Catalogue

8 Found Dead

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 12 oktober 2023
Director: Travis Greene
Cast: Nancy Linehan Charles (Minority Report), Jenny Tran, Tim Simek, Alisha Soper (Lethal Weapon)

Two couples drive to a secluded house in the desert for a weekend getaway, each with their own baggage, expectations, and secrets. Upon their arrival, they’re met by two strangers, claiming to have rented the house as well. What starts out as a simple misunderstanding ends in an all-night bloodbath.

Reviews
  • HorrorBuzz.com:  A savagely entertaining movie.
  • Baintrain08.wixsite.com: 8 Found Dead isn’t just one of the best films that I’ve seen this year, it’s one of the best horror films that I’ve seen ever.
  • Filmthreat.com: Absolutely, delectably insane, 8 Found Dead is a gripping and aberrant horror getaway.
  • Horrorfuel.com: Horror films about short-term rental properties are becoming a proper subgenre. 8 Found Dead is a solid, highly entertaining entry into that group.
Awards
  • Screamfest LA 2022: Winner Best Picture and Best Director

Alive

Horror
Available on VOD: 20 februari 2020
Director: Rob Grant
Cast: Angus Macfadyen (Braveheart, We Bought a Zoo), Thomas Cocquerel (Kidnapping Freddy Heineken), Camille Stopps

A severely injured man and woman awake in an abandoned sanitarium. They soon discover that a sadistic caretaker holds the keys to their freedom and the horrific answers as to their real identity.

Reviews
  • Aintitcool.com: The slow build has huge payoffs, this is a standout film in the 2018 catalog of horror!
  • Flickhunter.blogspot.com: Grant leads the audience to a payoff that is both rewarding and terrifying making the film one that I can definitely recommend. 3.5 out of 4 stars.
  • Thatmomentin.com: Wonderfully executed horror thriller. 4 out of 5 stars.
  • Crypt-teaze.com: By the time the movie reached its climax I was on the edge of my seat.
  • Jbspins.blogspot.com: Recommended for serious horror enthusiasts. Frankly, viewers may seek out a tetanus shot after watching Alive.
  • Readysteadycut.com: The finale was a punch in the gut which made me feel slightly nauseous.
  • Pophorror.com: The suspense continues to build, and as the blood flows, a turbulent and violent climax leads to a shocking ending. The suspense and feeling of dread is what makes this movie so good.
  • Nofspodcast.com: A hard pill to swallow but just what the doctor prescribed.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: The chemistry Grant elicits between the performers is exceptional and the thrilling final third has a jaunty pace that will get fingernails firmly driven into chair arms.
Awards
  • 23 WIns including:
  • Alberta Film & Television Awards 2019 - Best Make-Up & Hair Artists
  • Another Hole in the Head Genre Film Festival 2018 - Audience Award Best Film
  • Atlanta Horror Film Festival 2018 - Best Feature Film
  • Austin Film Festival 2018 - Audience Award
  • Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival 2018 - Best FX Makeup
  • Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival 2019 - Audience Award Best Feature
  • FilmQuest 2018 - Best Screenplay
  • Etc. Etc, more awards on IMDB

Alone

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 1 juli 2021
Director: Johnny Martin
Cast: Tyler Posey (The Last Summer, Teen Wolf), Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games, Pride & Prejudice, The Italian Job), Summer Spiro

A terrible pandemic outbreak suddenly grips the entire world throwing it into chaos and medical experts across the globe advise all citizens to self-isolate in order to survive. Aidan (Tyler Posey) wakes up to find himself trapped in his apartment, totally cut off the outside world and unable to reach his loved ones with infected people everywhere in his building.

His dire circumstances shift when he spots his beautiful neighbor Eva (Summer Spiro) in the apartment across the way. Communicating through written messages, their romance blooms amidst the madness. With no electricity and supplies running low, Aidan decides to take his life into his own hands and try to save them both.

Trying to maneuver unnoticed through his apartment complex, he discovers his elderly neighbor Edward (Donald Sutherland) surprisingly still alive and thrilled to have some company as he generously shares his food with Aidan. But danger lurks everywhere, even in the hands of this welcoming and seemingly harmless grandpa.

Reviews
  • Blu-ray.com: An appealing balance of human concern and monster attacks, Sutherland's seasoned abilities add oxygen to the picture.
  • Bulletproofaction.com: Alone is a Relevant Movie in Today's COVID-19 World.
  • Butwhythopodcast.com: A Horrifying and Relatable Experience. Fans of survival horror and zombie horror will enjoy Alone and possibly relate to surviving and coping through a pandemic.
  • Fmovie123.com: It was exciting, the fear was unobtrusive, but steadfastly penetrated to the bone.
  • Irishfilmcritic.com: Gripping.
  • Edgemedianetwork.com: this is Posey’s movie all the way, and he is pretty terrific. The action sequences are intense and nimble, and while #Alive made the action more extreme, here it's more realistic while also being nail-biting.

April Apocalypse

Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 6 januari 2015
Director: Jarret Tarnol
Cast: Reece Thompson (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Assassination of a High School President, Daydream Nation), Rebekah Brandes (Nothing Left to Fear, Bellflower), Sarah Hyland (Modern Family, Cougars Inc.), Matt Prokop (Cougar Hunting, Furry Vengeance, High School Musical 3: Senior Year), Brent Tarnol (Project X), Matt Shively (Paranormal Activity 4)

After finally building the courage to sweep his dream girl April off her feet, hopeless Artie crashes his car and wakes up in the middle of the Zombie Apocalypse. With more power and courage then ever before, Artie's love for April transforms him into a bad-ass zombie slayer taking down everything that steps in his path. With an infected bite on Artie's hand, time is of the essence as he must save April before he turns into a flesh eater himself.

Reviews
  • BIFFF.net: You didn't think that with a title like April Apocalypse we would pass by on this zombie feast! Young directing talent Jarret Tarnol (Barrio Tales) sticks to the holy trinity of the genre: gore, sex and fun. And with the lovely Rebekah Brandes (Bellflower) tickling our senses, you'd wish it'd stay April forever!
  • Listal.com: The ending was incredible and made my jaw hit the floor. What a great little hidden gem of a zombie movie. I really liked it especially due to the ending. I recommend it for any fans of the zombie genre.

Baby Blue

Horror
Available on VOD: 16 november 2023
Director: Adam Mason
Cast: Dylan Sprayberry (Teen Wolf), Cyrus Arnold (Mr. Harrigan's Phone), Oliver Cooper (Mindhunter), Anthony Turpel (The Bold and the Beautiful)

A group of teens stumble across the story of now dead serial killer Baby Blue and decide he’d be the perfect subject of a true crime vodcast. But when they start digging, they quickly discover that his murder spree never stopped and now they are being targeted from beyond the grave. 

Reviews
  • Movie Ramblings: Generation Z’s answer to Freddy Krueger.
  • Dread Central: Reminiscent of The Ring with an even bloodier twist, Baby Blue is a fascinating entry into the world of digital horror and hybrid found footage.
  • Bloody Disgusting: A fresh take on possession horror, with all kinds of twists and turns!
  • Film Stories: A fun, effective horror that punches above its weight.
  • Ghouls Magazine: Mommy issues. A bad batch of breastmilk. Scandalous serial killers. Baby Blue is a nostalgic slice of nasty WTF urban legend fun, reminding teens that life matters more than vlog subscribers.

Behemoth

Horror
Available on VOD: 2 december 2021
Director: Peter Szewczyk
Cast: Josh Eisenberg, Paul Statman, Jennifer Churchich (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Richard Wagner

Joshua Riverton (Josh Eisenberg) spent 10 years working for a global chemical behemoth, notorious for their environmental negligence. When his daughter develops a mysterious illness, he steps forward as a whistleblower, throwing his life into chaos. He's convinced that his company's negligence has made his daughter sick, and there are dark forces hiding the truth. When given the chance to confront his old boss, Dr. Woeland (Paul Statman), he allows a standoff to escalate into violence, and Josh is shot in the process. Now Josh is on the run, eating painkillers, and holding Woeland hostage. Josh demands answers about his daughter's illness, but with each passing moment around Woeland, Josh's grasp on reality begins to unravel. Is it the painkillers, or is Woeland more than he seems? Are the dark forces all in Josh's head, or has he stumbled onto a terrifying league of evil?

