Here’s all the new genre movies that released on Friday, June 12, 2026!

These aren’t all HORROR movies, but we want you to be aware of them all the same…

Norwegian creature feature Kraken is now available on Digital.

The film was also unleashed in select theaters. Check your local listings.

In the monster movie Kraken, “unnatural behavior in wild salmon, followed by inexplicable deaths in Norway’s deepest fjord, points to the mythical Kraken. The ancient, multi-armed monster has awakened, ready to crush everything that moves or makes a sound.”

Pål Øie (The Tunnel) directs Samuel Goldwyn Films’ Kraken from a script by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur. Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jon Erik Myre, Hans Morten Hansen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, and Filip Bargee Ramberg star.

An all girls trip into the desert for escapism fun instead implodes in violence in the revenge thriller Find Your Friends, now streaming only on Shudder.

In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface.

“What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a nightmare.”

Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.

Steven Spielberg is more sure today than he was when he made Close Encounters and ET that aliens are very real, and with Disclosure Day, he aims to make you a believer too.

Okay so it’s not a horror movie, but the sci-fi blockbuster is now playing in theaters.

The vague synopsis for Disclosure Day reads: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day.”

The film stars SAG winner and Oscar® nominee Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple) and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).

Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp, whose previous work with Spielberg includes the scripts for Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Combined, those films earned more than $3 billion worldwide. Koepp also wrote the script for Jurassic World Rebirth.

Steven Spielberg is of course no stranger to extraterrestrial encounters, directing two of the greatest alien movies of all time: Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 and E.T. in 1982. It’s an arena he returned to in 2005, directing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds.

Here in 2026, Steven Spielberg sees hope in the existence of aliens. He notes in the final trailer for Disclosure Day, “How will disclosure change us? I believe for the better.”

Another movie that’s not a horror movie but worth mentioning here is the violent martial arts revenge thriller The Furious, which is now playing in theaters from Lionsgate.

Xie Miao (The New Legend of Shaolin) and Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat) star.

After his daughter is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wang Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself.

His only ally is Navin, a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers.

Kenji Tanigaki (Enter the Fat Dragon) directs from a script by Mak Tin Shu (Kung Fu Jungle), Lei Zhilong, Shum Kwan Sin (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), and Frank Hui.

A disturbing weight loss craze involving human ashes opens up a haunting world of hurt for a young woman in Saccharine, which is now available on Digital outlets at home.

From writer/director Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A), the Australian supernatural body horror film follows lovelorn medical student Hana, who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.

Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time”) star in Natalie Erika James’ latest nightmare.

From directors Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, I Am Frankelda is billed as the first ever full length stop motion movie from Mexico, and it’s now streaming on Netflix.

The history-making stop-motion film is a dark fantasy set in a world of monsters.

Here’s the synopsis: “In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life.

“Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse.

“To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.”

The directors said in a joint statement, “As brothers, we grew up inventing worlds together, drawing, playing, imagining. Over time we understood that fictional characters were not only companions but guides. Sometimes they felt closer than the people around us. They provided us courage, wisdom, and solace. We believe fiction is not an escape from reality but a way of understanding it. A way of converting truth into palatable chunks. I Am Frankelda comes from a lifelong love of storytelling.”

Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez lead the voice cast.

Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature is a macabre beauty.” Meagan also notes in her review, “I Am Frankelda is a gothic fantasy feature whose boundless creativity is matched by its ambition.”

The lines of reality and delusion blur in Time of Death, now available on Digital.

Michael Kelly (“The Penguin,” Dawn of the Dead 2004) stars with Kevin Pollak (End of Days), Mena Suvari (Vampires of the Velvet Lounge), and Dennis Haysbert (Send Help).

In the horror-thriller, “When a prisoner vanishes without a trace, Detective Frank Morley (Michael Kelly) is sent to a decaying prison on the verge of shutdown. What begins as a routine investigation quickly spirals into a dangerous search for answers.”

Will Wernick (Escape Room 2017, Follow Me) directs from a script by Jason Rosen. They also produce alongside Kelly Delson, Jeff Delson, and Kyle David Crosby.

The post Friday, June 12 – These 7 New Horror Movies Released Today appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Makeup effects legend Greg Nicotero (“The Walking Dead,” “Creepshow”) has reimagined the iconic Crypt Keeper puppet from the classic HBO television series, and Shudder has shared photos of Crypt Keeper voice actor John Kassir posing with the new puppet!

Shudder captions the social post, “Horror FX legend Greg Nicotero joins forces with the unmistakable voice of John Kassir to bring a new Crypt Keeper puppet to life.”

The big question here is… WHY?! Was this just a fun project for Nicotero, as a fan of the series? Or is Shudder teasing that the puppet was created for a reason? It’s likely the former, but that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating that Shudder has something planned for “Tales from the Crypt” beyond merely streaming the seven existing seasons of the HBO television series.

A “Tales from the Crypt” reboot series has never been able to get off the ground due to complicated rights issues, but perhaps Shudder has been able to untangle that mess? The reopening of the Tales from the Crypt content archive on Shudder was made possible by a collaboration with Dark Castle Entertainment, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Walter Hill (Tales from the Crypt Holdings), so it’s possible they’ve been able to work something more out…

For now, all seven seasons are presented fully uncut and uncensored on Shudder. And that’s good enough for us!

Inspired by the EC Comics tales, each episode of “Tales from the Crypt” offers a self-contained story hosted by the Crypt Keeper (Kassir), a wisecracking corpse known for his macabre puns. With its signature unrestricted gore, profanity, and dark irony, the show’s episode styles range from comedy to drama and deliver twisted moral lessons where “bad people” meet poetically horrific ends – and issues like greed, lust, and moral decay lead to tragic consequences.

The original HBO series featured a long list of Hollywood A-list guest stars, including Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Michael J. Fox, John Lithgow, Christopher Reeve, Catherine O’Hara, Steve Buscemi, Brooke Shields, and many more. The talent also extended behind the camera, with notable directors including Robert Zemeckis, Tobe Hooper, and William Friedkin, as well as Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael J. Fox.

The post ‘Tales from the Crypt’ – Makeup Effects Legend Greg Nicotero Has Redesigned the Classic Crypt Keeper! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But it’s not the whole story.

Starting with her own experiences might have been Pazkad’s catalyst, but Find Your Friends works because it’s willing to not just interrogate these threats, but to allow its characters to exist in a way that makes them far from perfect horror movie victims when those threats arrive. Intense, confrontational, and relentless, this is a film that begins as a psychological unraveling, then descends into revenge movie madness, all with a style perfect for the Euphoria generation. 

Amber (Helena Howard) just went through a difficult breakup, and she’s looking forward to cutting loose during a trip out to the desert with her friends Lavinia (Bella Thorne), Zosia (Zion Moreno), Lola (Chloe Cherry), and Maddy (Sophia Ali). Her friends all think that what Amber needs is some drinks, drugs, and fun rebound sex, but Amber’s not so sure, particularly after her first attempt to hook up with a guy ends in the kind of casual sexual assault that’s easy for anyone who didn’t witness it to brush off. 

Still, when the ladies make it out to Joshua Tree for their getaway, everyone’s in high spirits, and Amber’s hoping to put the past behind her and get lost in music and mood-altering substances. But the past won’t fade quite so easily, and the quintet of friends is about to find out that the present is even more frightening. 

Structurally, this is a classic plot-driven thriller in which the decisions of the characters and their reactions to adversity inform who they are. We meet Amber and her friends mid-party, and aside from a couple of quiet moments, the party basically never ends, whether the girls are taking Molly at a desert concert or doing mushrooms in the wilderness. Along the way, we come to understand that, with adult responsibilities looming in their lives, these young women are all afraid of drifting apart, and they hope that a maelstrom of experience will bond them in such a way that they’ll reunite for a girls’ trip everywhere.

They’re trying to cling, often unhealthily, to a world in which they can hold each other up, and no one seems to need that more than Amber. Some characters don’t get as much detail brushed in as others – it’s really Amber’s movie despite its ensemble tendencies – but Howard, Thorne, and Moreno in particular imbue the film with emotional weight and palpable tension. 

That tension comes from a few different places, whether it’s Amber trying to hold her friends responsible for what she considers abandonment at a key moment or Lavinia trying to wring every last drop of fun from the trip at all costs, but it’s most evident in the way the girls engage with their environment. If you’ve ever visited any kind of major party destination for twentysomethings, you’ve met these women. I bumped into an almost identical group recently at a resort in San Juan, and I’m sure I’m not alone in my sense of recognition.

These women are loud, energetic, intoxicated, and fiercely devoted both to each other and to their shared goal of shutting out the wider world in favor of an experience they curate together. While their behavior might be jarring at first, especially if you’re an old homebody like me, you soon realize that it’s the whole point of the dramatic tension Pakzad has set out to establish. 

These characters need to be loud, profane, sometimes even self-centered and annoying, because Find Your Friends is a movie that dares you to dislike them. Why? Because Pazkad is interested not just in the slowly unfolding revenge narrative in the film, or in the way Amber’s psyche fractures under the weight of increasingly isolating experiences, but in forcing her audience to confront their own biases. In the eyes of a misogynistic viewer, these women seem to be doing a textbook version of “asking for it” or “being a tease.” They drink, they twerk, they speak frankly and openly about their sexual experiences, and they’re not shy about what they want when it comes to men.

Pakzad places all of this deliberately in our faces so that, when the violence and confusion start to kick in, we’re forced to consider our own internalized misogyny and judgment of women like these. If you’ve ever chastised a horror movie character for making a bad decision, Find Your Friends wants to throw that judgment back in your face. It is a wonderfully thorny exploration of the film’s themes, and it creates a thread of piano wire-tight tension that builds to one of the year’s most unforgettable horror crescendos. 

The film’s thematic oomph and the sheer energy of its pacing, helped along by editor Maxime Pozzi-Garcia and cinematographer Tim Curtin, is strong enough to mask some of its minor flaws. It could stand a bit more nuance, some tighter plotting, perhaps a bit quieter to let its ideas settle into place around the parties and the mayhem, but the film is so immediate and sensuous in its presentation, helped along by a pulsing soundtrack, that these things barely have time to take root in your mind.

This is a dreamy, feral little movie with a taste for blood, and I hope it finds the audience it deserves. 

Find Your Friends arrives June 12 on Shudder.

The post ‘Find Your Friends’ Review: Shudder’s Slow-Burn Revenge Thriller Wants to Make You Squirm appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Breeder becomes the tonal and structural hybrid of Barbarian and Misery, but still uniquely its own thing. It’s one of 2026’s best horror surprises.

Goyette’s debut is such an impressive feature film that remains endlessly engaging because of its ability to keep one foot in reality, no matter how extreme the storytelling gets. It builds to a wild complication that actually feels earned because of how it preys upon the protagonist, Russell (Daniel Doheny), and his deep sense of desperation that’s rooted in the world’s grim economic state. Life-changing money makes it a lot easier for red flags to take on a greener hue. 

Russell is a brilliant college student who is at the precipice of a game-changing study that has the potential to prevent a rare bee species’ extinction. He just lacks the funding to make this dream a reality. Russell is cautiously optimistic when a particular poodle breeder, Patti (Dot-Marie Jones), who is a fan of Russell’s work, promises to be an angel investor if he can help her with an experiment of her own. It’s a sublime setup for what turns into a consistently surprising take on the perilous pursuit of perfection and a dark, post-modern version of survival of the fittest.

Credit: Jarryl Lim

Breeder is the very best style of slow-burn storytelling that grows more uncomfortable with each act. There are shades of Dogtooth and even Tusk, to some extent, as this extreme ritual that’s against nature takes place in plain sight and becomes normalized. The blunt, matter-of-fact nature of Patti’s actions makes this all the more horrifying. It’s almost as if Breeder applies a dog trainer approach to a hostage situation. The film deconstructs the complex bond between pet and owner, particularly how this relationship can warp and become toxic. There’s a slipping sense of reality that’s absolutely chilling. However, the film uses this confusion to find the humor in this unsettling premise as it balances these two extremes. Breeder’s sense of humor is low-key its secret weapon, and always feels so natural.

The entire cast shines, but this is really a movie that lives and dies on the success of its villain. Dot-Marie Jones is a revelation as Patti. It’s electric every second that she’s on screen, and there’s taut tension from not knowing when the other shoe will drop. She’s played with such chilling, calculating intensity, even when she’s completely normal. Patti is like Misery’s Annie Wilkes mixed with No Country for Old Men’s Anton Chigurh, and it’s absolutely unforgettable.

Alternatively, Russell’s layered character development and the arc that he experiences highlight the pressures that he faces in life over failing to realize his full potential. Breeder makes Russell feel helpless and establishes why this study is so important to him. It’s so easy to have main characters who make a slew of poor decisions and lose sight of themselves so that their karmic retribution almost feels justified and becomes a cathartic release for the audience. Russell never wavers, and he doesn’t read like any other idiot in a horror film who willingly puts themselves in a dangerous situation.

Credit: Jarryl Lim

Most importantly, Goyette makes sure that the audience cares about Russell and that they’re actively rooting for his survival through all this. He’s put through the wringer, but it’s also fascinating to see how this harsh ordeal helps him grow and eliminate what he perceives to be weaknesses. Russell is a fun foil for every character that he shares time with in Breeder. However, there’s especially great chemistry between him and his girlfriend during the film’s first act. It helps establish a necessary baseline before everything falls apart. There’s a sardonic, dry energy to these scenes that’s such a stark counterpoint to the chaos that follows.

Breeder is such an original take on a low-budget “horror contained in a house” story that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s a unique story that intentionally avoids taking the easy way out, even if that’s occasionally frustrating. The film’s end, for instance, is likely to split audiences. However, it’s a decision that feels real and organic, rather than some gratuitous pivot that only exists to cause controversy. This strong, earned storytelling is lifted through fantastic performances and confident filmmaking that never fail to rise to the occasion.

It’s an excellent showpiece for Goyette, and it’s genuinely exciting to consider what he’ll do with more at his disposal, but it’s also a standout horror film in a year that’s been stacked with creative offerings. Breeder is headed to Shudder after a limited theatrical release, and it will hopefully find an audience and not get lost in the streaming shuffle. Survival of the fittest and all that.

Breeder made its premiere at Tribeca 2026 and is slated for release this fall. 

The post ‘Breeder’ Review – A Modern Horror Classic That Plays Matchmaker With Eugenics [Tribeca 2026] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Save for one reboot, this month brings a ton of original new genre offerings like Leviticus, I Am Frankelda, and Kraken. Also look for brand new films from Steven Spielberg and more.

Here are ten new horror movies releasing in June 2026.

Scary Movie – In Theaters Today

Out in theaters today, June 5, is the sixth installment of the popular horror parody film series, marking the Wayans’ return to the franchise they started. Expect spoofs of anything and everything, from Scream (2022) to The Substance (our review).

Michael Tiddes (A Haunted House) directs from a script by Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, original Scary Movie director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans (Scary Movie 2), and Rick Alvarez (A Haunted House).

Marlon Wayans (“Shorty”), Shawn Wayans (“Ray”), Anna Faris (“Cindy”), and Regina Hall (“Brenda”) reunite alongside returning favorites and fresh faces to slash through reboots, remakes, requels, prequels, sequels, spin-offs, elevated horror, origin stories, and anything with the word legacy in it.

The core four are joined by franchise favorites Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Chris Elliott, and Jon Abrahams in the legacy sequel.

The ensemble cast also includes Damon Wayans Jr., Gregg Wayans, Kim Wayans, Benny Zielke, Cameron Scott Roberts, Heidi Gardner, Olivia Rose Keegan, Ruby Snowber, Savannah Lee Nassif, Sydney Park, and Felissa Rose.

Watch the official trailer for Scary Movie below.

Disclosure Day – In Theaters June 12

DISCLOSURE DAY, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Legendary director Steven Spielberg is a believer, and he wants to make you one too when his latest invades theaters and IMAX next week. Spielberg revisits the idea of extraterrestrials once more; he previously delivered a trio of sci-fi greats with Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977, E.T. in 1982, and War of the Worlds in 2005.

The vague synopsis for Disclosure Day reads: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to Disclosure Day.”

Based on a story by Spielberg, the screenplay is by David Koepp. 

Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place), Josh O’Connor (Wake Up Dead Man, The Crown), Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, Kingsman franchise), Eve Hewson (Bad Sisters, The Perfect Couple), and two-time Oscar® nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing, Rustin).

Watch the official trailer for Disclosure Day below.

Find Your Friends – On Shudder June 12

An all girls trip into the desert descends into violence in intense thriller Find Your Friends, set to make its Shudder debut on a very crowded June 12.

In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface. What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a revenge-fueled nightmare.”

Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.

Watch the official trailer for Find Your Friends below.

I Am Frankelda – On Netflix June 12

I Am Frankelda. Cr. Netflix © 2026.

Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature film delivers meticulous, handmade artistry from Arturo Ambriz and Roy Ambriz, protégés of Academy Award-winner Guillermo del Toro, and celebrates a unique world of monsters. It also arrives exclusively on Netflix on June 12 (our review).

Here’s the synopsis: “In 19th-century Mexico, Frankelda is a gifted writer whose dark tales are ignored and dismissed. Forced to suppress her voice, she refuses to give up, even as many try to silence her. But when she is thrust into her subconscious, the very monsters she created come to life.

“Guided by Herneval, a tormented prince trapped between dreams and nightmares, she must restore balance between fiction and reality before both realms collapse. Meanwhile, the sinister writer Procustes and his conspirators plot to seize control. As Frankelda and Herneval grow closer, their bond becomes both a strength and a curse.

“To rewrite their fate, she must confront a love that defies existence and reclaim her power as a storyteller—before dark forces consume her imagination and reveal horrors beyond her creation.”

Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr., and Luis Leonardo Suarez lead the voice cast.

Watch the official trailer for I Am Frankelda below.

Kraken – In Select Theaters & on Digital June 12

A monstrous myth comes to life in Norwegian creature feature Kraken, out in limited theaters and VOD on the busiest day of the month in terms of new horror releases.

Pål Øie (The Tunnel) directs from a script by Vilde Eide, Kjersti Jelen Rasmussen, and Natasha Arthur.

In the film, unnatural behavior in wild salmon, followed by inexplicable deaths in Norway’s deepest fjord, points to the mythical Kraken. The ancient, multi-armed monster has awakened, ready to crush everything that moves or makes a sound.

Sara Khorami, Mikkel Bratt Silset, Øyvind Brandtzæg, Jenny Evensen, Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes, Jon Erik Myre, Hans Morten Hansen, Steinar Klouman Hallert, and Filip Bargee Ramberg star.

Watch the official trailer for Kraken below.

Leviticus – In Theaters June 19

“Leviticus is a strong debut with an incisive voice at the helm,” I wrote in my review of one of this summer’s most anticipated releases that sees a vicious curse wreak havoc on young lovers and their conservative community. The latest from NEON arrives in theaters in the back half of June.

Joe Bird (Talk to Me) and Stacy Clausen play star-crossed teenage boys who must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.

Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie (The Nightingale), and Davida McKenzie (Silent Night) round out the cast of horror movie Leviticus.

The film comes from writer-director Adrian Chiarella.

Watch the official trailer for Leviticus below.

Rose of Nevada – In Select Theaters June 19

Enys Men filmmaker Mark Jenkin is back with a new hallucinatory, shot-on-film folk horror nightmare, the time-traveling Rose of Nevada arriving in select theaters.

In the horror film, “Three decades ago, the Rose of Nevada vanished at sea, along with its crew. Now, it has returned. In a remote fishing village, its reappearance is embraced as an auspicious sign, with the local citizens convinced the luck of their economically devastated community may turn, if only the ship sails again. Joining the crew is Nick (George MacKay), desperate to provide for his young family, and Liam (Callum Turner), a mysterious drifter eager to escape his past. After a successful voyage, they return to harbor, only to find that nothing is as they remember it.”

