The 1997 Japanese animated psychological horror thriller is directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai, based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

“Following rumors that the original 35mm camera negative was accidentally destroyed, the Letterboxd exclusive premiere of the picture’s 4K restoration is nothing short of a miracle,” Letterboxd writes. “The film was originally conceived as a live-action feature — but there’s something so deeply intoxicating about these visuals that it’s impossible to imagine it any other way.”

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered.

Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows.​

Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, and Shiho Niiyama lead the Japanese voice cast, while the English dub features Ruby Marlowe and Wendee Lee.

The Perfect Blue 4K restoration is also available on collector’s edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray via GKIDS.

The post ‘Perfect Blue’ 4K Restoration Hits Letterboxd Video Store Tomorrow appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

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

Chain Reactions – December 2

Chain Reactions will be released on Blu-ray mediabook on December 2 exclusively from Dark Sky Selects for $35.98.

The documentary is accompanied by eight rare versions of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, along with a 24-page booklet with exclusive photos and essays.

Disc 1 – Chain Reactions:

• Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Alexandre O. Philippe
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Outtakes
• Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre:

• 16mm Overscan Print (85 mins)
• 16mm ‘BBQ Edition’ Print (84 mins)
• 35mm Grindhouse Print (80 mins)
• 1984 K-Tel Australian VHS (85 mins)
• K-Tel Australian Trailer

Disc 3 – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre:

• 1981 Wizard Video VHS (84 mins)
• 1987 Bootleg Czechoslovakian VHS (69 mins)
• 1978 Super 8mm Print (Iver Film Services) (22 mins)
• 1980s Slovakian Betamax (83 mins)

In the 1974 genre-defining masterpiece, five youths traveling through rural Texas fall prey to a butcher in a mask made of human skin and his cannibalistic family.

Tobe Hooper directs from a script he co-wrote with Kim Henkel. Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Allen Danziger, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, and Jim Siedow star.

In Chain Reactions, master of horror Stephen King, actor/comedian Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire), Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer), Australian film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and director Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation) each discuss their memories and experiences with the horror classic.

Alexandre O. Philippe (The People vs. George Lucas, 78/52, Memory: The Origins of Alien) directs.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Chain Reactions is a love letter to Texas Chain Saw Massacre and its grander impact on horror and film. It’s also such a glowing celebration of the power of cinema and its ability to open minds and bring people to new worlds, as glib as that may seem.”

American Psycho – December 9

American Psycho is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a 4K Ultra HD release on December 9, available exclusively from Lionsgate Limited for $39.99.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis‘s controversial 1991 novel, the 2000 satirical serial killer thriller is presented uncut in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

The outer box design features the iconic photo of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman by Martin Schoeller. It houses a CD jewel case modeled after Huey Lewis and the News‘ Sports with art direction by the album’s original photographer Bennett Hall.

The set also includes five replica business cards (Patrick Bateman, Paul Allen, Timothy Bryce, David Van Patten, Luis Carruthers), a faux credit card, and a faux video store membership card.

New special features:

• Savage Satire: American Psycho at 25
• A World of Perfect Surfaces: Visual Aesthetic
• An Amuse-Bouche: Main Title
• Q&A with Writer-Director Mary Harron (2025)

Archival special features:

• Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Mary Harron (original)
• Audio Commentary by Writer-Director Mary Harron (2018)
• Audio Commentary by Writer Guinevere Turner
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Mary Harron
• American Psycho: From Book to Screen
• The ’80s: Downtown
• Berlin Festival 2000
• Conversation with Christian Bale
• EPK Featurette
• Killer Looks
• Pseudo Psycho 2000 Promotional Campaign
• Trailers, Teasers, TV Spots

Patrick Bateman is a young, handsome, Harvard-educated, Wall Street success, seemingly perfect with his stunning fiancée and entourage of high-powered friends. But his circle of friends doesn’t know the other Patrick Bateman, the one who lusts for women, wealth, and the ultimate crime ― murder!

Mary Harron directs from a script she co-wrote with Guinevere Turner (BloodRayne), who also appears in the film.

Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Samantha Mathis, Matt Ross, Bill Sage, Chloë Sevigny, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon round out the cast.

Battle Royale – December 9

Battle Royale is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray release on December 9, available exclusively from Lionsgate Limited for $39.99.

Featuring artwork by Oliver Barrett, the four-disc set includes both the 113-minute theatrical version and the 121-minute director’s cut in 4K with DolbyVision HDR.

