The original movie is one of many indie movies who had a relatively mundane theatrical release, only to grow a huge following on streaming. David Robert Mitchell‘s movie might not have demanded another entry, though its exploration of an unstoppable force that could only be deterred when a target had sex with someone sparked all sorts of theories among audiences. After being teased for years, They Follow finally entered production earlier this year and, courtesy of production company Curious Gremlin, we know that filming on the sequel has wrapped.

On Instagram, Curious Gremlin shared a post revealing the conclusion of principal photography. Unfortunately, no details or images of the production were shared, though this will only spark more speculation.

Part of what makes They Follow so exciting is how many original components of It Follows are returning. Monroe reprises her role and Mitchell once again directs, but one of the most iconic elements of the movie will also be featured in the sequel, as Disasterpiece is confirmed to be crafting the sequel’s score. Also starring in the new movie are Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Justine Lupe (Succession), Anna Mirodin (Ivan), Jayne Taini (Unbelievable), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Tom Pecinka (Stereophonic), Melora Walters (Magnolia), Ben Krieger (Song Sung Blue), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist), and Jan Hoag (The Fabelmans).

Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) has also been confirmed to join They Follow.

This summer saw the release of Mitchell’s big-budget dinosaur spectacle The End of Oak Street, with the cast for They Follow, along with the pluralized title, teasing that the scale of the project will be much larger than what we got in the original movie.

They Follow doesn’t yet have a release date.

Are you looking forward to the sequel? Let us know in the comments below!

The post ‘They Follow’: Filming Officially Wraps on Maika Monroe’s ‘It Follows’ Sequel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, A Nightmare on Elm Street), Justine Lupe (Succession), Anna Mirodin (Ivan), Jayne Taini (Unbelievable), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Tom Pecinka (Stereophonic), Melora Walters (Magnolia), Ben Krieger (Song Sung Blue), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist) and Jan Hoag (The Fabelmans) have joined the cast this week.

Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) has also been confirmed to join They Follow.

Deadline notes in their report this afternoon, “Plot details for the long-anticipated sequel are under wraps, other than it taking place a decade after the events of the original film.”

They Follow is expected to enter production this Summer. Stay tuned for updates.

In the first movie, Maika Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In the sequel, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.

“It’s very dark,” Monroe recently teased. “We’re pushing the boundaries on this one for sure.”

“It’s very different from the original,” Monroe told Discussing Film. “The original is a little more heightened and dramatic, and this is really quite grounded and follows the story of these two women that are mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was really an interesting take on it.”

NEON and Good Fear Content are producing They Follow.

They Follow will feature a new score from Disasterpeace.

The post ‘They Follow’ – Jackie Earle Haley, Michael Gandolfini and More Join the ‘It Follows’ Sequel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Speaking with Empire, Mitchell confirmed that multiple crew members are returning for the sequel, and that it’ll feature a new score from Disasterpeace!

“Maika is back for this, and [cinematographer] Mike [Gioulakis], and the editor, Julio [C. Perez IV],” Mitchell told the outlet. “Disasterpeace will be doing a score.“

That’s great news, considering how impactful the artist’s score was on the original 2014 film. Mitchell agrees: “I wouldn’t want to do a sequel without him. That first movie is so much to do with his fantastic music, so I’m excited about seeing what he does with this.”

The filmmaker notes that he’s also proud of his script for They Follow, which will do its own thing while still being connected to the original film. Of course, plot details remain scarce at this time.

“It’s very dark,” Monroe recently teased. “We’re pushing the boundaries on this one for sure.”

In the first movie, Maika Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In the sequel, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.

Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) is reportedly joining the sequel.

NEON and Good Fear Content are producing They Follow.

The post Disasterpeace Returns for ‘They Follow’ Alongside Maika Monroe and Original Creative Team appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Talk to Me‘s Joe Bird stars as Naim, a new kid in a small Australian suburb who’s introduced as he’s hanging out with new friend Ryan (Stacy Clausen). Playful ribbing quickly leads to romance between the pair, though one that can only carry on in secret. The town’s prominent religious community, of which Naim’s mom (Mia Wasikowska) is a devout member, doesn’t approve of homosexuality.

When the lovers are outed, they’re subjected to a strange conversion-therapy ritual by a mysterious outsider that marks them as targets for an unrelenting, malevolent entity that takes the form of whoever the afflicted desires most.

If that sounds like It Follows, well, it sort of is. Chiarella refines the horror mechanics and metaphor with much sharper precision, ensuring that the scares and emotional gravity of Naim and Ryan’s terrifying predicament reach their intended impact. Here, the lust-induced curse gets very personal, with the entity offering tantalizing temptation in doppelgänger form, hoping to lure its victim close before brutally ripping them apart.

Chiarella uses this as a launchpad to immerse audiences in the horror of constantly living in fear for simply existing. And it’s here where Leviticus rises above its influences with clear purpose. Through the curse, fleeting moments of tender romance or comfort also breed fear and tension. A discreet kiss leaves the cursed vulnerable in more ways than one; safety doesn’t exist for two young teens simply trying to understand their burgeoning emotions.

Ultimately, though, Leviticus owes much of its success to the tremendous performances by its two leads. Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen deftly navigate all the emotional complexities of coming-of-age in a repressed setting that hits too close to home for any reprieve. While the tenderness beneath Ryan’s machismo endears, it’s Naim’s bone-deep fear and melancholy that’s as heartbreaking as it is compelling.

Naim is scared of his emerging feelings, and it’s exacerbated without any avenue to explore them without violent recourse. The threats aren’t just external but internal as well, and it’s those moral and emotional complexities that transform familiar horror formula into something that feels fresh and timely.

Chiarella injects a few potent jump scares that left the Sundance audience shrieking, but does struggle to stage some of the supernatural sieges. The cold open introduces a previous victim of the curse, but only mildly intrigues with its familiar staging. That’s not to say the entity isn’t scary, though; Clausen in particular is a terrifying menace when in Ryan’s doppelgänger form.

Keeping the focus on the star-crossed lovers was the smart and correct choice, but some plot elements feel underutilized by the succinct conclusion. Wasikowska plays her character too guarded, leaving many questions regarding her background and motives unanswered, even if the film gives her a satisfying end to her arc, for example. The rules, though simple and straightforward, can also bend at whim.

Still, Leviticus is a strong debut with an incisive voice at the helm. Chiarella coaxes poignant, layered performances out of his young leads that ensure that the social horror cuts deep, even if some of the more supernatural components occasionally feel stale. We care deeply about Naim and Ryan’s survival, making Leviticus a tense, atmospheric, and claustrophobic vision of young love in a hateful world.

Leviticus made its world premiere at Sundance and releases in theaters June 19, 2026.

Editor’s Note: This Sundance review was originally published January 24, 2026.

The post ‘Leviticus’ Review – Desire Is Deadly in Affecting Horror Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deadline reports that Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice) is in final talks to join They Follow.

Deadline notes, “There’s no word yet on who Ackie will play, nor the plot of the long anticipated sequel, other than it taking place a decade after the events of the original film.”

They Follow is expected to enter production this Summer. Stay tuned for updates.

In the first movie, Maika Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In the sequel, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.

“It’s very dark,” Monroe recently teased. “We’re pushing the boundaries on this one for sure.”

“It’s very different from the original,” Monroe told Discussing Film. “The original is a little more heightened and dramatic, and this is really quite grounded and follows the story of these two women that are mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was really an interesting take on it.”

NEON and Good Fear Content are producing They Follow.

The post ‘They Follow’ – Naomi Ackie Reportedly Joining Maika Monroe in ‘It Follows’ Sequel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“We’re doing it!” Maika Monroe proclaimed during a recent appearance on Happy Sad Confused. “That’s the next job.”

“It’s very dark,” Monroe says of the script. “We’re pushing the boundaries on this one for sure.”

She continues, “Even reading the script, you get the same sense of the nostalgia, the slow camera movements, everything.”

Monroe will reprise her role as Jay Height, who was pursued by a supernatural entity in the 2014 modern horror classic. A decade later, the threat is everywhere.

Writer-director David Robert Mitchell is back at the helm, with Neon and Good Fear Content on board to produce.

While we wait for They Follow, Monroe can be seen in the recent Resident Evil Requiem short film.

The post Maika Monroe Says ‘It Follows’ Sequel ‘They Follow’ Is Her Next Project: “It’s Very Dark” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Rumors have been spreading that it will be happening,” Monroe tells EW. “I would stay positive, because I’ve heard some good news recently.”

Monroe will reprise her role as Jay Height, who was pursued by a supernatural entity in the 2014 modern horror classic. A decade later, the threat is everywhere.

“It’s not at all what I expected, where you would find Jay, which I thought was really interesting,” Monroe continues. “I was like, ‘Whoa! Cool,’ which I think the audience will probably have a similar reaction.”

She adds, “I know this might sound cliché, but it’s staying true to the original where we’re bringing back all the same team… The story is very much still in that space, but it’s just grander. I’m really, really excited for it.”

Writer-director David Robert Mitchell is back at the helm. Composer Disasterpeace is in talks to return as well.

Neon and Good Fear Content are producing the sequel.

While we wait for They Follow, Maika Monroe can be seen in the new Resident Evil Requiem short film.

The post Maika Monroe Offers ‘They Follow’ Update: “I’ve Heard Some Good News Recently” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

To close out the first quarter of this century, the Halloweenies have hit the archives to revisit all the horror movies released between 2000 to 2025. After careful consideration, they’ve made their lists, checked them twice, and given them to Santa Gerber to collate them all into a bonafide top 25.

Last week, the gang shared their picks from 25 to 11, and today they’re rounding the event out with their top 10. Granted, your powers of deduction likely predicted a handful of these horror hits, but we’re confident at least a third of these will send you into a frenzy. Let us know in the comments below!

Stream both episodes below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters. Next year? Hellraiser!

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store

The post The Top 25 Horror Movies of the Last 25 Years Pt. 2 [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“I was sent the script, and I thought it was incredible. Also it’s very different from the original,” Monroe tells Discussing Film.

“I felt the original is a little more heightened and dramatic, and this I think is really quite grounded and sort of follows the story of these two women that are just mentally dealing with a lot. I thought it was really an interesting take on it.”

She adds, “Fingers crossed it happens. Next year is the rumor.”

Monroe will reprise her role as Jay Height, who was pursued by a supernatural entity in the 2014 modern horror classic. A decade later, the threat is everywhere.

Writer-director David Robert Mitchell is back and the helm. Composer Disasterpeace recently told me that he’s in talks to return for the sequel as well.

“I think where you’ll meet Jay at this point is maybe not what’s expected, but it’s so cool,” Monroe previously commented. “It’s just … bigger and darker and more fucked up.”

Neon and Good Fear Content are producing They Follow, which was originally expected to enter production in 2024. Let’s hope 2026 is the year it finally comes together.

Monroe can next be seen opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, a new take on the classic ’90s thriller, coming to Hulu tomorrow.

The post Maika Monroe Says “Incredible” ‘They Follow’ Script Is “Very Different” from ‘It Follows’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The first annual event has amassed an impressive collection of special guests to participate in post-screening Q&As:

• Lights Out with director David F. Sandberg
• It Follows with composer Disasterpeace
• Hell House LLC with writer-director Stephen Cognetti
• “Courage the Cowardly Dog” with creator John Dilworth

The line-up also includes repertory showings of Ringu, The Changeling, and Donnie Darko; an advance screening of Shell; indie features Beezel, Bodycam, Meat Kills, and Bad Haircut; and the premiere the original horror anthology Salem Night.

There are also short film screenings, indie filmmaker panels, networking mixers, an award ceremony, and a wrap party.

Midnight Fest tickets and passes are on sale now.

The post Midnight Fest Brings David F. Sandberg, ‘It Follows,’ ‘Hell House LLC,’ ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog’ Guests to Boston Next Week appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are five upcoming horror releases you don’t want to miss this month.

It Follows – August 12

It Follows will be released on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on August 12 exclusively from Lionsgate Limited.

The 2014 horror film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, who’s currently working on a sequel titled They Follow.

It has been mastered in 4K by Second Sight Films and is presented with Dolby Vision HDR.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary by Author Joshua Grimm
• Audio Commentary by Film Critic Danny Leigh and Film Professor Mark Jancovich
• Critics’ Audio Commentary Hosted by Scott Weinberg
• Chasing Ghosts: Interview with Actor Keir Gilchrist
• Following: Interview with Actor Olivia Luccardi
• It’s in the House: Interview with Producer David Kaplan
• Composing a Masterpiece: Interview with Composer Disasterpeace
• A Girl’s World: Interview with Production Designer Michael Perry
• The Architecture of Loneliness: Video Essay by Filmmaker Joseph Wallace
• A Conversation with Film Composer Disasterpeace
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster Art Gallery

After a night of intimacy, passion turns to paranoia when her partner informs once-carefree teen girl Jay that she is now the latest carrier of a fatal curse passed on through sex. As Jay is haunted by nightmarish visions, her teenage friends dismiss her ravings — until they also see the ghastly ghouls. Now they must band together to break the chain and help Jay escape the horrors that always seem to be lurking just a few steps behind.

Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe star.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers – August 12

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers will be released on 4K Ultra HD on August 12 via Scream Factory.

The 1988 slasher sequel is directed by Michael A. Simpson and written by Michael Hitchcock (“Mad TV”).

It has been newly has been newly restored in 4K from the 35mm interpositive with Dolby Vision.

Special Features:

• 4K Restoration Of The 35mm Interpositive (new)
• Presented In Dolby Vision
• Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
• Audio Commentary With Director Michael A. Simpson And Writer Fritz Gordon
• Return To Sleepaway Camp II – Interview with Sleepaway Camp: Making the Movie and Reigniting the Campfire Author Jeff Hayes (new)
• I’m A Happy Camper – Interview With Actor Brian Patrick Clarke (new)
• Camp Carnage: Inside The Make-Up Effects – Interview With Special Make-Up Effects Artist Bill Johnson (new)
• A Tale of Two Sequels – Part One
• Abandoned – The Locations Of Sleepaway Camp II and III
• Behind-The-Scenes Footage
• Home Video Trailer
• Sleepaway Camp III Teaser
• Whatever Happened To Molly? Short Film
• Still Gallery

Five years after the horrific slaughter at Camp Arawak, Angela (Pamela Springsteen) has created a new position for herself as a counselor at Camp Rolling Hills. Angela is about to teach ‘bad campers’ a brutal lesson in survival when they are sliced, stabbed, drilled… and much worse.

Pamela Springsteen, Renée Estevez, Brian Patrick Clarke, and Walter Gotell star.

Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland will be available on 4K UHD the same day.

Bring Her Back – August 19

Bring Her Back will be released on 4K Ultra HD on August 19 via A24.

The new psychological horror film is directed by Danny & Michael Philippou (Talk to Me) from a script by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman.

Special Features:

• Audio Commentary with Directors Danny & Michael Philippou
• Coming Full Circle: Making Bring Her Back
• Deleted Scene
• 6 Collectible Postcards with Behind the Scenes Photography

In the wake of a family tragedy, siblings Andy and Piper are sent to live with their new foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), and a troubled orphan, Oliver. But as their new caretaker’s sunny disposition begins to crack and the siblings unravel the truth about Oliver’s disturbing behavior, they’re forced to contend with a terrifying ritual that puts their own bond to the fest.

Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, and Mischa Heywood star.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) – August 26

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will be released on 4K Ultra HD on August 26 via Arrow Video.

The 2003 remake of the 1974 horror classic marks the directorial debut of Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th) from a script by Scott Kosar (The Machinist).

It’s presented in 4K with Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and original DTS-HD MA 7.1 and 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio.

Special Features:

• Audio commentary with Dread Central co-founder Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton and The Spooky Picture Show co-host Chris MacGibbon (new)
• Audio commentary with director Marcus Nispel, producer Michael Bay, executive producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form and New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye
• Audio commentary with Marcus Nispel, director of photography Daniel Pearl, production designer Greg Blair, art director Scott Gallager, sound supervisor Trevor Jolly and composer Steve Jablonsky
• Audio commentary with Marcus Nispel, Michael Bay, writer Scott Kosar, Brad Fuller, Andrew Form and actors Jessica Biel, Erica Leerhsen, Eric Balfour Jonathan Tucker, Mike Vogel and Andrew Bryniarski
• Reimagining a Classic – Interview with director Marcus Nispel (new)
• Shadows of Yesteryear – Interview with cinematographer Daniel Pearl (new)
• The Lost Leatherface – Interview with actor Brett Wagner (new)
• Masks and Massacres – Interview with makeup effects artist Scott Stoddard (new)
• Chainsaw Symphony – Interview with composer Steve Jablonsky (new)
• Chainsaw Redux: Making a Massacre – Making-of documentary
• Ed Gein: The Ghoul of Plainfield – An in-depth look at the infamous killer who inspired the character of Leatherface
• Severed Parts – A look at the cutting room floor and some of the scenes excised from the final edit
• Deleted scenes including an alternate opening and ending
• Screen tests for Jessica Biel, Eric Balfour and Erica Leerhsen
• Behind-the-scenes featurette
• Cast and crew interviews
• Theatrical trailers and TV spots
• Concept art galleries

A reversible sleeve, double-sided foldout poster, and a collector’s booklet with new writing on the film by Michael Gingold are included.

A group of carefree young adults’ road trip through Texas is cut short when the panic-stricken hitchhiker they’ve picked up shoots herself in the back of their vehicle. Desperate to find help, our heroes are directed to the home of the local Sheriff, but little do they know they are stumbling into the lair of the Hewitts, the most violent family in all of Texas, including their chainsaw-wielding son.

Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour, R. Lee Ermey, and Andrew Bryniarski star.

The 2006 prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, will be available on 4K UHD the same day.

The Conjuring – August 26

The Conjuring will be released on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD on August 26 via Warner Bros.

The 2013 supernatural horror film was directed by master of horror James Wan (Saw) and written by Chad & Carey W. Hayes (House of Wax).

Special Features:

• Scariest of Them All (new)
• Reflections on The Conjuring (new)
• The Conjuring: Face-to-Face with Terror
• A Life in Demonology
• Scaring the @$*% Out of You

Based on the true events, world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their secluded farmhouse.

Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston, and Lili Taylor star.

Which movies are you adding to your collection this month? Let us know in the replies!

The post 5 Must-Have Horror Releases Coming to Physical Media in August 2025 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It Follows has been mastered in 4K by Second Sight Films and is presented with Dolby Vision HDR.

The 2014 horror film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, who’s currently working on a sequel titled They Follow.

Lionsgate Limited special features:

• Audio Commentary by Author Joshua Grimm
• Audio Commentary by Film Critic Danny Leigh and Film Professor Mark Jancovich
• Chasing Ghosts: Interview with Actor Keir Gilchrist
• Following: Interview with Actor Olivia Luccardi
• It’s in the House: Interview with Producer David Kaplan
• Composing a Masterpiece: Interview with Composer Disasterpeace
• A Girl’s World: Interview with Production Designer Michael Perry
• It Follows — The Architecture of Loneliness: Video Essay by Filmmaker Joseph Wallace

Legacy special features:

• Critics’ Audio Commentary Hosted by Scott Weinberg
• A Conversation with Film Composer Disasterpeace
• Theatrical Trailer
• Poster Art Gallery

They say you never forget your first. This couldn’t be more horrifyingly true for once-carefree teen girl Jay. After a night of intimacy with Hugh, passion turns to paranoia when Hugh informs Jay that she is now the latest carrier of a fatal curse passed on through sex.

As Jay is haunted by nightmarish visions, her teenage friends dismiss her ravings — until they also see the ghastly ghouls. Now they must band together to break the chain and help Jay escape the horrors that always seem to be lurking just a few steps behind.

Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, and Lili Sepe star.

Phantom City Creative designed the new artwork.

Also known as Haute Tension and Switchblade Romance, High Tension is presented in 4K with HDR10+.

The 2003 French horror film is directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes), who co-wrote with Grégory Levasseur.

Lionsgate Limited special features:

• Audio Commentary by Film Lecturer Dr. Lindsay Hallam
• An Experiment in Suspense: Interview with Director Alexandre Aja
• The Man in the Shadows: Interview with Writer Grégory Levasseur
• The Darker the Better: Interview with Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre
• The Great French Massacre: Interview with Special Effects Artist Giannetto De Rossi
• Only the Brave: Film Critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on High Tension
• Archive Interview with Actor Cécile De France
• Archive Interview with Actor Maïwenn
• Archive Interview with Actor Philippe Nahon

Legacy special features:

• Audio Commentary by Director Alexandre Aja and Writer Grégory Levasseur
• Scene-Specific Audio Commentary by Alexandre Aja and Actor Cécile De France
• Haute Horror: Making of High Tension
• Building Tension
• Giannetto De Rossi: The Truth, the Madness, and the Magic

College classmates Marie and Alexia escape to a secluded farmhouse for the weekend to prepare for their exams in peace and quiet. But in the dead of night, silence turns to dread when a stranger knocks on the door, and the girls are dragged into a merciless nightmare where death is not the worst fate awaiting them.

Cécile de France, Maïwenn, and Philippe Nahon star.

Orlando Arocena designed the new artwork.

The post ‘It Follows,’ ‘High Tension’ Hit SteelBook 4K UHD via Lionsgate Limited appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“It features three compelling female leads and a truly terrifying entity. This high-concept horror film boasts a unique and striking style,” the filmmaker told Variety.

“I’m particularly thrilled about this project as it represents the most ambitious horror screenplay I’ve written to date. After nearly three years of dedicated refinement, I’m incredibly pleased with the current state of the script and believe it’s fully prepared for production,” Kahuam added.

“The central climax of the film draws inspiration from a life-threatening personal experience, which has been transformed into a chilling analogy within the horror narrative.”

Aiming to shoot by the end of the year, Kahuam is exploring the possibility of filming in Europe, with Hungary and Spain high on his list for potential locations, with some specific scenes in the U.S.

Stay with Me will mark the second collaboration between Kahuam Films and L.A.-based Sparta Productions after the supernatural horror film The Remedy, which is having its market premiere at Cannes.

Kahuam is bringing three other projects to the market, including “a horror slasher film in the vein of A24 and Neon, another supernatural horror film set in Europe that I co-wrote along with Estonian filmmaker-actress Christin Muuli, and a heist action thriller film I’ve written.”

The post Psychological Horror Film ‘Stay with Me’ is “It Follows on Steroids” at a Music Festival appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Death of a Unicorn Blood Lamp from A24

No, that’s not a sex toy or drug paraphernalia; it’s a Death of a Unicorn lava lamp filled with unicorn blood.

From A24 in collaboration with Craighill, the horn is made of molded frosted glass with an incandescent bulb, paraffin wax, and tinted water.

Measuring 20.85” tall, it costs $125 and is expected to ship in July.

It Follows Compact from Axecessory

The clamshell e-reader from It Follows still doesn’t exist in real life, but Axecessory created the next best thing: a flip-top compact based on the design.

Measuring 2.75″, it costs $20. The two mirrors feature text as seen in the film.

The Woman in the Yard Vinyl from Mondo

The Woman in the Yard’s soundtrack is available on vinyl for $35 from Mondo. It’s estimated the ship in June.

Composed by Lorne Balfe (Black Widow, Terminator Genisys), the score is pressed on 140-gram “Iris Haven” colored vinyl.

Terrifier Print by Chris Garofalo

Chris Garofalo has released a Terrifier poster dubbed “Not for the Faint of HeART.”

The 9×24 three-color screen print comes in two color variants – Gore Red and Shit Brown – for $30 each.

Death Note Bank from ABYstyle

Keep your money safe with Ryuk, the god of death who was the original owner of the Death Note.

Made by ABYstyle, this 6.3″ vinyl bank costs $10.99. It’s expected to ship next month.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including a ‘Death of a Unicorn’ Blood Lamp appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For the past decade, Maikia Monroe has been reinventing the horror genre and her own cinematic legacy one complex role at a time. The California girl who once dreamed of a career as a professional kite-surfer, excels in the juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength and often plays meek characters who eventually find empowerment. Though every horror fan has their favorite Maika Monroe performance, the star is known for more than a single role or particular subgenre. This month sees the accomplished actress tackle the police procedural in Longlegs, a psychological thriller with a satanic core. Already being praised as her best performance to date, Monroe draws from a long list of relatable heroines that have made her one of the genre’s most beloved and versatile Scream Queens.

It Follows (2014)

Monroe made her film debut alongside genre royalty with a background role in the 2012 Piper Laurie vehicle Bad Blood. Having taken the job on a whim, Monroe turned her eyes from the sea to the screen and fell in love with the transformational power of acting. Two years later, she would become an overnight star with the lead in David Robert Mitchell’s harrowing It Follows. Regarded as a stand-out film of the new millennium, this terrifying tale falls somewhere between a rape-revenge narrative and a haunting creature feature. Monroe is Jay, a woman plagued by a sexually transmitted ghost that follows wherever she goes. With the ability to look like anyone and everyone, this shape-shifting entity pursues her relentlessly one step at a time, hellbent on tearing her body apart. The only way to survive is either to endlessly run or pass the curse on by sleeping with someone else. Monroe’s vulnerable performance in a challenging role allowed survivors of sexual assault to see their pain reflected onscreen while displaying the lasting effects of emotional trauma. Though intentionally ordinary in her quiet relatability, Jay’s strength lies in finding the courage to connect with other people rather than succumbing to the darkness of isolation and shame.

The Guest (2014)

That same year, Monroe starred in The Guest, an action horror film from Adam Wingard. The film follows David (Dan Stevens), an discharged soldier who visits the family of his fallen friend. Despite a jaw-dropping performance from the talented Stevens, Monroe steals the show as Anna, a restless twenty-year-old trying to move on with her life. Though initially suspicious, she warms up to the dashing soldier after a fight with her boyfriend. But a call to the local recruitment center reveals that the mysterious guest staying in the next room is not who he claims to be. With his secret revealed, David unleashes his violent power on anyone who tries to stand in his way and the rebellious Anna must do what she can to save what’s left of her fractured family. The Guest is known for its fun action sequences including a bloody battle in a Halloween funhouse, but under this action-packed surface lies a touching story about trauma and loss with Monroe’s Anna shouldering much of the emotional burden. These dual breakout performances not only made Monroe one of the most sought-after actresses in horror, but allowed her to avoid the dreaded pitfalls of typecasting. With two strong characters who find empowerment through different paths, Monroe displayed her unique ability to capture the audience’s heart no matter what situation she finds herself in.

Greta (2018)

After a series of mainstream fare including the blockbuster sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, the sci-fi nightmare Tau, and Michelle Schumacher’s imaginative drama I’m Not Here, Maika returned to the world of horror with a pair of bizarre films that defy classification. In Neil Jordan’s Greta, she stars alongside French icon Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz – arguably a scream queen in her own right. Monroe plays Erica, the best friend of a woman targeted by a sadistic female stalker. At first blush, Greta (Huppert) appears to be a harmless older woman in need of companionship, but her burgeoning friendship with Erica’s roommate Frances (Moretz) soon takes a horrific turn. The film is a unique blend of buddy comedy, chick flick, and psychological thriller that sees Monroe elevate what could easily be a stereotypical role. More than a cinematic device to amplify the terror, Erica becomes an avenger who will stop at nothing to rescue her friend – even if it means stepping into the fire herself.

