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The Children (2008)

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‘You brought them into the world. They will take you out’

The Children is a 2008 British horror thriller film written and directed by Tom Shankland (WΔZ), based on a story by Paul Andrew Williams. It stars Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley and Hannah Tointon.

Plot:

Casey (Hannah Tointon), a rebellious teenage girl, is travelling with her mother Elaine (Eva Birthistle), her stepfather Jonah (Stephen Campbell Moore), and her two younger half-siblings, Miranda (Eva Sayer) and Paulie (William Howes), to spend the New Year holiday at the secluded home of Elaine’s sister, Chloe (Rachel Shelley). Chloe, her husband Robbie (Jeremy Sheffield), and their two young children, Nicky (Jake Hathaway) and Leah (Raffiella Brooks), welcome their visitors. Shortly after arriving, Paulie begins vomiting, which the adults believe is due to travel sickness.

As the night progresses, Nicky and Leah also begin to show symptoms of an illness. Leah’s vomit has strange bacteria in it. As everyone goes to bed, the family cat, Jinxie, goes missing. Casey, back at the woods, makes plans with her friends to escape and attend a party when she hears Jinxie snarl. However, she is not able to locate the cat. By the next day, all of the children have become infected…

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Reviews:

” … the violence is skilfully enough executed to make you think you see much more than you actually do and the fundamentally disturbing and creepy aspects about such random and unpredictable child-centric mayhem are always present, no matter how ludicrously intense and darkly humorous things get.” Phelim O’Neill, The Guardian

“This taboo-shattering movie taps in to primal fears about the unknown-ability of children, its blood-stained virgin snow and insidious terror recalling cruel fairy tales and ‘demon child’ movies such as The Omen. Shankland’s approach is oblique rather than graphic, but these icy chills will send shivers down your spine.” Nigel Floyd, Time Out London
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The Children honestly creeps you out and makes you feel queasy long before the kids’ murderous tendencies truly break loose. Elementsthat contribute to increase the already quite high level of exasperation include the isolated country setting, eerie soundtrack and – of course – the misleadingly cherubic faces of the child actors.” Cult Reviews

“Filled with dread, heavy with atmosphere and steadfast in its refusal to play it safe in both its narrative and visual construction, it’s most certainly one of the most effective killer kid films to grace the modern screen.” Gareth Jones, This is Horror

 

Wikipedia | IMDb



You Are Not Alone (2014)

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‘He’s been watching you’

You Are Not Alone is a 2014 American horror film directed by Derek Mungor from a screenplay co-written with Chris O’Brien. Shot in first-person perspective, the film is a ‘stalk and slash’ horror seen entirely from the point of view of the ‘final girl’.

The film will be available in the US on VOD platforms – such as  VHX, Vimeo, and Amazon – on June 23, 2016, courtesy of B | Movie Studios.

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Main cast:

Krista Dzialoszynski, David O’Brien, Mary Mikva, Keenan Camp, Nikki Pierce, Eric Wood, Katie Johnston-Smith, Tony Rossi, Jonathan Pitts.

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Official synopsis:

An idyllic summer day turns into a living nightmare…

With school finally over, college graduate Natalie Wilner returns to her hometown to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend. But beneath the flags and fireworks lurks a dark, malevolent figure. After a night of drunken parties, she stumbles home and drifts off to sleep, only to be woken moments later by a loud knock on the door.

Experience one night of terror, through Natalie’s eyes as she fights to escape a relentless, knife-wielding maniac…

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Buy Sharp Teeth DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Director Derek Mungor is to be admired for attempting a new approach to the slasher movie format by shooting You Are Not Alone in a first person perspective – not, we should emphasise, a found footage style – and to a point the film does succeed in bringing a fresh and unusual aesthetic to the table. If only we could say the same of its storytelling, we might have been onto a real winner here.” Ben Bussey, Brutal as Hell

You Are Not Alone is a movie that has me torn. On the one hand the idea of a first person slasher movie is a good one and it’s used (eventually) to great effect. On the other hand, director Derek Mungor takes an age to get to any interesting horror-based action! The film spends over half, almost 60 minutes, of its already short 92 minute runtime just following the protagonist Natalie around her home town before we get to anything remotely creepy and sinister.” Phil Wheat, Nerdly

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“Half boring and annoying, half tense and visceral, You Are Not Alone functions much better as an experience than it does a piece of storytelling, making the most of its gimmick and ideas. It’s a gimmick that could get old fast if it caught on, but as the only one of its kind, You Are Not Alone is… well, it’s the only one of its kind.” Joel Harley, HorrorTalk

“There is quality camera work on display here, and none of the head bobbing you might expect from a point of view shot film, also I love the abrupt choppy editing during the conversation scenes, rather than one long shoot different takes are spliced together that are charming to watch. This is quite a blood free affair, I guess in some ways a more realistic slasher, and there is no denying the sublime music but overall if not for that very same music this would just be plain average.” The Rotting Zombie

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“It didn’t look or feel cheap at all, the actors were all pretty solid in their roles, and the people behind the camera definitely knew what they were about. It may take a while to get going (a long while), but once it does, it’s a pretty intense ride too, even if we do wish that intensity would have lasted a bit longer.” Improt, The Horror Club