New special features:

• Kenta Fukasaku on Battle Royale
• Battle Royale: The Ripples of Violence

Director’s Cut legacy special features:

• The Making of Battle Royale
• Battle Royale Press Conference
• Instructional Video: Birthday Version
• Audition & Rehearsal Footage
• Special Effects Comparison

Theatrical Version legacy special features:

• Tokyo International Film Festival 2000
• Battle Royale Documentary
• Basketball Scene Rehearsals
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
• Filming on Set
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Special Edition TV Spot
• Tarantino TV Spot

In the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared, and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation’s youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law: Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and kill each other until there is only one survivor left.

The 2000 Japanese dystopian thriller is directed by Kinji Fukasaku and written by Kenta Fukasaku, based on the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami.

Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarō Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama, Kou Shibasaki, Masanobu Andō, and Beat Takeshi lead the ensemble cast.

Perfect Blue – December 23

Perfect Blue will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on December 23 via GKIDS.

The influential 1997 Japanese anime horror thriller has been remastered in 4K. The 3-disc collector’s edition comes with a 128-page booklet, 10 art cards, and a quad poster.

Special features:

• Original Definition Feature
• 3 Satoshi Kon Lectures
• “Angel of Your Heart” Recording Session
• “Angel of Your Heart” English Version
• Interview With Director Satoshi Kon
• Interview With Japanese Voice Actor Junko Iwao
• Interview With English Voice Actor Ruby Marlow
• Interview With English Voice Actor Wendee Lee
• Interview With English Voice Actor Bob Marks
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Promotional Video Edited By Satoshi Kon
• Rex Logo Trailer
• Madhouse Logo Trailer
• GKIDS Trailer
• Shudder Trailer

Also included:

• 128-page booklet
• 10 art cards
• 40×30 quad poster

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered.

Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows.​

Satoshi Kon directs from a script by Sadayuki Murai, based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, and Shiho Niiyama lead the Japanese voice cast, while the English dub features Ruby Marlowe and Wendee Lee.

Black Phone 2 – December 23

Black Phone 2 will be released on 4K Ultra, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 23 via Universal.

Scott Derrickson is back in the director’s chair for the sequel to his 2021 film with a script he co-wrote with frequent collaborator C. Robert Cargill.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary by Director/Co-writer Scott Derickson
• 7 Deleted Scenes
• Dialed in: The Cast of Black Phone 2 – Get to know the actors whose creative decisions and personal connections breathe life into a wide range of characters
• A Story Carved in Ice – From breathtaking stunts to grotesque prosthetic work, a look at the immense creative and technical effort required to bring this viscera thriller to life
• Frozen in Time – Dreamlike settings collide with unnerving terror in this behind-the-scenes look at the frightening set

As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, his headstrong 15-year-old sister, Gwen, begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake.

Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family’s history.

Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

Ethan Hawke stars as The Grabber alongside Madeleine McGraw, Mason Thames, Miguel Mora, and Jeremy Davies, Demián Bichir, Arianna Rivas, Maev Beaty, and Graham Abbey.

“Black Phone 2 doesn’t just take a bigger, bolder approach; it’s a complete subgenre shift,” Meagan Navarro wrote in her review. “A strong vision and unique interpretation of horror classics, combined with a tremendous cast, ensure Black Phone 2 surpasses its predecessor in just about every way.”

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

Peruse our archive of must-have horror releases.

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

The 1997 animated psychological horror thriller has been remastered in 4K. The 3-disc collector’s edition comes with a 128-page booklet, 10 art cards, and a quad poster.

Special features:

• Original Definition Feature
• 3 Satoshi Kon Lectures
• “Angel of Your Heart” Recording Session
• “Angel of Your Heart” English Version
• Interview With Director Satoshi Kon
• Interview With Japanese Voice Actor Junko Iwao
• Interview With English Voice Actor Ruby Marlow
• Interview With English Voice Actor Wendee Lee
• Interview With English Voice Actor Bob Marks
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Promotional Video Edited By Satoshi Kon
• Rex Logo Trailer
• Madhouse Logo Trailer
• GKIDS Trailer
• Shudder Trailer

Also included:

• 128-page booklet
• 10 art cards
• 40×30 quad poster

Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered.

Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima’s reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows.​

Satoshi Kon directs from a script by Sadayuki Murai, based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, and Shiho Niiyama lead the Japanese voice cast, while the English dub features Ruby Marlowe and Wendee Lee.

The post Influential Horror Anime ‘Perfect Blue’ Stalks Collector’s Edition 4K UHD in December appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Animation to me is the purest form of art, and it’s been kidnapped by a bunch of hoodlums. We have to rescue it. [And] I think that we can Trojan-horse a lot of good shit into the animation world,” del Toro candidly told the outlet. He’s not wrong; a rich world of stunning animation exists beyond films targeting young audiences. That includes horror, of course.