Villains (2019)

The following year, Monroe would star as an outlaw with a heart of gold in an equally nebulous film opposite one of Hollywood’s reigning Scream Kings. Villains, a dark comedy horror from Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, pairs Monroe with Bill Skarsgård on the heels of his successful reimagining of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Andy Muschietti’s It. With the cops on their tail, bank robbers Ruth (Monroe) and Mickey (Skarsgård) break into an unassuming home only to find a horrific secret lurking in the basement. Criminals become victims as the house’s owners take the couple hostage and create a nightmare version of suburban utopia. George (Jeffrey Donovan) and Gloria (Kyra Sedgwick) are a bizarre pair determined to have a picture perfect life but their polished personas hide a deep well of murderous insanity. Monroe navigates this bizarre setup and proves not only to be the audience’s conduit, but the heart and soul of this chaotic film. Without her steady hand and grounded performance, we could easily become lost in the wild and weird turns of this outlandish horror comedy.

Watcher (2022)

Monroe next made waves in the genre sphere with Watcher, a psychological horror film from Chloe Okuno. This haunting story follows Julia (Monroe), an American actress who moves to Bucharest when her husband Francis (Karl Glusman)is transferred for work. Still learning the language, Julia spends her days wandering aimlessly through the streets and staring out the picture window of her lonely apartment. She soon spies another solitary soul who seems to be watching her with disturbing intensity. Meanwhile, a killer known as the Spider haunts the city, severing the heads of vulnerable women. When Julia reports her stalker, she’s met with dismissal from the police and scorn from her distracted husband. She’s left alone to defend herself against a vicious killer in a strange city with no help in sight. In many ways a spiritual successor to It Follows, Watcher is a chilly tale of relentless terror that explores the dangers of loneliness and isolation. Monroe commands the screen in a quiet, but intense performance that builds to a shocking conclusion and cathartic release.

Significant Other (2022)

The same year would see Monroe reunite with Berk and Olsen in Significant Other, a sci-fi horror tale following a doomed couple on a weekend hike. Monroe is once again paired with an actor fresh off his own breakout role as co-star Jake Lacy had just captured attention as the unlikeable lead in HBO’s hit series The White Lotus. But Monroe’s part in the story is arguably more challenging as Ruth, a young woman terrified of romantic commitment. After rejecting a marriage proposal from the charming Harry (Lacy), Ruth notices something strange about her partner’s demeanor. Confused and alone, Ruth leaves the trail and discovers the lair of a shape-shifting entity from another world. This ambitious role allows Monroe to stretch her legs as varying versions of the same conflicted character. Part survival horror, part alien invasion, part Marriage Story, Monroe once again helms a film that resists genre classification. With her trademark vulnerability, she delivers a complex performance that asks the audience to decide who Ruth really is while challenging us to ask the same question of ourselves.

God Is a Bullet (2023)

Though Monroe has starred in a number of diverse horror features, she specializes in empathetic heroines who fight back against oppressive darkness. Rarely has she played a villainous or unlikeable character in a genre film. But that all changed with Nick Cassavetes’ God Is a Bullet, a bleak story concerned with the murderous crimes of a satanic cult. Monroe is Case, an off-putting survivor who bristles at vulnerable human connection. Having recently left the sinister family, Case is now left to deal with the trauma of her own childhood abduction and a decade of sex trafficking and physical abuse. Though ostensibly the protagonist, Case is covered in black tattoos and resists acts of kindness with cutting insults and anti-religious diatribes. In an intense performance, Monroe wrestles with the terror of letting down her guard and shows relatable vulnerability amidst overt strength. But the talented actress still manages to capture our hearts though her character is doggedly trying to push everyone away.

Longlegs (2024)

Ten years after her breakout role, Monroe is poised to deliver her best performance to date in Oz Perkins’ Longlegs, a harrowing police procedural thriller-turned occult horror film already being hailed as the scariest of the year. Starring opposite Nicolas Cage (also turning in a career-redefining performance) Monroe is Lee Harker, a young FBI agent with suspected psychic abilities. Assigned to a disturbing cold case, Harker begins to search for the titular serial killer (Cage), a satanic murderer with terrifying influence. Her stunning performance evokes the sensitive power of Jodie Foster’s oscar-winning turn in The Silence of the Lambs, a role that turned the veteran actress into a genre icon. Monroe pulls in elements of her own previous roles as the grounded, but relatable heroine of Perkins’ pitch black film, demonstrating an uncanny ability to channel the audience’s fear. With a number of eclectic roles under her belt, Longlegs proves there’s nothing the talented actress can’t do. Already horror’s reigning Scream Queen just twelve years into her career, there’s no doubt we’ll be screaming along with Maika Monroe in diverse and thrilling films for decades to come.

Longlegs arrives in theaters tomorrow. Get tickets now!

The upcoming serial killer horror movie marks the return of director Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Gretel & Hansel). Nicolas Cage stars alongside Maika Monroe, with Monroe playing an FBI agent and Cage playing a serial killer.

In the film, “FBI Agent Lee Harker (Monroe) is a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer (Cage). As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.

The film is rated “R” for “Bloody violence, disturbing images and some language.”

The post From ‘It Follows’ to ‘Longlegs’: Maika Monroe Has Defined a Decade of Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Maika Monroe (It Follows, Longlegs) will reprise her role of Jay Height, which earned her an Empire Award nomination, and she teases the sequel in a new chat with Collider.

In the first movie, Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In the sequel, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.

“David is brilliant,” Monroe tells Collider. “[It Follows] was changing the game in the genre, and he wouldn’t ever make a sequel if he didn’t think it was going to top it. He just knows what he wants to do and what he wants to make. I mean, at first I’m like, ‘Oh, a sequel? Where are we going to go here?’ And I read it, and it’s just so fucking good. It’s so good.”

Monroe continues, “I’m so excited. I think where you’ll meet Jay at this point is maybe not what’s expected, but it’s so cool. It’s just, of course, as everyone says for sequels, literally, though, is just bigger and darker and more fucked up. Reading it was the craziest thing ever.”

“I am so excited for this role. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited to delve into something. There’s a lot there to play with, and I think it’s going to be incredibly challenging, for sure, but so fulfilling. Working with David, I can’t wait,” Monroe also tells the site.

Stay tuned for more on They Follow as we learn it. And don’t miss Maika Monroe alongside Nicolas Cage in NEON’s Longlegs, which brings bleak nightmare fuel to theaters on July 12.

The post Maika Monroe Says ‘They Follow’ Will Be a Bigger, Darker and Crazier Sequel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Unfortunately, when it comes to movies, studio expectations mean that ergodic filmmaking isn’t exactly a hot commodity, with most productions preferring to bet on conventional screenplays with easily understandable stories rather than anything that might turn off potential moviegoers. This isn’t always the case, however, and a great example of a filmmaker attempting to use ergodic storytelling elements on the big screen is David Robert Mitchell’s underrated conspiracy thriller, Under the Silver Lake.

A wildly creative neo-noir romp with plenty of unsettling moments, I think this cinematic fever dream might appeal to genre fans looking for something a little more esoteric than usual – though you shouldn’t go into the experience expecting a scare-fest on the same level as It Follows. Mitchell actually began working on the project soon after the success of his John Carpenter-inspired film, with the proposed movie being conceived as more of a meta-fictional satire of Hollywood and pop culture disguised as a reflection on paranoid conspiracy theories.

In the finished film, Andrew Garfield ended up starring as Sam, a thirty-something slacker living in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. In between reading about local legends and dodging his rent, Sam becomes infatuated with his neighbor Sarah (Riley Keough), only to be left baffled when she disappears out of the blue. Confused and with nothing better to do, Sam sets out on a paranoid quest to piece together what happened to her and inadvertently uncovers a deadly rabbit hole that might just lead all the way to the top.

SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?

Under the Silver Lake is best described as a thousand-piece puzzle that intentionally withholds corners, so it stands to reason that the flick’s critical reception was rather mixed. While some reviewers praised the film’s unorthodox storytelling and energetic direction, most folks simply couldn’t get around the cryptic plot and uneven tone.

And while I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to engage with the film’s absurd exercise in conspiratorial thinking, I personally appreciate how Mitchell refuses to hold viewers’ hands as he engulfs us in a dream-like version of Hollywood soaked in sex, intrigue and propaganda. It’s not every day that a screenplay can manage to entertain audiences with legitimately laugh-out-loud moments while also keeping them in a constant state of paranoia as they desperately attempt to derive meaning from recurring patterns like Sam himself.

And speaking of Sam, Andrew Garfield’s natural charisma elevates the entire experience by lulling you into a false sense of security as this utterly unhinged protagonist jumps from one insane situation to the next. From brutally beating up children to delivering deranged monologues about subliminal messages in media, I’m not sure that anyone else could have made such a complicated character so damn compelling.

As if that wasn’t enough, the picture is also impeccably shot, featuring some slick neo-noir imagery plucked straight out of LA postcards as Mitchell and horror veteran Mike Gioulakis guide us down an unnaturally sunny rabbit hole. You may have seen this Hollywood iconography before, but never in this eerie context.

AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?

From German filmmakers bringing their expressionist sensibilities to American cinema after the second world war to early twentieth century writers incorporating terrifying crimes into their gritty detective novels, Noir stories have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it’s no surprise that Mitchell’s investigative thriller also delves into some deeply unsettling territory.

While there are some obvious moments of horror here, like the Owl’s Kiss murders and that existential encounter with The Songwriter, I’d argue that the psychological terrors behind societal manipulation and large-scale conspiracies are what make this movie so disturbing. Like the best conspiracy thrillers, Under the Silver Lake places us directly in the protagonist’s head as it explores the fragility of the human psyche and our willingness to see patterns where there might be none there.

Hell, the filmmakers even went so far as to hire a cryptographer to help scatter hidden messages throughout the picture, ranging from Morse code in the movie’s fireworks to ciphers in the city’s graffiti. That being said, if you set aside these esoteric references and the whole ergodic perspective, I think the secret to Under the Silver Lake‘s success lies in how the film is equally thrilling if viewed as a straightforward character study about a troubled young man losing his mind and reading way too much into the natural patterns surrounding him.

At the end of the day, it’s clear that this more active form of watching/deciphering a movie isn’t for everyone (and your enjoyment of this experience will likely depend on how willing you are to play along with Mitchell’s little game), but in a world where films routinely talk down to their audience and appeal to the lowest common denominator, it’s refreshing to see someone try something a little different. That’s why I think Under the Silver Lake is so much fun – not because it’s impossibly complex or even a perfect movie – but because it allows you to extract as much meaning from the experience as you want to.

The post Finding Madness and Conspiracy in the Underrated Thriller ‘Under the Silver Lake’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In the first movie, Monroe’s Jay Height is a young woman followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter. In 2024, the threat is now EVERYWHERE.

Check out an early piece of poster art for They Follow below.

NEON will introduce the title to international buyers this week at AFM, with principal photography beginning in 2024. NEON will co-produce the film alongside Good Fear Content. Mitchell serves as a producer with Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content, and the original producers of It Follows, David Kaplan, Erik Rommesmo, Rebecca Green, Laura Smith.

They Follow marks the second partnership between NEON CEO Tom Quinn and filmmaker, David Robert Mitchell, as Quinn’s label RADiUS, released It Follows in theaters in 2014, instantly becoming a cult classic, and grossing $15mm domestically. 

Mitchell broke into the film industry with coming-of-age drama The Myth of the American Sleepover (2010), which had its world premiere at South by Southwest. He garnered critical acclaim with his second full-length feature It Follows including collecting a Critics Choice Awards® nomination for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie. In 2018, he wrote, produced, and directed black comedy/mystery Under the Silver Lake starring Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough. 

Mitchell is currently in development on an Untitled Warner Bros. and Bad Robot project with Anne Hathaway.

Monroe recently wrapped production on Oz Perkins Longlegs co-starring alongside Nicolas Cage which NEON will release in 2024. After her breakout role in It Follows, Monroe starred in Neil Jordan’s Greta for Focus Features as well as Hot Summer Nights, Villains, Honey Boy and Watcher.

They Follow will join the growing list of NEON Productions, including Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool, Bishal Dutta’s It Lives Inside, Cuckoo, the feature film debut of Hunter Schafer; The Painter and the Thief narrative remake; Asif Kapadia’s 2073; and Joshua Oppenheimer’s The End, a golden-age musical starring Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton.

The post ‘They Follow’ – David Robert Mitchell Directing ‘It Follows’ Sequel Starring Maika Monroe! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The plot is deceptively simple: after a sexual encounter, 19-year-old Jay (Maika Monroe, The Guest) begins being followed by… something. The supernatural force takes a human form but never sticks to one for long; it could be a familiar face, an obscene stranger, or anyone in between. The only recourse seems to be passing it on to someone else via sexual intercourse. Otherwise, it will kill her, then the person who gave it to her, and so on down the line.

With her father absent and her mother distant, Sam teams up with her loyal friends — lovesick Paul (Keir Gilchrist, It’s Kind of a Funny Story), sister Kelly (Lili Sepe), and friend Yara (Olivia Luccardi, Channel Zero), with assists from neighbor Greg (Daniel Zovatto, Don’t Breathe) and ex-boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary, It Chapter Two) — in an attempt to bring the nightmare to an end.

From the film’s captivating opening — a 360-degree shot that tracks a girl running out of her house and around the neighborhood — it’s clear that writer-director David Robert Mitchell has a vision. Shooting on location in the Detroit area, where the filmmaker grew up, lends itself to a lived-in feel while subtly showing suburban dissonance. Together with cinematographer Mike Gioulakis (Us, Split), whose elegantly understated camerawork is impressive but not ostentatious, they depict a dreamlike reality.

One could get lost in the weeds trying to analyze the thematically dense material and poke holes in the mythology, but the rules are established as being passed down by young adults like an urban legend. The titular “it” is commonly interpreted as a sexually transmitted disease, but other popular theories include aging, abuse, and trauma. Or, perhaps, it’s simply a scary concept with no underlying metaphor. With Mitchell’s layered subtext and purposeful ambiguity, all readings are valid.

It Follows exists outside of time, subtly disorienting the audience with production design that blends past, present, and future in a single frame. Technology, cars, styles, and media featured in the film are from disparate eras; while most of it is vintage, a shell-shaped compact e-reader — an impractical device created for the movie — is prominently featured. Not even a season can be pinpointed, as costumes fluctuate from swimsuits to winter coats between scenes.

It’s no surprise that Monroe has become something of a horror darling after the one-two punch of The Guest and It Follows. She’s faced with a particularly challenging role here, which essentially requires her to be terrified for the entirety of the movie’s 100 minutes. The actress is vulnerable without becoming a damsel in distress, conveying fear and resolve in equal measure.

Like Halloween before it, It Follows‘ effectiveness is inextricably linked to its dread-inducing electronic score. In his auspicious film debut, video game composer Richard “Disasterpeace” Vreeland (Triple Frontier, Bodies Bodies Bodies) channels the atmosphere of vintage John Carpenter but with amplified abrasiveness. The soundtrack’s versatility stands out among the ’80s synth worship that dominates modern indie horror.

For its 4K Ultra HD debut, the UK’s Second Sight has newly mastered It Follows in 4K, in conjunction with the original post production facility, with Dolby Vision HDR and a newly-produced Dolby Atmos audio track. (The included Blu-ray won’t play in most US players, but the UHD disc is region free and has all the extras.) While it may not be the most significant 4K upgrade, given that it was shot digitally and completed in 2K, quality is noticeably improved over the original Blu-ray. The restoration is noted as being approved by Mitchell, but the filmmaker is otherwise absent from the release. I respect his desire to maintain ambiguity, although his retrospective input would be valuable.

Louisiana State University professor Joshua Grimm, who authored a book on It Follows for the Devil’s Advocates series, provides a new commentary that’s analytical but not pedantic. Armed with information culled from a variety of articles, coupled with his own theories, the well-researched extra is perhaps the next best thing to having Mitchell himself. The archival track with film historians Danny Leigh and Mark Jancovich, on the other hand, is more like a fan commentary — and not a particularly illuminating one. (The critic commentary led by Scott Weinberg from the US release is absent.)

The disc has interviews with: Gilchrist, who reveals that Mitchell upheld the film’s ambiguity with the cast; Luccardi, who beams about her first movie being mentioned in the Scream franchise; producer David Kaplan, whose insightful discussion includes an alternate ending that was written but not filmed; Vreeland, who reveals he hadn’t seen a John Carpenter movie prior to composing the score; and production designer Michael Perry, who recalls his biggest concern being the shade of pink used for the e-reader. Taken as a whole, they paint a picture of a challenging production that everyone is ultimately proud of though no one could predict its impact. Filmmaker Joseph Wallace explores “The Architecture of Loneliness” in a thoughtful video essay.

A limited edition version is available at nearly twice the price, but it’s worthwhile for the exclusive, 150-page hardcover book consisting of new essays by Anne Billson (“Untrivial Pursuits”), Kat Ellinger (“It Unfollows: How It Follows Suberts Teen Horror Conventions”), Eugenio Ercolani (“The Intangible Monster of Teenage Fears”), Jennie Kermode (“In Pursuit of the Inevitable: It Follows and the Psychology of Death”), Martyn Conterio (“Anxious Youth: The Myth of the American Sleepover as a Precursor to It Follows”), Kat Hughes (“It Follows: Sex (Death) and the Final Girl”), Matt Glasby (“It Follows: The Unhappiness of Pursuit”), and Katie Rife (“Ongoing Investigations into Malevolent Thought Forms, or: Sex Tulpa”). It’s housed alongside the discs and six art cards in a rigid slipcase with artwork by Thinh Dinh.

Much like how its characters exist in the liminal space between adolescence and adulthood, It Follows strikes a perfect balance between classic slasher and contemporary arthouse horror. Shades of Halloween, Blue Velvet, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Rear Window, and Final Destination can be found in its DNA, but Mitchell builds upon his influences rather than slavishly emulating nostalgia. As much as I’d love to see more of this unique world, the lack of definitive answers is scarier than any sequel could be.

It Follows is available now on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray.

The post ‘It Follows’ 4K Ultra HD Review – Modern Classic Holds Up Nearly 10 Years Later appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Cthulhu Plush Toys from Quantum Mechanix

Quantum Mechanix is summoning a pair of Cthulhu plush dolls in July. The one pictured on the left is part of Qreatures line. It sits 10” tall and costs $29.99. The other is part of the Zippermouth line. It’s 9.5” tall and costs $34.99. Unzip its mouth to reveal the elder god’s forked tongue devouring an ocean liner.

It Follows Print from Trevor Henderson

Friend of the site Trevor Henderson’s It Follows artwork brilliantly evokes the film’s eerie atmosphere. Giclee prints can be purchased in 8×12 for $15 and 12×18 for $20. Canvas prints, acrylic prints, metal prints, and cards are also available.

Deadstream Shirt from Fright-Rags

Deadstream was one of my favorite horror movies of last year, so I’m pleased that Fright-Rags has entered Death Manor for a line of official shirts. Since the film is an Evil Dead-inspired take on found footage, Zachary Jackson Brown’s artwork parodying Evil Dead’s classic poster is perfect. You can demonetize this bitch for $30.

Haunt Vinyl Soundtrack from Enjoy the Ride Records

Enjoy the Ride Records has pressed Haunt’s original motion picture soundtrack on 180-gram “Mask” swirl colored vinyl, limited to 250. It’s housed in a gatefold jacket featuring artwork by Ryan Richardson Pratt.

Priced at $36, the score is composed by tomandandy (The Strangers, The Hills Have Eyes). The 2xLP album also includes Lissie’s somber cover of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula.”

Jennifer’s Body Shirt from Poltergeist and Paramours

Like Halloween III for a new generation, it’s been nice to see the unfairly maligned Jennifer’s Body get reappraised and appreciated by horror fans. Poltergeist and Paramours is here to remind you that Hell is a teenage girl with a design by Pink Fang. It’s available on T-shirts for $25, tie-dye tees for $27-32, and zip-up hoodies for $42.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including a ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Clothing Collection appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Though some cinematic dates turn out well, other times the hot woman sitting at the end of the bar is secretly planning to take would-be suitors back to her house and feed them to the creature living in her attic. In fact, some of the worst dates in history have happened in horror movies.

Sometimes the danger is lurking in the shadows just steps away from the happy couple and other times it’s sitting on the other side of a candlelit table. But regardless of where the threat originates, the following ten films prove that anything can happen in love and horror and sometimes we’re better off just staying home. 

Carrie (1976)

Brian De Palma’s classic Carrie has become nearly synonymous with prom night. Adapted from Stephen King’s debut novel, the story follows Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), a high school outcast who discovers she has a unique ability to move things with her mind. The popular Sue Snell (Amy Irving) attempts to make amends for a cruel prank by convincing her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom in her place and after a hard fought battle with her ultra religious mother, Carrie arrives at the dance determined to have the time of her life.

De Palma films the evening as a serene dream with gentle music and a dizzying sequence on the dance floor, a sharp contrast to the hell that awaits. Unfortunately for Carrie, mean girl Chris Hargenson (Nancy Allen) has orchestrated a plot to humiliate Carrie by naming her Prom Queen then dumping a bucket of pig’s blood on her in front of the entire senior class. When the gym erupts with laughter, Carrie unleashes her rage in the form of telekinetic power that sets the gym and its occupants on fire. Covered in blood, she wanders out of the blazing school hellbent on revenge. The senior prom does indeed become a night to remember, but not in the way anyone anticipated. 

The Dead Zone (1983)

While Carrie may be King’s most overtly horrific date, another film from his early catalog is equally catastrophic. In The Dead Zone, teacher Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) takes his girlfriend Sarah (Brooke Adams) on a date to the local carnival, but gets a headache while riding a rollercoaster. Declining to spend the night with Sarah, he decides to end the evening and tells her that “some things are worth waiting for.” Unfortunately the lovestruck teacher has a car accident while driving home and spends the next five years in a coma. He awakens to find that Sarah has reluctantly moved on with her life and married another man, though this is not the worst thing to happen while Johnny was sleeping.

While in the coma, he’s gained a psychic ability that allows him to see into the past, present, and future with just the touch of his hand. King’s novel gives Sarah and Johnny a chance to recapture their lost love with a beautiful afternoon picnic in which they make up for lost time. Cronenberg’s film sees the two rekindle their lost love as Johnny dies in her arms after saving the world from a malevolent politician. Regardless of the ending, both versions of the story stand as a horrifying example of lost love stemming from one catastrophically unlucky date. 

American Psycho (2000)

At first glance, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) seems like the perfect boyfriend. The wealthy Investment Banker spends nearly all his time cultivating an outward image of perfection designed to make him the envy of everyone he encounters. It’s no wonder his secretary Jean (Chloë Sevigny) has fallen in love with him. After making countless reservations for Patrick’s dinners with other women, her dreams finally come true when he asks her to be his date for the evening. Unfortunately, she suggests they go to Dorsia, the one restaurant in New York where he can’t seem to secure a table. This slight blow to his ego triggers a murderous rage and Patrick begins to plot the death of his shy secretary.

As it turns out, Patrick’s perfect image hides a nightly bloodlust and a horrific habit of brutal murder, specifically targeting young women and his male rivals. Jean arrives at Patrick’s apartment excited for their date, but poised to become his next victim. While she muses about her hopes and dreams, he stands behind her and points a nail gun at her head. Luckily a voice message from Patrick’s fiancé breaks the spell and saves Jean’s life. She ends the evening never knowing how close she came to death and becomes one of the few women ever to leave Patrick’s apartment alive.  

It Follows (2014)

The 214 film It Follows begins with the date from hell and explores the horrific consequences of love gone wrong. Jay (Maika Monroe) is excited for her first date with Hugh (Jake Weary), a dreamy guy from a neighboring suburb. The evening gets off to an ominous start when Hugh sees something that spooks him at an old fashioned movie theater and insists they leave before the show begins. After a romantic dinner, he drives her to an abandoned building where they have sex in his car. While Jay lazily daydreams in the afterglow, he drugs her and later explains that she’s become the new target of a shapeshifting monster and the next link in a deadly chain. The mysterious It will follow her wherever she goes, never relenting in its quest to rip her apart. The only way to save herself is to have sex with someone else and pass the curse along to them.

The powerful film is a haunting parable about the dangers of casual sex and the horror of STIs, but a deeper reading reveals a devastating exploration of trauma stemming from sexual assault. Regardless of the interpretation, It Follows begins with one of the most horrific dates of all time and doesn’t let up until we’ve all felt Jay’s pain in its aftermath. 

Scream 2 (1997)

Another horrific date kicks off Scream 2, one of the best sequels in horror history. Maureen (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Phil (Omar Epps) are heading to the theater and discussing the troubling state of Black cinema when they inadvertently wander into the clutches of a copycat murderer. Though Maureen suggests going to see a Sandra Bullock movie, Phil convinces her to go to the premier of Stab, the film adaptation of The Woodsboro Murders, a true crime retelling of the events of the original Scream. With an audience filled with Ghostface masks handed out by the studio, Maureen and Phil enter a confusing hellscape of chaotic energy.

Phil goes to the bathroom where he is unceremoniously killed by the new Ghostface who dons his jacket and returns to his seat next to Maureen. During the film’s opening scene, the mysterious killer stabs her in the stomach, beginning a new cycle of ritualistic murders. Maureen wanders through the aisles pleading for help only to be ignored by an audience convinced her death is a publicity stunt. She dies in front of the screen as the horrific truth slowly dawns on the stunned crowd and her killer quietly slips out of the theater, lost in the confusion. 

Fresh (2022)

The most recent film on this list, Fresh, explores the horrors of modern dating. Fed up with the guys she’s meeting on dating apps, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) takes a chance and goes out for drinks with a cute guy she meets in the grocery store. Steve (Sebastian Stan) is a funny and down to earth doctor who seems too good to be true. Their romance quickly escalates and the new couple plan a romantic weekend away. Upon arriving at Steve’s luxurious bachelor pad, he pours Noa a drugged cocktail and she passes out on the floor. Noa wakes up chained to the wall of a fancy cell with Steve waiting to tell her the horrifying truth: he belongs to a secret society of uber wealthy cannibals. He plans to keep her captive, slowly cutting off pieces of her body to sell as high-priced meat through underground channels.

Though Noa is understandably horrified, she keeps her cool and decides to play the limited cards in her hand. Nurturing Steve’s lingering affection for her, she convinces him to take her on a “date” in the dining room so that she can try some of his product for herself. She seduces Steve and preys on his vulnerabilities before taking a vicious bite of her own. This act of defiance explodes into a hellish climax that pits Noa against the man she once believed might be her perfect match. 

Dracula (1992)

The story of history’s most famous vampire is surprisingly romantic. Francis Ford Coppola’s lavish retelling of Bram Stoker’s classic tale is practically bursting with gothic imagery and raging lust. Mina Murray (Winona Ryder) is anxiously awaiting the return of her financé when she meets a fascinating man, a young Count Dracula (Gary Oldman), on a busy London Street. The dark and dashing man takes her to see a cinematograph where she begins to fall for his seductive spell. Their impromptu date is interrupted when a wolf who seems to have a connection with her mysterious escort bursts into the theater. As it turns out, Mina is the reincarnation of Dracula’s beloved wife Elisabeta who centuries earlier threw herself into the river when a messenger mistakenly reported that her husband had died in battle. It was her death that caused the Transylvanian king to renounce God and become an unholy creature of the night.

