Creepercast Presents a Horror Moment from DREAMCATCHER (2003)

"Hello Mr. Gay. Scooby Dooby Doo. We got some work to do now. Mr. Gray go away now."

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a video from an iconic film with a quote from the clip.

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out from DREAMCATCHER (2003)

Alien possessions, the return of Donnie Wahlberg, and our new favorite phrase for stool sample.

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a still from an iconic film with a one-line review of the film.

Full Moon Fever June 28 Dyan Moon (English Medieval)

Tonight's full moon is brought to you by the Creepercast with the recommended Full Moon Feature of the evening...

The little alien policeman (Tim Thomerson) returns to fight a trunkful of bad toys and rescue something called Dollchick.

Much of the movie consists of flashbacks from the three prequels, aimed to enhance the story and promote the earlier movies. This film was followed by Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys in 2004 with alternate designs for the toys, which initially aired on Syfy.

Top 10 Best Worst Horror Moms #1

In honor of Mother's Day we are going to take the next few weeks to countdown the Top 10 Horror Mom's and mention why we love them. Horror Mom's are the most notorious and supportive Mom's there ever were and here is why...

1. Betsy Palmer as Pamela Voorhees: Friday the 13th (1980)

I know we don't have to explain why we would say that Jason's mom is the number one best worst mother of horror. Once we get past the fact that Friday the 13th brought us several of the most important elements of slasher horror, Jason has a face that only a mother can love. Pamela Voorhees is the quintessential mother that not only loves her son to death, she will kill to prove it. If that's not enough she'll continue to influence Jason even after death. Death, disfiguration, and murder would never keep her from her son.

Jeff's Really Short Reviews Presents: IDLE HANDS (1999)

When slacker teen Anton Tobias has his right hand possessed by a demonic force, he finds that his life gets a lot more interesting. While Anton himself is an amiable guy, his hand proves to be an appendage of death, killing his two best buddies, Pnub and Mick, who return to life as wisecracking zombies. In addition to murdering those closest to him, Anton's evil hand significantly hinders his chances with lovely neighbor Molly.

Directed by Rodman Flender from a script written by Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes; IDLE HANDS stars Devon Sawa, Elden Henson, Seth Green, and Jessica Alba.

Probably one of the first teenage zombie romcoms and how can you hate it. Seth Green steals the show most of the time but the classic possessed hand helps move along the humor.

Available in all formats and is brilliantly one of the best horror comedies you'll ever see.

Jeff's really short reviews are designed to briefly highlight those movies that Jeff either loves or in some cases, hates, without any fluff in between.

Your June 27th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Creepercast Presents Horror in Real Life with "People Describe The Creepiest Things Amazon Alexa Has Done"

In this months Horror in Real Life "People Describe The Creepiest Things Amazon Alexa Has Done" brought to us by Graveyard Shift powered by Ranker.

"Many people believe the gleaming sci-fi future The Jetsons promised never came to pass. Our lives are just as dull as they were 50 years ago, and horrific robot attacks or artificial intelligence uprisings don't happen nearly enough. Sure, there are some creepy AI stories out there, but aren't they just one in a million random occurrences? Well, maybe not. Just take a look at some of these Amazon Alexa horror stories.

If you think about it, many of us really are living in the future. We have the ability to shout commands that our robot assistants will gladly obey. Whether it's Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, or Google's Assistant (any of them except Samsung's Bixby, really), most of us have AI home devices that help us accomplish our everyday tasks. But what happens when our Alexas and our Google Homes stop being helpful, and start being creepy? It's a problem that seems to be happening a lot lately, as many have reported that Alexa has been randomly laughing at them.

As it turns out, a disembodied laugh is the least scary thing to have come out of Alexa. After you hear some of the creepiest Amazon Alexa stories, you'll probably reconsider your decision to have a robot listening in on your every word..."

For the creepy list of Alexa actions visit Graveyard Shift powered by Ranker!

GARY DANIELS vs. ALIENS in sci-fi actioner ASTRO

FIRST TRAILER FOR "ASTRO", FILMED IN ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, FEATURING ENSEMBLE CAST HEADED UP BY GARY DANIELS

Sci-fi thriller Astro, featuring Gary Daniels (The Expendables), Dominique Swain (Boone: The Bounty Hunter) and Marshal Hilton (Primal Rage), bowed at Cannes in May before hitting home ent platforms in July.

Directed by Asif Akbar and written by Akbar and Bernard Selling, tells of a billionaire's private space exploration program returning to Earth with an abducted extraterrestrial from a newly discovered alien planet.