“At its best, the film manages to build up tension to unbearable squirminess through the inescapable intensity of its POV. Each step of Natalie’s attempts at escape and self-defense is shown in excruciating detail, a focus on tiny things like locking doors and peering around corners in a way that couldn’t be captured in any other way … On the other hand, You Are Not Alone suffers from near-fatal pacing problems.” Tiana Bodine, Ravenous Monster

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Filming locations:

Princeton and Walnut, Illinois, USA

IMDb | Official site | Facebook | Twitter

 


Ballad in Blood (2016)

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Ballad in Blood is a 2016 Italian horror thriller directed by Ruggero Deoadato (Last Cannibal World; Cannibal Holocaust; House on the Edge of the Park; The Washing Machine) from a screenplay co-written with Jacopo Mazzuoli and Angelo Orlando. The film’s score is by Claudio Simonetti. The film’s shooting title was The Day After.

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Main cast:

Gabriele Rossi, Ernesto Mahieux, Noemi Smorra and Carlotta Morelli. Director Ruggero Deodato has a cameo role as a professor named Eli Roth.

The film is obviously based on the case of student Meredith Kercher who was murdered in Perugia, Italy, in 2007.

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Plot:

After spending Halloween night revelling in sex and drugs, Lenka, a Czech student on an Erasmus exchange, her boyfriend James and their black friend Duke, discover the dead body of Elizabeth, a young British student.

Hardly able to remember anything about what had happened the night before, the three try to piece together what happened using video from the dead student’s phone. But with the passage of time, tensions increase and the three protagonists of the macabre story start to accuse each other, going beyond the limits of sanity…

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Filming locations:

Pozzo di San Patrizio, Orvieto, Umbria, Italy
De Paolis Studios, Rome, Italy

IMDb | Facebook

 


Razors: The Return of Jack the Ripper (2016)

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‘The Ripper chose you!’

Razors: The Return of Jack the Ripper – aka Razors – is a 2016 British horror film written, produced and directed by Ian Powell (Virtual Terror) and Karl Ward for Magic Mask Pictures. 

The film is released in the US by Breaking Glass Pictures on DVD and On Demand on October 18, 2016.

Main cast:

Kunjue Li (Knights of the Damned; Ripper Street), Vincent De Paul, Kelby Keenan, Josh Myers (Death Do Us Apart); Gangsters, Guns & Zombies; Zombie Diaries 2), Andrew Shires (Horror Tales; Demon Nurses from Hell), Georgia Maguire, Khan Bonfils, Thomas Thoroe, Ian Weichardt (Freak of Nurture).

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Buy: Amazon.com

Plot:

A young writer believes she has discovered the holy grail of terror, the knives used by Jack the Ripper for his notorious murders. Attending an intensive workshop in a haunted Victorian warehouse, run by the mysterious screenwriting guru Richard Wise she and five colleagues aim to write the ultimate horror film.

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But when the knives go missing the writers are plunged into a world of terror. Who is the little girl in the Victorian dress who haunts their dreams? and who is killing them one by one? Is it Ruth avenging womankind for the appalling Ripper murders or one of the other students trying to make their story come out on top, or is it the spirit of Jack, slowly re-assembling himself and becoming stronger with each new murder.

As the warehouse become transformed through sound and light into the Whitechapel of the 1880’s the writers must solve the mystery…

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Filming Locations:

Elektrowerkz, Islington, London, England

IMDb | Official site | Twitter | Facebook


Porkchop 3D (2012)

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‘Get chopped’

Porkchop 3D is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Eamon Hardiman and a sequel to Porkchop (2010). It was produced by Melissa Myers and Harper Gardner on a reported budget of $3000.

The film stars Kaylee Williams (Slices of Life), Sam Qualiana (Snow Shark), Danny Hicks (Evil Dead 2), and Brian Gunnoe (Zombie Babies).

Plot:

When a group of Porkchop’s would-be victims return for revenge, they never suspect the pig-masked killer is not alone! After all, the family that squeals together kills together…

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Reviews:

“Even though this movie does have “layers” it is still just a typical straightforward slasher and the story is not that in depth.  Finally, the kills are brutal, simply put. Porkchop has more screen time in this film compared to the previous installments. His appearance is also more menacing as well. The special effects are also a little better than the other films making the kills even more enjoyable.” Blacktooth, Horror Society

“The kills can only be described as brutal, from start to finish. Porkchop 3D features one of the best chainsaw kills ever captured on film. I also really love how some of the kills just occur so randomly and without warning. One of those movies that make you cheer for the killer every time they comes up with a new method of destruction.” Ted Brown, The Liberal Dead

“Porkchop’s other daughter does most of the tracking and brutal killing in this sequel as she is trying to help her father against the survivors. Hardiman figures the formula worked for all those other slashers so why not for Porkchop? I give the independent flick 2 out of 4 stars as I just felt like that spark you feel watching the first two films wasn’t there.” Tim Gross, Gross Movie Reviews

Filming locations:

Charleston, West Virginia, USA

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IMDb


The Void (2016)

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Artwork by Justin Erickson

‘There is a Hell. This is worse.’

