Horror movies

In the wake of the film’s World Premiere at Fantastic Fest this Sunday, September 22, Benjamin Barfoot’s horror movie Daddy’s Head is coming to Shudder on October 11.

Watch the official trailer for Daddy’s Head below.

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In the film, “In the wake of his father’s untimely death, a young boy is left in the eerie solitude of a sprawling country estate with his newly widowed stepmother. Struggling to navigate the overwhelming task of parenthood, his stepmother grows distant, leaving their fragile bond at risk of collapse. Amidst the growing tension, the boy begins to hear unsettling sounds echoing through the corridors, and is soon haunted by the presence of a grotesque creature bearing a disturbingly familiar resemblance to his late father.

Trailer

Hugh Grant’s upcoming horror movie Heretic has unveiled yet another trailer, and whilst this one is only a minute long, it gives us a better look at Grant’s Jigsaw-like sadistic homeowner.

The trailer opens with 'The Air That I Breathe' by The Hollies playing in the background whilst the camera pans to a framed picture of a young Grant alongside a number of various religious artefacts. In the rest of the clip, we see Grant’s villain setting up what looks like various traps around his house, even going as far as to build a model of the home and write 'Belief' and 'Disbelief' on two doors as it was an escape room of sorts. All the while, two young female missionaries are on the way to his house. We can only imagine what horror lies ahead for them there. Watch the full trailer...

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/42813294

Hey Lemmy,

What are your favorite horror movies from Blumhouse?

I went to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights this year and they had the whole tram Blumhouse themed. I liked to watch horror movies during this spooky season, so i think catching up on some of these ones seems like a good place to start this year.

Life on a farm is hard. Despite all the great things about the countryside--the fresh air, the beauty of nature, the close-knit community--there are major downsides. For one thing, too much isolation can lead to loneliness and a twisted worldview. Remote places can also nurture a sense of lawlessness, providing cover for corruption and violent deeds. And, of course, there's all the manual labor required for daily survival, which leads to mental and physical exhaustion.

Because of all these issues, a farm is a near-perfect location for a horror movie. The characters are usually so far from civilization that no one can hear them scream when things go wrong, which they usually do--very, very wrong. Whether it's mutilation by equipment, attacks by livestock gone wild, or the madness of too many long nights alone, horror movie protagonists can suffer all kinds of terrible fates on a farm. These horror movies are the perfect representations of the dangers of farm life, using their agrarian settings to tell stories of solitude, dread, and terror...

The Alien franchise is back on the big screen with Alien: Romulus, which is currently the highest grossing horror movie of the year with $101 million made here in the United States and $331 million scared up worldwide. The film is still going strong at the box office with no at-home release announced at this time, and in fact Romulus just passed another huge milestone.

IMAX has announced today that Alien: Romulus is now IMAX’s highest grossing horror of all time at the global box office, with $40 million in ticket sales for IMAX theaters alone...

In 2019, Guillermo del Toro and André Øvredal thrilled generations of horror fans with a big-screen version of the classic collection Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark. The film's success proved that viewers of all ages still love the terrifying tales presented in Alvin Schwartz's book series — no matter how often they've been banned. Though readers still love these books with their stunning Stephen Gammel illustrations, not everyone knows the history of the series...but a captivating documentary, simply called Scary Stories, can change that.

This film offers three histories in one: First, a survey of the books' ever-expanding fandom featuring the stellar artistry of the most passionate admirers; second, the story of the controversy over whether the series should be allowed in school libraries; and third, the story of one man's path to understanding his estranged father, author Alvin Schwartz. Scary Stories is a powerful and hopeful examination of one of the most embattled and beloved book series ever made, and it is streaming now on Prime...

A camp excursion takes a deadly turn in Lore, a gruesome and acclaimed anthology horror film from directors James Bushe, Patrick Ryder, and Greig Johnson.