Louis Mandylor, Max Wasa, Omi Vaidya, Luke G. Crosby, Orson Chaplin, Gianni Capaldi, Spice Williams-Crosby, Courtney Akbar, Christopher Showerman and Michael Pare also star.

ASTRO receives a DVD release domestically in the U.S. and North America through eOne and ITN Distribution this July.

Astro is a Film Life Factory, LLC and XVIII Entertainment, LLC production. ITN Distribution is handling sales in all domestic and certain parts of the European territories with Avail Films and XVIII Entertainment handling the rest of the world-wide sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.

Brian Steele Medina of Gemini Syndrome, composed the music and sound fx for Astro's trailer, which also features an unreleased track "We Are the Fallen" written by the alternative metal band. The film’s original score is composed by Erick Schroeder.

Asif Akbar and Bernard Selling are currently finishing the Astro book series based on the movie, it’ll be released on Amazon in July.

“We are excited to create and introduce a new modern day science-fiction franchise to the world”, says Akbar.

Your June 26th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Call for Submissions for the Inaugural Steel City Underground Film Festival

SODOM & CHIMERA PRODUCTIONS

LAUNCHES STEEL CITY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL

NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS 

FOR HORROR, ARTHOUSE & EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA

Sodom & Chimera Productions, known for their experimental features and short films, is inviting likeminded filmmakers to Europe this September with the inception of the Steel City Underground Film Festival (SCUFF). A celebration of horror, arthouse, experimental and weird cinema, SCUFF is curated and hosted by Sodom & Chimera's founder James Quinn (Flesh of the Void, Sulphur for Leviathan). 

SCUFF is looking for productions ranging from surreal expressionist works to polished and cinematic horror thrillers, with special consideration for visually interesting, grotesque, wildly unusual, incredibly artistic or just downright weird films.

The festival will take place over September 21 and 22 in Linz at the KAPU, an infamous punk rock venue and underground cinema with a long history that includes one of the earliest Nirvana concerts.

In a festival first, all selected features and shorts will be screened in 16mm, paid for by the submission fees.

Speaking of his vision for the festival, Quinn said, "The mission of SCUFF is not only to bring independent, international horror, arthouse and experimental films to an Austrian audience, but also to revive a screening format that is, unfortunately, fading from theaters and venues, which is 16mm film. The goal here is not only to give the viewers a unique experience, but to give filmmakers the chance to screen their film in a way they might otherwise never get the chance to, on film. Driven by passion, we want to give horror fans the chance to see some of the most infamous classics on beautiful prints.  We stand for horror, independent filmmaking, and the revival of celluloid."

Awards will be given out for Best Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Experimental/Arthouse and Best Weird/Extreme. Instead of a typical statuette or plaque, the winners will receive an HD scan of the 16mm print of their film, done by a professional lab in Vienna.

In addition to the official selections, SCUFF will host screenings of 16mm prints of iconic horror and experimental milestones such as Nosferatu (1922, with live music), Frankenstein (1931), Tod Browning's Freaks (1932), A Trip to the Moon (1902) and Un Chien Andalou (1929). Each of the classics will be preceded by a selected short.

To submit your feature film or short to the Steel City Underground Film Festival, go to: www.filmfreeway.com/steelcityundergroundfilmfestival  

For more information on the Steel City Underground Film Festival, please go to: www.sodomchimera.com/scuff  

Your June 25th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Creepercast Presents Behind the Scenes of Our Favorite Horror Films with MISERY (1990)

Bette Midler was originally approached to play Annie. But, Midler thought the role was too violent. She later called herself “stupid” for her decision. The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and All the President's Men screenwriter William Goldman wrote Misery with then unknown but respected theater actress Kathy Bates in mind.

Creepercast Presents Behind the Scenes of Our Favorite Horror Films with a picture or video capturing a behind the scenes moment of the most iconic horror films complete with trivia information.

my thoughts on.... 'The Strangers: Prey at Night'

As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....