Reviews
  • Moviesandmania.com: intriguingly and soon becomes unsettling, it develops into something like a nightmarish bad acid trip but it’s one worth taking.

Bloodline

Horror
Available on VOD: 7 november 2019
Director: Henry Jacobson
Cast: Seann William Scott (American Pie, Lethal Weapon), Dale Dickey (Hell or High Water, Winter's Bone), Mariela Garriga, Kevin Carroll (Blindspotting)

From the producers of Get Out, Split & Insidious.

Evan (Seann William Scott) values family above all else, and anyone who gets between him, his wife, and newborn son learns that the hard way. But when it comes to violent tendencies, it seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Reviews
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Bloodline is a unique and bloody twist the family man trope, one that implies that the devotion with which we remain loyal to our kin may breed a monster where there was once only good intentions.  A Blood-soaked Homage to De Palma.
  • Destroythebrain.com: Violent - borderline "gornographic" - and unapologetic. Seann William Scott delivers an ice-cold chilling performance. Great cinematography and precise direction.
  • Popaxiom.com: A very enjoyable midnight movie. If you are a fan of retro horror, this is one you won’t want to miss because it is a ton of campy fun.
  • Itsjustmovies.com: a fun-loving flick from Blumhouse.
  • Collider.com: Seann William Scott nails the dead-eyed determination of a shark swimming among his prey, which can make him hard root for — especially when his moral compass starts to skew.
  • Nofspodcast.com: If it possible to be both a serial slasher and a family man? Bloodline from Blumhouse Productions and director Henry Jacobson sure think so. The film seeks to subvert your expectations of standard slasher fare, to obliterate your comfort zones, and to help you shed your assumptions – starting with the casting. Bloodline’s lead role belongs to Seann William Scott (American Pie), exploring one of the darkest, most disturbed characters he’s ever portrayed. Bloodline is gory because it is confronting. The assaults are visceral. They’re jarring. And frankly – pretty medically accurate.

Bloodthirsty

Horror
Available on VOD: 1 oktober 2021
Director: Amelia Moses
Cast: Lauren Beatty (Jigsaw), Greg Bryk (Ad Astra, Saw V), Katharine King So, Michael Ironside (X-Men: First Class, Terminator Salvation, Starship Troopers)

Grey, an indie singer, whose first album was a smash hit, gets an invitation to workwith notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods.Together with her girlfriend/lover Charlie, they arrive at his mansion, and the wokbegins. But Grey is having visions that she is a wolf, and as her work with theemotionally demanding Vaughn deepens, the vegan singer begins to hunger formeat and the hunt. As Grey starts to transform into a werewolf, she begins to findout who she really is, and begins to discover the family she never knew. What willit take to become a great artist and at what cost to her humanity?

Reviews
  • Austinchronicle.com: Bloodthirsty is guaranteed to be unlike any werewolf horror film you’ve ever seen.
  • Badfeelingmag.com: Soaked in the beautiful atmosphere of the secluded cabin surrounded by snow, Bloodthirsty is a unique take on the classic werewolf story.
  • Bloodbrothersfilms.com: A layered and character-focused film that hits hard on its emotional moments and features some fantastically nuanced performances and a sense of atmosphere that fits right in with the current state of horror.
  • Butwhythopodcast.com: Bloodthirsty‘s unique premise and the way it was carried out through the character of Grey was executed well.
  • Cgmagonline.com: A well crafted scary story.
  • Fathersonholygore.com: The view of monstrosity, from predators to artists, in Bloodthirsty is unforgettable.
  • Ghastlygrinning.com: A claustrophobic chiller that fans of werewolf films and heady horror cinema need to put on their radars.
  • Ihorror.com: Bloodthirsty is heatbreaking, transformative and gory, and takes you in places that few lycan films have gone before.
  • Screenzealots.com: Continues the welcome trend of women telling stories about women, especially when it comes to female-centric horror.

Boys from County Hell

Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 26 mei 2022
Director: Chris Baugh
Cast: Jack Rowan (Peaky Blinders), Nigel O'Neill (Bad Day for the Cut), Louisa Harland (Derry Girls), Michael Hough (Chapelwaite)

Welcome to Six Mile Hill, a sleepy Irish backwater whose only claim to fame is the somewhat dubious local legend that Bram Stoker once spent a night in the local pub. It’s home to Eugene Moffat, a young man who fills most of his days drinking pints with his friends and pranking tourists who come to visit the gravesite of Abhartach, a legendary Irish vampire some believe to have inspired Dracula. 

When a personal tragedy forces Eugene to go and work for his gruff, no-nonsense father he finds himself on the site of a controversial new road development that threatens to destroy the town’s livelihood. 

But strange events unfold when Eugene and the crew tear down a famous cairn believed to be the final resting place of Abhartach and they soon come under attack from a sinister force that has infected one of their workmates. 

As the night closes in The Boys must fight for survival while discovering the true horror of a myth that hits much closer to home than any of them realise...

Reviews
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Springs to life when Baugh goes all-in on the horror elements. Ihe film does leave you thirsting for more vampiric slaughter.
  • Bloody-flicks.co.uk: Boys from County Hell is an unconventional vampire film with the humour of a Shaun of the Dead plus plenty of gore. Highly recommended.
  • Jbspins.com: a pretty wild ride.
  • TheGuardian.com: a bloody good laugh.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: The charm and familiarity among the ensemble are undoubtedly the reasons the film works as well as it does.
  • Jordyreviewsit.com: A big crowd-pleaser. It’s witty and emotional (at time), while being a hell of a fun ride.
  • Dailydead.com: a lot of fun and one that you will definitely want to check out.
  • Llivingsnoqualmie.com: The characters are quite funny, even if not always believable. Complete with carnage and heart-stopping moments, this film will probably start you out asking, “what on earth did we pay for” but leave you grinning and refreshed.
  • Letterboxd.com: Wickedly fun Irish horror movie.
  • Scarynerd.com: Succeeds with a brilliant tone, a different spin on vampires and successful comedy throughout. 

Bunker of the Dead

Action, Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 19 april 2016
Director: Matthias Olof Eich
Cast: Patrick Jahns, Aciel Martinez Pol, Sarita Bradley, Esther Maa

In the picturesque Bavarian town of Oberammergau, two friends, Markus and Thomas, are using the instructions found in an old Jewish diary to gain access to a WW II underground military base formerly codenamed: CERUSIT.

Used by the Nazis as a secret research institute, there are shrouded rumors to this day about the lost gold of the Third Reich. The entrance to the cave system, however, lies right within the restricted area of a U.S. military base.. the first of many problems Markus and Thomas will have to face.

Equipped only with a two-way-radio and a camera, Markus penetrates the restricted area and manages to locate the entrance to the underground facility and later, the secret base. But what Markus does not know is that through his efforts, he has not only drawn the attention of the US Military.. but something else that has managed to survive in exile for over 70 years without luxuries... especially food. For Markus, it has now become race of life and death.

The Call

Horror
Available on VOD: 11 februari 2021
Director: Timothy Woodward Jr.
Cast: Lin Shaye (There's Something About Mary, Insidious 1 & 2), Tobin Bell (Saw I-VI), Chester Rushing (Stranger Things), Erin Sanders

After an attempted murder of an old woman suspected to be a witch, four friends sign a contract to meet up five years after her death to call a phone she installed in her casket; to their horror, someone on the other end picks up and gives them hell to pay.