The Void is a 2016 Canadian horror film written and directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie. Best known for their work as part of the Astron-6 collective (Manborg, Father’s Day), they are also design and FX veterans of major Hollywood productions (Pacific Rim, Robocop, NBC’s Hannibal).

The film is currently on the festival circuit and is being shown at the London Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, Mayhem and other events.

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Main cast:

Ellen Wong, Kathleen Munroe (Survival of the Dead), Aaron Poole (The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh), Kenneth Welsh (The Lizzie Borden Chronicles; Survival of the Dead; The Covenant), Art Hindle (Sicilian Vampire; Monster Brawl; The Brood), Daniel Fathers (Pontypool), Stephanie Belding, Amy Groening, Trish Rainone, Evan Stern, Mik Byskov, James Millington, Grace Munro, David Scott, Jason Detheridge

Plot:

In the middle of a routine patrol, police officer Daniel Carter happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road. He rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital staffed by a skeleton crew, only to discover that patients and personnel are transforming into something inhuman.

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As the horror intensifies, Carter leads the other survivors on a hellish voyage into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to end the nightmare before it’s too late…

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Artwork by Graham Humphries

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Artwork by Gary Pulin

Filming Locations:

Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada

IMDb | Twitter | Facebook


In the Shadows – rock song by The Stranglers

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In the Shadows is a 1977 rock song by British band The Stranglers, produced by Martin Rushent. The distinctive darkly-themed tongue-in-cheek song features a doctored deep “barracuda bass” guitar line and bleepy synth accompaniment, and first appeared as the ‘B’ side to the September 1977 single No More Heroes.

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The track proved popular enough to be subsequently included on their May 1978 album Black and White. And in 1979, the song was included on as a live track on the band’s Don’t Bring Harry EP.

Lyrics:

When you’re walking on the streets at night
You turn around and die of fright
What’s that in the shadows?
What’s that in the shadows?

Walking down the streets at night
Turn around and you can die of fright
Walking on the streets at night
Turn around and die of fright
What’s that in the shadows?
What’s that in the shadows?

Is it a dog?
Is it a cat?
Is it a dog?
What do you think of that?
When you’re walking on the streets at night
Turn around and die of fright
What’s that in the shadows?
What’s that in the shadows?

Is it a dog?
Is it a cat?
Is it a dog?
What do you think of that?
When you’re walking on the streets at night
Moving, shiny, bright

Walking on the night
When you’re walking on the streets at night
Look around you
Look around you

When you’re walking on the streets at night
When you turn around and die of fright

Who’s there in the shadows?

What’s that in the shadows?
What’s that in the shadows?
Look around you

 


Necronomicon

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Necronomicon is a 1993 American anthology horror film. It was directed by Brian Yuzna, Christophe Gans and Shusuke Kaneko from a screenplay by Brent V. Friedman, Christophe Gans, Kazunori Itō and Brian Yuzna.

The film is also known as H.P. Lovecraft’s: Necronomicon, Necronomicon: Book of the Dead and Necronomicon: To Hell and Back.

The three stories in the film are based on three H.P. Lovecraft short stories: The Drowned is loosely based on The Rats in the WallsThe Cold is based on Cool Air, and Whispers is based on The Whisperer in Darkness.

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Main cast:

Bruce Payne, Richard Lynch, Jeffrey Combs, Belinda Bauer, David Warner.

The Library:

H.P. Lovecraft (Jeffrey Combs) learns of a monastery where a copy of the Necronomicon is held. Requesting to read the Alchemical Encyclopedia Vol. III, Lovecraft steals a key from another monk and flees to the cellar where the Necronomicon is being held…

The Drowned:

Edward De LaPoer, a member of the De La Poer family, is tracked down in Sweden after inheriting an old, abandoned family hotel. He learns of his uncle’s tragic death. Upon a boat trip return to New England, a crash on the shore killed Jethro’s wife and son. That night, an odd fish-man creature arrives and leaves behind an English translation of the Necronomicon. Using the book, Jethro brings his family back to life. However, they are revived as unholy monsters with green glowing eyes and tentacles in their mouths…

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The Cold:

Reporter Dale Porkel is suspicious of a string of strange murders in Boston over the past several decades. Confronting a woman at a local apartment building, he is invited in only to find the entire place is very cold. The woman he has confronted claims to suffer a rare skin condition which has left her sensitive to heat and light. Demanding the truth, Dale is told the story of Emily Osterman’s arrival to Boston twenty years before…

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Whispers:

During a pursuit of a suspect known as “the Butcher”, two police officers, Paul and Sarah, argue over their failed relationship and the coming baby. The argument leads to a crash, flipping the cruiser upside down. Paul, having unbuckled his seatbelt in the argument, is knocked out and dragged off by an unseen person. Sarah unbuckles herself, breaks the window and exits the vehicle. Unable to call for backup, she follows a blood trail alone…


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Reviews:

“… there are certainly a few Lovecraft adaptations that kick some rather serious ass; I would not call Necronomicon one of them. My feelings about Necronomicon overall are a bit lukewarm, but it is not a bad way to spend 90-ish minutes. Lightly recommended.” Goregirl’s Dungeon