When Bryan Bertino's film, 'The Strangers', was first released in 2008 it caused quite a big stir in the horror community. This was a slow burn horror that relied on tension and build up of the characters, before it resorted to the actual acts of violence. The killers were truly faceless and they had no real motive. It was what slasher fanatics had been waiting for, some validity to their beloved genre. Me, being one of those fanatics, immediately fell in love with it. It took the home invasion genre and mixed it with the masked maniacs and put fear back into the mix. For far too long, slasher films relied on a tried and true formula: buff guys, beautiful girls, a masked killer and a lot of blood. That worked for decades, but there wasn't a lot of variation in the mix. It was basically wash, rinse, repeat. Occasionally you'd get something brilliant like Scott Glosserman's 'Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon' or Greg McLean's 'Wolf Creek' or even Marcus Dunstan's 'The Collector'. Films that took something old and made it feel new again. Whether it was by truly doing something innovative or shaking up the formula a bit or just making something so pretty that it felt like an artist was behind the lens. The point being is that 'The Strangers' became somewhat of an instant classic and took everyone by surprise. For the years that followed its release, there was talk of a sequel, but nothing came to fruition. Bryan went on to make the high concept 'Mockingbird' and the simple but effective creature feature 'The Monster', but no sequel. Then, out of nowhere.... it happened. A trailer dropped for 'The Strangers: Prey at Night', but no Bertino behind the camera. He was resigned to being an executive producer and writer of the original screenplay. This didn't bode well for those of us who had been sitting in the nosebleed section, waiting for more. The trailer seemed okay, but the premise seemed bigger than the original. As if the studio wanted to take what was done in the original and ramp things up for a more modern audience. That was the first clue that this might not be what we'd been hoping for. The director, Johannes Roberts, had done some interesting things before, like '47 Meters Down'. A very intriguing take on the 'horror at sea' sub genre. So, it seemed there was hope for something that might hold onto the standards of the original. Granted, I'm the first one in line to try something new and to take a proven commodity and turn it on it's ear. Because of this, I was still hopeful. Well, the time finally came for me to sit down and see if the 10 years of waiting was worth it. What follows is inspired by true events. They actually happened to me.

However, we should get to the plot first. Warning, *SPOILERS* ahead. The film opens with a similar story line of Dollface coming to the door and then, we assume, terrorizing the couple that lives in the home only to kill them in the end. Most of that is left up to your imagination, based on the premise set up in the original. No context, just two basic establishing shots. Jump to a family of four, getting ready to leave for a trip to a trailer park type cabin getaway place on the way to dropping their bad egg of a daughter at a boarding school. Mom, dad, Kinsey and Luke pile into their vehicle and off they go. We get a glimpse into the family dynamic of a son who's the perfect kid and a daughter who's not. Mom and dad have pretty healthy relationship, but the four of them have all grown a bit distant. They arrive at the trailer park, only to find it to be quiet and nobody is around. Thinking it's the 'off season', they grab their key that was left with a note and head to their trailer. While the family is settling in, Dollface shows up looking for Tamara. After leaving, they decide to play cards as a family and Kinsey wants no part of it. Words are said and Kinsey storms out and Luke goes to find her. Mom and dad hang back to wait for their kids to return to pick up where they left off. After Luke finds Kinsey, they begin heading back to their trailer and see that one of the other trailers has the door wide open. They go into investigate, only to find the markings of The Strangers on the window and a couple of dead bodies in the bedroom, which happen to be their aunt and uncle. The two happened to have left their cell phones back with their parents and the phone in the trailer has had its line cut. So, they run back to tell their folks. Meanwhile, mom and dad have had another visit from Dollface, looking for Tamara. At this point, the parents are outside looking for their kids. When Luke and Kinsey coming up to them screaming about the murder, dad goes with Luke back to investigate and mom and Kinsey go back to their trailer and find out that their phones have been smashed. Dollface proceeds to show up, this time with her mask on, and quickly dispatches mom and Kinsey gets away. Dad and Luke realize what's going on, after listening to a voicemail on the machine at the aunt and uncle's and rush back to find mom dead and Kinsey gone. They hop in the car to go and look for them, only to be terrorized and end up crashing into another trailer, pinning dad to the car with a board impaling him. Barely alive, dad tells Luke to go find Kinsey and get her to safety. Leaving him behind, The Man in the Mask shows up and toys with dad for awhile before killing him. Now the hunt is on for the remaining two kids, as The Strangers seem to have the upper hand. That's all you're going to get in terms of plot and I've probably already said too much.