Premiering at last year's FrightFest, Lore is now available to stream exclusively on the Icon Film Channel and will be shown in select theaters in the United Kingdom beginning on Friday, September 27. For those unable to access the movie via those two methods, it will be available on home entertainment in October in the UK.

Starring Richard Brake (Hannibal Rising), Andrew Lee Potts (The Witcher), Bill Fellows (Ted Lasso), and Rufus Hound (Hounded), Lore centers on a group of friends on a fun and fright-filled camping excursion led by their mysterious guide, Darwin (Brake). Around the campfire, Darwin encourages everyone to exchange scary stories, but they're unaware that telling tales about demons and spirits could have dangerous repercussions for them all.

Based on the trailer and early photos, it looks like Lore will feature popular folk horror tropes, menacing stalkers, ghostly hauntings, and more. Some reviewers have compared it to classic Hammer horror films mixed in with a dash of Black Mirror.

Check out the full-length trailer...

Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest last night, leaving viewers in shock and awe. The first reactions promise sickening gore, laude the performances by David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera, praise Damien Leone’s direction, and tease Art the Clown’s expanded lore.

“Terrifier 3 just might be the goriest movie to ever grace a multiplex screen,” raves Fangoria editor-in-chief Phil Nobile Jr. “David Howard Thornton having a blast, funniest he’s ever been as Art; Lauren LaVera put through the wringer. Possibly the most physically put-upon final girl since Marilyn Burns.”

Up next from producer Sam Raimi‘s Raimi Productions and Hammerstone Studios (Barbarian) is Netflix’s Don’t Move, and the streamer has debuted the official trailer tonight.

Don’t Move premieres on Netflix October 25, 2024. Watch the trailer below.

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“A woman alone in the forests of Big Sur must escape a serial killer with just 20 minutes left before her body completely shuts down.”

Trailer

Horror movies have long captivated audiences with their ability to evoke fear, suspense, and psychological tension. Some films in the genre stand out as near-perfect examples of cinematic terror, leaving lasting impressions on viewers. These movies excel in everything from atmosphere and storytelling to performances and visual effects. However, even the most critically acclaimed horror films often have one minor flaw that prevents them from achieving true perfection. Whether it's a rushed climax, outdated special effects, or a divisive narrative twist, these imperfections don’t detract from the overall experience but leave room for debate among fans.

These 10 horror movies come incredibly close to perfection, offering an unforgettable mix of scares and craftsmanship, but each falling just short in one aspect. Despite these small shortcomings, these films remain iconic within the horror genre, continuing to inspire and terrify audiences for generations.

1. The Exorcist (1973)
2. The Shining (1980)
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
4. Get Out (2017)
5. Psycho (1960)
6. Jaws (1975)
7. Hereditary (2018)
8. Halloween (1978)
9. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
10. The Witch (2015)

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17662744

Even though professional, cinema-quality digital cameras are now commonplace, they're generally not small or compact. (Take a look at Arri's current lineup, for example, with its Mini LF, used to capture Deadpool & Wolverine.) However, Danny Boyle’s forthcoming zombie flick, 28 Years Later, was shot over the summer with a bunch of adapted iPhone 15s, WIRED has learned, making the Hollywood thriller, with its budget of $75 million, the biggest movie to date filmed with smartphones.

Starring Killing Eve's Jodie Comer, next James Bond favorite Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, 28 Years Later, due for release in June 2025, is the long-awaited follow-up to 28 Days Later—the 2002 genre-defining movie that was the first to portray zombies as scary fast rather than lumbering—and 2007's 28 Weeks Later. Boyle is joined by cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle; they won Oscars together in 2009 for their hit Slumdog Millionaire. Mantle was also cinematographer on the original 28 Days Later, as well as Boyle’s films Trance (2013), T2 Trainspotting (2017), and 127 Hours (2010).