“Overall, the film is kind of a failure. It doesn’t really work as a film, nor as an introduction to HPL.  From the slapstick sadism of Yuzna to the po-faced dullness of Kaneko, it pretty much loses its way before it even starts.  The only good segment is Gans’ and that is down to being more mythos-centric.  The only thing that isn’t Lovecraftian about ‘The Drowned’ is that the protagonist isn’t rendered gibberingly insane by the end.” Fangirl Magazine

“Unfortunately, [Necronomicon] does not deliver on what should have been a great idea. In fact the film loses focus, speed, and atmosphere after the first segment,”The Drowned,” almost as though the production had run out of money and time.” Andrew Migliore and John Strysik, Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft

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Cast and characters:

Choice dialogue:

Nancy Gallmore (Belinda Bauer): “It’s too bad crabs can’t talk.”

IMDb

 

 



Aliens vs Titan1C (2016)

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‘Comet dead ahead’

Aliens vs Titan1C is a 2016 science fiction horror film directed by Jeff Leroy (Dracula’s Sorority Sisters; Rat Scratch Fever; Werewolf in a Womens Prison; The Witch’s Sabbath).

The film is currently being marketed by TomCat Films for worldwide sales.

Main cast:

Tasha Tacosa (Don’t F with the Dead; Rat Scratch Fever), Jennifur Miller (Paranormal Halloween), Brenton Jones, Robert Rhine (Parasites; Frankenstein Created Bikers), Kelly Erin Decker, William Gabriel Grier, Laela Pryce, Shawn C. Phillips, Michael Goulis and director Rolfe Kanefsky (The Black RoomNightmare Man; Jacqueline Hyde).

Plot:

Offering only the finest amenities, the ‘TITAN 1C’ space-cruiser is considered the most luxurious star-liner ever built. Future spring-breakers on board are excited to be touring through space with some of the world’s elite. However, a sudden meteor storm smashes into the hull, and a deadly biological alien life form is let loose on the ship.

Seeking a suitable host, the retrovirus successfully merges with some the passengers, transforming them into seemingly invincible predators with the “touch of death”. As the ship is destroyed, the surviving passengers crash on a remote planet, and they learn that one of them is “infected”. They must quickly band together before it has a chance to slaughter them all…

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IMDb

New and upcoming movie releases


I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

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I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is a 2016 American-Canadian horror film written and directed by Osgood ‘Oz’ Perkins, son of Anthony Perkins. Osgood’s first acting role was in 1983’s Psycho II, in which he briefly appeared as the twelve-year-old version of the Norman Bates character his father had portrayed. Keeping it in the family, Elvis Perkins provided the film’s score.

Ruth Wilson stars as a live-in nurse who suspects her elderly employer’s house may be haunted. It premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and will debut on Netflix on October 28, 2016.

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Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Oz Perkins explained what inspired him:

“I had written a shorter thing about a woman in a head cast, who was in a bed in an old American house, whose father was a horror writer, and she was being taken care of by nurses. Then, one day, it just changed. I’m a believer that, once you start writing something, it does take on a life of its own. I had laid all the track for this one thing, and it just reversed itself, and bloomed into this thing. A lot of the best, dreamy stuff happens that way.”

Main cast:

Ruth Wilson, Paula Prentiss, Bob Balaban (Altered States) and Lucy Boynton

Plot:

When author Iris Bloom becomes bedridden, her estate manager, Mr. Waxcap, hires a live-in nurse, Lily. Lily comes to believe that Bloom’s most popular horror novel may be based on a real-life murder Bloom possibly committed at the house…

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Reviews:

“Proving February was no fluke, Perkins has made a vintage haunted-house thriller that owes more to the creeping dread of Polanski, Kubrick or Lynch than to more bloodthirsty recent subgenres of horror. It may ultimately impress more with its brooding literary atmosphere than with its familiar narrative ingredients, but this crisp little mood piece still jangles the nerves.” Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter

” …Brit stage luminary Wilson delivers a hardworking turn that nonetheless can’t render a familiar character type fascinating enough in a vacuum, with so little support in the writing … Aesthetically, the stripped-down yet opaque qualities of “Pretty Thing” work to a degree. As applied to story and character definition, however, that same stylistic approach ends up making the film seem simply undercooked.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

“This is not a movie of gore or plot. Instead, voice-over in lyrically written prose from the nurse guides viewers on a meditation through the haunted house, while we watch her fix the carpet that’s always somehow folding over (even though she’s the only one who’s walking around), or run her finger over a bubble under the whitewashed walls of the pristine colonial home of her new patient, elderly horror novelist Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss).” April Wolf, The Village Voice

“It’s commendable that Perkins seems wholly uninterested in the tropes of the genre: there’s only one jump scare, hardly any gore and no final girl. The elusiveness of the narrative, however, grows weary fast. When Polly eventually makes an appearance, Perkins stubbornly keeps the reason behind her undoing murky. There is zero payoff, so why stick with it?” Nigel M Smith, The Guardian

Cast and characters:

Filming Locations:

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Wikipedia | IMDb

 


Dead By Daylight – video game (2016)

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Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric survival horror video game developed by Behavior Interactive and published by Starbreeze Studios. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on June 14, 2016. Dead by Daylight sales topped one million units after just two months on sale.