Reviews
  • Blu-ray.com: a disturbing story of punishment from beyond the grave.
  • Defilmblog.be: Al bij al heb ik er van genoten. Ook al bevind The Call zich op vertrouwd terrein, heeft het ook wel iets fris te bieden en moest het dus niet hoofdzakelijk hebben van de vertolkingen van Lin Shaye en Tobin Bell. De film heeft een solide uitgangspunt en brengt een goede cast samen met interessante personages.
  • Efilmcritic.com: Tobin Bell gives a galvanizing performance.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: a really solid horror movie, starring iconic horror actors Lin Shaye and Tobin Bell.

The Cleansing Hour

Horror
Available on VOD: 2 april 2020
Director: Damien LeVeck
Cast: Kyle Gallner (American Sniper, Jennifer's Body), Ryan Guzman (Step Up 4 Miami Heat, Pretty Little Liars), Alix Angelis (The Magnificent Seven), Emma Holzer (Boardwalk Empire, Spring Breakers)

Max & Drew are millennial entrepreneurs who’ve made themselves famous with a webcast they created called “The Cleansing Hour,” which streams LIVE EXORCISMS. The catch? Each exorcism is elaborately staged to look real in order to dupe their global audience. Until today, when Drew’s fiance, today’s actress in the chair, turns out to actually be demon-possessed! Will Max and Drew will be forced to reckon with their online charade– LIVE in front of more than 20 million viewers? Or are they the unsuspecting pawns in a greater demonic conspiracy?

Reviews
  • Moviemeter.nl: Hapt qua energie en lol lekker weg. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Fantasticfest.com: a rollercoaster of a horror film, with clearly defined rules, wicked CGI, practical effects, and thrilling performances from its talented cast. Strap yourself in, grab your prayer towel, and get ready to save the souls of the Reverend Max, Drew, and Lane!
  • Butwhythopodcast.com: "The Cleansing Hour" is Possession Horror Gold, a film that hits so hard and unexpectedly that it makes you push back in your seat. As you watch the narrative twist like a possessed girl’s body it engages you with superb creature designs and practical effects while making you laugh with its dark humor that puts a mirror up to how we all behave online.
  • Birthmoviesdeath.com: The script is fresh, and everything wrapped together resulted in a genuinely fun take on exorcism and possession in the digital age. Fear Dot Com meets the snark of a Supernatural demon. It plays it straight and has a hell of a lot of fun while doing it.
  • Adventuresinpoortaste.com: Great practical effects, wonderful chemistry between the actors, and some clever social commentary seem to set apart from other horror movies.
  • Morbidlybeautiful.com: A creative and humorous exploration into the weird world of social media and exorcisms. The satire of religion might turn off a few folks. But the creature from hell here is quite the bad-ass, and I’m sure horror fans will love him. Forget your Ouija board, you can find a real demon online in The Cleansing Hour.

Corbin Nash

Action, Horror
Available on VOD: 7 juni 2018
Director: Ben Jagger
Cast: Dean S. Jagger (Game of Thrones), Rutger Hauer (Sin City, Blade Runner, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Corey Feldman (The Lost Boys, The Goonies, Stand By Me), Malcolm McDowell (The Artist, A Clockwork Orange, Halloween)

Having lost his family as an infant, when rogue police detective, CORBIN NASH is confronted by a MYSTERIOUS STRANGER and told his parent’s death was no accident; he transfers from NYC to LA driven to find his parent’s true killers.

Scouring the City of Angels for the truth, Corbin stumbles upon a MONSTROUS DUO trafficking the flesh and blood of this City’s lost souls. Too close, abducted by these Demons, Corbin must fight his way through an underground world of torment, but all’s just a game, Corbin a plaything as his abductors know the dangerous truth of his origin.

Confronted by the almighty DRAKE, Corbin realizes a world long believed to be a myth is in fact a horrifying reality. Upon discovering he’s the last surviving member of the Nash family, a historic family of Demon hunters, he is savagely murdered and left in the gutters of this God forsaken City for dead.

Saved by a pure soul, MACY who recognizes him, with her own hidden agenda, under the guidance of the mysterious BLIND PROPHET, she nurses him through his Hellish ordeal… Feeding him her own blood, in a bizarre twist of fate, Corbin becomes what his family fought to vanquish and destroy; Reborn the ultimate killer.

Embracing his legacy, vowing vengeance, Corbin seeks to destroy both the Demon’s responsible for his families murder and for those that made him what he is today. Echoed through American history, the Nash Legacy was famous, but the name Corbin Nash, Demon Hunter is soon to become infamous.

Reviews
  • Crypticrock.com: Demon/vampire movies have become a dime a dozen. It is easy to become lost in the genre. In an effort to stand out, a lot of films over think the evil and end up losing the fear and power that vampires should capture. Corbin Nash is not one of those. It succeeds in giving vampires back their power and they have become scary again. Dialogue, characters, and casting all align perfectly to create an atmosphere of paranoia and fear when the sun goes down. It is for these reasons that CrypticRock humbly gives Corbin Nash 4.5 out of 5 stars.
  • Spoilerfreemoviesleuth: Fans of vampire cinema will find much to adore, there are many memorable and dangerous directorial choices that make the film worthy of a viewing.
  • Horrorfuel.com: The best vampire film we've seen in years. This is one dark, action-filled film you’re not going to want to miss.
  • Modernhorrors.com: Has enough of the genre's most beloved in this film to make the metaphorical panties wet of any horror nerd who still carries a torch for nostalgia. Rutger Hauer, Malcom McDowell, and the one and only Corey Feldman, to name drop a few of the "Hall Of Famers" from the top billed cast.
  • Nerdly.co.uk: Thanks to a well-developed story and exceptional performances from the cast, this is a film which is great fun to watch.
  • Pophorror.com: Appreciable performances and action to keep you entertained. This is a dark, gritty crime noir film.
  • Sinfulcelluloid.com: It was bloody, gory, sexual, it also had a great background story to Nash’s character, everything was about this film was done attractively to grab the viewers attention.
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: Belonging as much to the action genre as horror, CORBIN NASH delivers several good fight scenes. Vince and Queenie make good foes for Nash and Feldman as a cross-dressing bloodsucker has to be seen to be believed.

The Dark and the Wicked

Horror
Available on VOD: 1 april 2021
Director: Bryan Bertino
Cast: Marin Ireland (Homeland, Hell or High Water), Michael Abbott Jr., Xander Berkeley (The Walking Dead), Julie Oliver-Touchstone

On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. Bedridden and fighting through his final breaths, he's a source of deep sadness for his wife, who's succumbing to overwhelming grief. To help their mother and say their goodbyes to their father, grown-up siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) return to their family farm. It doesn't take long for them to see that something's wrong with mom, though—something more than her heavy sorrow. Gradually, as their own grief mounts, Louise and Michael begin suffering from a darknes' similar to their mother's...