There’s a tech story arc to Boyle and Mantle choosing Apple’s log-profile powerhouse for 28 Years Later: The pair’s 2002 kick-off movie, 28 Days Later, was filmed with an innovative-for-the-time digital camera—one of the first Hollywood feature films shot with a Canon XL-1. The lust-worthy $4,000 prosumer camcorder had interchangeable lenses and wrote data to MiniDV (digital video) tapes.

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The use of Apple smartphones as the principal camera system on 28 Years Later was subsequently confirmed to WIRED by several people connected with the movie, detailing that the particular model used to shoot was the iPhone 15 Pro Max. (Evidently, filming took place too early for Boyle and Mantle to get their hands on the new iPhone 16 series.)

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Several arthouse films have been shot with iPhones, including Sean Baker’s Tangerine (2015) and the Steven Soderbergh drama Unsane (2018), but these movies were limited-release, low-budget offerings compared to 28 Years Later.

The classic short film that introduced Mickey Mouse to the world, 1928’s Steamboat Willie has officially entered the public domain, which means filmmakers don’t need the permission of Disney to use that original incarnation of Mickey in their horror movies. And a whole bunch of them are taking advantage, with a slew of twisted Mickey projects already in the works.

The first of these features was The Mouse Trap, released just last month, with Screamboat headed our way sometime next year. And then there’s Mouseboat Massacre, coming soon.

Additionally, Bloody Disgusting has exclusively learned that ITN Studios is getting set to unleash The Mouse Experiment, and they’ve provided us with the official poster today.

Coming to VOD this Halloween season, “The film follows a group of friends stuck at a fairground amusement park hunted down by a mutated rat – STEAMBOAT WILLIE.”

For the sake of clarity, this film is NOT part of the growing “Poohniverse.”

“If it’s in a word, or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook,” goes the famous line in Jennifer Kent’s 2014 horror classic of that name. Ten years after its original release, though, The Babadook’s storybook rhyme needs updating: Today, it’s in sitcoms, reality TV competitions, and stop-motion sketch comedy shows, too. Like Amelia (Essie Davis) and her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), popular culture can’t get rid of the nattily-attired boogeyman; unlike mother and son, pop culture apparently likes keeping him around, if we go by the number of times he’s surfaced in unexpected places over the last decade.

IFCFilms and ICONIC Events are re-releasing The Babadook to commemorate its 10th anniversary, two months ahead of its premiere in U.S. theaters; the movie debuted worldwide at the Sundance Film Festival’s 2014 edition, and did the rounds at other fests until its November opening. This is great news for the folks who missed the film at the time, comprising “most” on account of the scant number of screens it played on—a sign of the times, predating the horror new wave that crested later in the decade and continues to roll over the industry in 2024. To watch The Babadook now is to witness the seismic event that stirred the wave...

Three members of a black metal band ‘Invoking Yell’ venture into the woods to shoot a demo tape. What begins as a relatively innocent trip into the woods turns into a dark and satanic love letter. They hope to record paranormal phenomena as part of their album. The trio goes to unusual lengths to achieve this process and, as a result, tap into sinister forces. Invoking Yell is a found footage horror film that is slow to start but does find its footing to unleash a chill-inducing and downright creepy tale.

The setting and story of Invoking Yell are confined and straightforward. Three members of a metal band, Ruth (Andrea Ozuljevich), Andrea (María Jesús Marcone), and Tania (Macarena Carrere), venture into the woods with the hopes of recording a phenomenon for their band. Right off the bat, thanks to the found-footage narrative, the movie creates an immediate claustrophobic intimacy. The deeper the characters venture into the woods, the more the feeling takes hold. While short on outright scares, the film excels at building tension through atmosphere in both sound and sight...

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/17641394

Haunted by a personal tragedy, home care worker, Shoo (Clare Monnelly) is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman (Bríd Ní Neachtain) who fears the neighbours as much as she fears the Na Sídhe – sinister entities who she believes abducted her decades before. As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually leading her to confront the horrors from her own past...