At this point, you're all wondering, was it worth the wait? I'm going to have to say, no. While this film has some interesting things going for it, they could have replaced The Strangers with anyone else and it would have made it better. Actually, I had an even better idea that would have made this movie stellar. (Minus one bit that I'll touch on in a minute.) Have the killers in this one, NOT be the original ones. Have them be some sort of copycat or followers of the original ones. Because these three are much more inept and incompetent, it would have made more sense. They lack any real style and seem to just be color by numbers. If you waited until the last minute of the film and when the daughter thinks she's safe and The Strangers are dead, have the three original ones walk out of the darkness. Even have the original three cast members reprise their roles! The masks are worn from 10 years of murder and mayhem. Their clothes might be a bit more ragged and have them finish what the other three couldn't, thus leaving it open for another film or to end with their reputation still in tact. That would have made this entire film take on a whole different feel and it would have made it kind of awesome, instead of kind of not awesome. But I digress, back to the actual film I watched. It opens with a kind of 80's style logo and intro, borrowing heavily from the 'Stranger Things' template. They also take the little bit of musical influence that Bryan left on the original and over do it. Which to me, seems like somebody in a suit calling the shots. “Hey that music bit really worked in the first one. Let's do that throughout the WHOLE film! Make it like, a 'thing' for The Strangers.” Yeah, it didn't play out well. Using 80's nostalgia songs vs what Mr. Bertino used felt forced and out of place. Again, lending itself well to my concept for the story. * hint hint * Hollywood.

As far as the rest of the film is concerned, it felt less simplistic but even more simplistic. Which I don't know how that's even possible, but somehow they pulled it off and it wasn't a positive thing. In reality there wasn't even a plot to speak of really. It was so incredibly generic and bland that it barely left an impression, other than one of distaste and a desire to talk about it. I'll give this film that much credit, it left me with a ton of rampant thoughts about what was wrong with it. Case in point, why oh why is Dollface unmasked? Seriously, that was the whole point of the first one. You don't know who it was and you don't need to know. It could have been anyone behind the masks. All you needed to understand is that they picked a couple at random, because they were home. They tried to drive that point home again, but it was lost by that point. Once again, lending itself really well to my concept. Finally, back to what I mentioned earlier, the third act. Pinup Girl, according to Bryan Bertino, was the leader. The brawn and the brains of the bunch. In this film, she made two brief appearances, only had about a line of dialogue and was killed really easily. These killers are not idiots with masks on. These killers are calculating and cunning. They may do things for sport and to get their kicks, but they know how to walk away untouched, only to commit their crimes again. The killers in this film are morons. Yeah, I said it. Also, what on God's green earth, prompted somebody to think that The Man in the Mask was Jason Voorhees? In the last showdown with Kinsey, the two girl killers are dead and The Man is the last one standing. So, he tries to finish the job and kill Kinsey. What ensues is a battle royale of punch for punch combat and eventually ends with him trapped in a burning truck CHASING her down the road like Nicolas Cage in 'Ghost Rider'! What in the actual hell? It all ends on a bridge where you think he's done, dead, gone. But no.... he's still kicking and proceeds to chase her down as she's trying to make a getaway with a scared mother and daughter. He was beyond dead, folks, but yet the sheer drive to kill her was a force driving the madman to go past his pain and finish the job. Cut to the final scene, Kinsey is in the hospital with her brother, who is somehow still alive. A knock on the door of the hospital room is heard and the credits roll. So, we're lead to believe that maybe The Strangers aren't dead? Is this the plan all along? Was my plot device going to be used after all? Good lord, I hope so. That would wash the taste of this film out of my mouth and make me want to view it again. At this point, I'm giving this one 2 out of 5 stars. It did nothing to drive the story along any further and if anything, pushed it back about 100 yards. It's left me wondering though, if this was what Bryan intended all along? I mean, if he had full control over it and was in the director's chair, would this have been the film he wanted? Or was this his attempt to kill the beast, since he no longer had control over the characters and story line? I suppose we'll never really know. For now, I'm hoping that I'm right and that these killers weren't the original ones. Until we know for sure, I'll hold on tightly to my Shout Factory Collector's Edition Blu-ray and re-watch it with glee. This version, based on true events? My ass.



If you didn't like this and want to check out much better takes on the sub genre: 'The Strangers' (2008), 'Ils' aka 'Them' (2006) and 'Eden Lake'

Creepercast Presents a Horror Moment from MISERY (1990)

"YOU! YOU DIRTY BIRD, HOW COULD YOU!"

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a video from an iconic film with a quote from the clip.

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out from MISERY (1990)

A number one fan's moment of stalker madness takes shape.

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a still from an iconic film with a one-line review of the film.

Your June 22nd Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Top 10 Best Worst Horror Moms #2

In honor of Mother's Day we are going to take the next few weeks to countdown the Top 10 Horror Mom's and mention why we love them. Horror Mom's are the most notorious and supportive Mom's there ever were and here is why...

2. Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford: Mommy Dearest (1981)

In this biographical film, glamorous yet lonely star Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) takes in two orphans, and at first their unconventional family seems happy. But after Joan's attempts at romantic fulfillment go sour and she is fired from her contract with MGM studios, her callous and abusive behavior towards her daughter Christina (Diana Scarwid) gets crazily out of hand. Reported as a bio-pic the scariest aspect of this film is the idea that it may have actually happened by one of the greatest icons of Hollywood.

Your June 21st Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Jeff's Really Short Reviews Presents: CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012)

When five college friends arrive at a remote forest cabin for a little vacation, little do they expect the horrors that await them. One by one, the youths fall victim to backwoods zombies, but there is another factor at play. Two scientists are manipulating the ghoulish goings-on, but even as the body count rises, there is yet more at work than meets the eye.

Written by Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon as well as directed by Goddard, CABIN IN THE WOODS stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, and so many more. Another glorious comedic twist on the Cabin in the Woods horror tropes and delivered by the great Joss Whedon while directed to perfection by Drew Goddard. Full of familiar faces and comedic responses to expected moments.

Available in all formats and is brilliantly one of the best horror comedies you'll ever see.

Jeff's really short reviews are designed to breifly highlight those movies that Jeff either loves or in some cases, hates, without any fluff in between.

Creepercast Presents YouTube Horrors with Dead Meat

At least once a month we will showcase a YouTube channel that caters to horror fans with entertaining and informative content. This months featured channel is... DEAD MEAT

A horror movie channel by James A. Janisse. Home of the Kill Count series, tallying up the body count in all your favorite horror movies.

100% Creepercast Approved!

Your June 20th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Fantasia 2018's First Wave Announcements - BLEACH, NIGHTMARE CINEMA, and more!

The Fantasia International Film Festival will be celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in Montreal this summer, taking place from July 12-August 1, with its Frontières International Co-Production Market and Industry Rendez-Vous Weekend being held July 19-22.

The festival’s full lineup of over 130 feature films will be announced in early July. In the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a carefully selected first wave of titles, along with several special happenings.

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF BLEACH HIGHLIGHTS A TRIO OF BLOCKBUSTER MASTERPIECES BY PROLIFIC DIRECTOR SHINSUKE SATO

The most anticipated Japanese film of 2018 will have its International Premiere at Fantasia 2018 and completely blow everyone's minds! Adapted from one of the world’s most popular mangas, BLEACH is directed by Shinsuke Sato (GANTZ, LIBRARY WARS) and masterfully portrays the epic fight between Shinigamis (Soul Reapers) and monstrous lost souls called Hollows. BLEACH fans will shed tears of joy as they see teenager Ichigo Kurosaki (AS THE GODS WILL's Sota Fukushi) slice his giant sword through superbly designed Hollows, while the uninitiated will be amazed by this action-packed fantasy loaded with young rising stars and state-of-the-art special effects. BLEACH has everything one hopes for in a summer blockbuster... and much more!

Another crowd-pleasing powerhouse directed by Shinsuke Sato, INUYASHIKI, will set Fantasia 2018 on fire at its Canadian Premiere. The film reunites Sato with the universe of mangaka Hiroya Oku, creator of GANTZ, in a live-action adaptation that perfectly balances fast-paced action, humour, and bloody thrills! Winner of the Golden Raven at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, INUYASHIKI opposes a lovable bullied old man (comedian Noritake Kinashi) and a cold murderous student (RUROUNI KENSHIN's Takeru Satoh), both turned into powerful cyborgs after a strange explosion. It’s a glorious, fun ride with far more depth than it seems.

Lastly, to cap the festival’s celebration of Shinsuke Sato, Fantasia will be showcasing a special screening of the filmmaker’s celebrated 2015 instant-classic of the zombie sub-genre I AM A HERO, widely regarded as one of the best horror films in recent years. Acclaimed everywhere it was shown, the film won numerous awards, notably at SXSW, Sitges and Brussels, and it will soon be ravaging Montreal in its long-time-coming Quebec Premiere!


FIVE FORCES OF FEAR COME TOGETHER FOR A TERRIFYING DOSE OF NIGHTMARE CINEMA

As part of Fantasia’s Opening Night events, the festival will unveil the World Premiere of Cinelou Films' hotly-anticipated anthology NIGHTMARE CINEMA, featuring segments by Joe Dante (GREMLINS), Mick Garris (THE STAND), Alejandro Brugués (JUAN OF THE DEAD), Ryûhei Kitamura (VERSUS), and David Slade (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) with a cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain, Adam Godley, Belinda Balaski, Elizabeth Reaser, and Annabeth Gish. It’s always cause for celebration when the acclaimed “Masters of Horror” brew new creations, and seeing their energies distilled into a single feature film will all but make the universe explode. Join us for what’s sure to be a very special night, with all five filmmakers in attendance. Not to mention…

A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR JOE DANTE!

