, the doll gets a makeover and mysteriously shows up at the house of paraplegic Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif). Only in the third act are ties to the previous installments revealed. The introduction to franchise mainstay Nica and a reinvigorated commitment to scares make this franchise sequel stand out. Also look for Carrie‘s Summer H. Howell in her first on-screen role.

Annabelle Comes Home

The third entry in the Annabelle spinoff series feels like a spooky trip through a carnival haunted house. Mckenna Grace stars as young Judith Warren, who’s in for a night of terror when her parents leave her alone with the babysitter. The babysitter’s pal accidentally unleashes Annabelle, who in turn wakes up all the other Warren artifacts, forcing the girls to fight for their lives. It’s a funhouse of horrors that lets all sorts of spirits get in on the horror, but the doll is the mastermind.

You can bring M3GAN home now, if you dare.

The post From ‘M3GAN’ to ‘Magic’: 6 Killer Doll Horror Movies That Will Haunt Your Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Genre fans and Horror hounds can now watch and vote on 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy shorts, all curated from more than 500 submissions.

Registration is free at Ripcord.film and voting is open until October 22nd.

As previously reported, the Top 10 shorts will screen for a live audience at the TCL Chinese Theatre on October 29th. The festival is awarding $200,000 in cash prizes, including a $100,000 first prize, the largest first-place cash prize in short film festival history, with another $100,000 shared among the rest of the Top 10.

Register for free, catch the festival trailer below, and peep the programming blocks below.

The Programming Blocks

Sweet Dreams

Having trouble sleeping? Well this won’t help but at least you’ll feel less alone.

Guest curator: Freddy Krueger

• DREAM CREEP (12:34), directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
• CHÄIR (6:18), directed by Chris McInroy: Carl just wanted to sit down. The chair had other plans.
• RESET (15:58), directed by Celine Tien, Jerry Hsu: In a world where citizens are reset to six at age 65, a young woman must care for her newly reset mother and find her estranged father before the state intervenes — only to discover that healing her family means reparenting the child her mother never got to be.
• NAIL-BITER (17:33), directed by Joseph Burch: An anxious nail-biter confronts her overbearing mother about their family curse, a finger-devouring creature that preys on those who bite their nails, just as the monster arrives to take her as its next victim.
• COWMAN (7:02), directed by Jiwoo Kim: A peaceful farmer and his beloved cow find their quiet life turned upside down when an unexpected alien abduction leads to a bizarre and surreal adventure.
• IT HELPS (9:07), directed by J. Zachary Thurman: Spencer, sleepless due to her brother’s eerie sleep machine, discovers it isn’t designed to soothe — but to keep an unspeakable presence at bay.
• CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY (13:17), directed by Pol Kurucz: Set within an allegorical America, in a crumbling household ruled by a perverted butcher of a father, a hushed soul clings to the magic of his eccentric grandmother, until his safe haven unravels, forcing him to choose between the masks he wears and his authentic self.
• MONSTROUS ME (16:40), directed by Ariel Baska: When Ariel was a disabled and disfigured child of three years old, a bad babysitter brought over a bag of weed, her boyfriend, and a VHS of A Nightmare on Elm Street. From under the coffee table, through the railings, Ariel saw themselves in the face of Freddy Krueger, and decided there was agency in being a monster rather than a martyr.

Love You To Death

If you’d rather die than go on Tinder, this block is for you.

Guest curator: Alex “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan!” Forrest

• RICHARD GOES ON A DATE (9:03), directed by Johnny Frohman: Richard goes on a date.
• STAR-CROSSED (14:01), directed by Bud Myrick: A beautiful young woman craving connection risks revealing her true nature—only to fall for the wrong man, igniting a night of passion, poor decisions, and consequences you can’t sweep under a rug.
• IT’S HARD NOT TO BE ROMANTIC ABOUT TIME TRAVEL (12:11), directed by Michael Charron: Armed with weed and a half-baked theory that love can bend time, two friends land five years in the past, totally unprepared for what comes next.
• LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES (20:10), directed by John Roche III: In a society where love is regulated, a rejected woman discovers a violent method of becoming the people she envies.
• MAKE ME A PIZZA (12:00), directed by Talia Shea Levin: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?
• OH SOLO VIOLET (11:59), directed by Carolina Gomez: Ghosted and alone in her remote family home, Violet feels her grip on reality slip as memories of her cringey ex bleed into the present and he begins appearing, always just out of reach.
• IT HAD TO BE YOU (14:45), directed by Monisha Dadlani: A romantic night in isn’t all it seems when a man discovers his lovestruck date has a peculiar room full of male mannequins.

But I’m Popular

This one’s just for the likes.

Guest curator: Carrie

• RAT! (16:48), directed by Neal Suresh Mulani: When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to seek retribution.
• IDYLL (18:06), directed by Austin Cauldwell: A lonely young woman escapes her invisible life by stepping into the body of an adored celebrity through a VR platform, until she starts to prefer it.
• BENNY’S SECOND BIRTHDAY (12:16), directed by R.J. Glass: When strangers arrive at her toddler’s birthday party, an expectant mother confronts her son’s unexpected popularity.
• FOUR ITCHY BOYS (12:48), directed by Andrew Hebert: Four young men quarantined for an unexplainable, unrelenting itch prepare for a live-stream press event to prove they’re not the monsters the world believes them to be.
• CHAMELEON (14:25), directed by Lily Kaplan: When a rebellious teen discovers a magical eyeliner that lets her transform into anyone she sees, a night of thrilling shapeshifting unravels into a haunting reckoning with identity, consent, and the terrifying rush of growing up too fast.
• REBRAND (15:22), directed by Edoardo Ranaboldo: A group of camping YouTubers head to the woods to film their final video.

Die Already

We all see dead people, okay?!

Guest curator: Casper

• THE BRAID (13:00), directed by Jon Watkins: At a creepy LA mansion, a celebrity, her assistant, and her hair stylist must confront a terrifying ghost with a deadly grudge.
• BLOOD SISTERS (5:55), directed by Patrick Rea: As a family rushes to find help, a mother can only watch as her teen daughter succumbs to a mysterious illness that leaves her pale and barely able to take a breath.
• THE MAGICIAN (4:00), directed by Joe Garber: Unlock a new fear you didn’t think you had in you: spider-like magicians that kidnap babies and make terrible life-partners.
• LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART (17:53), directed by Julian Doan: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation.
• SPANKED BY A GHOST (11:50), directed by Katelyn Douglass: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.
• THE GATES OF IRKALLA (4:14), directed by Alexi Tsitlakidis: Hired by a local governor, four mercenaries must rescue his daughter from undead cultists.
• BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME (9:19), directed by Tim Schwagel: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle.
• TETHER (14:38), directed by Meredith Berg:  On the first day of her job running a remote, isolated space station, Mickie receives mysterious transmissions and must quickly unravel their meaning with the help of a passing spaceship captain or an untold number of lives could be lost.

Mindbender

For the most adventurous of viewers…

Guest curator: the mushrooms you ate and then saw God

• HAROLD EATS MAUDE (12:32), directed by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith.
• TRANSFERENCE (11:05), directed by Michael Zumaya: A hypnotherapy session with Heather, a traumatized woman, and Dr. Elizabeth Russell takes a strange turn as Heather’s memories appear to be connected to Russell, using a VHS camcorder as a conduit to connect.
• OPEN WIDE (10:09), directed by Sam Fox: Phoebe, a pious young woman questioning her faith, matches with a charming couple on a flirty dating app and discovers that her curiosity has lured her into a threesome from hell.
• DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING (9:48), directed by Michael Naizu, John Wilcox: While picking up his girlfriend’s reclusive brother, Calvin stumbles upon an otherworldly monolith and a secret he was never meant to uncover.
• FRANKSLIST (14:19), directed by Christine Celozzi: A simple interview spirals into a nightmare of bizarre encounters and escalating chaos.
• MISSING SOCKS (9:00), directed by Joe Anderson, Nadine Vincent: A mysterious laundromat owner (Nancy McLoughlin, Friday the 13th Part VI) tells her last customer of the night the truth about where all the missing socks go.
• THE LORD OF ALL FUTURE SPACE & TIME (23:47), directed by Chris Paul Russell: A grief-stricken cowboy is saved by a duffel bag from the future; the rest is history.

We Did It To Ourselves

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine.

Guest curator: A John Waters impersonator

• DEAD ENDERS (12:08), directed by Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker: A disaffected gas station clerk finds out why they call it the “graveyard shift” after oil drillers set loose an ancient race of mind-controlling parasites.
• DIRTY FUZZ (15:00), directed by Daniel Chimes: When an idealistic rookie cop accidentally shoots her corrupt partner in the slimy underbelly of Shit City, she must team up with a surprising crew of underworld characters to cover her tracks.
• CIVIL SERVICE (15:30), directed by Tiffany Kimmel: Follow a single man in charge of “family services” through a typical workday as he denies requests for government assistance while being confronted by his psyche in the form of his dead mother.
• KLEE (19:45), directed by Gavin Baird: An alien is sent to Earth and is tasked with a mission to invade, seduce, and terminate a family of colonizers in 19th-century Saskatchewan.
• THE SEQUENCE (14:54), directed by Joe Bandelli: After experiencing a terrifying nightmare, a stay-at-home mom must confront her deepest fears as disturbing sequences from her dream begin to manifest in reality, proving that some nightmares do come true.
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS (5:44), directed by Jennifer Bonior: Dismissed by every adult in her life, a young magician unleashes an explosive final act that proves underestimating her is a fatal mistake.
• THE LAST CHEAP HOUSE (10:36), directed by Meg Favreau: In 2021, popular home-renovation influencers Josh and Anna Connelly were found dead under their house; this documentary shares the shocking final footage the Connellys filmed.

Monster Party

Party like your life depends on it, because it does.

Guest curator: The Mothman

• HAINT (15:15), directed by Jahmil Eady: When gentrifiers mysteriously begin to die, a Gullah Geechee handywoman who recently lost her home, must decide whether to help them or leave the newcomers to their fate.
• STEAK DINNER (7:58), directed by Nathan Mark Ginter: Casey’s attempted surprise dinner date gets derailed when Taylor, her girlfriend, reveals she has brought home a strange, wounded creature she intends to nurse back to health.
• VAMPIRE FOR HIRE (13:43), directed by Jaime Zevallos: A washed-up TV vampire actor revives his iconic role for cash—until the horror becomes real.
• HOUR OF BLOOD (17:29), directed by Marcella Ochoa: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat.
• ZIPPY’S HOUSE (12:40), directed by Sophia Parella: Forced to attend his strange classmate’s birthday, a teen discovers he’s the only guest at a house where the host’s brother is in permanent time-out.
• BREEDER (7:14), directed by Sapphire Sandalo: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore.
• RED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASS (12:00), directed by Jeff Speed: A small-time journalist, desperate for her big break, tracks down evidence that could expose the sex crimes of a deviant Archbishop, but can she trust her source, or is she risking her life for front-page news?

How to Watch and Vote

Registration for Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival is free at ripcord.film. The online festival opens October 19th, and voting closes October 22nd. Fans who register before launch are entered to win two tickets to the October 29 screening of the top 10 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

The festival is open to films from the United States and Canada. Online viewing is geofenced to the United States and Canada.

The post Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival – Watch and Vote on 50 Genre Shorts for Free! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The festival launches online at ripcord.film on October 19th and is free to attend. Registered fans can watch every film and vote for their favorites through October 22nd to help select the Top 10 and change a filmmaker’s trajectory.

The Top 10 shorts will screen for a live audience at the TCL Chinese Theatre on October 29th. The festival is awarding $200,000 in cash prizes, including a $100,000 first prize, the largest first-place cash prize in short film festival history, with another $100,000 shared among the rest of the Top 10.

“Fifty films made the cut from more than 500 submissions, and every one of them earned its spot,” said Charlie Cleveland, founder of Ripcord. “These filmmakers made something distinctive, and now it’s the fans’ turn. Watch, vote, and help decide which ten films take the stage at the TCL Chinese Theatre.”

Films were selected by the programming team for their quality, their distinctive genre voice, and their role in balancing the overall lineup. The 50 finalists are divided into seven programming blocks of six to eight films each. The blocks are loosely organized around themes that emerged from this year’s submissions, and each is balanced for tone and mixed in film length so every block plays like a complete night at the movies.

“We built each block around a theme, then worked to make sure it moves the way a great evening should: a little creepy, a little funny, and sometimes deeply strange,” said Vanessa Meyer, Program Director of Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival. ” We think audiences will find a lot here that will surprise and excite them.”

Ripcord also premieres the festival’s official collectible poster, created by Jim “TAZ” Evans, the acclaimed illustrator known for creating alternative movie posters, iconic rock music gig posters and album cover art. The poster will be available at the October 29 screening event at TCL Chinese Theatre and online at 12am.live.

The Programming Blocks

Sweet Dreams

Having trouble sleeping? Well this won’t help but at least you’ll feel less alone.

Guest curator: Freddy Krueger

• DREAM CREEP (12:34), directed by Carlos A.F. Lopez: A couple awakens in the night to sounds emanating from an unlikely orifice.
• CHÄIR (6:18), directed by Chris McInroy: Carl just wanted to sit down. The chair had other plans.
• RESET (15:58), directed by Celine Tien, Jerry Hsu: In a world where citizens are reset to six at age 65, a young woman must care for her newly reset mother and find her estranged father before the state intervenes — only to discover that healing her family means reparenting the child her mother never got to be.
• NAIL-BITER (17:33), directed by Joseph Burch: An anxious nail-biter confronts her overbearing mother about their family curse, a finger-devouring creature that preys on those who bite their nails, just as the monster arrives to take her as its next victim.
• COWMAN (7:02), directed by Jiwoo Kim: A peaceful farmer and his beloved cow find their quiet life turned upside down when an unexpected alien abduction leads to a bizarre and surreal adventure.
• IT HELPS (9:07), directed by J. Zachary Thurman: Spencer, sleepless due to her brother’s eerie sleep machine, discovers it isn’t designed to soothe — but to keep an unspeakable presence at bay.
• CHARLIE IS NOT A BOY (13:17), directed by Pol Kurucz: Set within an allegorical America, in a crumbling household ruled by a perverted butcher of a father, a hushed soul clings to the magic of his eccentric grandmother, until his safe haven unravels, forcing him to choose between the masks he wears and his authentic self.
• MONSTROUS ME (16:40), directed by Ariel Baska: When Ariel was a disabled and disfigured child of three years old, a bad babysitter brought over a bag of weed, her boyfriend, and a VHS of A Nightmare on Elm Street. From under the coffee table, through the railings, Ariel saw themselves in the face of Freddy Krueger, and decided there was agency in being a monster rather than a martyr.

Love You To Death

If you’d rather die than go on Tinder, this block is for you.

Guest curator: Alex “I’m not going to be ignored, Dan!” Forrest

• RICHARD GOES ON A DATE (9:03), directed by Johnny Frohman: Richard goes on a date.
• STAR-CROSSED (14:01), directed by Bud Myrick: A beautiful young woman craving connection risks revealing her true nature—only to fall for the wrong man, igniting a night of passion, poor decisions, and consequences you can’t sweep under a rug.
• IT’S HARD NOT TO BE ROMANTIC ABOUT TIME TRAVEL (12:11), directed by Michael Charron: Armed with weed and a half-baked theory that love can bend time, two friends land five years in the past, totally unprepared for what comes next.
• LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES (20:10), directed by John Roche III: In a society where love is regulated, a rejected woman discovers a violent method of becoming the people she envies.
• MAKE ME A PIZZA (12:00), directed by Talia Shea Levin: BORED HOUSEWIFE seduces HOT PIZZA GUY for free pizza, but is desire worth $29.99?
• OH SOLO VIOLET (11:59), directed by Carolina Gomez: Ghosted and alone in her remote family home, Violet feels her grip on reality slip as memories of her cringey ex bleed into the present and he begins appearing, always just out of reach.
• IT HAD TO BE YOU (14:45), directed by Monisha Dadlani: A romantic night in isn’t all it seems when a man discovers his lovestruck date has a peculiar room full of male mannequins.

But I’m Popular

This one’s just for the likes.

Guest curator: Carrie

• RAT! (16:48), directed by Neal Suresh Mulani: When a disgruntled music journalist accuses a global pop star of queerbaiting, the singer’s devoted fans descend on his remote cabin to seek retribution.
• IDYLL (18:06), directed by Austin Cauldwell: A lonely young woman escapes her invisible life by stepping into the body of an adored celebrity through a VR platform, until she starts to prefer it.
• BENNY’S SECOND BIRTHDAY (12:16), directed by R.J. Glass: When strangers arrive at her toddler’s birthday party, an expectant mother confronts her son’s unexpected popularity.
• FOUR ITCHY BOYS (12:48), directed by Andrew Hebert: Four young men quarantined for an unexplainable, unrelenting itch prepare for a live-stream press event to prove they’re not the monsters the world believes them to be.
• CHAMELEON (14:25), directed by Lily Kaplan: When a rebellious teen discovers a magical eyeliner that lets her transform into anyone she sees, a night of thrilling shapeshifting unravels into a haunting reckoning with identity, consent, and the terrifying rush of growing up too fast.
• REBRAND (15:22), directed by Edoardo Ranaboldo: A group of camping YouTubers head to the woods to film their final video.

Die Already

We all see dead people, okay?!

Guest curator: Casper

• THE BRAID (13:00), directed by Jon Watkins: At a creepy LA mansion, a celebrity, her assistant, and her hair stylist must confront a terrifying ghost with a deadly grudge.
• BLOOD SISTERS (5:55), directed by Patrick Rea: As a family rushes to find help, a mother can only watch as her teen daughter succumbs to a mysterious illness that leaves her pale and barely able to take a breath.
• THE MAGICIAN (4:00), directed by Joe Garber: Unlock a new fear you didn’t think you had in you: spider-like magicians that kidnap babies and make terrible life-partners.
• LONG’S LONG LOST & MINI MART (17:53), directed by Julian Doan: In the back of a Little Saigon convenience store, a young customer reanimates his dead father for one last conversation.
• SPANKED BY A GHOST (11:50), directed by Katelyn Douglass: Alone in her home, a woman is spanked by an unseen entity, awakening a force she cannot control.
• THE GATES OF IRKALLA (4:14), directed by Alexi Tsitlakidis: Hired by a local governor, four mercenaries must rescue his daughter from undead cultists.
• BLOSSOM NEEDS A RIDE HOME (9:19), directed by Tim Schwagel: After defeating a bloodthirsty maniac, Blossom needs a ride home. What a hassle.
• TETHER (14:38), directed by Meredith Berg:  On the first day of her job running a remote, isolated space station, Mickie receives mysterious transmissions and must quickly unravel their meaning with the help of a passing spaceship captain or an untold number of lives could be lost.

Mindbender

For the most adventurous of viewers…

Guest curator: the mushrooms you ate and then saw God

• HAROLD EATS MAUDE (12:32), directed by Carl Fry, Maxwell Nalevansky: An unlikely friendship between the infamous cannibal Coffin Feeder, who can’t stop eating priests, and his cannibal-curious stalker Faith.
• TRANSFERENCE (11:05), directed by Michael Zumaya: A hypnotherapy session with Heather, a traumatized woman, and Dr. Elizabeth Russell takes a strange turn as Heather’s memories appear to be connected to Russell, using a VHS camcorder as a conduit to connect.
• OPEN WIDE (10:09), directed by Sam Fox: Phoebe, a pious young woman questioning her faith, matches with a charming couple on a flirty dating app and discovers that her curiosity has lured her into a threesome from hell.
• DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING (9:48), directed by Michael Naizu, John Wilcox: While picking up his girlfriend’s reclusive brother, Calvin stumbles upon an otherworldly monolith and a secret he was never meant to uncover.
• FRANKSLIST (14:19), directed by Christine Celozzi: A simple interview spirals into a nightmare of bizarre encounters and escalating chaos.
• MISSING SOCKS (9:00), directed by Joe Anderson, Nadine Vincent: A mysterious laundromat owner (Nancy McLoughlin, Friday the 13th Part VI) tells her last customer of the night the truth about where all the missing socks go.
• THE LORD OF ALL FUTURE SPACE & TIME (23:47), directed by Chris Paul Russell: A grief-stricken cowboy is saved by a duffel bag from the future; the rest is history.

We Did It To Ourselves

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and we feel fine.

Guest curator: A John Waters impersonator

• DEAD ENDERS (12:08), directed by Fidel Ruiz-Healy, Tyler Walker: A disaffected gas station clerk finds out why they call it the “graveyard shift” after oil drillers set loose an ancient race of mind-controlling parasites.
• DIRTY FUZZ (15:00), directed by Daniel Chimes: When an idealistic rookie cop accidentally shoots her corrupt partner in the slimy underbelly of Shit City, she must team up with a surprising crew of underworld characters to cover her tracks.
• CIVIL SERVICE (15:30), directed by Tiffany Kimmel: Follow a single man in charge of “family services” through a typical workday as he denies requests for government assistance while being confronted by his psyche in the form of his dead mother.
• KLEE (19:45), directed by Gavin Baird: An alien is sent to Earth and is tasked with a mission to invade, seduce, and terminate a family of colonizers in 19th-century Saskatchewan.
• THE SEQUENCE (14:54), directed by Joe Bandelli: After experiencing a terrifying nightmare, a stay-at-home mom must confront her deepest fears as disturbing sequences from her dream begin to manifest in reality, proving that some nightmares do come true.
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS (5:44), directed by Jennifer Bonior: Dismissed by every adult in her life, a young magician unleashes an explosive final act that proves underestimating her is a fatal mistake.
• THE LAST CHEAP HOUSE (10:36), directed by Meg Favreau: In 2021, popular home-renovation influencers Josh and Anna Connelly were found dead under their house; this documentary shares the shocking final footage the Connellys filmed.

Monster Party

Party like your life depends on it, because it does.

Guest curator: The Mothman

• HAINT (15:15), directed by Jahmil Eady: When gentrifiers mysteriously begin to die, a Gullah Geechee handywoman who recently lost her home, must decide whether to help them or leave the newcomers to their fate.
• STEAK DINNER (7:58), directed by Nathan Mark Ginter: Casey’s attempted surprise dinner date gets derailed when Taylor, her girlfriend, reveals she has brought home a strange, wounded creature she intends to nurse back to health.
• VAMPIRE FOR HIRE (13:43), directed by Jaime Zevallos: A washed-up TV vampire actor revives his iconic role for cash—until the horror becomes real.
• HOUR OF BLOOD (17:29), directed by Marcella Ochoa: In 1915 Texas, when ranchers mysteriously go missing, a young girl must defend her family ranch against the dark threat.
• ZIPPY’S HOUSE (12:40), directed by Sophia Parella: Forced to attend his strange classmate’s birthday, a teen discovers he’s the only guest at a house where the host’s brother is in permanent time-out.
• BREEDER (7:14), directed by Sapphire Sandalo: A woman on the fence about having kids is hunted in her home by a demonic horse-man of Filipino folklore.
• RED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASS (12:00), directed by Jeff Speed: A small-time journalist, desperate for her big break, tracks down evidence that could expose the sex crimes of a deviant Archbishop, but can she trust her source, or is she risking her life for front-page news?

How to Watch and Vote

Registration for Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival is free at ripcord.film. The online festival opens October 19th, and voting closes October 22nd. Fans who register before launch are entered to win two tickets to the October 29 screening of the top 10 at the TCL Chinese Theatre.

The festival is open to films from the United States and Canada. Online viewing is geofenced to the United States and Canada.

The post Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival Unveils 50-Short Lineup in Seven Themed Programming Blocks appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Presented by Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, the 2026 production, Delusion: Den of the Mosquito, runs on select nights from September 17 through November 8 and marks a homecoming for the long-running series.

Set inside a brothel in 1920s New Orleans, Den of the Mosquito unfolds as a supernatural tale of crime, family, mobsters and monsters, with vampire courtesans lurking at the center of its mystery. Guests become agents of Anomaly, a clandestine organization investigating supernatural threats, and must move through the story as active participants whose encounters help propel the night forward.

The new production returns to the intimate, character-driven storytelling and close audience interaction that defined Delusion’s earliest seasons. Each performance is limited to a group of 10 guests and unfolds as a streamlined, approximately 50-minute narrative play. Split paths, suspense-driven scenes and emotionally charged encounters place each group at the center of a darker, more personal adventure. The experience welcomes guests ages 18 and over.

“Returning to the Beckett Mansion feels like coming home. Longtime fans will immediately recognize the intimate, character-driven storytelling that shaped Delusion from the beginning,” says Braver. “In a world increasingly lived through screens, shared live experiences like this feel more necessary than ever.”

The Beckett Mansion served as Delusion’s original home in 2011 and 2012, helping establish the series’ distinctive blend of cinematic storytelling, live performance, practical effects and audience participation. Its return allows the creative team to use the mansion’s heavy atmosphere and historic quarters as part of the story, creating a production built around tension, mystery and intimate audience interaction.

Tickets are on sale now. For additional information, including event details and ticketing, visit enterdelusion.com and follow Delusion on Facebook and Instagram.

The post Delusion Returns to the Historic Beckett Mansion with ‘Den of the Mosquito’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The HAA represents professional haunted attraction owners,  operators, designers, vendors, enthusiasts, and artists who have turned the business of fright into a multi-million dollar industry with its own trade shows, experts, suppliers, magazines, educational seminars, and events. It’s an organization dedicated to all the haunt attraction owners and enthusiasts, many of whom spend millions of dollars on state-of-the-art special effects,  audio-animatronic creatures, Hollywood-quality makeup and masks,  costumes, lighting gear, sound equipment, and other products to ensure their customers have a frightful experience.

So much so that it’s directly inspired the horror genre itself. Not only is Halloween-set horror popular this time of year, but one of the holiday’s most popular pastimes – haunted attractions- has also directly inspired the genre and served as an immersive backdrop to the terror. Many were even filmed in actual working haunted attractions.

The best October pairing may arguably be visiting a local haunt then relaxing with a horror movie. Find yours today!

This Halloween, we’re saluting the HAA and our local haunts with five horror movies set in haunted attractions.

Haunt

A college co-ed group looking for thrills and chills find themselves instead fighting for their lives when they enter a Halloween haunt in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ (Heretic, 65) Halloween slasher movie. The haunt and its masked killers are the main attractions in this visually inventive slasher. Gorgeous, crisp cinematography that highlights the production design and great killer masks that evoke retro Ben Cooper, Inc. style costumes elevate the simple setup of this straightforward holiday-themed affair. And Beck and Woods certainly don’t skimp on the gore when it comes to culling this unlucky herd one by one.

Hell Fest

Gregory Plotkin’s Halloween slasher sees a masked killer using a Halloween scream park as his slaying grounds, committing murder in plain sight under the guise of Halloween fun. That’s bad news for the group of friends targeted by the psycho; the patrons think their terror is all part of the event. Hell Fest uses a requisite holiday pastime- the haunt attraction- as the center stage for this slasher that seeks to retool the definition of “Final Girl.” Plotkin delivers a no frills slasher without any meta layers, putting the Halloween revelry front and center. Hell Fest features costumes, props, and scare actors from Netherworld Haunted House, one of the nation’s largest haunts, for that added Halloween authenticity. It was also filmed at Six Flags White Water during the off season, converted into the film’s Scream Park.

Hell House LLC

A group of friends works to transform an old hotel into a Halloween haunt attraction in time for the season. An unexplained accident on their first night in business results in 15 attendees and staff members’ tragic deaths. Over a decade later, a documentary crew ventures there to answer what happened on that fateful night. Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, this faux-documentary style horror movie brings tons of thrills and chills. The maze-like setup of the home and the subtle details enhance the spooky tone of this movie. This place is seriously haunted, and it’ll instill a deep fear of clowns. It was also filmed in an actual haunted attraction: Waldorf Estate of Fear.

The Houses October Built

A group of friends who are traveling to Halloween haunted houses all over the country in search of something truly scary finds more than they bargained for in this found footage horror movie. It’s atmospheric and immersive in the realm of Halloween haunts, made more so in that director Bobby Roe shot at real haunted attractions across Texas and Louisiana to lend a real documentary feel to the horror. Diehard haunt fanatics can look for The 13th Floor, House of Torment, TerrorPlex, and more to serve as set pieces of terror. While it ends on a rather anticlimactic note, The Houses October Built yielded two sequels.

Ghoulies II

For those seeking fun over scares this Halloween season, this sequel expands its tiny demonic chaos to a carnival, where they take up residence in the haunted funhouse attraction “Satan’s Den.” That it takes place almost entirely within the haunt means a sequel that emphasizes practical effects and its setting, of which the Ghoulies make full use. Ghoulies II was written by Stuart Gordon’s long-time writing partner, Dennis Paoli (Re-Animator, From Beyond), and directed by Albert Band (Robot Wars). It stars Phil Fondacaro (Willow, Troll), Sasha Jenson (Halloween 4, Dazed and Confused), and Royal Dano (The Dark Half, Killer Klowns From Outer Space) as the humans encountering the wacky ghoulies’ shenanigans set in a carnival attraction that evokes childhood nostalgia and spooky fun.

HAA features a 1,200-member network of haunted attractions, giving you plenty of options worth visiting this season.

The post 5 Horror Movies Set Inside Haunted Attractions To Watch This Halloween appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With Ripcord, fans can rate and review films, follow and interact with the filmmakers, and discover new voices in the genre space. What’s more, they can purchase these films directly from the filmmakers with revenue going right into the creator’s pockets. It’s a community space — and one that’s making moves.

“Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival is the first step,” says John Hegeman, Festival Director. “Filmmakers get the exposure they need, and fans discover new voices in horror, sci-fi and fantasy they might never have found otherwise.”

As previously reported, Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival runs Monday, October 19 through Thursday, October 29, and will consist of 50 horror, sci-fi, thriller, and fantasy short films in competition for a $200,000 prize pool. Actually, it’s a little more nuanced than just a big number.

“We wanted the prizes to matter,” Hegeman insists. “Our $100,000 first-place cash prize is the largest in the history of short film festivals, and a combined $100,000 will be shared among the other nine Top 10 finalists. That kind of money can make a real difference in these filmmakers’ careers…”

Here’s the full breakdown…

• First Place: $100,000
• Second Place: $50,000
• Third Place: $25,000
• Fourth Place: $4,000
• Fifth–Tenth Place: $3,500 each

That’s not all, either. The top 10 filmmakers will be flown out to Los Angeles, where their films will screen for a live audience at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre on October 29. All eligible films will be a genre short in horror, thriller, science fiction, or fantasy; 4 and 30 minutes in length; produced within the past two years; and submitted by eligible citizens of the United States or Canada, excluding Quebec.

Submissions wrap up on October 1st with the top 50 selections announced October 12. Then, from October 19th to the 22nd, horror hounds and genre junkies alike can watch the Top 50 short films, engage directly with filmmakers, and vote for their favorites on Ripcord. Those votes will help whittle down the list to — you guessed it — the 10 best filmmakers. As Hegeman notes, “Online audiences can help make [a filmmakers’ career] happen by watching, voting, and championing the films they love.”

Ripcord has only just begun. The Halloween Film Festival is the first of Ripcord’s programming with additional festivals planned on a regular basis. So, if you’re looking to change Horror history, register online for free at Ripcord and find the next filmmaker for everyone to fear.

The post Ripcord’s Halloween Film Festival Builds a Bridge Between Fans and Filmmakers appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Writer Megan Mostyn-Brown is clearly aware of this, as her debut novel The Need promises to explore the intersection of cannibalism as both an incurable affliction and an addictive source of power. In celebration, today I’d like to recommend five cannibal movies that horror fans should watch before diving into Mostyn-Brown’s blood-soaked satire.

The Need is now available on shelves at your favorite retailer.

As usual, this list will be based on personal opinion, though I’ll refrain from repeating movies that may have shown up in previous lists celebrating iconic cinematic cannibals. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own cannibalistic favorites if you think a particularly memorable one was missed.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. We Are What We Are (2013)

I’ve written a lot about Jim Mickle in the past, as cult classics like Mulberry Street and Stake Land have convinced me that the Pennsylvanian director is one of the most underrated genre filmmakers currently working in the industry. That’s why it should be no surprise that his moody thriller We Are What We Are makes it onto this list.