Reviews
  • Volkskrant.nl: Schrijver en regisseur Bryan Bertino maakt van The Dark and the Wicked een indringende, onafgebroken sombere zit. 4 sterren.
  • Filmtotaal.nl: Bertino speelt een geraffineerd spel met suggestie en creëert daarmee een intrigerend monster dat nét ongrijpbaar blijft. Wat The Dark and the Wicked bovendien ijzingwekkend maakt, is dat je al heel gauw doorkrijgt dat niemand veilig is.
  • Telegraaf.nl: sfeervolle horrorvertelling.
  • SchokkendNieuws.nl: The Dark and the Wicked is een ijzersterke mood piece die opbouwt naar een klassieke, misschien zelf iets té klassieke, horrorclimax.
  • Trouw.nl: Flinke, ouderwetse schrikeffecten en vooral een allesoverheersend gevoel van angst, verval en het naderende einde. De angst is intens...
  • Parool.nl: Een grimmige kermisrit, die het publiek in hoog tempo van de ene schok naar de andere voert. Het levert klamme handjes en hartkloppingen op.
  • Movieaddicts.nl: The Dark and the Wicked is in potentie zo’n horror pareltje. Wat betreft de opbouw weet hij het de gehele film goed te doseren tot en met de bevredigende climax. Een aanrader voor iedereen welke een avondje ongemakkelijk zitten in de bioscoop wel kan waarderen.
  • Cinemagazine.nl: een donkere en naargeestige psychologische horrorfilm die duidelijk boven het genregemiddelde uitsteekt. Een ideale film voor een regenachtige najaars- of winteravond waarop de wind hoorbaar over de daken giert.
  • DeProtagonisten.nl: The Dark and the Wicked vonden we bovengemiddeld prima met een goede cinematografie.
  • RogerEbert.com: This is an unsettling movie that is more admirably brutal than it is outright scary.
  • 28dayslateranalysis.com: Very punishing in its seriousness and use of violence, The Dark and the Wicked will entertain.
  • Austinchronicle.com: The Dark and the Wicked pulls no punches, either in its sense of perpetual unease, its occasional moments of understated yet truly stomach-churning gore, or in its emotional heft.
  • Awardswatch.com: There's no doubt that it's the most terrifying tale of the supernatural subgenre told in a long time and one of the best horror films of the year.
  • Backseatmafia.com: Bertino conjures up an atmosphere of suffocating fear. The Dark & The Wicked showcases the best in current genre cinema.
  • Bostonhassle.com: A perverse delight, oozing with country-fried creepiness and some remarkable performances.
  • Gmbacklot.com: It is rare that a film manages to cut deep into my core. It is a deeply disturbing nightmare that grabs for the jugular and does not let go for the over 90-minute runtime. While not an easy watch, for anyone that loves horror, this is a film that needs to be seen. 
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: With strong performances all round, this Fantasia 2020 pick is a fireside yarn of a film, a story to tell to one another as we huddle together against the dark.
  • Elementsofmadness.com: It’s a dirty, gory, cruel film that many horror films are still too afraid to be at times. Horror in its purest form. With strong performances all round, this Fantasia 2020 pick is a fireside yarn of a film, a story to tell to one another as we huddle together against the dark.
  • Fathersonholygore.com: The Dark and the Wicked is another awesome piece of work from Bryan Bertino. [He] looks at an evil so dark and so brutally oppressive there’s nothing that can save us, no god of any sort whose power can ward it off, and he pulls not a single punch doing it.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: The Dark and the Wicked is a true chiller that tightens its grip on viewers from the very first scenes and doesn’t let go until the end credits roll. Suffocating terror and nerve-wracking tension.
  • Flickhunter.blogspot.com: Bertino builds the level of terror methodically keeping the audience on edge as the stakes rise in the final act.
  • Haddonfieldhorror.com: Bryan Bertino’s latest film The Dark And The Wicked, playing as part of Fantasia 2020, is without a doubt one of the best horror films of the past five years. An exercise in dread (and scares) weaved into a story about grief, communication and guilt.
  • Moviesinfocus.com: A well crated and intelligent horror film, The Dark And The Wicked is a strong and powerful slice of genre cinema which gets deep under the skin. It’s one of the best horror films of the year.
  • Rue-morgue.com: a standout discovery at this year’s Fantasia, and takes an immutable place amongst 2020’s most frightening films.
  • Scaredsheepless.wordpress.com: Sometimes, what you want from a horror film is for it to shake you, give your bones a good rattle and really go for something deeply unpleasant and profoundly scary. The Dark and The Wicked is one of those films.
  • Screenanarchy.com: Perfectly set up, established and executed, this is no hyperbole, The Dark and The Wicked is one of the scariest movies of the year.
  • Sonic-cinema.com: The ending is what people will remember, however, and it’s a mammoth gut punch, pulled off in a powerful, simple way that will be difficult to get out of your head.
  • Thelastthingisee.com: Bertino’s supernatural horror, filtered through the lens of familial grief and trauma, is perhaps the most truly terrifying film of the year.

Dark Encounter

Horror, SF
Available on VOD: 9 januari 2020
Director: Carl Strathie
Cast: Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad, I Am Not a Serial Killer), Mel Raido (Legend), Grant Masters (Silent Witness), Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz, Sightseers)

A year after the mysterious disappearance of an 8 year-old girl, we meet her grieving family as they return home from her memorial service in their small town. Later that evening, strange lights appear in the nearby forest and the family is exposed to an inexplicably strange phenomenon that rattles them to the core. The origin of the lights appear to be visitors from another world that seemingly terrorize the family.

Reviews
  • 365flickspod.com: Massive recommend wether you catch the flick at FrightFest and I hope you all do or you pick it up on DVD or Digital.
  • The-b-club.com: The acting from the ensemble cast is super believable too, which ensures that this is a film destined to become a classic of its genre. See it!
  • Battleroyalewithcheese.com: The visual effects are fantastic, David Stone Hamilton’s score is luscious and stirring (if occasionally overcooked) and the use of light and colour within the fantastical parts is jaw dropping. Standout performances from Laura Fraser and Sid Phoenix.
  • VODZilla.co: Even if it is presented with luminous visuals and awe-inspiring special effects, this is a harrowing story, exposing the cracks in a family's tight-knit structure.
  • Thehollywoodnews.com: In elevating itself from its peers, Dark Encounter works on many levels. This is also the kind of film that gets into your head and lingers long after viewing.
  • Themoviewaffler.com: The ensemble cast does a fine job of conveying the collective panic and terror.
  • Nerdly.co.uk: Haunting, unpredictable and intense but with enough drama to give it heart, this is a riveting out-of-this-world sci-fi horror film.
  • Horrordna.com: The film’s premise offers an unusual fusion of sci-fi, crime story and family drama. A noteworthy addition to [the] genre.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: Strathie succeeds in capturing a bit of the Spielberg-style magic he's aiming for and in quieter scenes where we're allowed to experience wonder instead of being told what to feel, it's an enchanting experience.
  • Diaboliquemagazine.com: Highly recommended for its strong cast, suspenseful premise, and original take on why close encounters of the third kind might happen, Dark Encounter is fine genre film fare.   

DarkGame

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 22 februari 2024
Director: Howard J. Ford
Cast: Ed Westwick (Snatch TV Series, Gossip Girl), Andrew P. Stephen (Wool), Natalya Tsvetkova (Brief Encounters), Lola Wayne (Pandora)

Six innocent victims have been kidnapped and held captive, forced to play out a deadly reality game show on the dark web for the entertainment of the criminal underworld who gamble on the results. It’s not long before viewers worldwide find themselves hooked on this macabre game of life & death.  All of which delights the presenter of the game, a flamboyant psychopath hungry for the fame & attention. 

Portland PD Detective, Ben Jacobs (Ed Westwick), heads up the task force assigned to the case. Events escalate as more & more people tune in on social media, and the stakes are raised even higher.  Jacobs and his team find themselves in a race against time to save the captives.

A Dark Song

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 31 oktober 2017
Director: Liam Gavin
Cast: Catherine Walker , Steve Oram (Sightseers, The End of the F***ing World (Netflix hit))

Selected for the International Competition at the 35th BIFFF -- Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival 2017!

Sophia has a steely look in her eyes as she insists on renting an old house in the remote countryside. She gives the estate agent a little extra cash for no questions asked.

Sophia collects a man at the nearby train station. Joseph Solomon is a northern, coarse man. And an occultist. She needs him to perform an ancient invocation ritual, the Abramelin, to summon up Sophia's Guardian Angel so her wish can be granted. She wishes to talk to her murdered child; it's a desire that consumes her.

The ritual is an extremely arduous one. They seal themselves in the house, possibly having to stay there for months as it plays out. As they get deeper into the rite they run the risk of turning on each other and going mad. But when Solomon finds out that Sophia has not been truthful about her wish, a greater danger threatens them. In the dark, they find that they are no longer alone in the house. They are now in the world of real angels, and real demons.

The house is surrounded with a line of salt. It is the only protection they have. They must not cross it, no matter how bad it gets, no matter how much they want to run.

A Dark Song is the story of two people risking hell to journey through the darkness of their souls.