Rose of Nevada was written, directed, edited, and scored by Jenkin, who shot the film on a 16mm Bolex camera.

George MacKay and Callum Turner star.

Watch the official trailer for Rose of Nevada below.

Hold the Fort – On Digital June 23

Those in the mood for a scrappy indie horror comedy that rails against the insanity of HOAs should find much to revel in when Hold the Fort arrives on VOD on June 23. Witches, werewolves, and mayhem ensue.

In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“

William Bagley writes and directs the film starring Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith.

Watch the official trailer for Hold the Fort below.

Hungry – On Digital June 23

The wildly unofficial adaptation of Hungry Hungry Hippos comes home to VOD after an extremely limited theatrical run. Rob Hunter called the animal attack flick “a terrific little survival thriller about an angry, angry hippo instead” in his review.

Hungry follows thrill-seeking tourists on a riverboat tour through the treacherous Louisiana swamplands. Lured off the beaten path by the promise of an exclusive adventure, they soon find themselves fighting for survival against a ravenous hippopotamus lurking beneath the bayou’s murky waters.

Madison Davenport (It’s What’s Inside), Tracey Bonner (Greenland), Michel Curiel (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”), Jim Meskimen (“Parks and Recreation”), Samantha Coughlan (Arcadian), Olivia Bernstone (Fighting with My Family), River Codack (“Happy Face”), and Joaquim de Almeida (Desperado) star.

James Nunn (Shark Bait, One Shot) wrote and directed.

Watch the official trailer for Hungry below.

Strung – On Peacock June 26

Producers Tyler Perry and Jason Blum have joined forces on this Peacock original, promising all sorts of twisty psychological turns.

In the film, “A talented violinist takes a prestigious job as a music tutor for the gifted daughter of an influential and enigmatic family. As she becomes entangled in their opulent world, unsettling secrets begin to surface, forcing her to question her safety, her dreams, and even her sanity.”

Malcolm D. Lee (Scary Movie 5, Space Jam: A New Legacy) directs from a script written by Alan B. McElroy (Wrong Turn, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers).

Chloe Bailey (“Swarm“), Lynn Whitfield (Jaws: The Revenge), Lucien Laviscount (“Scream Queens”), Anna Diop (Us), Coco Jones (Vampires vs. the Bronx), Langley Kirkwood (“Banshee”), and Romy Woods star.

Watch the official trailer for Strung below.

Which of these June 2026 horror movies are you most excited for?

Comment below.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article stated that Her Private Hell will be released on June 24. The film’s actual release date is July 24. You’ll find it in next month’s preview!

The post 10 New Horror Movies Releasing in June 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Breeder is the feature debut of director Alex Goyette.

Variety details, “The film is about an eccentric poodle breeder who lures a broke college student to her remote ranch with a promise of research funding.

“As he soon learns, there’s a catch.”

Daniel Doheny, Dot Marie Jones, Maddie Phillips, and Tanaya Beatty star.

Expect to see the release of Breeder in Fall 2026.

Breeder will first premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this month.

“Independent Film Company and Shudder have always been a dream home for us,” Alex Goyette said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with them to bring Breeder to audiences following its world premiere at Tribeca. As conversations around eugenics continue to resurface, our film confronts those ideas through the eyes of a deranged poodle breeder.”

“Breeder is the kind of movie that makes you lean forward and ask, ‘How did they get away with this?’” said Mark Ward of IFC Entertainment Group. “It’s provocative and constantly surprises you just when you think you’ve figured it out. We knew the moment we saw it that audiences will be talking about it long after they leave the theater, and we can’t wait to shock audiences on the big screen later this year.”

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Here’s what’s coming.

Standouts arriving on streaming this month include the scarier new Director’s Cut of The X-Files: I Want to Believe on Disney+ starting June 11, and Mexico’s first stop-motion animated feature film, I Am Frankelda, on Netflix. If you missed the recent theatrical releases for undertone, Return to Silent Hill, or last year’s Keeper, then keep scrolling for details on where and when you can stream these at home.

Read on for all the horror arriving in June.

HBO Max

undertone

June 1
Brainstorm
Contagion
Lady in the Lake
Midsommar
Stoker
Storm Warning

June 26
undertone

Hulu

Keeper

June 1
Mirrors
Resident Evil: Damnation
Resident Evil: Vendetta

June 5
Keeper

June 9
Underworld: Blood Wars

June 13
The Home (2025)

June 26
Queens of the Dead

June 30
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Kanopy

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

June 5
The Killing of a Sacred Deer

June 19
The Triangle (2005)

Netflix

I Am Frankelda

June 1
The Chronicles of Riddick
House on Haunted Hill
Pitch Black
Riddick
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed

June 7
Poor Things

June 12
I Am Frankelda

Paramount+

Death Becomes Her

June 1
Death Becomes Her
John Carpenter’s Escape From L.A.
Mean Creek
Teaching Mrs. Tingle
The Dark Tower*

June 20
Piranha*

*Title is available to Paramount+ Premium subscribers.

Peacock

Strung

June 1
Bride of Chucky
The Exorcist: Believer*
Jennifer’s Body
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park III
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Resident Evil
Seed of Chucky

June 18
Wolf Man*

June 26
Strung*

* = is exclusive to Peacock

Pluto TV

I Saw the TV Glow

June 1
10 Cloverfield Lane
Attack the Block
Disturbia
Gremlins
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
Hellboy (2019)
Identity (2003)
I Saw the TV Glow
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Men (2022)
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 4
Scary Movie 5
The War of the Worlds (1953)

Prime Video

The Blackening

June 1
Doom: Annihilation
Escape Room (2019)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
The Night Of The Hunter
Thoroughbreds

June 5
The Blackening

June 6
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Screambox

Return to Silent Hill

June 5
Bloody Chainsaw Girl Returns
Bloody Chainsaw Girl Returns: Revenge of Nero
End Zone 2
I DON’T LIKE IT HERE
Murdercise
Punk the Capital
Return to Silent Hill
Soldier Warriors
The Blue Diamond
The Haunted Studio
The Life And Deaths Of Christopher Lee
Tonight She Comes
Tokyo Gore Police (English Dubbed)
Tokyo Gore Police (Original Japanese)
Within the Rock

June 9
DRAGN

June 12
Banjo
Debbie Does Demons
Four of the Apocalypse
Jōhatsu
Midnight Monster
Night Of The Howling
Ninja USA
Peggy
Shreck
Shinobi Girl – Season 1
The Amazing Transplant
The Blood Of Fu Manchu
The Castle of Fu Manchu
The Hagstone Demon
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) (HD Restored Version)
The Ugly
Werewolf Massacre: Carnage Of The Night Creatures

June 16
Night of Blood

June 19
Creepy Crawly
Darkness in Tenement 45
Escape / OBEY!
Life in the XXI Century
The Suffering
Zombeez

June 26
Alter Ego
Brute 1976
Clash – The Rise And Fall Of The Clash Redux
Explorer from Another World
Fred & Rose West: Love & Murder
Isleen Pines
Macabre Mountain
Razor Blade Smile
XXX-Mas

Shudder

The Voices of Our Mother

June 1
30 Days of Night
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
The Burning
Evil Dead II
Fright Night (1985)
Interview with the Vampire
John Carpenter’s Vampires
Raw
Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers
Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland
Squirm

June 5
The Ice Tower

June 8
The Wait

June 12
Find Your Friends

June 15
Cannibal Mukbang
The Columnist
Trespassers (2018)

June 19
The Voices of Our Mother

June 22
Baise-Moi
Criminal Lovers
In My Skin
Evolution (2016)

June 26
Forbidden Fruits

Tubi

The Last House on the Left 2009

June 1
Alien Vs. Predator
Aliens Vs. Predator – Requiem
Brightburn
The Call
The Cave
Dark Harvest
Dark Water
Disturbia
Escape Room (2019)
Fear
I Saw the TV Glow
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
The Last House Of The Left (2009)
Men (2022)
Overlord
Stephen King’s Thinner
Tales From The Darkside: The Movie
Underworld

June 2
I.S.S.
Sasquatch Sunset

June 13
Infinity Pool

June 19
Stepfather

The post All the Horror Heading to Hulu, Netflix, Tubi & Other Streaming Services in June 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This is basically universally true of any halfway competent horror movie, but unfortunately for many, potential energy is most, if not all, of the energy they can muster. There is loads of potential energy in sMOTHERed, the new Shudder original from directors Kevin Rahardjo and Rafki Hidayat, and it translates to something compelling early on. Sadly, all that potential never quite manifests into anything more, leaving us with a half-baked film that, decent squares aside, squanders all the goodwill it builds in the setup. 

And the setup really is quite compelling. Alif (Rio Dewanto) is a Jakarta-based artist who, after a serious car accident, is struggling with partial amnesia brought on by head trauma. His wife Nadine (Faradina Mufti) and son Emir (Jordan Omar) are supportive when he comes home from the hospital, even as he reveals he doesn’t necessarily remember the issues rumbling beneath his marriage before the accident. Before he has time to truly reacclimate, though, Alif gets a long-awaited visit from his mother, Aminah (Vonny Anggraini). Mother and son haven’t seen each other since Alife left home to seek his fortune as a teenager, and she’s never met her daughter-in-law or her grandson.

So, when she arrives, Aminah dives into her grandmotherly duties, brightening the family home even as Alif is plagued by nosebleeds, strange visions, and bits of his pre-accident life he still can’t explain. Perhaps it’s the memory loss, or perhaps it’s Aminah herself, but the more he digs in search of the truth, the more Alif starts to wonder if the woman in his house is actually his mother. 

There’s a lot of talent here, including Indonesian horror legend Joko Anwar (Impetigore, Satan’s Slaves) co-writing and producing. Throw in the film’s roots in an Indonesian folk tale, and it feels like we’re on the way to some stirring psychological drama with a little folk-horror mixed in. For the first half of the film, that’s exactly what we get. Rahardjo and Hidayat prove adept at composing shots (though the lighting often looks a bit flat) and, more importantly, at working with their cast, exacting tremendous emotional detail out of early scenes.

This is the story of a man whose entire recent life, and chunks of his distant past, has become a mystery to him, and so it’s a detective story even as it’s a surprisingly emotional tale of a man trying to reconnect, trying to be better than his former self as a husband, father, and son. Dewanto brings a ton of depth to this side of the story, as Alif’s visions and complaints of strange voices intensify, he never fails to keep us caring about this wounded man desperate to heal. 

It’s what happens next, after setting this remarkable emotional baseline, that starts to fragment the film, spinning it out into certain directions that are promising, and others that feel like duds. The more convinced he becomes that something in his life is not quite right, and the deeper he digs, the more the film threatens to topple its delicate human balance. For a brief handful of scenes, the film seems to forget its original tone entirely, branching off into a small-time crime film, which would feel more like an organic evolution if it didn’t then wildly swing in a different direction again.

Characters in the ensemble fade out, and the emotional tension they bring fades with them, until by the time the film builds to its big reveal about the secrets Alif has kept, it feels both underdeveloped and overdue. At 99 minutes, sMOTHERed still feels like multiple movies smashed together in the edit, leaving its back half littered with dead ends and stalls, which diminish its emotional returns. That said, there are some creepy little moments still lingering in there, so the film doesn’t entirely lose its sense of atmosphere.

This is made all the more frustrating in the case of sMOTHERed because, in the build-up to this derailment, we saw just how well everything was working. The cast has great chemistry, the dynamic between characters is complex and believable, and the emotional hooks of the film are firmly embedded.

Then it all just breaks down, piece by piece, leaving us with a classic case of potential energy squandered in a film’s back half. Still, that potential is pretty impressive, and I’ll be very interested to see what these filmmakers come up with next. 

sMOTHERed premieres May 29 on Shudder.  

The post ‘sMOTHERed’ Review – This Shudder Original Delivers Atmospheric Chills But Not Much Else appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For years, social media has blasted us with conflicting messages about how to achieve a “healthy weight,” while the medical establishment continues to push outdated information about the body mass index. With Looksmaxxing and 90s thinness now dominating online spaces, it’s never felt more frustrating to live comfortably in a human body.

Writer/director Natalie Erika James combines this highly-charged topic with one of horror’s oldest taboos in Saccharine, a body horror tale about the confluence of cannibalism and diet culture. With the tag line, “you are who you eat,” this surrealist film blends girly pop style with the devastating experience of disordered eating. 

Hana (Midori Francis) is a medical student obsessed with losing weight. Hoping to impress her gym crush, Alanya (Madeleine Madden), she signs up for a 12-Week Challenge in which she’ll monitor her caloric intake while completing a series of intense group workout sessions. As Hana diligently tracks her plateauing progress, an old friend reappears with a miraculous, yet pricey, diet pill. Using her scientific expertise to recreate the formula, Hana makes a horrific discovery and must decide if she’s willing to consume the unthinkable in order to achieve the physique of her dreams.

James’ powerful film combines supernatural elements with grounded gore while exploring the pain and grief of self-acceptance. To unpack this surrealist vision, Bloody Disgusting sat down with the Australian-American filmmaker for a candid conversation about the horror of diet culture and the art of human consumption.

Midori Francis in Natalie Erika James’s SACCHARINE. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

Bloody Disgusting: I’m obsessed with movies about cannibalism. It’s my favorite cinematic taboo, but it can be equally taboo to talk about diet culture and body image. What led you to combine these two topics? 

Natalie Erika James: I was fascinated by this idea of desire towards another person as an avenue in which to fill a void in yourself, or projecting your aspirational self onto someone, and how that can morph into a desire to possess and objectify. I think that’s what cannibalism does. It is the ultimate possession and the ultimate way to objectify someone. 

BD: I felt really seen by Saccharine. Who would you say your target audience is, and what message do you hope to send to people who may have a complicated relationship with food and their own bodies? 

NEJ: My aim was to speak to an audience that has dealt with similar struggles, with eating disorders or body dysmorphia. When I was growing up, there wasn’t anyone talking about this kind of subject matter in such an explicit way. I think horror allows you to do that. Whereas a lot of the films that I saw on the subject seemed to have this neat packaging around it, an almost moralistic kind of messaging. I didn’t feel like it captured both the thickness of certain feelings and the highs of compulsive behavior. That was what I was trying to accurately convey. But at the same time, I feel like the audience is broader than that. It’s anyone who would want to have an insight into that experience or can relate to it through any sort of addiction or compulsive behavior. I think all of us have something, whether it’s scrolling or shopping addiction, anything that relates to the feeling of trying to fill a lack in yourself through external means. 

I know that the topic of eating disorders can be difficult to navigate because it’s often very triggering. What was the culture like on set, and how did you approach developing Hana’s character with Midori Francis?

We definitely had a real awareness of the sensitivity of the subject matter. We consulted with The Butterfly Foundation [an Australian charity dedicated to serving those impacted by eating disorders and body image issues] and had an intimacy coordinator who was on set for our actors as a backup resource. We also had language and tone setting meetings with the crew to create an environment in which these things aren’t taken lightly. It’s definitely the nature of diving into an uncomfortable topic that you have to have a lot of uncomfortable conversations. Oftentimes, I found that what makes things uncomfortable is that people are very well-meaning and try to be almost overly sensitive, but there hasn’t been a discussion about what the right language is. It requires a very intentional kind of understanding from everyone. 

I shared my own experience with Midori, and she was very open to leaning on some of that as well. I think in the film, there are so many fantastical kinds of heightened moments, but we were always able to come back to, okay, what’s the real-life experience of that, and how do we build a performance?

Danielle Macdonald in Natalie Erika James’s SACCHARINE. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

 I think that comes through in the film. In the spirit of uncomfortable conversations, I want to be careful how I ask this question because I make it a policy not to comment on people’s bodies. But I think in a film like this, it does matter. I really love Danielle Macdonald’s performance as Josie. Why was it important to feature this role and different types of bodies in this movie? 

I think Josie is so crucial to Hana’s story because she almost acts as a foil to Hana, but is also her anchor. She’s a woman in a larger body who is so self-possessed and confident. She thinks of herself as worthy and has love in her life. It’s all the things Hana really wants for herself, but is trying to achieve in the completely wrong way, by becoming smaller. And so she really is the voice of reason for Hana and also a source of connection. I think the act of being seen or accepted by someone is what really shrinks that sense of shame that Hana carries around. Josie is crucial in so many ways, and I think Dani as a person just embodies Josie. She is that grounded and has this effortless confidence in herself. She’s the perfect fit for the character. 

Watching Josie push back on this idea that smaller is better was so refreshing, but the moment that made me cry was a scene in which Hana looks at herself in a really vulnerable position and seems to finally find compassion. Is this a story about self-acceptance and body grieving?

Yes. Hana’s arc goes from one of self-destruction to self-acceptance, at least for a while. It’s about dismantling a sense of shame in yourself and recognizing how much that shame can imprison you. That scene is so pivotal because I think you hear the word self-love a lot, especially in online and wellness spaces. But what does that look like? How do you cultivate it? It can be as simple as looking back at a younger version of yourself and having empathy for where you were and an acknowledgement of how hard you’re trying. I’m glad to hear it resonated.

Midori Francis in Natalie Erika James’s SACCHARINE. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

 Throughout this struggle, Hana is haunted by Bertha, a ghost that seems to grow larger in relation to Hana’s compulsions. How do you view her place in the story? Is she a villain, a victim, or something else? 

Bertha’s role is twofold. On one hand, she is the entity on which Hana projects all of her worst fears about herself. On a surface level, you could read it as a larger person depicted as a menace and read fatphobia. For me, or at least my intention was, we’re dealing with a character who has internalized this fatphobia. So we’re seeing Bertha through Hana’s lens. Her monstrosity is really driven by shame and self-hatred. It’s not so much about the literal size of her body. I think it’s really important that at the end of the film, we understand that Bertha is a real person and actually very loved.

I want to ask a similar question about Alanya, particularly her 12-Week Challenge. I think society creates a lot of conflicting messages about the right way to have a healthy body, and it can be really confusing. How do you view Alanya’s role in Hana’s life?

Maddie Madden had an interesting challenge in the sense that again, so much of Alanya is viewed through Hana’s aspirational lens and objectification. But I think she did an incredible job of grounding the character and making her very compassionate as well. Through association, Hana tries to create a new version of herself. I also feel as though there are hints that Alanya has gone through some sort of eating disorder journey of her own. 

There’s a sense that we’ve moved on from the diet culture discourse of the early 2000s, where women’s bodies were absolutely torn apart. Now this idea of thinness as an aspirational ideal has definitely come back at full force. But now it’s couched in wellness language. It’s about self-improvement, and it can be tied to mental health as well, but a lot of the underlying sentiment is the same. There is a line between self-improvement and self-erasure, something that we have to be really conscious of because it’s masquerading as something positive; there can be seeds of the same energy. I think Alanya has a mix of that. She’s well-intentioned, but even the poster that she has up in the gym has this before and after imagery. There are mixed messages there. 

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I absolutely loved the ending. It was the last thing I expected. I also love how queer the film is. At one point, Josie asks Hana if she’s decided whether she wants to be with Alanya or if she wants to be Alanya, which is a question that comes up a lot when exploring one’s sexuality, but it also ties back to what you were saying about objectification and consumption. So Josie’s question becomes quite literal. Where do we leave Hana and Alanya? 

In the end, Hana has an opportunity to forge something really authentic with Alanya. All the while, she’s been projecting her desires onto her, and there is this sense of fantasy tied up in it. When it comes to accountability, which Alanya kind of forces her to confront, Hana has an opportunity. But unfortunately, at that time, shame overrides it and wins. It becomes this all-consuming drive. That’s the tragedy, that she has all the tools and yet, if you can’t fill yourself up, there’s no external thing or person that’s going to do that for you. 