An American-set remake of the 2010 Mexican original Somos lo que hay (which itself is a sequel to Guillermo Del Toro’s underrated vampire flick Cronos), Mickle’s version of the story takes quite a few liberties with the source material. In fact, I’d argue that this highly atmospheric thriller about the consequences of familial cannibalism offers a completely different experience than its Mexican inspiration – which is why both movies are worth checking out for completely different reasons!

4. Bones and All (2022)

Be it through vampirism or love-bites that go too far, there’s an inherent sensual element to the consumption (simulated or otherwise) of human beings. This uncomfortable subject matter tends to be ignored in most cannibal movies, but that’s far from the case with the romantic flesh-eating of Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All.

This 2022 film tells a thought-provoking love story about “Eaters” who were born with Cannibalistic tendencies and learn more about others like them, with the story brought to life by a star-studded cast and some of the most memorable visuals in Guadagnino’s career.

3. Cannibal Mukbang (2023)

A surprisingly compelling Tubi original, Aimee Kuge’s Cannibal Mukbang combines the vigilante thrills of Dexter with retro B-movie aesthetics and a self-aware sense of humor. In fact, despite referencing the online trend of influencers broadcasting themselves consuming ridiculous meals in exchange for attention, this gory rom-com wouldn’t feel out of place in a smoke-filled movie theater from the ’70s.

That being said, it’s the tragic relationship between our two leads that really holds the entire experience together. April Consalo and Nate Wise knock it out of the park as star-crossed lovers destined to be driven apart by the consequences of frequent cannibalism, and you can’t help but root for them even through all the excessive murder.

2. Fresh (2022)

Dating can be terrifying during the best of times, so it stands to reason that accidentally hooking up with a cannibal butcher who provides fresh meat for his fellow flesh-eaters would make for one of the most horrifying set-ups on this list.

Of course, Mimi Cave’s Fresh has a lot more going on up its bloody sleeves than you might initially believe. Both Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan deliver memorable performances in a captivity thriller that’ll consistently have you at the edge of your seat – unless you find Stan charming enough to actually be convinced that there’s nothing wrong with his messy little “hobby”.

1. Parents (1988)

Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt may not look like a pair of vicious, man-eating serial killers, but that’s precisely what makes this underrated satire of the 1950s American Dream so damn effective. Having the story be told from the perspective of a child who’s beginning to suspect that his parents are engaging in decidedly un-American activities is just the freaky cherry on top!

And yet, Parents’ unserious demeanor doesn’t quite conceal the true horror at the center of the story, especially towards the final act when the truth is revealed, and our child protagonist is forced to grow up as fast as he can in order to survive a generational taste for human blood.

The Need is a rare genetic disorder. Those who have it must consume human flesh or die. For some, The Need is power. For others, it is a curse.

Megan Mostyn-Brown’s debut novel published on September 22 and is available now.

The post 5 Cannibal Movies To Pair With Megan Mostyn-Brown’s Debut Novel ‘The Need’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With spooky season finally upon us, I’ve decided to celebrate by coming up with a list highlighting five of the most memorable Halloween costumes in horror movies for Spirit Halloween 2026 inspiration! From stylish slashers to oblivious children, there have been plenty of unforgettable getups in scary movies over the years, and I think it’s worth looking back at some of the classics.

For the purposes of this list,  Halloween costume is an outfit specifically worn in the spirit of the season, so no masked slasher outfits that are only meant to conceal the killer’s identity. That being said, this is obviously far from a definitive collection of all the coolest Halloween costumes ever put to film, so don’t forget to comment below with your own seasonal favorites if you think a particularly memorable one was overlooked.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. Run, Rabbit, Run! – House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

We all know that the Firefly family takes Halloween very seriously, but the celebration doesn’t stop with the family members themselves. Not only do they force guests to wear masks during their traditional Halloween dinner, but these victims are later forced to don cutesy animal costumes before being hunted down by the family like human livestock.

In Rob Zombie’s original film, Jennifer Jostwyn’s Mary is eventually forced to wear a comfy-looking white rabbit suit as she attempts to escape her demented captors during the flick’s infamous “Run, Rabbit, Run” sequence. This idiosyncratic outfit is accompanied by creepy imagery and an unforgettable soundtrack, and that’s why horror fans won’t be forgetting the costume any time soon.

That being said, I’d also like to give a shout-out to Baby Firefly’s iconic “Showtime” outfit from her surreal musical performance earlier in the evening.

4. Jesus Man – Satan’s Little Helper (2004)

Satan’s Little Helper is one of the most underrated slashers of the 2000s, with the horror-comedy somehow managing to capture the spirit of the season without breaking the bank with over-the-top costumes and decoration. Yet, despite the movie mostly focusing on dark humor and satirical jabs at desensitization to violence among children, there is one moment in the movie that actually disturbs me (if only because I was raised in a very religious family).

Towards the end of the flick, Satan Man swaps costumes in order to fool his next victims and his budding apprentice. One of these costumes happens to be an uncanny Jesus outfit complete with an expressionless mask. The visual here is eerie (not to mention blasphemous) enough, but the silence beneath the mask and the mean-spirited trickery behind the plan make this scene much spookier than anything that came before.

That’s why the Jesus Man costume makes it onto the list – though I’m also a fan of Dougie’s silly little devil suit.

3. Vampire Kid – Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

There are plenty of memorable costumes in Michael Dougherty’s beloved tribute to the Halloween season, and while I’m a huge fan of Anna Paquin’s ironic Red Riding Hood getup and even Sam’s homemade sackcloth suit, the one image that always comes to mind when I think of the film’s eerie costume designs has to be that one kid dressed as Dracula from the Halloween School Bus Massacre segment.

From the child’s awkward demeanor to the uncanny nature of his cheap mask and cape, this costume is already freaky even before the so-called “Vampire Kid” shows up again at the end of the movie as a rotting revenant hellbent on punishing Brian Cox for his crimes.

Here’s a fun fact: the Vampire Kid was brought to life by none other than Richard Harmon, the very same actor who would later go on to play the fan-favorite Erik Campbell in Final Destination: Bloodlines!

2. The Sheet Ghost – Halloween (1978)

One might argue that Michael Myers’ standard getup is already something of a Halloween costume since The Shape/Boogeyman can be interpreted to be using the William Shatner mask to disguise himself as a human being. However, the iconic mask and overalls are practically the character’s second skin at this point, and that’s why I’d like to highlight one of the legendary killer’s other memorable outfits.

During a particularly memorable scene in John Carpenter’s original movie, Myers sneaks up on P.J. Soles’ character by dressing up as a sheet ghost and wearing glasses belonging to the now-deceased Bob (John Michael Graham), thereby tricking the poor girl into thinking that her boyfriend is merely playing a mean-spirited prank on her. Not only does this scene turn one of the silliest and most low-effort Halloween costumes ever into a seriously terrifying visual, but it also proves that Michael has a dark sense of humor.

Of course, if you don’t agree with this one, there’s always the cheerful clown costume worn by Myers at the beginning of the film!

1. The Silver Shamrock Masks – Halloween III (1982)

I know it sounds like a cop-out to include three different costumes in the number one spot, but the fact is that I simply can’t choose between the Silver Shamrock designs first introduced in Tommy Lee Wallace’s divisive Halloween III: Season of the Witch. While the flick was originally criticized for its lack of Michael Myers, time has been very kind to what many genre enthusiasts now consider to be the definitive movie about All Hallow’s Eve itself.

In fact, I’d argue that the flick’s unique take on the Witch, Pumpkin, and Skeleton costumes is one of the most iconic uses of Halloween imagery ever put to film, especially when combined with the movie’s absurd take on Celtic mythology and the inherent dangers of the season.

Regardless, the Silver Shamrock theme song is so catchy that I’d still buy one of these iconic masks even if I knew they would later turn my brain into a gory pile of bugs.

Head to Spirit Halloween to assemble a costume inspired by this list and beyond. Find your local Spirit Halloween today!

The post Five Memorable Halloween Costumes in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That’s why there have been so many variations of the classic vampire myth over the years, with monstrous bloodsuckers taking on the role of everything from star-crossed lovers to metaphors for addiction.

In honor of Rebel Wolves’ horror-RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker putting players in the shoes of a Carpathian warrior hellbent on using his newfound vampiric powers to overthrow an undead tyrant, I’ve compiled a list recommending five vampire movies to get you in the mood for the game, now available on Steam, Xbox Series and PlayStation 5.

As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion, but don’t forget to comment below with your own vampiric favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one. While I won’t be including any of them on the list because I’m already covering the series with weekly retrospectives, I’d also like to give a shout-out to Full Moon’s incredibly underrated Subspecies films.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

It may seem strange to start out a list meant to get you in the mood for a game about a heroic vampire with an adaptation of the definitive evil vampire story, but Francis Ford Coppola’s iconic feature isn’t quite as faithful to Stoker’s original novel as the film’s title might lead you to believe.

In fact, while the award-winning film is remembered for its Gothic romance elements as Gary Oldman gave us one of the all-time sexiest portrayals of Dracula in any media, the source material depicted the character more as a traditionally demonic figure with little-to-no redeeming elements. That’s why the 1992 film makes it onto the list, as I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dawnwalker borrow from the movie’s iconic takes on doomed romance and tragic heroism.

4. Dracula Untold (2014)

I avoided Gary Shore’s action-packed Dracula origin story for years after it first came out, believing that the PG-13 thriller was an insult to Bram Stoker’s character and that it didn’t deserve my attention. That was until I encountered a comment here on Bloody Disgusting a little while ago where a fellow fan recommended it as one of the last big-budget action-horror romps of its kind.

And you know what? That horror fan was correct! Dracula Untold may not be an unfairly maligned masterpiece, but it’s still way more entertaining than it has any right to be, with the flick harkening back to that era of mid-2000s excess where classic monsters could also be action stars. Not only that, but Luke Evans kicks all kinds of ass as a more heroic, and, by extension, more historically accurate take on Vlad the Impaler.

3. Stake Land (2010)

Jim Mickle’s first couple of films are some of my all-time favorite scary movies, but while I’ve already written about the lo-fi infection horror of Mulberry Street, it’s the post-apocalyptic vampire story Stake Land that earns a spot on this list.

Starring Nick Damici, who also co-wrote the script, as a vampire-slaying badass who’s forced to take a young boy under his wing, the movie feels a lot bigger in scope than its modest production would initially suggest. There’s also plenty of graphic vampire deaths here, which is why I think it’s a great match for The Blood of Dawnwalker.

2. Priest (2011)

The retro-futuristic thriller Priest may not be a particularly faithful adaptation of its source material, but it’s still one hell of a thrilling vampire story that mixes stylish fight scenes with a unique Neo-Western aesthetic.

Of course, Paul Bettany as our surprisingly badass lead and Karl Urban as the over-the-top villain do a lot of the heavy lifting here, alongside some genuinely impressive practical effects. That being said, the real reason Priest makes it onto the list is that watching it might make you feel like this kind of exaggerated vampiric action could make for one hell of a cool videogame.

1. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles may not have been the first pieces of media to tell vampire stories from the perspective of the Nosferatu themselves, but her sensual stories of tragic figures struggling with the eternal ennui of immortality certainly popularized the idea of a heroic vampire.

That’s why it would make a lot of sense to revisit Neil Jordan’s award-winning adaptation of the author’s seminal Interview with the Vampire ahead of The Blood of Dawnwalker. After all, while Brad Pitt’s Louis may be more of a lover than a fighter, he certainly knows a thing or two about slowly losing your humanity despite having the best intentions.

Sink your fangs into The Blood of Dawnwalker now.

The post Blood, Curses, And Undead Kings: 5 Vampire Movies To Pair With ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In fact, while Halloween enthusiasts in the real world have to deal with authoritarian Homeowners Associations and pesky laws preventing the use of human remains as undead lawn ornaments, Hollywood has been churning out plenty of memorable scares involving disturbing seasonal decorations. In honor of the 2026 spooky season finally rolling in, today I’d like to shine a light on five of the scariest Halloween decorations in horror!

As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion. However, I’ll only be considering “props” that were actually displayed like real decorations on Halloween night – so no unrelated totems or corpses that just so happen to resemble classic decorations.

Don’t forget to comment below with your own favorites if you think we missed a particularly memorable example. With that out of the way, onto the list!

5. The Hanged Woman – Hell Fest (2018)

Hell Fest is an underrated slasher that deserved multiple sequels, as well as an unrated cut with more intense kills, and I will die on that hill. Of course, a big part of the entertainment factor here comes from the fact that the script was inspired by shockingly real stories about Halloween decorations from haunted attractions later turning out to have been actual dead bodies.

That’s why The Other’s first kill makes it onto this list, as this unfortunate lady-turned-prop serves as a gruesome shout-out to the flick’s real-world inspirations.

Here’s a fun fact: the film’s production designer, Michael Perry, actually worked on real haunts before -including Disney’s Haunted Mansion– with his expertise adding another layer of authenticity to an already spooky production. It also employed props, costumes, and scare actors from Netherworld.

4. Clown Mannequin – Hell House LLC (2015)

The story about the babysitter who gets creeped out by a family’s clown statue only to discover that the mannequin is actually a murderous home invader in disguise is one of my all-time favorite urban legends. That’s probably why I loved Stephen Cognetti’s take on this remarkably simple setup in his seminal found footage thriller Hell House LLC.

In the film, which is presented as a documentary about a haunted house attraction gone terribly wrong, there’s an unsettling troupe of clown mannequins lurking in the background of several scenes, with the main characters occasionally interacting with the eerie props and even implementing them in their planned haunt. The movie actually teases us with these mannequins for a really long time before finally admitting that one of the clowns is, in fact, possessed by a malevolent spirit, but it’s the build-up that makes this decoration so memorable.

3. Lollipop Scarecrow – Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Half the fun of revisiting Michael Dougherty‘s seasonal gem comes from immersing yourself in its delightfully spooky atmosphere, so it’s no surprise that Trick ‘r Treat contains some of the most memorable Halloween decorations to ever hit the big screen.

Yet, despite the flick’s copious amounts of jack-o’-lanterns and candy bowls, the scariest bit of prop scenery has to be our introduction to Sam’s vicious modus operandi. Enraged by her disrespect of Halloween tradition, the diminutive spirit of the season turns Leslie Bibb into one of the very decorations she was attempting to take down before the holiday was officially over.

The reveal also makes for a great jump scare, and that’s why it ranks so high on the list!

2. Fish Boy – House of 1000 Corpses (2002)

No one loves Halloween like Rob Zombie, so it makes sense that the celebrated goth rocker and independent filmmaker projected his own obsession with the holiday onto the infamous Firefly family.

Of course, a household comprised of madmen and serial killers wouldn’t limit themselves to store bought decorations, and that’s why Rainn Wilson’s unfortunate fate as the Fiji mermaid-inspired Fish Boy makes it onto this list. After all, if you have a thousand bodies lying around the house, you might as well do some arts and crafts with them when Halloween comes around!

1. Human Jack-O’-Lantern – Halloween (2018)

The human jack-o’-lantern is something of a horror trope in and of itself, with this especially gnarly decoration showing up in quite a few horror movies over the years. However, despite this having previously been a memorable addition to flicks like Terrifier and even the aforementioned Trick ‘r Treat, there’s no discussing spooky decorations in film without bringing up the definitive franchise of the season.

It’s a shame that it took so long for the Boogeyman to finally turn one of his victims into a bloody mockery of the most popular Autumn-themed ornament, but the disturbing effects work and eerie cinematography make this seasonal surprise one of the very best moments of 2018’s Halloween.

Head to Spirit Halloween to assemble decor inspired by this list and beyond. Find your local Spirit Halloween today!

The post 5 of the Scariest Halloween Decorations in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Rebel Wolves co-founder Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, who previously worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is obviously aware of this, with the studio’s latest game The Blood of Dawnwalker putting players in the shoes of a Carpathian warrior from the Middle Ages who discovers that he can live as a human by day and a super-powered vampire by night.

The Blood of Dawnwalker now available on Steam, Xbox Series and PlayStation 5.

With the hotly anticipated title arriving soon, I’m looking back at five of the most memorable vampires in videogame history.

As usual, this list is purely based on personal opinion, but keep in mind that it’ll only include original vampires specifically created for videogames. That means no digital adaptations of Dracula. Though he doesn’t hail from a horror game, I’d also like to give a shout-out to Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion, as I think he’s definitely one of the most iconic bloodsuckers we’ve seen in a while.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below if you think we missed a particularly memorable vampire.

With that out of the way, onto the list.

5. Rayne – Bloodrayne

A gory gothic romp all about thwarting occult Nazi conspiracy theories, the Bloodrayne series seems like it was made to bring joy to me specifically. Of course, a franchise is only as good as its main character, and Bloodrayne’s leading lady is one of the best in the business.

Heavily inspired by the paranormal investigator Svetlana Lupescu, an existing vampire from slightly less popular Terminal Reality franchise Nocturne (a part of the Blair Witch Project expanded universe), Rayne underwent an extensive design process where the team aimed to find a perfect balance between strength and attitude. If you ask me, they really hit the nail on the head (or the stake through the heart) with this one!

4. Raziel – Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

He may not be the title character of the series, but I think it’s safe to say that there are more fans of the vampire-turned-wraith Raziel than there are of Kain at this point. In fact, Soul Reaver and its moody protagonist were so well-received that a lot of people are still unaware that the title is actually a spinoff of an existing action RPG.

A winged vampire who was resurrected by an Elder God after being betrayed by his master, Raziel’s design is one of the most memorable examples of Goth and classic ’90s edge making their way into videogames. In fact, the character’s undead appearance was influenced by both Conrad Veidt’s Cesare from the 1920 expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as well as paintings of the Hindu god Vishnu.

3. The Voerman Sisters – Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

The very first image you see when you pick up a copy of Bloodlines, Jeanette Voerman has earned a reputation over the years as an over-the-top example of sexist eye candy meant to cater to the lowest common denominator. While there’s certainly a conversation to be had about how videogames often use female characters as advertising gimmicks, the game itself actually treats both Jeanette and her slightly less sexualized “twin sister” Therese with a refreshing amount of respect.

You see, the game eventually reveals that this pair of successful business owners are secretly a single vampire suffering from dissociative identity disorder. However, neither sister is aware that the other also inhabits the same body, with these distinct characters becoming fan-favorite NPCs as well as a dual-sided mascot for Bloodlines as a whole.

2. Lady Dimitrescu – Resident Evil: Village

Whether or not Lady Dimitrescu is meant to be sexy or scary is still up for debate, though I’d argue that it’s possible to be both, but I think most fans can agree that this towering Nosferatu is one of the main attractions in Capcom’s penultimate entry in the long-running Resident Evil franchise.

Castle Dimitrescu may only be one small part of Ethan’s sprawling quest to recover his child, and the Lady’s vampiric daughters can be just as threatening as the giantess herself, but Dimitrescu’s imposing figure and classy design (I love that giant fancy hat) make her one of the most iconic creatures of the night on this list.

1. Alucard – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Escaping the shadow of your famous father can be a challenge for any nepo-baby, but it’s especially hard when your dad is literally Dracula. Thankfully, Symphony of the Night greatly expands on the once-supporting character of Vlad’s less-villainous son, who was first introduced in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse.

Cheekily named after Lon Chaney Jr’s role in the 1943 film Son of Dracula, Alucard was meant to be a mirror opposite of his murderous father in everything from his personality to his iconic appearance. That’s why his design borrows just as much from classic Baroque artwork as it does from bishōnen manga.

Sink your fangs into The Blood of Dawnwalker, now available on all platforms.

The post Get Ready for ‘The Blood of Dawnwalker’ With These 5 Legendary Video Game Vampires appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

No job is safe from horror, either, from babysitting to even the most white-collar gigs. But if you work an overnight shift? All bets are off. Vengeful co-workers and bosses aside, the night shift is likely to come armed with witches, creatures, demons, and all manner of things that go bump in the night. Even deadly outbreaks. 

Corporate Retreat, along with these five horror movies centered around some of the worst night shifts, will make you glad the weekend has finally arrived.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Passenger director André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman during an unexpected night shift. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously scary.

Cold Storage

A lethal, mutated fungus breaks free from confinement deep within the bowels of a storage facility. At the frontlines of the madness are Teacake (Stranger Things’ Joe Keery) and Naomi (Barbarian‘s Georgina Campbell), two employees thrust into the middle of the chaos when they investigate an alarm beeping somewhere deep within the building. Director Jonny Campbell (Netflix’s Dracula), working from a script by David Koepp based on his novel, helms the goopy madness with workman efficiency. This lighthearted, goopy horror comedy romp makes the deadly night shift a bit more bearable.

Graveyard Shift

Graveyard Shift follows new hire Hall (David Andrews) tasked by his mean boss Warwick (Stephen Macht) to assist with the insane rat infestation beneath their mill. They find something much most monstrous as the cause. Though the film was panned, it’s a fun creature feature with an always welcome appearance by Brad Dourif as the intensely eccentric exterminator. The film also opts for a happier ending, whereas (spoiler), the story sees both Hall and Warwick getting devoured by the mutated rats, the crew in the upstairs mill none the wiser.

Last Shift

Rookie Officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) has been assigned to watch over a closing precinct on its final night of operation…alone. With nearly everything already moved over to the new station, including rerouted 911 calls, it should be a pretty quiet night as she waits for a Hazmat team to arrive to remove biohazardous waste. Instead, it becomes a waking nightmare as she’s forced to deal with unsettling visitors. Last Shift, co-written by Scott Poiley and director Anthony DiBlasi, brings the scares.

Intruder

The overnight stock crew of a local grocery store finds themselves falling victim to an unseen killer in this highly infectious late ‘80s slasher. The deaths are delightfully gruesome and inventive; look for this killer to make excellent use of grocery store items as weapons. Frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel directed this bloody slasher, which means a lot of overlap with the Evil Dead II. That means putting Sam Raimi in front of the camera for a change, along with Ted Raimi and Evil Dead II’s Dan Hicks. Look for a cameo by Bruce Campbell as well! 

Corporate Retreat releases in theaters today; get tickets now.

The post Five of the Worst Night Shifts in Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The humble writer from Portland, Maine, published his debut novel in 1974 and quickly became a household name. By 1978, he’d released five incredible books that continue to dazzle modern readers. Carrie, ‘Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Night Shift, and The Stand run the gamut of horror subgenres, exploring everything from vampire lore and feminism to haunted houses and the apocalypse. But despite these differences, each story is a showcase for the prolific author’s ability to create intensely relatable characters forced to confront their darkest fears.

To celebrate this unparalleled legacy, Vintage Books presents a stunning reissue of King’s first five publications.

Adorned with gorgeous new covers from award-winning illustrator Gary Pullin, this series combines each story’s retro vibe with the timeless terror we’ve come to associate with the man now known as the Master of Horror. 

Carrie (1974)

Considering his later success, it’s surprising to learn that King’s debut novel almost ended up in the trash. When he first envisioned the bloody story, King was a young father living paycheck to paycheck on a teacher’s salary, supplementing the family’s meager income with short stories published in men’s magazines. Frustrated with what was shaping up to be a longer work, King famously gave up on his draft of Carrie and threw the first few pages away. Fortunately, his wife and fellow writer Tabitha pulled the manuscript out of the wastebasket and encouraged him to continue writing. 

Carrie follows a lonely high school girl whose telekinetic abilities blossom with the late arrival of her first period. A victim of relentless bullying, Carrie White finds herself the target of a vicious prank when her popular classmates orchestrate her unlikely election to prom queen, then douse her with pig’s blood at the moment of coronation. Humiliated, Carrie unleashes the full force of her awful powers on the laughing prom-goers, sparking a fire that threatens to destroy the town. 

The slim novel sold modestly upon initial release, but became a worldwide phenomenon thanks to a masterful adaptation from Brian De Palma. Featuring powerhouse performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, Carrie (1976) remains a beloved genre classic and an early example of Good For Her horror. There’s even a new series adaptation on the way this year.

Vintage Books’ rerelease features an introduction from feminist author Margaret Atwood, who — upon the novel’s 50th anniversary — called its upsetting themes “still horrifyingly relevant.”

‘Salem’s Lot (1975)

King’s second novel highlights the author’s talent for creating abject terror while exploring the nuances of small town life. Haunted by an incident from his childhood, widowed novelist Ben Mears returns to the titular town intent on renting the Marsten House, a crumbling mansion said to be haunted by the ghost of its former resident. Unfortunately, he returns to find the home purchased by Kurt Barlow, a mysterious European antiques dealer, and his more visible companion, Richard Straker. Meanwhile, residents of the sleepy town find themselves shunning the light and inexplicably thirsting for human blood. 

A modern retelling of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, King reverses the legendary text’s exploration of Victorian technology with characters so convinced of their rationality that they reject the growing vampire threat until the moment it bites them on the neck. Several sequences remain among the most frightening of King’s vast catalogue, but ‘Salem’s Lot is at its best when following the residents of the secretive town. One mesmerizing chapter begins with farmhands working in the pre-dawn hours before circling through a series of scandalous vignettes featuring a cantankerous bus driver, an elementary school bully, a corrupt real estate mogul, and an unfaithful housewife. The chapter ends when two young brothers are stalked through the darkening woods, kicking the vampiric horror into overdrive.

In some ways, ‘Salem’s Lot encapsulates the best of King’s distinctive style. Ben Mears serves as the first writer protagonist, while folksy side characters juxtapose fantasy elements with the grounded reality of everyday life. Neighboring the infamous Chamberlain — the town nearly destroyed by Carrie White — ‘Salem’s Lot also begins a literary connected universe still rippling through pop culture more than five decades later. 

Vintage Books’ rerelease of the novel that inspired multiple adaptations comes with an introduction by horror author Joe Hill.

The Shining (1977)

Not only King’s first hardcover bestseller, The Shining also introduces readers to his signature brand of storytelling through unflinching self-examination. The terrifying tale follows Jack Torrance, a failed teacher and fledgling playwright struggling to maintain his sobriety. Hoping to get his life back on track, Jack accepts a job as the winter caretaker at a luxury hotel set high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Joining him in this eerie assignment is his watchful wife, Wendy, and son Danny, a little boy gifted with immense telepathic powers. But solitude begins to wear on the fracturing family as the spirits who wander the empty halls want to claim the child’s talents for themselves. 

On the surface, The Shining is a nerve-shattering tale of a haunted hotel filled with vengeful ghosts. But beneath this horrific exterior is an intimate story of addiction-fueled domestic violence and a man consumed by the worst parts of himself. Written several years before the author entered recovery, King has described Jack as a vessel for exploring his own relationship with alcohol and the pressures of early parenthood.

Four decades later, he would write Doctor Sleep, a sequel following an adult Danny Torrance struggling to make peace with his father’s legacy that would also be adapted into a feature film.

Night Shift (1978)

King’s first collection of short stories is a thrilling showcase for the author’s unparalleled creativity. Lean, mean, and often grisly, these twenty tales pack a powerful punch while spanning a variety of subgenres and subjects. “The Mangler” features an industrial steam ironer accidentally possessed by an unlikely demon, while “Sometimes They Come Back” follows a traumatized high school teacher who must battle disruptive students from beyond the grave. “The Lawnmower Man” is an Arthur Machen-inspired curio blending folk horror with the tedium of suburbia, while “Graveyard Shift” sees a factory worker devoured by hordes of mutant rats. 

In a nightmarish return to his tortured town, King bookends the collection with “Jerusalem’s Lot” and “One for the Road,” wildly different short stories which serve as prequel and coda, respectively, to ‘Salem’s Lot. Though many entries see King gleefully lean into the uncanny and gross — like “Gray Matter” in which a father is consumed by moldy beer — others are more poignant. “The Last Rung on the Ladder” follows a brother forced to reckon with his wayward sister’s legacy, while “The Woman in the Room” sees King explore the experience of watching his mother slowly pass away. 

With most entries clocking in under twenty pages, Night Shift is surprisingly cinematic and has spawned a staggering number of adaptations.

To date, thirteen feature films and TV series have risen from the collection’s pages, not including ten sequels to Fritz Kiersch’s campy classic Children of the Corn. With Rob Savage’s The Boogeyman — inspired by Night Shift’s sixth short story — terrifying audiences in 2023, this curious collection continues to fuel the horror genre with new iterations of unimaginable fear.

The Stand (1978)

The same year Night Shift became a national bestseller, King published The Stand, a sprawling apocalyptic fantasy inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. This harrowing story opens with a malfunctioning gate and a frightened security guard fleeing a chemical weapons research facility just minutes after a disastrous breach. Weeks later, the Superflu or “Captain Trips” has spread across the United States, decimating the population as the army frantically tries to maintain control. 

King shows the collapse of society through a handful of disparate characters who somehow prove immune to the virus and find themselves left behind in a country strewn with rotting corpses. As each struggles to pick up the pieces, some are drawn to an old woman playing guitar on a humble porch, while others dream of a Dark Man wandering deserted roads throughout the night. After a brutal summer, these two factions find themselves in a desperate battle between good and evil where the prize is the very soul of humanity. 

At a whopping 1,152 pages, King’s longest work to date was originally released in 1978 with dramatic edits removing around 400 pages of colorful prose. Vintage Books’ rerelease features the “Complete and Uncut” version of King’s epic novel, originally restored in 1990. Among other exciting sequences, this expanded tome features the Dark Man lurking within a massive tornado and a beer-swilling miscreant known as the Kid who pays an unthinkable price for his treachery.

The Stand is now considered a masterpiece and one of America’s best modern novels thanks to King’s skillfully balanced characters who contemplate the awful price of war and our collective ability to better ourselves. A poignant conclusion asks the reader, if given a clean slate to start again, would we find the courage to stand for what’s right or wind up remaking the same mistakes? 

Five decades after they first hit bookshelves, King’s first five novels continue to unnerve readers with stories that still feel frighteningly familiar. The Stand proved eerily prophetic during the 2020 pandemic, inspiring The End of the World As We Know It, a collection of in-world stories contributed by  Paul Tremblay, Tananarive Due, and more of the genre’s most popular writers.

Tobe Hooper’s 1979 adaptation of ‘Salem’s Lot just received a stunning new 4K rerelease while Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece The Shining continues to shape the look of modern horror, prominently referenced in blockbusters like Ready Player One and Coralie Fargeat’s awards darling The Substance. And no one goes to prom without thinking of a wide-eyed Carrie White doused in blood on the high school stage. Mike Flanagan’s upcoming miniseries adaptation promises to modernize Carrie’s brutal themes, bringing this disturbing tale of bullying into the digital age.

There’s never been a better time to pick up a copy of Vintage King and join the vast community of Constant Readers.  

The post Vintage Stephen King Collection Captures Enduring Legacy of Horror Master’s First Five Novels appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Corporate Retreat centers around a group of young executives whose luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader, described as “a gory mix of The Menu and Saw.” Aaron Fisher (Inside the Rain) directs from a script he co-wrote with Kerri Lee Romeo.

While the unlucky team members find themselves fighting to survive, they’re hardly alone. Ahead of Corporate Retreat, here are five more horror movies to see out that prove retreats can be hell.

A Cure For Wellness

Stockbroker Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) gets sent to a mysterious wellness retreat in the remote Swiss Alps to retrieve his company’s CEO (Harry Groener) in A Cure for Wellness. When he begins to suspect the center’s magic cure isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, the doctors diagnose Lockhart with an illness, admit him as a patient, and subject him to bizarre and cringe-inducing procedures. Gore Verbinski’s sense of grandeur is fully displayed in this stunning, epic-sized tale that’ll viscerally trigger dentophobia. Mia Goth and Jason Isaacs also star in Verbinski’s melodramatic Gothic horror film.

Corporate Animals

Before The Substance, Demi Moore played Lucy, the CEO of Incredible Edibles, a company that appeals to the ecologically conscious with edible cutlery products. She’s ruthless, selfish, and full of buzzwords. That means that she may be at the bottom of the food chain when her work retreat trip to the wilderness instead traps her team in a cave with dwindling resources. Creep director Patrick Brice aims for laughs above all in this corporate satire from screenwriter Sam Bain (Four Lions, Fresh Meat).