This week’s streaming picks highlight the storytelling that animation can achieve and the various techniques and styles employed to capture them. These five animated horror movies vary in tone and style, from stop-motion to 2D traditional and beyond, finding haunting beauty in grim realities.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Attack of the Demons – Plex, Prime Video, Screambox

Set around Halloween in 1994, Barrington, Colorado, is kicking off its annual music festival, drawing in attendees from out of town. After centuries of planning, a demonic cult uses the headlining band as ground zero to unleash a horde of mutating demons to destroy humankind. It’s up to a trio of non-demon hunters to thwart the demon apocalypse. Director Eric Power infuses many horror influences into a charming comedic tale told through his painstaking process of cut-paper stop-motion animation. The vibrant art style and light-hearted horror that wears its influences on its sleeves makes for a more accessible intro to animated horror. 

Belladonna of Sadness – Kanopy

Directed and co-written by Eiichi Yamamoto and inspired by Jules Michelet’s 1862 non-fiction book La Sorcière, Belladonna straightaway shatters any expectations for an uplifting animated movie. It follows Jeanne, a village girl who’s raped on her wedding night by a tyrannical warlord, an event that causes a ripple effect on her and her husband Jean’s lives. As things grow worse, she makes a pact with the devil for the power to fight back against injustice. Belladonna offers a strange juxtaposition of soft, delicate artwork against the lurid, dark subject matter. Expect a psychedelic trip into madness, turning a straightforward narrative into something far more abstract and bizarre. A stunning masterwork that defies easy categorization and expectations.

Perfect Blue – AMC+, Shudder

For most horror fans, the psychologically twisted Perfect Blue ranks at the top of the list for animated horror geared toward adults. Based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue is an incredible directorial feature debut by Satoshi Kon. The story follows Mima Kirigoe, a J-pop idol who decides to go solo and instead finds herself struggling with identity, voyeurism, and an intense stalker. A visually lush depiction of a fractured mind in the wake of overwhelming pressures makes for a dizzying journey that unnerves.

Seoul Station – Film Rise, freevee, Kanopy, Night Flight, Tubi, Vudu

This prequel to the surprise hit Train to Busan takes a drastic unconventional aesthetic choice; it’s animated. From there, it leans heavily into genre tropes to make a social critique of how the homeless population is perceived and treated. What begins as a standard zombie outbreak story morphs into something far more brutal than anticipated. Writer/Director Yeon Sang-ho lulls viewers with familiar zombie tropes, then pulls the rug out with an unflinching portrayal of human darkness. In that sense, Seoul Station weaponizes zombie convention, giving viewers an equally emotional viewing experience as Train to Busan, just in a completely different, less sentimental way.

The Wolf House – Kanopy, Plex, Roku, Tubi

The feature directorial debut by Cristobal León & Joaquín Cociña is as mesmerizing as it is unsettling. Inspired by the Colonia Dignidad, The Wolf House plays like a nightmare fairy tale filled with haunting visuals and a sound design that gets under your skin. It follows a girl who escapes the Colony to avoid punishment and comes upon a house in the woods. The stop-motion animation imbues a textured, surreal quality, lending breathtaking artistry to the potent reminder of animation’s power. The swift 75-minute runtime makes it an easy selection to watch. If you need another reason, Ari Aster enlisted León and Cociña’s stop-motion animation expertise for an extended sequence in this year’s Beau is Afraid.

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

Jung Ji-yeon‘s first movie isn’t as straightforward as the plot makes it sound. In fact, The Anchor is a twisty thriller full of genuine jolts and pleasant surprises. It’s also confidently made, well-acted and startling. The director is one to look out for in the future.

In addition to The Anchor, which is now streaming on SCREAMBOX, these five other psychological-horror movies peel back the skin and expose inner demons on a visceral level.

Suddenly in the Dark (1981)

Upon his return from studying butterflies in the field, a biology professor (Yoon Il-bong) brings home a new housemaid named Mi-ok (Lee Ki-seon). The professor’s wife, Seon-hee (Kim Young-ae), is apprehensive about Mi-ok, then downright scared as bizarre things begin to happen around the house. Also known as Suddenly in Dark Night or Suddenly at Midnight, this South Korean cult classic can be best described as both supernatural and psychological horror. It’s a stylish and surreal movie that paved the way for modern K-Horror.