Madeleine Madden
and Midori Francis in Natalie Erika James’s SACCHARINE. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

On a lighter note, I am obsessed with the way you film food and eating in this movie, particularly this credit sequence in which mouth-watering treats are merged with medical procedures. What do these moments say about the connection between food and the body?

Throughout the film, food is many things. At some points, it is a dopamine high and the ecstatic thrill of consumption. It’s kind of like a ride. That’s why we tried to infuse it with color and texture. On the other hand, it can be this source of nauseating, inescapable oppression. So the mix of those two things is what we tried to capture in those end titles. At the same time, food is also nourishment. It’s the first nourishment we get from our mothers as babies. It’s love. It’s caretaking. It’s Hana’s dad cooking her pancakes inexplicably, as well as her mother’s use of food as a means of control. So it’s many things. It’s not just nutrition. It’s very charged. 

It’s also something we can’t escape. Unlike other substance abuse issues, we have to eat to survive, and so we’re forced to navigate a relationship with food. I think a lot of the way we do that is shaped by how we were raised. What role do Hana’s parents play in the story? 

It felt crucial to truly understand the depth of Hana’s preoccupation with weight, food, and her body. When you think of appearances, it can feel very artificial or superficial. Who cares if you’re 10 kilos, 10 pounds heavier? What does it matter? But so much of how Hana views those things is tied up in love and value and acceptance. Once you understand that, then it becomes an existential crisis. It’s not just about looking good so you can go to a party or something superficial like that. It’s like, how do I exist in the world and feel okay? That’s what’s at stake for her.

Midori Francis in Natalie Erika James’s SACCHARINE. Courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder

Well, speaking of existential crises, I am a huge fan of Relic (2020) and Apartment 7A (2024). Along with Saccharine, I think they both feature elements of female life that we don’t often talk about. Why do you think it’s important to bring issues like aging, caregiving, abortion, and disordered eating to the screen?

When I start a project, there’s nothing more exciting than asking questions you don’t know the answer to, the things you want to think about or explore within the work. I think it’s inevitable that the things I grapple with are female-skewed and uncomfortable, but worth talking about because it’s territory that feels unmined or unearthed. 

I find that you’re often telling these stories in a surrealist way. I’m particularly thinking of the dance sequence in Apartment 7A. Sometimes I find that your films are softening the edges, and sometimes I find them sharpened in a really appealing way. How do you approach telling these heavier stories? 

I think particularly with that [scene], there was a very conscious sense of spectacle, like masking something horrific. But I’m always concerned with the subjectivity of the character and how she experiences it. The hard-hitting moments come later, after the fact, when something’s already occurred. I’m always concerned with how to externalize what’s happening internally. And often, surreal elements of horror are great for doing that. 

I think horror allows you to push things a little further, always with the intention of having the right emotional impact as well. It’s not as effective to just push things for the sake of it. It always has to be tied to some emotional truth. But I think horror allows you to go to places where you can balance absurdity alongside these really harrowing subjects.  

Saccharine opens in theaters on May 22, 2026 from Independent Film Company and Shudder.

The post Natalie Erika James Talks Body Horror, Diet Culture, and ‘Saccharine’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Ice Tower arrives on Shudder on June 5.

In the ’70s set film, “Jeanne, a 15-year-old orphan, witnesses the shoot of a film adaptation of the fairy tale The Snow Queen, and she becomes fascinated by its star Cristina (Marion Cotillard, Inception), an actress who is just as mysterious and alluring as the Queen she is playing.“

Clara Pacini stars as Jeanne. August Diehl and Marine Gesbert also star, and look for a cameo from director Gaspar Noé (Climax, Irréversible).

“For me, The Ice Tower solidified Lucile Hadžihalilović’s place amongst the most fascinating creators of fairy tales today,” said distributor Yellow Veil Pictures co-founder Joe Yanick.

Check out the trailer and images below to get a feel for Hadžihalilović’s singular approach to fables and fairy tales.

Look for the dark fairy tale to debut on Shudder very soon.

The post Dark Fairytale ‘The Ice Tower’ Starring Marion Cotillard Heads to Shudder in June appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Currently in production, the second season of Shudder‘s horror anthology series from “Slasher” creators Aaron Martin & Ian Carpenter is titled “Hell Motel: Murder at Red Mountain.”

“Set at a mountain resort known for eliminating people’s inhibitions and amplifying their desires, the new season continues to reveal the chilling consequences of surrendering to our darkest impulses amidst the unique Cold River landscape.

“As guests and staff go missing without explanation and violent incidents increase, it becomes clear that Red Mountain has a long, horrific history for a reason and that no one is safe.”

Sawa stars as Patrick, a man with a thirst for alternative facts and theories who comes to the resort to look into historic mysteries tied to Red Mountain.

Additional cast members will be announced at a later date.

Martin and Carpenter serve as showrunners in addition to executive producing alongside Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, and director Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, This Is Not a Test).

“We’re thrilled to open a chilling new chapter of ‘Hell Motel’ from the brilliant minds of Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter, who continue to push the boundaries of horror. Shudder members know great scares when they see them, and this season delivers the tension, terror, and terrifying good fun they expect from Shudder,” said Courtney Thomasma, Executive Vice President of Linear and Streaming Products, AMC Global Media.

The Shudder Original Series is developed and produced by Shaftesbury, in association with Canadian broadcaster Hollywood Suite and with the participation of Ontario Creates and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit.

The post ‘Hell Motel: Murder at Red Mountain’ – Devon Sawa to Star in Season 2 of Shudder Horror Anthology appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On that note, six brand new ones are now available as we head into the weekend…

Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, May 8, 2026!

Mortal Kombat II is now playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros.

Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid returns to the helm for the new sequel from a script by Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight,” Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire).

This time, the fan-favorite champions — now joined by Johnny Cage — are pitted against one another in the ultimate, no-holds barred, gory battle to defeat the dark rule of Shao Kahn that threatens the very existence of the Earthrealm and its defenders.

Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, Damon Herriman, Chin Han, Tadanobu Asano, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada star in Mortal Kombat II.

From New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, Broken Road Productions, and Fireside Films, Mortal Kombat II is rated R for “strong bloody violence and gore, and language.”

Based on the popular video game created by Kotake Create, NEON’s Exit 8 follows a man trapped in an endless sterile subway passageway as he sets out to find Exit 8.

Exit 8 is now available on Digital at home.

The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8.

But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor?

Kawamura Genki directs Exit 8 from a script he co-wrote with Kentaro Hirase.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “The true magic of Exit 8 lies with its impressive ability to recreate the feeling of playing a game, as you find yourself scouring the walls, floors, and ceilings of a cosmic backroom hallway to assist the Lost Man in his search for anomalies.”

Dying is not a choice in Whistle, the latest from The Nun director Corin Hardy. Fresh out of theaters, the cursed object horror movie is now streaming exclusively on Shudder.

The horror film follows a misfit group of unwitting high school students who stumble upon an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. Soon, they discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.

As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the cursed artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion.

Dafne Keen (Logan), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Jhaleil Swaby (“Supergirl”), Ali Skovbye (“Firefly Lane”), Percy Hynes White (“Wednesday”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) star.

Owen Egerton (Blood Fest) wrote the script, based on his own short story.

Happy Death Day actress Jessica Rothe stars as a mom struggling to keep her grip on her sanity and memory in the mind-bending Affection, now playing in select theaters.

In Affection, “Afflicted by a mysterious condition that resets her memory, Ellie becomes trapped in a cyclical nightmare with a man who claims to be her husband. She soon must uncover the horrifying truth of her existence—before she forgets it all again.“

Joseph Cross (“Big Little Lies”) and Julianna Layne (“Chicago P.D.”) also star in the sci-fi horror thriller. Affection marks the feature debut by writer/director BT Meza.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review out of the film’s premiere, “Affection is steeped in existential questions and fears that plague modern society, while it embraces the ethos of the ’80s through bold body horror. Add to that Rothe’s revelatory performance, and Affection is a hidden gem that will connect with your mind, body, and soul.”

Mena Suvari (American Beauty) stars as the legendary Elizabeth Báthory, leading a coven of bloodsuckers who hunt their prey on dating apps, in Vampires of the Velvet Lounge.

The horror comedy is now available on Digital at home.

Deep in the American South, a back alley absinthe bar harbors a deadly secret: Countess Elizabeth Báthory and her glamorous coven of vampires keep their killer instincts sharp by preying on lonely singles through dating apps, seducing and slaughtering to preserve their youth.

But when Elizabeth swipes right on the wrong profiles — a cunning undercover vampire hunter and a band of emotionally stunted bros — the hunt spirals into hilariously horrifying chaos.

Blood flies, fangs pierce flesh, and the bar erupts into a glitter-soaked, green fairy-winged, fang-filled fever dream of grindhouse gore, terrible decisions, and fashionably fatal carnage.

Mena Suvari stars with Dichen Lachman (“Severance”), Stephen Dorff (Blade), India Eisley (Underworld: Awakening), Tom Berenger (Platoon), Rosa Salazar (Alita: Battle Angel), and Tyrese Gibson (Fast & Furious franchise).

Lochlyn Munro (Freddy vs. Jason), Sarah Dumont (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse), Mark Boone, Jr. (“Sons of Anarchy”), Sherman Augustus (“Stranger Things”), and Timothy Murphy (“True Detective”) round out the cast.

Wristcutters: A Love Story producer Adam Sherman writes and directs.

Canadian horror-comedy Buffet Infinity crosscuts between original, low-budget TV commercials to tell the sinister tale of two restaurants battling it out. Ads for insurance, used car rivals, a local religious scholar, and a recording artist converge to tell the story of an expanding sinkhole, a cult, and an ever-growing restaurant that becomes unsettlingly sentient.

The unconventional film is now available on VOD from Yellow Veil Pictures.

Ahmed Ahmed, Kevin Singh, Donovan Workun, Allison Bench, and Claire Theobald star. Simon Glassman writes and directs, in addition to producing Buffet Infinity.

Luiz H.C. writes in his review, “Buffet Infinity is one of the most rewarding genre productions of the past few years and a must-watch for fans of absurdist humor and Lovecraftian terror. The internet-inspired rapid-fire humor may not appeal to everyone, but I was thoroughly impressed with what may very well be the very first instance of a true analog horror comedy.”

The post Friday, May 8 – These 6 New Horror Movies Released Today appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Evil begets evil when the supernatural horror film streams June 19 on Shudder.

It follows Harriet Scaflen after the death of her mother at the age of 95. Harriet then has an unexplainable health scare, bringing her four estranged children to the family home to care for her.

As their past animosities and secrets are revealed, they soon realize their mother’s health issues may be supernatural, and the awoken evil inside her is seeking revenge on her children for her own survival.

Actor Mark O’Brien (Ready or Not, Arrival) writes and directs the Canadian production.

O’Brien also appears in the film alongside Georgina Reilly (Pontypool), Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse), Alex Ozerov-Meyer (“Slasher”), Anna Ferguson (“Heartland”), and Shawn Doyle (“The Expanse”).

Christopher Giroux & Justin Rebelo of Vortex Productions (Anything for Jackson) produce, with Jesse Ikeman, Nataline Rodrigues, and Bill Marks serving as executive producers.

The post ‘The Voices of Our Mother’ Trailer – Supernatural Evil Awakens on Shudder in June appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Find Your Friends begins streaming on Shudder on June 12, 2026.

In the film, “Amber and her four best friends flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with quiet hostility. As isolation sets in and encounters with aggressive locals grow more threatening, festering resentments within the group begin to surface. What begins as fun and reckless escape spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival, as past wounds and present dangers collide in a night that turns their trip into a revenge-fueled nightmare.”

Watch the new trailer below, which sees trust in short supply among friends once violence arrives.

Bella Thorne (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star in the feature debut by writer/director Izabel Pakzad.

Pakzad produces alongside Allison Friedman, Andrea Iervolino, Luca Matrundola, Monika Bacardi, and Gary Michael Walters. Thorne serves as executive producer.

“We’re thrilled to share Find Your Friends, a visceral film that begins as an escape into the stark beauty of the desert and quickly descends into a gripping struggle where paranoia, resentment, and survival collide,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and productions at Shudder. “Audiences should prepare for an intense, emotionally charged experience that rethinks the trope of the final girl.”

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Here’s all the new horror that released on Friday, May 1, 2026!

Renny Harlin is back with new horror movie Deep Water, which looks to bring together the action of Die Hard 2 with the shark attack horror of Deep Blue Sea. We bring up those two movies in comparison to Deep Water, because, well, Renny Harlin directed all three of ’em!

Produced by Gene Simmons, Deep Water is now playing in theaters.

Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kinsgley star alongside Molly Wright (The Best Christmas Pageant Ever), Angus Sampson (Insidious), Kelly Gale (Plane), and Li Wenhan from K-Pop group UNIQ.

In Renny Harlin’s Deep Water, “A flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai goes down in the middle of the Pacific. After surviving the crash, the survivors soon discover they’re not alone and they must survive the shark infested waters. The terrified group is forced to work together and overcome their differences if they hope to escape their sinking plane and the frenzy of sharks.”

The screenplay was written by Pete Bridges and Shayne Armstrong & SP Krause.

Renny Harlin said in a recent statement, “Deep Water represents the kind of movie I’ve dreamed of making since I grew up loving the ’70s disaster movies. Spectacular action and unforgettable characters who didn’t leave a dry eye in the movie theater.”

From Damian McCarthy (Caveat, Oddity), Hokum is now playing in theaters.

Adam Scott (“Severance”) stars in Hokum as reclusive novelist Ohm Bauman. When he retreats to a remote Irish inn to scatter his parents’ ashes, the staff’s tales of an ancient witch haunting the honeymoon suite take hold of his mind. Disturbing visions and a shocking disappearance draw Ohm into a nightmarish confrontation with the darkest corners of his past.

Peter Coonan (“The Alienist: Angel of Darkness”), David Wilmot (“Station Eleven”), Florence Ordesh (“Departure”), Michael Patric (“Frontier”), Will O’Connell (“Game of Thrones”), Brendan Conroy (“Bodkin”), and Austin Amelio (“The Walking Dead”) also star.

Meagan Navarro raves in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “A quaint Irish hotel with a deeply haunted history awaits an American writer in McCarthy’s third outing, continuing his streak for folkloric tales of supernatural karma and spine-tingling terror with a dark sense of humor.”

Dutch folk horror film Heresy is now streaming only on Shudder.

Set in a medieval Dutch village, Heresy follows a young woman who is caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk, and the dark forces lurking in the woods.

The film marks the feature directorial debut of Didier Konings, a concept artist on the likes of “Stranger Things,” Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He also has visual effects credits on The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out.

Anneke Sluiters, Len Leo Vincent, Reinout Bussemaker, Léon van Waas, and Nola Elvis Kemper star in Heresy. Marc S. Nollkaemper penned the screenplay.

A surreal and stylized blend of witchcraft, folk horror, body horror, and familial trauma, Salt Along the Tongue is now available on Digital from Yellow Veil Pictures.

Calling the Australian production “a love letter to my mother,” writer-director Parish Malfitano explores his Italian heritage with a haunting tale rooted in the evil eye superstition.

After teenager Mattia’s mother dies unexpectedly, she has no choice but to move in with her aunt Carol, her mother’s identical twin. As Mattia grapples with the loss of her mother and this new way of life, a treacherous family secret begins to come to light. From beyond the grave, Mattia’s mother possesses her daughter — not only trying to protect Mattia from the same fate that befell her, but also to find reconciliation with her twin sister, using food as a gateway.

Citing Volver, Possession, 3 Women, and Don’t Look Now as inspirations, Malfitano’s script was a semi-finalist in Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope Screenplay Competition.

Dina Panozzo and Laneikka Denne star with Mayu Iwasaki, Maria de Marco, Nicole Toum, Caroline Levien, Olga Olshansky, Helen Vassiliadis, and Liz Lin.

Terror Films Releasing has teamed with filmmakers Josh Funk and Dustin Vaught to release horror-comedy The Fuzzies, centered around puppetry and practical effects.

The Fuzzies is now available on Digital outlets at home.

The film follows a group of friends who reunite at their childhood friend’s eerie estate after her death, where they soon uncover a nightmare: the grotesque puppets from her famous children’s TV show are alive. Blending practical puppetry, stop-motion horror, and dark humor, The Fuzzies explores friendship, fame, and buried monsters.”

Rocío de la Grana (Rose), Baylee Toney (Mary), Dustin Vaught (Mick), and Gordy Cassell (Shirley/Sunny Smiles) star.

Director Josh Funk, who co-wrote and produced with Dustin Vaught, said in a statement, “The Fuzzies is a horror-comedy born from a fascination with the uncanny, specifically the strange power of puppets and stop-motion animation to feel both comforting and deeply unsettling. Drawing inspiration from children’s television of the 1970s and ‘80s, the film explores how bright sets, felt textures, and cheerful characters become disorienting when stripped of their warmth. The Fuzzies embraces the tactile imperfections of handmade filmmaking to tell a story about nostalgia curdling into terror, and the monsters we carry with us from childhood.”

The post Friday, May 1 – These 5 New Horror Movies Released at Home Today appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This closer may not be included in every fan’s top ten, but most assuredly, “Collection Completed” is a must-see episode.

Before getting into “Collection Completed”, let’s go over what all came before it. The series opener, “The Man Who was Death” (directed by Walter Hill, co-written by Hill & Robert Reneau), is a model example of poetic justice à la Crypt. It’s the one where William Sadler played the executioner-turned-vigilante who eventually ended up in the same electric chair he once oversaw. Brutal.

Following that was the aforesaid G.O.A.T. episode, “And All Through the House”; Robert Zemeckis and Fred Dekker’s collaboration continues to be a go-to whenever the hankering for holiday horror develops. Also: “Dig That Cat… He’s Real Gone” (Richard Donner, Terry Black) is worth watching for the ending; the Lea Thompson-starring “Only Sin Deep” (Howard Deutch, Fred Dekker) is like a prototype for The Substance; and “Lover Come Hack to Me” (Tom Holland, Michael McDowell) tends to be ranked lower than others, yet it is gruesome, heady, and elevated by Amanda Plummer‘s presence.

After everything shown so far in Season One, which included a killer Santa Claus, a gold-digger’s Faustian deal, and a daredevil imbued with a cat’s remaining lives (not nine, though!), “Collection Completed” would seem a bit lightweight in comparison. An elderly couple butts heads over the wife’s many animal companions? Well, not exactly. My logline undersells a pretty twisted episode that, for obvious reasons, has stayed with me and plenty of others over the years. While you are never at all surprised by where this story goes, that ending is deeply satisfying. The sort of parting imagery seen here is why we always keep coming back to the Crypt.

Mike Vosburg’s uncolored artwork for Tales from the Crypt, “Collection Completed”.

Based on a story found in EC Comics’ The Vault of Horror, and one told by the Old Witch character, “Collection Completed” roughly followed its source material. This isn’t one Crypt adaptation that took a lot of creative license, as often happened in the show. Even then, there are notable differences between the two takes. For starters, that original Jonas—who was called Jonah in the comic—isn’t forced to retire from his job of forty-something years. If he was, it had no bearing on the plot. Meanwhile, M. Emmet Walsh’s version of the character is extra crusty; the episode provides more motivation for this retiree’s chronic irritability. You’re never on board with Jonas stuffing his wife’s furry and feathered friends, of course, but you can see why he takes issue with them.

Another apparent change between the comic and the adaptation is the general tone. EC was known to instill its tales with an almost-trademark sense of dark humor, maybe in an effort to soften the dreadfulness. In many cases, it actually had the opposite effect. Yet, the original “Collection Completed” is not haha funny. Right from the beginning, Jonah Tillman is plain nasty to Anita, as well as her various pets (which are way fewer than in the TV show). We also only ever see Anita living in a constant state of fear, seeing as how Jonah made his sick intentions known early on. He spends much of the comic terrorizing Anita, who awaits whatever harm he has in store for her critters.