In October 2016, the game’s Halloween update included Laurie Strode as a survivor and Michael Myers as a killer.

Gameplay:

A group of survivors – anywhere from one to four players (typically four) – must elude one player who is the killer in an enclosed area at night which will either be a secluded forest, an abandoned junkyard, a decrepit cornfield, or a haunted asylum. The survivors’ perspectives are third-person, while the killer’s perspective is first-person.

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Survivors:

When playing as a survivor, players assume the role of Jake Park, Meg Thomas, Dwight Fairfield, Claudette Morel, Nea Karlsson, or Laurie Strode. The goal of the survivors is to escape the enclosed area, which can be done in one of two ways: either by repairing a certain number of disabled generators (usually, the number of generators is one greater than the number of survivors playing) to provide power to switches which open large metal doors leading out of the area, or by escaping through a trapdoor (hatch) which only opens when there is one survivor left and at least two generators have been successfully repaired.

The survivors’ movement options consist of sprinting, walking, or crouch-walking. They must elude the killer by using the darkness, crouching behind objects, and hiding in buildings, foliage, or inside lockers.

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Killers:

As the killer, players assume the role of either the Trapper, the Wraith, the Hillbilly, the Nurse or Michael Myers; each of which has his own unique ability. The killer cannot run or crouch, but simply walks at a very fast pace which is slightly faster than the pace of a sprinting survivor.

When hunting the survivors, the killer must capture them by either striking them twice with his weapon (the first hit reduces the survivor to a limp, while the second hit drops them to crawling on the ground), or can grab them in one move by either catching them inside lockers, while attempting to vault over pallets or through windows, while repairing a generator, or attempting to escape through a trap door. The Hillbilly’s chainsaw attack will also drop survivors to crawling on the ground in one hit.

The killer can initially only kill the survivors by sacrificing them by placing them on one of the many meat hooks in the area and waiting for the demonic claws to eventually finish off the survivor, carrying their soul into the sky. After a player has earned enough experience points as the killer, certain single-use items can be unlocked that include the ability to finish off survivors instantly with their weapon, rather than the lengthy process of taking them to the meat hooks.

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Blood Web:

Both survivors and killers are able to unlock items, perks, and offerings through the Blood Web. Every action performed in a match gives the player a number of Bloodpoints, and the sum are added to the player’s total at the end of the match.

Each level of the Blood Web is procedurally generated, and gets larger as the character gains levels. The rewards are connected to each other in a radial tree, and players must purchase rewards along the progression path to gain access to others. Once every reward on the tree has been purchased, the Blood Web will generate a new level for the player to progress to, increasing that character’s level.

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Setting:

The game takes place across four locales (split into thirteen maps in total) which are based on the places the killers became murderers. Over time, the evilness of their actions accumulated there until it attracted the attention of the Entity, an unknown force of darkness from a place with no name. The Entity pulls those who encounter it into a purgatory of its own construction, where they must play an endless game of life or death in the Entity’s recreations. The killers, who worship the Entity, are tasked with hunting down the survivors and sacrificing them, while the survivors seek an escape from the nightmare.

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Plot:

The Entity, a supernatural being hailing from some ancient, evil place, is awakened from its slumber whenever it is summoned by actions of great violence and malice. The killers, exclusively serial murderers, are pulled out of reality by it and convinced to do its bidding. In order to maintain its existence, the Entity requires sacrifices, and demands that they hunt and kill the survivors so it can feed off their hope and steal a piece of their soul upon death. Then they are brought back to life to repeat the trial, endlessly attempting to escape.

The survivors are pulled into the Entity’s constructed world when they wander too close to the places the killers were taken from, disappearing from the real world without a trace. They end up at a lonely campfire, where they rest between trials, until a killer pursues them again. Escaping from the grounds always takes the survivors back to the campfire, and offerings can be created to be burnt at it and appeal for the Entity’s favor. Since the Entity feeds off the hope of the survivors to escape, it helps them just as much as the killers, acting as an impartial observer of the hunt, stepping in only to claim those hanged on its hooks.

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Reception:

“As players become more familiar with both roles, the horror dissipates and they begin to play for the competitive element alone. The poor matchmaking and the highly exploitable scoring system make Dead by Daylight less competitive than it should be, resulting in gameplay which doesn’t resemble the horror experience it sets out to be.” Joab Gilroy, Gamespot

“It might be short-lived and plagued by lobby issues, but Dead by Daylight is whip-smart, original, exciting and genuinely frightening. It puts you right at the centre of your own slasher movie, then asks you if you’ve got the guts and cunning to slay or survive. Only time will tell whether it can evolve into a long-term hit but, right now, it’s a terrifying new entry on the multiplayer scene.” Stuart Andrews, Trusted Reviews

“When Dead By Daylight was first launched, it was a flawed but fun game that needed a bit more work to tighten things up. Since its release, Behaviour Interactive has spent the last few months doing just that; it’s in a really good place right now. It has a healthy, active community where the player base can also go and interact with the developers on a weekly basis. All in all, Dead By Daylight is an amazing survival horror experience… Luke Lawrie, Stevivor

Wikipedia | Official site


The Corpse aka Crucible of Horror (1969)

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The Corpse aka The Velvet House is a 1969 British horror film directed by Viktors Ritelis from a screenplay by Olaf Pooley (The Godsend; Lifeforce) for London-Cannon Films. In the US, it was released in 1971 by May Films as Crucible of Horror. Not to be confused with Crucible of Terror (1971).