When asked to picture “body horror,” we conjure images that are best described as repulsive: growths of new appendages, spurts of pus and blood, dermatological mutation into some abject new form. But therein lies the beauty of the genre: What if you couldn’t distance yourself from something horrific, because it’s impossible to escape your own flesh and blood? If you find yourself in a body-horror film — perhaps you shared a ride in a teleportation pod with an insect, or were propositioned by transdimensional clergy to expand your kink horizons — you are probably in the process of losing agency over freaky stuff happening to your skin, organs, or tissue. If you’re lucky enough to just be watching some other poor sod fall victim to an inhuman metamorphosis, you are probably terrified that this could all happen to you. You also have a body, after all, and have just seen firsthand a few gruesome reasons to be very suspicious of it. But maybe, in both scenarios, you find something liberating in a new perception of your body, skin, or consciousness. Body horror doesn’t just see the body as a site of violation, but of fascination; filmmakers have for decades plumbed a tactile intimacy that attracts as much as it repels, and focusing on the tension between these impulses has given us the best, freakiest, strangest looks into these sacks of flesh we carry around with us...

Fantastic Fest is fast approaching and that means a slew of new horror movies and interviews with their makers are coming your way! Last year’s fest happened during the SAG strike so there was no cast in attendance, but this year we’ll have cast and crew on the slab for you.

It’s hard to narrow this list down to an arbitrary number because, more often than not, my favorite movies from the festival end up being the ones that were quite possibly not even on my radar before I sat in a darkened theater to be absolutely wowed by the unexpected. Last year’s When Evil Lurks was a prime example of this. That thing came out of nowhere to traumatize our minds and win our hearts. What will the big surprise be this year? Not knowing is half the fun. In the meantime, here are 16 new horror movies we can’t wait to watch with the Fantastic Fest audience...

Plot: On the eve of being ordained, three young priests, Paul (Austin Freeman), John (Charlie Prince) and Mark (Sam Sneary), are given one final test. They are surprised and question what the test could be but decide to ignore the warning. However, on their journey, they stumble upon a woman in need. She invites them into her home to help her possessed daughter by carrying out an exorcism.

The three priests must deal with something unexpected as they are put through a series of trials. Each trial tests their faith as the men decide whether they are ready to graduate.

Reviews: “This movie dives into religious connection right down to having the priests named John, Paul and Mark. It plays into the sensitive subjects revolving around how priests get ordained, almost like a hazing process. This becomes a very interesting concept and one which has surprises along the way. the best way to describe this movie is, a religious escape room.” Movie Reviews 101

” …The Final Pact is an interesting film that plays out more as a supernatural drama than a fright flick. It benefits from some strong performances and interesting ideas. There isn’t much in the way of effects, but the cinematography, also by Rabbath, looks great and nicely frames the effects the budget allowed for. As long as you realize you’ll spend more time thinking than jumping out of your seat, you should enjoy the film.” ★★★½ Voices from the Balcony

Warning: spoilers ahead!

The Danish director of the original Speak No Evil has hit out at the new remake for rewriting the “entire ending”, saying: “I don’t know what it is about Americans”.

Speak No Evil – which is an American remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name – was released in cinemas on September 13. Written and directed by James Watkins (The Woman In Black, Eden Lake), the film stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi and Scoot McNairy.

Now, the director of the original, Christian Tafdrup, has criticised the film’s remake for a number of significant changes.

The remake changes the nationalities of the families to British and American and Watkins has divided fans by completely changing the ending to the film.

And that is where I am leaving it until I've seen both. If you are discussing spoilers innyhe comments, please us the spoiler tags - ! in a triangle in the standard web interface.

IMDb

Like any major horror franchise worth its salt, A Nightmare on Elm Street has inspired a whole host of other movies, for better or for worse. Ever since the release of the first film to feature the dream-invading Freddy Krueger in 1984, the slasher genre was never the same, with an all-new breed of smack-talking supernatural horror villain now prowling theaters. The success of all nine Nightmare on Elm Street movies came amid a wave of imitators taking heavy inspiration from the original film.