Now seeing a chance to reunite with his long lost love, he reminds her of their past together and attempts to turn her into a vampire as well. This ignites a bizarre love affair causing Mina to choose between her future with Jonathan or the great love from her past. Having followed Dracula to his Transylvanian castle, Mina finally frees him from his eternal curse and the two lovers, separated by oceans of time, are finally reunited in the sweet release of death. 

Teeth (2007)

Dawn (Jess Weixler) doesn’t have much experience with dating. As a teenage representative of an abstinence program called The Promise, she has made a sacred vow to save herself for marriage symbolized by a ring she hopes to one day replace with a wedding band. Her belief in chastity is so strong that she avoids any type of physical contact, even refusing to see movies that might include kissing scenes. Fortunately Tobey (Hale Appleman), the cute new guy in town, seems to share her beliefs. They go on an innocent date to a local swimming hole and begin making out in one of the hidden caves. As it turns out, Tobey’s religious beliefs are not as strong as he claims and he rapes her after she hits her head on a slippery rock.

Fortunately, Tobey is not the only one hiding a secret. Dawn has been born with a rare adaptation known as “vagina dentata,” a set of sharp teeth inside her vagina. With one quick “chomp” her body defends itself against the invading penis and a stunned Tobey falls into the water and bleeds to death, crabs eventually devouring the severed flesh. Desperate to understand what is happening to her body, Dawn begins to reevaluate everything she’s been brought up to believe. Though it leads to the discovery of her sexual power, there’s no doubt, Dawn’s romantic trip to the lake will go down in history as one of the most bizarre and horrifying dates of all time. 

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Nearly fifteen years after hitting theaters, Jennifer’s Body is finally regarded as the feminist masterpiece it truly is. The story of a popular high school girl transformed into a succubus was unfairly maligned upon its initial release, but has emerged from a recent reevaluation as one of the seminal horror texts on modern sexuality. Jennifer Check (Megan Fox) is a gorgeous cheerleader who becomes a human sacrifice for a small-time band casting a spell for fame and fortune. When their ritual goes wrong, Jennifer emerges from the woods with a powerful new body and a hunger for human flesh. Fortunately her conventional attractiveness gives her all the tools she needs to lure in the boys.

She agrees to go out with Colin (Kyle Gallner), a nerdy goth who’s been harboring a crush on the popular girl. Rather than a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Jennifer takes Colin to a remote house still under construction. Leading him to a partially finished bedroom filled with candles, she begins to seduce him before transforming into a terrifying creature and devouring his body. Having finally won a date with the girl of his dreams, the unfortunate Colin winds up just another link in Jennifer’s food chain, giving her the energy to survive for another few weeks. 

Zodiac (2007)

Few dates have escalated so quickly and horrifically as the lakeside murder in David Fincher’s Zodiac. Bryan (Patrick Scott Lewis) and Cecilia (Pell James) are enjoying a romantic afternoon on the sunny shores of Lake Berryessa near Napa, California, when a masked man approaches them pointing a gun. Hoping he’s just there to rob them, the couple try to appease him with offers of money and assistance, only to realize his true intent is much darker. He binds the couple then begins to viciously stab them as they stare at each other in horror. Bryan survives the deadly encounter by playing dead, but his girlfriend Cecilia is not so lucky.

The terrifying scene was based on true events and Fincher’s intimate style captures the horrific reality playing out in broad daylight. Even more disturbing, the Zodiac Killer who targeted young lovers remains unknown to this day and no one has ever been brought to justice for his brutal crimes. 

The post Be My Bloody Valentine: The Ten Worst Dates in Horror History appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Ti West has pulled off an impressive feat in 2022 by not only introducing audiences to Maxine, Pearl, and the world of X, but fleshing it out into its own horror trilogy within the span of a year. Pearl builds upon the ideas that Ti West first explored in X, only to push them in new directions and through a completely distinct filter. It’s a movie that both stands on its own, but also immediately makes the viewer want to rewatch X to view the film with greater insight.

Horror prequels debatably have an even more contentious reputation than sequels do since a lot of the time they rob characters or concepts of their initial mystique and a level of suspense is missing since audiences know what lies ahead on some level. Pearl is proof that prequels can be a viable way to expand upon a story and don’t run the risk of “ruining” properties in the ways that sequels do. There are some particular horror films where prequels wouldn’t just be appropriate, but also a smart way to return to these worlds.

Here are 10 more horror prequels we’d love to see someday.

Creep

Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice’s Creep films are thoroughly disturbing character studies that detail the manipulative exploits of a serial killer with an increasingly fluid backstory. Both Creep movies are exceptional exercises in tension that build upon the same themes, but hardly feel like they’ve derivative of each other. Duplass and Brice have struggled to crack the right story for a third Creep film to close out the trilogy and perhaps the best approach would be to look back to the past of Duplass’ killer instead of his future. 

Creep 2 is predicated upon “Aaron’s” mid-life crisis upon turning forty and losing his zeal for murder. “Aaron” claims to have 39 kills to his name and with Creep 2 shining a light on what might be his final kill, there’d be a welcome symmetry to a prequel that details his very first murder. This Creep prequel could still keep the franchise’s found footage aesthetic, but present it in an even more archaic style of video with a potentially sloppier film style that mirrors the novice nature of Duplass’ killer character. 

Midsommar

Ari Aster’s Midsommar is a haunting tone poem on loss, grief, and female empowerment that makes such a strong impact because it functions as a standalone story. It’s a relief that there hasn’t been a follow-up that continues to follow Dani Ardor’s tenure as May Queen, but what could make for a curious and contemplative movie is a prequel that follows the previous generation of Hårga. The Midsommar ceremony that becomes the morbid focus of the film is revealed to be an event that occurs every 90 years in order to perpetuate their customs. Turning the clock back 90 years to the previous Midsommar festival and May Queen crowning could prove to be an enlightening way to expand upon the Hårga’s culture, while still highlighting new sacrificial horrors. 

There’s even the possibility for Midsommar’s Hårga elders, Father Odd and Grandmother Siv to possibly appear in the prequel as children that the audience views these new experiences through. A Midsommar prequel could also chronicle the events of the “Black One,” an entity that visited the Hårga people’s village and tricked their children to dance until their deaths. Audiences could see many of the Hårga’s macabre customs find their roots and first come into action.

Pumpkinhead

Stan Winston’s Pumpkinhead is a relic from the ’80s that often doesn’t get its due and the two SyFy original movies from the 2000s are hardly the revival that fans were looking for. Pumpkinhead is a Stan Winston creation that’s honestly on par with Alien’s Xenomorph, but behind the horrors of this film is a haunted fairytale aesthetic. It’s arguably the only monster movie that’s inspired by a poem, which is oddly fitting for this heightened tale of vengeance. 1988’s Pumpkinhead attributes Lance Henriksen’s Ed Harley for summoning Pumpkinhead, this demon of vengeance. However, the movie begins with a prelude that’s set twenty years earlier and looks at a past encounter between a young Ed, his dad, and Pumpkinead. 

Pumpkinhead ends on a definitive note, but the movie’s sequels take so many liberties with the eponymous monster’s mythology that it wouldn’t be out of place to just wipe the slate clean and start anew, albeit far in the past as the “first” Pumpkinhead story. This Pumpkinhead prequel could return to the original movie’s introduction or instead look at previous Pumpkinhead tales of vengeance (or even explore any of the other sin-based monsters that are teased). Desperate villagers from the 1600s who turn to summoning Pumpkinhead in a gothic Witch-like environment could be exactly what Pumpkinhead has been lacking.

It Follows

Many of the best horror films are the ones that operate as social allegories that have more to say beyond their surface level horrors. It Follows excels as a terrifying monster movie, but it’s also an exceptional modern horror story with what it has to say about casual sex and dating dynamics. Maika Monroe’s Jay and her friends are the target of a shapeshifting monster that stalks its victims based upon their sexual partners. 

It Follows ends on a conclusive note, but the movie kicks off with a sublime introduction that chronicles the tail end of another victim’s unsuccessful attempts to survive the same dark presence. Audiences see the ferocious and flexible aftermath of Annie’s death, but her whole experience with this monster could fuel its own film. It’d leave such an impression if an It Follows prequel were to conclude with the beginning of It Follows, with one movie seamlessly feeding into the other as one big story.

Hellraiser

Hellraiser is set for a modern reboot on Hulu courtesy of The Night House and The Ritual’s David Bruckner, which will hopefully resurrect the gruesome horror franchise from the direct-to-video purgatory that it’s been restricted to for several sequels. What’s most compelling about Clive Barker’s Hellraiser universe is the origins of the Lament Configuration puzzle box and the circumstances behind the horrific Cenobites that they summon. Hellraiser IV: Bloodline is not what most would consider to be a good movie, but it adopts a unique structure that’s set both way in the futuristic time period of 2127, but also flashes back to Paris, France at the end of the 1700s.

Philip LeMarchand is a French toymaker who’s responsible for the Lament Configuration’s creation and later experiences his own twisted fate. A prequel film could properly detail this 1796 origin story, but with some actual weight and stakes this time around (but they better also bring back Adam Scott in a powdered wig, while they’re at it). Hellraiser’s comics depict LeMarchand as a serial killer who creates the puzzle box out of human fat and bone, which could also make for a fascinating cinematic story. Alternatively, a Hellraiser prequel could abandon the LeMarchand lore in favor of a markedly looser, but more action-driven prequel. This could be as simple as a Lament Configuration box getting discovered by ancient warriors, pirates, or Colonial soldiers who suddenly need to contend with Cenobites and their delicious pleasures of the flesh. Who doesn’t want to see Pinhead take on Blackbeard after he finds the Lament Configuration box in one of his treasure hauls?

Oculus

Mike Flanagan is one of the most exciting and passionate names that’s currently working in horror and Oculus is one of the director’s strongest, yet most overlooked, films. The movie tells a powerful story about two traumatized siblings who attempt to get revenge on a haunted mirror that destroyed their family a decade earlier. Oculus jumps back and forth between two narratives in 2013 and 2002 that detail the Russell family’s history with the deadly Lasser Glass. 

However, Kaylie Russell’s comprehensive research on the Lasser Glass breaks down eight previous tragedies that the mirror has caused. All of these events have tantalizing prequel potential, whether the movie details the initial carnage between the Earl of Leicester and his wife Virginia Lasser back in 1754, the tragedy that befell a Southern railroad tycoon in the 1860s, or any of the freak accidents that took out the owners of the Lasser Glass during the 1900s. Kaylie details the grisly consequences of each of these scenarios, but there’s still lots of room to flesh out their specifics.

Final Destination

Having its initial roots as a prospective X-Files episode, the Final Destination series turned into a surprise success story out of the 2000s. There are five Final Destination movies that explore the twisted whims of fate as Death itself tries to balance the scales and claim the lives that he’s owed. Curiously, the Final Destination series has already played around with non-linear chronology and delivered unexpected prequels, but the franchise could go even further in this department and take a page out of Prey’s book. 

The Rube Goldbergian nature of deaths that transpire in Final Destination could instantly feel fresh if they were filtered through dangerous time periods like the Roman Empire or the trenches of World War I. There are so many eras from history that could benefit from the Final Destination treatment. Alternatively, Tony Todd’s mysterious William Bludworth character appears in the first, second, and fifth films in the series and he clearly has some understanding over the supernatural forces that are in play. A Final Destination prequel could highlight the potential tragedy that set Bludworth on this path and explain just what kind of relationship he has with Death.

The Shining

Stephen King’s The Shining is one of the most totemic horror novels and Stanley Kubrick’s epic cinematic adaptation, while quite different from its source material, is viewed with just as high esteem. The Shining tells a satisfying story that really doesn’t need to be expanded upon, but Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep is proof that such endeavors aren’t always a bad idea. There have been efforts to make a Shining prequel film, and series, that focus on earlier exploits at the Overlook Hotel before the Torrance family sets up shop for a fated winter in the 1970s. 

Jack learns that the Overlook has quite the troubled history and any of the lost souls that show up in the movie could receive greater depth in an Overlook-centric prequel story. An Overlook prequel could even play with the supernatural idea that Jack has “always been the caretaker” at the Overlook and insert his image into idiosyncratic incidents from the hotel’s past. A prequel of this nature would have very big shoes to fill, but Mike Flanagan has proven that additional stories in The Shining universe can work.

The Descent

The Descent is a standout horror film from the 2000s and Neil Marshall’s claustrophobic meditation on grief and friendship is already captivating before the subterranean Crawlers reveal themselves. The Descent Part 2 likely soured most people to the idea of any additional Descent movies, but it’s been long enough that a prequel that looks at the origins of these creatures could be a unique experiment.

The Descent illustrates that the Crawlers have developed a full colony that’s made up of males, females, and children who have learned to adapt to these dark, cold surroundings. The roots of their genesis is much more interesting than just another story about spelunkers in peril. While not at all necessary, The Descent Part 2 also ends on a cryptic conclusion that indicates that mine operator, Ed Oswald, might have brokered some kind of partnership with the Crawlers that also has prequel potential.

Sinister

Scott Derrickson’s Sinister is dark, unflinching horror that makes such an impact because of Ethan Hawke’s committed performance and the increasingly alarming snuff films that his character exposes to himself. The supernatural Bughuul reveal in Sinister doesn’t work for everyone and the film’s sequel largely has diminishing returns. That being said, the original film lays the groundwork for several upsetting prequel pictures that chronicle the massacres of other families that Bughuul infects.

Seeing the events of “Pool Party ’66” or “BBQ ’79” get expanded into a fully Amityville Horror-style movie would be an interesting exercise in nihilism. Events would play out differently than Sinister and its sequel since Bughuul’s manipulation would presumably go undetected and left to the audience to discover.

The post 10 More Horror Prequels We Want to See After Ti West’s ‘Pearl’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From mysterious POV shots to attempting to one-up the original film when making a sequel, there’s nothing like a particularly gnarly homicide to get moviegoers hyped up for a Slasher, and that’s why we’ve come up with this list celebrating six of the best opening kills in Slasher movies! After all, in a genre that revels in all the gruesome ways you can dispatch camp counselors and babysitters, it stands to reason that many of these stories begin with a memorable murder.

While this list is by no means an objective ranking of all the best opening kills that the genre has to offer, there are a couple of rules. Entries are limited to a single kill per franchise, and the kills are featured regardless of the overall quality of the movie they came from, so no complaining that the rest of the film doesn’t live up to its opening.

With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite opening kills if you think we missed an important one. Now, onto the list!

6. Annie’s Death – It Follows (2014)

Watch the full scene here.

A post-modern deconstruction of Slasher tropes would have to feature a memorable opening scene, so leave it to David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows to surprise audiences with an incredibly tense introductory sequence that manages to avoid showing both the killer and the kill.

Not only is Annie’s death a masterful exercise in minimalist terror, but it also introduces audiences to the rules that govern the murderous entity without resorting to tiresome exposition. Simple camera movements and subtle dialogue tell us everything we need to know about the creature, and having our minds fill in the blanks makes the scene that much more disturbing.

5. The Bridge Kill – Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986)

I enjoy Tobe Hooper’s black comedy sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre just as much as the original, but there’s no denying that it’s a completely different beast. Gone are the realistic scares and grimy aesthetics of the first film, here replaced by a cartoonish glee as the Sawyer family continues their cannibalistic shenanigans.

This change in tone is clear from the very beginning as we watch Leatherface terrorize a couple of joyriders with a comically large chainsaw while hiding behind the corpse of his deceased brother. As if that weren’t enough, the entire sequence is accompanied by Oingo Boingo’s No One Lives Forever, a morbid yet upbeat ballad that pairs perfectly with Hooper’s twisted sense of humor.

4. Total Party Kill – The Collection (2012)

Watch the full scene here.

Marcus Dunstan’s The Collector is my favorite Slasher flick from the 2000s, but its sequel certainly ups the ante when it comes to the titular killer’s knack for gruesome deaths. In fact, the opening scene of this 2012 follow-up manages to be popular even among folks who haven’t watched the movie, with the scene having become something of a viral hit due to the absurd level of violence.

Featuring an intricate contraption that literally mows down partygoers in a hyper-violent opening that could easily compete with anything in the Saw franchise, The Collection does a phenomenal job at proving to viewers that this killer means business. While I don’t think the rest of the film lives up to the standard set by the intro, there’s no denying that this opening kill deserves a spot on this list.

3. The Axe Kill – Wrong Turn 2 (2007)

Watch the full scene here.

The first Wrong Turn may have been an entertaining backwoods Slasher flick, but I think it’s safe to say that the franchise really came into its own with Joe Lynch’s surprisingly entertaining follow-up. Not only does the second film feature a more balanced script with equal parts black humor and gnarly antagonists, but it also begins with a highly memorable kill that must be seen to be believed.

Featuring a reality show contestant that accidentally runs over one of the film’s inbred cannibals, the scene soon devolves into madness as Kimberly’s lips are bitten off and fan-favorite Three-Finger steps in to finish her off with what appears to be the world’s sharpest axe. What follows is a masterclass in practical gore effects and a prime example of how to start your sequel off on the right foot.

2. Ancient Persia – Wishmaster (1997)

Robert Kurtzman’s Wishmaster isn’t exactly high art, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t enjoy its batshit crazy take on ancient Djinn mythology. While the majority of the flick takes place in modern day America as the titular Djinn (played by an insanely charming Andrew Divoff) attempts to free his brethren, the movie actually opens with a memorable party that takes place in 1127 Persia.

While the scene doesn’t exactly depict a singular kill, this ridiculous Persian massacre is more fun than the entire rest of the movie combined, earning its place on this list as it showcases a bizarre smorgasbord of practical effects work.

1. Michael’s First Kill – Halloween (1978)

“The blackest eyes… the devil’s eyes.” That’s how Dr. Loomis describes his most dangerous patient in John Carpenter’s original Halloween. And what better way to start off the movie than by placing the audience directly behind those eyes for the opening kill?

This iconic POV sequence is the stuff of cinematic legend, establishing the killer’s modus operandi without necessarily explaining why he kills. The focus here is on the suspense as Carpenter’s score perfectly compliments the disturbing revelation that a seemingly innocent child was responsible for this heinous act. When it comes to opening kills, it’s hard to do it better than this one.

The post Six of the Best Opening Kill Scenes in Slasher Movies! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We’re deep into September after an August filled with queer dinner parties, bees and flies. After last week’s escape to Germany with Der Samurai, we’re back on US soil and firmly rooted in the suburbs of Detroit with David Robert Mitchell‘s contemporary classic, It Follows.

We’re joined by Trace’s hubbie Ari Drew, who helps unpack the story of Jay (Maika Monroe), a teen who is assaulted following a sexual encounter with what she thought was a decent guy (Jake Weary). As she gathers her friends close – including shitty neighbor Greg (Daniel Zovatto) and lovesick Paul (Keir Gilchrist) – Jay starts seeing mysterious people in white slowly advancing on her wherever she goes.

Is she cursed? Can she survive? And at what cost?

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS.

Episode 142 – It Follows (2014) feat. Ari Drew

After two years, we’re FINALLY tackling a top request from listeners: David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows (2014). Along for the ride is Trace’s better half, Ari Drew, who has developed a special connection to the film during the pandemic.

Expect a lot of comparisons to Hereditary and other “slow burn/feel bad films”, including speculation about why horror audiences may struggle with these films, particularly on a first watch.

Also: how It Follows evokes a sense of timelessness, why the opening scene is a perfect short film, why Ari finds so much comfort in a dread-filled film, and how Joe has come around on the pool climax.

Plus: plenty of healthy debate about the ending, talk about shitty boys, and, finally, pondering the fate of Bait Bus.

Cross out It Follows!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re “celebrating” a maligned entry in the NoES franchise: Rachel Talalay’s Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for tons of additional content! This month, we’ll have episodes on Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, James Wan’s Malignant, Netflix’s series Brand New Cherry Flavor, as well as an audio commentary on 30 Days  of Night and a minisode on weird horror films.

The post The Dreadful Comfort of Slow Burn Horror and ‘It Follows’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Even with a little light at the end of the tunnel, we’re not entirely out of it yet. Some of us have lost relatives, friends, and jobs, but we’ve also suffered a collective emotional trauma. We’re all grieving and going to do it in different ways, and eventually—hopefully—we’ll all come out of it.

It feels only fitting that we cap the year off with a dive into horror’s 10 best examples of dealing with grief, mourning and loss. 

It Follows

Trauma begets grief. Most flicks on this list, well, actually all but one, focus on dealing with the latter and offer brief glimpses of the former. It Follows deserves a spot because it dives into trauma headfirst. But with a surprisingly subtle touch not generally associated with a genre known for splattering blood, guts, and everything in-between. 

How do we process the traumatic thing that’s happened to us? How do we accept the event before we can move on to the next step in healing? And what is the real cost of that acceptance? It Follows wrestles with these questions but doesn’t forget to keep the audience entertained in the process. The things that follow in It Follows are not just metaphors for guilt, STDs, or a loss of innocence. They’re a constant reminder of suffocating trauma. 

We Are Still Here

Shocker, a ghost story on a list of movies dealing with grief and trauma. Who would’ve thought? We Are Still Here shares one major thing in common with several films on this list: parents coping with a child’s death. Death is always tragic but burying someone you brought into this world has to hit harder. The couple in We Are Still Here do their best to keep it together, which is to say Scotch tape and bubble gum would do a better job. 

The movie explores how it feels to long for a loved one who isn’t returning and how painful it is coming to grips with that fact. On top of that, it has some very dope scares, a small-town conspiracy, Barbara Crampton, and ends with emotional closure. Can’t do much better than that. 

Pet Sematary 

We Are Still Here examines acceptance when it comes to losing a loved one. Pet Sematary is a gigantic flashing sign for those who can’t accept and will do anything to bring someone back from the dead. There’s no need to single either adaptation out since both do a good job illustrating how grief can pull a family apart or push them together. Even if said push comes from a morbid and weird place. 

At the center of both the original 1983 flick and the 2019 version is a character drowning in desperation. The emotionally torn father is willing to do anything to make his family whole and keep his marriage together. Grieving over a loved one sucks, and if we could bring them back, we probably would. But there’s always a cost for playing God, and Pet Sematary believes it’s a hefty ransom. Sacrificing one’s own soul is one thing, but the soul of a loved one? That’s heavy. “Sometimes dead is better” isn’t just a catchy, joyful line of dialogue; it’s a damn good summary of the story’s big idea.  

The Exorcist 

A lot is out there about William Friedkin’s classic, but not much is said about Father Karras’ bout with grief for a massive chunk of its runtime. Karras is going through it after his mother dies and walks around ensconced in guilt because she was alone. Oh, and by the way, part of the reason she died alone in a hospital is that Karras couldn’t afford to pay the rent for her apartment anymore. That’s a lot to heap onto anyone’s shoulder. Even if they’re a priest turned psychiatrist. 

Karras believes this is something he can’t quite atone for. Survivor’s guilt is real and is probably experienced by people we know more often than we think. Blaming ourselves for what happened and wondering what more we could’ve done is natural, but that doesn’t mean it’s healthy. The Exorcist has an affirming message for anyone suffering loss: it’s okay, and it’s not your fault. 

The Babadook  

Speaking of looking for blame in all the wrong places, along comes Jennifer Kent’s 2014 film about a widow and her son. The Babadook turns grief into an actual monster that feeds off a child’s fears and the negative energy of a mom at her wit’s end. It’s hard being a single parent but blaming your kid for your spouse’s death has to make it more than a tad harder. 

Kent’s movie cranks the tension by marrying it to the mom’s frustration and anger. The worse she feels, the more threatening the Babadook gets. And the bigger the threat the Babadook poses, the more her son freaks out. It’s a neat metaphor for grief, and how, if left unchecked, it can become all-encompassing for us and those around us. 

Doctor Sleep

Danny Torrance is in the throes of grief the first second he shows up on the screen. He carries it with him into adulthood and is struggling with moving on. Doctor Sleep is about being in your own way, and the fear of confronting grief. Danny is his own worst enemy. Watching him put the pieces back together and mentor someone with the same gifts is one of the movie’s most moving aspects. 

Doctor Sleep is a rarity in horror because Danny not only processes his grief, but he gets closure with the ghosts of his past as well. But none of it is easy. We see Danny truly work to better himself and be a positive influence on those around him. We see him flirt with ignoring his responsibility to Abra only to realize he can’t. The film affirms that we can make it through the other side when bad things happen. Yes, even when those bad things involve seeing murderous twin girl ghosts, a parent threatening us with an ax, and then said parent freezing to death at the creepiest hotel ever. 

Hereditary

On the other end of the spectrum is Hereditary, a film soaked in pain, sorrow, and pure unpleasantness. And there’s not a single therapist around. Ari Aster’s debut may be the best film dealing with the grief of the last decade, horror or otherwise. Bad things pile on the shoulders of the main characters until their legs buckle under the pressure. Before they can begin to process the inciting tragedy, they get another one that is even more devastating. We’re still human, and there’s only but so much we can handle. 

Hereditary understands better than most films, just how uncomfortable the process is. Feelings are messy, and when they start to fly in this flick, it feels just as violent as a knife to the ribs. This family has a tiny circle from what we’re shown, meaning there aren’t many outlets for what they’re dealing with. We see them dance around the obvious and harbor ill feelings towards one another for days that feel more like years. When everything erupts, it’s nasty, but even then, nothing is truly settled. Even when it’s over, and we realize the truth, we’re still left with a mess on our hands. 

Don’t Look Now

Don’t Look Now is another movie about the struggle of letting go. Nicholas Roeg’s 1973 flick, like Pet Sematary, shows how far we’re willing to stretch our beliefs to fill a void. And just like that movie, the results are less than ideal. After losing their daughter in a drowning accident, a married couple goes to Venice to get away from it all. Then the weird things start, and the husband wonders whether their daughter is trying to communicate from the great beyond. 

What separates this from other movies on the list is how it taps into the obsession to make things whole. Sure, there’s some guilt too, but compulsion drives the film forward and is behind every decision Donald Sutherland’s character makes or chooses not to make. He needs to believe everything will be okay and refuses to hear an opposing point of view. He’s obsessed with righting a wrong and, through that misguided action, thinks he’ll find peace. That’s not quite what happens, but he gets an A for effort.  

The Descent

Even before the “scary” stuff starts in The Descent, the film is already a nightmare. A woman is the lone survivor of a horrific car crash that included her husband and daughter. One year later, she goes on a spelunking trip with her friends in an attempt to find some normalcy. Trekking through a dark cave isn’t my idea of fun, but hey, who am I to judge? Anyway, that’s when the fun begins. The Descent is, well, a descent into madness wrought by inconsolable grief. There’s rage, anger, hate, frustration, and any other feeling one can attribute to the dark side of the force. Neil Marshall’s movie is an exercise in catharsis, and the monsters are in no way the scariest aspects.

The Descent’s main character puts on a happy face for her friends because the truth is complicated and messy. She wants to move on and starts to believe she’s okay when in reality, she’s a mess. The deeper they get into the cave, the more honest she is with herself and those around her. Even before blood is sprayed and bones jut out of the skin; it’s a torturous movie. But the grieving process is anything but neat.  

The Changeling

The Changeling does what every movie on this list does but does it better. Tragic inciting incident? Check. Grieving widower/parent? Double-check. Ghosts? Triple Check. And it even has a main character obsessed with solving a mystery as part of his catharsis. For a 40-year-old movie, it never once feels dated, and that’s because it’s rooted in genuine emotion from the first frame till the final credit. 