The Corpse was unreleased in the UK until 1972 as a support feature to US import Psycho Killer by Grand National Pictures.

The film was featured in Season 2 Episode 13 of the late night TV show Elvira’s Movie Macabre.

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Plot:

A mother and daughter hatch a scheme to murder their family’s domineering and sadistic patriarch…

Reviews:

“If the first half hour of Crucible of Horror is tedious but suspenseful, the last half hour is still tedious but also a jumbled mess. It seems that once the film gets rid of Walter, it doesn’t know what to do with itself. Now there’s no one to comment on the stocks at breakfast, or make snide remarks about wigs and poor people!” The Moon is a Dead World

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“For most of its running time, it’s a nice little gothic thriller that’s a bit slow in the uptake and prone to abandon plot threats almost as soon as they are introduced, but it’s a fairly solid film until the final 10-15 minutes. Then it all goes to crap.” Terror Titans

 

” … this slow-moving shocker boasts adequate performances and solid production values, as well as imaginative cinematography, but the piece is undercut by a muddled storyline.” Every ’70s Movie

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” … nicely atmospheric in portraying the English suburbs and countryside, although for most of the film one gets the impression that one is watching a suspense thriller rather than a horror film. Gough provides the standout performance as the father. Especially chilling (and funny, in an extremely dark sense) is his serenity before and after his savage beatings.” Thomas M. Simpos, Communist Vampires

While the script was nothing to write home about, the performances from Gough, Sharon Gurney, and Yvonne Mitchell are all strong, and the director shows some imagination in the handling of the subject, with good use of unusual angles.” Andy Boot, Fragments of Fear: An Illustrated History of British Horror Films

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Cast and characters:

Choice dialogue:

Walter Eastwood [Michael Gough]: Who touched my guns?

Filming Locations:

Merton Park Studios, London

Wikipedia | IMDb


Tales from the Crypt – TV series (2017)

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Tales from the Crypt is a 2017 American television series being developed for TNT by co-executive producer M. Night Shyamalan (Split; The Visit; Signs; The Village; The Sixth Sense).

The writer, who was forbidden by his Indian-born parents to watch the 1990’s HBO series (so had to sneak over to friends’ houses to do so), has told Crave magazine‘s William Bibbiani that the TV series reboot will be “absolutely naughty, and deliciously so.” He also said that the stories will be inspired by the original EC comics, including The Vault of Horror, and that he hoped to bring in celebrity guest stars for each episode, like the HBO episodes.

The Tales from the Crypt series will be part of TNT’s weekly Horror Block that will also include two other anthology shows:

Time of Death revolves around a Midwestern county fair as a revenge obsessed killer exacts payment on the populace of a hometown he believes drove him to ruin.

Creatures, set in Alaska, is about two friends who sacrifice a classmate’s heart to their imaginary idol Mr. Gorgi. This plotline has similarities to the Slenderman case.

TNT’s Horror Block’s spooky storytelling is set to premiere sometime in 2017.

IMDb


Swamp Freak (2017)

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‘Freak of nature’

Swamp Freak is a 2017 American horror film directed by David Decoteau (Sorority SlaughterhouseThe Killer EyeAncient Evil: Scream of the Mummy and many more)

The cast announced so far includes Lesleh Donaldson (Tales of PoeFuneral Home, Happy Birthday to Me, Curtains), Helene Udy (The Possession of Mia Moss; IncubusMy Bloody Valentine) and Felissa Rose Esposito Miller (The Sunday Night Slaughter; Camp DreadSleepaway Camp).

David Decoteau commented on his Facebook page:

“Since I was a kid I was always fascinated with those bayou swamp creature legends so I just had to make a movie about one myself! Expect a worldwide release on most every VOD platform in the Spring of 2017!”

At the time of posting, an IMDb entry has yet to appear.


A Room to Die For aka Rancour (2016)

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‘Life in the suburbs can be hell’

A Room to Die For – aka Rancour – is a 2016 British horror film directed by Devanand Shanmugan from a screenplay co-written with Matthew J. Gunn.

The film is released on DVD in the UK on 16 January 2017 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

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Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

Michael Lieber, Loren Peta (Rock Band vs. Vampires; Bad Moon Rising), Christopher Craig, Antonia Davies, Ben Ellis, Natalie Ann Parry (Death Race: Anarchy), Vas Blackwood (Fanged UpCreep), Frederik von Lüttichau (Witch), Topher Cox, Jon Campling (Curse of the Witching Tree; Tales of the Supernatural; The Zombie King), Jonny Pert.

Plot:

Marcus Crowe is a failed writer who struggles with reality. His girlfriend, Jill, is desperate for Marcus to pursue a proper career.