Reviews
  • SchokkendNieuws.nl: Een ijzersterke film die me voorlopig niet los zal laten. 5*. Lees hier de hele review.
  • Cinemagazine.nl: A Dark Song staat als een huis: een naargeestige, hypnotiserende film met een ontroerend einde dat nog lang nazingt. Lees hier de hele review.
  • Beneaththeunderground.com: The debut feature from writer/director Liam Gavin is a uniquely chilling piece of occult cinema. A two person film, held together with excellent performances and tons of atmosphere A DARK SONG isn't for everyone. It's a slow burn and those watching it will, like the leads, be in for a long trip but the payoff will be worth it.
  • Cutprintfilm.com: A pitch black and confronting two-hander, A Dark Song challenges and excites with its uncompromising and original approach. That it is more a character study than a genre piece is what is most intriguing, blurring the lines between a psychological and hallucinatory thriller and a straight up, angels and demons, Dennis Wheatley-style horror with a final brain-melting ten minutes that is one of the finest surprises of the year. 8/10.
  • Dmovies.org: A Dark Song is an intense horror movie and a trip into Irish occultism. In his debut, Liam Gavin uses the genre to bring to surface a subject that most people find difficult to deal with: the loss of a son. Far above the average spooky movie, this feature disturbs and provokes.
  • Efilmcritic.com: This is very much a movie that feels like it has put in the time and effort necessary for the supernatural to intrude into reality, a feat that is much rarer than horror filmmakers would have us assume. Pair that with a couple of good, intense performances, and "A Dark Song" is one of the most interesting and unusual tales of the supernatural to come around in some time. 4/5.
  • Goseetalk.com: A Dark Song is a gripping character study that succeeds because of the minimal effects and fanfare. It'll thoroughly creep you out, especially the things you don't see.
  • Heyuguys.com: A Dark Song is a ridiculously strong and beautifully acted piece of work.
  • Screenanarchy.com: Rather than give the usual frights, Gavin instead goes for the lonely heart of the occult: the attempt to contact the beyond, for the most heart-wrenching of reasons. A Dark Song takes a hard and serious look at the pain of loss and grief, and how that pain transforms into burden and enlightenment.
  • Wegotthiscovered.com: A Dark Song digs its claws in and never lets go, finding horror in rituals, personal reflection and burning black-magic sensations. It's dreadfully inviting from start to finish, with an almighty climax at just the right time. 4/5.
  • Quietearth.us: A smart and savvy example of horror's new breed.
  • Screeninvasion.com: The movie is a visceral experience that must be seen in a theater. For one, the cinematography is beautiful. Another reason to see it in the theater? It's killer score.
  • Slashfilm.com: It's an utterly unique film that uses its slow pace to lay the dread on thick and and build its characters so it can turn around and tear everything down in the homestretch. And the ending, which will surely prove divisive, is an audacious choice for a genre so often built on nihilism. A Dark Song may be a hard-edged and occasionally difficult movie, but it has soul.
  • Pastemagazine.com: A Dark Song is ostensibly a horror film but operates as a dread-laden procedural, mounting tension while translating the process of bereavement as patient, excruciating manual labor.
  • Scary Epidemic: A Dark Song is a excellent horror/drama about a young woman who is trying to contact her dead son with the help of a strange man who deals in the dark magic of the occult. [It] might be one of the best horror movie i have seen about the occult, because its literally only about the performing what you usually see getting rushed in lame horror movie that just want to shock people. 8.5/10.
  • Horrorchannel.co.uk: This film is fierce, containing many scenes that will make even the hardest hardcore horror fan squirm, but the violence is justified the movie contains moments of surreal beauty that gives it a far deeper meaning than you originally anticipate. One of the top 10 films of 2017!
Awards
  • Sitges 2016: New Visions Award - Best Motion Picture
  • Monster Fest 2016: Best Cinematography in a Feature Film
  • Monster Fest 2016: Best Score in a Feature Film
  • Fantasporto 2017: International Fantasy Film Award, Best Director
  • Fantasporto 2017: International Fantasy Film Award, Best Actress
  • Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival 2016: Audience Choice Award, Silver Award

Dark Was the Night

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 21 september 2015
Director: Jack Heller
Cast: Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Real Steel, Noah, Resident Evil: Retribution), Lukas Haas (Witness, Inception, Transcendence, Contraband), Bianca Kajlich (Rules of Engagement, Undateable, Halloween: Resurrection)

A long slumbering evil is awoken in the trees outside the remote town of Maiden Woods. Isolated and threatened, it sets its sights on the townspeople, as Sheriff Paul Shields (Kevin Durand) attempts to overcome the demons of his past, so that he may protect those that he loves.

Reviews
  • NYTimes.com: he sets a gruesome, heartbreaking tableau.
  • CrypticRock.com: It is not often that viewers get all they hope for in a movie, but Dark Was the Night delivers what it promises. Seamless special effects and Hisel's extraordinary plot, complement the exceptional direction by Heller. The pair certainly make a force to be reckoned with in the movie genre. A must watch, with a surprise ending, CrypticRock gives Dark Was the Night 5 out of 5 stars.
  • Filmpulse.net: Dark Was the Night is a well made creature feature. It does have a decent story, characters you can care about, strong acting and a creature you'll want to see more of. Genre fans should check this one out for sure.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Dark Was the Night is a creature feature, but it is not about the creature. The focus is firmly on the human element, and thus, the restraint in the reveal is a boon instead of a hindrance. Suspense is achieved naturally with a steady-handed camera and sure-footed directing, both of which keep the film grounded in a sense of reality. Without gore and with no significant human body count to speak of, the film instead finds an organic approach to fostering fright with a slowly smoldering style. It doesn't break the monster movie mold, but does fill it to capacity with eerie atmosphere and creeping chills elevated by terrific acting. 8/10.
  • Best-horror-movies.com: See it. See it. See it! I'm afraid I must insist!
  • Bttm.co.uk: Another wonderful addition to Screamfest, great cinematography, fine performances from the leading man and lady and full credit to Jack and the team for pulling off a creature feature that has some deep emotion running through its veins. A strong piece of cinema and a joy to watch.
  • Craveonline.com: Dark Was the Night is a superb emotional drama about a family coping with a loss. It is an exquisite creature feature too, but I would have totally just watched the family drama. Durand is an absolutely compelling leading man, and what makes the Shieldses so riveting is that they talk intelligently about their psychological issues. Dark Was the Night absolutely deserves to be seen on the big screen, so I hope an ambitious distributor is listening.
  • Chud.com: Dark Was the Night is like a combination of John Carpenter's The Fog and the 1988 remake of The Blob, with a dose of American folklore thrown in for good measure. This movie is an enjoyable and entertaining watch. Kevin Durand gives his all in this one and absolutely earns every bit of credit for this being his first starring role. Check it out!
  • RogerEbert.com: Does, deliberately, build to a tense and sometimes jump-from-your-seat scary climax which finds most of the small town’s residents holed up in the local church, trying to nail down what has by this time been pretty firmly established as a bonafide monster stalking the local woods. And the quest is, it turns out, made more engaging by the guilt and self-doubt experienced by its main characters.
Awards
  • Screamfest 2014 - Best Special Effects
  • Screamfest 2014 - Best Visual Effects

Deadstream

Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 19 januari 2023
Director: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter
Cast: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone (Mythica Saga, Little Women)

After a public controversy left him disgraced and demonetized, a washed up internet personality tries to win back his followers by livestreaming himself spending one night alone in an abandoned haunted house. When he accidentally pisses off a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life (and social relevance) as he faces off with the sinister spirit of the house and her own powerful following.