The Conference

It’s not just corruption that derails a teambuilding conference in Swedish horror comedy The Conference, but a masked killer hellbent on revenge. Work frustrations get worked out through brutal dispatches and demises in a slasher that takes its horror seriously and doesn’t veer too far into overly silly territory. A memorable killer mask and mean kills prevent this familiar slasher from becoming stale. Patrik Eklund directs the adaptation of Mats Strandberg’s novel; Katia Winter (“The Boys”, Banshee Chapter) stars.

The Invitation

The Invitation brings the wellness retreat home to unnerving results. Will (Logan Marshall-Green) accepts an invitation to his ex-wife’s dinner party, which quickly proves to reopen old wounds. Awkward social interactions turn into something far more sinister when hostess Eden (Tammy Blanchard) reveals her cultish reasons why she’s been absent the past two years, and that retreat has inspired her malevolent present. Karyn Kusama’s master class in unsettling psychological horror builds to one of the most unforgettable third acts of all time, with a final parting shot that elicits chills.

The Howling

A harrowing encounter with a serial killer prompts a reporter’s therapist to send her to a wellness retreat to recover from the trauma. Instead, she finds the idyllic resort infested with werewolves. Dee Wallace starred as the tormented reporter, Karen White, in Joe Dante’s seminal werewolf film featuring incredible practical effects by SFX legend Rob Bottin, who was only 21 at the time. 

Corporate Retreat releases in theaters this Friday; get tickets now.

The post Retreats From Hell: 5 Horror Movies to Watch Ahead of ‘Corporate Retreat’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In anticipation of Aaron Fisher’s upcoming Corporate Retreat, in theaters on May 22, presenting us with a worst-case scenario where executives are forced to take part in sick games in order to save their own skins, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six of the worst bosses in horror!

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be considering any character in a leadership position who also happens to display extreme (and often malicious) negligence in the way that they treat their subordinates – regardless of the overall quality of the movie they come from. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own detestable favorites if you think we missed a particularly terrible boss within the genre.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

6. Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) – Aliens (1986)

Weyland-Yutani has got to be one of the worst companies to work for in all of fiction. From employing homicidal androids as middle management to making it clear that the crew is expendable should they ever run into something valuable, the faceless corporation behind most of the human error in the Alien franchise appears to have a knack for producing horrible bosses.

Of course, the most glaring example of the company’s bureaucratic cruelty happens to be Paul Reiser’s profit-obsessed Carter Burke. An egotistical manipulator who’s willing to allow our main characters to be forcefully impregnated by xenomorphs in order to protect his employers’ interests, Burke is one character that I think we all wished had a more explicit death scene.

5. Inácio (Murilo Benício) – Friendly Beast (2017)

Murilo Benício is already a household name in Brazil, though he’s usually typecast in comedic roles due to a series of successful parts in popular telenovelas from the 2000s. However, I’d argue that the actor’s absolute best performance comes from an underappreciated indie horror flick directed by Gabriela Amaral back in 2017.

In Friendly Beast (O Animal Cordial in the original Portuguese), Murilo plays the troubled owner of a high-end restaurant who ends up revealing his vicious inner self during a robbery that escalates into a horrific kidnapping involving his employees. The sadistic Inácio is such a toxic employer that the criminals soon come to regret their choice of target, and that’s precisely why he earns a spot on this list!

4. John Milton (Al Pacino) – The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Many workers claim to have been employed by the literal devil, but the morally grey lawyer Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) is one of the few characters to actually mean it. After joining a law firm in New York, Kevin soon realizes that the new job may very well be costing him his soul due to the infernal machinations of his cheekily named boss, “John Milton” (Al Pacino in one of his most entertaining roles ever).

While Pacino is a joy to watch as a snarky rendition of Satan let loose in 90s New York City, Milton also happens to be a genuinely terrifying presence that embodies all the worst traits of 20th-century businessmen.

3. General Lee Roy (Robin Watkins) – Poultrygeist (2005)

Troma’s Poultrygeist may not be for the faint of heart, with the film’s copious amounts of gore and excessive potty humor making it a tough watch even for hardened genre veterans, but the over-the-top presentation only enhances the flick’s underlying message about how fast-food giants exploit both their customers and their employees.

That’s why it makes sense for American Chicken Bunker founder General Lee Roy (Robin Watkins) to be a ridiculous Colonel Sanders parody willing to serve radioactive slop to his customers in order to guarantee maximum profits. Funnily enough, Watkins does such a great job with this hateable character that he’s more off-putting in human form than as a giant mutated chicken zombie.

2. Dracula (Nicolas Cage) – Renfield (2023)

Fictional bosses being depicted as predatory vampires is something of a genre cliché by now, but Chris McKay’s horror comedy Renfield stands out from similar films by revealing that our protagonist’s employer is the original blood-sucking bastard himself, Count Dracula!

Brought to life by a wonderfully over-the-top Nicolas Cage, Renfield’s take on Dracula is so delightfully mean that even the film’s biggest critics have to admit that it still contains one of the most memorable incarnations of Stoker’s iconic villain. That being said, while he’s certainly fun to watch, Cage’s Dracula remains one of the biggest HR nightmares on this list.

1. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) – American Psycho (2000)

The only entry here where the terrible boss also happens to be the main character, Patrick Bateman, would still be on this list even if he weren’t a homicidal maniac. From performative lunches and meetings (where we never learn what he actually does within the company) to treating his secretary like garbage, Bateman’s working persona is so scary because it’s an all-too common example of redundant management and casual workplace misogyny.

To make matters worse, a throwaway line in Mary Harron’s masterful adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel suggests that Bateman is something of a nepobaby, as his father “practically owns the company” he works at. Couple that with the occasional murder of annoying business partners, and you have a recipe for the world’s worst boss!

Corporate Retreat releases in theaters this Friday; get tickets now.

The post Six of the Worst Bosses in Horror Ahead of ‘Corporate Retreat’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Corporate Retreat centers around a group of young executives whose luxury team-building trip descends into a bloody fight for survival against a vengeful retreat leader, described as “a gory mix of The Menu and Saw.“

Odeya Rush (Goosebumps) leads an eclectic cast that includes Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Rosanna Arquette (Pulp Fiction), and Sasha Lane (Twisters), all fighting for survival of both the work week and each other in director Aaron Fisher‘s film.

But they’re hardly alone. 

Horror offers no shortage of films that explore the hells of a corporate environment, corporate retreats, and more. Work out those workplace frustrations with five office horror films that get intimately acquainted with cutthroat coworkers and nightmarish bosses.

Read on for where to watch them this week on streaming.

The Belko Experiment – Cinemax

A sadistic social experiment traps 80 American employees inside their corporate high-rise with harrowing commands to kill each other. If they don’t, they’ll be killed themselves. Think Battle Royale in a white-collar setting. Written by James Gunn and directed by Greg McLean, The Belko Experiment gives the corporate grind new grim meaning with intense survival horror thrills. McLean’s vicious violence is on full display, with tragic fates befalling a large portion of this stellar cast of characters. John Gallagher Jr. leads, but look for notable actors John C. McGinley, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker, and Tony Goldwyn to take up arms and combat their colleagues.

Bloodsucking Bastards – Fawesome, Hoopla, Kanopy, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Roku Channel, Screambox, Shout TV, Tubi

This horror-comedy takes the concept of a soul-sucking corporation literally, featuring a new boss, Max (Pedro Pascal), who shakes up the office productivity through vampirism. The only one standing in his way is the meek, overworked Evan (Fran Kranz) and his love interest, Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick). Bloodsucking Bastards bides its time setting up mundane office hijinks before picking up speed and unleashing bloody B-horror fun. Once again, Kranz makes for an endearing everyman lead, while Pascal oozes charm and menace as the big bad.

Mayhem – AMC+, Shudder

Living up to its title, Mayhem offers the employees of a ruthless law firm the chance to unleash their repressed rage thanks to a contagious virus that removes all inhibitions for hours. For recently fired Derek Cho (Steven Yuen) and desperate client Melanie Cross (Samara Weaving), that means slaying their way up the corporate ladder for retribution. It’s violent, it’s bloody, but most of all, it’s fun. Director Joe Lynch’s office revenge fantasy will leave you cheering with glee. It certainly helps that Yuen and Weaving are a dream team in doling out punishment to the law firm’s most corrupt.

Send Help – Disney+, Hulu

High-strung, socially awkward employee Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) gets denied the promotion she was promised when her boss’s spoiled son Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) takes over dad’s company. Linda’s luck chances when a work trip instead maroons the pair on an island, and escalating work frustrations lead to violence. It’s a splatstick battle of wills and wit in director Sam Raimi’s splatstick workplace comedy of errors. It’s not just Raimi’s comedic, gross-out signatures that make this original thriller so fun, but the formidable lead performances by its warring duo.

Severance – Hoopla, Kanopy, Philo

The Triangle and Black Death director, Christopher Smith, shows off his funny bone in this comedic slasher. A military arms corporation’s sales division embarks on a team-building retreat in the mountains but finds itself under siege by a masked killer instead. Aside from the wry office humor involved, the fact that this sales team works for an arms company means you can expect a wide array of weaponry at the characters’ disposal. You can also expect things to get very violent. It’s always cutthroat in sales, after all.

Corporate Retreat releases in theaters this Friday; get tickets now.

The post Five Office Workplace Horror Movies to Stream This Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody Disgusting invites you to Survive the Hunt. This week, you’ll need all your wits as you hide and we hunt across our Bloody Disgusting mobile app.

Three rounds, three prizes, and the rules are simple.

From now until Friday, you’ll get a push notification at any given time announcing a new round is set to begin. Shortly after, a second push will prompt you to pick a hiding spot. Those who choose wisely will be entered to win a prize for that round.

And these prizes are to die for…

Read the Terms and Conditions.

In the spirit of the game, we’re awarding our three winners with three iconic gaming systems: One (1) Nintendo Entertainment System NES Classic Edition for Round 1, One (1) Nintendo Switch 2 Console Bundle for Round 2, and One (1) PlayStation 5 for Round 3.

Tick, tick, tock, are you ready or not? Download the app and survive the hunt.

The horror-comedy sequel opens in theaters this Friday via Searchlight Pictures.

Bloody Disgusting‘s Meagan Navarro writes in her review: “Bigger stakes, larger playing field, a higher (and more gruesome) body count, and even double the protagonists. All designed to deliver maximum crowd-pleasing fun. It more than delivers on that front…”

Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence and writers Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy are back at the helm.

Picking up moments after the all-out attack from the Le Domas family, Grace (Samara Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side.

Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.

Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, and Daniel Beirne round out the cast.

Tripp Vinson, James Vanderbilt, William Sherak, and Bradley J. Fischer produce.

The post ‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ – Survive the Hunt and Win a PS5, Switch 2, or NES Classic! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

First up, a new episode of Bloody Disgusting’s The Boo Crew Podcast is now live, featuring Primate writer/director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night).

Roberts returns to The Boo Crew to talk killer chimps, emotional trauma, face-ripping practical FX, the psychology of horror momentum, and the real-life stories behind this animalistic new vision. The Boo Crew Podcast Episode 467 is now slaying. Listen below!

Additionally, we’re giving away a special Primate prize pack including a Party Animal t-shirt, a koozie, a poster, and a free rental of the movie. Enter the giveaway with the form below!

The Primate giveaway contest runs through 11:59pm on February 17.

In Primate, now available on Digital…

“Lucy’s tropical island homecoming was supposed to be beaches and best friends — not a fight for her life. When her family’s exceptionally clever chimp spirals into a savage rabid frenzy, the night explodes into terrifying chaos. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight to survive a deadly predator they once trusted.”

Johannes Roberts co-wrote the screenplay with Ernest Riera. The horror movie stars Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar®-winning actor Troy Kotsur (CODA) in his first horror role.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Johannes Roberts’ latest is a lean, mean horror throwback, wearing its influences on its sleeves while managing to inject enough freshness into the familiar concept through slick technical precision and a constant mounting of dread and death. It’s also not without humor. Primate may take its crazed beast with utmost seriousness, but it’s not afraid to get playful with its concept either.”

Up next, Primate will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 21 via Paramount.

Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann, Tienne Simon, and Miguel Torres Umba star.

Primate is rated R for “strong bloody violent content, gore, language, and some drug use.”

The post ‘Primate’ Available on Digital at Home; Enter to Win a ‘Primate’ Prize Pack! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From writer/director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night), Primate is now available on Digital at home, and the exclusive featurette clip you’ll find below reveals how the team brought their killer chimp to life on the big screen.

Star Johnny Sequoyah explains, “I was not expecting for a human to be playing Ben. When I read the script, I honestly just assumed it would be visual effects or animatronics.”

Additionally, we’re giving away a special Primate prize pack including a Party Animal t-shirt, a koozie, a poster, and a free rental of the movie. Enter the giveaway with the form below!

The Primate giveaway contest runs through 11:59pm on February 17.

In Primate, now available on Digital…

“Lucy’s tropical island homecoming was supposed to be beaches and best friends — not a fight for her life. When her family’s exceptionally clever chimp spirals into a savage rabid frenzy, the night explodes into terrifying chaos. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight to survive a deadly predator they once trusted.”

Johannes Roberts co-wrote the screenplay with Ernest Riera. The horror movie stars Johnny Sequoyah and Oscar®-winning actor Troy Kotsur (CODA) in his first horror role.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Johannes Roberts’ latest is a lean, mean horror throwback, wearing its influences on its sleeves while managing to inject enough freshness into the familiar concept through slick technical precision and a constant mounting of dread and death. It’s also not without humor. Primate may take its crazed beast with utmost seriousness, but it’s not afraid to get playful with its concept either.”

Up next, Primate will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 21 via Paramount.

Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, Troy Kotsur, Victoria Wyant, Gia Hunter, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann, Tienne Simon, and Miguel Torres Umba star.

Primate is rated R for “strong bloody violent content, gore, language, and some drug use.”

The post Exclusive ‘Primate’ Bonus Features Clip Reveals the Man Inside the Practical Chimpanzee Suit appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

If there’s one publisher that’s been championing the horror genre from the very beginning, it has to be Dark Horse Comics.

Dark Horse rose to prominence thanks to a memorable run of licensed titles (including Aliens vs Predator and even the Terminator franchise), but the publisher has since made a name for itself by releasing creator-owned classics like Hellboy that blend horror and fantasy for a more mature audience.

This year continued the company’s winning streak, with Dark Horse releasing enough original horror media to make the ghost of EC Comics blush. However, with so many spooky comics to choose from (and with options ranging from disturbing H.P. Lovecraft adaptations to dark fables and even true-crime biographies), it’s only natural that some readers might end up unsure of what to get for themselves -or a friend- this holiday season.

Here’s a handy guide meant to help discerning horror fans decide which publications to dig into according to their taste in horror movies!

So strap in as we match you with a great comic book based on your favorite scary movies, and don’t forget to comment below with your own horror comic recommendations if you’ve read something particularly scary this year.

For even more, explore the vault of Dark Horse horror for cosmic terror, supernatural chills, and more reads that will keep you up at night. Build your horror library here. 

Love these horror movies? Here’s what you should read to pair with them.

6. If You Love Dagon (2000)… 

You Should Read:H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Out of Time, H.P. Lovecraft’s The Colour Out of Space, and Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time

The works of H.P. Lovecraft are notoriously difficult to translate to the big screen, so fans like myself tend to rejoice whenever a film gets most of one of the author’s stories right. That’s why Dagon has such a cult following, and if you love Stuart Gordon’s pulpy yet faithful Lovecraft adaptation, then I’m fairly certain that you’ll also enjoy the Trade Paperback release of Gou Tanabe’s tributes to the Cthulhu Mythos – as well as Cullen Bunn’s Arkham Horror tie-in comic that brings the infamous board game to life via an original miniseries!

While Tanabe’s adaptations of The Shadow Out of Time and The Colour Out of Space will appeal more to diehard Lovecraft fans who want to see the original stories faithfully retold in a brand-new medium, Arkham Horror: The Terror at the End of Time skillfully taps into the action-packed side of pulpy terror usually reserved for weird fiction magazines and tabletop role-playing games.

5. If You Love Good Boy (2025)… 

You Should Read: Beasts of Burden Omnibus

Ben Leonberg terrified animal lovers earlier this year with the release of his dog-focused ghost story Good Boy, but if you’re still in the mood for more spooky fables about canine protagonists fighting the forces of evil while showing off how adorable they are, then I’d recommend the omnibus Evan Dorkin’s Eisner Award-winning Beasts of Burden.

A deceptively charming mix of urban fantasy and horror that follows a group of dogs (and one unlucky cat) living in the suburbs of Burden Hills, this comic series sees our animal protagonists dealing with tragic ghost stories, eldritch rituals, and more – all the while providing readers with a fresh (and furry) perspective on familiar genre tropes.

Just be warned that pet owners will likely shed a tear or two before the end of the book!

4. If You Love Crimson Peak (2015)…

You Should Read: Séance in the Asylum and Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion

Original tales of Gothic Horror are hard to come by in the world of film these days, but since comic books don’t have to deal with expensive sets and costumes, there are actually quite a few modern graphic novels following in the tradition of Poe and Jackson. And if you like the moody terrors of period pieces like Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak, Dark Horse has got you covered with comics like Séance in the Asylum and Our Brilliant Ruin: Horror at Crane Mansion.

Clay McLeod Chapman’s Séance is a classic tale of spiritualism gone wrong, where a medium attempts to use her preternatural gifts to conduct therapy on victims of the American Civil War. On the other hand, Cullen Bunn’s Horror at Crane Mansion is an Edwardian parable taking place in the Our Brilliant Ruin tabletop RPG setting, with this class-conscious horror story following a private investigator who gets caught up in a supernatural conspiracy while working on a seemingly routine case.

If you ask me, both of these titles are worth reading due to their impeccable worldbuilding and excellent use of atmosphere!

3. If You Love Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)… 

You Should Read: Dr. Werthless

We’ve previously featured Joe Berlinger’s true crime opus on our list highlighting six spooky documentaries for horror fans, but The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is far from the only true story out there that’s liable to give you nightmares. In fact, the latest collaboration between true crime author Harold Schechter and celebrated comic-book artist Eric Powell (the same duo behind the excellent Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?) will likely haunt comics fans for years to come.

Chronicling the life and controversies of Dr. Fredric Wertham, a radical psychiatrist who specialized in the humane treatment of violent offenders (including real-life bogeymen like Albert Fish) and later became known for sparking an irrational witch-hunt which forever changed the comic-book industry, Dr. Werthless unearths the complex history of a man who genuinely thought he was helping the nation’s youth but didn’t think twice about taking advantage of vulnerable patients in order to make a name for himself.

Just be warned that this book deals with extremely sensitive subject matter!

2. If You Love The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)… 

You Should Read: Let This One Be a Devil Volume 1 and Rat God

Monster movies are fun, but monster movies where the creature is more of an eldritch presence than a mere beast are absolutely terrifying. That’s why I love Charles B. Pierce’s “docudrama” about the Sasquatch-inspired “Fouke Monster”. And if you’re also a fan of stories about mythical cryptids and how they affect the community surrounding them, you should definitely check out Volume 1 of Let This One Be a Devil – James Tynion IV and Steve Foxe’s chilling retelling of the legend of the Jersey Devil.

On that note, while it’s more inspired by Native American folklore than cryptozoology, I’d also recommend Richard Corben’s gorgeous Lovecraftian pastiche Rat God to folks who enjoy monster stories where the characters and setting are just as important as the creature driving the narrative (especially if you were a fan of V/H/S/94’s Raatma segment).

1. If You Love Trick ‘r Treat (2008)… 

You Should Read: Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown

I’ve always loved interconnected anthologies that feel more like a pre-planned work of fiction than a patchwork of unrelated short films, so it’s only natural that I’m a huge fan of Michael Dougherty’s Trick ‘r Treat. And fortunately for my fellow anthology enthusiasts, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola has returned to the world of short-form horror yarns with his new book Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown.

A retro collection of original folklore that feels like it was ripped straight from the history books of some alternate dimension, Bowling with Corpses will appeal to anyone who’s ever wished that the Brothers Grimm were still alive and writing. It’s also further proof that Mignola is a master of his craft, regardless of whether or not he’s working with established characters like Hellboy or creating brand-new worlds full of magic and mystery.

Dive deeper into the vault of Dark Horse horror for cosmic terror, supernatural chills, and more reads that will keep you up at night. Build your horror library here: https://www.darkhorse.com/search/horror/

The post A Horror Movie Lover’s Pairing Guide to the 2025 Dark Horse Comics Catalogue appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That’s why I appreciate how the folks over at Mubi insist on having real people decide what goes into their streaming service, with the company’s highly curated catalog encouraging viewers to explore an incredibly diverse collection of films that often transcend genre boundaries. In honor of the service adding a spooky selection of horror and horror-adjacent movies to their collection this month – including classics by masters like Dario Argento and Abel Ferrara – we’re making a case for why four new additions to Mubi’s horror library deserves a spot on your Halloween watchlists!

Of course, discussing movies should never be a one-way street, so don’t forget to recommend your own favorite horror flicks that you think would be a good fit for Mubi and the Halloween season.

With that out of the way, let’s talk film!

4. The Driller Killer – Abel Ferrara (1979)

Abel Ferrara is probably best known for his gritty crime thrillers that blend arthouse sensibilities with neo-noir and sometimes even trashy aesthetics, but the filmmaker’s first (non-pornographic) feature is actually a complete departure from his usual output. Released in June of 1979, the aptly named The Driller Killer follows the bloody exploits of a disturbed artist (played by Ferrara himself) who snaps and begins to brutally murder social rejects with a power drill.

A gruesome dark comedy satirizing both the New York art world and horror flicks in general, The Driller Killer’s unique combination of extreme violence, witty screenwriting, and gritty visuals makes it just as impactful today as it was four and a half decades ago.

The flick’s European release also happened to be a major factor in the UK’s decision to implement the Video Recordings Act of 1984, making this one the very first certified “video nasties” – yet another reason why this gory classic warrants revisiting during the Halloween season.

3. Deep Red – Dario Argento (1975)

Suspiria is often cited as Argento’s masterpiece, but I’d argue that the Italian filmmaker’s greatest and most influential feature was actually the film that preceded his witchy Ballet epic, 1975’s Deep Red (also known as The Hatchet Murders). After all, from Friday the 13th to Maxxxine, there’s no escaping the deluge of references to this landmark horror flick, even if you’ve never seen it before.

However, despite Deep Red’s dreamlike aesthetics and even some of its story beats having been endlessly regurgitated in other media over the years, the film remains a surprisingly effective horror experience due to Argento’s masterful use of POV tension and overall theatricality. You may have seen imagery like this before, but this Giallo gem is truly much more than the sum of its colorful parts.

And thankfully for non-Italian viewers, Argento’s insistence on a multinational cast/crew means that there’s no “definitive” audio track for the film – meaning that you don’t need to feel guilty about watching the English dub! So whether you’re a fan of the film’s iconic gloved antagonist or its stylish photography, this proto-slasher remains a must-watch for the Halloween season half a century later.

2. Jethica – Pete Ohs (2022)

As a rising star in the indie scene since the release of festival favorite Everything Beautiful is Far Away, Pete Ohs has developed a reputation as an unpredictable filmmaker with zero regard for formulaic genre traditions. That’s why I hesitate to call his 2022 gem Jethica a true “horror comedy”, but I can almost guarantee that this slow-burn experiment will appeal to fans of genre mashups.

Telling the story of a young woman and her estranged high school friend who decide to summon an undead spirit in order to deal with an obsessed stalker (an idea that obviously has unforeseen consequences), Jethica will have you laughing, crying, and recoiling in existential terror before the credits roll – provided that you can accept the film’s deliberate pacing.

Like all of the best cinematic endeavors, Jethica certainly isn’t for everyone, but the film’s breezy 70-minute runtime means that even less patient viewers have little excuse to avoid watching one of the strangest and most memorable ghost movies in recent memory.

1. Luz – Tilman Singer (2018)

German filmmaker Tilman Singer may have solidified his position as one of genre cinema’s most unique voices with the release of last year’s Cuckoo, but I’d argue that his debut feature, Luz, remains the superior scary movie despite its lack of star power and Hollywood-level production value.

Following a cabdriver who finds herself being pursued by a demonic entity, this oddball combination of possession flick and non-linear mystery thriller asks a lot from viewers due to its accelerated pace and overall lack of expository dialogue, but that doesn’t make the story any less captivating.

Of course, it’s really Luz’s grimy Euro-trash flavor that makes it such a memorable movie, with this supernatural thriller benefiting greatly from its indie limitations and grounded visuals. 

MUBI’s Fear on Film collection dives deep into horror’s most haunting visions. From LUZ, DEEP RED, and THE SUBSTANCE to even darker discoveries beyond. Watch free for 30 days if you dare at https://mubi.com/bloodydisgusting.

The post Fear on Film: 4 Mubi Horror Movies For Your Halloween Watchlists appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

These NEON films blur the genre lines and defy the rules for those seeking adventurous frights for your Halloween horror watchlists. Keep your spooky season NEON and enter to win a Halloween bundle featuring tricks and treats for favorites like Longlegs, The Monkey, Together, and more.

Colossal (2016)

The horror genre has seen many metaphors for addiction and mental health, but none so strange as in Nacho Vigalondo’s Colossal. Neon’s first acquisition follows Gloria (Anne Hathaway), a semi-functioning alcoholic reeling from a recent breakup. Forced to move back into her parents’ home, she reunites with childhood friend Oscar (Jason Sudeikis) and takes a job at his neighborhood bar. Through a series of strange occurrences and blackout drunks, Gloria discovers that her innocent trip through an unassuming park causes a monster to manifest over Seoul, South Korea. When Oscar similarly creates a giant robot, the hungover friends realize that these beasts are colossal avatars that mimic their every move, causing death and destruction wherever they go. While bizarre, these giants become poignant parallels to the horror and shame of addiction. Vigalondo offers no easy answers, but reflects our own pain back to us. This impressive debut established Neon as a brand willing to break long-standing rules in order to capture emotional truth.

I, Tonya (2017)

Craig Gillespie’s sports drama/true crime hybrid pulls its horror from history. Chronicling the life of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), we follow the young skater from the wrong side of the tracks through an abusive childhood with her mother, LaVona (Allison Janney), and her violent marriage to Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). The story culminates in the vicious attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver) that overshadowed the 1994 Winter Olympics. Jeff and Tonya give conflicting accounts of the skater’s tumultuous private life, while Gillespie exposes the class bias that plagued the athlete throughout her career. We watch Tonya careen headfirst into trouble, knowing there’s nothing we can do to save the strangely empathetic 24-year-old. But decades after Harding’s highly-publicized downfall, we’re finally ready to reckon with our tendency to vilify female celebrities. Not only did I, Tonya garner Neon its first Oscar love—a nomination for Robbie and a win for Janney—Gillespie’s film exists within a collective realignment in how we view non-traditional women.

Assassination Nation (2018)

Few of life’s many phases horrify like the high school years. While trying to define ourselves, we inevitably make public mistakes or hurt the people we care about most. And that’s without the added pressure of social media in all its toxic forms. Modern teens must balance IRL interactions with a constant barrage of posts and feeds presenting a curated version of reality. No film explores this terrifying realm like Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation. Aptly inspired by the witch trials of 17th-century Salem, the town in its modern iteration erupts in the wake of a massive private data leak. Lily (Odessa Young) and her friends become scapegoats for adults who can’t face the external shame of their private choices. Targeted by a violent mob, the teens have no choice but to respond with violence and must fight to the death for their right to exist. Levinson uses a variety of creative techniques to mimic the experience of online culture, a prototype of sorts for his award-winning series Euphoria. This harsh, yet empowering film blends action, drama, and horror themes to depict the omnipresent threat teenage girls endure in a world designed to tear them apart.

Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon Ho’s jarring South Korean film obliterates age-old genre distinctions. Based on Bong’s own 2013 play, Parasite follows Ki Woo (Choi Woo-sik), a destitute student who cons his way into a lucrative job with the wealthy yet naive Park family, then finagles domestic service positions for his parents and sister. But a mystery lurking beneath the floorboards of the Park family’s lavish estate throws the Kims’ social climb into jeopardy. In a disturbingly prescient commentary on wealth inequality and class dynamics, Bong’s jaw-dropping finale asks us to question the title of the film itself. Is Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) a parasite, stealing resources from a stable source? Or are the Parks the story’s true villains as they callously bleed their employees dry? The first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Parasite established Neon as a serious player in the cinematic world while opening the doors for a diverse new wave of visionary creators.

Shirley (2020)

Few women have put their stamp on the horror genre like author Shirley Jackson. Her breakthrough short story “The Lottery” was a polarizing hit, simultaneously reviling and intriguing readers with its grim, yet sunny savagery. She would go on to publish six genre novels, including the seminal ghost story, The Haunting of Hill House. Josephine Decker’s Shirley is a largely fictionalized snapshot of the renowned author’s private life. We meet the reclusive Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) through Rose Nemser (Odessa Young), an uneasy guest in the eccentric home Jackson shares with her philandering husband Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg). Shirley balks at this awkward intrusion while struggling to write her second novel, Hangsaman. The biopic may never escalate to outright horror, but it flirts with Jackson’s trademark style of unnamed terror and domestic fear. With electrifying performances from Moss and Young, Decker paints a harrowing picture of the dehumanization and treachery women must contend with in the world of literary academia.

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness gleefully invites us to eat the rich. Told in three parts, this disturbing satire takes place on a luxury yacht filled with influencers and the inexplicably wealthy, then spirals into ever more disturbing circles of hell. Toilet Manager Abigail (Dolly De Leon) is tasked with catering to the guests’ every demand, even when their idiocy threatens the safety of both passengers and crew. The pirates that ultimately sink the ship merely cap off a night of completely avoidable chaos and death sparked by the passengers’ own selfishness. Violence and turmoil escalate when survivors wash up on a nearby island, finally leveling the playing field. But can they ever shed the dehumanizing caste system that defines their lives? This bleak yet hilarious comedy eviscerates our habit of prioritizing status and outward appearance while ignoring inner strength and reliability with a subtle reminder that no matter how altruistic our intentions, none of us are entirely virtuous.

The Monkey (2025)

Stephen King may be known as the Master of Horror, but his most memorable adaptation of 2025 is arguably an outright comedy. The author’s 1980 short story “The Monkey” is a quiet family drama exploring generational trauma and random tragedy. Osgood Perkins’ shocking adaptation drags the story into the world of the absurd with outlandish deaths and over-the-top characters. In a dual role, Theo James stars as a lonely father desperate to protect his estranged son while navigating a complex relationship with his bullish twin brother. Perkins’ version of this curious story involves death by stampede, a horde of bees, and a school bus full of decapitated cheerleaders. Yet King’s themes of nihilistic tragedy remain, and we watch as this bombastic story transitions into a tender exploration of survivor’s guilt and brotherly love. The Monkey is the second in a trio of films helmed by the visionary genre auteur, establishing Neon as a go-to brand for boundary-pushing horror films. 

From its earliest titles to the present day, Neon has been distinguishing itself from a crowded pack with a dazzling roster of complex films that blur traditional genre lines. Theme and character lead the way, allowing for the kinds of creative risks that produce game-changing cinema fare. With a full slate of highly anticipated titles on the horizon, Neon continues to push the boundaries of genre classification while challenging audiences to reevaluate the way they engage with narrative art.

Don’t forget to keep your spooky season NEON and enter to win a Halloween bundle featuring tricks and treats for favorites like Longlegs, The Monkey, Together, and more.

The post Blurred Genre Lines: A Guide to NEON’s Genre-Bending Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When you want that anxiety rendered into a gorgeous, disruptive cinematic experience, NEON has become one of the go-to labels. The company has built a reputation for scooping up daring auteur work from the festival circuit and fully throwing their support behind it, resulting in films like Anora, Parasite, Triangle of Sadness, and Anatomy of a Fall (among others) garnering international awards and acclaim. Never afraid to lean into genre films and filmmakers who take risks, their catalog contains some of the most boundary-pushing movies of the last decade, including some of the most innovative body horror films out there.

Just in time to help you curate that Halloween Horror Watchlist, this roundup features NEON’s most brutal body horror hits that channel these fears in a variety of effective ways. Some feature more overt and visceral body horror elements, while others take a quieter, more conceptual and insidious approach to the subgenre.