Broke, the couple find a perfect room to rent owned by an old couple, Henry and Josephine Baker, who take a keen interest in the young couple’s lives. They are shocked when told the old couple have a new born baby.

Stuck in the house 24-7, Marcus spirals into paranoia and believes the old couple is spying on them. When he finds the horrifying truth behind the baby, the old couple’s real reason for renting the room is revealed…

IMDb

 



#Screamers (2016)

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‘Gigaler.com was poised to be the next billion dollar company. They didn’t make it.’

#Screamers is a 2016 American found footage horror film directed by Dean Ronalds (Netherbeast Incorporated; producer of The Graves) from a screenplay co-written with actor-producer Tom Malloy.

Internet gurus Tom Brennan [Malloy] and Chris Grabow [Barrow] know what sells on the Internet. They’ve built their viral video site Gigaler.com into a moneymaking machine, primarily by providing the audience with web ‘screamers’—videos that distract the audience, then scare them to death.

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They are sent an amazing ‘screamer’ that features a young girl at a gravesite and ends with a truly disturbing-looking boogeyman. This screamer becomes the top video on the site.

After several conversations with the girl who claims to be the one in the video, it’s discovered that the latter looks exactly like Tara Rogers… who has been missing for years. It’s then that Tom and Chris decide to take their team on a road trip to confront this girl and find out the truth…

Main cast:

Chris Bannow, Emanuela Galliussi, Tom Malloy, Griffin Matthews, Theodora Miranne, Abbi Snee.

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Reviews:

#Screamers’ use of found footage may not be the most original idea, but you’re already a step ahead if you have at your production’s disposal: gifted actors, believable dialogue and expertly-produced scare tactics. With generous and effective gifts like that, it’s easy to overlook the fact that found footage films are still running rampant across our horror screens.” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News

“I enjoyed the hell out #Screamers, and I’m hoping a larger audience sees this one soon, as it’s more than worth a look, it’s perfectly chilling and strikes all the right chords, creating a near-flawless viewing experience that genre fans are going to be excited about.” Addicted to Horror Movies

Filming locations:

Rochester, New York, USA

IMDb | Official site


The Ouija Exorcism (2015)

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‘The game will possess you’

The Ouija Exorcism is a 2015 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Nick Slatkin (Placebo).

A British DVD release is scheduled for 26 September 2016 by Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment.

Main cast:

J. Damian Anastasio, Brittney Bertier, Cameron Bigelow, Jay Brothers, Tony Harutyunyan, Lola Kelly, Laura Kirchner, Walker Mintz, Ben Morrison, Lynne Newton, Michael Palladino, Julia Rae and Branden Smith.

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Plot:

In 1985, a celebrated exorcist trapped a horrific demon inside a ouija boardScreen Shot 2016-05-15 at 01.25.27. Thinking the board to be a game, his son played without obeying the rules, and let the demon loose. In order to save his son, the exorcist sent him far away until the demon could be destroyed.

Thirty years later, and after his death, his grandson finds the board and makes the same mistake his father did. Now the evil is back and roaming the earth to terrorise those responsible for its imprisonment…

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, Glendale and Simi Valley, California, USA

 

IMDb

Coming Soon: new and future releases

 


Savageland (2015)

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‘Horror has no borders.’

Savageland is a 2015 American found footage horror film written and co-directed by Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert and David Whelan. It stars Noe Montes, George Savage and Len Wein.

screen-shot-2017-02-25-at-18-13-05On the night of June 2, 2011, the largest mass murder in American history occurs in the off-the-grid border town of Sangre de Cristo, Arizona, just a few miles north of Mexico. The entire population of 57 disappears overnight, and the next morning nothing is left but blood trails into the desert.

The police arrest the lone survivor: an illegal immigrant, Francisco Salazar, who is found covered with the blood of a number of his fellow residents. Despite a lack of convincing forensic evidence, Salazar is charged with all the murders, against the backdrop of racial hysteria and paranoia that permeates the US/Mexico border.

During the trial, a compelling new piece of evidence emerges: something terrible and remorseless passed through the town that night, and Salazar was the only one who recorded it. On one roll of film – 36-photographs – is the record of a gruesome wave of horror, and quite possibly, a haunting glimpse of more bloodshed to come…

Terror Films released the film on February 24, 2017 via VOD sites such as Amazon Instant

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Reviews:

” …Savageland works on many, many levels, convincing the audience that what you are seeing is real and delving into a complex subject in a metaphorical and intelligent way. This one comes highly recommended for those who like a little political debate along with their horrors.” Ambush Bug, Ain’t It Cool News

Savageland provides one of the best, most believable and satisfying reasons for a pseudo-found footage film ever. It had me nodding my head in appreciation.” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News

Interview:

Phil Guidry, Simon Herbert and David Whelan talk to FilmBuzz

 

IMDb | Facebook

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The Wasp Woman (1995)

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‘There is no greater wrath than a woman’s sting’

The Wasp Woman is a 1995 American cable television sci-fi horror film directed by Jim Wynorski (CobraGator; Sorceress; Chopping Mall; et al) from a screenplay by Daniella Purcell (Burial of the Rats; Dracula Rising) and Guy Prevost (Dinoshark), based on executive producer Roger Corman’s 1959 original film of the same name.