In contrast, Audra Lindley’s portrayal of Anita experiences a range of emotions, as opposed to gobs of unease, then pure anger. The character is not simply someone waiting to reach her breaking point. For a short while, you get to see this woman experience joy, all before Jonas takes it away. Lindley’s Anita also has that chance to grow into her retaliatory, final form. By that I mean, she herself goes through a slow and delicate process somewhat like that of Jonas’ “pet projects“.

“Collection Completed” from The EC Archives: The Vault of Horror, volume 3.

In time, Anita is stripped down to her rawest parts, then put back together again. Similar to Jonas’ dubious first attempts at taxidermy, Anita doesn’t quite resemble her old self after everything is finished. Thankfully, it’s more of a glitch than a permanent transmutation; Jonas’ better half resumes her previous nature once the disruption in her life has been dealt with, not to mention given a taste of his own medicine.

Pet Sematary was released into theaters just two months before Tales from the Crypt premiered on television. So Mary Lambert’s inclinations as a horror director weren’t too formed yet. Based on her breakthrough film, though, Lambert was capable of blackly comical horror. That ability of hers, which was fine-tuned in the underrated Pet Sematary Two, translated perfectly to Crypt. However, Lambert didn’t act alone when taking the unserious approach to EC’s “Collection Completed”; her accomplices were screenwriters Battle Davis, Randolph Davis, and A. Whitney Brown. Battle was primarily an editor (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), Randolph debuted here before hanging up his pen a few years later, and Brown had been writing for Saturday Night Live since 1985. Those three, along with Lambert, ended up being so efficient at preying on human nature and making the outcome scarily funny.

Audra Lindley in Tales from the Crypt, “Collection Completed”.

“Collection Completed” would seem more at home in an anthology series like Tales from the Darkside. This assessment comes from the fact that the story is limited to one setting, and apart from Martin Garner as friend and neighbor Roy, the episode is essentially a two-hander. Mind you, it’s not as thrifty-looking as a typical Darkside entry, but like many of the actors in that show, M. Emmet Walsh and Audra Lindley give big performances in such small surroundings. Walsh was in top form as a villain with no self-awareness, and Lindley deftly captured and communicated the unmistakable sadness of her maternal-yet-childless character. The word “impressive” just doesn’t begin to describe the leads in this episode.

These days, we use the term “Tales from the Crypt energy” to describe a particular kind of story—the ones loaded with macabre excess, dark humor, and, time and again, huge comeuppances. Naturally, “TFTCE” would hail from the show that originated it, and maybe no season had the highest concentration than the very first one. After all, there were only six episodes in that introductory collection. But nevertheless, that initial run sets up the series so well. Morbid, funny, and stylish—it’s really no shocker that Tales from the Crypt went on to become one of the most beloved anthologies around.

Season One of Tales from the Crypt can be streamed on Shudder, starting on May 1.

Tales from Tales from the Crypt celebrates the show’s Shudder premiere by singling out one episode from each season. So don’t even think about changing that dial, boys and ghouls. More spot-“frights” are to come.

M. Emmet Walsh in Tales from the Crypt, “Collection Completed”.

The post Tales from ‘Tales from the Crypt’: Exhuming Season One’s “Collection Completed” Episode appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Tales from the Crypt is often grouped together with other formative horror anthology series like Tales from the Darkside, Monsters, and Night Gallery. However, it can’t be stressed enough how much Tales from the Crypt changed the game, coming from a dream team of filmmakers and airing on HBO with unprecedented freedom to push limits and truly embrace the lurid nature of its source material.

Pulling from the twisted tales of EC Comics’ pulpy genre stories, Tales from the Crypt aired 93 episodes across seven seasons, accruing seven Emmy Award nominations, and featuring a who’s who of Hollywood A-Listers that includes Tom Hanks, Demi Moore, Kirk Douglas, Sandra Bullock, and Brad Pitt.

There are rarely any misses when it comes to Tales from the Crypt’s many macabre morality plays, but there’s a collection of extra special episodes that truly embody what makes it such a singular horror anthology spectacle.

“The New Arrival”

Season 4, Episode 7; Directed by Peter Medak; Written by Ron Finley

There are plenty of Tales From the Crypt episodes that effectively conjure creepy B-horror mayhem, but “The New Arrival” is an episode that’s actually frightening and crescendos to a chilling conclusion. It puts pop psychology and opportunistic ratings stunts in its crosshairs when a cocky and checked out radio psychologist decides to do a house call with Nora (Zelda Rubenstein), one of his regulars. What begins as a cynical stunt turns into a fight for survival. Director Peter Medak taps into the same eerie atmosphere that he did with The Changeling. A broader version of this story wouldn’t work, and “The New Arrival” genuinely keeps its audience guessing over whether Nora’s troubled daughter, Felicity, is a real child, a symptom of Nora’s potentially fractured mind, or some supernatural apparition. 

The deaths that complement each act are actually effective, and there’s a grungy quality to the house that brings The Collector or Saw films to mind. There’s a narrow hallway that’s lined with razor blades that’s never left my memory. Additionally, the porcelain mask aesthetic that accompanies Felicity is simple, yet deeply creepy. “The New Arrival” gives you everything you’d want in a Tales from the Crypt episode.

“The Ventriloquist’s Dummy”

Season 2, Episode 10; Written by Frank Darabont; Directed by Richard Donner

Any horror anthology series would be remiss to not do an episode about a killer ventriloquist dummy with a mind of its own. While it’s hard to top Richard Attenborough’s Magic, Tales from the Crypt gets pretty damn close by having Richard Donner direct a Frank Darabont script, hot off of Lethal Weapon 2. The series is no stranger to self-aware casting, and “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” has fun with its use of Bobcat Goldthwait as an up-and-coming ventriloquist who turns to his retired idol for advice, who is played by Don Rickles. 

Tales from the Crypt loves to tell a story about the dark side of show business, and the cartoonishly heightened background of ventriloquism makes for an effective topic to filter it all through. Goldthwait is a good actor when he’s in the right director’s hands, and he really rises to the occasion in “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy.” It’s hard to tell a ventriloquist dummy horror story that’s genuinely surprising and does something original, and yet Tales from the Crypt manages to subvert expectations with a gruesome turn of events.

“Split Second”

Season 3, Episode 11; Written by Richard Christian Matheson; Directed by Russell Mulcahy

Tales from the Crypt is no stranger to lethal love triangles. Jilted lovers and relationship revenge stories are at the center of some of the most memorable episodes. Helmed by “Ozploitation” master Russell Mulcahy, “Split Second” nails the steamy salaciousness that’s par for the course in any of Tales from the Crypt’s fatal affairs. A lumber camp that’s full of pent-up sexual aggression acts as a pressure cooker when the camp’s manager (Brion James) becomes overly paranoid about his new wife’s potential infidelity. 

This conniving femme fatale pits both of the men in her life against each other in a playful episode that boils down to pure id and an unforgettable finale. Mulcahy channels the raw, raging aggression that’s prevalent in so many Australian horror films, all of which gives “Split Second” an extra punch that pushes it above Tales from the Crypt’s comparable infidelity fodder.

“Television Terror”

Season 2, Episode 16; Written by Randall Jahnson and G. J. Pruss; Directed by Charlie Picerni

A lot of fans point to “Television Terror” as the series’ scariest episode, and it’s not without good reason. “Television Terror” opts for a Ghostwatch-like atmosphere as a Geraldo Rivera-esque reporter (Morton Downey Jr.) broadcasts his findings in what’s an allegedly haunted house. Tales from the Crypt doesn’t waste the opportunity to tell an out-of-control haunted house story, which touches all the poltergeist basics as well as plenty of disturbing new ideas. “Television Terror” doesn’t fully go for a found footage aesthetic. However, there’s still a looser, handheld quality to the episode’s presentation that helps sell the scares and feed into the illusion.

Some of the episode’s kitschy casting falls a little flat today, like how Morton Downey Jr.’s tabloid journalist character is meant to be an exaggeration of his talk show persona from that time. Nevertheless, none of this pop culture knowledge is necessary in order for “Television Terror” to work. That’s the power of an effective ghost story. There are a lot of Tales from the Crypt episodes that dabble in this space, and it’s a shame that Charlie Picerni — a stuntman and stunt coordinator by trade — didn’t return to direct more episodes. “Television Terror” also feels like a real companion piece to “The New Arrival,” and the two episodes make for an especially intense double feature.

“Split Personality”

Season 4, Episode 11; Written by Fred Dekker; Directed by Joel Silver

There’s a sick level of schadenfreude to most Tales from the Crypt episodes in which the audience is sometimes actively rooting for the morally bankrupt protagonist to get their comeuppance. In the case of “Split Personality,” a remarkably stupid scheme is put into motion, the likes of which could only be directed by Joel Silver and star Joe Pesci. Pesci’s swindling con man hits the jackpot when he befriends two billionaire twin heiresses. 

The greed of Pesci’s conman, Vic Stetson, is pushed to ludicrous levels when he pretends to have a twin brother of his own so that he can marry both twins and inherit twice as much money. It’s the type of story that only works in Tales from the Crypt, but work it does. The episode’s ending, while played for laughs, is truly troubling and teases much deeper levels of psychosis. It may not be Tales from the Crypt’s scariest episode, but it’s such a perfect representation of the pulpy genre stories that were possible in it.

“You, Murderer”

Season 6, Episode 15; Written by A. L. Katz & Gilbert Adler; Directed by Robert Zemeckis

“You, Murderer,” Tales from the Crypt’s final episode before production would move to the United Kingdom for its seventh and final season, is one of the series’ most impressive and important episodes, even if it’s not especially scary. “You, Murderer,” was Robert Zemeckis’ directorial follow-up to Forrest Gump, and the episode makes use of the same Oscar-winning effects team from Industrial Light & Magic. “You, Murderer” is ostensibly one big love letter to Humphrey Bogart’s filmography and the film noir genre writ large, with the episode even going so far as to “resurrect” Bogart to posthumously guest star in the episode. 

An on-the-run criminal gets plastic surgery that leaves him looking exactly like Bogart, an effect that’s achieved by a mix of archive footage, sophisticated computer graphics, editing, and a skilled impersonator. Tales from the Crypt even goes so far as to list Humphrey Bogart in the episode’s credits. “You, Murderer” is a technical marvel that’s also a stylistic fulcrum in Zemeckis’ career as he becomes an increasingly tech-obsessed director. It’s also so interesting to see this sort of ghoulish guest star work be praised on Tales from the Crypt in the ’90s, while it’s almost universally panned today.

“Carrion Death”

Season 3, Episode 2; Written & Directed by Steven E. de Souza

“Carrion Death” is such a perfect elevator pitch premise for a Tales from the Crypt episode that it’s hard not to love. A murderer (Kyle MacLachlan) escapes from prison and flees to the Mexican border, only to find himself handcuffed to the corpse of the state trooper who was pursuing him. Oh, and a hungry vulture is hot on his tail the entire time. If that weren’t enough, the whole thing is written and directed by the person who is responsible for writing Die Hard, Die Hard 2, and 48 Hours. 

“Carrion Death” starts in a satisfying place, only to heighten itself with each act and basically turn into a macabre one-man show for MacLachlan. MacLachlan rarely disappoints, and he gets the opportunity to really let loose and ham it up in the best way possible. He’s chewing so much scenery that he’s got more in his mouth than the vulture. Like many of the best Tales from the Crypt episodes, “Carrion Death” isn’t afraid to go out on a cruel ending that has plenty of bite – figuratively and literally.

“Easel Kill Ya”

Season 3, Episode 8; Written by Larry Wilson; Directed by John Harrison

Tales From the Crypt, at the end of the day, is all about karma coming back to bite people who deserve it the most. “Easel Kill Ya” has one of the most effective karmic twists in the series, and it’s why this episode is a Tales from the Crypt all-time hall of famer. This is yet another exercise in efficient simplicity that follows such a clean structure that it makes it feel like some twisted urban legend that’s been passed around a campfire. It’s also another episode where the lead actor — which in this case is Tim Roth — really channels something special that elevates a basic role into something greater. 

In “Easel Kill Ya,” Roth’s Jack Craig is a struggling artist whose work won’t sell — that is, until an accidental murder turns into the ultimate source of inspiration. Craig is backed into a difficult corner in which accruing a higher body count will help him pay the bills and escape his low status, but he begins to crumble under the pressure and guilt. “Easel Kill Ya” saves its best material for the end, and it’s the sort of cruel karma that makes the Cryptkeeper cackle.

“People Who Live In Brass Hearses”

Season 5, Episode 5; Written by Scott Nimerfro; Directed by Russell Mulcahy

“People Who Live in Brass Hearses” almost feels like Russell Mulcahy doing a Coen Brothers imitation in this absurdist horror heist. Bill Paxton and Brad Dourif play ne’er-do-well brothers who plan to rob an ice cream man who did them wrong. They’re the exact type of buffoonish troublemakers that populate Coen Brothers movies, right down to Paxton’s character having a bizarre butter obsession that comes up more often than you’d think. 

Paxton and Dourif are both a delight here as they embrace their inner idiot. However, it’s Michael Learner’s ice cream man that will stick with audiences the most. Nearly every single Tales from the Crypt episode features some type of unbelievable plot twist, but “People Who Live in Brass Hearses” builds to one of the series’ best final acts. It’s a disturbing delight and a Tales from the Crypt episode that will make you never look at ice cream trucks the same.

“Cutting Cards”

Season 2, Episode 3; Written by Mae Woods & Walter Hill; Directed by Walter Will

Not every Tales from the Crypt episode involves supernatural material or is even necessarily a horror story. That being said, extreme personalities are plentiful in Tales from the Crypt, and “Cutting Cards” is an episode that specializes in this territory. There’s a remarkably simple premise to “Cutting Cards,” an episode that’s directed by Walter Hill of The Warriors and The Driver fame, but feels more like the type of story that Quentin Tarantino or Robert Rodriguez would have tackled in the ’90s. 

A pair of gamblers, played to heightened perfection by Lance Henriksen and Kevin Tighe, engage in increasingly over-the-top and unconventional games to determine who is the best. “Cutting Cards” perpetually escalates even though it’s a relatively slow-burn installment. It’s not until the outlandish complications that are taken in the episode’s final act that “Cutting Cards” comes together. The ending is simultaneously gruesome, tragic, hilarious, and profound in a manner that only Tales from the Crypt can achieve.

The post The 10 Best ‘Tales From the Crypt’ Episodes That You Need to Watch appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For the first time EVER, HBO’s “Tales from the Crypt” is now streaming and you’ll find the series exclusively on Shudder as part of this year’s “Halfway to Halloween” celebration!

Featuring the iconic Crypt Keeper, voiced by John Kassir, the series’ first season debuted TODAY, with additional seasons rolling out weekly every Friday through June 12.

All seven seasons will be presented fully uncut and uncensored.

Inspired by the EC Comics tales, each episode of “Tales from the Crypt” offers a self-contained story hosted by the Crypt Keeper (Kassir), a wisecracking corpse known for his macabre puns. With its signature unrestricted gore, profanity, and dark irony, the show’s episode styles range from comedy to drama and deliver twisted moral lessons where “bad people” meet poetically horrific ends – and issues like greed, lust, and moral decay lead to tragic consequences.

The original HBO series featured a long list of Hollywood A-list guest stars, including Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Michael J. Fox, John Lithgow, Christopher Reeve, Catherine O’Hara, Steve Buscemi, Brooke Shields, and many more. The talent also extended behind the camera, with notable directors including Robert Zemeckis, Tobe Hooper, and William Friedkin, as well as Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael J. Fox.

The reopening of the Tales from the Crypt content archive is made possible by Dark Castle Entertainment, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Walter Hill (Tales from the Crypt Holdings).

Watch the brand new trailer Shudder cut together for the show’s streaming debut!

The post ‘Tales from the Crypt’ Now Streaming for the Very First Time on Shudder! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Sam Raimi’s Send Help makes its streaming debut on Hulu this month, along with under-the-radar new releases like Babak Anvari’s Hallow Road, the Daisy Ridley-starring zombie drama We Bury the Dead.

The arrival of Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair on Peacock comes with a Quentin Tarantino collection that includes horror faves like Death Proof. Screambox transforms a kids show into nightmare fuel with Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round.

Here’s all the horror arriving in May.

HBO Max

Insidious: The Red Door

May 1
Insidious: The Last Key

May 4
Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

Hulu

We Bury the Dead

May 1
Love And Monsters
Only Lovers Left Alive
War of the Worlds (2005)

May 2
Hallow Road

May 7
Send Help

May 8
We Bury the Dead

May 21
Alien: Romulus

May 22
The Home (2025)

May 26
Descendent (2025)

May 28
Afraid

Kanopy

The Vanishing

May 8
Beau is Afraid
Bodies Bodies Bodies

May 22
Buried

Netflix

Black Phone 2

May 1
Jennifer’s Body
Ouija
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Starship Troopers
Under the Skin

May 16
Black Phone 2

May 18
Nope

Paramount+

Scary Movie 4

May 1
Scary Movie 4
Scary Movie V
Searching

Peacock

The Mummy

May 1
The Mummy
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Searching
Shutter Island

May 4
Imaginary*

May 22
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair*
Death Proof
Planet Terror

May 30
The Strangers: Chapter 1*

* = is exclusive to Peacock

Pluto TV

The Blob

May 1
30 Days Of Night (2007)
30 Days Of Night: Dark Days
Attack The Block
Beau is Afraid
Below
The Blob (1988)
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Climax
The Covenant (2006)
The Craft: Legacy
Crawl
Cujo
Deliver Us From Evil
Disturbia
The Faculty
Fright Night (1985)
The Gift (2000)
Green Room
Hannibal
The Haunting In Connecticut
Hereditary
Idle Hands
Life After Beth
Mimic
Pet Sematary (2019)
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Shutter Island
The Silence Of The Lambs
Slice
Urban Legend
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Urban Legends: The Final Cut
The Wolf Of Snow Hollow
The Woman In Black

Prime Video

Blink Twice

May 1
Gretel & Hansel
Psycho II
Species
The Return of the Living Dead
The Wolf of Snow Hollow

May 21
Blink Twice

Screambox

Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round

May 1
The Man From Nowhere
The Mimic
The Long Night
Shaman
Acid Pit Stop

May 5
The Morrigan

May 8
Dabbe 6: The Return
Rampant
Special ID
Kill Your Friends
Freaks
Deadlocked
American Rickshaw

May 15
The Portrait
The Legend of La Llorona
The Ghost Station
Massacre Academy
Deleter

May 19
Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round

May 22
The Raven
Protein
The Seasoning House
So Cold the River
Morgue
Piggy
Padmashri
A Hard Place

May 29
Nosferatu – A Symphony of Horror
Hemogoblin
Dark Sea

Shudder

Livid

May 1
Baby Blood
Gazer
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
Heresy
Innocence
Livid
Martyrs
Murderrock
Re-Wind
Teeth
The Bride From Hades
The Ghost of Yotsuya
The Ice Tower
The Snow Woman
Vice Squad

May 4
Horror Noire: History of Black Horror
Solvent

May 8
Whistle

May 11
47 Meters Down
47 Meters Down: Uncaged
Aberrance
In Search of Darkness 1990-1994

May 15
Something is About to Happen

May 22
This is Not a Test

May 29
Smothered

Tubi

Happy Death Day 2U

May 1
American Carnage
Beau Is Afraid
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Cell
Climax
Don’t Breathe
Green Room
Hannibal
Happy Death Day 2U
Hereditary
House At The End Of The Street
In Fabric
Lake Placid
Let The Right One In
Life After Beth
Mama
Misery
Predators
Silent Hill
Slice
The Dead Zone
The Final Girls
The Inhabitant
The Invitation
The Mist
The Predator
The Silence Of The Lambs

May 8
Give Me Back My Baby

May 22
I Didn’t Do It

The post All the Horror Heading to Hulu, Netflix, Tubi & Other Streaming Services in May 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Tales from the Crypt was already one of EC Comics’ top titles, but its adaptation into an anthology horror series for HBO elevated its pop culture cache to unprecedented heights. You know you’ve got a hit on your hands when your guest stars include Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, and Ewan McGregor. Accordingly, it made plenty of sense when Tales from the Crypt, which heads to streaming for the very first time tomorrow on Shudder, expanded into cinematic installments.