Movies that take ideas from A Nightmare on Elm Street vary wildly in their obviousness. Some of them recycle a similar concept of an astrally-projecting or nightmare-causing slasher villain like Freddy Krueger, or even simply the very theme of a dream and sleep-oriented horror story. Other times, the influence is less than a variation on a theme and more of a blatant copy, with motifs as specific as Freddy Krueger's signature fedora, melted face, or bladed glove being ripped off.

1. Hellmaster
2. Satan's Bed
3. Dreamaniac
4. Sleepstalker
5. Shocker
6. Dream Demon
7. Mahakaal
8. Wishmaster
9. Night Killer
10. Bad Dreams

Writer-director JT Mollner shuffles the narrative deck with this macabre, ingenious serial-killer horror whose chapters are shown out of linear order. Each storytelling card is dealt with insolent provocation, a swaggeringly unhelpful contribution to the issues of sexual politics that we see male and female arresting officers debate at the very end. It recalls the look of movies made four or five decades ago; shot on 35mm film by actor turned cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi, it is a grisly shocker sporting with misogyny and the final-girl trope. There’s something of Tobe Hooper her, with an eerie “split diopter” camera shot in the manner of Brian De Palma (showing a looming face in closeup and an equally focused figure way behind) and a terrified woman at the wheel of a 1978 Ford Pinto (the car featured in the 1983 Stephen King chiller Cujo).

So, what horror movies have you see this month?

Make a new post for each movie to aid discussion.

There's nothing that can beat a good horror performance. Usually, the attention and praise go to victims who overcome the threat of monsters and gather the necessary empathy to make viewers cheer for them. However, a good villain can have a performer solid enough to win over the hearts of audiences.

In the case of the following performances, they stand out because they added an element of authenticity and sheer terror, regardless of how horror is seen in today's industry. The term is controversial, but they elevated the movies by personifying pure evil in films that were already scary. These are the ten perfect villain performances in modern horror.

1. Longlegs - Longlegs (2024)
2. Abigail - Abigail (2024)
3. Rose - Get Out (2017)
4. The Grabber - The Black Phone (2022)
5. Rose the Hat - Doctor Sleep (2019)
6. Ellie - Evil Dead Rise (2023)
7. Red - Us (2019)
8. Kevin Wendell Crumb (and Others) - Split (2016)
9. Pearl - Pearl (2022)
10. Chef Julian Slowik - The Menu (2022)

Doubling down on their point, Qualley finished Moore’s thought during a brief joint interview. “Demi is one of those people that makes you feel like you know her right away because she’s so warm and open and just so herself. It was an absolute pleasure working with her and being able to hold her hand while walking through the fire.”

To find out what she means by fire, you’ll have to check out The Substance when it opens this weekend courtesy of Mubi. But on the subject of reveals, Fargeat was clear during her red carpet interview that she made sure to not leave any tricks up her sleeve when she pitched the movie to Moore a few years back.

“I really wanted to be sure that she 100 percent understood the movie before jumping in,” explained the Revenge auteur. “I wanted her to know exactly the type of filmmaking it would be, the level of nudity that the part required, the conditions of shooting an indie film in France and the length of the production. I wanted to be sure that she had a very clear picture in her mind so that she could make the right decision for herself and for the film.”

To her surprise, Moore agreed and Fargeat said she couldn’t have found a more collaborative and fearless partner on the film, which has screened at festivals in Cannes and Toronto ahead of its wide release. “I discovered someone that I didn’t knew before, someone who is very rock and roll, very instinctive, very risk taking and very innovating,” Fargeat praised of her leading lady. “She thinks out of the box, and more importantly, she has very strong instincts. And I think she felt like the film was something special, that it was something very new for her. But that could bring something very strong if it was succeeded to be good.

Fargeat continued: “Demi just went for it. She said, ‘Let’s go.’ She doesn’t care anymore and is having an ‘I don’t give a fuck moment.'”