So pick your poison, and prepare for these NEON films to get under your skin, and keep your spooky season NEON and enter to win a Halloween bundle featuring tricks and treats for favorites like Longlegs, The Monkey, Together, and more.

Titane (2021)

Agathe Rousselle stars in Julia Ducournau’s Titane as the complicated, enigmatic Alexia. After surviving a car crash as a child, Alexia winds up forever carrying a titanium plate in her skull as a reminder of the incident. Now grown-up, Alexia has developed a raw, eroticized fascination with cars that often erupts into violence and leads to a series of truly unsettling bodily transfigurations. After one particularly brutal incident gone awry, she passes herself off as the long-missing son of a local Fire Department Captain (Vincent Lindon). The two soon form an unlikely bond that turns Ducournau’s story into an unexpected meditation on family, grief, and identity.

What makes Titane such a compelling body-horror film is how Ducournau blends tactile, often nauseating imagery with surprising and intimate emotional stakes. Here, metal and flesh collide in ways that are simultaneously fetishistic and horrifying, while the cinematography, sound, and Rousselle’s quietly magnetic performance drive the unique narrative. By stitching together this odd menagerie of seemingly disparate themes, the body horror bits of the movie transcend mere shock value. Instead, they add a fresh new voice to the film’s larger conversation about belonging and social dislocation. Bold and audacious, Titane made history when it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2021, a historic win for horror and Ducournau as one of the very few women to have ever received the festival’s top prize.

Together (2025)

Together opens as a relationship drama about longtime couple Tim and Millie, played by real-life spouses Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who flee the city and move to the countryside in hopes of altering their seemingly doomed trajectory. With tensions already high between the couple, things quickly escalate further after they fall into a mysterious subterranean cave while out on a hike. Before too long, the couple realizes something from the cave has latched on to them, causing them to physically and psychologically cling to one another in the most intimate of ways.

Part of what makes the movie so engaging is how writer/director Michael Shanks balances genuine emotional tension and cringe relationship beats with detailed, gooey practical effects. Because of this, the film’s gross-out set pieces always feel like logical escalations of the couple’s codependency rather than just some random scares. As Bloody Disgusting’s own Meagan Navarro put it in her review, Together delivers “a unique blend of awkward romantic dramedy and cosmic body horror” that produces “laughing and screaming in equal measure.” In short, Together uses body horror to literalize the messy and sticky idea of long-term love.

Possessor (2020)

Brandon Cronenberg picked up the family body horror legacy and has never stopped running with it, treating flesh and technology as inseparable vocabularies. His films inherit his dad, David Cronenberg’s, clinical curiosity about how bodies change under social and technological pressure while pushing that inquiry into sleeker, colder territory. While Cronenberg’s more recent film, Infinity Pool, definitely plays in this same sandbox, Possessor feels more like a deliberate refinement of that familial legacy and curiosity.

In Possessor, Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) is a corporate assassin who uses chips implanted in the brain to occupy other people’s bodies and carry out murders. When an assignment goes wrong, the boundaries between host and intruder begin to crumble. Thanks in part to some brutal practical effects, Cronenberg makes the loss of control feel physically invasive, so the terror is never merely conceptual. Body horror with a high-concept sci-fi twist, Possessor is a movie that is as visceral as it is intellectually rigorous.

Immaculate (2024)

While one might not immediately think of Immaculate as a body horror film, there are certainly horrifying elements of the film that have to do with the human body and one’s own agency over it. In the movie, Sydney Sweeney plays Sister Cecilia, a young American nun who excitedly arrives at an Italian convent only to find herself the target of a fanatical cult that insists she is carrying a miraculous pregnancy. As Cecilia’s body becomes scrutinized, fawned over, medicated, and ultimately weaponized by those in power, what started as a creeping suspicion and eerie ritual soon results in Cecilia feeling violated, stripped of all choice and agency.

Where Immaculate works best is in how it sneaks up on you as body horror. The gore and Giallo-inflected visuals are there, but the movie’s real bite comes from the slow erosion of Cecilia’s bodily autonomy and the institutional mechanisms that allow that violation to happen. Framing the film as a stealth body horror piece lets it do double duty as an entertaining, bloody, religious-horror affair, while also staging a dark, topical parable about who gets to own a body and the sometimes torturous road to reclaiming one’s power.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

Crimes of the Future follows Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen), a performance artist who turns his body into the site of staged surgery, allowing new organs to be removed and displayed as art. Working with his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux), Tenser’s exhibitions blur the line between aesthetic spectacle and intimate violation. At the same time, a subversive, counter-cultural movement treats biological mutation as a form of political protest.

This is quintessential David Cronenberg territory. For decades, he has explored the ways in which technology, desire, and pathology reshape identity in films. From The Fly, to Videodrome, to Scanners, Crimes of the Future, and more, the recurring fascination with the complexity of the human body is presented in new, boundary-pushing ways. Here, Cronenberg revisits surgical spectacle and the eroticized body not as a stunt, but as a philosophical device, asking what it ultimately means to inhabit a mutable body in the public space.

Cuckoo (2024)

Tilman Singer’s Cuckoo defies easy categorization. It is beautiful, suffocating, and weirdly bodily. It is also a movie that unravels what it means to grieve and feel unwanted while fully embracing being weird as all hell. In the movie, Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), still mourning the loss of her mom, relocates with her father, stepmom, and stepsister Alma to an isolated German resort run by the enigmatic Herr König (Dan Stevens). The resort seems pristine at first glance, but soon reveals a myriad of unsettling, shocking secrets and scientific experiments. Behind the polished facade, König runs cold, quasi-scientific programs that turn kids into implanted cargo and human hosts into involuntary parents.

Compared with some of the other films on this list, Cuckoo reveals its body horror in a more restrained and sly way. Even though Gretchen absolutely goes through it and has the bruises and injuries to prove it, her character becomes almost more of a witness to the film’s body horror elements than a victim herself. Like carefully placed breadcrumbs, vomiting guests, Alma’s inexplicable seizures, missing gaps of time, and sonic screeches permeating the property, build to a climax that is as odd as it is delightful. Although a little more Giallo-infused than grotesque in typical body horror fashion, Cuckoo is unquestionably playing with aspects of body horror, just in its own wonderfully weird way.

Don’t forget to keep your spooky season NEON and enter to win a Halloween bundle featuring tricks and treats for favorites like Longlegs, The Monkey, Together, and more.

The post Fleshy Frights: NEON’s Most Brutal Body Horror Hits appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The best horror films challenge the way we see the world. We gain new insight into a monster’s motivations or find hidden horrors lurking just out of sight. While some films challenge us to redefine our sense of empathy, others cause us to follow an unexpected protagonist. That’s the case in Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy, a harrowing haunted house story told by an often forgotten character. Todd (Shane Jensen) may be targeted by the ghostly occupants of his family home, but we watch the terror unfold through the eyes of man’s best friend. Indy is a brown and white Retriever determined to protect his beloved human. With heightened senses, this intrepid pet must suss out the nature of the haunting in order to defend his home. 

Told from this challenging point of view, Leonberg shot most scenes close to the ground using a custom camera rig designed to mimic Indy’s movements. Human faces are mostly obscured, and explanations unfold above our heads. This unique perspective creates an unusually empathetic film with horror felt rather than understood. While Good Boy may be the first of its kind, a handful of other genre filmmakers have taken similar risks. By eschewing traditional heroes and villains along with standard narrative arcs, we’re able to experience horror in surprising new ways and occasionally learn more about the darkness lurking within our own hearts.

Halloween (1978)

Slasher films have always taken a unique approach to POV. Arguably dating back to Michael Powell’s 1960 film Peeping Tom, many cause the audience to watch future victims from the killer’s vantage point, amplifying the distinction between predator and prey. John Carpenter‘s seminal Halloween begins with a disturbing twist on this familiar technique. The story opens in the first-person point of view as a costume-clad child wanders through a suburban home. His tiny hand pulls a large carving knife from a kitchen drawer before climbing the stairs to his sister’s room. On the second floor landing, he bends to pick up the clown mask that completes his ensemble and pulls it over the camera’s lens. The knife flashes, and we watch as a young woman is viciously stabbed to death while screaming her little brother’s name. It’s only after he’s walked back down the stairs and out the front door that we finally catch a glimpse of the murderer. When his parents pull off the plastic clown mask, we meet young Michael Myers (Will Sandin), a surprised little boy still gripping the blood-streaked knife. It’s as if losing the mask has broken the spell and restored his youthful innocence. 

This deceptively simple visual filter kicks off a film that will seamlessly merge the excitement and nostalgia of All Hallows’ Eve with themes of callous violence and gore. Watching Michael stalk through his house, we’re pulled back to our own memories of Halloween fun, only heightening the shock of this savage kill. The mask’s eye holes severely limit the frame, creating a disturbing sense of intimacy while hiding most of the gruesome details. We’re left to imagine the brutal demise of young Judith (Sandy Johnson) and remember her harrowing final moments as an older Michael (Tony Moran) stalks another group of vulnerable young women.

Maniac (2012)

Two years later, another director would reverse the established slasher formula. William Lustig’s Maniac eschews following a singular final girl, instead forcing us to identify with her unstable attacker. Rather than disappearing into the shadows, we follow Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) back to his tiny apartment and watch him decorate mannequins with the scalps of his prey. This grimy film demystifies the killer while confronting us with his dangerous, yet strangely pathetic instability. Franck Khalfoun’s 2012 remake amplifies this disturbing relatability by shooting the entire film in first person POV. Building off of Carpenter’s 1978 trick, we see the story through the murderous eyes of Frank (Elijah Wood), a shy but dangerous young man still reeling from childhood abuse. 

We watch as a series of young women suffer, scream, and ultimately die at the hands that feel strangely like our own. Wood appears for just a few short moments when looking in the mirror or reflected back in diegetic surfaces. We’re bombarded with an acute feeling of depravity as the charming actor’s unusually empathetic and dark performance forces us to align with Frank. Intense focus on his relatable victims—who appear to interact directly with the viewer—heightens our own sense of vulnerability, making us question how safe we really are. After all, anyone could be watching as we navigate our daily lives, and the cute boy we meet on the dating app could be a monster in disguise. 

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is one of those movies that’s almost too bleak to watch. Inspired by the crimes of Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole, John McNaughton’s harrowing film follows Henry (Michael Rooker), a psychopathic madman who moves through Chicago like a bloodthirsty shark. His jailhouse friend and roommate, Otis (Tom Towles), tags along, slowly learning the tricks of the trade and developing his own taste for sadism. As in both versions of Maniac, we’re trapped with these monstrous men for the story’s entirety and reluctantly acclimate to their gruesome world. But one sequence shocks more than any other with a disturbing perspective bait and switch. 

After stealing a high-end camcorder from their latest victim, Henry and Otis break into a suburban home, then torture and kill a family of three. Otis mugs for the camera while assaulting the mother’s fresh corpse until Henry warns him to knock it off. We assume we’re accompanying the ruthless men in this merciless murder until McNaughton slowly pulls back the shot. We’re surprised to find a passive Henry and Otis watching the attack on videotape while sitting together on their living room couch. As reality crashes in, we realize that this crime happened some time ago, and the killers have made it safely back home. What’s more, the brutal deaths of this innocent family have become a sick form of entertainment. We’ve been fooled into watching a cinematic snuff film alongside its sadistic creators.

Deadstream (2022)

On the lighter side of the genre spectrum, Deadstream is no less terrifying. Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s experimental horror comedy blends the found footage format with updated live stream technology and online culture. Shawn (Joseph Winter) is a disgraced content creator determined to rebuild his reputation with an over-the-top livestream event. In order to challenge his fear of ghosts, he will spend the night in the cheekily-named Death Manor, an abandoned house purportedly haunted by the ghost of poet Mildred Pratt (Melanie Stone). Watching through several camera feeds—including a GoPro attached to his head—we watch Shawn venture further into the house, egged on by his vocal followers. 

This high-tech approach lends verisimilitude to what we see play out onscreen. An omnipresent chat function heightens the stakes, and we watch Shawn continue to put himself in danger to appease those watching safely from home. Some try to alert the oblivious host about dangers appearing on alternate feeds, while others contribute helpful information like the true meaning of occult symbols seen in the house or the translation of Mildred’s ominous poems. But these tidbits usually arrive too late, compounding our sense of helplessness. We long for the ability to warn our doomed host, but must sit back and watch his inevitable fate.

In a Violent Nature (2024)

In the decades since Halloween sparked a slasher revolution, the well-trodden formula has seen its share of imitators, but few have the ferocious bite of Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature. Troy (Liam Leone) is camping with his friends when he spies a locket dangling inside an overrun and abandoned fire tower. Taking the charm for his girlfriend Kris (Andrea Pavlovic), he inadvertently resurrects Johnny (Ry Barrett), an undead killer said to roam the surrounding forest brutally murdering anyone in his path. Always looking over his grimy shoulder, we watch Johnny crawl out of the dirt and embark on a bloody tour of revenge beginning with his own childhood home. He eventually finds the group of teens and lays waste to them in horrific fashion. 

Nash evokes first-person shooter games as we plod with Johnny through the picturesque landscape. This vantage point also gives us a peek behind the slasher scenes as we watch him perform actions usually left in the shadows. We’re confronted with a wall of weapons and watch Johnny make a calculated choice. One grotesque scene shows the masked assailant artfully disposing of a long-held rival by meticulously severing each of his limbs with an excruciatingly slow-moving log splitter. Nash throws us a curveball when Kris returns the powerful locket, hoping to distance herself from the bloodbath. This seems to break the cinematic spell, and we shift to following the frightened girl out of the forest. It’s only then that we realize that our own path has been tied to the shiny talisman. We have not simply been following a relentless killer, but tracking the source of his eternal pain.  

There’s no right way to tell a story and no official protagonist. Each time we allow ourselves to see the world through new, albeit challenging perspectives, we expand our understanding of reality and improve how we relate to neighbors and friends. In addition to the aforementioned films, Good Boy causes us to consider the feelings of those who so often disappear into shadows. Indy becomes the perfect vessel to experience a truly unnerving story while redefining our concept of fear and what it means to fight for survival. 

Good Boy releases in theaters this Friday, October 3rd. Grab tickets now.

The post Terror Told Through Different Eyes: ‘Good Boy’ and Shifting Perspectives in Horror Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Leonberg’s Good Boy explores this assertion with the story of a haunted house told through the eyes of a brown and white Retriever. When Todd (Shane Jensen) moves into an old family home, his faithful dog Indy senses imminent danger. But rather than a simple harbinger to be forgotten once the ghosts emerge, this intrepid pet becomes Todd’s chief defender and the story’s unquestioned protagonist. We follow the horror through Indy’s eyes, battling a supernatural threat we never quite understand. All we know is that danger abounds, and man’s best friend must save the day. This unique concept succeeds thanks to an emotive performance by Indy himself and extensive planning, training, and treats from Leonberg, who also happens to be the pet’s real-life companion. 

To accomplish this daunting narrative technique, Leonberg took notes from two of the genre’s most iconic dogs. The idea for Indy’s bravery was initially inspired by E. Buzz, the loyal Golden Retriever who guides us through the doomed Freeling home in Tobe Hooper’s Poltergeist. While E. Buzz and Indy face similar threats, another four-legged actor sets the bar for Good Boy and its impressive star. John Carpenter’s sci-fi classic The Thing opens with a Timber Wolf/Alaskan Malamute hybrid named Jed bounding through the Antarctic snow as a helicopter tries to shoot him down. When the unnamed animal reaches an American research station, the perplexed crew springs into action. Clark (Richard Masur), the unit’s dog handler, immediately bonds with the furry refugee while station commander Garry (Donald Moffat) takes out his mysterious assailant. Ostensibly unharmed, the dog is adopted by the research team and spends the next few hours recovering in their living quarters. 

Surprisingly well-behaved, the gentle wolfdog sits at heel when not silently roaming the station’s halls, but what appears to be superior training feels distinctly sinister upon rewatch. When Clark finally leads him into the kennel, the dog gingerly perches amidst the rest of the sled team, casually lounging in the warm hay. But just moments after the lights go out, a pulsing begins under Jed’s furry skin. The other dogs bark and whine as the intruder’s face splits apart, sending blood-red tentacles and mysterious goo flailing out in all directions. The strange dog is revealed to be a literal monster in wolf’s clothing. After lying dormant in the ice for thousands of years, this sinister Thing was resurrected by the Norwegian team and proceeded to decimate their research base. With the power to consume and replicate organic life, it has used the dog’s nonthreatening appearance to infiltrate the American outpost. We can now read sinister intent in Jed’s stoic actions as he silently surveils the research team, then prowls the halls in search of prey. Describing these unsettling scenes, Leonberg exclaims, “There are shots of him just wandering the outpost, essentially ‘casing the joint, ‘where the synchronicity between his behavior and the camera work is so precise it blows my mind.” 

Carpenter also mentions Jed’s uncanny talent in a commentary for the film. “You could do a dolly shot with him and he would not look at the camera, or the director, or the crew,” the director remembered. “Amazing work for an animal. He was really, really good.” Maser notes the dog’s unsettling onset persona and habit of scaring scene partners with an eerily focused, unblinking stare, “He did everything like a wolf. He would never bark. He never growled.” The more ferocious aspects of Jed’s wolfen heritage lend a sinister quality to this withering gaze, allowing us to see at once a gentle companion looking for warmth and a shapeshifting alien preparing to strike. Leonberg notes, “That intensity and the use of Jed’s subjectivity were hugely inspirational for us while working on Good Boy with Indy.”

Jed’s malleable performance perfectly amplifies the film’s themes of intense paranoia and distrust. Witnessing the animal’s desperate escape from certain death at the hands of his former owner, we’re tempted to take him into our arms and, like Clark, shower him with much-needed affection. With soulful eyes and a gentle demeanor, he seems perfectly safe to roam on his own and seamlessly fades into the background. However, the dog’s arrival sets off a deadly chain of events, leaving the outpost demolished and the crew mostly dead. Should the Thing first disguised in canine form ever make it to more populated land, it could theoretically destroy the human race. Like a fluffy and lovable Trojan Horse, this outwardly delightful dog could unleash a plague of monstrous assimilation that brings about the end of the world.

After this impressive debut, Jed would go on to star in many more films, becoming a stalwart of the wilderness subgenre until his death in 1995. Also known for his work in White Fang and Disney’s The Journey of Natty Gann, Jed will forever be associated with Carpenter’s icy masterpiece while holding the distinct honor of introducing Rob Bottin’s jaw-dropping special effects. In a similarly lauded film debut, Indy becomes our conduit through another chilling and dangerous world. While dazzling us with their remarkably human performances, these canine characters capture our hearts and cause us to reevaluate our own furry friends. Perhaps the pet curled up beside us is capable of more than companionship. He could be an alien in disguise, hell-bent on replicating our human form, or the last line of defense against the ghosts and ghouls that emerge to threaten us while we sleep. Whether hero or villain, Jed and Indy and their stellar performances redefine what it means to be a “good boy.”

Good Boy releases in theaters this Friday, October 3rd. Grab tickets now.

The post How John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ Inspired the Canine Star of ‘Good Boy’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Michael Shanks’ buzzy rom com horror Together blurs the line between love and fear with a real-life couple steering the ship. Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) are on the verge of separation when a mysterious force literally fuses their bodies. Married offscreen, the co-stars follow a long line of couples whose true romance only adds to the power of their horrific films. While drawing attention to their work, they usually prove a twisted version of the aphorism true: the couple that screams together, stays together.

Alison Brie and Dave Franco in Together

When Brie and Franco first met in 2011, the attraction was immediate. The couple describes a debaucherous weekend in which they were essentially “lip-locked” throughout, ironic considering their latest release. Together features the real-life spouses as a couple struggling to rekindle their spark. When Tim drinks from a mysterious pool, he finds himself drawn inescapably closer to his frightened girlfriend. Only grisly and violent acts can tear their tender bodies apart. The intense film is a harrowing exploration of toxic love with bits of their offscreen marriage bleeding into the script. Franco told The San Francisco Chronicle, “The whole experience has made us analyze our own levels of co-dependency, which are probably pretty high,”

But Together is not the couple’s first foray into horror. A life-long genre fan, Franco directed his wife in the 2020 film The Rental, a tense thriller following two messy couples on a weekend retreat at an AirBnB. In a script also co-written by Franco himself, Michelle (Brie) must defend herself against a shadowy killer while navigating a haze of drugs and infidelity. Though Franco barely appears in the film, this collaboration brought the couple closer together. He credits his wife’s unwavering support with giving him the courage to spearhead the film while Brie raves about her husband’s collaborative demeanor, telling People, “His enthusiasm on set is infectious and it made me fall in love with him all over again.”

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in Eyes Wide Shut

When preparing to film Shanks’ disturbing body horror film, Brie and Franco took inspiration from an infamous A-list couple. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star as Bill and Alice Harford in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, a nerve-shattering exploration of trust and deception set against the upper crust of New York society. The film centers around an intimate conversation in which the couple discusses infidelity. Alice reveals a latent fantasy that sends Bill reeling into the midnight streets and eventually to a ritualistic orgy thrown by a dangerous society of the über-elite. It’s a stark exploration of the secrets that breed in unfulfilled relationships. 

The film’s icy tone mirrors its troubled production and the fracturing relationship of its marquee stars. Notorious for his grueling attention to detail, Kubrick stretched filming for the secretive project to a record-breaking 46 weeks. Kidman remembers blowing off steam with clandestined trips to an amusement park. Years later, she told The New York Times, “We would go go-kart racing after [intense] scenes. We’d rent out a place and go racing at three in the morning.” In addition to this stressful schedule, Kubrick tragically passed away just six days after turning in his final cut. This would also be the couple’s final collaboration. After 11 years of marriage, they filed for divorce, less than two years after the film’s release. While initially polarizing, Eyes Wide Shut is now considered a masterpiece of unresolved tension and a disturbing exploration of fading love.

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place

This next starry couple is not particularly known for horror, but wound up headlining one of the most successful genre films of the last quarter century. Both known for their work in comedy, Krasinski and Blunt met through mutual friends and bonded over respect for each others’ work. Krasinski remembers sheepishly admitting to his future bride that he’d watched her in The Devil Wears Prada close to 75 times. The couple became engaged within a year of this chance meeting and married in 2010. They continued working on mainstream titles before entering the genre world in 2017. 

When Scott Beck and Bryan Woods approached Krasinski about starring in A Quiet Place, the jovial actor was surprised to connect with the darker material. Lee (Krasinski) and Evelyn Abbot (Blunt) have built a simple, but sustainable life in a silent post-apocalyptic world. But pregnancy turns their home upside down and the frightened couple must find a way to protect their headstrong children when every noise could lead to certain death. Krasinski agreed to not only star, but direct the film upon Blunt’s suggestion. His wife was initially hesitant to take on the role of Evelyn, but joined the cast after reading Krasinski’s updated script and connecting to its themes of parental fear.

A Quiet Place became a surprise success and the couple would reprise their roles in the 2020 sequel A Quiet Place Part II. Blunt took home a Screen Actors Guild Award for her emotional performance and earned high praise from her adoring spouse. Krasinski remarked to Vanity Fair, “This weird intersection happened while filming where I totally forgot I was her husband. I was just watching her performance and was lucky enough to be in the front row.”

Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton in Stranger Things

While sometimes art imitates life, other times life chases after art. When Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer were cast for the buzzy 80s throwback Stranger Things, co-creator Matt Duffer noticed an instant connection. He would later admit to GQ, “That first audition, we did a chemistry read with [Charlie and] Natalia, and sparks were flying.” Dyer and Heaton play Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, older siblings of the series’ two younger stars. Despite kindness and hesitant flirtation, their onscreen relationship takes time to bloom. In fact, the first season sees Nancy smitten with bad boy Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). But the actors’ chemistry was undeniable and fans quickly shipped the star-crossed teens.

Despite obvious chemistry, the actors were hesitant to broadcast their courtship. Heaton would later remember, “We didn’t really know what the relationship was. The caginess, anyway, might have been unnecessary.” They couple began appearing on each other’s instagram accounts just months after the first season’s 2016 premiere. But they didn’t make their first red carpet appearance until London Fashion Week the following year. Since then the couple has been going strong, weathering their share of ups and downs. They were recently spotted at the New York premiere of Broadway’s Stranger Things: The First Shadow. While anything could happen to Nancy and Jonathan in the show’s eagerly-awaited final chapter, Dyer and Heaton will likely continue to light up the genre world long after the cast of Stranger Things has taken its bow.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette in Scream

If horror has a favorite couple, it’s undoubtedly Scream stalwarts Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Before meeting on the set of the iconic Scream, Cox was sitting at the peak of network TV as the high strung Monica on NBC’s Friends. Born into a prominent Hollywood clan, Arquette and his three siblings were simultaneously making waves on the indie cinema scene. The two charming brunettes were cast to play Woodsboro Deputy Dewey Riley and TV journalist Gale Weathers—adults navigating a dangerous world of violent teens. With her exploitative instincts and unguarded tongue, Gale often feels like a secondary villain, but her endearing and constant flirtation with Dewey serves to soften the non-traditional final girl. 

While filming, director Wes Craven suggested Arquette ask Cox on a date. In 2022, the actor remembered, “He gave me a real man-to-man talk and that had an impact on the course of my life.” The two began an offscreen courtship and were married by the 2000 release of the divisive Scream 3. However, the beloved couple filed for divorce twelve years later, shortly after reprising their roles in the highly-anticipated Scream 4. Despite the end of their romantic relationship, the actors remain friends and supportive co-parents of their daughter, a connection that can be felt in each successive film. Whether dating or separated, fighting or aligned, Gale’s and Dewey’s affection for each other  can be felt in every scene and has no doubt guided their characters’ journeys. They remain fan favorites in the beloved franchise and one of the genre’s most celebrated couples.

Together is now playing in theaters everywhere. Get tickets now!

The post Five Real Life Couples That Screamed ‘Together’ In Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) have been dating for nearly a decade when they finally agree to “take the plunge.” After years of living in New York, they’re moving to a small town north of the city to accommodate Millie’s exciting new job. But Tim seems hesitant to take this next step, putting a damper on their future plans. The moody musician has been struggling for months in the wake of a bizarre personal tragedy. He’s grown simultaneously dependent and distant, leaving Millie unsure of where they stand. And though she’s embarking on an exciting new career, he will be forced to rebuild his life, forging new opportunities and industry connections. When the isolation takes its toll, Tim begins experiencing frightening symptoms. He’s physically unable to leave Millie’s side, putting stress on their already fragile connection. 

Shanks expertly uses body horror to explore an altogether relatable fear. Millie and Tim can’t seem to overcome the growing resentment that overshadows their home, but they’re also terrified to separate. Each day sees them weigh ongoing dissatisfaction against the pain a breakup will cause. Shanks creates a visible metaphor for this bleak dilemma with the literal bonding of the couple’s flesh. Not only does Tim’s body “thirst” for Millie, their bones begin to crack and crunch as they slowly knit themselves together. Skin ripples outward with invisible tentacles, instantly combining in a fleshy mass. Attempts to detach cause excruciating pain as they must literally rip themselves apart. When not tactically connected, their bodies take over, pulling the horrified lovers roughly together like magnets controlled by invisible hands.  

We’ve all known couples who disappear into relationships, spending every waking moment with their crush. While apart, they gush about their new partner, seemingly unable to think about anything else. We watch these couples in silent judgment, secretly afraid the same might happen to us. Because from the outside, this feels like a devastating loss—the death of two vibrant singletons. But from the inside, the pull towards a partner often feels like an intoxicating rush as rationality gives way to passion. Shanks brilliantly represents this one-track mind when Millie drives away from Tim. He completely loses track of himself and is thrust violently forward in his girlfriend’s direction.

While jarring to see with burgeoning love, fear of intimacy is even more frightening in long-term relationships. After years of disappearing into their union, uncoupling feels like an impossible feat. Tim finds that he’s lost the person he used to be and worries that without Millie, he’ll have nothing left. She in turn feels the weight of this codependency and begins to look for a way out. But Tim’s bizarre curse makes separation impossible. At the very moment they should take time apart, a mysterious force literally pulls them together. It’s every commitment-phobe’s worst fear realized: a once happy couple fused together and trapped in the relationship for better or worse. 

Together presents a nightmare version of marital life and a cautionary tale against romantic surrender. We watch as Tim and Millie lose themselves in the raw power of their physical attraction, abandoning any rational thought. Yet, Shanks resists giving definitive answers. Perhaps these two attractive young lovers are meant to be joined in domestic bliss. Maybe the death of their single selves is a necessary sacrifice for long-term happiness. Or have they become a misshapen monster, destroying themselves on the altar of love? Together asks us to consider the purpose and power of commitment while evaluating our own relationships. Will allowing ourselves to love someone else cause irreparable damage to our sense of self? Or is it possible to walk down this treacherous path without succumbing to the pull of all-consuming love?  

Together is now playing in theaters everywhere. Get tickets now!

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But the horror genre knows better with sinister octogenarians hiding in plain sight. They may fool us with quaint sayings, rambling stories, and a slightly vacant smile, but they’re often just as devious as women half their age.

Karl R. Hearne’s The G. follows an extremely dangerous older lady.  Nicknamed “The G,” Ann Hunter (Dale Dickey) may seem feeble and frail, but when she’s forced into elder care by a devious thief, she has no problem taking justice into her own gnarled hands. Dickey stuns in this empowering role and follows an impressive line of murderous older women.

Here are six all-timers to revisit ahead of The G, which is now available on Digital.

X (2022)

The cast and crew of The Farmer’s Daughter, a low-budget porno film with artistic merit, run into trouble just moments after driving onto the Douglas’ farm. The elderly Howard (Stephen Ure) answers the door with a shotgun, demanding to know what producer Wayne (Martin Henderson) is doing on his property. He’s completely forgotten about their arrangement to rent the neighboring bunkhouse and believes Wayne to be a malicious intruder. But Howard is not the most destructive creature on the farm. His reclusive wife Pearl (Mia Goth) has a habit of feeding younger visitors to Theda, an elderly crocodile living in a nearby pond. She fixates on Maxine (Goth), the film’s enigmatic young star, remembering her own days of youthful grace. After watching a day of X-rated filming, this vicious old woman unleashes her bloody rage on the unlucky cast and crew, robbing them of the vitality that has now passed her by.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

At first glance, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) appears to be an elderly woman in need of help. Christine (Alison Lohman) first meets the Romani grandmother as she’s asking for another extension on her overdue mortgage. But hoping for a coveted promotion, Christine leaves the destitute woman begging for her help. Filled with rage and humiliation, Mrs. Ganush ambushes Christine in the parking lot, deploying an impressive array of bodily fluids. But she also saddles her victim with a hideous curse. As punishment for Christine’s cruelty, a demon known as the Lamia will torment her for three days before literally dragging her down into the depths of hell. Mrs. Ganush dies shortly after unleashing her revenge, forcing Christine to seek restitution from her decaying corpse. While a goat-headed demon may be the film’s overt villain, Mrs. Ganush is the story’s most frightening character.

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Most horror films featuring elderly women explore the horrors of an aging body, but Adam Robitel’s The Taking of Deborah Logan shows the terror and frustration of an aging mind. Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) was once a headstrong single mother and vital member of her small community, but now an aggressive form of Alzheimer’s disease has left her incapable of living on her own. She and her daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsay) have agreed to participate in a documentary chronicling the daily reality of living with dementia, but they quickly find Deborah’s symptoms more extreme than expected. When Sarah uncovers a dark secret from her mother’s past she and documentarian Mia (Michelle Ang) begin to suspect a more sinister cause. It seems the spirit of a long-dead serial killer has been waiting for an opportunity to hijack Deborah’s body in order to finish his sinister plan. Adam Robitel’s film is both horrifying and heartbreaking, asking who we become when our mental faculties fail.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Though most of the Paranormal Activity franchise centers on youth, an elderly villain emerges in the series’ third chapter. VHS tapes transport us back to 1988 where an invisible entity terrorizes a suburban home. Videographer Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) tries to convince his girlfriend Julie (Lauren Bittner) that the imaginary friend her younger daughter Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) has been playing with is actually a demon raised by a coven of witches. When the haunting grows to frightening levels, Kristi submits to Toby’s demands and asks to be taken to her grandmother’s house. But Grandma Lois (Hallie Foote) is not the protective port in the storm that Julie had hoped. Late at night, Dennis awakens to strange sounds wafting through the darkened house and occult symbology decorating the walls. Lois and her coven are responsible for summoning the demon and plan to offer Kristi up as his bride. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman use period-appropriate techniques to create the franchise’s most frightening entry while positioning a dangerous older woman as the true source of terror.