Schramm (1993)

Audiences will likely feel unclean after watching the German movie Schramm. Even though it barely runs over an hour, this shocking tale of a severely antisocial man (Florian Koerner von Gustorf) is as deeply unsettling as it is graphic. The faint of heart might want to consider their limits before adding this curio to their watchlist. For those more brave souls who can tolerate transgressive storytelling, Schramm depicts the most dangerous kind of loneliness: those who want to connect but can’t do so in a safe and healthy way. Jörg Buttgereit’s movie is often compared to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Satoshi Kon’s debut film was added to Shudder earlier this year after living on the edge of wider recognition for a good twenty-five years. While often lumped in with other anime, Perfect Blue is in its own category of animation. This outstanding film, a loose adaptation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis, shadows a young pop entertainer’s transition from singing to acting. As her TV role becomes more and more demanding, and an obsessed fan turns into a dangerous stalker, Mima suffers an extreme breakdown. This animated terror is a monumental achievement for Japanese psychological horror.

Bruiser (2000)

George A. Romero might be best known for making zombies rise, but the renowned horror filmmaker once penned an aggressive psycho-horror called Bruiser. This flawed yet fascinating hidden gem stars Jason Flemyng as an unhappy white-collar named Henry. His wife dislikes him, he hates his job, and he daydreams about his own death as well as hurting others. One day Henry wakes up to find his face has been replaced with a white, featureless face. Henry then goes on to use his anonymity to kill. Bruiser is an uncharacteristic movie for Romero, though it now has better reviews and more of an audience after being overlooked for so many years.

Knocking (2021)

The Swedish movie Knocking focuses on a woman named Molly (Cecilia Milocco), whose recent trauma leads to a horrifying outcome after she moves into a new apartment. Molly is kept awake by the mysterious knocks and screams she hears from a neighboring unit. However, no one, especially the police, believes her. Knocking is the slowest of slow burns, but Frida Kempff’s debut is a gripping thriller that boasts both a superb sound design and a convincing performance from the lead. Like The Anchor, Knocking can be watched on SCREAMBOX now.

The Anchor is now streaming on SCREAMBOX! 

The post SCREAMBOX’s ‘The Anchor’ and 5 More Psychological Horror Movies to Watch appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It feels like November has barely begun, and yet here we are three weeks in. Like most months on Horror Queers, we’ve been all over the place, including the dream-like pastel world of Jennifer Reeder’s women-centric Knives and Skin and the 25th-anniversary fascist machismo world of Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. Now we’re pivoting for a return trip to Japan with our second foray into animated fare (after ParaNorman) with Satoshi Kon‘s stunning first film, Perfect Blue.

In the film, Mima (voiced by Junko Iwao) is an Idol being groomed for a career jump from singing to acting. Despite the protests of her manager Rumi (voiced by Rica Matsumoto), Mima agrees to a controversial and confronting storyline on the derivative police procedural ‘Double Bind.’ But her shift into increasingly adult fare doesn’t sit well with all of Mima’s controlling fans, including stalker Me-Mania (voiced by Masaaki Ōkura) whose obsession with the starlet grows increasingly dangerous.

As Mima’s life begins to mirror her character’s journey and she experiences hallucinations, those closest to her begin to die in gruesome ways. Is Mima losing her mind? Is she actually a killer? Or is she next in line to be murdered?

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 204 – Perfect Blue (1997) feat. Jenny Nulf

We’re dipping into the world of animation with Satoshi Kon’s gorgeous debut feature, Perfect Blue (1997). Joining us is returning guest Jenny Nulf, who schools us on Japan’s Pop Idol culture. C/W: sexual assault

Get ready for doppelgängers, disorienting dream-like imagery and commentary on the male gaze and fandom. Plus: multiple readings of the ending, tracing how language shifts over time, Trace’s struggle with nudity & mature content in animated fare, and more on Joe’s childhood imaginary friend.

Cross out Perfect Blue!

Coming up on Wednesday: We’re “celebrating” Thanksgiving with a trip to Camp Chippewa and Addams Family Values (1993)

P.S. Subscribe to our Patreon for more than 210+ hours of additional content! This month, we’ve got episodes on the morals and ethics of True Crime, Fall’s box office smash Smile, the absolutely wild Barbarian, Anya Taylor-Joy’s culinary thriller The Menu, and an audio commentary on the sequel that’s better than the original, The Collection (2010), just in time for its 10th anniversary!

The post Doppelgängers, Disorientation and Double Binds in Satoshi Kon’s ‘Perfect Blue’ [Horror Queers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Every streaming service turns Halloween into an opportunity to showcase what horror genre heavy hitters they have in their library. But there’s extra pressure for a service like Shudder (also available on AMC+), which specifically zeroes in on horror programming, to go all-out when it comes to the Halloween season.