Fantasia will be presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to adored US genre legend Joe Dante, a man whose inspired filmography has touched generations of cinephiles. From PIRANHA, THE HOWLING, and the universally-beloved GREMLINS films to INNERSPACE, EXPLORERS, and his bold television work, Dante’s works are electric with witty personality and brim with innovative storytelling and a big-hearted affection for all things film. As Fantasia will be World Premiering his latest work with NIGHTMARE CINEMA, there couldn’t be a better time to honour the great man. Previous recipients of Fantasia’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Guillermo del Toro, Takashi Miike, Ken Russell, Tobe Hooper, Jean Rollin, Andrzej Zulawski, Mamoru Oshii, John Landis, José Mojica Marins, Larry Cohen, and Ray Harryhausen.


SECURE YOUR BROWSERS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB

In 2014, Fantasia World Premiered the cutting-edge independent horror breakout UNFRIENDED under its original title, CYBERNATURAL, to significant acclaim, leading to the film’s acquisition by Blumhouse and Universal. Now, four years later, the festival will showcase the International Premiere of UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB, a wholly unique – and deeply unsettling - standalone sequel that launched at SXSW this past March, as a special event screening on Friday, July 13th. UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB was written and directed by Stephen Susco and stars Colin Woodell, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Stephanie Nogueras, Andrew Lees, Savira Windyani, and Connor Del Rio.

BE THE WORLD’S FIRST TO GAZE UPON THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW

Andy Mitton, co-writer and co-director of WE GO ON and YELLOWBRICKROAD, goes solo this time as he continues his streak of staggeringly effective, character-driven supernatural horror. Stunningly scripted and performed, THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW (World Premiere) is a gripping paranormal chiller about a divorced father taking his 12-year-old son to rural Vermont to help him with a fixer-upper farmhouse - a farmhouse whose previous owner, however deceased she may be, has never left the premises. Produced by Richard W. King and starring Alex Draper, Arija Bareikis, Greg Naughton, and Charlie Tacker.

HOUSES ARE AS HAUNTED AS YOU MAKE THEM: THE WORLD PREMIERE OF OUR HOUSE

Fantasia will be channeling the World Premiere of the Canadian paranormal chiller OUR HOUSE, a tight, engrossing remake of the clever 2010 indie GHOST FROM THE MACHINE (itself having world premiered at Fantasia under its original title PHASMA EX MACHINA), directed by Anthony Scott Burns (HOLIDAYS) with a screenplay by Nathan Parker (MOON) and starring Thomas Mann, Nicola Peltz and Percy Hynes White.

The full 2018 lineup will be announced in early July, with ticket sales commencing shortly afterwards. A newly redesigned website will be launching in June. Stay tuned!

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place in Montreal July 12 – August 1 2018, once again returning to the mammoth Concordia Hall Cinema as its main base, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and the McCord Museum.

For more information, visit us on the web at www.fantasiafestival.com

Your June 19th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

'Walking Dead' Star Pollyanna McIntosh Unveils Directorial Debut 'Darlin'

The film, starring Lauryn Canny in the lead, continues the twisted story of 2011 cult hit 'The Woman,' with McIntosh reprising her role.

Pollyanna McIntosh - best known as the cunning Jadis in The Walking Dead - has wrapped production on her debut feature, which is now set to make its market debut in Cannes.
Darlin', which MPI Media Group will introduce to buyers, continues the twisted vicious adventure of Lucky McKee's 2011 cult hit The Woman, which he novelized with famed horror writer Jack Ketchum and which starred McIntosh in the title role.

McIntosh reprises her role in Darlin', appearing alongside Lauryn Canny (1,000 Times Good Night, Amber), Bryan Batt (Mad Men, 12 Years a Slave), Nora-Jane Noone (The Magdalene Sisters, The Descent, Brooklyn) and Cooper Andrews (The Walking Dead, Shazam, Halt and Catch Fire), as well as fellow The Walking Dead alumni Sabrina Gennarino and Thomas Francis Murphy.

Found at a Catholic hospital filthy and ferocious, feral teenager Darlin' is whisked off to a care home run by The Bishop and his obedient nuns, where she's to be rehabilitated into a "good girl" as an example of the miraculous work of the church. But Darlin' holds a secret darker than the "sins" she is threatened with, and she is not traveling alone. The Woman who raised her, equally fierce and feral, is ever present in the shadows of Darlin's psyche and is determined to come for her no matter who tries to get in her way.