The Visit (2015)

Most teens think the worst thing that can happen on a week-long trip to their grandparents’ house is missed social opportunities or interminable boredom. But Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) and Becca (Olivia DeJonge) can’t wait to meet their mother’s estranged parents and learn more about this part of their past. With their mother away on a cruise, amatuer documentarian Becca plans to chronicle the visit for a film exploring her family tree. However, her grandparents have a few strange house rules. The siblings must not leave their rooms after 9:30 PM and under no circumstances should they go into the basement. After dark, Nana (Deanna Dunagan) begins exhibiting strange behavior while Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) stashes soiled diapers in the shed. Perhaps their doting grandparents are not the elderly saints they appear to be. M. Night Shyamalan’s film places horror in an old-fashioned home and suggests that no matter how innocent our grandparents may appear, they’re still capable of causing unthinkable harm.

The Skeleton Key (2005)

The Devereauxs are another elderly couple who prove that appearances are seldom what they seem. Caroline (Kate Hudson) is a hospice worker who takes a job providing round-the-clock care on a crumbling plantation in rural Louisiana. Ben Devereaux (John Hurt) has recently suffered a stroke and his wife Violet (Gena Rowlands) struggles to accept her own limitations. She will allow no mirrors in her beloved home and seems to bristle at Violet’s presence in her husband’s life. But when Violet’s behavior grows disturbing and strange, Caroline begins to suspect that this doting wife may be behind Ben’s deterioration. The discovery of hoodoo paraphernalia and an old record called “Conjure of Sacrifice” sends Caroline running for her life, but it might already be too late to escape. Iain Softley’s film is a southern gothic nightmare exploring the unique fear of finding yourself trapped in a powerless body.

The G, starring Dale Dickey, is in select theaters and available to watch at home today.

The post Hellish Hags and Grisly Grandmas: Six Modern Horror Films Featuring Dangerous Older Women appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

These fears are placed front and center in James Villeneuve‘s debut film, Pins and Needles. In the movie, Chelsea Clark (Ginny & Georgia) stars as Max, a biology grad student and diabetic. On her drive back to campus from a field research site, Max becomes trapped at the home of two murderous biohackers where her safety and insulin supplies quickly begin to run dry. Movies like Pins and Needles weaponize our bodies, reminding us that in the wrong hands or wrong situations, the delicate machinery of our anatomy can become a living nightmare.

Due to its very nature and subject matter, the subgenre of medical horror is a broad and varied one. Sometimes the horror presents as an operating theater turned chamber of terror, or as the deranged ramblings of a tech bro biohacker, or the stony detachment of a rogue doctor with a god complex. If you find yourself craving even more medical horror after watching Pins and Needles (now available on VOD), here are five more similarly themed movies that pair well with its particular brand of medical mayhem.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

Horror loves a final girl, and Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) from the Hellraiser franchise is one of the best there is. In this direct sequel to Clive Barker’s original classic, Hellbound: Hellraiser II descends into the shadows of medical horror, highlighting the immense power that medical professionals wield and the horrific ways that power can be used for personal gain. After being admitted to a psychiatric facility, Kirsty confides in Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) and begs him to tie up the final loose end that connects this world to Pinhead’s. Rather than assist Kirsty, Dr. Channard revives Julia and becomes understandably obsessed with her. Stopping at nothing to satisfy her while simultaneously furthering his dark ambitions, Dr. Channard wields scalpels and sadism with equal precision.

Once Channard himself succumbs to the Lament Configuration’s lure, he steps into a hell of his own making as Julia’s betrayal results in a new Cenobite life for the grotesque doctor. Back in the hospital’s hallways, Kirsty must navigate contorted corridors and puzzle-box traps to rescue fellow patient Tiffany and outwit their former psychiatrist. This perversion of what it means to be a doctor serves as a reminder of why medical horror taps such primal dread. Because when science sheds its ethics, the suffering is often, indeed, legendary.

12 Hour Shift (2020)

For anyone who ever thought a night shift at a small-town hospital seemed like a tedious gig, 12 Hour Shift proves the opposite. The movie starts with Nurse Mandy (Angela Bettis) clocking in for her usual all-nighter, except that sometimes her all-nighter includes a moonlighting gig involving the procurement of organs for a shady black-market trafficker. In this hospital, the unassuming stretchers and dimly lit supply closets become stages for clandestine harvests where dead bodies become spare part machines for the highest bidder.

Written and directed by Brea Grant, 12 Hour Shift is a savagely humorous dismantling of the medical industrial complex’s shiny veneer, beautifully balancing pitch-black comedy with guts and gore. When Mandy’s sneaky routine fractures under the weight of misplaced organ coolers, organ confusion, murder, and her drug addiction, all illusions of normalcy and social acceptability get stripped away. Even more unsettling, 12 Hour Shift reveals that, more often than not, events such as these are born not from grandiose scientific delusion but from greed, opportunism, and sheer overworked desperation.

Re-Animator (1985)

There is perhaps no story more influential and iconic in the medical horror subgenre than Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Reinvented, rearranged, and retold countless times since its original publication, Dr. Frankenstein’s madness and maniacal laughter will undoubtedly echo through horror’s hallowed halls for all eternity. However, it is this Stuart Gordon-directed Frankenstein-tinged screen adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s story “Herbert West-Reanimator” that will forever be one of my personal faves.

Dr. Herbert West’s gleefully gruesome exploits in Re-Animator epitomize medical horror at its most unhinged. Nestled within Miskatonic University, West’s obsessive quest to conquer death with his glowing green serum turns cadavers into twitching puppets of chaos. Every drip of his fluorescent elixir is a dark promise of life after death. As limbs defy gravity and reanimated heads babble maniacally, the film reminds us that beneath lab coats and lecture notes lies the terrifying potential for science to cut away at the soul itself.

What makes Re-Animator a seminal entry in the subgenre is its perfect blend of mad-scientist comedy and visceral body horror. Unlike the cold cleanliness of a modern operating theater, West’s workspace is a cluttered basement where there is little room for ethics, let alone notes explaining what happened to the poor cat. It’s a cautionary tale wrapped in wry one-liners and rubber-gloved mayhem, proving that when the hippocratic oath gets swapped for hubris, the human body truly becomes the ultimate lab experiment.

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

It’s time to class up the list a little bit and discuss one of the most moving, chilling, and beautiful medical horror movies ever: Georges Franju’s film Eyes Without a Face (aka Les Yeux sans visage). In the movie, Dr. Génessier’s sprawling mansion appears to be a beautiful, picturesque resort on the outside. Yet inside, it quickly reveals itself as a macabre lab where flesh is a prized commodity. When Dr. G’s beloved daughter Christiane emerges from a car crash with a face so ravaged he can’t bear to look at it, Dr. G trades in his professional bedside manner for a butcher’s precision. To “fix” his daughter’s injuries, Dr. G begins abducting young women, removing their facial skin and attempts to graft it onto his daughter’s face.

It’s this callous calculus of “one life to save another” that cements Eyes Without a Face in medical horror’s hall of fame. Although the horrifying surgeries and rows of caged dogs howling in the night are indeed awful, the most nightmarish quality of the film is the perversion of care itself. Here, a father’s love mutates into something obsessive, clinical and monstrous, where Christiane and her actual feelings become a non-issue, a secondary thought at best. While Dr. G’s scalpel is undoubtedly sharp, it is perhaps this dismissal of Christiane’s humanity and individuality that ultimately cuts the deepest and inflicts the most pain.

Crimes of the Future (2022)

As the undisputed champion of body horror, pretty much any David Cronenberg film could be placed on this list. Scanners, Dead Ringers, The Fly, Videodrome, and Crash all explore themes of obsession, the body, and science in ways that boggle the mind and make the stomach churn. However, it is Crimes of the Future that best aligns with the biohacking, boundary-pushing science elements present in Pins and Needles that earns it its place on this specific list.

In Crimes of the Future, Cronenberg pushes medical horror into the realm of performance art, transforming bodily decay into the ultimate avant-garde spectacle. In a near-future where biotechnology and evolution begin to alter the human body in unprecedented ways, celebrity surgeon-artist Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensen) publicly extracts his newly sprouted organs on stage, aided by his partner Caprice (Léa Seydoux). The operating theater becomes a gallery, gleaming under spotlights rather than fluorescent tubes, with every incision choreographed.

What makes Crimes of the Future stand out even more is its subversion of the healer’s role and its thought-provoking, interconnected explorations of art, sexuality, and medical taboos. In this world, surgical tools masquerade as instruments of creative expression, internal organs and wounds as vessels for sexual pleasure. Cronenberg’s trademark detachment gleams in every pooled serum and staged extraction, reminding us that when medicine courts spectacle, the line between salvation and desecration dissolves, leaving the body itself the final, unsolvable installation.

Honorable Mentions:

— The Human Centipede (2009)
— A Cure for Wellness (2016)
— Flatliners (1990)
— Coma (1978)
— Brain Dead (1990)

Pins and Needles is now available on digital. Watch it tonight!

The post Medical Mayhem: 5 Horror Movies to Watch After ‘Pins and Needles’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

That philosophical lens makes the new movie The Life of Chuck, adapted from King’s novella, more than just another nostalgic, star-studded drama. Directed by Mike Flanagan, the film follows Charles “Chuck” Krantz through the milestones of an ostensibly ordinary life, where every memory, regret, and quiet win is part of a cosmic puzzle about what it means to leave your mark on an uncaring universe. And yes, you’ll want tissues handy.

For those who find themselves feeling particularly reflective or philosophically curious after the credits of The Life of Chuck have rolled, we’ve gathered five more tales (books and shorter stories) where King dares you to stare straight into the void. There are stories of terror, hope, mystery and more on this list because, what is life without a bit of light to balance out the darkness? Let’s roll and get busy living.

“The Jaunt”

Few King stories haunt like Skeleton Crew’s “The Jaunt.” A true parental nightmare, the story follows Mark Oates and his family as they prepare for a quick trip to Mars via a teleportation technology known as “jaunting.” Thinking he’s doing the good dad thing, Mark seeks to distract his kids with a little history lesson on the invention of teleportation, minus the gruesome experimental mishaps, of course. However, this innocent omission only makes his son, Ricky, more curious about what cosmic wonders he might see if he skips the anesthesia and witnesses The Jaunt wide-awake.

What follows is a masterclass in chilling cosmic existential dread. Here, King doesn’t just spook with stories of horrific future sci-fi medical experiments. He zeroes in on what eternity means when you’re awake for every second of it. There’s no lurking Deadlights or Shit Weasels to blame here. In “The Jaunt,” the real terror is consciousness itself, unsuited for infinite time, left to ricochet through space with nothing but itself for company. It’s philosophical horror in the tradition of Ray Bradbury or H.P. Lovecraft. Maybe even a little bit of both. And even better yet, it’s a story so economical that you can read it in one sitting. But reader beware, “The Jaunt” leaves a bitter existential hangover taste that will linger in the back of your throat for days.

“The Answer Man”

The final story in King’s 2024 collection, “You Like It Darker, “The Answer Man” explores the same philosophical quandary that the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books has presented to kids for decades. Are you the type of person who picks a lane and sticks with it? Or are you more the type to sneak a peek at the various endings and adjust course accordingly? Is there some enjoyment and happiness lost in knowing the conclusion before the story even really begins?

In “The Answer Man,” Phil Parker, a shiny new Harvard Law graduate, is torn between joining his father’s Boston law firm or building his own practice in the tiny town of Curry. At a loss, Phil takes the bait when a roadside attraction sign promises the truth for the low, low price of $25. Despite initially doubting the titular Answer Man’s authenticity, Phil becomes a returning customer when several of the Answer Man’s predictions come true. But before too long, Phil learns that perfect knowledge isn’t empowering. In fact, knowing too much shines a spotlight that dissects every comforting shadow until all that’s left is the blinding glare of inevitability.

A long gestating story that initially began in 1977, King isn’t spinning a creepy yarn so much with “The Answer Man” as staging an existential discussion. Phil’s repeated return to the Answer Man’s stall, each time paying more for briefer glimpses, strips his life of its spontaneous spark. Here, the real dread isn’t death itself but living every heartbeat under the weight of a cosmic script you’ve already read. As Jenn Adams states perfectly in her initial Bloody Disgusting review, “The Answer Man” is “one of the most beautiful and upsetting stories of King’s career.” One that poses the ultimate question: would you rather live on your own terms with a little mystery, or read the final page of your story first and watch the meaning of it all get stripped away?

Revival

Revival is a book with one hell of a hook. It features small‑town revival meetings, gospel hymns, electric contraptions, and a preacher who might just be the Second Coming. The main protagonist, Jamie Morton, meets the preacher (also known as Charles Jacobs) as a young boy and becomes entranced by Jacobs and his homemade electricity devices, which he claims can heal all ailments. Decades later, Jamie reconnects with Jacobs, whose miraculous healings have morphed into macabre demonstrations of power.

What starts as a peppy tent revival with sparks flying soon reveals a far darker undercurrent where Jacobs’s true motives are fueled by his hunger to tear down death’s door and expose whatever lurks beyond. When he finally succeeds in ripping open the afterlife, Jacobs and Morton find not bliss but a nightmare of Lovecraftian, cosmic horror proportions. Through Jacobs and his lifelong quest for answers, King explores the idea that it’s not the fear of dying that claws at you, but the dread of living with the knowledge that what follows may be worse. Featuring one of King’s most unsettling (and best, imho) endings, Revival is a story that tingles within long after the initial shock has faded.

“Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption”

Originally published in King’s Different Seasons collection, “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” might look like a straight-up prison story upon first blush, but beneath that touching buddy-jailmate surface lies one of King’s most quietly existential works. Andy Dufresne isn’t just biding his time behind bars, ruefully repaying his debt to society. Nah, Andy is boldly gazing into the void, realizing that a life measured in judicially mandated routines and worn library books can still harbor infinite possibilities. Every prison-yard patch of sky becomes a canvas for hope, every pocketful of dirt a reminder that freedom isn’t just stolen through a secret tunnel but excavated from within the soul.

King drives this existential nail home at the end of the story, stating, “It always comes down to just two choices. Get busy living or get busy dying.” Optimism becomes a carefully orchestrated, conscious gamble, betting everything on a future that might never exist. And then Andy’s final trick pulls the rug out from under you, revealing that true freedom isn’t a place on the map but a state of mind that can’t be locked up. It’s King’s sly homage to Camus and Sartre, masked as a prison story, where the only real sentence is how one chooses to serve their time. So yeah, you come for the stone walls and prison shenanigans, but stay for the cosmic wink that tells you even in the darkest cell, fate is what you make it.

From a Buick 8

Odds are, if there is a car on the cover of a Stephen King book, I’m probably going to like it. This is simply just a fact. But what I particularly personally love about From a Buick 8 is how little of a “car story” the story actually is. Despite being wrapped in the chassis of a gleaming, classic car that doesn’t run, From a Buick 8 is more a meditation on grief, obsession, and the terrifying indifference of the universe.

When Pennsylvania State Troopers take possession of the titular Buick, they store it in a shed like a dirty secret. Over the years, it becomes a shrine to the unknown. It births random monstrosities, warps time, and occasionally even eats people, all without ever starting its engine. However, the real engine of the novel is the characters’ desperate attempts to make sense of something that stubbornly refuses to have meaning.

Despite the many chilling events and occurrences that happen around the Buick, it isn’t evil. The Buick is just there. As the central character mourns the loss of his father and becomes entangled with the car’s history, he grapples with something far worse than monsters. He ultimately finds himself facing the idea that some things just happen, that not every question gets answered, and that the universe might be driven by forces so far beyond us they may as well be random. There’s no climax, no grand showdown reminiscent of Christine. Instead, From a Buick 8 leaves just the aching, absurd truth that sometimes the void looks like a car with no steering wheel, and we’ve just been telling ourselves otherwise to avoid the silence.

Bonus: “N.”

How could I not throw this bad boy on the list? Appearing in King’s 2008 collection Just After Sunset, “N.” starts off as a bit of a classic King Maine mystery. Sheila writes to her old friend Charlie about her brother Johnny Bonsaint, a psychiatrist who took his own life after treating a patient known only as “N.” Intrigued, Charlie dives into Johnny’s journals where he discovers that N. was convinced that a simple circle of eight stones in a field kept a helmet‑headed monster named Cthun at bay. Counting seven stones instead of eight meant Cthun edged closer to breaking through the barrier between worlds. Beginning as a case study of obsessive‑compulsive counting, “N.” soon morphs into a cosmic horror thriller (inspired by Arthur Machen’s “The Great God Pan,” according to King).

Where existentialism comes into play is in how the story reveals the tension between human agency and indifferent cosmic forces. Johnny soon falls into the same trap as N., where odd numbers are “bad” and even numbers are “safe.” The counting of the stones becomes a ritual, a mad scramble to impose meaning on a universe that doesn’t owe us a damn thing. This incessant need for control and the fear of what might happen if that tight grip slips soon leads all involved down the same tragic path as N. It serves as a reminder that the true terror might not be lurking beneath the metaphorical stones, but where our illusions of control collapse.

The Life of Chuck is playing in theaters everywhere. Get tickets now!

The post ‘The Life of Chuck’ and 5 More Existential Stephen King Stories to Explore appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Stephen King’s mastery of this format grows stronger as time goes by, though. Since the 1982 publication of Different Seasons, it’s rare that a decade goes by without a new collection from the Master of Horror. These publications usually collect four novellas united by a particular theme. Though almost always well-received, some have become more prominent than others. Each anthology features a forgotten gem deserving of more literary love.

Many of his novellas have led to his best adaptations — The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, come to mind — and this week sees The Life of Chuck following that tradition. Directed by Mike Flanagan, the star-studded feature sees the filmmaker returning to King’s Dominion to adapt another tough-as-nails story for the silver screen. Get your tickets now and read ahead to learn more about Chuck and four other King novellas you may have missed.

The Life of Chuck from If It Bleeds

Nestled in the middle of this quirky collection is King’s most experimental novella to date. The Life of Chuck is a meta-textual examination of impending death told through three distinct chapters delivered in reverse order. The first act, “Thanks, Chuck” hints at post-apocalyptic terror as Marty watches the world around him slowly crumble. Strange signs noting “39 Great Years!” begin appearing in the strangest places. Act 2 introduces us to Chuck himself just months before a devastating diagnosis. A snapshot of unbridled joy, the mild-mannered accountant pauses an aimless lunchtime walk and delights a gathering crowd by dancing to a busker’s infectious rhythms. The first yet final act follows Chuck as a young orphaned boy determined to find joy in his grandparents’ house in spite of the haunted cupola on an upper floor.

The Life of Chuck is the rare King tearjerker that muses on the meaning of life. Act 3 could be interpreted as the prolific author struggling to let go of the many characters populating his own head while admitting that some of their stories will never be written. Act 2 reminds us to embrace the surprising joy we encounter every day while Act 1 serves as a warning against fixating on loss. King has spent decades exploring the horrors of death, but here he leans in to raw emotion and presents a bittersweet depiction of life’s random beauty.

Big Driver from Full Dark, No Stars

Of King’s twelve anthologies of shorter fiction, Full Dark, No Stars may be the most bleak. Published in 2010, all four novellas concern despicable men committing unthinkable acts. “Big Driver” is sandwiched between the parable of a farmer determined to murder his wife and a bitter tale of deceptive marriage inspired by the horrific crimes of Dennis Rader. In the collection’s shocking final entry, a dying man makes a faustian bargain that dooms his best friend to a life of sorrow. But the compendium’s second tale is one of the most disturbing stories of King’s post-millennial career.

Tess is a cozy mystery writer who accepts a last minute speaking engagement in a neighboring town. Returning home via a rural shortcut, she’s waylaid by nails surreptitiously placed in the road. Unfortunately, the man who arrives just moments later has no intention of helping to change her tire. The titular criminal beats and rapes Tess repeatedly before dumping her body in a nearby culvert. Battered, bruised, and left for dead, she manages to find her way back home and begins creating a plan for grisly revenge.

Though isolated by the extreme trauma, Tess finds compassion and strength in imagined conversations with her most famous character. A rare example of literary rape revenge, King takes an unflinching look at sexual assault and the revictimization that comes with choosing the report. Tess must weigh the costs of putting herself through a long and humiliating quest for justice against bloody revenge on her own secret terms.

Hearts In Atlantis from Hearts in Atlantis

King’s 1999 compilation is a bit of an anomaly. Of the five entries of variable length, each narrative stems from events described in the opening tale. “Low Men in Yellow Coats” is a heartwarming story of childhood bravery with surprising connections to King’s Dark Tower series. Thanks to Scott Hicks’ 2001 adaptation, which repurposes the collection’s unrelated title, many forget about the book’s second entry which sees King reevaluate his own college years.

The literary “Hearts in Atlantis” concerns Peter Riley, a student at the University of Maine whose freshman year is derailed by an obsession with Hearts. Marathon sessions of the addictive card game begin sweeping through his dormitory floor, pushing classwork firmly out of his mind. Ordinarily, this distraction would foreshadow the loss of a scholarship or a tense conversation with concerned parents, but King’s 1966 setting adds life or death stakes. Peter has received a draft deferment thanks to his college enrollment.

Should he fail his classes, he might be expelled and find himself on the front lines of battle in Vietnam. This poignant novella may be King’s most personal exploration of political action and the human instinct for self-preservation. Like musicians playing on the deck of the Titanic, Peter and his classmates have created a world of imagined safety and a way to distance themselves from reality. It’s not until anti-war protest infiltrates this unstable utopia that Peter—and King by proxy—must reckon with the cost of this comforting illusion.

The Sun Dog from Four Past Midnight

Four Past Midnight falls in one of King’s most experimental periods and the bizarre nature of each story bears this pattern out. The Langoliers is a strangely terrifying time travel nightmare while The Library Policeman explores addiction through the myth of a fear-eating monster. Secret Window, Secret Garden, the violent account of a world-famous writer confronting his own inspiration, proves to be the most grounded of the collection, but The Sun Dog may spark the most genuine fear.

The owner of a ramshackle curio shop, Pop Merrill cons a boy named Kevin Delevan into selling his malfunctioning Sun 660 Polaroid camera. Though seemingly working in perfect order, the device only produces pictures of a single image: a ferocious dog moving closer to the lens each time the shutter is deployed. This cynical and manipulative old man finds himself compelled to take photo after photo and begins losing track of objective reality. King builds horrifying tension as the slowly mutating beast grows closer and closer to breaking through the analogue barrier between worlds.

Though unique and certainly terrifying, The Sun Dog is not only overshadowed by the other entries in Four Past Midnight, but by King’s additional Castle Rock novels. Constant Readers usually mention Cujo, The Dead Zone, Needful Things and a handful of memorable short stories when referring to King’s iconic town, leaving this narrative curio out of conversation. However, this uniquely frightening story demystifies one of the Rock’s most notorious residents while providing a prescient study of addictive technology and the dangers we find lurking in unassuming devices.

The Breathing Method from Different Seasons

Of all King’s impressive collections, none can rival the heartbreaking beauty of 1982’s Different Seasons. This cyclical tome provides the source material for some of modern Hollywood’s most beloved films including the adorementioned The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me. Apt Pupil may be the darkest of the four, despite its classification as a summer story. But the book concludes with a forgotten masterpiece of feminist empowerment and bodily autonomy.

The Breathing Method begins on an ominous note as we’re introduced to the slightly sinister halls and shadows of an exclusive men’s club that may be a portal to other worlds. Shortly before Christmas Eve, Dr. McCarron regales the club’s members with a bleak and harrowing holiday tale. Flashing back to 1930’s-era New York, he describes the headstrong Sandra Stansfield as she prepares to raise a baby on her own. Dr. McCarron introduces an experimental new breathing method said to alleviate pain through focused respiration during delivery, but Sandra’s labor goes dreadfully wrong and the dedicated young mother-to-be winds up performing her “locomotor” breaths in unthinkable conditions. Not even death can keep this courageous woman from protecting her child.

Though often overshadowed by the anthology’s more iconic entries, The Breathing Method is a devastating rumination on reproductive rights and a haunting appraisal of motherly love.

The Life of Chuck is playing in theaters everywhere. Get tickets now!

The post Five Underrated Stephen King Novellas appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

David Midell’s bases his new film The Ritual on the most extensively documented exorcism in US history: the tragic case of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). Also known as Anna Ecklund, Schmidt suffered for decades under demonic oppression before her body was purged by the holy rite. Despite the reassurance of Father Theophilus Riesinger (Al Pacino), his skeptical partner, Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens), documents the harrowing expulsion, watching multiple demons wreak havoc on his modest parish.

This harrowing journey to hell and back is not the only religious horror film based on actual events. In fact, there may be more truth to this terrifying ritual than most of us would like to admit. Below, we’ve collected four films that should prompt you to start questioning not only our fears … but perhaps your own faith.

The Exorcist (1973)

Arguably the most famous horror movie ever made, Willian Friedkin’s The Exorcist terrified audiences with its unflinching depiction of a child possessed. Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) is just twelve years old when she meets an entity called Captain Howdy while experimenting with a Ouija board. Soon after, strange noises begin tormenting her late at night and her bed begins to move on its own. Her mother Chris (Ellen Burstyn) takes the frightened child to a series of medical specialists hoping to find a reason for Regan’s increasingly erratic behavior. But when painful tests yield no results, she seeks the help of a local cleric. Fathers Karras (Jason Miller) and Merrin (Max von Sydow) wage war with an ancient demon named Pazuzu to wrest back control of Regan’s body. 

Friedkin based his film on the bestselling novel by William Peter Blatty who was in turn inspired by documentation of a 1949 exorcism performed by Father William S. Bowdern. After the passing of a beloved aunt, Roland Doe (a.k.a. Robbie Mannheim or Ronald Hunkeler) began exhibiting strange behavior at night. Though calm during the day, moonlight seemed to bring an aversion to religious objects, low and unnerving guttural sounds, and surprising acts of cruelty and violence. A red X painfully scratched into the fourteen-year-old’s skiing indicated possession by ten individual demons. When the word “LOUIS” appeared in similar fashion, Roland’s parents took him to a relative’s house in St. Louis, Missouri where the final purification was to take place. After a series of failed attempts to expel these dangerous entities, three Jesuit priests were finally able to drive them out by laying holy relics and crucifixes on Roland’s body.

Despite rumors of a mischievous hoax, Blatty’s adaptation of Roland’s story has gone on to reshape the face of modern religious horror. 

The Devils (1971)

Thanks to the unprecedented success of Friedkin’s record-breaking film, we’ve become accustomed to exorcism stories that follow a familiar pattern. The possessed are sequestered and usually restrained while a small number of clergy perform intimate religious rites. But long before the aforementioned St. Louis nightmare, an entire convent was said to suffer from demonic oppression. Aldous Huxley’s The Devils of Loudun is a non-fiction account of the events leading to a notorious witch trial in 1634 France. Shortly after an outbreak of plague, the nuns of an Ursuline convent were said to have fallen under the affliction of a notorious demon. Despite having never visited the convent, a handsome priest named Urbain Grandier, was accused of causing the nuns’ tribulations by making a pact with Satan himself. Surrounded by political enemies, Urbain was convicted of sorcery and burned at the stake, but not before being compelled to participate in a public purification of the convent’s nuns. 

Ken Russell brings this unusual story to life in his controversial 1971 film The Devils. Based in part on Huxley’s book as well as a 1961 play by John Whiting, the film positions Grandier (Oliver Reed) as the victim of a shifting political landscape and jealousy sparked by sexual repression. When the nuns of her convent begin acting out of character, Sister Jeanne des Anges (Vanessa Redgrave), abbess of the local convent, fixates on the charismatic clergyman and asks him to become their new confessor. But Grandier secretly marries another woman and Sister Jeanne is driven mad with desire. Her lustful rantings spark rumors of demonic position that swiftly spiral out of control, culminating in a massive orgy of sacrilege. Grandier is convicted in an appalling act of political theater then publicly executed as the walls of Loudun crumble to the ground. Banned in multiple countries including the US and UK, this provocative film has achieved cult classic status for its graphic depictions of sexuality and deft condemnation of religious hypocrisy. 

Amityville II: The Possession (1982)

Though most know Jay Anson’s The Amityville Horror as the story of a haunted house, the truth has been marred by rumors of demonic possession. One year before the Lutzes fled their new home in terror, another family suffered under the same sinister roof. In the early hours of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his parents and four younger siblings while they lay sleeping face down in their beds. Defeo Jr. would later confess to these awful crimes and stand trial for murder in 1974. The 23 year old offered a number of explanations ranging from organized crime and drug addiction to his father’s well-known patterns of physical abuse, but it’s an idea put forth as part of his criminal defense that has stood the test of time. William Weber presented his client as an “insane” man driven to kill by devilish voices inside his head. Though Defeo Jr. was ultimately convicted of six counts of second-degree murder, the Lutzs’ strange experiences after purchasing the house seemed to add credence to these unsettling claims. 

Damiano Damiani’s Amityville II: The Possession brings us inside 112 Ocean Avenue shortly before its original owner’s brutal murder. Sonny Montelli (Jack Magner) tries to distance himself from his volatile father Anthony (Burt Young) as a sinister force invades the home. While his family is away at church, a demonic entity possesses Sonny’s body causing him to lash out at Anthony and begin an incestuous relationship with his sister Patricia (Diane Franklin). Midway through the film, Sonny stalks through the house while a thunderstorm rages, murdering his family one by one. The film’s final act concerns Sonny’s legal and spiritual defense as Father Adamsky (James Olson) tries to draw out the demon in order to save the young man’s immortal soul. Though probably an exaggeration—if not outright lie—to secure an acquittal, DeFeo’s rumored possession planted seeds that continue to spiral through horror to this day. Anson’s original book merely hints at a supernatural presence, but each subsequent film adaptation features some version of a demonically possessed character driven to murder everyone else in the house. 

The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)

Though best known for his seminal 1973 classic, The Exorcist is not Friedkin’s only foray into the Catholic horror genre. The Devil and Father Amorth is a 2017 documentary chronicling the career of seasoned exorcist Gabriele Amorth, including recorded footage of the religious rite. Named the official Exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, Amorth claims to have performed more than 160,000 religious ejections in his 30 year tenure, peaking at an average of 20 a day. Despite these shocking numbers, Father Amorth notes that fewer than 100 of these possessions involved actual demonic activity and he admits to referring many clients to secular treatment by licensed physicians. Over the years, Amorth claims to have witnessed a host of unbelievable phenomena including acts of superhuman strength and regurgitation of impossible objects. Given his unusual success and unprecedented knowledge of demonology, Amorth founded the International Association of Exorcists, an organization designed to train the next generation of warrior clergy. He also published two English language memoirs, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories, in addition to nearly 30 books explaining his unusual trade. 

These memoirs form the basis of Julius Avery’s 2023 film The Pope’s Exorcist, which follows Amorth (Russell Crowe) through the early days of his legendary work. The story begins with a fictionalized account of Amorth’s first exorcism in 1986 in which he saves a young man from demonic possession by sending the entity into the body of an ill-fated pig. Having failed to secure permission from the Catholic Church to perform the rite, Amorth is rebuked by the Pope himself before travelling to Spain with the pontiff’s blessing. Here he wages war with a demon called Asmodeus who’s inhabited the body of a depressed little boy. Though Avery’s film deals with the beginning of Amorth’s prolific career, his International Association of Exorcists remains strong to this day. Nine years after the legendary clergyman’s, this group now consists of more than 400 members fielding requests for exorcisms all over the world.

Faith will be tested. The Ritual possesses audiences nationwide. Get your tickets and experience it in theaters!

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The Loved Ones follows Lola Stone (Robin McLeavy), a seemingly innocent teenage girl who’s rage is awakened when Brent (Xavier Samuel) rejects her invitation to an upcoming dance. Though he kindly explains that he already has a date, Lola sends her stoic Daddy (John Brumpton) to abduct the young man and bring him back to their house for a nightmarish approximation of the seminal event. Bound to a chair, Brent is tortured and taunted throughout the night before Lola attempts to perform a homemade power drill lobotomy. She plans to add Brent to her growing number of “frogs” living in a body-strewn pit beneath her living room floor. 