Shudder has more than 600 horror films in its growing library with dozens more having been added to the mix this October as part of their intensive “Home for Halloween” celebration. As such, it can sometimes be even more difficult to figure out the perfect viewing schedule when there are so many options at one’s disposal.

For those who want to sit in the passenger’s seat and trust what Shudder has to offer, then here’s a broad range of worthy horror hits, both old and new, that cater to genre fans of all shapes and sizes. Consider this a movie marathon, if you will, one that spans 24 hours — from dusk ’til dawn, as they say.

Resurrection (2022) – Coming to Shudder October 28th

“Margaret’s life is in order. She is capable, disciplined and successful. Everything is under control until David returns – that is – carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past.”

Resurrection is a heartbreaking meditation on manipulation, abuse, and belief, all of which is expressed through the most toxic of relationships between Rebecca Hall’s Margaret and Tim Roth’s David. Hall’s raw performance depicts the shattering of someone’s psyche and every “kindness” that she performs for her abuser becomes harder to endure. Resurrection is the most recent Shudder title to make the list, but the 2022 movie is such an unsettling experience that it’s likely to leave its viewers disturbed well into next year’s Halloween season.

Pieces (1982)

“The co-eds of a Boston college campus are targeted by a mysterious killer who is creating a human jigsaw puzzle from their body parts.”

“It’s exactly what you think it is!” is one of the many gratuitous taglines for 1982’s ultra-bloody slasher film, Pieces, and it’s hard to argue with the directness of that claim. Those gore hounds who are looking for an over the top massacre will be incredibly pleased with Pieces. The movie’s repugnant prelude which crosses the wires between sexuality and violence lays the framework for a messy murder mystery where dismemberment is just the first course in this bloody buffet.

Hellbender (2021)

“A lonely teen discovers her family’s ties to witchcraft.”

Written and directed by the collective Adams family–John Adams, Zelda Adams, and Toby Poser–who also star in their films, there’s something incredibly earnest and genuine about all of their productions. Hellbender, their most recent feature, is a haunting coming of age story that brings films like The Craft and Ginger Snaps to mind. Hellbender explores universal themes and fears about family and adulthood, but through uniquely hypnotic visuals and brutal acts of horror that eat away at the viewer’s sanity.

StageFright (1987)

“A group of stage actors lock themselves in the theater for a rehearsal of their upcoming musical production, unaware that an escaped psychopath has sneaked into the theater with them.”

Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento are household names to come out of Italian horror. Michele Soavi cut his teeth working alongside these acclaimed directors and he’s also responsible for some groundbreaking horror films like The Church, Dellamorte Dellamore, and StageFright. Many horror movies find strength in setting their murder mysteries against the production of a film or piece of theater, but StageFright goes above and beyond in this regard. The behind the scenes setting is immaculately used with inventive setpieces that are creatively shot and instigated by an intimidating antagonist who wears a furry owl mask and wields an axe. There’s not a weak link in StageFright and it’s the best ’80s slasher you’ve never heard of.

Eaten Alive (1976)

“A psychotic redneck, who owns a dilapidated hotel in rural East Texas, kills various people who upset him or his business, and he feeds their bodies to a large crocodile that he keeps as a pet in the swamp beside his hotel.”

Tobe Hooper’s surreal successor to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Eaten Alive, is an even more unbelievable piece of horror cinema that feels like Tim Burton directing indie theater on a haunted bayou. A hungry alligator is the greatest obstacle in Eaten Alive, but the movie becomes a visual feast for the senses that leaves audiences as satiated as the gator. Part unhinged rural horror story, part Brechtian marital drama, Eaten Alive is in a class of its own and one of the strangest movies to come from one of horror’s most transgressive and experimental filmmakers.

Phenomena (1985)

“A young girl who has an amazing ability to communicate with insects is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.”

Shudder has its giallo fans covered when it comes to their wide selection of Dario Argento titles, but Phenomena is one of the director’s finest efforts that often goes overlooked. Argento’s flair for mysterious, extravagant serial killers blends together with supernatural intrigue in this unpredictable horror film that’s simultaneously gorgeous and gross. Forget about Freddy Vs. Jason, it’s Phenomena’s Inga Vs. Nope’s Gordy that the horror fans deserve!

Perfect Blue (1997)

“A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.”