Reviews
  • 91% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes!
  • Scary Epidemic (FB): Deadstream is an absolute blast, and maybe my favorite found-footage horror movie of recent memory, led with great humor, thrilling scares and innovative direction. This is a must-see!
  • Aiptcomics.com: Amazing creature effects that will lead to squeals of terror and delight.
  • Awfj.org: Deadstream is outrageous, delightful and deeply satisfying, a breath of fresh air in a genre that can far too often feel old and musty.
  • Flickeringmyth.com: Deadstream proves there’s still room for both thrills and creativity in the oversaturated genre.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Deadstream is more about the energetic, zany journey. That journey will leave you cringing, cheering, and deep belly laughing in equal measure.
  • Thehollywoodnews.com: Deadstream effortlessly transitions from scare moments to gross gags, meaning that the audience will be squealing in one scene and guffawing in the next.
  • Nofspodcast.com: A sensory assault of monsters and myths, it’s a hilarious fright from start to finish.
  • RogerEbert.com: A sort of “Evil Dead” for the YouTube generation, this comedy/horror hybrid has some impressively constructed sequences.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Enormously entertaining as a funny, frightful, and devilishly delightful indie diamond.
  • Horrorbuzz.com: I had a hell of a good time and laughed more than once at this poor creator playing slave to a spiteful audience at any cost.
  • Horrorfuel.com: Deadstream serves up the shocks and shivers in abundance, along with the laughs. The Winters get the balance of horror and comedy right, which is no easy feat.
  • Nightmarishconjurings.com: Skilled practical effects, grotesque creature design, and unfiltered humor.
  • LittleWhiteLies.com: A smart, sophisticated comedy horror that finds new ways and new media for resurrecting old ghost stories.
  • Britflicks.com: A smart, funny horror that has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing where it is going to take Shaun Ruddy next. It’s probably hell.

Deathgasm

Horror
Available on VOD: 6 januari 2016
Director: Jason Lei Howden
Cast: Milo Cawthorne (When We Go to War, Power Rangers R.P.M.), James Blake, Kimberley Crossman (#TheAssignment, Shortland Street)

High School is Hell! Metal-thrashing Brodie is an outcast in a sea of jocks and cheerleaders until he meets a kindred spirit in fellow metalhead Zakk. After starting their own band, Brodie and Zakk's resentment of the suburban wasteland leads them to a mysterious piece of sheet music said to grant Ultimate Power to whoever plays it. But the music also summons an ancient evil entity known as Aeloth The Blind One, who threatens to tear apart existence itself. Their classmates and family become inhabited by demonic forces, tearing out their own eyes and turning into psychotic murderers... and this is only the beginning! It's up to Brodie, Zakk and their group of friends to stop a force of pure evil from devouring all of mankind.