A man loses his wife and daughter, moves into an old mansion, and experiences plenty of paranormal activity. He’s haunted by memories of his loved ones and by a spirit who needs his help. Both beings are looking for closure and trying to understand why bad things happen to innocent people. The main character, played by George C. Scott, has the look of a man who is just beaten down but is too tough to tell anyone. So when he does let it all out, it makes the film more potent and the emotion palpable.  

The post Scary Emotions: The 10 Most Potent Horror Movies About Grief, Mourning, and Loss appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Listen on iTunes – Stitcher – Google Play – Spotify

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

Unlock access to exclusive bonus content and earn some other frightfully good rewards, including shoutouts, merch, and swag by supporting Nightmare on Film Street on Patreon. We have a bunch of watch-a-long livestreams and bonus content planned for the spookiest month of the year that you won’t want to miss!

The post [Podcast] Forgive Me Lord, For I Have Synth: ‘It Follows’ vs. ‘Mandy’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

First, we bring you a tale of horror and paranoia that reaches deep into the pit of your darkest fears and pulls forth the core of dread itself.  In How to Be Alone, directed by Kate Trefry, we are presented with a dissertation on the delirium that accompanies being left to cope with our own thoughts. Luckily, our guide Lucy will give us the rules to follow as we navigate some stunning visual depictions of the horrors that may come when we are alone. Trefry is no stranger to storytelling in the genre, being a writer on “Stranger Things”.  Stars Maika Monroe (It Follows, Villains) and Joe Keery (“Stranger Things”) help make this short film a memorable addition to the World of Death library.

Our second feature is a follow-up to another shocking story, this one from last month’s episode. In Neighborlies, directed by Steve Kopera, we find our familiar fiend and a new ghoul-friend living together. Oh, and of course those creepy children are still roaming the neighborhood. This time the trouble is double as we see the week unfold. These children don’t care if Monday is blue, Tuesday’s going to have a snowball attack and Wednesday’s gift will shock you. By Friday… no, you will just have to watch this highly entertaining sequel play out. Enjoy!

That is all for this time, friends. We are here for you with new frights each month. As you have seen this week, you never know who or what will stop by to visit you in the World of Death.

– Eric Breitenbach

World of Death is the web series that fans of independent horror have been waiting for. Featuring short horror films from all over the globe created by the largest variety of talent that a collection has ever been able to boast, WOD provides plenty of blood, guts, screams and laughs for all fans of the macabre. WOD is the perfect entertainment for a fan base constantly on the go. Watch it anywhere, at any time, for FREE! New episodes premiere the first Wednesday of every month at 10am CST.

SUBSCRIBE HERE

SUBMIT HERE

WATCH HERE

The post “Stranger Things” and ‘It Follows’ Stars Survive the Night in Short Film “How to Be Alone” [World of Death] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Arriving in New York and Los Angeles theaters this Friday, February 7th before expanding everywhere on February 21, The Lodge follows a family who decides to spend the holidays at their remote winter cabin. When dad Richard (Richard Armitage) must head back to the city for work, he leaves his children, Aidan (IT’s Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh), in the care of his new girlfriend, Grace (Riley Keough). A blizzard traps the trio inside the cabin, locking them into a bone-chilling nightmare as Grace’s past threatens to overtake them all.

Fiala and Franz create a sustained level of tension throughout, made even more unnerving by the isolated setting from which their characters are unable to escape. In anticipation of The Lodge’s release and celebration of its severe intensity, we look back at some of horror’s most unnerving offerings.

1408

For a film set mostly within a single hotel room, 1408 coils the tension tighter and tighter as it progresses. Based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name, the adaptation follows cynical author Mike Enslin (John Cusack), who accepts an anonymous challenge to check himself into the infamous Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. A room so haunted that no one stays beyond an hour, and in the hotel’s 95-year history, it’s wracked up a death toll of 56. An onslaught of terror ensues for poor Mike, making a chilling believer in the process.

Night of the Living Dead

By today’s standards, George A. Romero’s classic may not seem all that unnerving. I’d argue that it is, especially in the context of its release. Night of the Living Dead is a tense siege movie; a group of strangers barricades themselves in a farmhouse, trying to survive against an endless horde of walking dead. It’s more than the living dead’s insatiable hunger that provides unnerving horror, but that this group of strangers can’t get along long enough to combat a common enemy.

It Follows 

After Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her date, he confesses he’s passed on a supernatural affliction through their sexual encounter. One that will relentlessly pursue her until she dies, or if the curse spreads far enough to keep her out of its direct path. The mysterious entity can look like anyone, and only the afflicted can see it. This begins a feature-length chase steeped in paranoia; Jay can’t stop running for any lengthy period, and danger lurks everywhere. With no respite from potential death, It Follows maintains a near-perfect level of suspense.

Don’t Breathe

A trio of thieves break into a blind man’s house, expecting to tiptoe around him and run off with his riches. They have no idea just how capable and dangerous the man truly is until it’s far too late. Fede Alvarez’s sophomore effort dials up the tension to unbearable levels, creating one of the most unnerving cat-and-mouse thrillers that flips the home invasion subgenre on its head.

Green Room

In Jeremy Saulnier’s visceral, breathless thriller, a punk band must fight for their lives when one of their own accidentally witnesses a crime in the remote neo-Nazi club where they’ve just performed. Vicious, violent, and with an edge-of-your-seat tension that threatens to send your heart into overdrive, Green Room blurs the line between horror and thriller, offering up one of the most anxiety-inducing features in years.

The Strangers

“Because you were home,” marked the dread-inducing punchline of one of horror’s most foreboding home invasion films of all time. A young couple, seemingly at the end of their relationship, find themselves fighting for their lives when a trio of masked assailants show up at their remote home with murder on their mind. It’s not the quick and dirty kind of death they have in mind, but the slow, predatory stalking that comes with relishing their torment. It’s suspenseful, atmospheric, and utterly creepy.

The Invitation

Will accepts an invitation to attend his ex-wife’s dinner party, but being in his former home drudges up painful memories of the child they lost. What’s worse is that his ex-wife’s behavior sets off inner alarm bells. Is there something seriously amiss with her intentions for the evening, or is his depression clouding his perception? The mystery lends palpable terror to an intense evening that brings paranoia and pain. The Invitation is a horror-thriller crafted around an insane level of nail-biting tension until it explodes in a memorable finale.

The Descent

Long before the ill-fated spelunkers realize just how much trouble they’re really in when they explore an unknown cave system, director Neil Marshall ramps up the terror by cluing in the audience. Lost and on their own, group tensions threaten to boil over. It’s at this precise moment that we see a creature lurking in the background, biding its time for the hunt. White knuckle tension kicks into overdrive from there. Claustrophobic horror has never been as unnerving or as primal as it is in The Descent.

[REC]

A television reporter and her cameraman’s overnight fluff piece on firefighters turns into something far more harrowing when they follow their subjects on a call to an apartment building and become locked in with unimagined evil. It’s not just the limited scope of the camera the provides unrelenting fear, but the unpredictability of the infected and the limited places to hide in this quarantined apartment building. For unsettling nightmare fuel and eerie mythology, [REC] offers up one of horror’s scariest. 

Inside

Depressed and reclusive after her husband’s death, a pregnant woman’s Christmas Eve turns deadly when a mysterious woman shows up to her home, hellbent on taking the unborn baby for herself. Gory, disturbing, and claustrophobic to an insane degree, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s debut feature makes for one discomforting and tension-fueled viewing experience. And Beatrice Dalle’s La Femme makes for one seriously feral horror antagonist.

For more claustrophobic dread and unrelenting tension, look for The Lodge in limited theaters starting this Friday, February 7, 2020, before expanding on February 21.

The post Tense Horror: The 10 Most Unnerving Films Ever Made! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The end of 2019 has marked the end of an entire decade, which means we’ve been spending the last few weeks reflecting not only on the past year of horror but on the past *ten years* of the genre’s offerings. In an effort to profile the decade’s best here at the start of 2020, Brad Miska, Meagan Navarro, William Bibbiani and myself (John Squires) put our heads together to compile a list of the 25 most exceptional horror films that were released between 2010 and 2019. But before we get to that, let’s talk a little bit about the past decade of horror as a whole.

Reflecting, it’s become pretty clear to me that this past decade was a time of great change for the horror genre, ushering in a fresh and diverse wave of new voices and new kinds of horror films. Particularly in the past few years, it feels like the gates have been fully opened up for anyone to come through and use the genre to tell their stories, allowing for what many (myself included) consider to be a whole new “golden age” for horror – both films and television.

Sadly, a new golden age can only come when the previous one ends, and the past decade was indeed ravaged by a whole lot of loss. We lost Wes Craven, George Romero and Tobe Hooper in the past ten years, and though the decade kicked off with films from both Craven and John Carpenter, we mostly went without many of our favorite horror masters in the 2010s. But with one era behind us, these past ten years have brought some clear focus to what the future of the horror genre is going to look like, with new masters rising up and making their presence known as leaders of this particular golden age. Jordan Peele, Mike Flanagan, Ari Aster, James Wan, Robert Eggers, Jennifer Kent, Andy Muschietti and Fede Alvarez are just a handful of the filmmakers who each have at least one film on this list, and the originality and variety they’ve brought to the genre has played a huge part in the past decade being so extraordinary.

One horror master who can be found three times on the list? Stephen King, whose recent resurgence – not that he ever went anywhere – has proven his work is truly timeless.

In addition to box office success and even Oscar nominations (and wins!) for a string of studio horror films in theaters, indie horror also thrived in the past decade, with countless streaming services coming along and allowing for all kinds of new stories to be told. There was a time when “direct-to-video” horror was something that was looked down upon, but that couldn’t be further from the truth today. The landscape has been flooded with so many original (and quality) horror movies that it’s become impossible to even keep up. This is a good problem to have, of course; even if it makes putting together a list such as this incredibly difficult.

Which brings us to the list, which hopefully captures the past decade of horror and makes it clear why it was so great. While we tend to stray a bit from full-on horror movies in our daily coverage on the site, it was important for us to stick as close as possible to the horror genre for this list, so that will probably explain the absence of a few titles that you maybe would’ve expected to see on here. And it’s important to also note that many, many other horror films came up in our discussions but ultimately didn’t make the cut; several of those movies will be listed off underneath the core list as runners-up, as they at least deserve a mention.

As chosen by the BD staff, here are the 25 best horror films of the 2010s. We don’t expect everyone to agree with every decision we’ve made – truth be told, even the four of us had no shortage of internal disagreements – but we do hope you’ll read along as we celebrate one hell of a decade for the horror genre. And please do feel free to disagree in the comments below!

25. A Quiet Place (d. John Krasinski / Paramount Pictures / 2018)

With A Quiet Place, John Krasinski took a simple, stale concept and transformed it into a refreshing standout of the decade with smart and thrilling execution.

The pared-back simplicity of this tension-wrought creature feature lets what matters most take center stage: the characters and an intriguing setting. Superb sound design, genuine scares, a riveting cast, and lean, mean pacing makes for a brisk and unnerving viewing experience with still much left of the universe awaiting exploration.

The “B” Monster Movie got a classy upgrade, and audiences showed up in droves. That’s no small task. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

24. The Lords of Salem (d. Rob Zombie / Anchor Bay / 2012)

After House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects, and two Halloween films, I don’t think many of us were prepared for Rob Zombie’s sharp change in direction. In fact, I don’t know what the hell I was expecting when I attended the World Premiere of his Blumhouse-produced The Lords of Salem, a film in which Sheri Moon Zombie plays a Salem radio DJ tormented by a coven of witches.

At first, I hated it. What’s crazy about my initial hatred of Lords of Salem is that the film is so incredibly on-brand for me; I love pretentious, slow burn, Satanic-themed arthouse horror movies with cool imagery. Salem has it all and then some.

It’s hard to look away from Lords of Salem, which flourishes from colorful palettes and striking set design, all pinned down by John 5 and Griffin Boice’s crushing theme that continually hammers chills down your spine. But what makes Salem really special is that underneath a brooding horror film soaked in dread is something intensely personal – a love letter from Zombie to his wife, Sheri Moon, who he endlessly worships with his camera.

It’s true that Salem is a weird film and, in the end, will continue to be divisive. With that said, it truly has endured the test of time and proven itself to be a horror classic. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

23. Spring (d. Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead / IFC Films / 2014)

The past ten years brought many exciting new voices into the genre, and that list of hot newcomers wouldn’t be complete without Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the duo who kicked off the decade with Resolution and ended it with Synchronic. In between those two films you’ll find the duo’s biggest masterpiece to date, a romantic creature feature titled Spring.

Lou Taylor Pucci and Nadia Hilker star in Spring as Evan and Louise, young lovers falling for each other in beautiful southern Italy. The horrific twist to this seemingly ordinary love story? Well, to make a long story short, Louise is a monster. As Evan ultimately learns, she’s a 2,000-year-old immortal being who evolves into different creatures every 20 years; again, long story short, only true love can strip Louise of her immortality and keep her in her current form.

Benson and Moorhead blend a beautiful love story together with a Lovecraftian mythology in Spring, making for the most downright romantic creature feature you’ll likely ever see. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water may have been the standout “human falls in love with a monster” story of the decade – it won four Oscars, after all – but Benson and Moorhead’s tale is every bit as good, building to a final moment that seals the deal on Spring being one of the horror genre’s all-time best love stories. Even del Toro himself raved on Twitter back in 2016 that’s it “one of the best horror films of this decade.” Obviously, all of us here on BD agree. – John Squires (@FreddyInSpace)

22. Attack the Block (d. Joe Cornish / Screen Gems / 2011)

An effective and charming genre mashup that blends sci-fi and comedy with creature feature horror, Joe Cornish’s debut offers up tension, laughs, and engaging social commentary. Most of all, it delivered a cast of endearing characters and fantastic creature work by Mike Elizalde and Spectral Motion.

It’s the precise type of blockbuster spectacle that has something for everyone, while done on a smaller budget.

John Boyega’s had one hell of a decade, and it’s no surprise that it began with his masterful performance as Moses, the teen leader of the gang tasked with protecting their block from an alien invasion. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

21. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (d. André Øvredal / IFC Films / 2017)

Hey… would you like to see a dead body?

André Øvredal’s uncannily creepy The Autopsy of Jane Doe takes place almost entirely in a morgue, where father/son coroners (played by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch) find one medical mystery after another in their latest anonymous corpse.

Unusually structured and moody as hell, this autopsy was one of the biggest and best horror surprises of the decade, a truly inventive idea that’ll scare the life out of you. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

20. The Invitation (d. Karyn Kusama / Drafthouse Films / 2015)

There’s something wrong about this party. Or maybe, there’s something wrong with you.

Karyn Kusama’s insidiously subtle nightmare toys with the audience’s hyper-awareness in the horror genre. So while Logan Marshall-Green takes his ex-wife up on a dinner invitation, we see every weird detail and start piecing together a shocker in our heads, even though it (probably) isn’t what’s actually happening.

Maybe uncomfortable social interactions and our own psychological scars are scary enough on their own, or maybe they’re just the foundation for the unthinkable. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

19. The Final Girls (d. Todd Strauss-Schulson / Sony / 2015)

A slasher film that’s so emotionally powerful it just might make you cry… now that’s a new one! On paper, director Todd Strauss-Schulson‘s 2015 horror-comedy The Final Girls would seem to be a complete failure as a slasher film, as it’s rated PG-13 and favors emotional beats over gory slashings; but that’s precisely what makes this one such a special slasher.

Taking a meta approach to the sub-genre – that road, of course, was paved by the likes of Scream and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon – The Final Girls tells the equally heartbreaking and heartwarming story of Max and her mom Nancy Cartwright, an actress who appeared in the beloved slasher Camp Bloodbath back in the ’80s. On the three-year anniversary of her death, a freak occurrence allows Max and her friends to literally step inside Camp Bloodbath, where Max is able to reunite with her mom and fight for survival alongside her.

Just when you thought there was nothing fresh left to do with the meta slasher, the script from M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller allowed The Final Girls to shine as a genuinely clever new approach to that very specific type of film. And the performances from Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman as the daughter-mother duo at the center of the film ensured that The Final Girls hit all of its emotional beats out of the park.

It may not be a gory slasher, but The Final Girls represents the sub-genre at its most surprisingly beautiful. – John Squires (@FreddyInSpace)

18. Raw (d. Julia Ducournau / Focus / 2016)

Julia Ducournau’s debut declared the director as one to watch with a bold and powerful sexual awakening tale by way of cannibalism. Garance Marillier’s compelling performance as the awkward Justine, a first-year student navigating the social and academic labyrinths of veterinary school, must also contend with body horror and a newfound hunger for flesh.

It’s the way Ducournau approaches the subject matter, with unparalleled visionary style and intensity, that makes Raw such a knock out entry in French horror. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

17. Us (d. Jordan Peele / Universal Pictures / 2019)

Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out is another high-concept masterpiece, in which everyone on Earth as a doppelgänger, and every doppelgänger has been living underground, waiting to take their revenge on us. It’s a terrific opportunity for great actors like Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke to make us love and fear them, often at the exact same moment, in a film that’s jam-packed with unique and terrifying moments and sharp, piercing commentary.

Watching Us is liking watching an ancient secret get revealed, and once it’s out, there’s no going back. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

16. I Saw the Devil (d. Kim Jee-woon / Magnet Releasing / 2011)

South Korea has a reputation for brutal revenge thrillers, yet none hold a candle to the depravity and viciousness of Jee-woon Kim’s I Saw the Devil. Visceral, gritty, and insanely bloody, this revenge thriller redefines the subgenre as well as what the pursuit of vengeance can cost. In this case, the price might very well be your soul.

The stakes are high, and a cat and mouse game between a serial killer and a secret agent hellbent on revenge gets downright savage. A masterful piece of cinema that’s uncompromising and shocking in its vision, I Saw the Devil puts you through the emotional ringer. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

15. Don’t Breathe (d. Fede Alvarez / Screen Gems / 2016)

It’s not easy to maintain a constant level of intensity and palpable tension throughout an entire film, and yet Fede Alvarez makes it look effortless. His twist on the home invasion subgenre, which he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues, had him reteaming with Jane Levy to deliver another entry in nihilistic horror that leaves you breathless and on edge.

A brutal assault on the senses with no reprieve, Don’t Breathe will also forever alter your perception of a turkey baster.  – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

14. Train to Busan (d. Yeon Sang-ho / Well Go USA / 2016)

Zombies had a massive resurgence in pop culture popularity in the 2010s, in large part thanks to AMC’s “The Walking Dead.” The hit series premiered at the start of the decade in 2010, and though the show’s popularity has waned in more recent years, its massive success paved the way for a whole new crop of zombie films and television shows. By the very nature of it being the only zombie film on this list, we’re crowning Train to Busan the very best of the decade.

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the South Korean hit focuses on a group of strangers trapped on a train during the zombie apocalypse, with Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) and his young daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) being the central characters. Train to Busan is a zombie film that fires on all possible cylinders from start to finish, as intense and terrifying as it is emotionally powerful. The fast-moving zombies are as ferocious and unstoppable as gut-munchers come – it helps that the characters are never supplied with guns and never learn the old “destroy the brain” trick – and the film is home to some of the most insanely intense set-pieces the sub-genre has ever seen.

Train to Busan proved that zombies can still be terrifying in the right hands, and that the zombie sub-genre still has a whole lot of bite left in it. – John Squires (@FreddyInSpace)

13. Gerald’s Game (d. Mike Flanagan / Netflix / 2017)

All Gerald and Jessie Burlingame wanted to do was go to their cabin and rekindle their romance after years of marriage, but Gerald takes things a little too far, and now Jessie is securely handcuffed to a bed while her husband’s dead body lies on the floor next to her. A simple, but simply terrifying situation comes alive in Mike Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game, giving Carla Gugino her greatest role to date as a woman who must look inward, at her ugliest memories, to escape a bizarre and threatening predicament.

Frightening, empowering, emphatic and creative horror filmmaking. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

12. Maniac (d. Franck Khalfoun / IFC Films / 2013)

Right dead smack in the middle of the found-footage boom came Maniac, a remake of the 1980s slasher that would put viewers into the shoes of star Elijah Wood, a mannequin store owner suffering from severe mental illness who’s going on a murder spree.

While completely faithful to William Lustig’s controversial film, director Franck Khalfoun and producer Alex Aja double down on the violence, delivering a pulverizing slasher that’s also chilling and off-the-charts suspenseful. This isn’t for the faint of heart. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

11. It: Chapter One (Andrés Muschietti / New Line Cinema / 2017)

An argument was made for Andy Muschietti‘s debut feature Mama making this list – for what it’s worth, I personally feel it’s a far better horror film than it’s really been given credit for – but while it ultimately did not make the cut, there was no internal debate whatsoever about Muschietti’s follow-up. Back in 2017, Muschietti brought the more beloved portion of Stephen King’s IT back to the screen so successfully that it became the highest grossing “R” rated horror film of all time, paving the way for a sequel that was a bit less successful this past year.

Assembling a wonderful cast to play the members of the Losers Club as kids, Muschietti’s IT: Chapter One managed to do far more justice to the novel than the previous adaptation, set in the 1980s and imbued with all the heart and horror that King is such a master at blending together. The group of child actors was one of the most instantly lovable monster-fighting gangs in the genre’s history, and Bill Skarsgård filled Tim Curry’s massive clown shoes so admirably that many were wondering why the hell he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

Scary, funny, and with the epic feel that the story demands, Muschietti’s IT: Chapter One was a pitch perfect King adaptation through and through, jam packed with pretty much everything you could ever ask for a horror film to deliver. In a decade that failed Freddy Krueger and went without Jason Voorhees, we were lucky to have such a perfect reinvention of the child-eating Pennywise. A whole new generation will never look at clowns the same way again. – John Squires (@FreddyInSpace)

10. The Babadook (d. Jennifer Kent / IFC Films / 2014)

Essie Davis gives one of the great horror performances of the decade in Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, an exceptionally eerie supernatural story about a single mother whose deteriorating mental health fuels a macabre demon from a storybook. Kent’s oppressive environments seemingly trap her protagonist in a domestic hell, in which the only person she loves is also her greatest enemy.

The Babadook is emotionally concussive but never truly cathartic; a horror movie that knows the true meaning of pain. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

9. Doctor Sleep (d. Mike Flanagan / Warner Bros. Pictures / 2019)

There are a few filmmakers whose names are synonymous with Stephen King adaptations, and Mike Flanagan has fast made his way onto the top of that list. Back in 2017, Flanagan brought the seemingly un-adaptable Gerald’s Game to the screen for one hell of a Netflix movie, but if you’re asking me, his most impressive feat to date is his adaptation of King’s Doctor Sleep.

Of course, what’s most impressive about Doctor Sleep is that it’s both an adaptation of King’s novel and a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, bridging the chasm between King’s warm take on the Torrance family and Kubrick’s cold presentation of their harrowing stay in the Overlook Hotel to create a sort of hybrid experience that melds together the work of three masters: Flanagan himself, who was arguably *the* master of horror of the 2010s – of course being the third.

Telling the story of a grown up Dan Torrance and his own struggles with the demons that his father wasn’t able to overcome – both literal and figurative – Doctor Sleep is as ambitious and epic as a horror sequel could probably ever be, nostalgically revisiting a classic horror film while also using it as the springboard for something powerful and new. Ewan McGregor is terrific as Dan Torrance, Kyliegh Curran shines as Abra Stone, and Rebecca Ferguson turns vampire-like King character Rose the Hat into one of the best on-screen villains in recent years.

Doctor Sleep made for a wholly satisfying return to the Overlook Hotel, and if Mike Flanagan wasn’t already a master of horror before heading off to that iconic location, he damn sure is now. – John Squires (@FreddyInSpace)

8. What We Do in the Shadows (d. Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi / The Orchard / 2015)

Modern spoofs are often terrible, mostly because they’re focused on pop culture and show zero understanding of the movies they’re goofing on. This is why Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy masterpiece. The pic is a docu-style story of a house of vampires who are, quite frankly, idiots. While there are no actual references to specific horror movies, the film makes a joke of all of the tropes and cliches in vampire films, but does so in a loving way that shows Clement and Waititi are clearly huge horror fans at heart.

What I think I love the most about What We Do in the Shadows is that it’s made specifically for us horror fans and isn’t pandering to anyone else. But most of all, it gets funnier with each and every viewing, proving that it has stood the test of time. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

7. The Conjuring (d. James Wan / New Line Cinema / 2013)

If there was one horror franchise that dominated the 2010s, it was the ever-expanding universe that began with The Conjuring.

James Wan infused the throwback haunted house horror film with creepy atmosphere and unrelenting scares, but also with a warmth and sentimentality for its characters that gave audiences serious rooting interest. It’s all anchored by the affecting performances of its leads Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as Ed and Lorraine Warren.

As stylish as it is scary, The Conjuring appeased both critics and viewers alike and demonstrated just how robust the appetite for horror is at the box office. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

6. It Follows (d. David Robert Mitchell / Dimension Films / 2015)

David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows is an homage to classic horrors such as John Carpenter’s Halloween and Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street. While It Follows is riddled with plot holes, it’s legitimately scary, which is something I can only say about a handful of movies.

It’s also propelled by Maika Monroe’s astounding performance, as well as heavy social commentary to go along with a timeless look and feel. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

5. The Cabin in the Woods (d. Drew Goddard / Lionsgate / 2011)

Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for; and so, too, did the audience.

This horror-comedy by Drew Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon took the meta dissection of the genre to a whole new level with a wickedly unpredictable third act that boasted no shortage of monsters and unforgettable moments.

A love letter to the horror genre whose wit and self-deprecating humor is matched by excessive bloodshed, Cabin in the Woods instantly embedded itself as a horror-comedy fan favorite. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

4. The Witch (d. Robert Eggers / A24 / 2016)

With meticulous attention to period-setting detail and perfectionism, Robert Eggers’ atmospheric debut left viewers asking, “Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”

Religious fanaticism wars with blasphemous evil, making for a unique horror film that prefers to unsettle and instill dread over overt scare tactics. That makes for a divisive, slow-burn brand of horror, but it’s hard to deny the breathtaking level of craftsmanship and artistry on display. It’s the kind of film that elicits thought-provoking discussion long after the credits roll.

Between Anya Taylor-Joy’s mesmerizing performance and an ominous black goat, we’d sign Black Phillip’s book any day. – Meagan Navarro (@hauntedmeg)

3. Hereditary (d. Ari Aster / A24 / 2018)

While each decade is typically dominated by a single subgenre, horror was so hot that the past ten years defied definition. For every Evil Dead, there was a Hereditary, arthouse horror that traded in blood and guts for atmosphere, dread, and drama.

I’m happy that we’ve had a year to let Ari Aster’s masterpiece breathe, ensuring that we’re not acting as prisoners of the moment. Hereditary was hype. If you could get past A24’s marketing that completely misrepresented the film as the scariest since The Exorcist, you’d find a haunting family drama carried by Toni Collette’s Oscar-worthy performance that was actually more reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby than anything else.

Hereditary is not the kind of film you watch with your parents or take a date to see, it’s one that has a direct relationship with each and every viewer who experiences it. It’s infective and, at times, alarmingly brutal. It’s misery and pain captured in a bottle and the result is punishing look at a family falling apart. While I won’t go as far as to declare it the scariest movie ever made, it’s traumatic in a way that some scenes would have scarred me as a child; you can’t unsee some of the shit thrown at you.