Shudder has no shortage of live-action horror content, but they’ve recently made an exciting push to showcase more avant-garde anime material. Satoshi Kon is a visionary voice in the anime industry whose works have inspired the likes of Darren Aronofsky and Christopher Nolan. Each of Kon’s four feature films are compelling character studies, but Perfect Blue might be the director’s most immortal work. The paranoid thriller examines toxic fandom and parasocial relationships through surreal visuals that beautifully express the characters‘ fractured mental states.

Basket Case (1982)

“A young man carrying a big basket that contains his extremely deformed, formerly conjoined twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.”

The absurdist antics of the Bradley “twins” go on to fuel a trilogy of twisted schlocky horror films, but the madness begins in Basket Case. The playful monster movie benefits from perfectly understanding what it is and there’s endless charm in both the movie’s wicker-bound villain and the constant exasperation that Kevin Van Hentenryck brings to Duane. Each Basket Case sequel gets progressively grandiose, which somehow works in the franchise’s favor.  For those who find that Basket Case particularly resonates with them, Shudder offers more of writer/director Frank Henenlotter’s fearful, filthy filmography, like Frankenhooker and Brain Damage.

Prom Night II: Hello Mary Lou (1987)

“Thirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.”

Prom Night II: Hello Mary Lou is the sublime horror sequel that’s not only an improvement from its predecessor, but is so tangentially connected that it can be watched without any prior Prom Night knowledge. Hello Mary Lou tells a standard vengeful ghost story that’s set against a high school prom, but despite this generic premise, the movie contains endless style and personality. There are truly impressive visuals and fantasy sequences in Prom Night II that put some of Freddy Krueger’s most inventive kills to shame. Wendy Lyon’s performance as the possessed Vicki Carpenter is also enough to elevate this movie to another level. Prom Night II is the ideal dose of delirious horror that should just be watched, not questioned. It’s the perfect palate cleanser after any heavy horror movie.

Anything For Jackson (2020)

“A bereaved Satanist couple kidnap a pregnant woman so they can use an ancient spellbook to put their dead grandson’s spirit into her unborn child but end up summoning more than they bargained for.”

2020’s Anything for Jackson flew under the radar for many audiences and while it may initially look like any other poltergeist or possession story gone wrong, the movie continually subverts expectations with its direction. Held together by phenomenal performances and a menagerie of ghosts that would already have several spin-off films if they were a part of The Conjuring universe, the film’s final act is a horrifying culmination of heavy themes and disturbing demons. Justin G. Dyck has clear talent as a horror director and hopefully Anything for Jackson is just the start of many more haunting genre pictures to come.

The Exorcist III (1990)

“A police lieutenant uncovers more than he bargained for as his investigation of a series of murders, which have all the hallmarks of the deceased Gemini serial killer, leads him to question the patients of a psychiatric ward.”

William Friedkin’s original Exorcist is still heralded as a masterpiece. However, William Peter Blatty–the author of The Exorcist novel–steps up to write and direct The Exorcist III, which a very vocal community has embraced as the franchise’s secret gem. Blatty’s sequel is a somber, nihilistic story about characters at the end of their ropes. Its dark meditations are complemented by several haunting jump scares that are among the best in the genre. With a Blumhouse legacy sequel to 1973’s The Exorcist on the way, it’s the perfect time to check out this odd chapter in the Pazuzu legacy. And hey, more Brad Dourif in one’s life is never a bad thing.

The Descent (2005)

“A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.”

Neil Marshall emerged as one of Game of Thrones’ most consistent directors, but his roots are in horror and The Descent remains one of the best surprises to come out of the 2000s. The Descent begins as an emotional meditation on grief with an all-female cast that naturally transforms into a terrifying, claustrophobic fight for survival where physical monsters become more of a concern than their psychological demons. The film’s sequel doesn’t pack quite the same punch, but Shudder offers both of these installments for those who want to indulge in a subterranean double creature feature.

These selections should guarantee that those who choose to stay in for Halloween and binge to their hearts’ content will have plenty of options to keep themselves scared, surprised, and satisfied for each hour on October 31st.

The post Spend 24 Hours at Home for Halloween With This Binge Guide for Shudder appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Kon’s Perfect Blue has little in common with its source material. Much of what viewers see in the 1997 film is the work of Kon and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai rather than a faithful adaptation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s light novel. Things left untouched were the setting and Mima Kirigoe’s occupational hazard. Of all the changes, the biggest was the genre switch. Takeuchi conceived a disturbing but straightforward tale of stalker horror, whereas Kon specifically wanted to make a psychological thriller. What might seem like a lateral move was more of an opportunity to bring out the emotional innards of the victim, as well as accentuate how her specific industry blurs the line between fantasy and reality.