Reviews
  • Cinemagazine.nl: 'Deathgasm' is een frisse, goed uitgevoerde genrefilm die heel goed weet wat hij wil: prima laagdrempelig vermaak bieden voor de liefhebbers van bloederige en met een humoristisch sausje overgoten horrorfilms. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Imaginefilmfestival.nl: Evil Dead met metalheads, zo laat Deathgasm zich het kortst omschrijven. Maar dat doet geen recht aan de typisch Nieuw-Zeelandse humor en de uitbundige manier waarop de regisseur zijn verhaal uit de hand laat lopen, met elkaar opetende dorpsbewoners, bloedfonteinen en dildo's als slagwapens. Een uitzinnige zombieslasher, die al een reeks festivals op z'n kop zette.
  • Sound On Sight names Deathgasm one of the 15 best films at Fantasia! Read the full article here.
    Their review: Witty, energetic and appropriately self-mocking, Deathgasm keeps us interested because the writer/director and actors make us care about Brodie and his friends. Yes, the movie is filled with extreme gore, violence, action, nudity, sexual content and so on, but it's biggest asset is Milo Cawthorne, who imbues the slightly naive Brodie with a good nature and bigger heart, providing the film with a central figure you want to see overcome every harsh obstacle.
  • Variety.com: The consistent if undiscriminating high energy engenders a certain persuasive goodwill. Performances are game.
  • ScreemHorrorMagazine.com: Deathgasm is a brutal, side-splitting slice of midnight movie mayhem that even manages to cram in a bit of an allegory to boot. Metal is definitely the way. 4.5 out of 5 stars!
  • Examiner: The party movie of the year.
  • Icons of Fright: A heavy metal splatterfest guaranteed to please the most diehard horror fan.
  • Austin Chronicle: A very metal tribute to the grand tradition of Kiwi splatter comedy.
    Harry Knowles, Ain't It Cool News: The film gorehounds have been tearing their hair out waiting for.
  • Empire Magazine on the Sidney Film Festival: In the tradition of Peter Jackson's early schlock-horror comedies this New Zealand flick is easily the greatest title of the festival.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Buckle up, readers. The party movie of 2015 is here. This is the movie the SXSW Midnighters category was created for. I could go on about how awesome the cast is and how wicked the photography looks, but it would be pointless in hindsight of Zakk hurricane chainsawing the hell out of demons. Just get ready to party.
  • Bleedingcool.com: Deathgasm Is A (Outrageously) Bloody, Good Time. Ridiculously fun, but also not for the faint of heart, and not the sort of movie you take your mother to, unless your mother has an amazing sense of humor and capacity to sit through an hour and a half bloodbath, you cannot prepare yourself for Deathgasm. No matter what you read here, words simply don't do the movie justice. I'd go so far as to say Howden offers an experience unlike anything you've seen before.
  • CinematicEssentials.com: If you simply base your expectations on its name alone, Deathgasm would appear to be a film that promises to deliver something outrageous. Once the movie kicks off, you'll notice that your expectations are about to be met. That's because what you witness here is indeed insane in essentially every way imaginable. Look no further than this spectacle out of New Zealand.
  • Hellhorror.com: I will watch this movie again with guests and loved ones. A phenomenal job.
  • Dailydead.com: Lately, the horror genre (in the US at least) seems to be taking things kind of seriously these days, which makes a movie like Deathgasm feel like a much-needed breath of fresh air. If there's one film out of SXSW that I'd recommend seeing on a big screen once it gets released, it would be Deathgasm. It's probably the most fun I've had watching a horror movie in some time. A ridiculously fun and bombastic celebration of horror and heavy metal.
  • Iconsoffright.com: Coming out of SXSW like a freight train of bloody, metal as fuck entertainment, Jason Lei Howden gory extravaganza that is Deathgasm is a heavy metal splatterfest, guaranteed to please the most diehard horror fan. Led by memorable performances, out of this world effects and a soundtrack that refuses to Not let you bang your head throughout the entire film, it's a standout film at this year's festival and destined to become like Shaun Of The Dead or Dead Alive, a horror/comedy cult classic, one that will instantly be a genre fan favorite. DEATHGASM doesn't have a weak moment, as it speeds through it's running time with fervor, giving horror fans a blood and guts-filled time, complete with demons spewing guts and putting the film's protagonists through absolute hell, something that helps us love each and every character in the film. It's a 200MPH frantic film, a juggernaut of gory entertainment that is never for a single second, a joke. It's a film that puts heshers against demons, and kicks some serious ass, musically, while doing so. I'd be very surprised if the film didn't instantly hit audiences like a jackhammer, making them hooked on the film's characters and story. Though SXSW is filled to the brim with great programming this year, I challenge any other film in the festival's lineup to not only resonate, but entertain and make absolute fanatics out of viewers as much as DEATHGASM does. An instant hit that hits you over the head with a blood soaked battle axe, and shreds while doing so. Metal horns up.
  • Wegotthiscovered.com: Deathgasm is brutal, bloody, fanatical fun on levels that deliver exactly what's expected. Howden cranks the slasher genre to 11, and hypnotizes horror audiences through an onslaught of demonic mutilation that would have Dethklok themselves cheering with joy, hitting on notes of horror insanity that blend face-melting riffage with equally outstanding practical effects.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: If you like your gore messy, your laughter frequent and your music loud you'll want to remember the name Deathgasm. As if you could ever forget it. Fun sense of humor; gloriously bloody practical effects; surprising heart at its center; knows its audience and gives no shits about the rest of you.
  • Nerdist.com: One of the best measures of a comedic horror movie is how well the "non-horror" stuff works, and thanks to a very strong cast, Deathgasm actually makes for a pretty decent comedy before it turns into a wildly over-the-top gore geyser. Cawthorne and Blake strike an amiable chemistry, the supporting cast is consistently entertaining, and despite the virtually non-stop barrage of raunchy language, unapologetic potty humor, and cartoonishly violent carnage, Deathgasm also displays several moments of legitimate cleverness and (believe it or not) even a little bro-centric sweetness. 4/5.
  • Twitchfilm.com: DEATHGASM Rocks! Not since the days of video store browsing has there been a horror movie quite as demonically satisfying as Deathgasm. It is a movie that adores 80s horror, without relying too heavily on pastiche. Yes, it takes a major page from that Tom Savini book of practical effects, and in the best possible way, but the voice that shines through the hysterical dialogue and playfully comic editing, is so teenage, so punk, it makes a beat-to-death genre feel refreshing.
  • IFF Boston: DEATHGASM is ridiculous, hilarious, extremely gory, and downright awesome. It's a horror movie and splatter comedy based entirely around Heavy Metal music which does not take itself seriously in the slightest and runs entirely on sheer mayhem and absurd comedy". GRADE A+
  • Austinchronicle.com: Director Jason Lei Howden drenches it in enough spraying plasma to drown a demon and raise hysterical belly laughs. A WETA CGI effects guy by training, Howden goes practical-heavy for gory, glorious, ridiculous, and comedic effect. It also doesn't hurt that he clearly knows his metal, mocking only what he loves. Shamelessly low-brow, reaching a beer-fueled gleeful high with a zombie-vs.-sex toys battle, it's a very metal tribute to the grand tradition of Kiwi splatter comedies.
  • TheHorrorHoneys.com: Packed to the gills with hilarious moments, fountains of blood, weird makeup fx (those demon teeth, yo), and the kind of endearingly witty and understatedly hilarious dialogue I've come to expect from Kiwi films, Deathgasm is definitely going to be on my list of MUST HAVE releases for 2015. Deathgasm is on the fast track to being a cult favorite, and if they don't release a soundtrack (on vinyl too, please) I might have a demonic tantrum.
  • Cinefilescomic.com: Why should you see this film? So. MUCH. METAL. ALL THE METAL. METAL. METAL. METAL. Buckets of bloody gore and lots of practical effects harkening back to the best B-pictures of the past. Spines will be ripped from bodies. Gouts of blood will be vomited. Heads will be split in two like so much kindling. Half the budget for the film went to laundry detergent. Oddly sweet interpersonal relationships between the main characters and a strong female lead who kicks plenty of undead demon butt.
  • Frontrowreviews.co.uk: DEATHGASM is a lot of things; funny, creepy, rocking and totally fucking awesome. Carrying on the trend of high quality horror comedy coming from New Zealand (What We Do In The Shadows, Housebound), Jason Lei Howden's DEATHGASM is the best heavy metal film ever and completely enthralling from the very opening scenes.
  • DestroyTheBrain.com: DEATHGASM is an obvious labor of love and an homage to an era where dice had twenty faces, records were played backwards, Lemmy wore short-shorts and Ouija was not a cute name for vagina. Loud and proud, Deathgasm is the last supper for all you metal movie maniacs out there. Come hither and rejoice: the prophecy came true and he has returned.
  • NewYorkTimes.com: It's easy to empathize with the handsome young protagonist, Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), the new metalhead in town, who is beaten up by bullies, yearns for the prettiest girl in school (Kimberley Crossman) and explains his taste in music with, “Life is better because somebody else knows the pain and the rage that you're going through.”
    Ms. Crossman is appealing, too, as Medina, who shows up with a big ax at the appropriate times and inexplicably knows how to use it. In between the rampant four-letter words and the occasional partial nudity are likable attempts at humor — some sweet, some saucy.
  • Best-horror-movies.com: Deathgasm has a respectable dose of everything a true horror fan craves. It' s a gross picture, at times quite creepy and the special effects are awesome and practical-heavy. The performances are impressive, the chemistry between the cast is top notch and the proper honoring of the Evil Dead films feel as though they couldn't possibly have been executed in superior fashion. Deathgasm starts big and it ends big, and unlike the bulk of films we see land in our laps these days, this one thoroughly thrills for an hour and a half. There's no down time to be found in Deathgasm and underwhelming is a word no one in this crew ever contemplated. This is an amazing production that instantly catapults itself into “Best of the Year” (it may have actually taken an immediate lead) contention.
  • HorrorSociety.com: This is an amazing production that instantly catapults itself into "Best of the Year" (it may have actually taken an immediate lead) contention.
  • Theslaughteredbird.com: DEATHGASM (all upper case because lower case is for pussies) is one of those near-perfect horror comedies that comes along roughly once a decade - if we're lucky. I'm talking Shaun of the Dead caliber—believe it! Not since Return of the Living Dead (1985) have I experienced such an effective mix of music and mayhem, rolled into an irreverent and vastly entertaining splatter-fest. CinemaSlasher.com: Not only is Deathgasm one of the most entertaining movies of the year, it's also one of the most unexpectedly cute movies to come along in quite some time. Brodie's interactions with Medina are nothing short of adorable, and it's truly impressive how well Howden, Cawthorne, and Crossman make such a romance work in an inherently goofy film. This may very well be the sweetest movie to ever feature an animated disembowelment in the opening credits, and I mean that as the highest compliment.
  • Bleedingcool.com: Thankfully, director/screenwriter Jason Lei Howden's Deathgasm included all the blood and guts people expected to see, but also balanced out the gore with much-needed, and perfectly executed, hilarity. Thankfully, director/screenwriter Jason Lei Howden's Deathgasm included all the blood and guts people expected to see, but also balanced out the gore with much-needed, and perfectly executed, hilarity.
  • TheGuardian.com: Creative gross-outs and absurd violence are the salvation of a horror flick in which a speed-metal band's dark chords turn the townsfolk into demonic ghouls.
Awards
  • DEATHGASM has won the top award at this year's Knoxville Horror Film Fest - the Palm d'Gore - and the prize for Best Director to Jason Lei Howden!
  • Publieksprijs Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival 2015

Death Valley

Action, Horror
Available on VOD: 7 april 2022
Director: Matthew Ninaber
Cast: Jeremy Ninaber, Ethan Mitchell, Kristen Kaster

Retired mercenaries with nothing to lose are hired for one last mission - to rescue a high-profile bioengineer imprisoned in an isolated cold war bunker. Upon entering the ominous facility, it soon becomes clear that this was a top-secret research center not too long ago, but something went horribly wrong. They find themselves in a fight for their lives when they come under attack from unknown and deadly creatures with eerily familiar human traits...

Reviews
  • Blu-ray.com: There’s a viral element in play to increase “The Thing”-style paranoia, and Ninaber has an affinity for tight spaces.
  • Culturecrypt.com: the Ninaber Brothers squeeze every drop of their sweat onto the screen, doing their damnedest to make bullet-riddled battles read as real.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Cool gore shots and compelling monster scenes.
  • Eyeforfilm.uk: Very good at what it does, and if you want something to watch in your darkened living room which will make you feel nervous about walking down the hall to put the kettle on, it’s just the thing.
  • Film-news.co.uk: This is blood and action.
  • Aiptcomics.com: Great creature design.
  • TheGuardian.com: The special ops pair’s banter, with Mitchell relishing his line in cheerful sarcasm, is another light in the darkness. Death Valley is never fully disturbing, but enjoyably gross is good enough.
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: An enjoyable bit of monster mayhem.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Ninaber maintains a narrative pace that delivers thrills and effective downtime

Deliver Us

Horror
Available on VOD: 4 januari 2024
Director: Cru Ennis, Lee Roy Kunz
Cast: Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong, Stalingrad, Der Untergang, Eichmann), Alexander Siddig (Star Trek Deep Space Nine, Foundation), Maria Vera Ratti, Lee Roy Kunz

When a nun in a remote convent claims immaculate conception, the Vatican sends a team of priests to investigate, concerned about an ancient prophecy that a woman will give birth to twin boys: one the Messiah, the other the Anti-Christ.