Aster’s filmmaking is both fearless and unapologetic, and at the time of release, the film felt like a break from the norm that offered something fresh and new. Hereditary is timeless, and I feel confident in declaring it not just one of the best films of the 2010s, but one of the greatest horror films ever made. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

2. Get Out (d. Jordan Peele / Univeral Pictures / 2017)

Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning screenplay for Get Out is one of the most remarkable pieces of horror writing in memory, a script that works on a different level every time you watch it play out.

Daniel Kaluuya stars as a photographer who visits his white girlfriend’s family, only to discover they’re not nearly as progressive as they claim. But are his nerves jangling because he’s trapped in a house with casual racists, or because underneath that racism there’s a secret, malevolent intent?

Get Out is a witty satire until it’s a suspenseful thriller until it’s a grotesque horror movie, and all the while it’s the most fiercely and intelligently smart social commentary that the genre produced in the decade. – William Bibbiani (@WilliamBibbiani)

1. Evil Dead (d. Fede Alvarez / Screen Gems / 2013)

Maybe it’s because the slapstick-heavy sequel opened with a reshot recap of The Evil Dead, but many horror fans misremember Sam Raimi’s 1981 classic as a horror-comedy. It wasn’t and is about as deadpan serious as horror gets. This is important because I’ve seen a lot of people discredit the Fede Alvarez-directed remake/sequel because it’s “not funny.”

While Raimi didn’t direct and Bruce Campbell didn’t star, the duo did produce the 2013 Evil Dead, one that quietly remains canon within the original trilogy. It’s also a return to the franchise’s roots, one that’s downright nasty.

Interestingly, Alvarez’s Evil Dead didn’t even crack my top 10 that year, but after several viewings, I’ve come to realize that it’s one of the greatest horror films ever made. Each viewing sends me into cringe paralysis, frozen in disbelief as Alvarez contorts the hero-villain-hero story into an unrecognizable glob of gore. It fucking literally rains blood. Evil Dead is mean and gross and ugly and vicious. It’s horror-to-the-fucking-core. It’s also unanimously the best horror film of the 2010s. – Brad Miska (@bradmiska)

Honorable mentions include: American Mary, The Blackcoat’s Daughter, Green Room, Happy Death Day, Insidious, Kill List, The Loved Ones, Mandy, Midsommar, Only Lovers Left Alive, Ready or Not, Revenge, Scream 4, Sinister, The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, Super Dark Times, Suspiria, Terrified, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, The Voices, The Woman and You’re Next.

The post Bloody Disgusting Picks the 25 Best Horror Films of the 2010s! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Kim recalls her first experience with the horror genre goes back to the original IT mini-series, “I was really terrified and really traumatized by clowns, so yeah that was one of my earliest memories, but also my absolute all time favorite movie as a kid was Rocky Horror Picture show. I watched it once a day, literally every time I came home from school I watched it. I tried to teach everybody in my school the “Time Warp” and nobody wanted to learn it.” It was those films that opened up a trip down the rabbit hole. “Then just gradually finding friends that had the same interest and that kind of got me into real legit horror and Japanese horror movies…Then I just hung out with my friends and watched horror movies and gore movies.”

The passion began to fuel her music. “That’s really how we came up with Turn Off The Light. We were just in the studio being like, why are there a million Christmas albums and no Halloween records. Halloween is as much as a holiday for me and my friends as Christmas is, maybe even a little bit more!”

Some of Kim’s current fave watches are Ari Aster’s films. “Hereditary is probably my favorite horror movie that came out in the last two or three years. The aesthetic was completely different and something new.” She also is a big fan of his most recent movie, Midsommar. “It’s so cool that somebody’s experimenting that much. It’s really stunning visually. Midsommar is so beautiful. The red is so intense and so saturated. All those colors are so beautiful together.”

The blood soaked beats and dark melodies on Turn Off The Light are not only catchy as hell but are incredibly cinematic. “This whole record sonically was completely inspired by horror movie soundtracks and me and my friends LOVE of horror movie soundtracks. I literally just put them on when I’m at home getting ready. I just think they are art to me, they’re just amazing.” One of her favorites is Disasterpieces’ work on David Robert Mitchell’s, It Follows. “That soundtrack to me is one of the best horror movie soundtracks ever, ever, ever..”, she continues “It was video game-y, but at the same time really classic but fresh and..I don’t know….that soundtrack is just very specific. It almost reminded me a little bit of the Drive soundtrack too which I’m a big fan of. I really want to work with Kavinsky. I would LOVE that.”

Although the influences on this album are steeped in genre, the songs are also designed to stand on their own once the Halloween season wraps up. “I think Halloween needs some camp. There’s some wolf howls, there’s car crashes. There’s definitely some stuff that I just was like, let’s go full Halloween spirit.” Kim is sure to point out though, “We were also like, let’s make them stand alone so the you can listen to them all year round and they’re not necessarily the Monster Mash.”

Even Elvira, Mistress of the Dark does a guest appearance on the title track. “That was, the absolute stamp of approval for me. I feel like without her, it wouldn’t have felt like an official Halloween project!”

Kim is on the road right now on The Clarity Tour, dates at kimpetras.com. The tour includes a special Halloween stop in Los Angeles on October 30th. “The night before Halloween I’m playing the Shrine. So that’s gonna be the scary show. That’s gonna be the one where we’re gonna go all out and make it spooky. So I am excited! It’s gonna kind of twist everything upside down and we’re gonna do the full Turn Off The Light!” She teases, “There’s gonna be a couple surprises!”

For more horror and music chat with Kim Petras, listen to the Boo Crew Podcast episode 79. Available now wherever you get podcasts!

Follow Kim Petras on:

Instagram: @kimpetras
Twitter: @kimpetras

Follow The Boo Crew on:

Instagram: @talesfromtheboocrew
Twitter: @talesfromtheboo

The post [Podcasts] The Boo Crew Holds Court with Pop Music’s Queen of Halloween, Kim Petras appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody Disgusting: Members of the Question team have worked on revered immersive sims like Thief: Deadly Shadows, Dishonored and the BioShock series and that lineage is clearly visible in The Blackout Club’s gameplay. What immersive sims and co-op games did Question look to for inspiration during development?

Jordan Thomas (Lead Writer): The first immersive sim that took on the co-op problem was System Shock 2, in a release update well after the initial game hit shelves. It is referenced very rarely as a multiplayer game now, but for me (Jordan, sorta the lore guy at Question) it was formative, because suddenly we were exploring the abandoned space station and decoding the story together. Feeding off each others’ fear. I always wanted to bring that feeling to a modern audience, and there are elements of The Blackout Club that play with that.

BD:  In the tutorial mission, players take on the role of Bells, a member of The Blackout Club who has gone missing. How important is it to the team to continue to tell Bells’ story as the game progresses? How important is story to the team as a whole, and how do you go about weaving narrative into a multiplayer game?

The Blackout Club is primarily built for replayability, so there aren’t a lot of traditional story missions. That said, we collaborated with the South Park folks on the intro because it was important to us to ground the world in a human story, and for a lot of folks – Bells is the thing that draws them in emotionally. In-fiction, the teenagers take terrifying risks. Some of them do so to expose the occult conspiracy, but some just want to find their friend. Most of our story is told via community interaction with the game during live events – check out our Discord for some examples, if you’re into mass-investigation. The hope is that like a lot of old cosmic horror, Lovecraft and his imitators, players feel like they’re uncovering little details and sharing it with international colleagues before they lose their minds and are devoured.

BD: The Blackout Club’s map is clearly delineated into two tiers: the neighborhood and the network of caves below. Is it challenging, exciting or both to design two levels that are so visually different?

JT: It’s always both – the sleepwalkers move to an eldritch song, played by the great instrument that spans the town of Redacre. So when you hear the horror theme that plays when The Angel, our boogeyman, comes after the kids – it’s actually playing in-world. Stephen Alexander, our lead artist and co-owner, worked tirelessly with our contractor CJ Green to flesh out our fictional town of Redacre. They collaborated with me on the concept of the place, and of the maze-like instrument beneath. I think Stephen made them both feel charming and unnerving at the same time – there’s a small town sweetness to the suburban neighborhood which turns menacing at night. Meanwhile, the maze below is like nothing else. Our time on the Bioshock series might prepare you a little for the ambition of the place, but the period is harder to nail down, purposefully. We wanted it to feel timeless, like the vision of a mind that is far from human. The hope is that it feels like it transcends technology from a particular time, but relies more on the blood and sweat of the humans who occupy it.

BD: The maze is basically one giant instrument. What structures, in the world of architecture or music, did the team look to as they designed this space?

From Patrick Balthrop, our sound designer, and engineer:

“Early on in making The Blackout Club, Jordan pitched me the giant instrument and I got to work. I began to think of architecture that would emit sound by existing in the world. I immediately began to think of Harry Bertoia’s sound sculptures and sent a reference to the team. Bertoia’s work was an influence on how I began to approach the sound design of the instrument. Once I established the palette I set about solving how these sounds would work together musically in the game. All the sounds of the giant instrument are emitting musical notes in a pentatonic scale procedurally. I designed them this way so I could have them overlap one another, procedurally creating harmonies with each part of the instrument contributing to a larger piece of music. When the player is underground in The Blackout Club, they are playing through a procedural musical piece that is evolving harmonically and texturally. “

BD: I always use the grappling hook, and to me at least, it seems like the grappling hook is substantially better and more versatile than the stun gun or the crossbow. Should players expect more tools in the future and/or buffs or nerfs to existing tools?

JT: Oho, that’s the 200 IQ pick. A lot of players miss the power of the hook because it’s not offensive. The fact that the debate over that is so fierce suggested to us that we were on the right track, though your mileage may vary. We’d love to add more tools, but we’re a tiny team and every one of them affects balance in pretty dramatic ways. So it’ll be about demand versus our resources. We believe in the game and we’re not done iterating on it – the 1.0 release is teaching us a lot about the leveling grind, the live event engagement that works best, the most optimal play-styles, and so on.

BD: The Shape system, in which a mysterious being called the Shape invades the map and hunts players that commit to many “sins,” like kicking doors in or leaving bodies lying around, is pretty fascinating, and reminds me of the police in a Grand Theft Auto game. What inspired this system?

JT: In Cabin in The Woods, they go a little into the formula behind a lot of horror, right – you have to transgress in order to justify the audience taking cathartic pleasure in your death. To an extent, the Sin system is like that, the kids are breaking the rules, and slowly that draws the ire of our boogeyman, who the locals also call The Angel – kind of a twisted notion of a moral guardian. (The Shape is what the kids nicknamed it.) The limited visibility (you have to close your in-game eyes to see it), and the relentless pursuit of only the worst kid at the time, loosely inspired by It Follows. There’s also a lot of mythology about having a parasitical spirit or Nemesis-like figure attached to you, and we wanted to try actually simulating the needs behind such a creature.

BD:  I’ve just started messing around in Old Growth, but I’m already excited to see what gets added to the map next. Do you have any news on when players can expect the next map expansion?

The post [Interview] From ‘System Shock 2’ to ‘It Follows’ – What Helped Create Co-Op Horror ‘The Blackout Club’? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

To celebrate the release, Knautz shares with Bloody Disgusting five horror films that helped inspire him.

Psycho: “Hitchcock at his grittiest. I love how this film just throws up the middle finger to the squeaky-clean cinema of the 1950s. Norman Bates takes psychotic behavior to a whole new level here. I wish I was around to have seen it when it first played theaters.”

The Thing: “I would usually feel relief when another human shows up in a horror film…until I saw this film. Not knowing who might be “the thing” provides such an awesomely uncomfortable sense of dread throughout. My go-to film for a balls-out, ambiguous ending.”

It Follows: “I love this film. It’s just firing on all cylinders, especially mood/tone. Its concept of an unstoppable malevolent force is realized beautifully, and it’s such a great reminder that film is truly a visual medium.”

Hellraiser: “They really don’t make films like this anymore, which is heartbreaking because it’s so delightfully imaginative. Frank’s slow return to our world through the consumption of flesh is just so friggin’ original. And the infamous “Jesus wept” moment has been burned into my mind for eternity.”

Get Out: “Probably one of the most “fun” horror films I’ve seen these days. So wickedly twisted yet socially conscious, and really funny. Mixing comedy in with horror is never easy, but this one works perfectly. We needed a good racially infused, brain swapping horror flick.”

In The Cleaning Lady: “On the surface, Alice seems like a woman who has it all: a gorgeous apartment, a booming career, a stunning physique, and a handsome boyfriend. The only problem is he’s married to someone else. Looking for a way to simplify her life, Alice hires Shelly to clean her house. As Alice begins to confide in Shelly about her illicit affair, their friendship grows… and so does Shelly’s twisted obsession with her new employer. It soon becomes clear that Shelly has motives that reach further than a normal cleaning lady. Shelly wants to cleanse Alice’s entire life and will stop at nothing until she’s done.“

Dax Ebben reviewed the film out of its FrightFest World Premiere and wrote that the thriller is “twisted on every level.”

The post 5 Horror Films That Inspired ‘The Cleaning Lady’ Director Jon Knautz appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A theme song is a signature tune that becomes associated with the film itself, and a go-to representation of the score. We wanted to dig into the genre’s best original theme songs, those memorable music numbers that are talked about time and time again; the songs that have become iconic in their own right. Some even changed the way film scores were made.

These are horror’s top 75 theme songs.

Dracula (1931)

The most recognizable piece from Universal’s Dracula is actually an excerpt from Act II of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Around the time of the film’s original release, the cost of adding an original score was insanely high, hence the familiarity. Universal reused the same piece the following year for The Mummy. So, this isn’t an original, but it is a theme that is easily associated with the early horror of Universal’s Classic Monsters. It wasn’t until 1998 that the film would get an original score, via composer Phillip Glass.

The Keep

It’s near impossible to talk about ‘80s soundtracks and scores without German electronic band Tangerine Dream coming up at least once. In terms of horror, they scored Firestarter and Near Dark, but it’s with the underseen The Keep that they did their best work in the genre. The up-tempo percussions evoke a sense of turmoil from the get go, but it eventually becomes bone-chilling with the bizarre, chant-like sound.

Hereditary

Colin Stetson’s main goal when composing the score for Ari Aster’s bold debut was twofold; aim for sounding “evil,” and try not to draw attention to the music so that the story and characters remain at the forefront. So, when you do actually hear his score kick in, shit has really hit the proverbial fan. Theme piece “Reborn” plays loudest and most prominently of all, cueing a momentous turning point in the film. Stetson obscures the clarinet in creative ways, giving an ominous sound to the film.

Under the Skin

Body horror meets Kubrickian sci-fi alien weirdness in Jonathan Glazer’s film. Enter Mica Levi’s theme, an ethereal, surreal symphony that’s equal parts otherworldly and sexy. Violins and synth have never sounded so harmoniously eerie as they do here.

Beyond the Black Rainbow

Before Panos Cosmatos melted faces with the 1983 set heavy metal epic Mandy, there was his 1983 set sci-fi horror film Beyond the Black Rainbow. Music by Sinoia Caves, the solo project of Black Mountain keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt, it draws influence from Tangerine Dreams, John Carpenter, and even The Shining. The analogue synth sound evokes both the era and the detached coldness of the laboratory setting.

The Witch

Writer/director Robert Eggers had very specific instructions for composter Mark Korven; no electronic instruments or any traditional melody. Wanting to keep the tone tense and discordant while adhering to Egger’s instructions, Korven used atypical instruments like a waterphone and nyckelharpa. More astoundingly, Korven actually created and commissioned a freaky instrument he dubbed The Apprehension Engine, which gave a nightmarish, inhuman sound layer to the score.

The House by the Cemetery

Surprise, a Lucio Fulci film not scored by Fabio Frizzi. This time Fulci turned to Walter Rizzati. Rizzati draws major influence from Ennio Morricone, and follows the Frizzi blueprint with a piano, drums, synth, electric bass and guitar musical lineup. Spooky organs, rhythmic percussions, and dissenting electronics gives this theme an upbeat yet atmospheric feel. It’s not Frizzi, but it’s still a worthy theme.

The Village

Composer James Newton Howard’s frequent collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan got better and better with each film, and his work on The Village earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. This theme is heavy on the violin solo, poignant and lonely, until it gives way to something much darker. This score transcends the film itself.

Ravenous

The offbeat score for an equally offbeat movie was composed by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman. Though they didn’t co-write it, to be clear. Albarn composed a little more than half of the score and Nyman completed the rest. It’s the main theme, “Boyd’s Journey”, composed by Albarn, that really captures to essence of the film’s inimitable sense of humor. The accordion, banjo, horn, and off kilter pacing nail the period setting and idiosyncratic tone of the film.

Eraserhead

When you think of David Lynch, the composer’s name that usually pops into mind is Angelo Badalamenti, whose work is more prominent and widely acclaimed. But Badalamenti’s collaboration with Lynch fall outside the scope of horror. Eraserhead is, though, and Lynch composed the score with sound designer Alan R. Splet. The sound is pure Lynch in that it defies convention and operates without normal cues. It’s brilliantly insane, and basically created by Lynch and Splet recording actual machine sounds, blowing through glass, and whatever other industrial sounds they could capture while weaving in jazz. A dreamlike, schizophrenic sound that’s unlike anything you’ve heard before.

Kwaidan

Toru Takemitsu was a prolific musician, composer and film scorer, having scored more than 90 films in his lifetime. For a horror fan, anthology film Kwaidan is a masterful introduction to his influential work.  In it, he makes uncomfortable use of silence, and adds his own unique twist to traditional Japanese folk music, reconfiguring it for haunting atmosphere.

Carrie (1976)

Pino Donaggio’s dreamlike lullaby theme is an instrumental stand-in for poor Carrie White’s innocence and vulnerability. Without any film context, you’d be hard-pressed to associate the piece with horror at all, which only furthers the bittersweet mood of Carrie White’s journey from bullied to hell hath no fury like a teenager scorned.

Chopping Mall

Chuck Cirino’s theme is high energy synth, a common recurring motif of the ‘80s. Unlike its counterparts, though, this theme’s funky electric disco synth correlates perfectly with the neon mall setting and manic robots on the fritz.

Carnival of Souls

Gene Moore’s organ-heavy score was inspired by the filming locations of Carnival of Souls. Co-writer/director Herk Harvey then actually implemented the organ into the film to further the Gothic aesthetic. Moore’s score, and main title theme, completely saturates the film at every level, both on screen and at a subconscious aural level. His organ-heavy score isn’t just a visual representation of the atmosphere, but an aural symbol of ghostly presences.

Trick ‘r Treat

Composer Douglas Pipes somehow manages to blend clever nostalgia of horror classics like Psycho with thematic Halloween melodies. He also balances the playful whimsy of the holiday with malicious, biting humor. In other words, it’s a perfect theme (and score) for this epic holiday horror comedy.

Silent Hill

This film adaptation of popular video game series Silent Hill was arranged by Jeff Danna using the original score from the video games, composed by Akira Yamaoka. Yamaoka supervised the arrangement of his music. As for the score, he originally drew influence from Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti, and went industrial to capture that eerie, rusty aspect of the evil side of the quaint little town.

Cat People (1982)

I know what you’re thinking. This is a David Bowie song, and that is what made this theme recognizable, even if you haven’t yet seen the movie. But the score and theme were composed by Giorgio Moroder. Moroder had already written and recorded the music when director Paul Schrader approached Bowie to write lyrics to it. So, this gets an exception for being instrumental in conception first, with lyrics added later. A smart move on Schrader’s part, considering Bowie made the song instantly recognizable.

The Return of the Living Dead

Most of this horror comedy’s soundtrack is comprised of punk and psychobilly from notable bands like The Cramps, 45 Grave, The Flesh Eaters, and more. Not really an original score, but it’s perfect for the punk attitude at the film’s core. Except for the main title theme, “The Trioxin Theme”, by composer Francis Haines. That it holds its own against these bands is a testament to its strength.

C.H.U.D.

Martin Cooper and David A. Hughes, members of English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, composed the electronic score for this ‘80s creature feature. The primitive synth sound not only captured the sound of the decade, but the grimy grit of the film’s setting; New York City.

Demons

Produced and co-written by Italian maestro Dario Argento, it’s likely no surprise that the instrumental music on this new wave and hair metal heavy soundtrack was composed by Goblin band leader Claudio Simonetti. Simonetti’s theme blends the poppy new wave sound with synth metal, all in his unique style, delivering a frenzied piece that is every bit as energetic as the movie.

The Ring

Prolific composer Hans Zimmer wrote the original score for this hugely successful horror film from 2002, and the score captures that epic quality. A battle of good versus evil playing out with a simple, small ensemble of piano, violin, and the cello, the unassuming yet elegant theme slowly builds into something disjointed and terrifying.

It Follows

When It Follows got accepted into the Cannes Film Festival, time was extremely short for composer Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace). So, he created a temp score that drew inspiration from John Carpenter, John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, and his own video game music. Writer/director David Robert Mitchell fell in love with the temp music, which meant it served as a foundation for the actual film’s score, giving us a sort of retro sinister synth nightmare in the best possible way.

Puppet Master

The theme song composed by Richard Band helped catapult the pint-sized terrors at the center of Puppet Master into a long-running franchise. Band wove the symphonic with the electronic, creating a theme befitting of the wonder, magic, and horror of the movie. Richard Band’s music has a way of giving a modest budget horror film a much richer, luxurious feel with its sound.

Army of Darkness

Most of the score for this third entry in Sam Raimi’s trilogy was composed by Joseph LoDuca, who’d previously scored The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II, but the most recognizable piece in the film is the triumphant “March of the Dead”. The theme heralds in the massive army of the dead marching toward the climactic final battle. It was composed by Danny Elfman, who’d previously worked with Raimi on Darkman.

Hellraiser

Composer Christopher Young wasn’t Clive Barker’s original choice for the score; he wanted electronic group Coil to create the music. But New Line rejected the idea, which lead to Tony Randel suggesting Young, who previously composed the score for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. It was a perfect match, as Young’s fairy tale score with gothic synth variations gave an epic quality to Barker’s feature debut, and balance to the good versus evil themes.

Nosferatu the Vampyre

Composed by German avant-garde electronic band Popol Vuh, a frequent collaborator with director Werner Herzog, the score for this reimagining of the 1922 film is very atypical for horror music. Going against the convention that has horror scores actively building a creepy atmosphere for the horror to thrive, Herzog keeps the film mostly silent while Popol Vuh’s music sought to evoke character emotion with their score. And they do it with acoustic guitars, piano, and sitars.

Sunshine

Composer John Murphy once again collaborated with director Danny Boyle, this time for underseen sci-fi thriller Sunshine. Co-composed with electronic band Underworld, anthem theme “Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor)” is a powerful, sweeping melody guaranteed to elicit goosebumps. It’s such an effective piece that it’s been reused countless times over in movie trailers and commercials in the years since release, in films like Kick-Ass, and multiple episodes of The Walking Dead. You may not have seen Sunshine, but you’re probably very familiar with its iconic theme.

Deep Red

The beginning of director Dario Argento’s work with progressive rock band Goblin, which also created one of the most memorable movie scores. Argento originally hired Giorgio Gaslini to compose the score, but wasn’t happy with his work. He then sought Pink Floyd out, and when that failed, he eventually came across Goblin. Band leader Claudio Simonetti’s quick turnaround with work impressed Argento so much they were hired, and the rest is auditory history.

Re-Animator

This catchy theme song by the film’s composer Richard Band sounds an awful lot like Bernard Herrmann’s theme for Psycho. It’s intentional; Band wanted to riff on the theme and give it a much more mischievous sound. Many of the characters in the film, Herbert West included, were a bit psycho, weren’t they? The playful homage also highlights the humorous tone of this horror comedy.

Beetlejuice

This quintessential theme, part of a quintessential score, by composer Danny Elfman helped propel the soundtrack into the Billboard top 200 long after the movie had fallen from the Top 10. A mix of style, genres, and influences, but completely zany and catchy, this theme could only come from the mind of a brilliant madman like Elfman.

Gremlins

Most horror movie themes are evocative of the movie’s tone or mood, not really the entity or creature itself. That’s not the case with the Gremlin’s theme song. Composer Jerry Goldsmith wanted to capture the naughty nature of the little green monsters, and the rising suspense as their terror spread. He nailed it.

The Fly

The Fly wasn’t just a breakout hit for David Cronenberg, but for music composer Howard Shore as well, though the pair had worked together on numerous films previously. Shore didn’t approach this as a horror film. He focused on the opera-like quality of the narrative tragedy, and composed the score accordingly. The result is dramatic, dark, yet elegant; a great accompaniment for the star-crossed lovers at the center of a memorable horror movie.

Children of the Corn

Jonathan Elias’ first full film score is a fairy tale nightmare, complete with religious themes and a children’s choir that would please “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.” Sweet and innocent, until the menacing orchestral tones kick in. This theme may very well be the best thing about the movie.

The Bride of Frankenstein

Franz Waxman’s grand, sweeping score, and theme, for The Bride of Frankenstein changed the game for scoring horror films. It was so successful that it earned him a studio contract and Head of Music title at Universal Studios, and became a blueprint for future endeavors.

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Marius Constant’s iconic theme for The Twilight Zone TV series was re-recorded for the film by composer Jerry Goldsmith, who composed the rest of the music for the film iteration. It’s one of the most identifiable theme songs of all time.

Jurassic Park

Technically speaking, Jurassic Park isn’t classified as horror. Yet, director Steven Spielberg filmed many of the terrifying dinosaur encounters with harrowing intensity that the sci-fi adventure film ventured straight into horror territory multiple times. Composer John Williams captured that frightful feeling when creating the score, but it’s the main theme that’s captured the sense of awe and elated triumph of Spielberg’s film.

The Evil Dead

It’s impossible to hear this theme and not think of Professor Knowby’s voiceover narration. The melancholic piano chords that signals the impending doom of the ill-fated friends that unleash the evil within the Necronomicon is an eerie classic. It’s easy to see why composer Joseph LoDuca became a frequent collaborator with Sam Raimi, and created the music for the entire franchise, including the TV series.

Day of the Dead

George A. Romero tasked his assistant director John Harrison to compose the score in the third entry of his Dead series. The result is a very synth heavy score of its time, but one imbued with reggae and melodic tones. Harrison drew from the themes, motifs, and characters that made the score much more personal and profound than first glance.

Maniac (2012)

The remake of William Lustig’s 1981 cult classic Maniac is surprisingly great, and one of the best parts is the score. Composed by Robin Coudert, credited as Rob, the synth heavy sound feels like a throwback to the electronic horror scores of the ‘80s by way of Goblin or Carpenter, and conveys bold emotion. Both the remake and its music don’t get enough credit.

Videodrome

David Cronenberg tapped his close friend Howard Shore to compose the score for this mind bender. Shore delivered an equally mind-bending score, one that mirrors Max Renn’s descent into hallucinogenic nightmares. What starts as pure orchestral ends as full electronic, but the gradual blending of the two isn’t always so easy to detect. It’s brilliantly executed.  Long live the new flesh!

Halloween III: Season of the Witch

A drastic departure from the first two films, John Carpenter and Alan Howarth composed an equally drastic departure in sound for the score of Halloween III. Gone is the familiar theme of Halloween, replaced instead with a slow, electronic theme that eschews the piano in favor of synth. Of course, you’d be forgiven for immediately thinking of the earworm “London Bridge is Falling Down” riff “Silver Shamrock” instead. But this theme is versatile perfection.