The overarching theme of Perfect Blue is already underway within the first minute. An outdoor tokusatsu stage show has three suited performers scaring away their opponent; Kingburg’s offense is causing a disturbance in the online community. The relevance of this minor production is echoed in CHAM’s performance. Idol Mima (voiced by Junko Iwao) and her bandmates dance in front of a crowd made up exclusively of men. Meanwhile, several hecklers hurl soda cans on stage and shout disruptively. Mima’s ability to evade the projectiles and ignore the din, all the while never missing a beat of the choreography, points to this not being an isolated incident. CHAM’s own Kingburgs must be dealt with, though, and the apparent defender is the group’s security guard and Mima’s most devout fan, Mamoru Uchida (Masaaki Ōkura). Even his first name means “protect” in Japanese.

Patrick W. Galbraith and Jason G. Karlin analyze both the popular idol (aidoru) industry and its influence on society in their book, Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture. When explaining why some people are more susceptible to idol fanaticism than others, the authors call these entertainers an “ideal construct” or a “‘mirror’ reflection.” The idol business incidentally encourages these fantasies by designing alluring yet unrealistic images for their “products.” Single, chaste, and attainable are only some of the ways these young men and women are presented, all in an effort to attract consumer-fans and keep them coming back. Of course once that artificial persona is revealed or stripped away, fans like Uchida are not always going to react rationally.

In its original context, the term otaku applies to any person obsessed with a facet of pop culture. This can include anime, music, and video games. The word is not used as lightly in Japan as it is in the West, though. Here it has simply become a term of endearment among anime fans, but parts of Japanese society still have a negative perception of this large subculture. Serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, dubbed the “Otaku Murderer” by the media, had a lot to do with those ill feelings. His high-profile case caused a Japanese moral panic regarding anime and manga in the nineties. Kon, on the other hand, understands otaku are not a monolith; he depicts a great deal of passionate yet fairly well-adjusted fans in Perfect Blue. Uchida represents the minority, those being the extreme otaku who devote their lives to their interest and have trouble separating fact from fiction. 

Uchida is not the only character with a weakening grip on reality in Perfect Blue. Mima, who has spent years training to be someone else, is now undergoing a second transformation. Everyone around Mima has reservations about her career switch. Aside from CHAM’s split fanbase, Mima’s manager and confidante Rumi Hadaka (Rika Matsumoto) negotiates between disapproval and accommodation. Uchida, or Me-Mania, comes to reject Mima as an actor once her new public image starts to clash with the first one. This brings about a dangerous delusion in the form of a fictionalized online diary called Mima’s Room, supposedly written by Me-Mania. As anticipated, the real Mima cracks underneath the pressure of not being more like the Mima on the website.

When Kon saw Perfect Blue on the big screen, one scene in particular made him hang his head and feel embarrassed; he thought he had gone too far. The part in question is Mima’s simulated rape. After Mima’s acting agent Tadokoro (Shinpachi Tsuji) requests she be given more to do in her guest role in a drama series, the show writer conceives a sadistic scene where Mima’s character is assaulted by a group of men inside a club. This graphic set piece becomes the most pivotal point in the protagonist’s journey; it is the death of an idol and the birth of an actor. Mima’s white outfit resembles the one she wore during her final CHAM performance, and for everyone who was present during the filming, their perspective of her has changed, for better or worse. The drama’s staff finds perverse pleasure in seeing an idol be violated, whereas Rumi is brought to tears. Tadokoro is regretful after pushing for more screen time, and Me-Mania’s hatred of “impostor” Mima only grows.

The above moment hits very hard for both the viewers and Mima. While it is technically another performance, the trauma is real. Mima initially approaches the scene as a professional and acknowledges the artifice. But, as her co-star apologizes to her in between takes, Mima’s state of mind changes. From there everything starts to feel all too real as Mima bids goodbye to her former self. Once the shoot is over, a somber Mima sits alone in the dressing room, wearing black clothes. This is the mourning period before she can move on.

From color choices to mise-en-scène, Kon makes every effort to expose Mima’s interiority as she continues to lose hold of herself. Nothing goes on here without it being crucial to character study. Every second and frame adds meaning to the story. An increasingly disarranged apartment reflects Mima’s own deterioration; two fish surviving after the others die en masse refers to dual identities; the frequent use of the color red underscores the expanding chaos in Mima’s life. Most importantly, the internet’s presence is less about the evils of online culture and more about the fabricated reality inside the machine. In the same vein, all parts of Mima’s life — the idol business, the TV drama, Mima’s Room, the photoshoot — are manufactured. In short, nothing was ever real for Mima.