However, there are many inexplicable Tales from the Crypt offshoots that need to be seen to be believed.

Tales From The Cryptkeeper

Franchise expansion and pushing popular IP in unexpected directions is at an all-time high now, but there’s something to be said for the lawlessness of the late ’80s and ’90s where everything from RoboCop to Beetlejuice and Godzilla received cartoon spin-offs. In this sense, Tales from the Crypt feels like it’s in good company, but it’s still a very risky endeavor to take HBO’s uncensored horror series and translate it into a Saturday morning cartoon. Tales from the Cryptkeeper ran for three seasons (the final season returned five years later and was rebranded as New Tales from the Cryptkeeper), which still managed to adapt over three-dozen EC Comics stories into kid-friendly morality plays that still had bite. 

Curiously, Tales from the Cryptkeeper would incorporate fellow EC Comics characters, the Vault-Keeper and Old Witch, who were absent in HBO’s live-action series. The animated series even finds room to develop the Crypt Keeper’s character in small, satisfying ways. If nothing else, Tales from the Cryptkeeper is a great gateway into anthology horror for younger audiences.

Secrets Of The Cryptkeeper’s Haunted House

Tales from the Crypt didn’t seem like a natural fit to turn into a Saturday morning cartoon for children, but there’s still an internal logic to an anthology series that tries to expose younger audiences to spooky morality plays. That being said, giving the Crypt Keeper his own family-friendly game show doesn’t make any sense at all and it even sounds like the twisted setup to a Tales from the Crypt episode. 

Secrets of the Cryptkeeper’s Haunted House exists in spite of itself and, most impressively, this gonzo concept kind of works. Two teams of kids must compete through five events that apply creepy spins on Nickelodeon-esque challenges, like Fireball Alley, Worminator, and Vampire’s Lair. Secrets of the Cryptkeeper’s Haunted House featured an impressive blend of computer-generated elements that contestants would interact with in live-action. It’s a spectacle that was somewhat revolutionary back in 1996, even if it looks rather ridiculous now. 

The gonzo gameshow would even receive a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1997 for Outstanding Game Show. There’s plenty to appreciate in a horror-centric gameshow for kids, even if most of the contestants likely had no idea who the Crypt Keeper even was. It’s also kind of hilarious that encyclopedias were given out as consolation prizes on a gameshow that’s hosted by a sadistic corpse.

Tales From The Crypt: Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas & Tales From The Crypt: Monsters Of Metal Soundtrack Albums 

The Crypt Keeper’s forte may be in tense tales of terror, but he became enough of a pop culture icon during the ’90s that he managed to headline a number of soundtracks and albums. In addition to Original Music from Tales from the Crypt and Demon Knight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, there was also Have Yourself A Scary Little Christmas and Monsters of Metal. The first of these was a Christmas-themed album from 1994 that featured the Crypt Keeper perverting classic Christmas carols into sordid songs, such as “Twelve Days of Cryptmas,” “Should Old Cadavers Be Forgot,” and “Deck the Halls with Parts of Charlie.” “Moe Teitlebaum” is actually a surprisingly gruesome carol about embalming a live family. 

Coming along several years later in 2000 was Tales from the Crypt: Monsters of Metal. This soundtrack album was more a showcase for the various heavy metal and death metal bands that provided music for Tales from the Crypt, such as Black Sabbath, Megadeth, and Pantera. Naturally, there are also six original tracks where the Crypt Keeper gets to let loose. A music video was also filmed for the generational bop “Crypt Jam,” because of course it was. At least the Crypt Keeper never had to resort to autotune. 

The World Of Tales From The Crypt Tabletop RPG

Fantasy, science fiction, and even cyberpunk genre fans had their share of options regarding tabletop RPGs. Horror fans weren’t nearly as fortunate, despite games like Chill trying to cater to this audience by embracing 20th-century horror iconography. The World of Tales from the Crypt wasn’t nearly as popular as Chill, and likely arrived a little too late, but it was a valiant attempt to translate campy B-movie horror into a role-playing game. Released by West End Games, designed by Greg Farshty and Teeuwynn Woodruff, The World of Tales from the Crypt uses the traditional MasterBook rules system. 

The 144-page guidebook lays out a basic framework in which the gamers have summoned the Crypt Keeper, who sends them into different horror adventures and contains one pre-made campaign, “Circus of Souls.” There are good bones for a horror table-top experience here, especially one that’s self-aware enough to embrace camp just as much as it leans into true horror. The fact that the RPG’s guidebook is largely written in the Crypt Keeper’s voice and that the “role-slaying game” is meant to be a pun-filled experience may leave some gamers more exasperated than excited. 

Tales From The Crypt Radio Dramas

Tales from the Crypt feels deeply steeped in the ’90s, but the franchise was of course pulling from EC Comics from the ’50s. Accordingly, it’s not a huge stretch to see these genre stories get adapted for an even older and more nostalgic form of media — radio dramas. In 2000, Tales from the Crypt had a brief revival in the form of radio shows that adapted classic EC Comics stories into episodes that ranged from 34-46 minutes. These Tales from the Crypt radio dramas had most of the HBO series’ producers on board, along with John Kassir back as the Crypt Keeper, and big guest stars that included Tim Curry, Gina Gershon, John Ritter, and Oliver Platt. 

13 episodes of these radio dramas were planned, but only eight were ultimately recorded and offered for free on the Seeing Ear Theatre’s website, and for sale on Audible.com. Seven of the recorded episodes were released on CD in 2002 with more episodes being announced at 2006’s San Diego Comic-Con. Despite these plans and an interest to carry the series over to satellite radio services like Sirius, a lack of investors led to new episodes never materializing.  

The Tales from the Crypt radio dramas really demonstrate a passion for the craft and they’re far more than just audio versions of classic stories. These are rewarding horror soundscapes that match the energy that fans come to expect from a Tales from the Crypt project. It’s too bad that more Tales from the Crypt radio dramas weren’t produced for Spotify or other modern audio streaming services. The Tales from the Crypt radio dramas are also the only place that you’ll hear the lyrics to Danny Elfman’s iconic Tales from the Crypt theme song.

Tales From The Crypt Terror Trivia Challenge 1-900 Hotline

1-900 hotlines are of the few things that are even more ’90s coded than Tales from the Crypt. While these pay lines were predominantly used for sexual conversation, psychic readings, or crying, they also found a surprising calling in the horror community. In addition to a Freddy Krueger Hotline, the Boglin Horror Hotline, and the “Creep Phone” was the Tales From the Crypt Terror Trivia Challenge. This 1-900 number was a contest where callers matched wits with the Crypt Keeper as they answered trivia about old horror movies and Tales from the Crypt episodes. 

Weekly winners were announced who received Tales from the Crypt merch, cash prizes, and even an autographed photo of the Crypt Keeper. However, the grand prize included a trip for two to Hollywood where the winner would get to meet the Crypt Keeper “in the flesh” and receive a sightseeing tour in a hearse. The Terror Trivia Challenge would return the following year in 1991, albeit with an even better grand prize that included a cameo in Tales from the Crypt’s upcoming season. Many horror trivia hounds likely found the Crypt Keeper’s puns a lot less funny upon receiving a hefty phone bill.

Inscape’s Tales From The Crypt PC Game

A Tales from the Crypt pinball cabinet was released in 1993 by Data East and is still likely filling space in a dinghy bar somewhere. However, there were also plans for a proper Tales from the Crypt video game, which would have been released for PCs in the mid-’90s. Developed by Inscape, who was best known for point-and-click adventure-horror games like The Dark Eye and Bad Day on the Midway, Tales from the Crypt would have followed the same point-and-click formula. 

A Tales from the Crypt CD-ROM game, especially during their apex in the ’90s, feels like a no-brainer, especially when series like Goosebumps and The X-Files embraced this trend. The Tales from the Crypt game would have been structured into three chapters that were pulling from different EC Comics stories — a nautical story, a tale in a wax museum, and a circus-centric story that would have been an original story for the game. 

These different stories would be navigated by a budding cartoonist named Killjoy who would gain inspiration for his own winning comic after finding the “keys to success” in these worlds. There’s definitely a certain charm to seeing the Crypt Keeper rendered in lo-fi 3D animation and it’s unfortunate that Inscape’s acquisition by Graphix Zone and subsequent bankruptcy led to the game’s cancellation. John Kassir had even recorded dialogue for the game’s cutscenes.

The post From Game Shows to Rap Albums: The Oddest ‘Tales from the Crypt’ Offshoots appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A modern take on the Indonesian folktale Malin Kundang, sMOTHERed will stream May 29 on Shudder. Watch the trailer below.

In the film, “After surviving a terrible accident, renowned micro painter Alif returns home with fractured memories. When an elderly woman appears claiming to be his mother, Alif embarks on a search for the truth uncovering a haunting legacy inspired by the legend of Malin Kundang.”

Kevin Rahardjo & Rafki Hidayat make their feature directorial debut on the folk horror thriller from a script by Hidayat, Anwar, and Aline Djayasukmana.

Rio Dewanto, Faradina Mufti, Vonny Anggraini, Jordan Omar, Sulthan Hamonangan, Gambit Saifullah, Nova Eliza, and Tony Merle star.

Anwar produces alongside Tia Hasibuan. Executive producers include Lisbeth Simarmata, Gope T. Samtani, Sunil G. Samtani, and Sunar S. Samtani.

Anwar’s next directorial effort, the supernatural horror-comedy Ghost in the Cell, is due out later this year.

The post ‘sMOTHERed’ Trailer – Joko Anwar-Produced Folk Horror Curses Shudder in May appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The post-apocalyptic horror thriller will arrive on the streamer this Halloween season.

Hereditary‘s Milly Shapiro stars as Pumpkin, the last girl on earth and sole survivor of a humanity-ending plague, scavenging the wasteland for supplies on the eve of Halloween.

Pumpkin’s lonely holiday ritual is interrupted by the arrival of a savage gang of raiders at her doorstep. Outnumbered and armed with candy, wit, and weapons, Pumpkin must ferociously fight back to survive the night.

Ajani Russell (“Betty”), AJ Bowen (You’re Next), and Shannyn Sossamon (Sinister 2) round out the cast.

Writer-director Ben Sottak makes his feature directorial debut on the project, based on his 2021 short Scavenger.

“Hallowarrior is a love letter to horror and Halloween, and I am thrilled that the film has found its home with a distributor whose brand is synonymous with both,” said Sottak. “It’s an honor to have Hallowarrior join the Shudder family, and a treat to introduce their audience to this fun, scary, gory film along with its badass lead, Pumpkin, played by the incredible Milly Shapiro.”

“From the moment we saw Hallowarrior, we knew this was a natural fit for Shudder,” added IFC Entertainment Group director of acquisitions and productions Adam Koehler. “The film fully understands what genre fans come to the platform for — strong scares, spooky atmosphere and a wild ride. It’s the kind of horror that plays directly to our audience and reinforces why the service is such a trusted home for bold, crowd-pleasing genre filmmaking, especially around the Halloween season.”

Hallowarrior is produced by Sottak & Emmajane Hoffman for Strange Aeons, Gabriel Rosenstein for The Spitting Image, and Danielle Benedict & Jake Casey for The Dazey Phase. Sossamon and Alec Ring serve as executive producers.

The post Shudder Acquires Post-Apocalyptic Thriller ‘Hallowarrior’ Starring Milly Shapiro appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Also known as Witte Wieven, the film streams next Friday, May 1, exclusively on Shudder.

Set in a medieval Dutch village, Heresy follows a young woman who is caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk, and the dark forces lurking in the woods.

It marks the feature directorial debut of Didier Konings, a concept artist on the likes of “Stranger Things,” Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He also has visual effects credits on The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out.

Anneke Sluiters, Len Leo Vincent, Reinout Bussemaker, Léon van Waas, and Nola Elvis Kemper star.

Marc S. Nollkaemper penned the script. Make Way Film and VPRO produce.

Heresy premiered at the 2024 International Film Festival Rotterdam and went on to play Fantastic Fest, Sitges, Screamfest, Grimmfest, and more.

The post ‘Heresy’ Trailer – Dutch Folk Horror Film Streams on Shudder in May appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But that’s not all that’s in store for the horror streamer next month; it will also host exclusives like Whistle and This Is Not a Test, the return of “The Terror,” documentaries Horror Noire and In Search of Darkness 1990-1994, the rarely streamed French horror film Livid, and more.

The following Shudder originals and exclusives are dropping in May:

“Tales From the Crypt” – May 1
Subsequent Seasons Premiere Fridays Through June 12

Inspired by the 1950s EC Comics, each episode of the popular ’90s horror anthology series is a self-contained story hosted by the Crypt Keeper, a wisecracking corpse known for his macabre puns.

With its signature unrestricted gore, profanity, and dark irony, the show’s episode styles range from comedy to drama and deliver twisted moral lessons where “bad people” meet poetically horrific ends – and issues like greed, lust, and moral decay lead to tragic consequences.

Heresy – May 1

A folk horror centered in a medieval Dutch village, follows a young woman who is caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk and the dark forces lurking in the woods.

“The Terror: Devil in Silver” – May 7
New Episodes Premiere Thursday Through June 11

Working-class moving man Pepper, through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital – an institution filled with those society would rather forget. There, he must contend with patients working against him, doctors harboring grim secrets, and perhaps even the Devil himself.

As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to freedom is to face the entity which thrives on the suffering within New Hyde’s walls – but doing so may prove that the worst demons of all live inside him.

Whistle – May 8

A misfit group of unwitting high school students stumble upon a cursed object, an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. They discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down. As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the deadly artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion.

Something Is About to Happen – May 15

A woman’s life takes a definitive turn the day that she loses her job as a computer programmer.

This Is Not a Test – May 22

Sloaneand a small group of her classmates take cover in their high school to escape their suddenly apocalyptic hometown. As danger relentlessly pounds on the doors, Sloane begins to see the world through the eyes of people who actually want to live and takes matters into her own hands.

Smothered – May 29

Alif is a micro-painting artist who has an accident and loses part of his memory. After returning home, an old woman appears claiming to be his mother, but Alif doesn’t recognize her and is suspicious of her intentions.

Repertory titles being resurrected on Shudder include:

May 1:

• Gazer
• Vice Squad
• Baby Blood
• Re-Wind
• Murder Rock
• Teeth
• Martyrs
• Livid
• Goodnight Mommy (2014)
• Innocence
• The Ice Tower
• The Ghost of Yotsuya
• The Snow Woman

May 4

• Solvent
• Horror Noire: History of Black Horror

May 11

• 47 Meters Down
• 47 Meters Down: Uncaged
• Aberrance
• In Search of Darkness 1990-1994

The post Shudder May Programming Includes ‘Tales from the Crypt,’ ‘Whistle,’ ‘Livid,’ ‘In Search of Darkness’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Saccharine opens in theaters on May 22, 2026 from Independent Film Company and Shudder.

From writer/director Natalie Erika James (Relic, Apartment 7A), the Australian supernatural body horror film follows lovelorn medical student Hana, who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.

Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time”) star.

Carver Films and Thrum Films produce, with financing by Screen Australia in conjunction with XYZ Films, IPR.VC, and Stan, in association with VicScreen.

Expect a haunting new twist on weight loss fads and body horror. I explain in my Sundance review, “James keeps the popular subgenre fresh with a new wrinkle; it’s not the body horror providing the scares but the increasingly angry specter haunting Hana. Hana finds herself at the mercy of a pesky poltergeist, only exacerbating her weight loss predicament. Big Bertha makes for a menacing presence that supports both the horror and exposes Hana’s deepest, darkest insecurities and fears.”

James said of her film in a statement, “Saccharine is a love letter – to anyone who has grown up wishing their body was different, to anyone who has felt imprisoned by self-destructive impulses, to my family and the hidden pain we carried, and to myself. Shame can often drive self-destruction, but bringing compassion, acceptance and light to your darkness, is the only way its power dissolves. As Hana learns in the most brutal way, healing and recovery are not places we arrive at, but an ongoing path.”

Saccharine has been rated R by the MPA for “disturbing content, grisly images, sexuality, drug use, graphic nudity, and language.”

The post Diet Culture Leads to Haunting Body Horror in Natalie Erika James’ ‘Saccharine’ Trailer [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Forbidden Fruits will be streaming only on Shudder beginning June 26.

Lola Tung (“The Summer I Turned Pretty”), Victoria Pedretti (“The Haunting of Hill House”), Alexandra Shipp (Tragedy Girls), Gabrielle Union (Breaking In), and Emma Chamberlain star in Forbidden Fruits, released by IFC and Shudder.

Free Eden employee Apple secretly runs a witchy femme cult in the basement of the mall store after hours. But when new hire Pumpkin challenges the group’s ‘girl boss’ ways, the women are forced to face their own poisons or succumb to a bloody fate. 

“Forbidden Fruits grabbed me by the neck the very first time I read it,” Diablo Cody said. “It’s one of the craziest, most creative, beautifully bonkers projects I’ve ever worked on.”

Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Forbidden Fruits may not necessarily forge new terrain in the teen satire space, but Alloway brings so much style and energy to her well-cast single-location stage play adaptation for the Gen Z crowd.”

The film is an adaptation of playwright Lily Houghton’s stage play Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die. Alloway and Houghton co-adapted.

Watch the official trailer for Forbidden Fruits below.

The post ‘Forbidden Fruits’ Announced for Shudder Streaming Debut This June appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Head into the mysterious New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital by watching the official trailer for “The Terror: Devil in Silver” below. The series premieres May 7 on AMC+ and Shudder.

The series will also air on AMC later this year.

Dan Stevens stars as Pepper, a working-class moving man who, through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital – an institution filled with those society would rather forget.

There, he must contend with patients working against him, doctors harboring grim secrets, and perhaps even the Devil himself. As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to freedom is to face the entity which thrives on the suffering within New Hyde’s walls – but doing so may prove that the worst demons of all live inside him.

Judith Light, CCH Pounder, Aasif Mandvi, John Benjamin Hickey, Stephen Root, Michael Aronov, Marin Ireland, Chinaza Uche, Hampton Fluker, Hayward Leach, and Philip Ettinger also star in AMC’s “The Terror: Devil in Silver.”

The horror series is based on the 2012 novel by Victor LaValle, who serves as co-showrunner with Chris Cantwell (“Halt and Catch Fire”). Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation) directs the first two of six episodes, while Ridley Scott executive produces.

“The Terror” premiered on AMC in 2018, followed by “The Terror: Infamy” in 2019.

Dan Stevens as Pepper, Marin Ireland as Dewey, Philip Ettinger as Louie – The Terror: Devil in Silver _ Season 1 – Photo Credit: Emily V. Aragones/AMC

Dan Stevens as Pepper – The Terror: Devil in Silver _ Season 1 – Photo Credit: Emily V. Aragones/AMC

Chinaza Uche as Coffee, Judith Light as Dorry – The Terror: Devil in Silver _ Season 1 – Photo Credit: Emily V. Aragones/AMC

The post ‘The Terror: Devil in Silver’ Trailer – Dan Stevens Trapped in a Haunted Psychiatric Hospital appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Canadian supernatural horror film is written and directed by actor Mark O’Brien (Ready or Not, Arrival).

It follows Harriet Scaflen after the death of her mother at the age of 95. In the aftermath, Harriet has an unexplainable health scare, bringing her four estranged children to the family home to care for her.

As their past animosities and secrets are revealed, they soon realize their mother’s health issues may be supernatural, and the awoken evil inside her is seeking revenge on her children for her own survival.