Byrne’s next villain, Ray Smilie (Pruitt Taylor Vince), is more reluctant to kill but his gruesome methods are equally disturbing. Tormented by whispers from the devil himself, Ray is compelled to feed innocent children to this dark deity. After smashing his young victims’ skulls with a rock, he wraps them in duct tape and leaves them to languish in a hotel bathroom. We hear muffled screams coming from just out of sight while the quiet man methodically dons a makeshift butcher’s apron. Listening to dated religious video tapes, Ray dismembers the screaming children then buries their bodies in his rural side yard. 

Using the freedom of the open sea, Tucker’s own brand of evil hides in plain sight. As the captain of a shark diving boat, he advertises up close and personal encounters with the ocean’s most deadly predators. But he’s rigged protective equipment to reverse its purpose and place human captives directly in harm’s way. Rather than observing sharks in their natural habitat, Tucker’s clients become the show’s main attraction, starring in his sadistic home version of a shark horror film. Though their methods differ wildly, Lola, Ray, and Tucker each challenge societal taboos in their own brutal ways. Byrne leans into shocking acts of ruthless violence, daring audiences to stomach each scene while allowing none of his characters to emerge unscathed.

In addition to their merciless cruelty, each villain pops with vibrant color matching the artistry of their bloodshed. To prepare for her nightmarish dance, Lola dons a pink, satiny dress that perfectly reflects her obsession with stereotypical femininity. But rather than a soft bubblegum hue, she chooses a deep electric pink, perfectly complimenting the extremity of her rage. Lola enhances this deceptive energy with her own brand of brutal art. She marks her territory by “drawing” on Brent, using a fork to carve her initials and a large heart into his chest. 

While The Loved Ones exists as a hot pink fantasy of terror, The Devil’s Candy swims in garish red. Recently released from a mental institution, we meet Ray in a crimson track suit matching the red stained glass cross emblazoned on the door to his home. The outside world seems saturated in blood when viewed through this disturbing window. The house’s next occupant is a struggling artist named Jesse (Ethan Embry) who also hears sinister whispers emerging from the walls. Transfixed by the devil’s gravelly voice, he brings Ray’s grisly crimes to life in a disturbing portrait of victims past and future. Bright red paint aligns with copious blood as Ray’s young sacrifice is reborn on Jesse’s canvas as a screaming wraith trapped under the devil’s dark eye.

Tucker takes stylish inspiration from the scene of his crimes. The murderous boatman wears a series of blue workman’s shirts—and one memorable bathrobe—that mirror the ocean depths where his monsters swim. Rather than a visual artist, Tucker sees himself as a director of sorts. He obsesses over putting on the show of a lifetime and films each of his victims as they’re eaten alive, adding the tapes to his ever growing library of carnage. Though each villain has their own signature color, their iconic clothes will be covered in blood by their story’s finale as they each fall victim to their own dangerous obsessions.

Though awash with brilliant hues, Byrne’s films overflow with songs perfectly calibrated to reflect his killers’ inner desires. The Loved Ones has become nearly synonymous with Kasey Chambers’ “Not Pretty Enough” which plays on heavy rotation throughout the film. This tender teen ballad channels Lola’s fears of inadequacy wrapped in the guise of romantic desire. But contrary to the song’s lamentable lyrics, she is not a delicate flower in need of validation, but a gruesome murderer raging at patriarchal limitations. 

Tucker similarly fixates on Stevie Wright’s liberating anthem “Evie, Part 1” while preparing for his violent ritual. Scantily clad and unhinged, he dances on the deck of his deadly abode while his would-be victim Zephyr (Hassie Harrison) adopts Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Ooby Dooby” to find her own salvation. The Devil’s Candy may not have a signature song, but the film itself could be viewed as a love letter to heavy metal music. We first meet Ray playing his Flying V guitar as loud as he can in order to drown out the devil’s voice. This abrasive and often maligned musical genre forms the bond through which Jesse finds his own strength and forms an emotional connection with his imperiled daughter. 

Though each of his films explores an element of our pop culture lives, Byrne is always careful to keep the villainy where it belongs. Lola may see Brent as a representation of the dehumanizing objectification thrust onto teen girls, but we see a sensitive and kind young man struggling with trauma of his own. Tucker uses sharks as weapons of murder, but Byrne reminds us that they are majestic and often gentle creatures simply hunting for food. Heavy metal music is not a channel for the devil’s voice, but a method to drown out his compelling commands and an empowering vessel for Jesse’s intuition. Byrne has created three iconic villains who use the trappings of pop culture in their murderous artistry creating rich tapestries of violence and gore.  

Dangerous Animals is now playing in theaters nationwide. Get tickets now!

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In 1928, a 40-year-old woman was the subject of an exorcism in Earling, Iowa. The event took place at the Convent of the Franciscan Sisters and lasted for approximately 23 days, after which one of the priests involved, Reverend Joseph Steiger, told his first-hand account to Reverend Carl Vogl, who published it in 1935 in a 52-page German-language book entitled Begone Satan! A Soul-Stirring Account of Diabolical Possession*

*An English translation by Reverend Celestine Kapsner is available on the Internet Archive, and was used to inform this piece since there is conflicting evidence on the Wikipedia page.

It is important to note that the woman’s name is never explicitly stated in Vogl’s book, which is why Emma Schmidt (purportedly her real name) and Anna Ecklund (a pseudonym) both turn up in the research. Priests and nuns sought to protect her anonymity in an effort to “to relieve the unfortunate person of her burden without anybody out in the world becoming aware of it.”

By the time the exorcism occurred, Emma Schmidt had been possessed for 26 years. Her symptoms began at age 14, when the girl found herself physically “torn away…by force” from the Church. She began to hear “sinister inner voices that…tried their utmost to arouse thoughts of the most shameful type within her, and tried to induce her to do things unmentionable” such as shatter her holy water font, as well as “consider attacking her spiritual adviser and suffocating him.”

She also seemed uniquely aware of the presence of religious artefacts. In someone approached her with a blessed object, even one hidden out of sight in a pocket, she could sense it and would go on a tirade. Anna was also allegedly highly sensitive to holy water and, on the day before the exorcism, refused to eat a meal that a nun had sprinkled a few blessed drops on.

Anna was able to negotiate these undesirable traits for most of her life, but the “devoutly religious” woman suffered from being kept at arm’s length from her Catholic faith. It is unclear why the exorcism ultimately moved ahead in her fortieth year, but this is when Reverend Steiger sought approval from the Church for the procedure.

Enter Father Theophilus Riesinger. 60 years old, with “a stainless career, as well as successful encounters in numerous possessions,” Riesinger was the perfect choice. The date was selected and Anna was moved to the convent, away from prying eyes.

Almost immediately there were challenges. Things were delayed a day when Father Riesinger suffered car trouble (allegedly the first time he’s ever had an issue with this vehicle), which he attributed to the Devil attempting to prevent his arrival.

The day the exorcism began, Anna was placed on an iron bed with her clothing bound. Each day, when the exorcism began, Anna would immediately sink into unconsciousness, waking only when they stopped for the day. On this first day, though, Anna launched herself through the air and clung to the wall high above the door to the room. She was eventually pried down, but from this point forward, she was restrained more forcefully by the nuns.

There were several common occurrences during the long days. Since Anna was unconscious, she didn’t speak, but the entities in her would loudly, shrilly speak from her body – be it in a demonic voice or what sounded like animals, including lions, hyenas, cats and dogs.

There were also bodily reactions. Up to 10-20 times a day Anna would froth, spit, and/or vomit excrement that “resembled macaroni” or “sliced, chewed tobacco leaves” – despite the fact that the woman was subsisting on limited quantities of clear liquids when she was conscious. Apparently the amount of vomit she expelled could fill a pitcher, in “quantities that were impossible to lodge in a normal being.”

Father Riesinger and Reverend Steiger made virtually no progress in the first two weeks. They cast out minor demons, but were unable to exorcize the main four. These were eventually identified as: Beezelbub and Judas, as well as Anna’s father, Jacob and his lover, Mina (both of whom were apparently in hell).

The revelation that Anna’s father was one of her antagonists explained why she was possessed in the first place. Whereas Anna was a “very pious and respectable person”, her father had led “a frightfully coarse and brutal life, a passionately unchaste and debased life.” Jacob hated her faith and actually attempted to commit incest with his daughter, and when he was unsuccessful, he cursed her. For this he went to hell when he died, along with his “concubine” lover Mina, who had killed four of her children. As noted in Vogl’s book, “even in hell, he [Jacob] was still scheming how to torture and molest his child.”

The exorcism was extremely taxing on everyone, particularly Anna. Her face became distorted, her body disfigured, and her head glowed red like amber. Her eyes protruded, her lips swelled, and her body bloated so big that witnesses were afraid that it might burst. Her abdominal and extremities also became as hard as iron and stone, to such an extent that the iron beams of the bed bent under her weight.

Tensions also swirled between Riesinger and Steiger. The long, arduous days were tiring, and Steiger was still responsible for tending to the daily religious needs of his parish. Anna’s tormentors seemed to delight in targeting Steiger specifically: he often complained about scratching and rustling sounds in the walls of his room when he tried to sleep. These persisted unless he chanted prayers or sprinkled holy water on the offending areas.

Steiger was also involved in a car accident during this time. When he was driving to perform last rites on a parishioner, his vision was obscured by a large black cloud that caused him to crash his car (once again, this accident was attributed to the Devil). Even though his flock took up a collection to buy him a new car, this event and the long drawn-out exorcism eventually caused Reverend Steiger to resent Riesinger and wish that the Father had never been asked to come.

As the weeks wore on, Riesinger’s faith and strength began to waiver (according to Vogl’s book, Riesinger aged 20 years over the course of the event). In one final push, Father Riesinger kept up the exorcism for three consecutive nights and days, with no breaks. As the nuns supported him in rotating shifts, with minor breaks only to change his sweaty shirt, Riesinger ultimately relented in driving out the four demons.

On Sept 23, 1928 the demons gave sign that they were leaving the woman’s body to return to hell. Immediately afterwards, Anna bolted upright on the bed, before falling back with a piercing shriek as voices were heard saying “Beelzebub, Judas, Jacob, Mina,” then “hell-hell-hell.” Anna proceeded to wake up, which had never happened duringthe exorcism, and she thanked Jesus and the Lord.

According to Wikipedia and other sources, Anna was possessed on and off for the rest of her life, though only by minor demons and never to the same extent. Other information about her life – and death – is uncertain, in part thanks to the aforementioned efforts to protect her anonymity.

The case would go on to become infamous. Not only was the possession the subject of Vogl’s 1935 book, it was profiled in Time Magazine in 1936. The exorcism would ultimately go on to become the subject of two films: 2016’s The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund, as well as the 2025 film, The Ritual, starring Pacino as Riesinger and Stevens as Steiger.

Faith will be tested. The Ritual possesses audiences this Friday. Get your tickets and experience it in theaters!

The post “The Most Documented Exorcism in U.S. History”: Resurrecting the Real Story Behind ‘The Ritual’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Case in point: Sean Byrne’s latest thriller Dangerous Animals, which hits theaters this Friday, follows a surfer as she attempts to flee from a deranged man hell-bent on feeding her to his pet sharks. So, in anticipatipn, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six homicidal pets in horror movies! After all, no machete can compete with a weapon that has a mind (and teeth) of its own.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite killer pets if you think we missed a particularly memorable one.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

6. Rabid Cujo – Cujo (1983)

The only entry on this list where the killer animal in question isn’t paired up with an equally deranged owner, Cujo remains the gold standard when it comes to telling stories about beloved pets gone rogue. And while this Stephen King adaptation has a lot going for it due to its claustrophobic setting and an incredible performance by Dee Wallace, it’s the impeccable rabid dog effects that make it such a memorable creature feature.

In fact, when it was recently announced that Netflix is working on a remake, the most vocal reactions came from fans who were afraid that the streaming giant might choose to make Cujo into a CGI abomination – an idea that sounds like a step backwards when you consider how many people grew up thinking that the dog in the film was 100% real (myself included). Of course, this killer canine is a little less scary when you check out the behind-the-scenes photos of stunt man Gary Morgan goofing off in his Saint Bernard costume.

5. The Trogs – The Pit (1981)

Also known as Teddy in some territories, this criminally underseen thriller follows a troubled young boy and his talking teddy bear as they care for a group of monsters that they find trapped in a literal pit out in the middle of the woods. Of course, things take a turn for the worse when the teddy bear suggests that they should start feeding bullies to the hungry “Trogs” instead of wasting money on meat, with this Canadian production ultimately blending coming-of-age stories, monster movies and revenge thrillers into a single memorable experience.

The Pit is a deeply strange and often uneven experience, but Lew Lehman’s bizarre creature-feature is so wildly creative that I’d recommend it to any fan of weird cinema containing a healthy dose of pitch-black humor.

4. Attack Dogs – The Collector (2009) / The Collection (2012)

Marcus Dunstan’s The Collector is one of my all-time favorite slashers, with the titular villain standing out amongst his homicidal peers by acting more like an intelligent mastermind than a slow-witted brute. In fact, The Collector even makes use of animal companions whenever he needs an edge against his prey, as both the first film and its sequel show that he has trained attack dogs ready to serve as murderous backup at any given moment.

Of course, a madman with a penchant for collecting living specimens is bound to have even more trained animals up his sleeves, and with Dunstan’s long-awaited sequel still in development after a complicated series of behind-the-scenes hurdles, we may one day see the rest of the killer’s twisted pets.

3. Audrey II – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

A lot of plant owners are willing to give up their own blood, sweat and tears in order to keep their green children content, but it’s not often that a specimen takes this idea literally. And if we’re talking about homicidal pets, there’s no way we could ignore Frank Oz’s big-screen adaptation of the Little Shop of Horrors musical. Boasting some of the catchiest tunes to ever grace cinema screens, as well as unforgettable performances by titans like Steve Martin and Rick Moranis, this cult classic is the only movie on this list where the killer pet can also sing!

Of course, Oz’s knack for special effects wizardry is the real star of the show here, with the film featuring some of the most impressive cinematic puppetry of all time through Audrey II. And here’s a fun fact: the life-sized Audrey puppet was so heavy that Rick Moranis often had to act out his scenes in slow motion in order to match the puppet’s movement, with the filmmakers later accelerating the footage in order to make it seem real.

2. The Alligator – Eaten Alive (1976)

Telling the story of a deranged hotel owner who feeds unwanted guests to a Nile Crocodile that inhabits the nearby swamp, Eaten Alive is one of Tobe Hooper’s most underrated movies. This unconventional slasher also boasts one of the most memorable taglines on this list, with the colorful poster exclaiming “Meet the maniac and his friend” as it shows off a gorgeous illustration of our main antagonists chasing down victims in the bayou.

Strangely enough, this over-the-top film happens to be based on a (somewhat) real story, with the character of Judd being inspired by Joe Ball – a suspected serial killer from the 1930s who supposedly disposed of his victims’ bodies by turning them into alligator chow.

1. The Rats – Willard (1971)

Despite their exaggerated reputation as disease-ridden vermin, rats actually make for really good pets. Of course, no real-world rat can compete with the homicidal charms of Ben and his fellow rodents in Daniel Mann’s 1971 cult classic, Willard. Telling the story of a social outcast who befriends a group of rats and later commands them to take revenge on his enemies, this memorable thriller also features a career-best performance by a young Bruce Davison.

The only real problem here is the fact that these fuzzy little killers are brought to life by real rats, with their murderous antics often being so cute that you may very well feel compelled to adopt a pint-sized monster of your own. And if you’re a fan of this one, don’t forget to check out the 1972 sequel Ben, as well as the underrated remake starring Crispin Glover!

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In the film, a newly orphaned brother and sister discover a wealth of terrifying secrets hiding within the walls of their new foster mother’s and brother’s home. It’s a narrative so unrelenting in its portrayal of loss and anguish that Meagan Navarro called it “the feel bad horror movie of the year” in her review. This is a world where hope is but a fleeting spark, and every moment feels designed to ratchet up the emotional stakes until there’s nothing left but hollow tension.

Yet for many horror aficionados, an emotionally brutal journey can be unexpectedly cathartic. By exploring the darkest corners of human experience, feel bad horror offers a paradoxical release, allowing viewers to process their anxieties in a safe setting. If you find yourself seeking some films after Bring Her Back that pack a similar emotional gut punch, here are some suggestions to ease the eternal scrolling. These picks stand as prime examples of movies that won’t just scare you, they’ll haunt you long after the credits roll.

Eden Lake (2008)

Eden Lake is a movie that wastes no time setting the mood. Directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil), the film introduces us to Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and Steve (Michael Fassbender) on their way to what they’re hoping will be a tranquil weekend at the lake. Supported by the oh-so-classic drone shots of misty woods and still waters, Watkins establishes a false sense of security while hinting at things to come through a disturbing radio broadcast. But everything shifts when a gang of local teens interrupts the cute couple’s vacay and transforms their idyllic retreat into one of unimaginable terror.

What makes Eden Lake truly hard to watch is its merciless depiction of human cruelty in its rawest form. These aren’t supernatural monsters but teenagers (including Sinners’ own Jack O’Connell) who laugh as they savage innocence, their adolescent bravado twisting into pure, gleeful nihilism. The film’s violence hits with shocking effectiveness, easily bleeding out all hope of a happy ending. And just when you think there might be a sliver of redemption, Eden Lake swerves into some of the bleakest territory modern horror cinema has ever delivered. This is not popcorn horror. Eden Lake is a raw, unrelenting descent that’s nearly impossible to shake once witnessed.

The Last House on the Left (1972)

Taglines for movies can be a bit tricky to get right. Some are laughably hyperbolic, others brilliant, while others feel like little more than a last-minute afterthought. However, in the case of Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left, every official tagline feels earned. “Can a movie go too far?” “Sights and sounds far beyond anything you’ve tested!” And one of the all-time heavy-hitters, “To avoid fainting keep repeating, IT’S ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE…ONLY A MOVIE.”

Feeling less like a polished narrative and more like a raw transmission from the edge of civility, the movie starts innocent enough with two teenagers, Mari and Phyllis, setting out for a concert and some fun. While seeking some recreational marijuana to mix into the festivities, the young women find themselves abducted and absolutely brutalized by a group of genuine miscreants. During all this, Craven treats the camera as a witness, documenting the girls’ mounting fear, the gang’s eerie, predatory grins, and the deafening silence of the woods around them.

But what truly unsettles is the film’s moral vacuum. After the unthinkable happens to Mari and Phyllis, and Mari’s totally normal, middle-class parents find out, they don’t summon a superhero or some secret assassin Uncle to deliver justice. Instead, they become the ones to seek vengeance, inadvertently falling into the same darkness that claimed their daughter. As such, there’s no happy endings here. Instead, Craven leaves us chilled by their grief, ears ringing with the choices these normies can’t unmake, and invites us all to ponder just how thin the line between civility and brutality really is.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

When it comes to films of the “watched once, never again” variety, John Erick Dowdle’s The Poughkeepsie Tapes always makes the list. Utilizing a faux-documentary, found-footage veneer, the film follows the investigation of a serial killer who toys with his prey and the police alike. After 800 videotapes are discovered during a police raid, the film spirals into an unsettling journey through hidden-camera horrors that leave no depraved, disturbing, or disgusting stone unturned. Every new tape feels like peeling back another layer of decaying sanity, each more nauseating than the next.

What cements The Poughkeepsie Tapes as an unholy staple of the genre is its clinical, almost scientific dissection of evil. There’s no grand finale, no final girl escape—only an endless loop of terror that worms its way into your nightmares. Here, victims don’t die quietly with strategically placed emotional distance. On the contrary, here you’re forced to witness each gasp for air, every plea, every guttural sob, and disturbing demand. It’s a vision so cold-blooded and relentless that (much like 2023’s Red Rooms) it challenges every fan of true crime to question where the boundary lies between entertainment and outright complicity.

Flowers in the Attic (1987)

Locked away in the dusty confines of their grandparents’ sprawling mansion, the four Dollanganger children—Cathy, Chris, and twins Carrie and Cory—become pawns in a twisted game of family loyalty and survival. Based on the 1979 novel by V.C. Andrews, Flowers in the Attic embraces a rather Gothic horror vibe as it charts the slow erosion of childhood innocence.

Directed by Jeffrey Bloom (Blood Beach), the movie certainly doesn’t shy away from the cruelty enacted by the kids’ Grandma. Although, the real darkness blooms not in a single blood-soaked act but in the small building betrayals. As Cathy and Chris shoulder the impossible weight of caring for their dying, starving siblings, their bond mutates into something tender, taboo, and squirm-inducing. Flowers in the Attic isn’t a story one watches so much as a seeping wound you bear witness to, and certainly will not be for everyone. But then again, isn’t that kind of the M.O. for feel bad horror in general?

The Lodge (2019)

It doesn’t take long (at all) for Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s movie The Lodge to bury the bar for fun-and-games horror six feet underground. It stars Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Grace, a new stepmother to Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh). When their dad and Grace’s fiancé Richard (Richard Armitage) departs on urgent business, the three relative strangers are left stranded by a brutal blizzard, cut off from the world by ice and howling winds. Before long, creepy noises, flickering lights, mean pranks, and unsettling memories about the cult she grew up in start to influence Grace’s reality.

What makes The Lodge so hard to watch is the unrelenting chill of ambiguity and psychological manipulation swirling around it all. The children’s cruel games mess with Grace’s mind and prey on her trauma and fears. As her reality frays, the film spirals into a waking nightmare of claustrophobia, uncertainty, and freezing atmosphere. Despite not being the most violent, bloody, or brutal flick out there, The Lodge is unsettling nonetheless and reminds us that sometimes the coldest horrors come not from Mother Nature, but from those we’re meant to trust the most.

Honorable Mentions:

— Christmas Evil (1980)

— The Mist (2007)

— Red Rooms (2023)

— Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)

— Martyrs (2008)

— Inside (2007)

— We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

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Danny and Michael Philippou challenged this tacit tradition with their feature film debut Talk to Me. The 2022 Australian horror not only puts a child through several scenes of gruesome self-harm but suggests—and shows—his immortal soul tormented by nightmarish spirits. Their highly anticipated follow-up Bring Her Back is now in theaters and promises similar carnage as orphaned siblings discover a deadly ritual in the home of their new foster mother. Not known for holding back, The Philippou twins have become the latest horror creators to put cinematic children in real peril, proving that no one is safe in the horror world. They follow a harrowing tradition of notorious films willing to push our sensitivities to the breaking point by actually killing their most vulnerable characters.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)

Despite a few notable exceptions, vampire stories usually concern adults. In fact, the subgenre’s foundational text, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, is devoid of children save for the unfortunate victims of its undead brides. But a reimagining of the novel’s often overlooked chapter places an innocent child in mortal danger. Set almost entirely on the doomed Demeter, André Øvredal’s film follows an unfortunate crew tasked with transporting deadly cargo. Traveling from Bulgaria to London, this doomed vessel carries the centuries-old vampire hidden away in a crate filled with dirt from his homeland. But the unstable container fractures, freeing the blood-thirsty creature to roam the ships decks at night searching for food.

When Toby (Woody Norman) succumbs to the strange blood-borne illness overtaking the ship, his grandfather, Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) plans to bury him at sea. But moments before sending his body into the deep, Captain Eliot spies movement from the tiny corpse. Overcome with emotion, he rips away Toby’s shroud then screams as the undead child tries to bury newly-grown fangs into his neck. But before Toby can spread the vampiric cure, the sun’s rays cause him to burst into flames. Painfully burned, Captain Eliot is forced to throw the dying boy into the sea to keep from jeopardizing the entire ship. It’s a cruel double death for an innocent child and a reminder that no one is immune to the vampire’s curse.

Pet Sematary (1989)

Stephen King may be known as the Master of Horror, but the world-famous author admits to occasionally frightening himself. He was famously so disturbed by a draft of his 1983 novel Pet Sematary that he hid the manuscript away, considering it too terrifying to ever see publication. This unease likely stems from the fact that the story of an ordinary family ripped apart by death was inspired by his own young son wandering into the road. While King’s child survived this nightmarish event, Pet Sematary is an attempt to push parental fear to its outermost limits. Midway through the novel, young father Louis Creed (Dale Midkiff) tries in vain to stop his toddler Gage (Miko Hughes) from stumbling into a dangerous country road where he’s struck and killed by an oncoming truck.

Mary Lambert’s 1989 adaptation wrings horror and emotion from this stunning scene by following Gage’s tiny shoe through the unthinkable wreckage. Louis silently screams in anguish as a series of snapshots highlight moments from his child’s brief life. Harrowing though this sequence may be, it’s nothing compared to the horrors to come. Determined to reconnect with his lost little boy, Louis digs up Gage’s body and reenters it in cursed ground rumored to reanimate the dead. But whatever finds its way into Gage’s shattered bones is not the sweet spirit of an innocent child, but a vindictive demon hellbent on revenge. This devastating story explores the fear of loving a vulnerable child while suggesting that sometimes death may be a blessing in disguise.

The Innocents (2021)

Eskil Vogt’s Norwegian film functions as a psychic battle royale populated by powerful, young kids. Ida (Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum) spends her days idly playing on the grounds of her isolated apartment complex when not tasked with looking after her nonverbal sister Anna (Alva Brynsmo Ramstad). Bored, the girls make friends with their neighbor Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) and a lonely boy named Ben (Sam Ashraf) who’s suppressed anger blossoms into deadly telekinetic powers. Abused and bullied, the child begins lashing out in all directions, killing animals and children alike.

Fearing they will be next, Aisha and Ida try to wield their own burgeoning psychic abilities but prove to be no match for the rage-filled little boy. Ben uses telepathy to control Aisha’s mother, causing her to stalk and murder her own frightened daughter. Ida’s parents are similarly possessed and threaten the sisters, driving them out of their now dangerous apartment and onto the playground below. The sisters must harness their collective powers and kill Ben before his rage-filled telepathy spirals out of control. This shocking film explores the inner desires of abused and neglected children while bestowing them with frightening talents and the unusual ability to control their own surroundings.

Funny Games (1997)

Michael Haneke’s genre-busting film challenges viewers to confront their own complicity in on screen violence. Throughout the film, villain Paul (Arno Frisch) addresses the audience, daring them to find entertainment in his depraved and shocking actions. He and partner Peter (Frank Giering) invade the Schober family’s lakeside vacation home and force them to engage in a series of depraved games, wagering that none will be alive by 9:00 the next morning. Their young son Schorschi (Stefan Clapczynski) must sit next to these psychopathic killers with a bag over his head as they torment and torture his frightened parents.

Eventually, Schorschi escapes to a neighbor’s house and locates a shotgun, but his captors have removed the ammunition and likely orchestrated this light chase to cause further terror. Panicked, the child bolts during another “funny game” and falls victim to the very gun he hoped would be his salvation. What follows is a brutal scene in which his mother Anna (Susanne Lothar) descends into shock and grief while trying to muster the strength to save herself. Haneke lingers on this excruciating scene before questioning the narrative fairness of his upsetting story.

Terrified (2017)

Many would-be parents move out of the city hoping to raise their young children in relative peace, but the residents of Demián Rugna’s suburban nightmare face an insidious entity lurking within their idyllic homes. This Argentinian shocker begins when a young wife overhears sinister voices wafting out of the drain. Her husband later finds her bloody corpse slamming against their bathroom walls, seemingly tossed about by unseen hands. But this demonic force does not only lurk in shadows. On a bright day, Niño (Matias Rascovschi) is playing soccer when he wanders into his neighbor’s yard and hears similar voices drifting out of the wall. Unnerved, he backs away from the house and into the path of an oncoming bus.

But whatever haunts this sinister street is not done with the poor boy yet. Comisario Funes (Maximiliano Ghione) enlists paranormal investigator Jano (Norberto Gonzalo) to assist with this mysterious haunting when the child’s rotting corpse appears at the kitchen table. Muddy footsteps suggest that Niño somehow crawled out of the grave and walked back home, going through the motions of his former life. The two men are discussing this frightening occurrence when they’re startled by the corpse’s unseen movement. Unsure what to do, they discard the poor boy’s body in a freezer and try to locate the entity terrorizing his surviving neighbors.

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As Stephen King himself once said, “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” For every triumphant final girl waving the chainsaw of her attacker in the bright morning light, another beloved protagonist falls to the monsters that lurk in the night. Sometimes the story is just too dark and the cinematic world just a little too hopeless. But for those who’ve felt the sting of life’s bitter disappointments, that’s precisely what we want in a film. For it’s only in confronting our pain that we can find our way through to the other side. We dive headfirst into an open wound hoping to find the infection and clean it out. 

Joshua Erkman’s A Desert takes this nihilistic path in a gritty story centering human monsters. On a road trip through the American Southwest, Alex (Kai Lennox) encounters a pair of lawless sadists who pull him into their wanton lifestyle. Stunned by the duo’s licentiousness, Alex is forced to confront the darkness within himself or be consumed by the couple’s depraved reality.

With its bleak tone and unpredictable moments of terror, A Desert follows a grim tradition of nihilistic horror films, each challenging the audience with painful self-reflection. After all, it’s only in examining the worst of ourselves through cinematic trips to hell and back that we discover who we truly are. Trek ahead to revisit the bleakest slices of horror before you venture into A Desert.

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)

Often referred to as the most disturbing film of all time, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò is known for pushing desensitized genre fans past the limits of endurance. Adaptated from the Marquis de Sade’s The 120 Days of Sodom, Salò follows a group of fascist libertines and their chosen collaborators as they imprison and torture a group of teenagers—their own daughters included—in World War II-era northern Italy. Named for their positions of power, a duke, magistrate, bishop, and president enlist older sex workers to regale their victims with stories of debasement before participating in similar acts for their personal pleasure. Each chapter explores a different type of depravity in which victims are bullied, beaten, raped, and forced to eat feces before a climactic massacre Pasolini calls the Circle of Blood. Banned in several countries, this controversial film is a powerful exploration of merciless cruelty and the societal threat of a fascist regime. What kind of people dance to the sounds of abject suffering and would we choose to join them if given the chance?

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

On the opposite end of the societal spectrum, Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange explores a world threatened by its lawless youth. Each night, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of barbaric “droogs” terrorize a dystopian London in their endless quest for “a bit of the old ultra-violence.” Fed up with the teen’s dominant cruelty, fellow delinquent Dim (Warren Clarke) betrays his sociopathic leader, essentially handing him over to police. Two years later, Alex is a convicted murderer scheming to secure release from prison. He agrees to participate in the experimental Ludovico Technique, a brutal type of aversion therapy designed to force negative reactions to violence and sex. Ostensibly cured, Alex wins his freedom but is immediately victimized by the vicious world he helped to create. Based on Anthony Burgess’s challenging novel, A Clockwork Orange explores the cost of free will and the futility in forced rehabilitation. After all, the ability to choose our own fates means accepting that others around us may elect to take paths of violence, destruction, and pain.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Though Alex shouts his cruelty from the rooftops, other monsters hide just out of sight. When police raid the nondescript house of Edward Carver (Ben Messmer) in Poughkeepsie, New York, they find a horrific treasure trove. More than 800 home videos chronicle years of abductions, torture, murder, and mutilation—most undiscovered until watching the footage. Though authorities scour each tape for clues to the killer’s identity, the man who will come to be known as the Water Street Butcher is careful not to appear on camera except when fully disguised. Alongside this disturbing cache, police find the missing Cheryl Dempsey (Stacy Chbosky) still alive. Abducted as a teenager, she’s endured eight years of unthinkable abuse, eventually identifying as the Butcher’s slave and carrying out his murders by proxy. John Erick Dowdle’s disturbing film leaves us with no concrete answers while presenting those forced to watch the depraved tapes as victims themselves. The audience in turn is left to wonder how we’ve been changed by witnessing these moments of extreme brutality. 