The film is a Hood River Entertainment production with Andrew van den Houten producing and McKee and Ketchum as executive producers. Nicola Goelzhauser of MPI will be handling worldwide sales at this year's Marche Du Film.

"I'm thrilled to present Darlin' at a time when audiences are showing their love for entertaining, visceral social issue horror and are hungry for female voices," said McIntosh. "With Darlin' I was blessed with a talented cast and crew, including our female leads, DP, location scout and editor, who all came to the project with such passion. It will be an honor to show their hard work, which made the movie the feast it is, and to introduce the enormous talent of young star Lauryn Canny to new audiences."

Greg Newman, EVP of MPI said: "We've always known Pollyanna to be a gifted actor, and now she proves to be equally potent behind the camera."

Added Goelzhauser, MPI's vp of international sales: "We are proud to bring this film to Cannes, especially since it represents a strong new female voice in a traditionally male-dominated genre."

Van den Houten said: "When I first directed Pollyanna as The Woman in the Ketchum-adapted Offspring, which I also produced, I knew we had found lightning in a bottle with her. So began the dream of a trilogy for the character to live through. I'm honored that The Woman herself, Pollyanna McIntosh, is the one who has written, directed and co-starred in this third chapter. Seeing this talented collaborator take the reins with so much confidence and vision has been a personal and professional joy."

Your June 18th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Creepercast Presents Behind the Scenes of Our Favorite Horror Films with MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)

Maximum Overdrive is King's only directorial effort, though dozens of films have been based on his novels or short stories. The film contained black humor elements and a generally campy tone, which contrasts with King's sombre subject matter in books. The film has a mid-1980s hard rock soundtrack composed entirely by the group AC/DC, King's favorite band. AC/DC's album Who Made Who was released as the Maximum Overdrive soundtrack. It includes the best-selling singles "Who Made Who", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and "Hells Bells".

Creepercast Presents Behind the Scenes of Our Favorite Horror Films with a picture or video capturing a behind the scenes moment of the most iconic horror films complete with trivia information.

my thoughts on.... 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die'

As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....

Sometimes you just need to cleanse your palette. On nights like those, I'll find something schlocky and terrible to watch, so that it reminds me what the truly amazing films really are. However, there's something to be said for the joy of seeing how we used to live. Perhaps through the eyes of a film maker, we're getting a bit of a stylized or altered view of reality, but that's not the point. Film preserves a time and a place that are gone. Whether it was last year or 1962, it doesn't matter. In this life, every single second that passes is history as soon as the future unfolds and then it is the past as well. I'm not trying to get all deep on any of you, especially considering this is a review of the cult classic, 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die' aka 'The Head That Wouldn't Die'. Unlike what I just said, this movie has no real deeper meaning to it. A film like this was made to put asses in seats at the local cinema. An attempt to show an audience something they might not have ever seen before or to create shock and awe in them. While this particular film did neither of those things, it has still stood the test of time and shows up in the majority of books written about classic B monster movies from the 50's and 60's. You have to at least give it some credit for that. Beyond that distinction of being an oddity among the greats, it's somewhat forgettable. Now, to actually create a little shock and awe, this was the first time I've seen this film but we'll come back to that bit.

'The Brain That Wouldn't Die' tells the story of a young, hotshot doctor who's been experimenting with transplants. So much so, that it's become somewhat of an obsession to him. Much to the dismay of his doctor father. While traveling to his hidden house in the hills, the good doctor is driving rather recklessly with his best girl in the passenger seat. An accident occurs and her head is lopped clean off. Only thinking about transplants and bringing his girl back, he snatches her head from the burning car and off he goes. When he finally reaches his lab, he gives her a dose of his secret formula and rigs her up with a method to keep her alive. Not all of her.... just her head. (Which can talk, think and do fiendish things) Before the flames even cool on his burning car, he heads out to find a suitable body as a replacement for hers. Meanwhile, his trusty sidekick is back at the lab with the head and something that's lurking in the locked closet. The head learns that she can telepathically communicate with the thing in the closet and begins to plot her revenge. As far as she was concerned, she just wanted to have died in the accident. The doctor soon returns with a woman, unaware that the head has been manipulating things in the lab. While trying to complete his sinister plan, the head summons the power of the closet monster and ultimately he saves the transplant girl and the head gets her wish. She dies in a fire, along with the mad doctor and his sidekick. The end.