Sheila McCarthy (Anything for Jackson), Georgina Reilly (Pontypool), O’Brien, Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse), Alex Ozerov-Meyer (“Slasher”), Anna Ferguson (“Heartland”), and Shawn Doyle (“The Expanse”) star.

Christopher Giroux & Justin Rebelo of Vortex Productions (Anything for Jackson) produce. Executive producers include Jesse Ikeman, Nataline Rodrigues, and Bill Marks.

“Mark is a rare genre-blending talent who has proven his skill both in front of and behind the camera,” said Shudder’s Senior Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions, Emily Gotto. “His latest work on The Voices of Our Mother proves to be a haunting supernatural horror, and we’re thrilled to give this story a platform for Shudder’s viewers.”

Shudder’s other recent acquisitions include Find Your Friends, Parasomnia, Goody Goody, New Group, and the streaming debut of “Tales from the Crypt.”

The post Shudder Acquires Supernatural Horror ‘The Voices of Our Mother’ from ‘Ready or Not’ Actor Mark O’Brien appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Today, the horror streamer has announced it will exclusively debut all seven seasons, uncensored, of the ‘90s cult classic horror anthology series Tales From the Crypt!

Featuring the iconic Crypt Keeper, voiced by John Kassir, the series’ first season debuts on May 1, with additional seasons rolling out weekly every Friday through June 12.

The news hails from Overlook Film Festival, where Kassir revealed an all-new teaser and poster art, below, in a panel for the cult anthology series.

In Tales from the Crypt, inspired by the 1950s EC Comics, each episode offers a self-contained story hosted by the Crypt Keeper (Kassir), “a wisecracking corpse known for his macabre puns. With its signature unrestricted gore, profanity, and dark irony, the show’s episode styles range from comedy to drama and deliver twisted moral lessons where “bad people” meet poetically horrific ends – and issues like greed, lust, and moral decay lead to tragic consequences.”

The original HBO series featured a long list of Hollywood A-list guest stars, including Brad Pitt, Demi Moore, Michael J. Fox, John Lithgow, Christopher Reeve, Catherine O’Hara, Steve Buscemi, Brooke Shields, and many more. The talent also extended behind the camera, with notable directors including Robert Zemeckis, Tobe Hooper, and William Friedkin, as well as Tom Hanks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael J. Fox.

The reopening of the Tales From the Crypt content archive is made possible by Dark Castle Entertainment, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Walter Hill (Tales From the Crypt Holdings). Which is to say that this streaming announcement is a momentous occasion; the series’ complicated rights history has, until now, prevented streaming debuts and remakes.

Get ready, boils and ghouls, a Halfway to Halloween miracle arrives on Shudder next month.

The post ‘Tales from the Crypt’ to Finally Make Its Streaming Debut On Shudder Next Month! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The zombie movie is written and directed by Adam MacDonald (Backcountry, Pyewacket), based on Courtney Summers‘ 2012 young adult horror novel of the same name.

It follows Sloane and a small group of her classmates who take cover in their high school to escape their suddenly apocalyptic hometown. As danger relentlessly pounds on the doors, Sloane begins to see the world through the eyes of people who actually want to live and takes matters into her own hands.

Olivia Holt (Heart Eyes), Froy Gutierrez (The Strangers), Corteon Moore (“From”), Carson MacCormac (Clown in a Cornfield), Chloe Avakian (“Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”), and Luke MacFarlane (Bros) star.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “The melodramatic adaptation of the Courtney Summers YA novel fails to do anything new with a zombie apocalypse, despite a strong, committed performance by Olivia Holt.”

This Is Not a Test is rated R for “strong bloody violence, gore, suicide, language, some sexuality, and brief teen drinking.”

The post Olivia Holt Zombie Movie ‘This Is Not a Test’ Infects Shudder in May appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The cursed object horror movie is written by Owen Egerton (Blood Fest), based on his own short story.

It follows a misfit group of unwitting high school students who stumble upon an ancient Aztec Death Whistle. Soon, they discover that blowing the whistle and the terrifying sound it emits will summon their future deaths to hunt them down.

As the body count rises, the friends investigate the origins of the cursed artifact in a desperate effort to stop the horrifying chain of events that they have set in motion.

Dafne Keen (Logan), Sophie Nélisse (“Yellowjackets”), Sky Yang (Rebel Moon), Jhaleil Swaby (“Supergirl”), Ali Skovbye (“Firefly Lane”), Percy Hynes White (“Wednesday”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) star.

David Gross (Room), Whitney Brown (The First Omen), Macdara Kelleher (Evil Dead Rise), and John Keville (Evil Dead Rise) produce. John Friedberg (Longlegs) is among the executive producers.

Joe Lipsett wrote in his review, “Despite its formulaic premise, familiar characters, and narrative tropes, the film is a genuinely good time. Throw in some outstanding (and mean!) deaths, and horror fans have been gifted an unexpected delight.”

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

The post Corin Hardy’s ‘Whistle’ Will Curse Shudder in May appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Director/Co-writer Daniel Goldhaber and co-writer/producer Isa Mazzei forgo the traditional remake route in their contemporary update of Faces of Death and instead build a narrative feature around the original’s notoriety and controversial imagery to explore digital voyeurism and the terminally online desensitization to violence. Morbid curiosity fuels their polished cat-and-mouse horror thriller, one that poses unsettling questions through its provocative but underdeveloped approach. 

That starts with Barbie Farreira‘s Margot Romero, a content moderator for a YouTube-like platform, Kino. She’s a senior employee fully numbed to the graphic videos that cross her desk, demonstrated by the way she dismisses an informative Narcan video but quickly gives a pass to graphic violence. Never mind that her own brush with internet infamy further eroded her morality on digital content. That changes when she comes across an apparent execution clip that Margot realizes, with the help of her horror-obsessed roommate Ryan (Aaron Holliday), recreates a snuff scene from the original Faces of Death. Only this time, it’s real.

Goldhaber and Mazzei frontload Faces of Death with a chilling depiction of a cynical world where violence has been commodified for bite-sized entertainment, and its insidious ripple effects on society at large. That’s reflected not just in its flawed, complicated protagonist, but in everyone around her, from her apathetic boss Josh (Jermaine Fowler) to her jaded co-worker (Charli XCX), who vocally delights at gore videos while puffing on her vape over breaks. The first half also sets up a collision path for Margot and the Faces of Death-inspired killer Arthur Spevak (Dacre Montgomery), challenging Margot’s world-weary, hardened nature as she’s further entangled in the serial killer’s crosshairs.

From there, Faces of Death 2026 descends into a standard cat-and-mouse chase between the killer and his amateur adversary, though one terminally online enough to be savvy to his pursuits. Goldhaber evokes the grimy feel of the original with grainy, gorgeous 35mm photography, but leans even harder into vibrant Giallo influences. Which is to say that this is easily the most handsomely shot, well-crafted film of the entire franchise. But it’s also a bit empty in terms of shock or suspense.

While Arthur revels in his work and his affinity for staging mannequins in his grisly recreations is striking, the new Faces of Death never comes close to invoking the discomforting, forbidden danger of the original movie. As intense as Dacre Montgomery’s committed performance is, the action-heavy back half fails to generate scares as it abandons introspective themes altogether for an underwhelming climax.

FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Not helping is that, for all that Margot endures, some by her own poor decision-making, Faces of Death doesn’t draw any conclusive answers from its themes. Instead, Goldhaber and Mazzei are more fascinated by the way the digital age and social media have shaped society and our morbid fascination with violence. It’s just abandoned halfway through to deliver a by-the-numbers serial killer thriller, one that’s never as transgressive or gory enough to draw the ire of censors.

Smart commentary and a clever approach get Faces of Death off to a strong start, but it lacks the conviction to see its bolder ideas through to its forgettable and far too conventional end. Whereas watching the 1978 film felt like a rite of passage, this update superficially wades into ideas already covered more chillingly in films like Red Rooms.

Faces of Death releases in theaters on April 10, 2026.

The post ‘Faces of Death’ Review – Smart Meta Update Descends Into Standard Serial Killer Thriller appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Parasomnia, Goody Goody, and New Group are all set to be released on the streamer by the end of 2026.

Parasomnia is a psychological horror film that incorporates found footage elements from writer-director James Ross II in his feature debut.

When one of her closest friends goes missing, Riley, a young woman haunted by a lifelong battle with debilitating night terrors, must come to terms with the fact that the demonic entity that’s been stalking her dreams since childhood may have followed her home into the real world.

Jasmine Mathews, RJ Brown, Sally Stewart, Stephen Barrington, Danny Brown, and Simon Longnight star.

“It’s hard to put in words how excited I am for my debut feature film to have a home at Shudder,” said Ross II. “They’re absolutely legendary to me as a horror fan, and to hear their enthusiasm for Parasomnia‘s story and scares means the world. I can’t wait to hear all the screams when we play at Overlook!”

Goody Goody is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Raymond Creamer in his feature debut.

Lulled into a necessary sense of comfort during a long home birth process, expecting parents and their midwife begin to realize that something may be horribly wrong. As labor complications ensue, a blizzard rages outside trapping the family in their home – sitting ducks for whatever sinister presence might be in there with them.

Colleen Foy, Samantha Robinson, Zoe Renee, and Colby Hollman star.

“I’m obsessed with ghost stories and folklore so I wanted this project to have a campfire tale or storybook quality to it,” said Creamer. “The cast is extraordinary, and working with Shudder has been a dream come true. I really hope horror fans get cozy and maybe light a couple candles when they give it a watch.”

New Group is a Japanese body horror film written and directed by Yûta Shimotsu (Best Wishes to All).

High school students are violently forced to become part of increasingly disturbing, physically demanding, and surreal tasks in order to assimilate.

Yuzu Aoki and Pierre Taki star.

Daniel Kurland wrote in his review, “Yûta Shimotsu’s sophomore feature is an enlightening social satire about the dangers of conformity and assimilation, brought to life through a chilling body horror experiment.”

‘New Group’

The post Shudder Acquires 3 New Horror Films: ‘Parasomnia,’ ‘Goody Goody,’ ‘New Group’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bella Thorne‘s (The Babysitter), Chloe Cherry (“Euphoria”), Helena Howard (I Saw the TV Glow), Sophia Ali (Uncharted), Zion Moreno (“Gossip Girl”), and Chris Bauer (“True Blood”) star.

The film follows Amber and her four best friends as they flee Los Angeles for a girls’ trip in Joshua Tree, only to find themselves unwelcome in a desert town simmering with barely concealed hostility.

After their encounters with the locals grow more threatening, resentments within the group begin to surface. Eventually their vacation spirals into a violent struggle for control and survival.

Writer-director Izabel Pakzad makes her feature debut on the project, inspired by her own terrifying experience on a similar getaway to Joshua Tree.

“Shudder champions work that refuses to play by the rules and challenges everything we think young women should be in genre films,” said Pakzad. “My hope was to make a film that audiences find to be raw, unapologetic and bold, and I am so grateful to be partners with them. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect home for Find Your Friends.”

“We’re thrilled to share Find Your Friends, a visceral film that begins as an escape into the stark beauty of the desert and quickly descends into a gripping struggle where paranoia, resentment, and survival collide,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and productions at Shudder. “Audiences should prepare for an intense, emotionally charged experience that rethinks the trope of the final girl.”

Pakzad produces alongside Allison Friedman, Andrea Iervolino, Luca Matrundola, Monika Bacardi, and Gary Michael Walters. Thorne serves as executive producer.

Find Your Friends premiered at the 2025 Fantasia Film Festival. It went on to screen at Fantastic Fest and Toronto International Film Festival, among others.

The post Bella Thorne Thriller ‘Find Your Friends’ to Debut on Shudder in June appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here’s yours: Faces of Death, the meta horror remake of the notorious 1978 faux documentary, opens in theaters April 10 via Independent Film Company and Shudder. Guess what? Bloody Disgusting has the early ticket for our bravest readers.

On Wednesday, April 8th, we’re presenting FREE sneak screenings across the country. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and screenings start at 7:00 p.m. local time.

RSVP using the links below and let us know what you think by tagging @BDisgusting on Facebook, X, Instagram, or TikTok after the show.

Atlanta, GA – AMC Madison Yards 8 @ 7:00 p.m.

Boston, MA – AMC Boston Common 19 @ 7:00 p.m.

Chicago, IL – AMC River East @ 7:00 p.m.

Dallas, TX – Texas Theatre @ 7:00 p.m.

Houston, TX – Regal Edwards Houston Marq’E @ 7:00 p.m.

Los Angeles, CA – AMC The Grove 14 @ 7:00 p.m.

New York City, NY – AMC Lincoln Square 13 @ 7:00 p.m.

Orlando, FL – AMC DINE-IN Disney Springs 24 @ 7:00 p.m.

Philadelphia, PA – AMC DINE-IN Fashion District 8 @ 7:00 p.m.

Phoenix, AZ – Harkins Theatres Tempe Marketplace @ 7:00 p.m.

San Francisco, CA – AMC Metreon @ 7:00 p.m.

Seattle, WA – Regal Meridian @ 7:00 p.m.

Washington, DC. – AMC Georgetown @ 7:00 p.m.

—

Continuing the exploration of the original film’s infamous ‘Is it real or not?’ conceit, the reboot follows a woman working as a content moderator for a major video platform who discovers what appears to be re-enactments of murders from Faces of Death. In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fiction or unfolding in real time.

Daniel Goldhaber (Cam, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) directs from a script he co-wrote with Isa Mazzei (Cam).

“That is the first role of content creation: give the people what they want,” Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”) menacingly notes in the red band trailer below.

Barbie Ferreira (“Euphoria”), Josie Totah (“Saved by the Bell”), Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear), Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You), and pop sensation Charli XCX also star.

Legendary Entertainment, Don Murphy & Susan Montford of Angry Films Entertainment, and Greg Gilreath & Adam Hendricks of Divide/Conquer produce. Mazzei, Derek Bishé, and Rick Benattar serve as executive producers.

Filmed back in 2023, Faces of Death is rated R for “strong bloody violence and gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use.”

Below, we dare you to watch the film’s red band trailer, peep the official poster, and get a quick sneak peek with our exclusive photos.

FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Josie Totah as “Samantha Gravinsky” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Josie Totah as “Samantha Gravinsky” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Dacre Montgomery as “Arthur Spevak” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Barbie Ferreira as “Margot Romero” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Barbie Ferreira as “Margot Romero” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

The post ‘Faces of Death’ – Bloody Disgusting Presents FREE Sneak Screenings of Meta Horror Remake appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bryan Fuller‘s darling Dust Bunny makes its streaming debut this month on HBO Max. Netflix unleashes not one but two genre originals with the Tommy Wirkola’s Thrash and serial killer thriller Apex. Look for a trio of Tubi Originals to arrive this month, including Hive.

If you missed box office juggernaut sequel Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 in theaters or on Digital, head to Peacock this month. Those seeking marathon binges this month may want to head to HBO Max to revisit the Alien franchise, or Paramount+ for Paranormal Activity.

Here’s the horror arriving in April.

HBO Max

Dust Bunny

April 1
Alien vs. Predator: Extended Cut
Alien
Alien 3
Alien 3: The Assembly Cut
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection: Special Edition
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem: Extended Cut
Alien: Director’s Cut
Aliens
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Aliens: Director’s Cut
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
Practical Magic
The Hole in the Ground
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

April 3
Alien: Romulus

April 17
Dust Bunny

Hulu

Shelby Oaks

April 1
Monster House (2006)
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)

April 3
Pizza Movie

April 4
Primitive War

April 5
The Boogeyman

April 6
Sirat

Kanopy

Together

April 3
Together
Dream Scenario
High Life
Lamb

April 10
Shelby Oaks
Cloud
Vivarium

April 17
Event Horizon

April 24
George A. Romero’s Resident Evil
Killer Klowns From Outer Space

Netflix

Thrash

April 7
Beast (2022)

April 10
Scream (2022)
Thrash

April 11
A Quiet Place Part II

April 13
Halloween Ends

April 19
Him

April 24
Apex

Paramount+

Paranormal Activity

April 1
Addams Family Values
Cujo
Mindhunters
Monstrous*
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity 2
Paranormal Activity 3
Paranormal Activity 4
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
Shutter Island
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator Genisys
Terminator: Dark Fate
The Addams Family
The Woman in Black

*Title is available to Paramount+ Premium subscribers.

Peacock

Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

April 1
Blade
Blade II
Blade: Trinity
Red Eye
This Is the End

April 3
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

April 21
Nosferatu

April 26
Five Nights At Freddy’s

Pluto TV

Hollow Man

April 1
Dream Scenario
From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money
From Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman’s Daughter
High Life
Hollow Man
Shutter Island
Starship Troopers
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ultraviolet
Under the Skin

Prime Video

The Conjuring: Last Rites

April 1
Anna And The Apocalypse
Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play (2019)
Dark Harvest
End of Days
Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Lifeforce
Teen Wolf: The Movie (2023)
The Addams Family (2019)
The Addams Family 2 (2021)
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Great Wall
The Menu
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
The Prodigy
White Noise

April 17
The Running Man (2025)

April 21
The Conjuring: Last Rites

Shudder

Dolly

April 1
Ben (1972)
Blood for Dracula
The Boogeyman (1980)
The Crazies
The Devils (1971)
Flesh of Frankenstein
House of Wax (2005)
Luther the Geek
Pumpkinhead
Season of the Witch
Steppenwolf (2024)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Three…Extremes
Three (aka Three Extremes 2)
Troll (1986)
Troll 2 (1991)
Willard (1971)

April 3
Deathstalker (2025)

April 4
Phantasm: Remastered
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead
Phantasm IV: Oblivion
Phantasm: Ravager

April 9
Shiver

April 10
Somnium

April 15
Black Eyed Susan

April 17
Night Patrol

April 24
Dolly

Tubi

Hive. Photo Credit: Marcos Cruz

April 1
Blood Creek
Cabin Fever
Carrie (1976)
Carrie (2013)
Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play (2019)
Dream Scenario
Event Horizon
High Life
Identity (2003)
It Comes at Night
Lamb
Poor Things
Queen Of the Damned
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Scream (1996)
Scream 2
Scream 3
Straw Dogs (2011)
Sunshine
Teen Wolf: The Movie
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
Under the Skin
Vampire in Brooklyn
You’re Next
Zombieland 2: Double Tap

April 10
The Caretaker

April 15
Predator
Predator 2

April 17
Hive

April 24
Hijacked

The post All the Horror Heading to Hulu, Netflix, Tubi & Other Streaming Services in April 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The meta horror remake of the notorious 1978 faux documentary opens in theaters April 10 via Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Barbie Ferreira (“Euphoria”), Dacre Montgomery (“Stranger Things”), Josie Totah (“Saved by the Bell”), Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear), Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You), and pop superstar Charli XCX star in the film.

In Faces of Death, “the exploration of the original film’s infamous ‘is it real or not?‘ conceit continues as a woman (Ferreira) working as a content moderator for a major video platform discovers what appears to be re-enactments of murders from the original film. In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fiction or unfolding in real time.”

Unlike the censored poster and teasers that have preceded, the fresh batch of images below gets up close and personal with the cast of characters caught in a deadly re-enactment of the original film.

Daniel Goldhaber (Cam, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) directs from a script he co-wrote with Isa Mazzei (Cam).

Legendary Entertainment, Don Murphy & Susan Montford of Angry Films Entertainment, and Adam Hendricks & Greg Gilreath of Divide/Conquer produce. Mazzei, Derek Bishé, and Rick Benattar serve as executive producers.

Filmed back in 2023, Faces of Death is rated R for “strong bloody violence and gore, sexual content, nudity, language, and drug use.”

In case you missed it, catch up with the trailer here…but maybe don’t watch at work.

FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Josie Totah as “Samantha Gravinsky” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Josie Totah as “Samantha Gravinsky” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Dacre Montgomery as “Arthur Spevak” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Barbie Ferreira as “Margot Romero” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

Barbie Ferreira as “Margot Romero” in the horror film, FACES OF DEATH, an Independent Film Company and Shudder release. Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company and Shudder.

The post Dacre Montgomery and Barbie Ferreira Face Off in Intense ‘Faces of Death’ Exclusive Images appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Ideas evolve over time, and horror fans are more aware of this than most. After all, Friday the 13th first began as an Americanization of whodunnit Giallo pictures and later turned into an episodic rival to Halloween – and who can forget how John Carpenter took Christian Nyby’s classic sci-fi flick about an alien vegetable man and transformed it into a paranoid piece of body-horror cinema?

My point is: while not every change is necessarily positive, narrative evolution has always been an inevitable part of human culture, and this process was only accelerated by the rise of the internet.

In fact, easily accessible online spaces have led to the creation of countless communities obsessed with establishing modern mythologies. These communities often condense entire generations’ worth of narrative adaptation into the span of just a few days, with some of these works of collective fiction (such as the SCP Foundation and even the Backrooms phenomenon) going on to influence mainstream genre fiction in increasingly curious ways.

This is what was going through my head as I watched Brandon Christensen’s Found Footage gem Bodycam during a special theatrical screening last week. While the movie itself is a highly entertaining piece of standalone horror fiction, using the titular bodycam gimmick to great effect as it places viewers in the unenviable shoes of a pair of morally questionable police officers who bite off more than they can chew when they encounter a supernatural cult, there was a certain familiarity to the experience that made it even more enjoyable.

Bodycam

You see, what stood out to me the most about Bodycam was how Brandon (alongside his brother Ryan Christensen) somehow made the best big-screen adaptation of Slender Man despite not actually including the faceless monster in their movie. This peculiarity then got me thinking about how the complicated legacy of Slender Man continues to influence the horror genre despite the once-popular entity now being mostly regarded as a dated relic of the digital past.

But what a past it was!

For those who aren’t aware, Slender Man was originally the result of a horror-themed Photoshop contest on the Something Awful forums. User Victor Surge came up with a series of eerie photographs and accompanying text describing children being abducted by a mysterious faceless figure, with these creative seeds soon blossoming into a terrifying urban legend that grew more complex as fans of the character began adding their own unique spins to the lore. This is how Slender Man became a meme, with the online folklore surrounding the entity inspiring incredibly successful web series (such as Marble Hornets) as well as a viral horror game that helped to revolutionize indie genre releases.

For a while there, it really seemed like the monster had joined the ranks of Dracula and the Wolfman as a folkloric nightmare that would continue to stalk movies, games, and literature for decades to come. Yet, this collective work of fiction would eventually come crashing down as overexposure began to reduce the meme’s scare factor, with this downfall being accelerated by a real-life tragedy involving Slenderverse fans using their obsession with the character as an excuse to hurt others. It soon became taboo to even reference Slender Man media altogether, with the urban legend’s uncomfortable associations even affecting Sylvain White’s cinematic adaptation from 2018 (an alleged good movie that ended up being butchered by the studio).

It now seems like enough time has passed for folks to begin to look back fondly on the heyday of collaborative internet mythology. Filmmakers like Alex Hera have waxed nostalgic about the rise and fall of the original Slenderverse creators, and even the team behind Marble Hornets returned last year with a meta sequel series about an alternate universe version of the main characters once again falling victim to the Operator after visiting an iconic filming location from the original series.

This brings us back to Bodycam and all the ways that the film appears to be connected to the Slenderverse. While there’s no need to do a deep dive into all of the film’s Slender Man references, I think it’s safe to say that these elements were put there intentionally. Not only does the ultimate big bad resemble Victor Surge’s nightmarish creation with its pale complexion and spindly tentacles (not to mention its hunger for children and the eldritch influence it exerts over its followers), but Bodycam even depicts the entity’s thralls almost exactly like the “Proxies” featured in the Slender Man ARGs that once dominated the internet.

The supernatural forces at play even make the cameras glitch out almost exactly like Jay’s footage in the aforementioned Marble Hornets, and don’t even get me started on the recurring graffiti that looks like an alternate universe version of the classic Operator symbol.

Details like these seem like they were deliberately placed by the filmmakers in order to pay homage to the stories that inspired their latest project, and from “The Demon of Memes” episode of Evil to the Rosswood miniseries, I’d argue that this reverence towards the early days of the Slender Man phenomenon is something of a recurring trend in modern horror. This makes a lot of sense, as we’re finally seeing a new generation of filmmakers who actually grew up alongside the mythos.

Sure, plenty of horror critics have (rightly) criticized the Slenderverse for its repetitive tropes and entry-level takes on Lovecraftian terror (and that’s not even bringing up valid criticism concerning the fandom’s questionable actions in the real world), but original projects like Bodycam serve as further proof that the Slender Man lives on as something of an unseen influence hovering over the entire horror genre – a position that I think is appropriate considering the entity’s description as a “living meme”.

At the end of the day, it’s doubtful that the Slenderverse itself will make a full recovery (especially since younger internet users are now more familiar with recent creations like Trevor Henderson’s Sirenhead), but it doesn’t really need to. The idea of a viral entity spreading through cult-like followers and pulling strings from behind the scenes continues to be a poignant parable for modern times, so it stands to reason that we’ll continue to see Slender-Man-inspired media for years to come. However, while I can’t wait to see how this new generation of filmmakers manages to update our favorite internet-borne monster, I think it’s worth looking back on the online scares of yesteryear as both an inspiration and a potential warning about the dangers of memetic horror.

After all, you can’t kill an idea – especially one with a mind of its own.

The post ‘Bodycam’ and the Enduring Legacy & Evolution of Slender Man appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Based on the hit horror video game, Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface) directs from a script by The Mortuary Assistant creator Brian Clarke and Tracee Beebe. 

Willa Holland (“Arrow”) stars as newly certified mortician Rebecca Owens, who accepts a night shift at a mortuary, embalming bodies alone after hours.

As disturbing events escalate, Rebecca uncovers demonic rituals, the dark secrets of her enigmatic mentor, and her own buried trauma — racing to survive the night before her body becomes a vessel for possession.

Paul Sparks (“Boardwalk Empire”) also stars with John Adams (Hellbender), Keena Ferguson, and Mark Steger (“Stranger Things”) as The Mimic.

Patrick Ewald’s Epic Pictures produces via Dread alongside Cole Payne’s Traverse Media and Jacob P. Heineke. Executive producers include Clarke, Katie Page, Yulissa Morales, Randy Sinquefield, Patrick Fischer, and Oliver Garboe.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “That’s the primary expectation of The Mortuary Assistant: translating the scares to screen. Instead, lore takes tedious precedence in an adaptation unable to generate fear.”

Originally released on PC in 2022, The Mortuary Assistant quickly became a viral sensation and made its way to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. The film expands on the game’s world, delving deeper into the lore of the demonic entities plaguing River Fields.

The post ‘The Mortuary Assistant’ Unveils Final Poster; Streaming on Shudder Friday appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The film draws inspiration from gritty ’70s horror like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes along with the New French Extremity movement that yielded the likes of High Tension and Martyrs.

Shot on 16mm film, Dolly centers on Macy, a young woman fighting for survival after being taken by a deranged, monstrous figure intent on raising her as their child.

Fabianne Therese (John Dies at the End), Seann William Scott (American Pie), Ethan Suplee (Mallrats), and pro wrestler Max the Impaler star.

Rod Blackhurst (“Amanda Knox,” Night Swim) directs from a script he co-wrote with Brandon Weavil, based on their 2022 short Babygirl.

Following a successful festival run that included Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Sitges, Telluride Horror Show, and more, a prequel exploring the titular character’s origins and mythology is already in development.

Trace Thurman wrote in his review, “Where Dolly falls short in the script or originality departments it more than makes up for in the technical department, especially in the sound design and the practical gore effects. Every fleshy squelch and bone crack is not only heard, but felt, making the violence hit when it needs to.”

Dolly is rated R for “strong violence, gore, grisly images, language, and some nudity.”

The post ’70s Horror Throwback ‘Dolly’ Streams on Shudder in April appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The horror streamer Shudder boasts a diverse selection of films, and they’ve grown over the years to become a valuable resource for documentaries new and old. They’ve made a particular mark when it comes to producing documentaries from marginalized perspectives in horror, including 2019’s Horror Noire and 2022’s Queer for Fear, and now they’re back with another entry in that unofficial series. 1000 Women in Horror is an enlightening and entertaining film that kicks off with a simple observation…

Horror hasn’t always been the most welcoming space for women.

“Aha!” you yell emphatically at your laptop screen, “then how do you explain the existence and popularity of final girls?!” That angry enthusiasm is noted, but I’m referring to female fans and filmmakers, not characters. Although let’s be honest, final girls spend the entire film being terrorized and watching their friends die, so let’s not pretend it’s all that welcoming for them either.

1000 Women in Horror, directed by Donna Davies and adapted from Alexander Heller-Nicholas’ 2020 book of the same name, uses this understood truth as a jumping-off point towards discussing both the roles women (and girls) have played in horror movies over the years and the experiences of female horror fans who became horror filmmakers. The talking heads roster is a cornucopia of talents, including Heller-Nicholas, Akela Cooper, Lin Shaye, Roseanne Liang, Mary Harron, Nikyatu Juso, Brea Grant, and many more.

The always brilliant Kate Siegel offers up a growth chart, of sorts, that follows female characters through horror – and typically through a male gaze – and it’s used as a smart structural framework for the documentary itself. From “innocent” children to temptatious teens, from fuckable young women to unfuckable hags, female characters can feel boxed into rigidly specific roles, often in the service of their male counterparts, and the film finds much to discuss at each stage.

While seemingly limiting on their surface, these character types find new life when viewed through a different lens. In some cases, these filmmakers see themselves in those girls and women – whether as they are or as they want to be – while others see motivations for creating female characters who grow beyond the confines of those boxes. Films are referenced at each stage as examples of how horror cinema has used girls and women as objects for horror to ping off of, but genre tropes and stereotypes can’t keep good women down.

Gigi Saul Guerrero recalls being both horrified and ultimately inspired by seeing The Exorcist as a child, while Heller-Nicholas and Jenn Wexler talk about how demonic possession is used to subject a young girl’s body to the strains of grown-up behaviors and suffering. April Wolfe, Kier-La Janisse, and Heller-Nicholas talk about the contrasting presentations of menstruation in films like Carrie, Ginger Snaps, and the female-helmed Black Christmas from 2019. Chelsea Stardust, Heller-Nicholas (who authored a critical study on rape/revenge films back in 2011), and others discuss living with fear as part of your everyday life and then applying those lessons and feelings to the catharsis that the rape/revenge subgenre often provides.

The horrors of motherhood are explored through films like Cujo, Lyle, and Rosemary’s Baby, while specific attention is paid to the atypical truths of The Babadook and We Need to Talk About Kevin. While most media glorify motherhood and focuses on its joy and importance, horror films like these dare to peel back a few layers of skin to expose the raw reality that it’s not always a pretty picture. The elderly are often presented as frightening in horror films, with older women earning their own subgenre called hagsploitation. Cerise Howard, Guerrero, and Harron explore the idea of older women losing themselves to age and madness through movies like Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and 2020’s still masterful Relic.

Toby Poser in 1000 Women in Horror

“Women do stuff, even if they’re monsters,” says Heller-Nicholas as a way of positively framing the genre’s generally poor history of portraying elderly women, but it’s a thought applicable to women across the board. “They have agency, and they have power, and it might be dark power, it might be fucked up power, but they do stuff.” It’s evident in the filmographies of the women present here, in those they reference, and in the observations they share about their experiences.

1000 Women in Horror is also far more quotable than you’d expect from a documentary. “Sit down, little boy, the grown-ups are talking,” says Heller-Nicholas early on in response to typically male critics who claim that approaching horror through the focus of gender is a modern phenomenon. “I didn’t need a fucking dick to hold a camera,” says Mattie Do in regard to the realization that women are every bit as capable of making movies. “Mary Shelley was goth as fuck,” says Wolfe when talking about the undeniable influence of Frankenstein. “Every single mother is a final girl,” says Siegel, who’s just on fire throughout, leading up to a wonderfully vivid description of the emergency cesarean section she endured with her first child. “Everything’s fucking terrifying,” she says, and not that my two cents are needed here, but I can vouch for it all as someone who witnessed part of it with the c-section arrival of my own child.

If there’s a fault to be found here, it’s simply that the film’s ninety-six-minute running time will leave you wanting far more. The chapter structure works well, but there’s so much to say that each section could easily occupy its own hour-long episode. As it stands, some of the more compelling ideas and insights see their surfaces barely scratched before we’re moved onto the next observation. Heller-Nicholas’ original book approaches it all with an encyclopedic format showing just how dense the subject is, and fans of the documentary who leave wanting more should strongly consider picking up a copy.

Still, 1000 Women in Horror is an engaging watch, even as an introduction of sorts to seeing horror movies through a specifically female lens. Women will appreciate it, and men might just learn a thing or two while also being equally entertained.

Watch the documentary, seek out Heller-Nicholas’ book, and then make an effort to find and thoroughly enjoy the numerous films talked about here, including gems like Poison for the Fairies, Lucky, Helter Skelter, Suicide Club, and more. 

1000 Women in Horror begins streaming on Shudder on March 20, 2026.

The post ‘1000 Women in Horror’ Review – Enlightening and Entertaining Doc Will Leave You Wanting More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Diablo Cody-produced horror satire is an adaptation of playwright Lily Houghton’s stageplay Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die, with Alloway and Houghton co-writing.

The film, like the play, follows a witchy femme cult in a trendy retail store who are forced to face their own poisons with the arrival of a new employee.

One of the first notable changes to Houghton’s stage play is that some of the film’s characters are doomed to a bloody fate; the friendships descend into violence.

“There were no deaths in the play,” Meredith Alloway revealed when speaking to Bloody Disgusting ahead of Forbidden Fruits‘ premiere at SXSW. “I think the highest stakes are that the girls working at the store, basically, one of them steals a baby pink thong, and it starts a mutiny. It’s hilarious. It’s hilarious.

“When I read Lily Houghton’s play, Of the Women Came the Beginning of Sin and Through Her We All Die, I got to get the whole title out, what I was drawn to, and I think you of all people will understand that we’ve kind of been in a movement of horror directed by women that is revenge movies, for the most part. I love that. I think that we needed to go through that phase where I could think of so many movies that feature revenge in relation to a man. It’s still in relation to a guy.

“When I read this play, I was like, ‘There’s no relation to any men.‘ There’s Norman in the play. I believe he’s the only man in the play, and he’s also a character in the film.  I was like, ‘This feels radical. This feels like something that I could spend the next couple of years of my life exploring.’

“When I met with Lily, I was like, ‘What if we take how violent female relationships can feel, how intense, dark, and beautiful female breakups can feel, and what if we use body horror to sort of elevate it?‘ So that was, I think, the avenue that was the most interesting part to me.”

It’s worth noting that Alloway doesn’t just add kills to Houghton’s source material; she makes them count with shocking violence. That includes one showstopper that feels right at home in the world of Final Destination.

Photo courtesy of Sabrina Lantos. An Independent Film Company and Shudder release.

Alloway did her homework to ensure it looked gnarly. “I unfortunately did my research. Even in the script, it says this could technically happen; don’t look it up. I mean, we go a little hyperbolic, of course, because we’re having fun. But yeah, I mean, I think that’s the fun thing about writing kills is going, ‘Why don’t I start with a seed of my own anxiousness?‘”

Also updated in Forbidden Fruits is the setting, Lili Reinhart‘s Apple has full reign of both store Free Eden and the entire mall. Alloway injects stylistic flourishes, complemented by a production design that feels almost removed from time.

The filmmaker also credits her cinematography for making the setting pop.

“Something I will say, working with Karim Hussain, who’s a dream and I’m such a fan of his work with Infinity Pool and Possessor, I knew that he could elevate a mall. I knew that he would go, ‘We’re not going to make this look like shit. We’re going to make this feel magical.‘ The biggest thing that we were up against was that the lights stayed on in the mall. The fluorescents are always on. So this idea of, especially horror film set in malls, of this, it’s all dark and just one neon sign at the end. Nope. The lights are on at all times. It is capitalism in your face, wasting electricity all the time. We leaned into that.”

Forbidden Fruits‘ self-contained story does leave things slightly ajar for an expansion of this film’s deeply messy and murderous women, something Alloway would be game to tackle if the situation presented itself.

“I think that’s really the root of the stories I’m telling. We see the crimes that women, particularly, commit, and we don’t ever really get, well, what led them there? I think a lot of my stories exist in that landscape.”

Independent Film Company and Shudder will release Forbidden Fruits in theaters everywhere on March 27, 2026.

The post ‘Forbidden Fruits’ Director Meredith Alloway Added Memorable Kills to Witchy Play Adaptation [Interview] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While there is more diversity now in horror than ever before, there is still progress to be made to ensure women’s voices are heard. You know the old saying, “a woman’s work is never done.”

Australian film critic, historian, and author Alexandra Heller-Nicholas has published nine books on cult, horror, and exploitation cinema with a focus on gender politics. She is a member of the advisory board for the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies and holds a Ph.D. in Screen Studies from the University of Melbourne and is an Adjunct Professor at Deakin University.

Published in 2020, Alexandra’s book 1000 Women in Horror, 1895-2018 is an extensive love letter to both the stars and the women who have been too often ignored, who have made contributions to the horror genre and influenced it to become what it is today.

Donna Davies is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in Nova Scotia who has established herself as a voice in the horror genre with documentaries like Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror (2009), Nightmare Factory (2011), and Fanarchy (2015).

Directed by Davies, the documentary 1000 Women in Horror brings Alexandra Heller-Nicholas’ book to the screen and features interviews with Roxanne Benjamin (There’s Something Wrong With the Children), Akela Cooper (M3gan), Mary Harron (American Psycho), Kier-La Janisse (Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror), Nikyatu Jusu (Nanny), Roseanne Liang (Shadow in the Cloud), Annalise Lockhart (Inheritance), Toby Poser (Mother of Flies), Sara Risher (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Gigi Saul Guerrero (Satanic Hispanics), Kate Siegel (Hush), Jenn Wexler (The Sacrifice Game), and more. Showcasing the extraordinary women who have innovated horror cinema since 1895, the documentary explores the evolution of women in horror and how their work has been fundamental to the genre and its success.

Bloody Disgusting had the pleasure of talking with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Donna Davies about teaming up to create the documentary 1000 Women in Horror, why women are drawn to horror movies, representation of women in the horror space, and the role of gender politics in genre film.

Bloody Disgusting: This is such an essential book and documentary. There are so many amazing women in horror. Alexandra, how did you go about choosing the women to be included?

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas: The book started out as 100 Women in Horror and then became 500 Women in Horror and then became 1000 Women in Horror [laughs]. That’s a true story. The original proposal was pitched as 100 Women Horror, and I ended up just giving up, and that’s kind of the joke of the book and the joke of the documentary. Of course, there are more than 1000 women in horror. Once I sort of surrendered to that as a provocation, the process for the book was, “Who can I choose to provide a sense of scale?” So, not just a historical scope, but also geographical. I have a Nigerian filmmaker in there, people from Iceland, I really wanted to give it a strong sense of the geography, but also history as well, going right back to the early silent period, so that was really the governing thing.

I knew people were going to freak out if I didn’t put Jamie Lee Curtis in there, quite rightly, so there were all these big names that had to be in there. But it wasn’t a case of, “Who are the most important 1000 women in horror,” because that really goes into one of the themes that is really crucial to the book and to the documentary, which is that women’s labor is invisible, not just in horror, not just in women’s filmmaking, but in the world. You don’t notice your mum doing your laundry every day, right?