Predator

Riding the wave of success after scoring Back to the Future, Alan Silvestri delivered a memorable theme (and score) for one of the ‘80s biggest and best action horror films. Matching the exotic jungle setting and testosterone driven cast, this iconic theme is a rhythmic parade of percussion, stabbing strings, and anxiety driven orchestra.

Tourist Trap

There’s something inherently unnerving about Pino Donaggio’s whimsical, almost cartoonish score. It’s as if the creepy mannequins that terrorize victims at a remote tourist trap are gleefully feeding off the fear. Or maybe it’s because there’s not much that’s scarier than something innocent corrupted by evil. Either way, the cartoon music box with harp riffs and rattles is effectively chilling.

The House of the Devil

If you’re going to do a retro throwback horror film, then Jeff Grace’s score is the standard to emulate. Harkening back to films like The Omen or Rosemary’s Baby, Grace’s moody theme is minimalist and atmospheric. Electric guitar and quiet synth, this theme explodes with energy halfway through. Like the movie, Grace’s score and theme don’t cue you in to anything sinister until it’s far too late.

The Conjuring

Here’s some trivia you might not know: composer Joseph Bishara doesn’t just compose the score for many of James Wan’s and The Conjuring universe horror films, but he often also appears as a demon. In Insidious, he was the Lipstick-Face Demon. For The Conjuring, he was Bathsheba. So, perhaps he knows more than anyone how to create eerie sound to capture that evil essence. And nothing screams Conjuring universe quite like Bishara’s ambient, unique brass instrumentation that echoes out like a storm warning for the imminent arrival of evil.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Wojciech Kilar’s theme didn’t just capture Francis Ford Coppola’s sprawling Gothic epic of love and vampiric bloodshed, but it became one of the most referenced pieces of film music. There’s a good chance that if you managed to miss this great movie, you still have heard this theme song. It was often used in a lot of horror and thriller movie trailers in the ‘90s.

The Descent

Composer David Julyan has an uncanny talent for dramatic scores full of anguish and explosive, primal rage, especially when the film revels in bleakness. Such is the case with The Descent, his slow-building main theme a string-heavy orchestra that runs the gamut of emotions from isolation, sadness, anger, and tragic acceptance.

Cannibal Holocaust

With this theme, it’s no wonder director Ruggero Deodato was arrested and later charged with murder. His documentary style take on the gorefest is exacerbated by Riz Ortolani’s saccharine melody, a romantic ballad that feels straight out of a nature documentary of the era. While the rest of the score is more appropriately intense, this theme is so out of left field that it works.

King Kong (1933)

During this period, original scores were too expensive to come by and movies pulled from existing music. But co-director Merian C. Cooper had higher aspirations for the film and paid composer Max Steiner out of his own pocket to produce an original score worthy of King Kong’s grandeur. Steiner nailed the larger-than-life scope and feel, and went on to become one of the most respected names in Hollywood.

Tales from the Crypt

Even if this anthology series hadn’t run for 7 seasons from 1989-1996, Danny Elfman’s main title theme song, “Tales From the Crypt” is so ridiculously catchy that it would’ve still made the list. Granted, it helps that Elfman’s theme accompanies a tour through the large Gothic estate down into the bowels of the crypt to meet our ghostly host with the most. But still. The wry, often pitch-black humor of this series makes a perfect home with Elfman’s quirky style.

Scream

For this groundbreaking slasher that changed the horror landscape in the ‘90s, the filmmakers wanted someone fresh and new for the music. Enter Marco Beltrami, who impressed Wes Craven with his music sample and hired to handle the score. But he’d never worked on horror before. Craven gave advice on using music to create tension and the employment of stings. Beltrami used that advice while simultaneously approaching this score as if it were a Western film. The result is a score, and theme, that’s just as much of a subversion as Craven’s slasher.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The U.S. theatrical release of George A. Romero’s zombie classic didn’t have an original score; the musical selections came from stock music (save for three Goblin tracks). But Dario Argento, who helped secure financing for the sequel, collaborated with Goblin on the music for his international cut of the film. Whichever cut you prefer; Goblin’s theme is the better music choice.

The Fog

John Carpenter considers this to be among his best scores, and so do we. Piercing synth, fast percussion, and dizzying electronic sound, Carpenter’s theme is the aural equivalent of creeping dread rolling in with the threatening fog. This is Carpenter taking the opposite approach to the minimalism of Halloween, and it works.

The Amityville Horror

Director William Friedkin may have rejected Lalo Schifrin’s score for The Exorcist, but Schifrin was destined for horror greatness anyway. His music for The Amityville Horror earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. Very different from Schifrin’s usual jazz music output, this theme song plays like a haunting lullaby with choir vocals. It’s perfect for this haunted house tale.

28 Days Later

Titled “In a House – In a Heartbeat”, John Murphy’s theme song was also used in the sequel 28 Weeks Later, where he remixed and renamed for every instance it was used. The slow, quiet chords emote the isolation and melancholy until the percussions kick in, accompanied by the loud guitar chorus that cues the climactic moment in the film when Jim (Cillian Murphy) lets the infected into the Worsley House.

Phantasm

Considering that Don Coscarelli drew influence from Suspiria when creating the start of what would become one of horror’s most unique franchises, it’s fitting that he went to Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave to create a similar synth rock, Goblin inspired score. Piano, organs, synth, and that iconic eight-note theme all wrapped up in a prog rock bow that further pushed Phantasm into the pantheon of great horror.

Zombi 2

This score marked the first time frequent Lucio Fulci collaborator Fabio Frizzi worked on a straight horror movie with the director, and what a beautiful beginning it was.  Among his best work ever, this theme marries electronic synth with a Mellotron keyboard chorus all set to offbeat percussion that gives the sound a strange, inhuman quality befitting of the zombie apocalypse. No one does apocalyptic music quite like Frizzi.

Alien

Jerry Goldsmith wasn’t director Ridley Scott’s first choice for composer, and the journey to arriving at the now iconic theme song took some back and forth between the two. Goldsmith originally envisioned the music beginning as mysterious and romantic and gradually turning up the suspense. Scott didn’t care for the original theme, and it didn’t help that he did fall for the temp music cues. Goldsmith rearranged the theme accordingly to something more weird, industrial, and creepy, and the rest is history.

The Beyond

If you’re going to make one of the most insane, and well loved, gorefests about an apocalyptic portal to hell in New Orleans, then you’d better call Fabio Frizzi to handle the score. Luckily, that’s exactly what Lucio Fulci did, and the result is a face-melting blend of orchestra and prog rock. Like the film’s narrative, Frizzi continues to ramp up the unease and pervasive dread until inevitable doom sets in.

Creepshow

Perhaps there was no other composer who perfectly understood the tone of the film the director was aiming for quite like John Harrison, who wrote the original score for George A. Romero’s Creepshow. That’s because he also served as first assistant director, putting him in a more unique position than most musicians. The synth meets orchestra perfectly brings the horror and humor.

Rosemary’s Baby

Composer Krzysztof Komeda was a frequent collaborator with director Roman Polanski and Rosemary’s Baby was no exception. His lullaby, titled “Sleep Safe and Warm”, featured vocals by Rosemary Woodhouse actress Mia Farrow. That sweet lullaby, and its title, is chilling and tragic – poor Rosemary never really gets to sleep safe the entire movie.

The Shining

Playing over the main titles as the Torrance family drives to their doom, or the Overlook Hotel rather, Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind’s electronic theme conveys the mood well. Based on “Dies Irae”, a medieval hymn, this theme song is perhaps one of two original songs created for the film. The rest were selected works of pre-existing music by director Stanley Kubrick and music editor Gordon Stainforth. It’s just as well, anyway, as this bleak, moody piece instantly transports us to the evil Colorado hotel like no other.

Poltergeist

Legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score for this classic horror movie, and the sweet melodic theme “Carol Anne’s Theme” is a religious lullaby sung by a children’s choir. In other words, it doesn’t really sound like a horror theme song at all. But it perfectly captures the innocence of Carol Anne, and the idyllic suburban lifestyle, making it very ominous in the context of the paranormal events that take place in the film. The perfect blend of creepy and sweet.

The Omen

The score for this horror film earned composer Jerry Goldsmith an Oscar, and theme song “Ave Satani” was nominated for Best Original Song. The title is Latin for “Hail Satan,” and Goldsmith wanted to create an inverse for a Roman Catholic Mass. Goldsmith’s idea was to create a sort of Gregorian chant, but with a Satanic twist, and the result is a chilling choir befitting of Black Mass. Or the heralding of the Antichrist.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The score, and theme, to this seminal horror film is often overlooked. There’s nothing melodic or catchy about it, just pure unsettling dread that coils in the pit of your stomach. Director Tobe Hooper teamed up with Wayne Bell to create the bizarre, industrial sounds. Complex layering of sounds of metal scraping, chainsaws revving, drilling, whirring, analogue synthesizers, and percussion blur together to disorient. That trademark unease and atmosphere has a lot to do with Hooper and Bell’s score.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Composer Charles Bernstein met with Wes Craven on the recommendation of his agent. Craven hired Bernstein and gave him a lot of creative freedom, always open to the composer’s ideas and suggestions. Due to the low budget, Bernstein went electric for the score, giving it this synth meets classical style that suits the film, and the industrial setting of opening sequence, well. The theme song is fairly complex, too, toggling between downbeat and eerie, and punctuated by manic metallic orchestrations.

Saw

“Hello Zepp” by Charles Clouser is as dramatic and moody as the shocking twist moment it accompanied in the 2004 breakout hit by director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell. The music cued the reveal that -spoiler- Zep Hindle (Michael Emerson) was merely another victim of the Jigsaw Killer, followed by the Jigsaw Killer’s true identity unmasked. The success of the film meant “Hello Zepp” became the theme of the franchise.

The Exorcist

While “Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield is now forever intertwined with this classic horror film, it wasn’t created specifically for the movie but appropriated for it once director William Friedkin scrapped the original score by Lalo Schifrin and sought pre-existing music to replace it. Discovering it by chance when visiting the offices of the president of Atlantic Records, Friedkin instantly knew the music would be perfect for the movie. Not even featured in the film for more than two scenes, it became forever associated with The Exorcist.

Candyman

Composer Phillip Glass’ rare brush with horror yielded one of the all-time best scores. Like the ominous, yet romantic aspect of Tony Todd’s Candyman, the wistful organ playing is as dreamy as it is haunting. Glass admitted to having been disappointed with the film’s release, having expected a more arthouse take on Clive Barker’s original story than straightforward horror slasher movie. But the now classic nature of the film means it continues to pay him in royalties, so he’s not too disappointed. It was always you, Helen.

Friday the 13th

Composer Harry Manfredini drew inspiration from Jaws when creating this now iconic theme song, mainly in that John William’s theme song signaled to the audience the shark’s presence. Similarly, Manfredini’s theme only plays when the killer is near. As a clever, covert tip off, Manfredini recorded himself harshly speaking “ki” and “ma” into the microphone and then looping them back in an echo reverberation machine to achieve that iconic “ki ki ki ma ma ma” sound, based on Mrs. Voohees’ memorable line “Kill her, mommy!”

Suspiria

Dario Argento previously worked with progressive rock band Goblin on his film Deep Red, and once again tapped them to compose the score for what would become his most well-known horror film. Goblin went outside of the box for this score. Working with uncommon instruments like the tabla or bouzouki, and even crushing plastic cups to create unique sound. The music box sound with Claudio Simonetti’s unnerving whispers, eventually crescendos to pure rock menace.

The Thing

Surprise, surprise, this is one John Carpenter film in which he did not score the film (though he did develop some synth music with frequent collaborator Alan Howarth that was used in the film). Instead, wanting a more European feel, he sought out his hero, composer Ennio Morricone. He actually flew to Rome to convince Morricone to accept the job. The minimal notes and slow-moving beat of Morricone’s theme contributed to the movie’s building dread and paranoia.

Psycho

The iconic shower scene that sees poor Marion Crane getting stabbed to death has just as much to do with composer Bernard Herrmann’s theme song as it does Alfred Hitchcock’s masterful direction. The frantic desperation of Marion, helpless against the killer’s bloodlust frenzy, is viscerally felt through Herrmann’s screeching strings. And to think, Hitchcock initially planned to have this scene devoid of any music, save for actress Janet Leigh’s screams. Very few themes in film are as iconic as this one.

Jaws

Composer John Williams won an Academy Award for this score, and the earworm theme song makes it easy to understand why. Representative of the shark’s presence, the theme is just a simple altering between two notes played at a high register with a tuba. Like the shark, this theme is relentless, menacing, and unstoppable. Director Steven Spielberg credits much of the film’s effectiveness on Williams’ score.

Halloween

It took John Carpenter only three days to compose the entire score for this seminal slasher, including the most iconic theme song of all. Similar to the theme for Jaws, in which a mere two notes keep you in suspense, Carpenter keeps this theme minimal, but played in complex 5/4 time (a rhythm he learned from his music professor father). Like his film, the scarce simplicity of the theme song instills absolute terror.

The post The Top 75 Theme Songs in Horror! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Peele’s Us, we thought it’d be timely to look back at some of the most iconic uses of doubles in horror, and how the visual and narrative tool is used to convey psychological distress, societal tension, generational anxiety, and the ol’ crippling fear of death.

The Stepford Wives (1975)

The women in Stepford, Connecticut are uh, unrelatable. Not just a few, but all of them relish in their roles as housewives — cleaning, cooking, and pleasuring their husbands on the daily with a genuine smile on their faces.

A staple of feminist horror, Bryan Forbes’ The Stepford Wives imagines a community in which real living, breathing women are eradicated and replaced by robotic doppelgangers, i.e. the “perfect wives” to a gang of controlling husbands that form the town’s secretive men’s society. The double in question here represents the patriarchy’s pigeonhole understanding of what women ought to be, but The Stepford Wives also plays into our internalization of gendered social codes — wearing makeup, shaving our legs, the whole shebang — and demonstrates it as a final showdown between doubles. Because sometimes being a woman does feel like being strangled to death with a pair of pink pantyhose by a version of yourself that men prefer.

Lost Highway

David Lynch loves to tinker with doubles– reality and fantasy, the light and dark sides of human nature, the strange and the mundane– in order to create his signature dream-like worlds. In Lost Highway, Lynch buries us in the disturbed psyche of jazz musician, Fred (Bill Pullman), who a third of the way through the film is convicted of murdering his wife, Renee (a brunette Patricia Arquette). What follows is a disembodied jailbreak, the manic rupture of space and time, and Renee’s reappearance in the form of bombshell Alice (Patricia Arquette again, but with old Hollywood bright blonde hair). Creations of Fred’s deranged purview, Arquette’s dual roles embody two feminine archetypes, the devoted wife and the sexy vixen; two figures that Fred is unable to reconcile as one person but that begin to collapse into one another as Fred increasingly loses his shit. In the end, in a final mad dash from the cops along a pitch black highway, Fred’s head literally splits into two, as if to say one body can’t sustain so many conflicting realities in the same tank.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Philip Kaufman’s 1978 adaptation of the Jack Finney novel The Body Snatchers is a gritty alien invasion story that offers the sort of atmospheric paranoia and uncertainty that would characterize John Carpenter’s The Thing a few years later. Is it a friend you’re speaking to, or an inhuman replica? Horror movies often set up the doppelganger binary as a fight between good and evil, but what makes Invasion of the Body Snatchers so downright creepy is the way its alien invaders recalibrate what “normal” actually means. When a bunch of jelly aliens are kicked off their planet, they come to Earth and assimilate really efficiently into society by switching out people with manufactured look-alike bodies. As the swaps take over San Francisco, actual humans become the minority– and that pesky human tendency towards emotion will make you stick out like a sore thumb.

Possession

First thing’s first: this movie is batshit insane.

But then I guess that’s what they say about marriage. Andrzej Żuławski 1981 cult classic is a monster movie, a domestic drama, a psychological thriller, and a black comedy all rolled up into one surreal package. Isabelle Adjani plays Anna, a wife and mother who announces upon her husband’s return from abroad that she wants a divorce. Distraught husband Mark (Sam Neill) hires a private investigator to see what his wife’s up to and from then on a series of bizarre discoveries snowballs into madness complete with nervous breakdowns, self-mutilation, bloody miscarriages, murder, shootout, and beastiality. Where do doubles come into play, you might ask? Long story short, Adjani does double duty as the quaint Helen, her son’s school teacher who steps in to babysit the young boy while his parents are…doing their thing. Meanwhile, Anna keeps an oozing tentacled creature as a lover/pet in her apartment, and get this – it’s slowly transforming into a replica of Mark! So flattering. What to conclude from Żuławski’s dead ringers? Perhaps that what we desire in our romantic partners is often characterized by horrifying contradictions.

It Follows

Catholic guilt won’t stop the best of us from getting it on before marriage, but a cursed STD might do the trick. The titular “it” of It Follows isn’t any one particular thing, it’s a manifestation of random people — from complete strangers to family members and friends — as the eternally recurring evil spirit that hunts down those unfortunate enough to catch the clap. Playing into the gothic trope of the doppelganger as an abject human, Jay (Maika Monroe) encounters entities that look wounded, sick, or diseased; they’re harbingers of fate should they ever manage to catch up with our hero. “It’s” ability to assume the likeness of grandma, dad, or any everyday person walking the streets, conveys shame — the notion that everybody knows and judges your secrets — and elevates it to a source of terror.

Black Swan

Natalie Portman’s Nina is a soft-spoken, delicate little thing when she lands the coveted lead role in her ballet company’s production of Swan Lake. Depicting the white swan comes easily to the virginal good girl, it’s tapping into her buried inner black swan that will prove as horrific as the final climactic performance is virtuosic. As Nina progresses in her quest to master the role of the black swan, she begins to see a dark apparition of herself, and coincidentally starts hanging out with her enemy black swan alternate, Lily (Mila Kunis). Tortured by the desire to succeed and perfect her role, which demands the union of two contrasting feminine personas (the virgin and the whore), Nina essentially loses it, undoing herself to the point of schizophrenia and self-mutilation. Her two halves destroy one another, but leave artistic perfection in their ruin.

Sisters

If the patent on doppelgangers could go to only one filmmaker, Brian DePalma might very well have the strongest claim. With a filmography bursting with body doubles, the iconic director has proven he has quite the obsession with dueling manifestations of replicated bodies (see what I did there?). But if I had to pick one representative, the sash would go to DePalma’s phantasmagorical riff on Hitchcock– Sisters. Starring Margot Kidder as both halves of a pair of formerly conjoined twins, this tightly executed slasher has Danielle, the normal or “good” twin, wrestling with the deranged demands of “evil” twin, Dominique — all captured with the disorienting pizzaz of DePalma’s split-screen compositions. A voyeuristic glean activates this 1973 classic with erotic energy and a touch of humor, a tension that moves us forward as we get to the bottom of just how interdependent and fucked up these sisters really are.

Black Sunday

Grandpa might find it flattering, but it’s mostly creepy when family insists you look like a dead relative. Consider it a warning if said member of the fam was burned at the stake or punctured to death by having a spiked metal mask pushed into her face. In Black Sunday, the horror godfather, Mario Bava, puts an occult spin on the family curse with this tale of doomed reincarnations. A maleficently styled Barbara Steele does double duty as both Asa, the 17th-century witch with a bone to pick, and Asa’s targeted descendent, Katia. Bava toys with our expectations by making the damsel in distress indistinguishable from the killer; one particularly provocative scene has corpse-Asa draining Katia, who ages as the other assumes her youthful appearance. Rule of thumb: there’s only ever room enough for one of a kind.

Dead Ringers

If I were having sex with an identical twin I’d insist on leaving some sort of identifying trail mark — hicky, bite mark, anything! — to ensure I wasn’t falling for the ol’ switcheroo male twins in movies seem to always pull on unsuspecting young women. David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers is one of the most distinctive “double” movies in history, a showcase for a young Jeremy Irons who plays a pair of twin fertility doctors with interdependent means of getting laid. Elliot seduces patients and then passes them down to the introverted Beverly when he grows tired of them, a cycle of give and take that maintains the twins in perfect harmony. When Beverly, also the more sentimental of the two, falls in love, this balance is fatally disrupted and presented in signature  Cronenberg fashion: with drug abuse, manic depression, and delusions of mutant genitalia.

Lake Mungo

This indie breakout isn’t exactly premised on the idea of the doppelganger, but the film’s climactic scene — admittedly one of the scariest reveals I’ve seen in the past decade or so — makes use of the trope in an unexpected way. When Alice Palmer is found dead and washed ashore, her family struggles to find closure and soon discover that Alice was leading a double life — as mistress to a couple she used to babysit for. Like Twin Peaks’ Laura Palmer, Alice’s fraudulent lifestyle was cause for insecurity and mental instability. Lake Mungo takes a mockumentary approach to solving the mysteries behind Alice’s existence, showing the members of her grieving family as they try and put the pieces together to who exactly Alice was prior to her death. After somewhat of a scavenger hunt, they unbury a cell phone Alice kept hidden, which contains footage of her walking at the beach alone at night. The film is mostly restrained and devoid of jumpscares, so when Alice’s recorded beach walk ends with the encounter of a doppelganger corpse of herself, the result is jarring — a nightmare image that prophesies things to come…

The post The Terror of Seeing Yourself in An Other: 10 Body Doubles in Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s everything you should make it a point to watch while you can…

Leaving January 1st:

• Blade
• Blade II
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula
• Interview with the Vampire
• Mortal Kombat
• Sharknado
• Sharknado 2
• Sharknado 3
• Sharknado 4
• Sharknado 5
• The Queen of the Damned
• The Reaping
• The Shining

Leaving January 13th:

• It Follows

The post The Horror Movies *Leaving* Netflix in January 2019 Include ‘It Follows’ and ‘The Shining’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A post over on Reddit/Horror this week has brought it to our attention that Lanier died on April 25, 2018 due to complications from pancreatic cancer and acromegaly. He was 48.

Mike Lanier, who stood 7-feet, 7-inches tall, was actually one half of the “World’s Tallest Twins,” bestowed upon the brothers by the Guinness Book of World Records.

According to his obituary from the Henry M. Malburg Funeral Home in Romero, Michigan, “Michael was born November 27, 1969 in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of the late Emil and Connie (Levulis) Lanier. After graduating from Brother Rice High School, Mike accepted a basketball scholarship at UCLA where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree. Upon graduation, Mike started work for GM at its Power Train Division as a Senior Designer. Mike had many and varied interests from acting in independent films in the Michigan area, swimming, doing claymation films, cooking, being very artistic, and even designed his current home. Along with his twin brother Jim, they were in the Guinness Book of records as the tallest identical twins in the world.“

The obituary continued, “Michael is survived by his wife Janet “Battani” Lanier of Troy and her children Christopher Campbell of Jackson & Kathryn Campbell of Troy, siblings: Jennifer (Michael) Toomajian of Troy, James (Michele) Lanier of Greenwood, Indiana, Gary (Traci) Lanier of Plymouth, MI., Also survived by nieces & nephews: Hunter, Jared, & Jessica Toomajian, Daniel & Sarah Lanier, and Kaden, Katherine, & Karl Lanier.”

To learn more about Mike Lanier and his role in It Follows, check out a GQ interview from 2015.

The post [R.I.P.] Mike Lanier, the “Giant Man” from ‘It Follows,’ Passed Away Recently appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows, one of the most talked about horror movies in recent years, has one of the more interesting premises you’ll come across. To make a long story short, the movie centers on a sexually transmitted creature that can take the form of whoever it wants, and it will follow and kill you unless/until you pass it on.

No matter how far away you drive, it’ll catch up to you. Slowly. By walking.

So then, how far does “it” actually walk in order to catch up with main character Jay? You’ve probably never asked this question of the film, but the blog Movies Films and Flix set out to answer that question anyway. Because why the hell not, right?

“In an effort to track the movements of the monster I searched for all the filming locations and have come up with an estimated travel total that I’m quite pleased with,” the site’s owner writes. “Director David Robert Mitchell didn’t make it easy because there are moments during the film in which you have no idea where Jay was going or why it took about 14-hours to make a five-hour drive up North (I’m guessing sleep). However, after getting a feel for the locations and timeframe I know how far the creature traveled because the layout of the locations fit its movements.”

What did the site determine? For starters, “it” moves at a pace of 20-minutes per mile, “rerouting itself and following the quickest route when its prey changes locations.” In total, they believe, “the creature walked 1,017 miles while hunting Jay.”

There’s much more information over on Movies Films and Flix about this one, including a day-to-day breakdown of the journey, so head over there if you want to learn more!

The post Someone Actually Calculated How Far “It” Walked in ‘It Follows’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This phenomenon of a festival darling being praised after an initial screening only to be loathed by mainstream audiences once it is released is nothing new, but the horror genre seems to have been hit hard with this occurrence lately. Jennifer Kent‘s The Babadook premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014 to rave reviews, only to see a wide release just four months later. It was met with a tepid audience response. That same year David Robert Mitchell‘s It Follows premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim, but when it was released 10 months(!) later it failed to make much of an impression with audiences. The same thing happened with Robert Eggers‘ The Witch (Sundance premiere in January 2015 and a wide release in February of 2016) and Trey Edward Shults‘ It Comes at Night (Overlook Film Festival premiere in April 2017 and a wide release just two months later in June 2017). I fear that the same thing is going to happen with Hereditary. As evidenced by the aforementioned films’ critical reception, they were all extremely well-received:

• The Babadook – 98% Rotten Tomatoes score with an average rating of 8.2/10.
• It Follows – 97% Rotten Tomatoes score with an average rating of 8.1/10.
• The Witch – 91% Rotten Tomatoes score with an average rating of 7.8/10.
• It Comes at Night – 88% Rotten Tomatoes score with an average rating of 7.4/10.

So why aren’t the majority of audiences being won over by these films like the critics are? Many will tell you it’s because they are over-hyped. These films receive rave reviews months and, in some cases, years ahead of their respective release dates. Mainstream audiences who are unable to attend festivals are then left to soak up the hype, reading review after review and article after article every week until the film’s release. By the time the film comes out, expectations are so high that the film can’t possibly meet them. Viewers walk out of the theater feeling betrayed by critics and let down by the film. Sometimes the viewer’s sense of betrayal is justified, like when a film’s marketing advertises a completely different film than the one that actually exists (as evidenced by the trailers for It Comes at Night, Bug and mother!). That reasoning is not true of films like The Witch, The Babadook and It Follows. With those films, viewers went on to bash critics and news outlets for hyping up the film. While it is true that some outlets can be hyperbolic when releasing articles about a film, they are just doing their job. Over-hype is partly their (our) fault, but the fact that the viewer doesn’t, or refuses to, share responsibility in over-hyping a film is baffling. After all, do they need to read all those reviews or watch the trailer multiple times a week?

An important thing to put into perspective is the festival-going process. When you attend a film festival, you are watching up to 6 films a day, every day, for 7-10 days. That means you could be watching anywhere from 42 to 60 films in a week and a half (the most I’ve ever made it to is 30 in one festival). Films start to blur together and flaws in them become more apparent, especially when you start seeing the same things done in multiple films. This means that when you see a film that is different, you’re likely to rave about it. Again, it can be hyperbolic, but in the heat of the moment, it makes sense. If you’ve eaten nothing but brown rice for every meal, then you’re bound to go a little nuts when you finally get a steak dinner. When you are a critic, you also have to review most of the films you see which means you have to really be in your head looking for things you like and things you don’t like while you’re watching a film. Your attention to detail needs to be razor sharp since you’ve got to write roughly 800-1,000 words for each review. It always makes me laugh when someone, after reading a negative review for a film, says that the critic who wrote it was just looking for something to dislike about the film. They probably were. It’s part of their job. Another part of their job to look for the good in a film. When I’m watching a film that I know I will be reviewing, I am looking for things that I like and things that I dislike so that I can write about those things in my review, but I digress.