Funny Games (1997)

Despite the misleading title, there’s little about Michael Haneke’s disturbing film to laugh about. The Schober family has just arrived at their lakeside vacation home when a polite stranger knocks on their back door. Ostensibly friends of the next-door neighbors, Peter (Frank Giering) enters their home with a series of bizarre requests, toying with mother Anna (Susanne Lothar) while systematically breaking down the family’s defenses. Refusing to leave, he and Paul (Arno Frisch) hold the Schobers hostage, betting that none of the three will be alive by 9:00 the next morning. Dressed in tennis whites, the young men cheerfully torture their horrified captives while Paul periodically breaks the fourth wall, inviting us to participate in his sadistic games. Haneke places his hand on the scales, pulling us into a world of inescapable horror. Like Dowdle, he dares us to explore our attraction to on screen violence and whether suffering witnessed in narrative art has the same corrosive power as reality-based violence.

The House That Jack Built (2018)

Lars Von Trier is known for creating some of the genre’s most challenging texts, but few of his films are so gruesome as The House That Jack Built. We watch as a failed architect-turned-serial killer Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts several incidents from his series of crimes culminating in an attempt to kill six people with a single bullet inside an industrial freezer full of decomposing bodies. Each vignette is grounded in shocking mundanity, alluding to the presence of similar nihilism in our everyday lives. Save for his atrocious acts, the doomed murderer does not feel so different from the frustrated men we pass every day. Adopting the name Mr. Sophistication, Jack considers himself a master craftsman with humans serving as his raw materials. But we watch as he succeeds on little more than dumb luck and falls victim to his own self-aggrandizement. Rather than a monument destined to outlive its creator, Jack has built his house on human suffering and winds up with nothing but vanishing screams in a pit of despair. Through this callous, yet oddly relatable antagonist, Von Trier examines the dangers of narcissism while challenging the conflation of sadism and high art.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Not all nihilistic horror films involve savage killers or unthinkable crimes. Joel Anderson’s faux documentary Lake Mungo explores the hopeless horror of depression and the struggle to heal from life-changing trauma. Shortly after the death of their daughter Alice (Talia Zucker), the Palmer family begin hearing strange noises in their home and mysterious sightings near the place where she died. Digging into the final year of Alice’s life, they uncover devastating footage that recontextualizes her death. On a class trip to the titular landmark, Alice finds herself face to face with a mysterious spectre identical to photos of her own decomposing body. Plagued by nightmares of drowning and disconnection, she seems to have predicted her untimely death. This devastating film explores the difficulty in trying to connect through grief and depression while daring to ask an even more frightening question: is it possible to recover from moments of extreme trauma? Or, like Alice, have our spirits already died and it’s only a matter of time before our bodies catch up? A haunting final image shows what awaits us all beyond the grave—an eternity of loneliness and invisibility as we’re doomed to watch life pass us by.

Martyrs (2008)

The cult at the heart of Pascal Laugier’s notorious Martyrs wants to break the spirits of their victims. This French extremity film opens with a young girl escaping a slaughterhouse-turned-torture chamber only to find herself haunted by ghosts of those she left behind. Fifteen years later, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) invades a suburban home and slaughters the nuclear family living inside. Rushing to her doomed friend’s side, Anna (Morjana Alaoui) discovers a subterranean lair overseen by the wealthy Mademoiselle (Catherine Bégin). Dedicated to the creation of “martyrs,” the callous cult Lucie once escaped puts young women through systematic pain designed to push them into a transcendent state where they will glimpse and report on whatever lies beyond the veil of death. Anna becomes the latest victim of this sadistic ritual, enduring beatings, starvation, and the removal of her skin. Though she ultimately finds liberation through dissociative transcendence, Anna’s cryptic revelation fills Mademoiselle with despair. But a subtle shift in the film’s brutal climax offers seeds of hope in the midst of abject nihilism. If it’s true that nothing matters then the reverse also holds. Everything matters and there’s hope to be found on the other side of extreme pain and sorrow.

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Deserts are also filled with a variety of predators — from poisonous reptiles to sinister humans masquerading as innocent travelers. Joshua Erkman’s brutal A Desert features two such fiends who torment a photographer on a cross-country road trip. Exploiting the desert’s extreme isolation, they drag Harold (David Yow) into the depths of depravity, indulging in lawless possibilities.

This disturbing neo-noire is a particularly shocking entry in a brutal subgenre that follows a long history of horror films set in the vast emptiness of the open desert. Grab your canteen, lather on that sunscreen, and revisit these titles before you grab tickets and head out to see A Desert.

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Before Wes Craven became known for reinventing the slasher genre two times over, he created horror in a barren locale. The Hills Have Eyes follows a suburban family on a cross-country road trip who wind up taking a detour to hell. The Carters are enjoying the sights in a multi-generational caravan when they choose a more scenic route through the Mojave Desert. But spikes on the road leave their tires shredded and they become stranded miles away from help or shelter. Hidden among the picturesque cliffs are a family of inbred cannibals who survive by trapping and ambushing passing tourists. With their mobile home under siege, the Carters square off against Jupitor (James Whitworth) and his bloodthirsty kin in a brutal battle for survival. Based on the legendary Sawney Bean clan of 16th century Scotland, Craven also weaves in subtle commentary on class warfare and nuclear testing. Alexandre Aja’s 2006 remake leans into the carnage with updated gore and intimate recreations of the original’s most disturbing scenes. But nothing can compare to the bleak depravity of Craven’s sun-bleached desert nightmare.

Revenge (2017)

Coralie Fargeat’s debut film puts a modern spin on monsters who use the isolated landscape to their advantage. Jen (Matilda Lutz) is looking forward to a weekend away with her married boyfriend Richard (Kevin Janssens) when a surprise interrupts their romantic getaway. She’s just made herself at home on the luxurious desert compound when Richard’s inconsiderate friends crash the party for a hunting excursion in the surrounding desert. The next morning, one of these vile men rapes Jen while the other actively ignores the assault. When she reject’s Richard’s offer of repair—which upends her life to keep from inconveniencing his own—the three men chase her off a rocky cliff. But Jen is reborn in the desert and emerges from a dusty cave an avenging warrior hellbent on revenge. Fargeat’s film is not only a timely update of the rape-revenge subgenre, but an interesting turn on the desert horror film. After all, Richard and his friends aren’t the only ones who can commit atrocious acts in the isolated landscape.

Tremors (1990)

Not all desert horror is devastating and nihilistic. Ron Underwood’s sunny monster movie is a beloved creature feature and classic horror comedy. Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are transient handymen picking up odd jobs in Perfection, Nevada, a remote town whose population hovers near the single digits. When residents begin mysteriously dying, they suspect there may be a serial killer on the loose. But strange phenomena soon reveal a trio of monstrous worms lurking beneath the earth who track their prey through seismic vibrations. Like Steven Spielberg’s Jaws—on which the film’s iconic poster is based—Underwood keeps these predators hidden, slowly revealing various pieces of their deadly anatomy. With clever set pieces including a pole vault escape, rec room shootout, and attack through the floorboards of a general store, Underwood manages to make the open desert feel as dangerous as a rocky sea. Hideous monsters lurk beneath and one false step could lead to instant death.

The Bad Batch (2016)

While most desert horror films exploit the ecosystem’s natural danger, Ana Lily Amirpour’s The Bad Batch takes place in a hellscape engineered by the US government. Identified as an “undesirable,” Arlen (Suki Waterhouse) is sent to an enclosed desert outside of Texas where laws and citizenship no longer apply. Left to fend for herself, she’s soon abducted by a pair of cannibals who amputate and eat her leg and arm. Escaping this hellish meat farm, she eventually finds refuge in Comfort, a utopian community led by the Dream (Keanu Reeves). But when this cult-like leader’s sinister motivations come to light, Arlen abandons this illusion of safety to join one of the many cannibals patrolling the land. Amirpour’s film is an unflinching story of survival at all costs and a star-studded exploration of life on the fringes of society. While there are plenty of monsters lurking in this engineered desert, we’re asked to find humanity in seemingly dangerous criminals and question what kind of monster we would become if we found ourselves stuck in the same position.

Horror in the High Desert (2021)

If not for its evocative title, general audiences might not know Dutch Marich’s faux documentary is set in the desert at all. When extreme hiker Gary Hinge (Eric Mencis) fails to return from a multi-day trek deep into Nevada’s Great Basin Desert, his roommate and sister sound the alarm. The discovery of Gary’s abandoned truck leads a private investigator deeper into the remote terrain where he locates Gary’s severed hand. But following the hikers’ digital footprint reveals an even more horrific discovery. Recent posts on his popular video blog allude to a sinister presence in a cabin Gary discovered deep in the high desert. Attempting to retrace his steps, Gary comes face to face with a dangerous creature who’s made the remote desert his hidden home. Rather than sunny dunes and faded cliffs, this desert is cold and filled with prickly vegetation, providing plenty of places for danger to hide. Filmed during COVID lockdowns, the story plays with meta-textual isolation as no character appears on screen with anyone else. Though it may not look like a stereotypical desert, the film has a bereft and isolated quality that chills the viewer to the bone.

Wolf Creek (2005)

In 2005, Greg McLean released this brutal film and ignited a wave of bleak Australian horror. Wolf Creek follows a trio of backpackers traversing the Australian outback who become stranded at the titular landmark. At first Mick (John Jarratt) seems like the answer to their prayers when he offers to tow and repair their car, but Liz (Cassandra Magrath) and Kristy (Kestie Morassi) wake up to a nightmare when they’re taken hostage and tortured on the man’s remote compound. Miles into the desolate outback, not even escape guarantees survival. Liz and Kristy must not only break free of Mick’s clutches, but steal a car from his cluttered yard. Their companion Ben (Nathan Phillips) does manage to flee but nearly dies making his way to a road. Adding to the terror, the film’s dreaded, “head on a stick” sequence was based on a real series of sadistic murders in Australia’s remote Belanglo State Forest. McLean’s film shocked audiences with its gritty and unflinching cruelty while perfectly encapsulating the deadly isolation of this admittedly gorgeous natural terrain. 

The Hitcher (1986)

Many desert films exploit isolation and see their heroes only survive by finding a car or securing help from passers by. But Robert Harmon’s 1986 classic reminds us that even locating a means of escape will not necessarily lead to safety. Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) is delivering a car cross country when he makes the biggest mistake of his life. Hoping to stay awake on the monotonous journey, he picks up a hitchhiker known as John Ryder (Rutger Hauer). But its just moments after the man climbs inside that Jim realizes he’s picked up a dangerous criminal. He pushes the man out of his moving car and speeds away, believing he’s successfully escaped danger. But Ryder begins stalking Jim across the desert highways, always managing to stay one step ahead. This nihilistic story escalates into unthinkable violence as Ryder fixates his maniacal imagination on his increasingly desperate prey. Harmon’s film is an unrelenting nightmare proving that nowhere is safe in the open desert and even civilized outposts can be corrupted. 

A Desert is now playing in limited markets and will expand nationwide this Friday. Get tickets now!

The post Beneath the Bleak and Brutal Sun: Horror’s Best Desert Films appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For filmmakers, cornfields offer perfect cover for unseen terrors, their dense foliage masking movements and muffling cries for help. As unlucky protagonists push through the stalks, every rasp becomes an ominous warning, every breath a race against the unseen. And if rural terror gets your blood pumping, then you’re in luck because the new film Clown in a Cornfield is barreling down the dirt road and into theaters this Friday.

Directed by Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs Evil), the film stars Katie Douglas, Kevin Durand, Will Sasso, Carson MacCormac, Aaron Abrams, and more. This slasher adaptation of Adam Cesare’s novel features a decaying Midwestern town thrown into chaos when a group of teenagers find themselves terrorized by the town’s economic mascot, Frendo the Clown. Think killer clown meets sun-bleached stalks, complete with enough gnarly kills to keep even the most seasoned horror fan grinning.

To celebrate this new addition to the Cornfield Hall of Fame, let’s wander down some of the creepiest rows horror has to offer—cornfields so sinister that you’ll think twice before taking that quiet farm road detour.

Children of the Corn (1984)

There are perhaps no films more synonymous with fields of creepy corn (or creepy kids, for that matter) than Fritz Kiersch’s Children of the Corn. Based on Stephen King’s short story, the film revolves around two unlucky adults who find themselves stuck in Gatlin, Nebraska, with a cult of religious kids who kill everyone over the age of 18 and worship a malevolent cornfield-based entity known as “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.”

But it isn’t just the fact that Gatlin’s new demographics skew so young that makes it “an adult nightmare,” it’s also the eerie way that corn, cornfields, corn stalks, and corn husks seem to permeate every inch of the town. When the aforementioned unlucky adults portrayed by Linda Hamilton and Peter Horton first explore Gatlin, they find these field scraps in bedrooms, diners, cars, churches, the town square, and everywhere in between. Like cornbread bread crumbs, these dried-out remnants lead to one of the corn-iest final showdowns ever, complete with an iconic corn cross crucifixion.

A Quiet Place (2018)

With its intense focus on sound design, A Quiet Place puts a uniquely unnerving spin on the horror film cornfield sequence. Here, that same vast sea of stalks suddenly becomes an acoustical minefield where the slightest crunch can spell instant doom. Every snap of a stalk or rustle of leaves feels like the world holding its breath, daring it to make a sound. In daylight, cornfields whisper of summers and sustenance—but under A Quiet Place’s suffocating hush, they turn into an alien playground, every row a gauntlet demanding the characters face their fears without a single word or misplaced step.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

Released as a made-for-TV film by CBS in 1981, Dark Night of the Scarecrow is surprisingly fun and a perfect spooky season watch. Directed by author Frank De Felitta (Audrey Rose), the story revolves around an intellectually disabled man named Bubba (Larry Drake), wrongly accused of attacking a young girl. Hunted down by a group of gun-wielding, bigoted vigilantes, Bubba attempts to hide by disguising himself as a scarecrow. Sadly, despite his innocence, Bubba gets murdered by the group’s particularly odious leader and local mailman, Otis (Charles Durning). After the group evades charges due to a lack of evidence, a mysterious scarecrow begins to appear, killing each member of the murder posse, one by one.

With a scarecrow as the main vehicle for horror and vengeance, using fields and farm implements as set pieces makes perfect sense. There’s an inherent danger attached to the equipment required for rural farm living that injects uncertainty into the early deaths in the film, paving a perfect narrative path to build tension and intrigue. While using wheat and grass fields for earlier scenes (and kills), De Felitta saves the best for last, using a cornfield riddled with random, inexplicable pumpkins for the final confrontation between Otis and the scarecrow. Pursued by a massive piece of aggressive machinery (that I cannot identify), Otis’s terror is palpable as he desperately attempts to escape. But Otis soon learns what so many horror film characters come to know — few who walk behind the rows live to walk out again.

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

As one who grew up in a slightly more rural area of Idaho, I can confirm that cornfield and barn raves are, in fact, a thing. Or at least, they were in the late 90s, early 2000s, which perfectly aligns with the release of Ronny Yu’s slasher mash-up, Freddy vs. Jason. Despite having a variety of incredible kill and fight scenes throughout, it is the cornfield sequences that stand tall in the crowd.

Not only is a rave set at a cornfield fun, but the addition of Freddy and Jason into the mix highlights the cornfield’s more unsettling attributes. While the tall, dense stalks make it a great place to sneak away for a quick toke, it also makes navigating back to the party difficult. Screams get swallowed up amongst the foliage, and the uneven rows of dirt make running exponentially more difficult. Also, as demonstrated by Gibb (Katharine Isabelle) in the scene, it is unnervingly easy for one to get lost in the stalks, where all manner of horrific events can go down, just out of sight and earshot of others.

Dark Harvest (2023)

For many communities, the agricultural industry is more than just a gig; it is the backbone on which the entire community depends. This reliance can (and has) often become a stress point as climates, technologies, economies, politics, and trends change over time. This idea is just one of many that are touched on in David Slade’s film Dark Harvest, with the cornfield playing a central role.

The film takes place in the Midwest, where a living scarecrow-type creature called Sawtooth Jack claws his way out of the cornfields each fall. Part of an annual harvest ritual, the town’s teenage boys are then forced out into the deserted town to battle Sawtooth Jack. Not only does Dark Harvest feature some truly beautiful (and brutal) sequences of masked young men hunting Sawtooth Jack in moonlit cornfields, but it is the cornfield where the disturbing ritual actually takes place, far away from the eyes and ears of the townsfolk who would rather not know all the dirty Sawtooth Jack details.

The Barn (2016)

A true love letter to horror films of the 1980s, The Barn is a scrappy, spooky fun flick that knows what all nostalgia-bait films need — cornfields. Ok, maybe not just that, but on top of the grainy texture, hypersaturated lighting, period setting, Scream Queen cameos, killer kills, and Halloween backdrop, multiple scenes involve creepy cornfields.

Directed, edited, and written by Justin M. Seaman, The Barn follows best friends Sam and Josh (Mitchell Musolino and Will Stout) who are determined to make the best out of their last Halloween before graduating. On their way to a spooky night concert, they make a pitstop at an abandoned barn with a particularly dark history. They unintentionally awaken three evil spirits there: The Boogeyman, Hallowed Jack, and The Candycorn Scarecrow (complete with candycorn teeth). As one might imagine, acres of cornfields surround The Barn, providing multiple opportunities for sneaky slasher hijinks.

Signs (2002)

It is truly unsettling to be in the midst of a cornfield with rows of corn towering over you, and M. Night Shyamalan knows it. In Signs, those same familiar stalks become a claustrophobic trap. One wrong turn and you’re swallowed whole by an ocean of rustling husks, every rustle amplified until your heart feels like it might burst through your chest. Shyamalan’s sparse soundscape—wind whispering through the leaves, the twitch of unseen creatures—turns an ordinary farm into a hunting ground for something…else.

But what makes it all bone-chilling (other than those damned spindly legs disappearing into the stalks) is how the cornfields and crop circles mirror the film’s deeper themes. Like the Hess family grappling with loss and wavering faith, forced to confront their vulnerability in the face of the unknown. Those same fields that promise nourishment during the day twist into a living labyrinth at dusk, reminding us all that even the most comforting landscapes can hide existential horrors.

Hungry for more creepy cornfields? Here’s some bonus honorable mentions:

●  Sleepy Hollow (1999)
●  Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
●  Pearl (2022)
●  There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021)
●  Hubie Halloween (2020)
●  1922 (2017)
●  Scarecrows (1988)

Don’t fuck with Frendo when Clown in a Cornfield slashes into theaters this Friday from RLJE Films and Shudder.

The post Behind the Rows: 7 Classic Creepy Cornfields in Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

With Eli Craig’s Clown in a Cornfield bringing Adam Cesare’s 2020 novel to the big screen this Friday, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six horror movies that you may not have known were also adapted from books!

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on films with lesser-known literary origins, so you shouldn’t expect to see classics like Jaws, Psycho or even the Ringu franchise. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite horror adaptations if you think we missed a particularly surprising one.

With that out of the way, onto the list!

6. Valentine (2001)

The post-Scream world was a difficult time for Slasher flicks as it became much harder for new killers to stand out from the crowd once audiences were aware of the genre’s many recurring tropes. That’s why some producers turned to books in order to find original ideas that could translate well to the big screen. However, while films like I Know What You Did Last Summer found mainstream success through this approach, others were not so lucky. Case in point: Jamie Blanks’ underrated whodunnit, Valentine.

Based on a novel by Tom Savage, this unfairly maligned horror flick may not have re-invented the Slasher wheel, but its star-studded cast (which features the talents of David Boreanaz, Denise Richards and even Katherine Heigl) and retro approach to straightforward frights make it worth revisiting nearly a quarter-century later!

5. The Howling (1981)

An undeniable face on the Mount Rushmore of werewolf movies, Joe Dante’s The Howling is a classic for a reason, spawning a surprisingly long-lived franchise and inspiring monster designs to this very day. However, what a lot of fans don’t know is that this lycanthropic thriller was actually based on a book by Gary Brandner, with movie producer Steven Lane deciding to develop an adaptation after learning that Stephen King was a fan of Brandner’s work.

Of course, screenwriter John Sayles wasn’t so keen on the novel’s overly serious tone, which is why the writer added in a generous helping of satirical flair to this offbeat creature feature while also restructuring most of the plot. Disappointed with how the filmmakers treated his work, Brandner himself would later become directly involved with the Howling sequels, though the fourth entry is the only one that really captures the tone of his original werewolf trilogy.

4. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

Dario Argento was such a master of the visual medium that it’s hard to imagine his stories in anything other than film, but it just so happens that his 1970 Giallo classic The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was originally developed as an unauthorized adaptation of Fredric Brown’s 1949 mystery novel The Screaming Mimi!

While Argento localized the tale by changing the setting to Rome instead of Chicago and adding in some Mario-Bava-inspired flair to the killer’s iconic outfit, the overall story remained largely untouched – meaning that we can trace back many of the Giallo genre’s most infamous tropes to a noir publication from the late 40s!

3. Audition (1999)

A J-horror classic, Takashi Miike’s Audition is likely the director’s most popular film in the west, with modern horror influencers continuing to recommend the movie to fans of disturbing cinema on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Telling the story of a widower who encounters a deceptively dangerous woman after deciding to hold a literal audition in order to find his next wife, this gnarly thriller happens to be based on a book by the eclectic author Ryū Murakami.

It would actually take a decade for the literary version of Audition to make its way overseas, but I’d argue that this long overdue translation was well worth the wait – especially if you’re a fan of the author’s previous work like 1980’s equally disturbing Coin Locker Babies.

2. The Ruins (2008)

New Jerseyan author Scott Smith may have only written two novels, but the first of these (A Simple Plan) earned him an Oscar nomination with its big screen adaptation back in ’98 while the other (The Ruins) resulted in one of the most underrated body horror flicks of the 2000s. Following a group of tourists who become trapped atop Mayan ruins and have to deal with man-eating plant-life, The Ruins’ gnarly visuals resulted in an experience that – ironically – felt tailor-made for cinema screens.

Of course, this might be explained by the fact that pre-production on the film began before Smith had even completed the novel, with Ben Stiller deciding to executive produce an adaptation based on a rough outline of the story. This led to Smith himself starting development on a screenplay while still finishing up the last third of the novel, something that may have motivated him to make the story extra cinematic.

1. Banshee Chapter (2013)

H.P. Lovecraft was one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century, so it makes sense that so many horror films flaunt their Lovecraftian inspirations in order to attract fans of cosmic terror. This wasn’t the case with Blair Erickson’s Banshee Chapter, however, as this eerie little indie flick didn’t even bother to promote the fact that it was actually a loose adaptation of Lovecraft’s classic short story, From Beyond.

This was probably for the best, as, unlike Stuart Gordon’s more recognizable 1986 adaptation of the same story, Banshee Chapter is actually a deeply disturbing exercise in cinematic paranoia, with the film diving into conspiracy theories and even body horror as it applies existential dread to what initially feels like a midnight monster movie.

Clown in a Cornfield slashes into theaters nationwide this Friday. Get your tickets now!

The post Excited for ‘Clown in a Cornfield’? Here Are 6 Other Horror Movies You May Not Have Known are Also Based on Books! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

And in honor of Joanna Tsanis’ The Killgrin personifying mental anguish as a literal monster that feeds off of its victims’ misery, we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six Mental Health Monster Movies. After all, the horror genre has a long and celebrated history of crafting memorable antagonists inspired by the darkest recesses of the human mind.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining “Mental Health Monster Movies” as any creature feature where the story (or the antagonist) serves as an allegory for dealing with a mental illness. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own psychological horror favorites if you think we missed a particularly relevant example.

With that out of the way, on to the list…

6. The Babadook (2014)

Even the movie’s detractors have to admit that Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook changed the game when it comes to genre productions that wear their psychological inspirations on their sleeves. That’s why we couldn’t possibly publish an article about Mental Health Monsters without bringing up the film that paved the way for movies like Smile and most of the other entries featured here.

Not only does The Babadook feature the most memorable monster on this list, but it also works as a serious and well-scripted drama that just so happens to feature a supernatural antagonist. In fact, the film’s poignant ending and refreshingly honest reflections on grief and depression feel just as impressive now as they did a decade ago.

5. Relic (2020)

Watching our loved ones fade away as age catches up with them is one of the most terrifying experiences that we all must learn to deal with at one point or another, so it makes sense that are truckloads of horror movies about walking corpses and creepy old ladies meant to remind us of our own mortality. However, Natalie Erika James’s Relic stands out from the crowd by having its decaying “monster” also be a victim, with the story expertly diving into the emotional cost of losing an elderly family member to old age (or a supernatural case of black mould).

Combining body horror with plenty of existential dread and a surprisingly empathetic script, this somber tale about death and dementia is one of the most effective films on this list if you’re willing to embrace its deliberate pacing and exceptionally moody atmosphere.

4. Antlers (2021)

The original Algonquian description of the fearsome Wendigo is much more nuanced than most of the monster’s depictions in popular culture, with this cannibalistic spirit having frequently been used to illustrate tragically real mental disorders derived from extended periods of starvation. That’s why it makes sense that the Guillermo-Del-Toro-produced Antlers (which was based on a short story by Channel Zero’s Nick Antosca) chose to re-interpret the creature as an allegory for addiction rather than a simple man-eating monster.

While I personally would have preferred it if the film incorporated more elements of the original Native myth into the story, Antlers is still one hell of a creepy fable about child abuse and how untreated addiction can lead to disaster in a family unit.

The flick’s disturbing monster design isn’t too shabby, either!

3. Hellraiser (2022)

The first of two David Bruckner movies on this list, Hulu’s Hellraiser reboot may have been controversial among fans of the franchise (I personally enjoyed it despite the new mythology ignoring much of the nuance present in Barker’s original creation), but the film’s most interesting change was in using the gruesome Cenobites as a jumping-off point for a story about addiction and the kind of psychological trauma that makes someone seek out new and dangerous experiences.

The allegory doesn’t always work, but it still makes for a much more compelling setup than the loosely related horror yarns of previous Hellraiser sequels. Plus, the new Cenobite designs are appropriately gnarly!

2. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Another nightmarish reflection on the horrors of aging, Adam Robitel’s mockumentary about an elderly woman struggling with Alzheimer’s is much more than your average jump-scare-laden Found Footage flick. For starters, the film’s novel take on possession horror distances it from the Exorcist-wannabes that oversaturate the sub-genre, but it’s really the film’s painfully realistic examination of mental degradation that makes it a must-watch.

Veteran actress Jill Larson is also a revelation as the titular Deborah, balancing the character’s menacing outbursts with somber moments of quiet suffering so expertly that you often forget that this isn’t a real documentary – and that’s not even mentioning the film’s nightmarish conclusion that’ll likely be burned into your retinas for the rest of your days.

1. The Night House (2020)

Horror movies about unseen threats live or die based on the strength of their main performance (after all, acting opposite of nothing is no easy task), so David Bruckner was quite fortunate to secure Rebecca Hall as the lead for his underrated supernatural horror flick, The Night House. Not only does Hall do a great job of convincing us that we should fear the unseen monster that stalks the titular house, but she’s also totally committed to a disturbingly believable portrayal of a woman haunted by the same inner turmoil that led her husband to take his own life.

Dealing with complex themes of grief, suicide and how struggling with these issues can isolate us from our loved ones, The Night House isn’t just a scary experience, but also a deeply moving one. The amorphous nature of the story’s main threat might irk some viewers, but I’d still recommend this thoughtful little character study to fans of psychological scares.

The Killgrin is now available on VOD via Dark Sky Films. Watch it tonight!

The post 6 Mental Health Monster Movies to Double Feature with ‘The Killgrin’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Blending classic slasher thrills with off-the-wall comedy, Shiver Me Timbers pays homage to 1980s horror classics while bringing Popeye into “his most terrifying adventure yet.”

Here’s the synopsis: “In Northern California during the summer of 1986, Olive Oyl, along with her cinema- obsessed friends and brother Castor, embark on a once-in-a-lifetime camping trip to witness the dazzling meteor shower accompanying the arrival of Halley’s comet. But what starts as a serene evening of stargazing quickly turns into a harrowing nightmare when a meteor from the comet transforms Popeye, into a terrifying and unstoppable killing machine.”

With Shiver Me Timbers now available from all major VOD retailers, Bloody Disgusting caught up with Paul Mann to talk about what makes his Popeye horror movie different from the rest, while also diving into the gore and 1980s setting, and touching upon his future public domain plans. You can read our exclusive chat with Shiver Me Timbers director Paul Mann below.

You’ll also find an exclusive clip and the movie’s official trailer underneath!

Bloody Disgusting: What sets Shiver Me Timbers apart from the recently released horror movies Popeye’s Revenge and Popeye the Slayer Man?

Paul Mann: The main difference is that Shiver Me Timbers is a comedy horror—emphasis on the comedy. Our film doesn’t take itself seriously at all; it leans more into the over-the-top, ’80s-style Troma comedy horrors. It fully embraces what it is without trying to be anything else. If you’re expecting a serious, terrifying horror movie, you’re in the wrong place.

What you’re getting with Shiver Me Timbers is the kind of film you invite your friends over to watch. You bring it to your frat house, dorm, or sorority, and have an absolute blast—probably rewinding scenes because it’s so outrageous, ridiculous, and, most importantly, fun. Our film knows its audience well. It’s made for younger viewers to laugh at, but also for those who were there in the VHS days and rented these kinds of films when they first came out. So, the biggest difference is that our film is all about over-the top, bloody fun.

BD: Shiver Me Timbers features a final girl version of Olive Oyl. Can you tell us a little bit about your take on the iconic character?

PM: Yes, Olive Oyl is our final girl, and our take on this iconic character is quite different. For one, our Olive Oyl isn’t Popeye’s girlfriend—she’s a young teenager, hanging out with her friends, who ultimately becomes the hero. She’s also a goth-loving girl, influenced by the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the 1980s goth scene. She’s far from the damsel in distress Popeye is always rescuing. She’s an incredibly smart, nerdy character who transforms into an action hero.

Her arc is a journey from the brainy, goth nerd to a full-on Sigourney Weaver-style action hero, all delivered with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

BD: The trailer for Shiver Me Timbers is extremely bloody. Can we expect all classic practical effects from the film?

PM: One thing I was determined to achieve was over-the-top blood. Our makeup artists went all out, creating barrels of blood and crafting every kind imaginable. Then we enhanced it all with CGI, adding even more blood—because you can never have too much blood.

As for Popeye, he’s a blend of makeup and CGI. Everything started with practical effects, which were then enhanced with CGI to create the best possible look.

BD: Your film is set in the 1980s. Why did you choose that time period?

PM: We set the film in the 1980s because that’s when all the horror movies I love were released. Those are the films I grew up watching, renting on VHS from the video stores. In the UK, where we had the infamous Video Nasty list, I was lucky enough to discover these films before the list was created. As a 12 to 13 year-old, I was renting Driller Killer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Cannibal Holocaust—all the classics—followed by Return of the Living Dead, Reanimator, The Evil Dead, Toxic Avenger, Flesh for Frankenstein, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2; the list goes on. I really wanted to make one of those films: the tongue-in-cheek, campy, horror flicks that also made me laugh. To this day, I’m still a huge fan of ’80s synthwave and those iconic soundtracks.

Another reason we set it in the ’80s is that Halley’s Comet passed through in 1986, and in our story, the comet transforms old man Popeye into the monster he becomes. Our characters are also huge movie buffs, constantly referencing those great films from the ’80s. References to the ’80s, the occasional nod to the ’90s, and even one from the ’70s. Shiver Me Timbers truly pays homage to the genre, peppered with little Easter eggs that, hopefully, fans will appreciate.

BD: Do you have any plans to turn other public domain characters into horror icons?

PM: We do have plans to transform other public domain characters into horror icons. I can’t reveal who just yet, as we’re still in pre-production on the sequel, but I can tell you that they’ll come from that same era and share a similar type of character. They won’t be fairy tale characters— other companies are already doing those brilliantly—but they will be drawn from the public domain. I’m keeping it under wraps for now, as we don’t want to spoil anything. But yes, more is definitely on the way.

Watch Shiver Me Timbers on digital today!

The post ‘Shiver Me Timbers’ – Exclusive Chat With Director Paul Mann Previews the New Popeye Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the movie, Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega star as Elliott and Ridley, a father-daughter duo who accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while driving to the mountain mansion estate owned by the Leopold family. Played by Richard E. Grant, Téa Leoni, and Will Poulter, the Leopolds practically froth at the mouth when they discover this unexpected windfall comes with massive financial possibilities and, thus, power. Naturally, nature has other plans for everyone, leading to a brutal struggle for survival.