Women’s labor is historically invisible. So, that was really my driving thing. It was like, “How do I make invisible labor of women visible?” Because of that, I have people like Margaret Cardin, who was an Australian negative cutter; people don’t talk about negative cutters. She worked on every major Australian horror film from the 70s and 80s. So, it was really about addressing this idea of women’s invisible labor.

BD: I love how the documentary is told in chapters ranging from Girlhood through Aging, and how it’s presented in a way that is comprehensive and straightforward. Donna, how did you and Alexandra collaborate to bring the book to the screen?

Donna Davies: When we first put our heads together for the project, we were looking at possibly doing a six-part series, and there was a little bit of interest in that. So, we were looking at it in a different way, but then when we realized that we were going to be doing a 90-minute project, we were like, “Okay, we can’t do it in those kinds of chapters we had before.” The idea of a woman’s lifecycle was something Alexandra came up with, and it worked perfectly as a sort of a hanger to put all the material on. When we started to look at it that way, we quickly came to a consensus that there would have to be a certain amount of tentpole films that were essential and then in those categories, for example films about childhood, the most important films that we knew people would know about, but had to be mentioned, and then little less known, and then very important but from other parts of the world.

So, there were months and months of discussions and back and forth. This process of this film started in 2019, so it took quite a few years; it wasn’t a fast film, put it that way [laughs]. I think that we were on the same page in wanting to be very comprehensive, but entertaining, and also inclusive. Those were our main goals.

Filmmaker Toby Poser

BD: I know I’m not alone when I say that this documentary made me feel validated as a woman and a horror fan. Several of the women in the film talk about feeling like weirdos or outsiders when they were younger, and how female horror fans form a relationship with horror, and how horror movies can be cathartic. Can you talk a little bit about that, and why do you think women feel so seen by genre film?

AHN: I think in certain circles, even now, there is the assumption that, whether you’re a horror fan or a horror filmmaker, if you’re a woman or femme-identifying, that you’re an interloper; that you don’t really belong; it’s not really your terrain; that horror is a masculine territory. The lived experience of so many women and femme-identifying people whom I know is the opposite of that, and I think in a way that’s what we wanted to map out. So, it wasn’t just a case of making both people who work in the horror industry and people who are fans; it wasn’t just a question of making people visible and feel seen, it was also a case of saying, “Look, it’s actually a really organic response for women and femme-identifying people to be drawn to horror.” So, that was really one of the big things that we wanted to more implicitly address. It’s like, “We’re drawn to this stuff quite naturally because it taps into every single stage of our life.”

DD: There is a point in the film where Kate Siegel says, “Women live a life of horror every time they walk outside their door.” The fact of the matter is that we’re very familiar with fear and with violence; we have to think differently; we have to be on guard. That’s just the way the world has evolved. We live a life that is filled with blood; we bleed; we have babies. We do all kinds of crazy stuff like that. Therefore, why shouldn’t we claim some of the domain as being ours?

Horror is a genre where those uncomfortable things that we can’t discuss in “nice circles,” like wanting to murder your child, like in The Babadook, all kinds of emotions that we’re able to exorcise through these films. I think Alexandra is right when she says that many people believe women who like horror are posing or that we don’t belong. Hopefully, you got that feeling that there’s other people who feel the way that you do and I’m really hoping that this film will get out there and young girls and femme-identifying people who see it, or anyone who feels not accepted, realizes that there is a place for them at the table, that it’s not what they’ve been told [laughs].

BD: I grew up with movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween, so I’m a big fan of final girls, and I think they’re usually empowering. What are your thoughts on the evolution of the final girl trope and how it relates to the representation of women in horror?

AHN: That’s an interesting question. Carol Clover published a journal article and then published the book Men, Women, and Chainsaws in 1992. I think it’s really important to remember that Jamie Lee Curtis, even before the final girl label was created, was doing press for Blue Steel, talking about the final girl. She wasn’t calling her the final girl, but she knew exactly what that archetype was; she was engaging with it directly in Blue Steel. She was very aware and very tapped into the fact that the character that she played in Blue Steel was kind of riffing on the same kind of ideas as Laurie Strode in Halloween and things like Prom Night and Terror Train, so she was quite final girl literate even before the term final girl was created. So, I think that’s really important.

I think that there is a tendency, and it’s perhaps just human nature, to see old slasher films as less progressive, and that we’re so much smarter now, and we’re sort of post-postmodern, and things are so much more progressive. But I’m like you, I was sort of forged in the flames of 80s slashers. That’s my spiritual homeland.

I think lesser-known films like Happy Birthday to Me, on the gender political front, that is to me a radical film, and I don’t mean that like a ninja turtle. I think it’s politically radical. I think it’s a film that is deeply intersectional and that it’s about gender and class. I think My Bloody Valentine is again an incredible slasher film about class. I think that these films knew what they were doing. Bob Clark’s Black Christmas, which we talk a lot about in the documentary, was doing things, and April Wolfe gives an incredible, impassioned description of why that’s such an important film.

But that film talks about things that we find difficult to talk about today. The way that it talks about reproductive rights, the way that it talks about consent, the way that it talks about autonomy, and the female community. I struggle to think of a contemporary slasher that does what Bob Clark’s Black Christmas was doing in 1974.

Director Nikyatu Jusu

BD: You just touched on gender politics in horror, which is discussed in the documentary. Horror has always been political. Can you talk a little bit about the role of gender politics in the horror genre?

AHN: When filmmakers come out and say, “I’m not a political filmmaker,” it’s like, “You don’t live in a vacuum.” Every film is responding or reacting, even subconsciously, to the context within which it is made. If that context is East Germany in the 1970s, that’s going to be a very different kind of context from something being made in Toronto in 2020. We can’t help it. That’s what art does. Art soaks up the zeitgeist and responds to it in some way on some level, whether it’s consciously meaning to or not. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. All film is political. Gender difference is part of the way that we navigate the world, along with things like class, ethnicity, race, sexual identity, and religion. We’re responding to the kind of social norms about these things in film, whether we mean to or not.

DD: I think Alexandra expressed it very well. I think that we’re making progress in certain ways, and I think that in making voices that are not commonly at the table known more and getting the stories out that are getting out there, it’s all about inclusivity. If we get a chance to bring the other voices to the table, I think we’re in for a big surprise as far as what we’re going to see in the next 10 years in terms of what films are going to get made, and I think that the response is going to be incredibly positive. I don’t see anything but blue skies for opening the floor up a little bit and sharing the space with some people who have some very big bones to pick and issues to talk about [laughs].

AHN: I think Alice Maio Mackay is the poster girl of that. She’s this young trans filmmaker who’s made an extraordinary number of films that would be an accomplishment for somebody twice her age, and they are just these punk, passionate, political, entertaining, smart films. I think that Alice is marking the next wave. My dream is that we have an army of Alice Maio Mackays in the next 10 years.

1000 Women in Horror premieres on Shudder on March 20.

The post Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Donna Davies Talk ‘1000 Women in Horror’ [Interview] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“It’s very sad for the eight years I spent with all the people involved with ‘The Last Drive-In,’” Briggs tells Variety. “But I have to say, I’ve been around TV for many, many years, and I’ve been canceled before. This was the most joyous cancellation I ever had, because as soon as people knew about it, the phones lit up, the e-mail inbox filled up.”

Viewers still have four new specials to look forward to this year on Shudder. The previously announced Walpurgisnacht double feature Joe Bob’s Wicked Witchy Wingding on April 24 will be followed by a summer special featuring “a title I’ve been trying to get on the air for 30 years” along with Halloween and Christmas episodes.

Beyond that, of course, the drive-in will never die. “We had actually thought that we had the show placed with another company,” Briggs reveals. “But when the word got out about the cancellation, other people called. So we may do it in a different way, of somehow preserving ‘The Last Drive-In’ without using the name ‘Last Drive-In.’”

He continues, “I’m grateful to Shudder for firing me at the height of the show’s popularity, because it actually frees me up to do quite a few things that would have been impossible if I continued the workload of that show and the contractual obligations I had.”

Among those include more live engagements, writing projects he’s had in various stages of development and reprinting, and producing his own movies!

“I had been developing a horror production company for a while,” Briggs says. “My old friend Bob Bernie at Picturehouse said he wants to do it. Now, we’re signing the final papers for it. We have a production slate. We have projects to make, and I’ll be able to spend time on that.”

Whatever the future holds, Briggs will be bringing along his loyal co-host, Darcy the Mail Girl.

“There’s a natural conflict and playfulness that goes on,” Briggs says. “But also she’s one of the brains behind the show. She suggests topics that we do, movies that we do, guests that we have. And a lot of times it’s something that I wouldn’t have come up with on my own if she hadn’t told me. She’s seen more movies than I have. She would definitely be involved with anything I do moving forward.”

Despite its abrupt end, Briggs looks back at “The Last Drive-In” with great affection. “I can’t thank Shudder enough. They propelled me into the forefront of the horror world,” he says.

“The closeness to the fans was just incredible,” Briggs adds. “We raised $1 million for the charities that we support at Christmas. Everything about the show was wonderful, so I don’t have any complaints.”

Across seven seasons and numerous specials beginning in 2018, Briggs and Darcy hosted over 200 movies on Shudder.

The post Joe Bob Briggs Talks “Joyous” ‘The Last Drive-In’ Cancellation, New Specials, Horror Production Company appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Horror’s found footage subgenre is designed to be an intimate portrayal of reality. It wants the audience to forget that they’re watching a movie, and the very best found footage horror movies manage to accomplish this magic trick, if only for brief moments. It’s been rewarding to watch the escalating nature of found footage’s evolution as it’s pushed to ambitious new places that find creative ways to use technology as an immersive storytelling tool. The genre has grown increasingly subversive with ambitious titles like One Cut of the Dead, The Taking of Deborah Logan, “screenlife” films like Unfriended and Searching, or any entry in the V/H/S franchise.

Found footage’s intent may be to create the illusion of reality. However, we’re entering an age where “reality” has become increasingly fluid and obfuscated. Real life is now immediately couched in challenging skepticism due to the power and prevalence of deepfake technology and other forms of media manipulation. These developments present some fascinating opportunities for found footage, especially when the alleged truth is filtered through trusted norms that are meant to be seen as safety nets. 

The most successful found footage movies condition the audience to question what they see and what’s real, but this has now become a necessary component of media dissemination. Bodycam takes advantage of the truth’s murky nature in a subversive horror film that simultaneously provokes a raw wound in society and unleashes a surreal, supernatural threat.

Brandon Christensen‘s latest begins in a harrowing place that presents an uncomfortably real situation. Two police officers, Officer Bryce (Sean Rogerson) and Officer Jackson (Jaime M. Callica), respond to a domestic dispute where an intense situation and a trigger-happy mentality result in a tragic shooting. The cops’ efforts to erase the incriminating bodycam footage suddenly become the least of their problems when a paranormal presence seeks retribution. Bodycam separates itself from other found footage ventures by having something to say on the topic of police brutality and the “ACAB” narrative. It’s an inspired combination of medium and theme.

Christensen has delivered increasingly impressive and ambitious work between Night of the Reaper, Still/Born, and The Puppetman. Bodycam takes the biggest swings yet and kicks off with a harrowing prologue that could work as its own short film or V/H/S/ segment. In fact, the closest reference point is an ahead-of-its-time X-Files episode, “X-Cops,” that’s a COPS crossover. A run-of-the-mill COPS episode suddenly begins to chase after supernatural entities, which is not dissimilar to Bodycam’s genre-blending stylistic structure.

Its most successful moments are born out of its skewed buddy cop dynamic and the contrasting ways in which Bryce and Jackson respond to the film’s catalyst. These officers have clashing points of view that lead to extreme behavior. It’s a powerful examination of grief, responsibility, and ego.

The film transforms into a moving character study as these two officers are put in an impossible situation at two in the morning and then are left to spiral and panic. These officers’ descent into darkness also functions as a commentary on belief, religion, and redemption, while also digging into the generational pain that’s linked to parenthood and legacy. There’s no doubt that Jackosn and Bryce are under attack by actual demonic forces, but they’d still be haunted even if they weren’t.

Bodycam is such an effective subversion of the found footage genre because it gradually eases into progressively paranormal material as it goes on. Some of these setpieces work better and feel more natural than others, but they’re implemented with the right pacing. The film’s second half is shaggier than the first, but it still conjures dread that occasionally feels like the characters have wandered into hell itself. It actually feels like it could be a stealth Silent Hill film with how it taps into the same sense of existential, suffocating anxiety. The audience is bombarded with alarming visuals that feel lost between reality and the surreal.

The film’s central stylistic conceit may not work for everyone, but Bodycam doesn’t overstay its welcome at only 75 minutes long. That being said, it still occasionally grows repetitive and falls into a pattern. The middle section, in particular, gets lost in unnecessary chaos. Bodycam could stand to be 10 minutes tighter and develop a whole new set piece that breaks up the rhythm once it starts to drag on. Nevertheless, there’s a propulsive story that barrels ahead like a bullet from a gun.

Bryce and Jackson’s saga concludes with a captivating and chaotic ending that bookends Christensen’s latest with its strongest material. Bodycam has its share of concessions, and it doesn’t always work. However, the sequences in which everything comes together are sublime. This uncomfortable found footage film finds the perfect story to tell that pushes the audience to live in touchy territory while they’re left to reckon with what they’re seeing and where the truth lies.

The film’s twisted lens creates plausible deniability so that the viewer is just as lost in doubtful uncertainty as the leading players in this paranormal parable. It’s a powerful project that implicates the audience in something that’s much bigger than a found footage horror film, yet some viewers may prefer better scares and storytelling than poignant, reflective messaging.

Bodycam begins streaming on Shudder on Friday, March 13.

The post ‘Bodycam’ Crafts Creative & Timely Terrors Through A Reflexive Found-Footage Lens [Review] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When you pop on one of these pictures, you know two things are likely going to happen: you’re going to see at least one thing you’ve never seen before and, most importantly, you’re going to be entertained.

A good example of this is 1980’s Hex, the first entry in the popular fantasy-horror trilogy from veteran director Kuei Chih-hung. It tells a familiar story of the kind seen in the legendary anthology Tales from the Crypt in that it involves a morally bankrupt asshole receiving some deadly comeuppance from beyond the grave. However, the way it gets there is anything but traditional, and the film offers up a climax that’s unexpected as it is deliriously gratuitous. In other words, it checks off many of the boxes of what makes Hong Kong horror so appealing and addictive.

Hex’s story starts out simple enough. Chan Sau-ying (Ni Tienis) is a woman on the brink: her body is wasting away from tuberculosis while her spirit is withering thanks to her abusive gold-digger husband, Yeung Chun-yu (Jung Wang). One night after being pushed too far by his cruelty, Sau-ying and her maid Yi-wah (Chen Szu-chia) kill the bastard and dump his body in a nearby pond. Unfortunately, he then begins to terrorize Sau-ying from beyond the grave…or so it appears.

Kuei Chih-hung personified the versatility showcased by many Hong Kong filmmakers of that time. He could work in any genre, be it comedy (Mr. Funnybone), action (Killer Constable), or crime drama (The Teahouse), but it was his efforts in horror that many remember him for today. There, he crafted some of the strangest, most revolting fright flicks to come out of Hong Kong. What’s more, he did so with style, pushing the boundaries of “good taste” for audiences both domestically and abroad.

Hex came at a point when Kuei Chih-hung was transitioning into the final phase of his career, which would be made up primarily of a long residency in horror. It wasn’t his first foray into the genre – that would be 1974’s Ghost Eyes – but it did mark the beginning of what would be a seven-film tenure in it. In Hex, we see a blending together of the many types of films Chih-hung had worked in previously, which is why it’s such a solid example of Hong Kong horror’s unique flavor.

The first third of the film is a marriage between the subgenres of melo- and societal drama, with the characters of Chan Sau-ying and Yeung Chun-yu embodying the two. The former represents the trope seen for decades in both the literary and film mediums of the morally pure woman ravaged by tuberculosis, while the latter is a brutal reflection of the patriarchal structures seen in society both then and now. If that second part seems like a stretch, then you’re not familiar with Kuei Chih-hung’s work.

Described by author Grady Hendrix as “a pissed-off perfectionist with proletarian sensibilities,” the director often injected his stories with scathing social commentaries. As Andy Willis points out in his essay From Killer Snakes to Taxi Hunters: Hong Kong Horror in an Exploitation Context, horror “was an arena where these concerns could be explored in a commercially viable form, keeping [Chih-hung] within the Hong Kong film system even if on its more interesting fringes.”

The murder of Chun-yu signals Hex’s brief crossover into psychological thriller territory. After Sau-ying and her maid/accomplice Yi-wah cover up the killing, the newly minted widow starts suffering from horrible nightmares where the bloated corpse of her husband comes to terrorize her each night. These visions, which appear to be the embodiment of her guilt and psychological trauma, eventually result in her death. It’s then revealed that this has all been an elaborate plan by Chun-yu (who’s still alive) and Yi-wah (his secret lover) to gain the poor woman’s estate and riches.

Next, we swerve into full EC Comics-style spookiness as Sau-ying’s ghost returns to get some otherworldly payback on the ones who have betrayed her. She first pushes their sanity to the edge, leading to a memorably comedic sequence in which Chun-yu (who’s become a cleaver-wielding lunatic by this point thanks to the haunting) kills a local merchant. Then, after the unceremonious dispatching of her husband, Sau-ying goes to work on the woman who betrayed her trust.

It’s here where Hex enters its final form: a supernatural sexploitation extravaganza.

A shaman is brought in to try and cleanse Yi-wah of the spirit that’s latched onto her, and we’re presented with one of the most memorable exorcisms ever committed to celluloid. As the New Essential Guide to Hong Kong Movies puts it, “a kind of expressive dance-ritual, performed by a naked woman covered in painted symbols and letterforms” takes place where the lady in question “capers about and is slapped by an older exorcist lady with a shoe, as the prolonged dance routine simply goes on and on.” Dog’s blood is then used to great effect by the shaman before the scene barrels towards a sequence ripped (pun intended) straight from Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan.

Two loosely connected sequels (both were directed by Kuei Chih-hung) came in the wake of Hex’s success: 1980’s Hex vs. Witchcraft and 1982’s Hex After Hex, both also currently streaming on Shudder. Unlike their predecessor, the pictures landed squarely in the horror-comedy subgenre and get progressively weirder as they go along. Two years after the trilogy was completed, in a twist more surprising than anything found in his movies, Kuei Chih-hung left Hong Kong and filmmaking behind forever.

He moved to San Francisco and opened a pizza parlor, where he would work until 1999, when he passed away from cancer at the age of 61. It was a strange and unexpected end to a fascinating career, but his legacy as a cinematic craftsman and rebel makes Kuei Chih-hung a titanic figure in both Asian film and cult movie weirdness.

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That’s the chilling question posed to a police officer during a mysterious encounter in a new clip from Bodycam, courtesy of Collider.

Told from the perspective of police body cameras, the found footage horror thriller streams next Friday, March 13, on Shudder and AMC+.

When two police officers show up to investigate a domestic dispute, a startling escalation leads to a tragic accident. Not wanting to be crucified by the public, the officers attempt to cover it up — only to reveal that their body cameras aren’t the only things watching them.

Brandon Christensen (Night of the Reaper, Z) directs from a script he co-wrote with brother Ryan Christensen (Night of the Reaper).

Jaime Callica (Wayward Pines), Sean Rogerson (Grave Encounters), Catherine Lough Haggquist (“Supernatural”), Angel Prater (The Puppetman), and Keegan Connor Tracy (Final Destination 2) star.

Brandon Christensen, Chris Ball, and Kurtis David Harder produce, with Kerry Cooper, Ty Sivertsen, Andy Thompson, James Norrie, and Nina Kolokouri serving as executive producers.

The post Ride Along with Police in Ominous ‘Bodycam’ Clip appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.