The purpose of this article is to remind you that while over-hype is absolutely a thing that exists, there is a way to avoid it: read a review or two and mark the release date on your calendar (or just do what I do and check Rotten Tomatoes every Monday for a list of films being released that week). I’m not saying it’s entirely your fault for building up your expectations, but you’ve got to take some of the blame. If you end up not liking Hereditary because you don’t think it’s a good movie then there is nothing wrong with that, but if you don’t like it because it was over-hyped and it didn’t meet your expectations because you over-hyped it, then that is not a valid criticism.

Lest you think I’m scolding you with this article, it should be noted that I frequently do exactly what it is I’m telling you not to do. When The Babadook came out in 2014 I didn’t think it was anything special because I had such high expectations. The same thing happened to me with It Follows (though I have seen It Follows twice more since I saw it in theaters and I appreciate it more on each viewing). I have learned my lesson and have been working on managing my expectations ever since. I implore you to do the same. As we have discussed multiple times on this site, not every person is afraid of the same thing. Horror doesn’t have to scare you to be a horror film and we all have different ideas of what is scary. If 270 critics say that Hereditary is the scariest film they’ve seen since The Exorcist but you barely flinch while viewing it, that’s alright! But don’t take it out on the film because you thought that, based on the word of mouth you’ve been hearing for six months, it would be scarier.

It is inevitable that people will walk out of Hereditary feeling betrayed. I know that without having even seen the film because I’ve seen it happen too many times before. Just keep your expectations in check until the film is released on June 8th. Remember that there were walkouts during its premiere so not everyone will like it. Don’t obsess over reading reviews (although this one will probably give you the best idea of the type of film you are in for with minimal spoilers). Don’t watch the trailer once a day. If you do that then you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. It is very rare that the movie will live up to the version of it you have created in your mind. Go in expecting a pretty decent horror film and I bet you’ll walk out happy. Here’s the trailer if you choose not to follow my advice though:

The post [Editorial] Let’s Talk About Managing Expectations… appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

I’ve been writing for Bloody Disgusting for nearly two years now, for various other horror websites (starting with my own personal blog) for the past ten years, and I’ve been an active member of the online horror community for even longer. I spend most of my non-writing time interacting with fellow fans on social media, and one thing has become immediately clear to me in recent years: horror fans, by and large, aren’t quite sure what makes a horror movie, well, a horror movie.

Granted, there are certain films that are more action than horror and perhaps even more comedy than horror, which can make it tough to pin those movies down to one specific genre. But the sheer number of bona fide horror films that I’ve seen horror fans dismiss as “not horror movies” over the course of the past couple years, in particular, is staggering. Nearly every critically acclaimed horror film in recent years has been banished by a vocal group of fans, including The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch, Split and most recently, the now Oscar-nominated Get Out. The list goes on.

I recently penned a bit of a love letter to Mike Flanagan’s Before I Wake here on BD, and that too was dismissed in the comments section as being something less or something more than a horror film, depending on who was commenting. Some expressed that Before I Wake‘s focus on human drama made it *more* than a mere horror film – whatever the hell that really means – while others outright dismissed that it was even a horror movie at all. After all, if a movie can impact you on a deep emotional level, it surely can’t be a scary movie… right?

You can’t see my face right now, but I’m definitely rolling my eyes.

As for Get Out, which made headlines once again today for scoring multiple Academy Awards nominations, including Best freakin’ Picture, I was not at all surprised to see that our article about today’s big time victory resulted in a flurry of comments pointing out that no, actually, Get Out isn’t a horror movie. It’s a statement I’m having a lot of trouble even wrapping my head around, as the Get Out I saw was mostly definitely a horror film. Same goes for every aforementioned film, as well as nearly every film that comes up in this particular conversation – The Silence of the Lambs, to date the only horror film to ever win Best Picture, is still fighting the internet battle that Get Out is currently at the center of.

So where did so many horror fans get this idea that “horror” is a tiny box that only very specific films fit inside of, when horror has ALWAYS been a wide open playing field that allows writers and filmmakers to explore all facets of the human condition and experience? More specifically, why is Night of the Living Dead unquestionably a horror film, while a movie like Get Out is up for hot button social media debate? I’ve pondered questions such as these for quite some time, and the conclusion I’ve drawn is that it often comes down to one thing for many horror fans:

“If it didn’t scare ME, it’s not a horror movie!”

Take last year’s IT, for example, an adaptation of a terrifying Stephen King novel about a killer clown who literally eats children. Unquestionably a horror film, right? Well, believe it or not, I had many fans explain to me last year that IT actually wasn’t a horror movie! Whether they called it a “thriller,” a “supernatural fantasy,” a “dark drama” or whatever other description they were able to come up with to distance one of the genre’s biggest success stories from the genre they hold so near and dear, the sentiment that was driving those comments seemed to have been entirely derived from the fact that those fans simply were not scared by the movie. And if the killer clown movie didn’t scare them, then it wasn’t truly a horror movie.

It’s fine if any of the movies I’ve mentioned in this article didn’t scare you – what scares one person isn’t always going to scare another, it’s only natural – but to scrub them from the genre simply because they didn’t work for you, on whatever level, is to do a huge disservice to the genre at large. And if you’re going to take the stance that a horror movie, in order to be a true horror movie, needs to avoid focusing on human drama or imparting any social commentary, then guess what? George Romero didn’t make horror movies. Wes Craven didn’t either.

“Horror” is more than “killer in the woods chasing down topless teenagers,” SO MUCH MORE, and I can’t help but get a little depressed whenever an incredible horror movie is dismissed by so many fans simply because it dared to do something more than slice, dice and spew blood all over the screen. There are no rules within the horror genre, which is really the most wonderful thing about the genre. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead’s Spring and Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water may have been love stories above all else, but are they not still monster movies at the end of the day? Do they lose the right to call themselves creature features simply because there’s something more to them?

More than anything, “Horror” is a tone. A feeling. An umbrella for endless sub-genres. A deeply versatile means through which filmmakers can exorcise the demons we all deal with on a daily basis. George Romero’s flesh-eating zombies can be found in your local mall any day of the week. If you’ve been paying any attention to the news, you’d know that Jordan Peele’s racists are unfortunately all around us. Jennifer Kent’s Babadook? A representation of our grief. The titular “it” in David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows? That inescapable feeling of adolescence being shattered by the realization that death is breathing down our neck. These are all horror movies. All wonderful explorations of what horror can be, when filmmakers respect the genre enough to do more than grab the lowest hanging fruit it has to offer.

It’s time we all have that same level of respect for the genre we love. For the endless possibilities it provides. For the movies smart enough to explore those possibilities.

Slasher movies are great. But horror is so much more than blood and guts.

The post [Editorial] Horror Doesn’t Have to Scare YOU to Be Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The digital revolution that had begun to take a firm hold in the 1990s really hit its stride at the beginning of this decade thanks in no small part to the common use of Internet-connected digital devices. In 2011, Netflix split its subscription services into two offerings: one for streaming and another for physical media.  It was a move that heralded the necessity for the film industry to focus on streaming and digital media consumption. But digital didn’t just affect consumers, but filmmakers as well. Lowered production costs and a much wider array of camera choices, at cheaper prices, meant a lot more voices could enter the arena. Throw in the wider spread use of social media, where feedback became instantaneous, and the gap between fan and filmmaker became irrevocably closer.

While the digital takeover allowed for new voices to emerge, this decade also saw visionaries who’d broken onto the scene in the last decade hone their craft into mastery levels all while mentoring the next wave of horror directors, like James Wan and his Atomic Monster Productions company. Apply that to the current political, social, and economic climate and we’re left with what’s shaping up to be one of the best decades for horror (and it’s seems to only be picking up in speed). Though there’s still time left for much more fantastic horror films to arrive, here’s the best so far:

Insidious (2010)

The power duo Leigh Whannell and James Wan ring in the new decade with the birth of a new franchise, this time giving the haunted house trope a new lease on life. It’s the movie that cemented Wan’s status in horror and laid the foundational work for his later success in The Conjuring. Combining hauntings with astral projection and a uniquely imagined version of the afterlife dubbed The Further, where all its inhabitants wore the same spooky grin, made for an engrossing take. Wan and Whannell displayed a knack for delivering scares, of which Wan would soon master wholly, and Lin Shaye became the franchise scene stealer as Elise.

I Saw the Devil (2010)

A plot that sees a secret agent entering a cat and mouse game with a ruthless serial killer after the latest victim makes things personal, this screams more thriller than horror. Except, Jee-woon Kim doesn’t hold back on the viscera, unleashing a torrent of brutal violence upon the victims by the cannibalistic-rapist killer. The protagonist turns into a monster himself in his quest for revenge, creating a grueling assault on the senses. Ironically, Kim was forced to recut the film after the Korea Media Rating Board objected to the violent content, which makes you wonder just how brutal the original cut must have been.

Let Me In (2010)

This English-language adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel Let the Right One In came just two years after the Swedish film. The director’s seat was offered to Tomas Alfredson, the director of the Swedish film, before it was officially handed over to Matt Reeves, who also wrote the screenplay. Reeves managed to retain the very essence of what the original film and novel so great while making it completely his own. It’s so good, that it actually surpasses the Swedish film. I know. Bold statement, but I stand by it.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

Eli Craig flips the script on the cabin in the woods slasher by telling the story through the lens of the hillbillies who slaughter preppy college kids that cross their paths. Poor Tucker and Dale just want to vacation in their dilapidated mountain cabin alone, but these crazy college kids just keep coming around and offing themselves in gruesome ways. Gloriously bloody deaths and a clever script makes for a fun horror comedy as it is, but it’s the memorable performances of Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine as Tucker and Dale that will leave you quoting lines like, “Oh hidy ho officer, we’ve had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property.”

Sleep Tight (2011)

After creating [Rec] just a few short years prior, which was still building its franchise, Jaume Balagueró took the apartment building setting and offered a completely different type of horror. More rooted in reality, Sleep Tight is also inherently far scarier than Balagueró’s previous work. Luis Tosar’s Cesar is downright chilling in his quest to make everyone around him suffer. His fixation on Marta Etura’s Clara, for the simple reason of her being a happy person, is the stuff of nightmares. Playing on the small, seemingly mundane fears of people everywhere, Balagueró amplifies them to the most uncomfortable level. Preying on the invasion of privacy to the point where it invades your subconscious, Sleep Tight will ensure you’ll do anything but.

You’re Next (2011)

A breakout hit for director Adam Wingard and collaborator/screenwriter Simon Barrett, You’re Next subverted the home invasion sub-genre in the best possible with; by having the invaders realize they’ve bitten off more they can chew when one of the home’s guests displays a talent for fighting back. Throw in a unique sense of humor, and you’ve got the making for one of the most fun home invasion horror films ever. The satirical depiction of the Davison family is a delight, as is the ruthless cat and mouse play between Sharni Vinson’s Erin and her animal-masked invaders. The cast of notable indie horror vets like Ti West and Larry Fessenden also helped elevate this one to instant modern classic.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

This one is technically a cheat, as was made before 2010 and the bankruptcy of MGM caused the delay of release by several years. It wasn’t until 2012 (thank you, Lionsgate) that audiences could fall in love with the creative script by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. The only disappointment about the film is that it makes it impossible for a sequel, despite the endless possibilities thanks to its choose-your-own-adventure concept. At least Goddard and Whedon delivered one hell of a bloodbath finale, throwing in every conceivable creature possible; included a grotesque merman and a killer unicorn. Creative, fun, and gory, this is an all-timer.

Sinister (2012)

Inspired by a nightmare co-writer C. Robert Cargill had after watching The Ring, Cargill and director Scott Derrickson set about creating their own boogeyman. True-crime writer Ellison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) discovers the boogeyman, Bughuul, does exist when he finds a box of super 8 home movies featuring grisly family murders.  Dark and dreary with moments of humor, like the comedic “Deputy So and So,” makes for a mostly creepy watch that reminds us why children can be so scary.

The Conjuring (2013)

Any question that James Wan was officially a master of horror was erased with the release of this terrifying and heartfelt tale of Ed and Lorraine Warren’s investigation of the Perron family haunting. Modeling the cinematography and atmosphere after ‘70s horror films, Wan somehow made possession films feel new again. With a talented cast led by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine, Wan builds upon all of his previous experience and utilizes them to the fullest to deliver maximum scares all while making you care about the characters.

Evil Dead (2013)

The collective groans upon the announcement of remaking the classic 1981 film turned to collective cheers upon release of Fede Alvarez’s feature debut. Alvarez’s take on the story, which sees five friends gathered in a cabin in the woods who unwittingly unleash demons thanks to a certain book, honors the original’s bleaker take, loaded with practical effects and a literal downpour of blood. Alvarez also paid proper homage to the original in every possible way, if you only look. The car, the Michigan college nods, and more are peppered throughout. A fantastic subversion of the final girl/guy trope, and a masterful use of suspense makes it no surprise that Alvarez would become a hot commodity in horror.

We Are What We Are (2013)

Stake Land’s Nick Damici and Jim Mickle remake the effective Mexican cannibal tale for American audiences, bringing the empathetic take toward its cannibalistic clan with all of the gruesome splendor you’d expect from a cannibal story. Though, not at first. Opening with the death of the Parker family matriarch, the narrative shifts its leisure focus to the children and their struggles with family tradition versus societal expectations. It’s a slow build into a vicious finale, bolstered by a supporting performance by the always fantastic Michael Parks as Doc Barrow, a man with personal ties to one of the Parker family’s human dinners.

It Follows (2014)

David Robert Mitchell’s supernatural horror, which sees Maika Monroe’s Jay followed by an unknown entity following a sexual encounter, is one of the more divisive in horror for its lack of complete answers. Yet that’s precisely what makes this so effective. Mitchell helps his audience relate to the increasingly paranoid Jay by keeping us off-kilter. The season seems to fluctuate from fall to winter to spring and back again with each new scene, and the set details purposefully skew exactly what time period Jay’s plight takes place. That the entity could be anyone makes for a terrifying, paranoid journey with deliberate pacing. Disasterpeace’s great score is addictive and memorable.

Starry Eyes (2014)

Sure, we’ve seen films explore the horrors of aspiring fame before, but none quite so horrific and captivating as what Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch have presented. A breakout role for Alex Essoe as Sarah, the Bit Taters waitress struggling with audition after audition in hopes of making in big one day, her introduction into the Hollywood elite comes with a deadly price. The Hollywood sleaze gives way to grotesque body horror before spiraling into one brutal climax, and yet you still root for Sarah to succeed. The very idea of selling one’s soul for the thing they most covet has never been so skin-crawling.

The Witch (2015)

As divisive as it is atmospheric, Robert Eggers directorial debut is one for the ages. A detailed, authentic view of Puritanical life in the 1630s, one exiled family finds themselves torn apart by witchcraft, black magic, and possession. A breakout role for Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin’s tale is one of slow creeping dread that builds into a freeing or oppressive climax depending on how you view it. The set design and attention to details is stunning, and Black Phillip is an instant icon in horror.

Under the Shadow (2016)

Babak Anvari’s feature debut takes a chilling haunter and applies it to a small apartment building in war-torn Tehran in the 1980s. Living during an oppressive era, Shideh struggles with her place in society. With the looming threat of bombing, a husband whose work assignments have left her alone to care for their daughter, and the lurking presence of a mysterious evil, and Shideh may have reached her breaking point. A unique perspective and historical approach, combined with the fascinating mythology behind the djinn make this ghost story stand out. It helps that Anvari successfully nails his effective jump scares and permeating dread.

The Wailing (2016)

An extremely layered story by writer/director Hong-jin Na follows a bumbling policeman in a small village as it works to unravel the mystery behind a strange sickness that spreads following the arrival of a stranger. Suspicion and hysteria sets in, and the director toggles the line between supernatural and reality until an astonishing final act ties everything back together. Hong-jin Na takes the concept of possession versus police procedural and keeps the viewer guessing until the very end; a very tricky thing to do.

The Devil’s Candy (2017)

Sean Byrne’s long-awaited to The Loved Ones combined satanic forces, heavy metal, and one great family at the center of the chaos. Briskly paced, what makes The Devil’s Candy so compelling is just how much you fall for the Hellman family and how unnerving Pruitt Taylor Vince is in his role as child murderer Ray Smilie. Byrne keeps the satanic forces mostly subtle, focusing instead on Hellman patriarch Jesse’s dalliance with the devil and his sweet relationship with his daughter Zooey. The horror elements are extremely well done, but it’s that you care so much about the fate of these characters that makes The Devil’s Candy one of a kind.

Get Out (2017)

Comedian Jordan Peele blew audiences away earlier this year with his chilling directorial debut that took a blisteringly transgressive approach to his social horror. For Daniel Kaluuya’s Chris Washington, meeting his girlfriend’s family for the first time at their secluded home in the woods is daunting enough considering the interracial aspect of their relationship. But those fears are compounded ten-fold when their polite, welcoming ways masks far more sinister intentions. Peele holds up a mirror up while balancing humor with atmosphere, making for a thrilling ride.

Hounds of Love (2017)

Set in the 1980s in Perth, Australia, Ben Young’s intense debut follows a serial killing couple, John and Evelyn, which abducts young women for John to brutally rape and torture before murdering and disposing. Their latest victim, Vicki, must drive a wedge between the couple if she has any hope for survival. It’s strange to call a film of this ilk as one of the best, considering its dark subject matter, but Young’s masterful framing of his scenes combined with powerhouse performances by its trio of leads makes for one of the most compelling films that will leave you holding your breath throughout and thinking about days later.

IT (2017)

The adaptation that Stephen King fans always wanted surpassed everyone’s expectations, and it’s still kicking butt at the box office. Director Andy Muchietti balances the beating heart of the Losers Club with the terrifying menace of It, a shape-shifting evil and devourer of children that happens to like being Pennywise the clown the best. All doubts of anyone stepping into Tim Curry’s clown shoes were erased once they saw Bill Skarsgård in action.  This biggest surprise, though, is just how talented the young cast is and how much they endeared their characters to the viewer. As if the cast and scares weren’t enough, Muschietti layers in Easter eggs and nods to the source novel to up the rewatch factor even more. Bring on Part II!

Raw (2017)

What Ginger Snaps did for werewolves, Julia Ducournau’s stunning debut does for cannibals. Justine’s entry into veterinarian school introduces her to sexual desire, hazing rituals, and oh yeah, eating meat. The hunger for meat grows monstrous in Justine, causing weird body changes and barbaric behavior that may not quite be socially acceptable. Visually stunning, smart, and full of gross-out moments, Raw is an all-time modern classic and a new take on cannibalism.

The post Best Horror Movies of All Time – 2010s (So Far) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

We recently profiled a video taking a look at 10 horror movies that were “ruined” by their twist endings, but what about the ones that ended on the most perfect of high notes?

The folks over on Looper bring us “The Best Horror Movie Endings of This Century” this week, a new video that highlights the best endings from 2001 to today.

“Horror movies have to really stick the landing to last,” they write. “Whether that means coming in with a surprise twist, or an explosive event, or even a maddening cliffhanger, the final moments of any good thriller should bring together all the jump scares and eerie elements that have defined the rest of the movie.”

The site continues, “For these modern flicks, the third acts were so good that they’ll easily stand the test of time. Let’s take a look at the best horror movie endings of the century so far.”

From The Others to Get Out, watch the video below.

The post [Video] Are These the Best Horror Movie Endings of the 21st Century? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Many horror films that have come along in recent years have been heavily influenced by the work of John Carpenter, with his incredible scores being a particular source of inspiration for filmmakers who grew up admiring his work. Recent movies such as The Guest, The Void, and even The Hateful Eight owe a debt to Carpenter, and It Follows falls into that same camp.

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the critically acclaimed 2014 film centered on a young woman being pursued by a relentless supernatural force in suburbia, calling to mind the general plot of slasher films like Halloween. And It Follows certainly *felt* like Halloween in more ways than one, thanks to a retro synth score and an overall atmosphere that reminded many of Carpenter’s seminal slasher.

The atmospheric connections between Halloween and It Follows are explored in a new video essay put together by Alessio Marinacci. If you didn’t pick up on the Carpenter influence while watching It Follows, it sure is made clear when you watch sequences from the two films cut together side-by-side.

Check it out below!

The post Video Essay Shows How Much ‘Halloween’ Influenced ‘It Follows’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Earlier this week we talked about the similarities between Peter Medak’s The Changeling and The Ring, the former of which seems to have at least somewhat inspired the latter. Of course, it’s not uncommon for one movie to share a few things in common with another, but did you ever draw any parallels between The Ring and It Follows? One fan believes they’re mostly the same movie.

YouTube user Couch Tomato, who devotes most of his time to comparing two seemingly unrelated films, just released a brand new video titled “24 Reasons The Ring and It Follows Are The Same Movie,” and with Rings hitting theaters this weekend, we thought you might find it amusing. Like in The Ring, the curse in It Follows can be passed from person to person, and in both films, that curse presents itself as a creepy figure advancing towards the “infected” person. But that’s only scratching the surface of this theory, conveyed by comparing specific moments in each movie.

Some of it is admittedly silly, but it’s a fun watch nonetheless!

The post This Video Provides 24 Reasons Why ‘The Ring’ and ‘It Follows’ Are the Same Movie appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

One of the coolest things you can do as a horror fan is visit some of the filming locations seen in the movies you love. Traveling to those locations makes you feel like you’re inside of those fictional worlds; to this day, a trip several years ago to the real-life sets of 1988’s Lady in White is one of my favorite memories. I’ve always wanted to go on a cross-country road trip and visit other locations from films like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street along the way, but alas, such adventures require time and money that are both pretty hard to come by.

So let’s live vicariously through two fans who actually did it!

The Road Trip Project is a 5-minute video documenting the coolest road trip ever: the hardcore horror fans traveled to the filming locations of 15 different horror movies, and they took images of those locations as they appear today. Locales from films such as Jaws, The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist, Dawn of the Dead, and It Follows were part of the trip, and though it would of course be way cooler to see them all for yourself, we think you’ll dig this virtual road trip adventure.

Check it out below!

The post Fans Went On a Road Trip to Horror Movie Filming Locations and Made This Video appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

***SPOILERS BELOW***

Related Post: 8 of the Worst Decisions Ever Made in Horror Movies!

It Follows – Go to the Pool

When the director of the film admits that something in his own film is “the stupidest plan ever,” you know you’re in for a treat. The kids in It Follows decide the best way to defeat It is to electrocute it in the pool. It’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard, but it all goes horribly wrong when It starts throwing things at Jay (Maika Monroe). The whole thing becomes a big clusterfuck that ends with It seemingly dead in the pool, but we all know It can never die…

Dawn of the Dead – Going For the Dog

Full disclosure here: I would have gone for the dog too. I adore my pup, and the thought of me losing him in a zombie apocalypse breaks my heart. That being said, I know there are people out there who hate Nicole (Lindy Booth) for going after that dog, thereby putting herself and the people in her survivors’ group in danger. The girl just lost her father and this dog is the only thing she has left! You can’t blame her. I understand you, Nicole. Plus, Chips is cute!

Halloween: Resurrection – Stopping to Pull off the Mask

You have to appreciate what screenwriters Larry Brand and Sean Hood (did this movie need two screenwriters?) were trying to do here. After retconning the end of Halloween: H20, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is confined to a psychiatric institution when Michael Myers comes a-stalking. Before she finally kills him, she tries to pull off his mask to make sure it’s him (since it was revealed that the man she beheaded at the end if H20 was a paramedic wearing Michael’s mask). Unfortunately for Laurie, it is Michael and he stabs her and throws her off the building, killing her. The reason this decision is so infuriating is that it doesn’t make any sense. This person broke into the psychiatric facility, chased her through the halls with a knife. Even if it wasn’t Michael, she would have every right to kill him. What a useless end for such a beloved character.

The Blair Witch Project – Throwing Away the Map

The map scene is frequently made fun of among the horror community, and for good reason. Mike’s (Michael C. Williams) maniacal admission that he kicked the map in the river out of frustration is almost funny to watch. It’s also a really, really stupid decision, and one that would cost him and his friends their lives (well, unless you’ve seen Blair Witch, which gives another explanation for not being able to escape the woods).

The post 8 More of the Worst Decisions Ever Made in Horror Movies! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

*All movies listed below are in Blu-Ray format.

AMAZON

Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t really post their Black Friday deals ahead of time, but here are the best horror movie deals the site is offering at the time of this writing (Amazon changes prices constantly so some of these may already be out of date). I use Blu-Ray.com as my source since it syncs up with Amazon in real time and you can sort deals by genre (which is incredibly useful).

$5.00 or Less 

Pitch Black  – $5.00

Friday the 13th (1980) – $5.00

$10.00 or Less

Crimson Peak – $6.96

The Purge: Anarchy – $6.96

The Purge: Election Year – $6.99

Predator Triple Feature – $9.99

$15.00 or Less

Jurassic World 3D – $13.49

Krampus – $12.96

$20.00 or Less

Jack Frost – $17.99 (I’m not sure why you would pay that much for this film, but apparently it’s a steal.)

Alien Anthology – $19.99

Great Deals

Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection – $45.00

Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box – $78.99

Again, some of these may already be out of date, but you can keep up to date on the best horror Blu-Ray deals here and the lowest price horror Blu-Rays here. Blu-Ray.com is a godsend for movie buffs everywhere.

BEST BUY

John Squires already did a fantastic job covering Best Buy’s Black Friday deals here, but just in case you missed it:

$3.99

It Follows

Ex Machina

The Evil Dead (1981)

Godzilla (2014)

$5.99

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Witch

Poltergeist (2015)

Underworld

$6.99

The Conjuring 2

Lights Out

Krampus

The Forest

Annabelle

The Visit

$9.99

Jurassic World (Limited Edition)

Ghostbusters (2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane

TARGET

It’s slim-pickin’s over at Target (at least for horror movies). Maybe give this one a pass.

$4

Mad Mad: Fury Road

$9

Ghostbusters (2016)

WALMART

Again, Walmart’s ad was so difficult to read that there are probably many more deals than these at the store, but you’ll have to go there to actually find out what they are.

$5.96

Jurassic World

$9.96

The Purge: Election Year

Ghostbusters (2016)

10 Cloverfield Lane

The post Black Friday Chopping List: Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Shut up Christmas, Halloween is the most wonderful time of the year!

Watching horror movies is supposed to be fun. Yeah, I know that it’s meant to be a scary experience but why watch anything unless you get some sort of thrill out of it, right? Maybe you enjoy watching people get butchered by some crazed villain. Maybe you like seeing people fight for their lives, their will to live overriding nearly every other instinct in their body. Whatever the reason, you watch it because you enjoy it!

By now, you’ve probably watched a ton of horror movies to celebrate it being October and, therefore, Halloween season. But for those of you who are running out of ideas on what to watch, we thought we’d jump in and put together a list for you that features some horror films that are so entertaining, you’re bound to have a blast!