By summoning the rich history of the unicorn, the movie taps into a reservoir of symbolism that spans centuries—from medieval tapestries to modern blockbuster reinterpretations—underscoring the timeless appeal of fairy tales and legends. Not only does the movie pay homage to these enduring stories, but it also sets the stage for a broader convo about how myths can and should be recontextualized to reflect contemporary societal issues. Let’s take a look at some of the ways Death of a Unicorn deconstructs and plays with these ideas, shall we?

Purity meets Predator

Historically, unicorns have embodied physical and symbolic traits of purity. In some cases and in certain days of yesteryear, unicorns have even been used as a symbol for Jesus Christ. In Death of a Unicorn, Scharfman both celebrates and radically reimagines this idea of an impossibly pure, impossibly virtuous fantasy entity.

Here, we get not just one, but three unicorns to ride around with. Like the unicorns of legend, these beauties retain an air of mystery and an almost sacred quality—particularly in their association with healing and the supernatural. However, rather than serving as benevolent, ethereal beings, these unicorns are also violent, vengeful forces, invoking both awe and terror.

Their blood, which, in folklore (and the stories of He Who Shall Not Be Named), was believed to have purifying and medicinal properties, becomes a central plot point in the film, but here, its miraculous nature is corrupted by human greed and exploitation. Plus, it’s purple. This shift from the unicorn as a symbol of purity to one of danger and retribution shows how even the most revered legends can take on new, darker meanings when refracted through the lens of contemporary anxieties and storytelling.

Then there’s the altered presentation of Mommy and Daddy unicorn. While the foal unicorn resembles a more classic Medieval unicorn, Mom and Dad deviate a bit. In their case, they may first appear to be fairly equine in form, but their serrated horns give off major Seven vibes and are certainly not to be messed with. They also have fangs, which are a far cry from the flat grazing teeth of more traditional herbivores. There’s also the unique bone structure of these unicorns that allows them to move and intimidate in stealthy, predatory ways no actual horse is capable of. Plus, their sheer aggressive demeanor, motivation and dogged determination in seeking vengeance for their baby’s treatment should not to be underestimated.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

One of the most potent and resonant elements of Death of a Unicorn is how it pulls the fantasy idea of the unicorn into the real world, grounding its presence in the here and now. Mirroring the historical need to create myths for that which is difficult to understand, Death of a Unicorn uses the unicorn itself as a vessel to offer a sharp critique of humanity’s tendency to exploit and commodify above all else.

For example, the magic powers of the unicorn are not respected by the Leopolds, like, at all. Instead, they are viewed as something to be harvested, controlled, and monetized. Sadly, this idea also echoes the real history of animals like the narwhal, buffalo, or rhino being hunted to extinction or harvested for supposed medicinal benefits. By framing the narrative within the Leopold’s hungry, hungry desire to capitalize on the situation, the story becomes a scathing allegory, reflecting very real anxieties about consumption, scientific advancement, and the calloused disregard for the natural world.

Not In My Movie…I mean, Fairy Tale

It likely won’t come as too big of a surprise that Death of a Unicorn is, at its core, a modern fairy tale. But by deviating from the norm and intentionally subverting expectations, the narrative avoids the pitfall of coming across as cheesy, saccharine, or tone-deaf. Pretty wild, considering there are still multiple unicorns at the heart of it all.

Let’s take Ridley, to start. An open reinterpretation of the virtuous maiden, Ridley passes on being a boring, picturesque figure of innocence and is instead presented as a dynamic, moody, resourceful protagonist deeply connected to nature, and her vape pen. Her purity, in the context of the film, stems from her strong convictions, willingness to speak out, and her open mind to things she may not immediately and fully understand.

And then there’s the Leopolds. Standing in as the rich nobility, the Leopolds are emblematic of modern greed and present an updated version of generational wealth, power, and motivation. Here, instead of a throne, Odell Leopold wields corporate influence, updating the trope to reflect modern ideas about wealth and unchecked ambition. Whereas royalty also historically had some modicum of job security (outside of a coup or takeover of some sort), today’s elite remain eternally fearful of losing status, wealth, and privilege to others, regardless of how much they already have. Fear and willful ignorance makes people do absolutely insane things, like completely exploiting a unicorn and keeping it all for themselves with little to no regard for anyone or anything else around them.

Adding another little fun layer of complexity to the film’s fairy tale re-envisioning are the open nods to historical representations of unicorn lore—most notably, the famed Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries, which depict the capture and demise of a unicorn. Much like these artworks, Death of a Unicorn cleverly juxtaposes the allure of the mythical with the stark realities of modern exploitation. By blending these classic fairy tale archetypes with social commentary, the film transforms from an escapist fantasy into satire.

Drawing on centuries of fairy tale tradition—from the sacred healing qualities of unicorn lore and the poignant imagery of the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries to timeless archetypes like the virtuous maiden and the rapacious nobility—Death of a Unicorn transforms familiar symbols into potent allegories for today. These tongue-in-cheek reinventions not only update these legends for contemporary audiences but also challenge us to confront the realities of unchecked ambition and consumption. With dynamic characters like the resourceful Ridley and a modern Leopold family that proves there’s no magic bullet for corporate greed, Death of a Unicorn stands as a vivid, satirical fairy tale—one that leaves us with plenty to mull over, proving that even in a messed-up world, the spirit of myth lives on.

Death of a Unicorn is now playing in theaters everywhere. Get your tickets today!

The post Unicorns, But Make It Murder: How ‘Death of a Unicorn’ Transforms a Timeless Tale appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

As a genre, horror has long offered filmmakers the perfect conduit to interrogate and explore issues of greed, capitalism, systemic inequality, and the often ruthless nature of the elite. With the ability to provide visceral storytelling baked into its very DNA, horror can reflect society’s darkest anxieties about corporate greed and extreme wealth in a powerfully unique way. By amplifying our deepest fears, horror films offer a provocative space where filmmakers can dissect the sins of the 1% and serve up a critical dish of cathartic cinematic justice for the remaining 99% of us.

If Death of a Unicorn has merely whet your appetite and left you hungry for even more satisfying falls from grace — then get your tickets; it’s now playing — here are seven more selections to check out. So pull up a chair and get ready to sink your teeth into some delectably wicked cinematic offerings where the rich and mighty get their just desserts. 

The Skulls (2000)

At its core, Rob Cohen’s teen horror-thriller The Skulls is a classic fish-out-of-water story. As the aforementioned fish, Joshua Jackson stars as Luke McNamara, a local normie with a rough background who scores big when he lands a rowing scholarship to a prestigious Ivy League college. While the prominence of extreme wealth initially makes Luke and his friends feel like total outsiders, things shift when Luke unexpectedly gets invited to join a secret society called The Skulls.

Though initially hesitant, Luke quickly bonds with his privileged and reckless classmate Caleb (played to perfection by Paul Walker) and starts to think The Skulls aren’t so bad after all. Heck, even Caleb’s dad, Litten (Craig T. Nelson) and his partner, Senator Ames Levritt (William Petersen), seem okay. That is until Luke’s best friend Will (Hill Harper) gets murdered. Seeking answers, Luke soon finds himself rowing upstream against a powerful current of wealth, lies, power, and greed. Lucky for Luke (and bad for The Skulls), the school didn’t make him rowing team captain for nothing.

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Directed by Roger Corman, this gothic reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s tale serves as a biting allegory against the excesses of the elite, who are often oblivious to the suffering of the masses. As an unstoppable plague sweeps the land, Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), a wealthy Satanist, summons the area’s rich and powerful to his castle—attempting to cheat death by indulging in hedonistic excess and downright cruelty. At the same time, the outside world crumbles under the weight of neglect, disease, and poverty. Then, as a mysterious red-cloaked figure appears at Prospero’s masked ball, the wealthy’s illusion of safety and superiority begins to shatter as their fellow elite begin to drop dead. Not only does this fate beautifully underscore the story’s comment on the futility of wealth and privilege in the face of nature’s indiscriminate wrath, it’s just so darn satisfying to watch.

Frogs (1972)

Like Death of a Unicorn, George McCowan’s eco-horror wonder Frogs transforms a pretty setting into a bloody battleground where nature exacts brutal retribution on a greedy family. In the film, wildlife photographer Pickett Smith (Sam Elliott) literally runs into the wealthy Crockett family kids while canoeing around their island estate. With Smith understandably grumpy about getting dumped into the swamp thanks to some drunk rich kids, the Crocketts seek to make amends by inviting him back to their family’s island mansion for a change of clothes and their annual summer party. Once there, Smith discovers just how ugly the family really is and watches in horror as their blatant disregard for the environment around them upends the natural order, transforming innocent amphibians into agents of vengeance. With its visceral imagery and hopping pace, Frogs delivers a stark indictment, reminding us that the devastation wrought by greed may ultimately awaken the wild forces of nature.

The Hunt (2020)

With a strong roster of familiar faces, The Hunt stars Betty Gilpin (GLOW), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), and Glenn Howerton (The Strangers) and follows a group of ordinary citizens who find themselves prey in a sadistic sport orchestrated by a secretive cadre of ultra-wealthy elites. Unfolding as a darkly satirical commentary on class warfare and capitalism, the rich commodify the lives of 12 strangers for their twisted amusement, reflecting a society in which power and privilege perpetuate structural exploitation. As the hunted rally together and fight back, the story morphs into a visceral power dynamic reversal that’s as bloody and cynical and satisfying as one can possibly imagine.

Society (1989)

Few films embrace the idea of “eat the rich” as brazenly and humorously as Brian Yuzna’s dark, body horror comedy, Society. Like many angsty teenagers, Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) finds himself becoming increasingly disillusioned by the world and his family’s constant facade of elite sophistication. However, this disillusionment soon gives way to something far more unsettling when Bill discovers his one-percenter parents and their affluent friends are harboring a mind-blowing secret—they literally (and metaphorically) feed off the less fortunate. As the boundaries between class, morality, and physical bodies melt away, Society delivers a visceral critique, laying bare the grotesque reality behind wealth and power. A savage fable like you’ve never seen, Society turns high society into an unappetizing macabre organism feeding on its own corruption like the disgusting creature that it is.

The Purge franchise

Even though every installation of The Purge franchise approaches Purge Night a little differently, each still makes sure to center the brutal mechanics of class warfare and the insidious underpinnings of a capitalist society driven by class oppression. Here, the wealthy and powerful create and encourage the annual night of anything goes (including murder) in a not-so-secret effort to reinforce social hierarchies and cull the lower classes.

Yet, as the night of sanctioned chaos unfolds, the films also showcase the resilience and uprising of the marginalized, who use the chaos as a catalyst to resist and fight back against the elite. In this way, The Purge becomes a bit of a poisoned chalice. Though initially created to suppress dissent and reinforce wealth and power, The Purge typically leads to the lower classes banding together, punishing the predatory, and demanding a radical reordering of societal norms. They’re also fun as hell and an entertaining way to question the legitimacy of a system constructed to thrive on inequality and exploitation.

They Live (1988)

Any way one slices it, John Carpenter’s They Live kicks ass. For one, it stars “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as Nada, a construction worker who stumbles across some sweet sunglasses. Then we find out that these sunglasses not only look cool, but they also reveal messages hidden in various media in an attempt to control the masses. Oh, and they also reveal that those behind this diabolical plan are actually super wealthy, super powerful, super ugly aliens masquerading as human beings. And before one can pop a piece of bubblegum, Nada sets out to burn the whole dang system down while simultaneously exploring the parasitic nature of elite power and the veneer of consumer culture that is nothing more than a façade masking culturally ingrained inequality.

Honorable Mentions:

• Ready or Not (2019)

• Hostel (2005)

• The Menu (2022)

• Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

• Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
• The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Death of a Unicorn is now playing in theaters everywhere. Get your tickets today!

The post Eat the Rich: 7 Satisfying Horror Films that Skewer the Elite appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In Locked, Eddie (Skarsgård) is a down on his luck car thief trolling the streets in search of a major score. When he stumbles upon a luxury car left unattended and unlocked, he makes the mistake of climbing inside. Just moments later, the petty criminal finds himself trapped within the heavily armored SUV and the latest pawn in a dangerous game. William (Hopkins) calls to taunt his terrified captive while amusing himself with sadistic torture designed to make a devious point. Based on Mariano Cohn’s 2019 film 4×4, Locked is a blood-soaked morality play set against the backdrop of a divided world.

In anticipation of its Friday release, Bloody Disgusting sat down with Yarovesky to explore the secrets of this killer SUV, the experience of working with two genre legends, and that thrilling moment when they come face to face. Read below and buckle up those tickets for the weekend.

I don’t use the word “icon” lightly, but I don’t think you get more iconic in the horror world than Hannibal Lecter and Pennywise the Dancing Clown. And now we can add Count Orlok into the mix as well. What was it to work with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Bill Skarsgård?

It was a dream come true. You’re talking about two of the greatest living actors, both of which have played some of the most iconic villains of all time. I’m trying to speak without spoiling anything, but there’s a sequence, a showdown between them. When we filmed it, the two of them hadn’t met yet. I didn’t want them to meet before filming. We had rehearsed it, but we did rehearsals in a car so that Anthony Hopkins could call in and we could recreate the reality of it as much as possible.

So this is the first time they’re meeting, and then very quickly we’re rolling camera. There was this electricity in the air that I can’t quite explain. The two of them start going at it in the scene, and I’m just sort of whispering in their ear, pushing them further and further. We start going off script and exploring these dark places. I’m saying, “Are you going to let him talk to you like that? Push his buttons!” Every take got better and better and I’m watching it all play out. We got done that day and I was thinking, wow, that was the most incredible day I’ve ever had on set. That was electric. And then I started getting texts from the crew saying. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I just saw Hannibal and Pennywise going at it like that!” It felt like we captured magic between the two of them. It had that kind of sparkle to it. I can’t quite put it to words, but it’s that magic you hunt for when you’re shooting.

They’re also genre icons from two different generations. How does that tension play into the conflict on screen and is Locked a generational story?

I think there’s absolutely a generational element to Locked. The movie’s really a morality play. The two characters have a conversation about how people with so much and people who have almost nothing can live together in the same little space. Then you add this generational gap. The way my generation or people even younger than me, how quickly and how advanced we all became on the internet. And the gap between this older generation can feel so wide. I think all of those factors are part of what keeps these two people hating each other.

Do you feel like this is a political movie?

It’s funny because I think there are people who will watch this movie and interpret it as a political movie, but I didn’t take it that way at all. To me, the movie is about morality. It’s about how we get along together, with massive disagreements and sometimes absolutely hating each other. How do we get along? How do we talk to each other? How do we treat each other? I wanted that tension, anxiety, and distrust to be present in the movie. But that said, I don’t feel like it’s a political movie. I feel like it’s a movie that is really about the human spirit.

It does feel very relevant to the current moment, but you also have Eddie referencing classical literature so there’s a timeless quality to the story as well.

We wanted all three of the main characters in this movie—including the car, because I consider the car a character—to be this layered person. Each layer you pull back has a little surprise in it, something you didn’t expect. When you meet Eddie, he looks like he’s straight out of Good Times or Uncut Gems. He’s from this hustling, scummier space. You don’t expect him to be as smart as he is or as clever as he is. I think that’s something William definitely overlooks about Eddie.

I hate giving the audience the message because I like people to pull out the morality of the story. But I’ll speak to one aspect of the morality conversation, which is that Eddie has a problem. He needs money and he thinks that the solution to his problem is to get some money and to fix his van. But the bigger problem is that he does not have a good relationship with his daughter. And what is his life without that? So the lesson he thinks he needs to learn is how to get money. But what he really needs is to have a better relationship with his daughter. And I think going through this kind of hell teaches him that.

I’m also a huge fan of your 2019 film, Brightburn. As a parent and as a superhero fan, it terrified me and I love how you play with this idea of an antihero. Do you consider Eddie to be an antihero in Locked?

I see him as an antihero for sure. Certainly at the start of the movie, he exhibits behavior that I wouldn’t exactly put at the moral forefront. I wouldn’t encourage people to act in that way. He’s a thief. He’s a petty criminal. I like to think that he’s mostly straightened out his life, but he’s got some skills that he can lean on if he absolutely needs to in a pinch. I’m glad that you enjoyed Brightburn. It’s certainly a more extreme version of an antihero story in a way, right?

Yes. It’s almost like a journey from hero to antihero to villain.

This is something that Anthony Hopkins and I immediately bonded over when we met. I’m drawn to dark characters. I’m drawn to the bad guy. I like to explore what that means and find the humanity. I’m constantly fascinated by the really good things that bad people do because it’s so confusing to know that something like that is possible. I can see how Brightburn and Locked are connected in that way.

What was it that drew you to this story? Was it this clash between two people who seem to be villains but might have something deeper to them?

Well I made this movie called Nightbooks with Sam Raimi. I was a really big fan of his growing up and still am today. He was great to work with. Just a dream come true. You know, it’s such a cliche, but everyone says, “don’t meet your idols.” And that’s mostly true, but Sam Raimi has been an exception for me thus far. He’s truly been everything I could hope for and more. So I made that movie and we had a good working relationship, which is surreal to even say, but it’s true. He sent me the script and I was like, “I’m gonna work with you, whatever it is.” [Laughs] And then I read it and I thought, this is gonna be something very different.

I love a challenge. I look at filmmaking as an opportunity to grow parts of myself. I don’t know if I should share this, but I sometimes feel like a stunted person, you know, incapable of so many basic things. But the one place that I can really expand my horizons and grow in extreme ways is through filmmaking and through the creative process. So it just felt like an opportunity to exercise a different muscle. To focus on character development and tell a really tense story.

We’ve all seen movies where people are trapped in places before. I love those movies, but they’re often incredibly heightened and they quickly become unbelievable. They’re fun to explore, but they’re not believable. So I started reading the script and I was like, wow, what would it be like if someone really wanted to do this? How would it play out and how much would that suck for Eddie? I think that’s the best and most compelling version of this movie. And that’s the thing I really haven’t seen before from this genre. So I wanted to give the viewer something completely fresh and new.

Well, I definitely think you accomplished that. This is a movie about being trapped and the first act is so claustrophobic. And then without spoiling anything, at a certain point, the world opens up in a really exciting way. How did you approach those shifting tones and was either side of that equation more challenging than the other?

Each one had their own unique challenges. This entire movie was a challenge. In some ways it was the hardest movie I’ve ever made because it’s an indie film. We didn’t have the support of big studios and things like that. We shot this movie in 19 days, which is really fast. And so the whole movie was challenging to pull off in a way that gives you something new, a different journey in that trapped experience. I said before that I wanted each character, car included, to be layered and to have more and more discoveries. And I think what you’re talking about is one of the discoveries along the way that takes the movie in an exciting new direction.

I really like to study the sub-genre of the film I’m about to make and so I watched a lot of movies where someone is trapped. One of the weaknesses of the genre is that you can usually see where things are going. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it, but you feel a little safe. And so we really tried to tell a story that kept surprising you and taking you in a direction that you didn’t expect—putting you, the viewer, through the ringer.

I want to ask about this car. You described it as a character in and of itself. Do you feel like it’s a kind of villain or an avatar for evil?

Well the movie is told from Eddie’s perspective. It’s his story. And in his perspective, this car is definitely a villain, a source of villainy. So, yeah, it’s represented that way in the film. But following that sense of realism, I wanted to create a car that would be believable based on the technology of today, right now. We did a lot of research on how they armor cars, how they modify cars to take rocket fire and stuff like that. We really tried to bring that to this car because I wanted you to not question it. I didn’t want you to wonder, would it work like that? And the only way to do that was to dot our I’s and cross our T’s.

I’ll give you an example. A lot of people don’t see it even though it’s right in front of their eyes. In the trailer, when the window comes down and Anthony Hopkins is on the other side, if you look at the glass, you will see the thickness is that of intensely armored glass. It’s layers and layers of glass like it would be in real life. It’s that kind of attention to detail that we tried to bring to the movie. Also if you look at the seats very carefully, you’ll see the piping is all lined with copper wire for the tasing to work so that there’s nowhere in the car that you could be safe. We really tried to look at every meticulous detail of how it was executed and do it in the most realistic way possible.

Another thing I really loved is that it feels completely enclosed. You cannot see Eddie from the outside. You can’t hear him. So there’s this feeling of isolation in plain sight.

In preparation for this movie, I watched a lot of other movies where people are in cars for a long time. And in every one, there’s a camera mounted to the hood or the side and you see them through the windshield. It’s a great shot. It looks really cool, but you can’t see into this car. So all those shots were gone for us. We had to rethink how you shoot cars entirely for this movie and think of it more like Buried, like he’s in a box. Sam challenged me to shoot it, as cinematically as possible. And I really wanted to. That’s one of the genre tropes I wanted to take on was making this feel cinematic despite being trapped in a little spot. Panic Room does a good job of that. We’re in this little space, but you don’t feel that way. You feel like it’s a big cinematic story. So one of the ways to do that is shooting anamorphic. But traditionally anamorphic lenses, minimum focus distance is six to nine feet. So you cannot put that in a car with someone.

We were fortunate enough to be a completely independent movie. We didn’t start shooting, but we started working on the movie during the strike. We were one of the waiver movies. And so we were able to use Dan Sasaki, who worked at Panavision as a lens tech. He had nothing to do because no one’s making movies. And so he was able to tweak lenses for us and build us lenses that have never been built before because he just had the time. I mean, this is typically the treatment that Star Wars would get, but we’re this little indie movie. Dan Sasaki is amazing. I think he built us the widest anamorphic lens they had. And the minimum focus distance was almost to the tip of the lens. It was that close. And he built us what I think may be the first anamorphic probe lens. He had come up with this idea for Chris Nolan’s Dunkirk to build a lens with an elbow in it so it would have a joint. That way we could keep the camera outside and stick the lens in and go a different way. We used that a lot. That one shot in the trailer where it goes from inside the car to outside and you see her doing her lipstick, that was shot on this lens. It’s got a really unique look to it.

My production designer, Grant Armstrong, was an art director on Gravity and he told us about how they shot in these tight spaces. They built this pod where you could slide pieces away on rails very simply. He suggested we do that with this car, but the problem is, Eddie’s trying to get out of this car. He’s gonna be kicking on the doors. So we designed this locking mechanism that allowed us to slide a piece in and then lock it. For example, when you see that really long and complicated shot, we were almost like puppeteers of the set sliding a chunk out of the way as the camera passed and then sliding it back in so you couldn’t see that it was closed. It took us forever to do and endless coordination, but all based on the goal of making something that you’ve never seen before. A really cinematic, gotta see it on a big screen kind of movie from such a tiny space.

You mentioned that you’re a lifelong fan of Sam Raimi. I am too. What’s your favorite Sam Raimi movie?

That’s changed over time. There was a time when it was straight up Evil Dead II and there was a time when it was definitely Army of Darkness. Darkman held my heart for a while. It really did. But if you were to ask me right this moment, Drag Me to Hell is just so good. And let me tell you, the sound designer on this movie, Marti D. Humphrey, he was the sound designer on Drag Me to Hell. We were in a really tight spot and Sam said, “let me see if my guy will do it.” And I was thinking yeah, we should have started there.That would be amazing. [Laughs] So Marty stepped up and did such a solid job on this movie. I told him when we were mixing that in every sound mix I’ve ever been in, I always reference Drag Me to Hell. I encourage my sound mixers to watch it so that we have a common language. But I don’t need to say that to you because you mixed it and that’s so cool!

I love Drag Me to Hell. I think that’s my favorite also. And I remember running out of the theater just terrified! Disgusted too. And the sound mixing has a lot to do with it. You can really feel all the squelching.

The thing I love about Sam is that he is a joyful filmmaker.

Yes, absolutely.

You know, there are filmmakers I love, but they put misery on screen. I love movies like that too, but when you watch Drag Me to Hell, you feel his joy for these disgusting things. You feel that glee and it’s infectious.

Locked collides into theaters this Friday. Get your tickets now!

The post ‘Locked’ Director David Yarovesky on Crashing Two Horror Icons Together appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Mark Anthony Green’s harrowing film Opus begins with just such a gift as music journalist Ariel Ecton (Ayo Edebiri) receives a luxurious gift basket from world-famous pop star Alfred Moretti (John Malkovich). Doubling as a high-end Swag Bag, this opulent basket also includes a copy of Moretti’s highly anticipated new EP and a coveted invitation to an early premier. She and five industry veterans will be taken on an exclusive retreat to the singer’s private residence where they will dine with Moretti himself before enjoying an intimate performance of his new work.

But Ariel is skeptical of this magnanimous gift. Arriving at the compound, she notices that the other residents all wear the same clothes, have a god-like devotion to the aging pop star, and were brought in by the same mysterious call. And she’s right to be skeptical. Moretti’s home has all the classic signs of a dangerous cult stronghold, from ominous tents and nonsensical requests to complete disconnection to the outside world.

Perhaps she watched a lot of horror? After all, the horror genre is filled with similar locations, each featuring their own brand of insidious danger. Though picturesque or unique in some way, each of these outwardly normal locations seems to hide sinister intent behind a bright veneer of perfection. So, as A24’s Opus welcomes new members to its cult this weekend in theaters, we’re looking back at all the compounds that have taught us to never fall for such fortunes.

Hälsingland – Midsommar (2019)

Dani (Florence Pugh)’s trip to Sweden is already ill-advised. Her relationship with Christian (Jack Reynor) is on the rocks, she’s still grieving the horrific death of her family, and she knows that no one really wants her to come. But her spirits rise just moments after walking through a sunny archway into the bright and cheerful world of the Hårga. Dressed in white, the residents of this cheerful utopia dote on Dani while encouraging her to rest, relax, and find her true self. It’s not till a ritual suicide known as an ättestupa shocks the vulnerable young woman into awareness.

Perhaps there’s something malevolent about the caged bear lounging on the lawn or the grinning redhead who seems infatuated with Christian. When her new friends depart without saying goodbye, Dani starts questioning the Hårga’s intentions. Unfortunately, it may be too late to make her escape. Even if she could, Dani’s far too invested in the actions of her toxic boyfriend than the dangers staring her right in the face. And after all, considering what’s waiting for her back at home, could this deadly cult be the supportive family she’s always wanted? Ari Aster’s devastating film is a modern cult classic that dares us to question how much we would give for the freedom of unconditional love.

The Somafree Institute – The Brood (1979)

Like Dani, Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar) is dealing with a painful breakup and enrolls in the Somafree Institute to address her deteriorating mental state. Known for his pioneering work in psychoplasmics, the renowned Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed) takes a special interest in her unique case. Nola is given a private suite and extensive sessions every day at the luxurious facility. While this nontraditional therapy seems to be helping, Dr. Raglan’s treatment produces a dangerous side effect.

Adjacent to Nola’s expansive room are bunks filled with humanoid children who seem to be governed by her strong emotions. Each time she relives her pain, these mutated kids escape the remote compound and brutally murder the latest target of her rage. Other patients develop fleshy growths on their skin each time they relive a traumatic experience, but Nola’s sessions have produced an external egg sac on her abdomen, repeatedly birthing these dangerous creatures. Inspired by his own painful divorce, David Cronenberg’s The Brood is a brutal exploration of experimental treatment and the long-term effects of parental abuse.

Gatlin, Nebraska – Children of the Corn (1984)

Fritz Kiersch’s iconic film also tackles the horrors of violent children, but in a more expansive locale. Burt (Peter Horton) and Vicky (Linda Hamilton) are driving through Nebraska on a backroads highway when a dying child stumbles onto the road. Pulling over to investigate, they see that his throat has been slashed from ear to ear. The terrified couple suddenly realize that they are alone in an endless sea of corn where anyone and anything could be hiding. Terrified, they bundle the body in Bert’s trunk and look for help in neighboring Gatlin. But compared unease at getting lost in rows of the imposing crop, entering this deserted town is downright terrifying.

Not only has the abandoned city been left to ruin, it’s covered with decaying corn husks and unsettling folk art. The frightened couple eventually discover that Gatlin is now run by the town’s vicious children led by a charismatic child preacher named Isaac (John Franklin). Several years ago, he convinced them to slaughter their parents in deference to a deity known as He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Now any adult who crosses their path winds up crucified on a makeshift cross and sacrificed to their unusual god. Adapted from the short story by Stephen King, Children of the Corn is an atmospheric nightmare exploring the dangers of isolation and the strange claustrophobia of the American heartland.

The Visser – Archive 81 (2022)

Thirty-eight years after Kiersch explored terror on the open plains, Rebecca Sonnenshine finds similar violence in a much smaller space. The Netflix series Archive 81 takes us inside the legendary Visser building just days before its mysterious destruction. Archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) is tasked with restoring a recovered Hi8 tape filmed by PhD student Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi). Just days after moving in, Melody stumbles upon meetings of a sinister cult led by another resident named Samuel (Evan Jonigkeit).

These eerie sessions consist of trancelike singing and intense focus on a hidden statue of an otherworldly being known as Kaelego. Legends also swirl about a snuff film created in search of a cross-dimensional bridge designed to pull the demonic figure into our world. As Dan unravels the mysteries of this wicked building, he finds that time and space have collapsed around him and Kalegho may no longer be stuck in the past. This mind-bending story blends multiple timelines and media depictions of a dangerous structure that may be the skin for a Lovecraftian god.

Summerisle – The Wicker Man (1973)

When Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) first arrives on Summerisle, he’s impressed by the picturesque terrain, but taken aback by the islander’s pagan activities. Everywhere he goes, residents of this quaint town are singing secular folk songs, brazenly worshiping phallic idols, and fornicating in the open with multiple partners. A devout Christian, he’s determined to locate a missing child and takes a room at the Green Man Inn which seems to be a hub for these exaltant rituals. Thanks to the leadership of the wealthy Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee), residents have long since abandoned their own Christian traditions in favor of pagan rituals designed to bolster their strains of fruit-bearing trees.

Despite the joyful nature of these celebrations, Howie begins to believe they have a darker purpose. He fears that the missing child is being prepared as a human sacrifice at the culmination of the upcoming May Day festivities. But an even darker secret emerges in an ominous Wicker Man constructed on a high cliff overlooking the sea. Director Robin Hardy thrusts us into a sun-bleached nightmare as the residents of Summerisle joyfully plot grisly murder in service of their own prosperity.

The Old-Growth Forest – The Ritual (2017)

The people of Summerisle operate on faith that their sun god will answer their prayers, but the residents of Sweden’s Old-Growth Forest have concrete proof. Six months after the death of their friend, Luke (Rafe Spall) and his college friends Phil (Arsher Ali), Hutch (Robert James-Collier), and Dom (Sam Troughton) are hiking the Kungsleden in northern Sweden to honor his memory when injury forces them to reroute through the nearby forest. But rather than a soothing wooded stroll, this ominous terrain is eerily quiet and filled with mysterious symbols and gruesomely dismembered animal carcasses.

As they slowly begin to lose their bearings, the terrified hikers are also plagued with horrific dreams of grisly rituals and graphic death. When a large deerlike creature begins chasing them through the tall trees, Luke and Dom take refuge in a nearby village. But their hopes of protection quickly sour when a caretaker explains that they must either submit to the god known as jötunn or be sacrificed on its forest altar. Based on the novel by Adam Nevill, David Bruckner’s terrifying film manages to capture the bewildering terror of getting lost in the woods before unveiling an even more chilling fate.

Spahn Ranch – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

On the opposite side of the world, another cult gathers to worship a monster, but this dangerous leader is made of flesh and blood. Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to late 60s Hollywood remixes the harrowing story of Charles Manson and his family of followers. When stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) picks up a seductive hitchhiker called Pussycat (Margaret Qualley), he drops her off at a familiar location. Years ago, he’d filmed episodes of Bounty Law as a stunt double for fading star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio).

But now the ranch seems to be overrun by a commune of hippies who’ve convinced owner George Spahn (Bruce Dern) to let them squat on the land. After checking on the elderly landlord, Booth returns to find his tire slashed. The brawny stuntman is able to fight his way off of the nefarious ranch, but will soon have another deadly encounter with Manson’s followers. Not only has this dusty ranch been left to ruin, it carries the artifice of a vacant movie set, displaying the emptiness of Manson’s promises. Inspired by one of the most shocking crimes in American history, Tarantino captures the desolate emptiness and delusion at the heart of every cult compound.

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