The time comes when Mima is forced to face her fears head on. After Mima’s drama Double Blind wraps, she is caught off guard by Me-Mania. In the same place where the idol part of herself essentially died, Me-Mania is prepared to kill the impostor so the “real” Mima can live. By now Perfect Blue has gone to considerable lengths to illustrate Mima’s severe identity crisis, but Me-Mania is the most blatant manifestation. He embodies all of her doubts and paranoia. When it looks as if Me-Mania will succeed, Mima takes back control of the situation. As gratifying as it is to see her prevail after being tormented from all sides, Mima is not out of the woods just yet.

Yoshikazu Takeuchi kept his book’s ending uncomplicated by having just one villain. However, the film presents a game changer shortly after Mima escapes Me-Mania’s attack. Using the otaku as a red herring, Perfect Blue is able to draw attention away from the actual killer. Someone close to Mima developed a vicarious relationship with her; they fed on the nostalgia while also overidentifying. Watching Mima then willingly give up something they crave only led to a tremendous break in reality. The escalating violence, the body count, and the killer’s one-by-one method all naturally invite comparisons to slashers and giallo films. Like the more meditative examples of those subgenres, Perfect Blue avoids indiscriminate murders and easy-to-digest motives.

As suffocatingly bleak as Perfect Blue gets, Kon left viewers with a glimmer of light. Mima’s ordeal was, in a word, nightmarish, and not a lot of people would come out of that unscathed. This new venture began with Mima doubting and loathing herself. Looking into mirrors was near impossible without succumbing to those constant ill feelings. Mima clearly had the talent to do whatever she pleased, although massive insecurities on top of others’ underestimation held her back. Later on as Mima visits her assailant in a psychiatric hospital, they each gaze into different mirrors, looking at distinct reflections. The deuteragonist remains trapped in their desired image while Mima is grateful to see only herself. “No, I’m real,” she says in the film’s last few seconds, indicating she now believes in herself. This confidence is what finally ends the overlapping of reality and fantasy.

Satoshi Kon sadly left this world too soon, but in such a relatively short time, he became one of Japan’s most innovative modern directors. With Perfect Blue, he put a new and exciting spin on the psychological thriller. The timeless story and the complex characters, not to mention the fascinating visual language from start to finish, are only some of the reasons why fans keep coming back to Kon’s unparalleled debut.

Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.

The post Satoshi Kon’s ‘Perfect Blue’ Is a Layered and Unparalleled Psychological Thriller [Horrors Elsewhere] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Mima Kirigoe (Junko Iwao) has a bright future ahead of her when she leaves the chart-topping pop trio “CHAM!” to pursue an acting career. When a role in a violent crime drama courts controversy and a bizarre blog starts detailing every aspect of her life, however, Mima begins to fall apart and her associates start turning up dead.

Stalked by madness amidst a whirlpool of fear and a dangerous dance of reality and delusion, Mima is left helpless and riddled with self-doubt in a world where innocence is lost and dreams become nightmares.”

Screenings locations and tickets can be found at www.perfectbluemovie.co.uk.

The post ‘Perfect Blue’ Returns to UK Cinemas for 20th Anniversary appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Directed by Satoshi Kon, who also directed “Paranoia Agent” and Paprika, Perfect Blue follows, “A retired pop-singer-turned-actress [whose] sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.” The film, which has been likened to something one would see from Alfred Hitchcock, was critically acclaimed upon release and made several end-of-year lists in 1997.

Pre-orders for Perfect Blue open tomorrow on Tiger Lab’s official website.

Track list:
Side A
1. Mima’s Theme
2. Nightmare
3. Virtual Mima

Side B
4. Uchida’s Theme
5. Nightmare [Kaminari Version] 6. Virtual Mima [Voice Version]

The post Full Details for Tiger Lab Vinyl’s ‘Perfect Blue’ Released appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Perfect Blue was directed by Satoshi Kon, who also directed “Paranoia Agent” and Paprika. The film follows, “A retired pop-singer-turned-actress [whose] sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.” The film, which has been likened to something one would see from Alfred Hitchcock, was critically acclaimed upon release and made several end-of-year lists in 1997. Director Darren Aronofsky cited it as an inspiration for his 2010 thriller Black Swan.

It’s not yet been announced when Perfect Blue will go up for pre-order but keep an eye on Tiger Lab’s official website in case it suddenly springs up!

The post Tiger Lab Vinyl Releasing Masahiro Ikumi’s ‘Perfect Blue’ Score on Vinyl appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.