Now, we know that sifting through the vast ocean of released horror films can be rather daunting, so Brad and I have curated a list of films that we think are incredibly entertaining for this season, all of which can be rented on FandangoNOW!

In no particular order, here we go!

Renowned demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.

When Becca and Tyler are sent to their grandparents’ secluded Pennsylvania farm for a week-long stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple. Faced with strange rules and increasingly frightening behavior, the children soon realize it will take all their wits to make it home alive.

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.

After a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, 19-year-old Jay becomes trapped by a vicious curse – “it” is following her, and the only way to save herself is to put others in harm’s way.

Looking for work, Aaron (Patrick Brice) comes across a cryptic online ad: “$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated.” Low on cash and full of naivete, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef (Mark Duplass), his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.

Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are finding that modern life has them struggling with the mundane – like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.

Aubrey and Paul Davison decide to celebrate their wedding anniversary by inviting their four children and their significant others to a family reunion at their remote and slightly rundown weekend estate. But the family reunion goes awry when their home comes under siege by a mask-wearing team of crossbow-bearing assailants. The family has no idea who’s attacking them, why they’re under attack, or if the attackers are inside or outside the cavernous, creaking house. All they know for certain is that nobody is safe.

A secluded cabin. An ancient curse. An unrelenting evil. The original producers reunite to present a genuinely terrifying re-imagining of their original horror masterpiece. Five young friends have found the mysterious and fiercely powerful Book of the Dead. Unable to resist its temptation, they release a violent demon on a bloodthirsty quest to possess them all. Who will be left to fight for their survival and defeat this unearthly force of murderous carnage?

Former United Nations employee Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is called upon to help stop the chaotic pandemic that has gripped populations around the world. Lane fights to keep his family safe, while searching for an answer to the outbreak before it destroys all of civilization.

A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Enter a new level of Hell in this chilling Unrated version with footage too extreme for theaters… Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boyfriend (Justin Long), a hard-earned job promotion, and a bright future. But when she’s forced to make a tough decision that evicts an elderly woman from her house, Christine becomes the victim of an evil curse. Now she has only three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to hell for an eternity of unthinkable torment. Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man and The Evil Dead trilogy) returns to the horror genre with a vengeance in this crazy and terrifying film.

In a terrifying tale of the American Dream gone horribly wrong, residents of a picture-perfect Midwestern town begin to succumb to an uncontrollable urge for violence when a mysterious toxin in the water supply turns everyone exposed to it into mindless killers. Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant), his pregnant wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), Becca (Danielle Panabaker), an assistant at the medical center, and Russell (Joe Anderson), Dutton’s deputy and right-hand man, find themselves trapped in a once idyllic town they can no longer recognize. Unable to trust former neighbors and friends, deserted by the authorities and terrified of contracting the illness themselves, they are forced to band together in a nightmarish struggle for survival in this reinvention of the George Romero classic.

Nerdy college student Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived the plague that has turned mankind into flesh-devouring zombies because he’s scared of just about everything. Gun-toting, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) has no fears. Together, they are about to stare down their most horrifying challenge yet: each other’s company.

It is said that Halloween is the night when the dead rise to walk among us and other unspeakable things roam free. The rituals of All Hallows Eve were devised to protect us from their evil mischief, and one small town is about to be taught a terrifying lesson that some traditions are best not forgotten. Nothing is what it seems when a suburban couple learns the dangers of blowing out a Jack-o-Lantern before midnight; four women cross paths with a costumed stalker at a local festival; a group of pranksters goes too far and discovers the horrifying truth buried in a local legend; and a cantankerous old hermit is visited by a strange trick-or-treater with a few bones to pick. Costumes and candy, ghouls and goblins, monsters and mayhem…the tricks and treats of Halloween turn deadly as strange creatures of every varietyhuman and otherwisetry to survive the scariest night of the year.

Explore your worst fears imaginable with this shocking suspense thriller inspired by disturbing true events. After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and a haunting voice, Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt’s (Scott Speedman) remote getaway becomes a psychological night of terror as three masked strangers invade. Now they must go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.

You Scream. You Die. Dare to unlock the deadly curse of Mary Shaw. From the writers and director of Saw comes a new thriller of relentless terror! Ever since Mary Shaw was hunted down and killed, the small town of Ravens Fair has been haunted by horrific deaths. When a local’s wife is brutally murdered, he returns home to unravel the terrifying legend of Mary Shaw and the reason why when you see her, you should never, ever scream.

Based on Wes Craven’s 1977 suspenseful cult classic, The Hills Have Eyes is the story of a family road trip that goes terrifyingly awry when the travelers become stranded in a government atomic zone. Miles from nowhere, the Carter family soon realizes the seemingly uninhabited wasteland is actually the breeding ground of a blood-thirsty mutant family…and they are the prey.

Obsessed with teaching his victims the value of life, a sadistic serial killer abducts the morally wayward and forces them to play a horrific game in order to survive. The victims must fight or die trying…

Heart-pounding action and bone-chilling thrills power this edgy, electrifying fright-fest where a handful of human survivors wage a desperate, last-stand battle against flesh-eating zombies.

In director Danny Boyle’s zombie-horror update, a powerful virus has escaped from a British research facility and it locks those infected into a permanent state of zombie rage. Jim wakes up alone in a hospital 28 days after the virus has spread throughout the world. Walking through the empty streets, he is attacked by a group of zombies, but he is quickly saved by two human survivors. Jim soon joins with the rest of the survivors, including a band of soldiers, and together they begin their attempts to salvage a future. But will the plague that has infected mankind claim the last human beings?

The two biggest icons of the slasher genre finally meet in Freddy Vs. Jason in a frightening showdown in hell! Banished there for eternity, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) devises a plan to manipulate Jason into continuing his work, hacking up the teenagers of Elm Street. All goes well at first until Jason realizes he’s been duped by the dream master, and is none too pleased. Coaxed by surviving teenagers Will (Jason Ritter), Lori (Monica Keena), and Kia (Kelly Rowland), Jason and Freddy descend up Crystal Lake for a battle royale!

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2) is Ichabod Crane, an eccentric investigator determined to stop the murderous Headless Horseman. Christina Ricci ( Monster) is Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful and mysterious girl with secret ties to the supernatural terror.

After a series of mysterious deaths befalls their small town, an offbeat group of friends led by Sidney Prescott (Campbell) become the target of a masked killer in this smash-hit that launched the Scream franchise.

The devil will find work for idle hands to do… but what happens when he chooses the laziest teen slacker in the world to do his dirty work? Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa, Wild America) is a channel-surfing, junk-food munching, couch potato burn-out who can’t control the murderous impulses of his recently possessed hand. With the help of his zombiefied buddies, Mick (Seth Green, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) and Pnub (Elden Henson, The Mighty), Anton’s got to stop the rampaging devil appendage before it takes total control of his life and ruins any chance he has with class hottie Molly (Jessica Alba, Never Been Kissed). Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day) and Jack Noseworthy (The Brady Bunch Movie) co-star in this wickedly funny horror comedy.

In the sleepy little town of Fairwater, a monstrous evil has awakened…an evil so powerful, its reach extends beyond the grave. Director Peter Jackson and Executive Producer Robert Zemeckis unleash a riveting thriller with the most spectacular special effects this side of the hereafter. For Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), death is a great way to make a living: ridding haunted houses of their “unwelcome” guests. But he’s in cahoots with the very ghosts he promises to evict! It’s the perfect scam…until Frank finds himself at the center of a dark mystery. A diabolical spirit is on a murderous rampage, and the whole town believes Frank is behind it. Boasting music by Danny Elfman and co-starring Trini Alvarado, Jeffrey Combs and John Astin, this supernatural chiller is so fiendishly entertaining, it’s scary!

From Academy Award®-winning director Francis Ford Coppola comes the remake of the classic and chilling tale about the devastatingly seductive Transylvanian prince (Gary Oldman) who travels from Eastern Europe to 19th century London in search of human love. After centuries alone in his crumbling castle, Dracula’s taste for humanity has grown bold with desire, drawing him out of seclusion. When the charismatic Dracula meets Mina (Winona Ryder), a young woman who appears as the reincarnation of his lost love, the two embark on a journey of romantic passion and horror. Using “illusionary” special effects and the considerable talents of his cast, Coppola has orchestrated a fresh and provocative presentation of the story, while remaining uncommonly true to the source material.

Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred pedophile who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killers’ teenage children — and the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep. Starring Academy Award-nominee and Golden Globe-winner Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, “Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy”), Golden Globe-winner John Saxon (“Enter the Dragon”, “The Appaloosa”), Heather Langenkamp (TV’s “Just the Ten of Us”) and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger (“Urban Legend”, “The Mangler”).

John Carpenter delivers the ultimate in alien terror in this chilling story about an Antarctic research team that discovers a form-changing alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years.

When Max (Taissa Farmiga) and her friends reluctantly attend an anniversary screening of “Camp Bloodbath”, the infamous ‘80s horror film that starred Max’s late mother (Malin Akerman), they are mysteriously sucked into the silver screen. They soon realize they are trapped inside the cult classic movie and must team up with the fictional and ill-fated camp counselors, including Max’s mom as the scream queen, to battle the film’s machete-wielding killer. With the body count rising in scene after iconic scene, who will be the final girls left standing and live to escape this film?

Ten years ago, a horrifying family incident left two young children orphans. Although authorities charged the brother with murder, his sister believed that the true culprit was a haunted antique mirror. Now completely rehabilitated and in his 20s, the brother is ready to move on but his sister is determined to prove that the haunted mirror was responsible for destroying their family.

The post 31 Incredibly Entertaining Horror Movies appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Blending It Follows with Tokyo Gore Police, “Weaponized” follows a young gay man who contracts an STI after sleeping with a stranger. The STI manifests itself as a weapon, a living gun, on the young man instead of killing him, as it has done with countless others beforehand. As Thompson explains, “…sexually transmitted infections are secretly responsible for the world’s entire supply of weapons. The remains of the infected dead are used to create guns, until one young man becomes the exception.”

Below is the first chapter. If you dig what you read, you can pre-order your copy via Inkshare.

I – THE STALK RETURNS

Cron reflected on the erotic nature of his weaponized flesh. He now knew the secret. It had been stewing his mind as he sat patiently on the piss-stained floor of a disgusting concrete boat. He’d been there for three hours now. Between musings, he watched as the walls wept with brown stains. The place seemed alive as it rocked its way across the dead ocean. It made Cron’s brain feel exposed. It had been six days since it happened and his whole body hadn’t stopped throbbing. His feet were steadily losing feeling from the pulse coursing through him but he could still feel the cold water creeping up through the soles of his shoes. That was at least something.

This was his time, he reassured himself, he had become something more. He was sure of it.

There were men at the door. Beating on it. Cron had no fear of them, of course, because they had no idea what he now was. His hands balled into paws as the men outside kept hurling themselves at the door. The old boat wouldn’t hold for long.

Wood splintered as the door flung open. A pale rendition of what used to be two men stepped inside. These men were creatures that looked as if all their internal organs were decoratively rearranged on the outside of their bodies. Their eyes were lidless, their jaws were broken – hanging agape, their ears were torn off, and their spines were snapped. They hung in the doorway like broken marionettes obliging a swelling silence.
They were armed. The bones in their fingers were wrapped around swords made from sharpened spinal cords. A noisy and aged weapon, thought Cron. Cron had seen spinal swords as long as twenty years ago. The things were nearly archaic by today’s standards. All the same, these creatures pointed their weapons steady handed. “You’re an illegal,” they said in unison.

They crossed the room suddenly. They were certain in their head-on assault as they swung at Cron. It seemed like the most foolhardy tactic imaginable.

Cron pulled his fingers across the floor, shouting obscenities at these creatures, an endless stream of them, he flowed across the room like the stink of the rancid ocean water. He wouldn’t succumb to these inside-out men. Knowing that thought made what came next easy. He sprung onto his feet. The creatures stood agape. Cron watched as the air crossed the bridge between their stomachs and throats. He reveled in this eager moment, planning his counter-attack.
Cron gasped. He thought he was ready for this but his wasn’t. An otherworldly will touched him. It snaked its way down his throat through his stomach and into his pelvis. A terrible pain came with it. It stopped his defiant voice dead in its tracks. A disgusting beast moaned to life inside of his arm. The hot pain in his pelvis disappeared and was replaced by a violent gag. Fragments of bone broke through the skin on his wrist. The inside out men were about to see that there was something hidden beneath his flesh. He couldn’t wait to show them his secret.

Cron’s fingers clicked and waddled out of their usual places in a beautiful choreography. Three of them flicked onto the back of his palm. His index and middle fingers remained behind. Even though the pain was immense, nothing felt wrong. Everything happening was in the spirit of a defiant beauty — a higher purpose. A new form of being. Cron knew he was stepping out of the comparative safety of his old life in this moment.

Cron stood there for a long while basking in his pain. Staring at the new configuration of his mutilated hand brought him a great pleasure that he wasn’t previously aware of. This was the agonizing presence he had waited for. The thought made his cheeks flush with excitement. This was his infection, it had taken hold. He longed to be dying like this, he longed to become a weapon. Seeing his new hand, his Aard as they called it, made him weep. He counted his tears amongst the enlightened. He had become a walking weapon, he had taken to the infection and survived, he had become a Stalk.

Each of the weird men standing before Cron took a step back.

“He’s matured,” they said in unison.

Cron’s heart was fit to burst. He was near death, of that much he was certain. The squalid interior of the boat felt empty in that moment, but Cron raised the new rough post he called an Aard and pointed it at the decorative men. The biological nakedness of their construction was unflinching under Cron’s aim.

“How did you find me so soon?” Cron asked.

“We track all beings, living and dead.” The men replied.

They had somehow heard Cron’s voice, despite their lack of ears. Cron made note of this. Each of them cranked their head with some difficulty and attentively stared at the door. Cron’s body seethed. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but stare at what used to be his hand. A new opening had bloomed in it’s place like some exquisite plant. He loved his infection. He loved what it made him — dangerous.

“The Stalk is insatiable,” one of the men said to the other.

A key turned in the lock of Cron’s new hand. He felt his entire body cross the room. He strained as the veins in his arms pumped something down to his wrist. He felt heat flush its way across the back of his palm. He watched as white liquid shot out from somewhere within his deformed hand. It flew across the room in milky strands boring a hole through the first attacker’s face.
Despite appearing to be inside out the man was all real flesh. The milky strands of liquid hit with a sickening splash. A putrid smell burst from the hole like rancid chicken thighs left in the sun. Either the flesh was rotting or Cron’s attack made it that way, he couldn’t be sure. After a few seconds of watching in awe, the sunken form of the attacker melted into a mess on the floor.

The next execution was much less spectacular as he hit the fleeing inside-out man from behind. Again his arm pulsed and popped like a cherry and celebrated with white strands of liquid. Cron couldn’t be sure if this animated act of death was one of gestation or maturation but it didn’t matter. The weird creature sputtered from the impact. The shot caused the inside-out man’s chest to hit the disgusting wall of the boat. The sound of his lungs popping from the impact was unmistakable. The man slumped against the wall like a heap of rancid meat. His form was left smeared across the stained concrete.

In his innocence, Cron thought this was all just another bad dream, but his artful execution of these decoratively rearranged men felt too fatal to be whimsy.

Cron’s joints were stiff, his movements were painful, but still he swam into the early morning daylight. My god, he thought, keep going. He was exasperated, as he plodded along in the water toward some deserted beach. Humid air, wetness, and the stink of manure stretched in every direction. He couldn’t believe he had finally made it.

He pulled himself onto the shore and narrowed his eyes on the pale horizon in the distance. This was a feeble attempt to fix his focus on something other than his throbbing hand, but the humid haze only obscured his vision. He hunched over his knees threw up in the sand. This all meant something and nothing at the same time. A few hours before, all of this would have frustrated Cron. Now he felt like a messiah. He felt as if he could do something here. He felt compelled to free the people of this remote island.

On the mainland Truog Island was a known as a lifeless mound of stone. Calling it a shit pile in the middle of the dead ocean was a compliment. Most people had no idea it was actually a backwards oasis nestled in the armpit of the mainland. In fact most people thought it was nothing more than a glorified weapons warehouse but it wasn’t. It was a god-loving place where faith and fear were abundant. Truog had plenty of fish in the sea around its shores, and bountiful crops in the dirt. Cron could think of no use for a place like this, except this strange rock held the heart of The Human Registry.

It wasn’t any more glamorous than it sounded. It was supposed to be a giant place that held information of every living person on the mainland. Nothing more than a server on a rock. It merely existed to “add context and information to everyday acts of humanity.” Which basically meant, they control all information pertaining to social, scientific and sexual facts of the residents on the mainland. Now Cron couldn’t help let the images of The Registry’s propaganda flow around him like canal water past a stone. What was happening to him, it certainly wasn’t part of this context and information tracked by The Registry, and this place, it certainly wasn’t abandoned.

Coming here meant Cron could better understand his new condition. He heard the island held the truth to all infection. Infection and industry were synonymous there, but the stalk, the stalk was extinct. Cron was a living exception to a deadly virus. He’d be hailed as a hero from a bygone era. A legend in the new flesh. He seemed to feel instantly exonerated for his crimes against nature, although he knew the same perennial demons would soon try to kill him.

The borders of Truog were tightly patrolled but he heard rumors of an underground railroad for infected like him. A triple triangle symbol meant he was safe. It was as vague and stupid as it sounded. He couldn’t help but picture the Legend of Zelda, but his mentor told him to take things more seriously. Whatever.

He was desperate for clothing, and the weird consignment shop on the edge of town had a sandwich board sign with this coveted token of safety he was taught to seek. He entered the store seeking the vintage clothing he needed to fit in on Truog.

The old woman working at the store was sympathetic to his condition. She was kind enough to take him past the guarded borders in her state. She drove him into an area of the island outgrown by the middle-class seasonal workforce. The other more utilitarian states were quickly becoming the hipper parts of town. The old woman told him to avoid the buzz of gossip in the interior, he had to blend in, no one came on or off the island and his secrets wouldn’t be safe anywhere else but under the cover of quiet. She found him a room in an old apartment complex teetering on demolition.

Cron was not all that surprised by the reluctance of his new island landlords. These were strange circumstances and they were surely in the pockets of The Registry. Everyone was here. It took a measure of imagination – a faculty not very abundant on Truog Island – to look past his weird situation. He was a muscular, single, black teenage kid. No one knew his father or his mother so he couldn’t use social currency.

He tried to rent his own apartment, and his strange hand had to be concealed at all times. He hadn’t stopped transforming and his mutation was becoming much more complex than he originally envisioned. After a fair deal of convincing he landed an old run down bachelor in Stratford Heights.

Once settled Cron was eager to off-load his old personality as speedily as possible. He enrolled in Sherwood Hills High. Happily meeting Principal Anson who had told him that his “family situation” was regrettable, but fate had brought them together. Anson was a plain man, ordinary in his grey suit appearance with a floating drone camera hovering over his shoulder as the only exception. He took great pride in running the only High School on the Island. It was a position of great importance that allowed him to sit on the local board of government as a “Permit.” This was something Cron only knew a little of, but enough to know there was 12 of them, each assigned to a different state of the strange island, and each with their own role to play in some ongoing reality television series. He gave Cron a glowing look of appraisal above the facade of his joyless features. The roughly cyclical little camera floated above them, intending to be an objective lens of observation, but clearly controlled by Anson. Such was the majesty of “reality television,” Cron thought.

“Welcome to Sherwood Hills High. I’m Permit Anson. But you can call me Principal Anson. Or just Mr. A.” Permit Anson said with a forced smile. He looked over his shoulder to the camera flashing the lens a thumbs up.

“I’ve only got ten minutes,” Cron said.

“Fine,” Anson replied. “I just want you here on Monday. You’ll be assigned a career, and given a home room based on your assignment.”

“Thank you. I’ll be here bright and early,” Cron responded.

That was a lie.

Cron spent his nights bathed in the darkness of his new apartment. He didn’t have time to buy furniture or turn on the lights. He was too preoccupied by a thick tapping in his skull. It crept up on him in the last few days and bore into his being.

In the thickness of this sourceless rhythmless tapping, he tried to learn more about the disgusting strong-arm he had been developing since arriving on the island. The bones in his hand creaked and clattered around the tile floor of his shitty apartment. He knew this misshapen husk was called an Aard, and he knew that his gestation made him inhuman. It made him the most profound type of creature there was, something not usurped by the past, but a clumsy term, he was a living weapon.

“Open sesame,” he murmured with some satisfaction as he hauled his deformed stump from its gloved prison. The sick sound of the wet mass slinking out of it’s glove lingered in his deserted bedroom with globs of fluid. He looked down at his remaining fingers. They had collected into an inhospitable design and had become hollow. They now looked like the weird barrel of a flesh pistol.

Every night he thought of looking inside his now hollow fingers but it could be no more than a morbid curiosity. He was too fearful of what he might find.

As the first months of school went by so too did Cron’s metamorphosis. The skin on deformed his hand had since lifted with the damp onslaught of winter. Beneath the skin there was a pattern of new white ceramic looking bones, arranged in the intricate and complex shape of the triple triangle. Every night he returned home from school, he learnt more about this weapon, about his evolution, and it ruined him. There was an air of destitution to his existence now.

The tapping in his head became too much. It had crippled his curiosity and the striking hole in his fingers glistened with the allure of reprieve. It was too much to handle.

He finally looked into the barrel of his hand. Inside his Aard was a collection of shining tiles, and cunning mosaic that were worked into his form, and spirit. He didn’t quite understand it all, but the echoing mausoleum inside his hand was atmospheric when viewed through his white skin. Inspiring. In a moment, the tapping in his ears matured into a calling.

He paused after a long night in front of his palm. The tapestry of kaleidoscopic imagery inside his deformed hand had shown him his place in the world. He had quelled the rhythmless tap. This infection in his hand had showed him horrendous scenes from history – hollow humans, weaponization of organic remains, and a race of people waiting to die. Cron grunted appreciatively. His young mind had been given a fickle sense of purpose. He would help spread the infection, and connect more people to his cause. He would lead a rebirth of the Stalk.

The post Support a Bloody Disgusting Writer and Pre-Order Your Copy of ‘Weaponized’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Horror fans were recently graced with the international release of Robert Eggers’ debut film, The Witch, which stunned audiences with its atypical approach to horror, the likes of which we have rarely been seen since Kubrick first tackled the genre. While the film was nearly unanimously praised by critics, and a sly marketing campaign resulted in an unexpected box-office success, general audience reaction was divisive, at best. Many moviegoers were put off by the film’s pacing, and others were even offended by its religious undertones. The most common complaint about what was marketed as one of the scariest films of all time, however, was that it simply wasn’t scary enough.

This isn’t the first time that a film has generated this kind of controversy, nor will it be the last. The celebrated It Follows suffered a similar fate once faced with a wide release. Despite receiving rave reviews from the festival circuit, most moviegoers weren’t impressed by David Robert Mitchell’s retro thriller. Could film critics and general audiences be so out of touch with each other that they would generate these contradictory opinions, or is there something more to it? Though I personally thought that both It Follows and The Witch were creepy films with more than enough menacing atmosphere to haunt viewers long after the credits rolled, the more important question here is: “Can and should horror movies only be judged by how scary they are?”

Horror films are defined by dealing with horrific and unnatural elements like murder and the supernatural, but that’s an incredibly broad classification. There are certain super-hero films that could fall into this category, not to mention most crime thrillers and action films in general. Swarchzenneger’s Commando would obviously be a proto-slasher film if it were presented from the point of view of one of the antagonist’s henchmen. This is why perspective may be one of the most important elements of a horror movie, as fear and horror are extremely subjective and can’t be consistently quantified. Some people are absolutely terrified by jump scares, while others have nightmares about being slowly stalked by immortal serial killers.

Is this not scary enough for you?

These differences are responsible for the various sub-genres present within horror, be it the proverbial gothic ghost story or grindhouse slashers. This is where things get complicated, however, as some of these films don’t rely on fear at all to be effective. No one is actually afraid of Jason Voorhees anymore, and ‘torture-porn’ movies like Eli Roth’s Hostel franchise work with disgust and morbid fascination instead of fear, not to mention respect for the special effects work and creative kills. Even horror classics like The Exorcist don’t really hold up in the scare department nowadays, unless you’re a devout catholic. In fact, almost everyone can agree that The Shining is an absolutely amazing film, but it’s not the scares that make so many people remember it after so long, it’s the fact that it’s a well-made movie!

Regardless of horror, “classic” movies have many elements in common. From relatable characters to well-developed plots and presentation, these films transcend their initial release with timeless stories and memorable moments that continue to be appreciated through the ages. Though many of the snobbier critics out there might disagree, horror movies work the same way as other genre pictures, and do not depend on vague definitions of specific emotions or story-beats to be successful. Horror movies shouldn’t just be about scares, so how can we judge them only based on that characteristic?

We remember Young Frankenstein as one of the greatest comedy films of all times (and it certainly deserves that honor), but it stands the test of time due to Mel Brooks’ impeccable direction, not just the plentiful jokes. These directing skills were acquired through an insane amount of love and respect towards the Universal Monsters and what Brooks perceived to be the filmmaking giants that preceded him. Gene Wilder’s performance also further elevates the film, but that could be said about most, if not all of his roles. This amounts to a love-letter towards a certain kind of film, and almost anyone can appreciate this level of dedication to something, despite the laughs.

It may seem that I’m needlessly bashing scary movies here in favor of “superior” intellectual films, but that’s not the case. There certainly is an important place for fear in the film industry, it’s just not the only criteria through which horror movies should be judged (or made, for that matter). Audiences should not be angry at a film because it wasn’t scary enough for them, they should be angry if the film built around said scares was a hollow shell of what decent cinema should look like. If people only want sudden scares with no regard for other aspects of filmmaking or even storytelling in general, there are tons of incredible YouTube videos and other media with jump-scares and gore as far as the eye can see. Even videogames are an option, though scary games have greatly evolved from their primitive survival-horror roots.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t want to be scared by movies, or value the ones that manage to do so. Everyone has the right to like and dislike certain media based on their own personal views and opinions, and that’s a good thing. It makes the medium grow and adapt in order to become what society wants to see. There is a place for every kind of genre or sub-genre, no matter how niche it may seem, and no particular way of making art is inherently better than another. Nevertheless, if we want to break the cycle of generic horror movies that come out every year, pandering to the lowest common denominator and preventing more creative films from being produced, fans of horror should celebrate the release of unique horror films. Even if they don’t particularly enjoy this specific kind of story, it’s important that horror hounds use their voice (and wallets) to help improve the current state of scary movies.

Whether or not you enjoyed and/or were scared by The Witch, and other similar films, is entirely up to you, and there’s no right opinion on the matter. However, it’s important to realize that horror movies are so much more than just the sum of creepy atmosphere, jump-scares, murderers and other scary elements. They’re a tool through which artists can tell terrifying and sometimes even thought-provoking stories. Like any tool, it can be used to make good or bad things, but it’s up to us to gently push the genre to where it can grow and become even better. Whether or not we’re scared by these movies shouldn’t be the only thing we care about.

The post How Important Are Scares to Horror Movies? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The film is a modern crime thriller and will be set in Los Angeles. Michael De Luca, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, and Adele Romanski will all be acting as producers. The film will be offered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The post ‘It Follows’ Director Nabs Andrew Garfield For Next Film appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.