This was one of the New Horizons remakes, such as Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep, that Corman made for cable channel Showtime.

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The film stars Jennifer Rubin (Little Witches; Screamers; Bad Dreams), Doug Wert (Dracula Rising), Daniel J. Travanti and Gerrit Graham (Child’s Play 2; TerrorVision)Forbidden Beauty is an alternate title.

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Plot:

Janice Starlin (Jennifer Rubin) is a successful model who has built up her own cosmetics company. She has always modelled for her own company’s advertisements, but now that she is in her forties, investors are advising her to step aside in favour of a younger model.

In desperation, she consults a scientist working on a new youth serum based on wasp hormones. Eager for any possible treatment, Janice agrees to be the first human test subject.

At first, the results seem miraculous: she looks like a 25-year-old. As time goes on, however, the terrible side effects of the drug become all too apparent…

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Reviews:

“Outside of the godawful morphing effects, the practical wasp-monster effects are enjoyable for their B-movie chutzpah, and the supporting cast (Gerrit Graham, Jay Richardson, the smokin’ hot Melissa Brasselle) all know exactly what kind of movie they’re in and perform their duties with zeal. Not a complete waste of time.” Aaron Christensen, Horror 101 with Dr. A.C.

“Director Jim Wynorski makes movies fast and cheap and this one’s no exception. The more you see of the silly makeup, the less effective it is.” Mike Mayo, Videohound’s Horror Show

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Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“The main problem in this outing is the visuals. Poor wasp-swarming animation, repetitive and unconvincing sound effects, incredibly pitiful computer graphics for unobscured transformations, and a tremendous, rubbery wasp costume are but a few of the amateurish approaches to what could have been a moderately entertaining monster movie.” The Massie Twins, Gone with the Twins

” …includes a fellatio scene that will have you falling down laughing. This silliness about wasp hormones turning a human into a “bee girl” was directed by Jim Wynorski with his usual lack of subtlety and his continuing penchant for bimboesque big-breasted beauties.” John Stanley, Creature Features

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Special effects designer Greg Aronowitz explains how his Wasp Woman was created

Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen, and Candy Stripe Nurses Roger Corman King of the B Movie

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

Cast and characters:

  • Jennifer Rubin as Janice Starlin
  • Doug Wert as Alec
  • Daniel J. Travanti as Dr. Eric Zinthorp
  • Melissa Brasselle as Mary Dennison
  • Maria Ford as Caitlin
  • Jay Richardson as John
  • Gerrit Graham as Arthur Cooper
  • Richard Gabai as Nick
  • Johnny Williams as Wasp Collector
  • Lenny Juliano as Wise Guy

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Greg Aronowitz


The Children (2008)

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‘You brought them into the world. They will take you out’

The Children is a 2008 British horror thriller film written and directed by Tom Shankland (WΔZ), based on a story by Paul Andrew Williams. It stars Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Jeremy Sheffield, Rachel Shelley and Hannah Tointon.

Plot:

Casey (Hannah Tointon), a rebellious teenage girl, is travelling with her mother Elaine (Eva Birthistle), her stepfather Jonah (Stephen Campbell Moore), and her two younger half-siblings, Miranda (Eva Sayer) and Paulie (William Howes), to spend the New Year holiday at the secluded home of Elaine’s sister, Chloe (Rachel Shelley). Chloe, her husband Robbie (Jeremy Sheffield), and their two young children, Nicky (Jake Hathaway) and Leah (Raffiella Brooks), welcome their visitors. Shortly after arriving, Paulie begins vomiting, which the adults believe is due to travel sickness.

As the night progresses, Nicky and Leah also begin to show symptoms of an illness. Leah’s vomit has strange bacteria in it. As everyone goes to bed, the family cat, Jinxie, goes missing. Casey, back at the woods, makes plans with her friends to escape and attend a party when she hears Jinxie snarl. However, she is not able to locate the cat. By the next day, all of the children have become infected…

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Reviews:

” … the violence is skilfully enough executed to make you think you see much more than you actually do and the fundamentally disturbing and creepy aspects about such random and unpredictable child-centric mayhem are always present, no matter how ludicrously intense and darkly humorous things get.” Phelim O’Neill, The Guardian

“This taboo-shattering movie taps in to primal fears about the unknown-ability of children, its blood-stained virgin snow and insidious terror recalling cruel fairy tales and ‘demon child’ movies such as The Omen. Shankland’s approach is oblique rather than graphic, but these icy chills will send shivers down your spine.” Nigel Floyd, Time Out London
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The Children honestly creeps you out and makes you feel queasy long before the kids’ murderous tendencies truly break loose. Elementsthat contribute to increase the already quite high level of exasperation include the isolated country setting, eerie soundtrack and – of course – the misleadingly cherubic faces of the child actors.” Cult Reviews

“Filled with dread, heavy with atmosphere and steadfast in its refusal to play it safe in both its narrative and visual construction, it’s most certainly one of the most effective killer kid films to grace the modern screen.” Gareth Jones, This is Horror

 

Wikipedia | IMDb


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