I'm not calling spoilers on this one. This film came out in 1962 and if you haven't seen it yet, now you don't have too. 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die' is not a good film. Not by any stretch of the imagination. While it has some charm to it, for purely reasons of nostalgia, it's far too simple and pointless. There's only 5 major characters, none of whom you care about. There are several pointless scenes of absurdity that only move to fill in the dead spaces between the scenes in the lab and despite Virginia Leith's best efforts to make something more out the script, even she couldn't save this sinking ship. I wanted to love this one, I really did. Sadly, it's just not a good film. I enjoyed some of the locations and set design, but there has to be more going on than just that. This is a good example of what was lingering on the fringe of horror film making back in the days before independent film was really a thing. I would venture to say that this is what would basically qualify as an indie horror film of the early 60's. While it probably had some backdoor studio funding, it was still low budget and outside of the mainstream.

There's a part of me that understands why this is brought up so often in books on our beloved horror history. It's such an oddity of a story that it begs the question of why it was ever green lit in the first place? Perhaps that's why? Because it was just so bizarre that they thought it might work. Regardless of all that, it still sits on my shelf as a place marker in the terror timeline. Not too mention that it includes the episode of 'Mystery Science Theater 3000', in which they riff on this film in it's entirety. That alone is worth the price of admission. I don't recommend that you submit yourself to this one, as you'll probably wish you had your hour and a half of wasted time back. Maybe you're some kind of sadist and enjoy that kind of thing. Who am I to judge? My best recommendation with this one is, if you're going to watch it, please do so with a group of other people and expect the worst. This is a 2 out of 5 star film, at best. A rainy day background piece, for when you're cleaning the house or doing the dishes. The funny thing about this in the end is that there's a lot more of these kinds of film on my horizon. You can't keep a bad film down. No matter how hard we all try.



If you like this, check out: 'From Hell It Came', 'The Manster' and 'Attack of the Giant Leeches'

Your Required Holiday Horror Film for Father's Day, Sunday, June 17th: 'Father's Day' (2011)

"Lock up your Father's!" A deranged killer and rapist is on the loose and has a taste for Daddy meat. One man will do any it takes to send the bastard to hell!

Initial release: October 21, 2011
Directors: Jeremy Gillespie, Conor Sweeney, Steven Kostanski, Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy
Budget: 10,000 USD
Screenplay: Jeremy Gillespie, Conor Sweeney, Steven Kostanski, Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy
Stars: Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney

Creepercast Presents a Horror Moment from MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)

"Jesus is coming and he is pissed."

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a video from an iconic film with a quote from the clip.

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out from MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE (1986)

The film that asks the question "Who made who?"

Creepercast Presents a Terror Time Out features a still from an iconic film with a one line review of the film.

Exploding Heads Podcast: #60 Cold Prey Trilogy

  

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Your June 15th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Top 10 Best Worst Horror Moms #3

In honor of Mother's Day we are going to take the next few weeks to countdown the Top 10 Horror Mom's and mention why we love them. Horror Mom's are the most notorious and supportive Mom's there ever were and here is why...

3. Norma Bates as Herself : Psycho (1960)

As the influence behind Norman's behavior, Norma is able to reach beyond the grave and still influence her psychotic son, as any good mother would. Granted, she is really just a piece of bad taxidermy or in Norman's mind, but she still acts as his catholic guilt ridden conscious. Seems catholic guilt runs in a lot of these horror families.

Your June 14th Horror for the Day by Shaenon K. Garrity

Shaenon K. Garrity, the self-professed Mayor of Horror Movies, is mostly a cartoonist who just happens to watch a lot of scary movies while drawing cartoons. Check out her thematically appropriate horror movie for each day of the year at Horror Every Day. Continue to visit the Creepercast every day for that days featured Horror offering.

Jeff's Really Short Reviews Presents: TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL (2010)

We can never rave enough about this horror trope twisting story about two scruffy pals' backwoods vacation takes a bloody turn when ignorant college students mistake them for a pair of murderous hillbillies.

TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL is Directed by Eli Craig, Written by Eli Craig and Morgan Jurgenson, and stars Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, and Katrina Bowden. Scream opened the door for slasher aprody and TUCKER & DALE VS EVIL stuck its hillbilly foot in it in glorious fashion. These poor redkneck friends jsut wanted to work on their new summer house!

Available in all formats and is brilliantly one of the best horror comedies you'll ever see.

Jeff's really short reviews are designed to breifly highlight those movies that Jeff either loves, or in some cases, hates, without any fluff in between.