Reviews
  • RoberEbert.com: Stands apart from many other recent indie genre movie throwbacks given a flurry of endearingly creaky and lurid flourishes. ***.
  • Battleroyalewithcheese.com: not for the squeamish or the faint of heart - especially with its subject matter and manner of brutal filmmaking - but if you’re on board with the religious horror sub-genre, then they’re a lot to enjoy and takeaway. It will stay with you long after the movie ends.
  • Cailloupettismoviereviews.com: Manages to provide a suspenseful and thought-provoking viewing experience, making it a respectable addition to the religious horror subgenre.
  • Flickdirect.com: An interesting story steeped in faith and lore yet grounded in the staples of the horror film genre.  It has suspense, gore, weapons, etc. and so many of the usual tropes.  Most importantly, it has the legs to become a universe of its own with several sequels organically built in.
  • Hmuncut.com: This film is not just a movie; it's an experience that will challenge your beliefs and leave you questioning the boundaries of good and evil. Don't miss out on this hauntingly enchanting journey into the unknown.
  • Irishfilmcritic.com: who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned thriller about ancient biblical prophecies and the end of times?
  • Jbspins.com: This kind of demonic horror is truly scary.
  • Nycmovieguru.com: Gritty, foreboding and atmospheric.

The Devil Conspiracy

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 13 april 2023
Director: Nathan Frankowski
Cast: Alice Orr-Ewing (The Courier, Andor), Joe Doyle (Salem, A Call To Spy), Eveline Hall (Old People), Peter Mensah (Snake Eyes - G.I. Joe Origins)

A powerful biotech company has breakthrough technology allowing them to clone history’s most influential people with just a few fragments of DNA. Behind this company is a cabal of Satanists that steals the shroud of Christ putting them in possession of Jesus’ DNA. The clone will serve as the ultimate offering to the devil. Archangel Michael comes to earth and will stop at nothing to end the devil’s conspiracy.

Reviews
  • Aisleseat.com: Entertained me greatly with its unbridled lunacy.
  • Vocal.media: The film is filled with energetic action and lively interplay over big incidents involving kidnapped women, genetic manipulation, and the return of Satan to the living world via the womb of an unwilling mother.
  • Irishfilmcritic.com: The action is stellar, makes for a thrilling and entertaining distraction.
  • Jbspins.com: Conspiracy is often deranged but it looks surprisingly polished. Its logic is dubious, but there is consistency and method to its madness. 

The Djinn

Horror
Available on VOD: 2 juni 2022
Director: David Charbonier, Justin Powell
Cast: Ezra Dewey (The Djinn), Rob Brownstein (Bosch, The Young and The Restless), Tevy Poe

Dylan Jacobs, a mute twelve-year-old, discovers a mysterious book of spells inside his new apartment. Grieving the loss of his mother, and feeling isolated from everyone except for his father, Dylan performs a ritual that promises to deliver his heart’s desire: to have a voice. But he soon discovers that every gift has a toll when a sinister djinn arrives to collect his soul.

Now trapped in his new home with nowhere to hide, Dylan must find a way to survive until the stroke of midnight or pay the ultimate price.

Reviews
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: There’s not an ounce of fat here, just a streamlined story packed with intensity and scares. Charbonier and Powell spin gold out of hay, weaving a chilling fairy tale that keeps you engaged throughout.
  • Filmthreat.com: Scary and harrowing with a shocking and impactful ending. The acting is perfect, and the visuals are a masterclass in creating tension.
  • Flickeringmyth.com: Excels where it matters most; thrills, scares, and an empathetic, resourceful lead that fights back just as much as he flights.
  • Blu-ray.com: there’s some heaviness to the second half of the picture, which eventually gets around to real-world trauma, examining the root of Dylan’s torment.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Diverges from routine and one-ups its big studio brethren with an unexpected epilogue.  I’m all for heart-rending horror that dares to eschew happy endings and “The Djinn” delivers a ripper that’s damn near diabolical in its implication.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: The camerawork framing this is brilliantly handled. Dewey is an excellent choice of lead, needing nothing so crude as dialogue in order to express himself and invite the viewer into his world.
  • UKfilmreview.co.uk: Plenty of tense moments and creepy images punctuate the heartbreaking, age-old cautionary tale about getting what you wish for.
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: Keeps the audience on edge and off guard for most of the film. And that includes an ending that I certainly wasn’t expecting,

The Exorcism Of God

Horror
Available on VOD: 19 mei 2022
Director: Alejandro Hidalgo
Cast: Will Beinbrink (It Chapter 2, Dark), Maria Gabriela de Faria, Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind), Hector Kotsifakis

Peter Williams, an American priest working in Mexico, is possessed by a demon he was trying to expel and ends up committing the most terrible sacrilege. Eighteen years later, the consequences of his sin come back to haunt him, unleashing the greatest battle within.

Reviews
  • ReogerEbert.com: Features more than enough flourishes of originality to elevate it above most possession films. Its characters and narratives are well thought-out and progress logically, without significantly deviating from their goals and themes. "The Exorcism of God" is always committed, and often surprising. 
  • Bandsaboutmovies.com: I have never seen a movie where a demon tries to exorcise God from the soul of a priest, so well done director Alejandro Hidalgo.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: So much works so extremely well in this movie, which is why it is definitely worth watching. Any fan of exorcism movies (or The Exorcist in particular) should not miss out on this one!
  • Ihorror.com: A two-fisted devilish good time. It's a tremendous take on the genre that proves there is still life in the world of cinematic exorcisms.
  • Scaredsheepless.wordpress.com: An energetic take on the possession movie.
  • Grimoireofhorror.com: This movie will definitely appeal to anyone who is a fan of a good exorcism. 4 out 5 stars.
  • Signalhorizon.com: There are genuinely unnerving jumpscares, extended bursts of violence, and loud bone-rattling roars that jangle the nerves and set your teeth on edge. It isn’t a cheap film full of one jump after another, but instead, well times scares that keep you poised for more. For fans of hyper-violence, unsettling imagery, and nervous laughter, The Exorcism Of God is an entertaining triumph

Extracurricular

Horror
Available on VOD: 10 september 2020
Director: Ray Xue
Cast: Keenan Tracey (Bates Motel), Brittany Raymond, Spencer Macpherson, Brittany Teo, Luke Goss (Hellboy II, Blade II, Death Race II, Blood Out)

A young couple. An isolated cabin. A hooded figure watching from the shadows.The killer strikes, chasing them through the woods. Wherever they go, the killer is always - impossibly – one step ahead. In the woman’s last moments, she realizes it’s not one killer, but four.
Ian, Derek, Jenny, and Miriam are high schoolers. Athletes. Scholars. Killers.
Halloween approaches. They know they’ve got to celebrate properly. An isolated farmhouse out in the country, an older couple living alone. Retired, no family nearby. It’s perfect.
All goes according to plan until one of their preys gets ahold of a gun, and uses it, throwing their carefully staged operation into chaos. 

Reviews
  • Horrorcultfilms.co.uk: Very good film, and one that’s sure to be a conversation starter.
  • Cultprojections.com: Like a cross between The Strangers and The Craft this murderous thriller does a great job at taking a far-fetched premise and running with it, providing solid, believable performances, and some genuinely suspenseful scenes, with a third act that ups the crazy ante. These kinds of teenagers-run-amuck thrillers are a dime a dozen, but Extracurricular is a cut well-above.
  • Darkeyesoflondon.blogspot.com: But it's good to see a post modern horror movie that doesn't play it for laughs or irony, and the moral dilemma running through Extracurricular is persuasive enough, even if one does ending up rooting for the killers and then feeling slightly dirty about it afterwards.
  • Diaboliquemagazine.com: Director Ray Xue shows a strong flair for helming thrilling action sequences and gets solid performances out of his game cast.
  • Entertainment-focus.com: An undeniably chilling watch.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: It's fast paced, witty and sometimes sexy, a seductive package with a deceptively smart core.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: Extracurricular is a fittingly mean-spirited little movie that refuses to soften the edges of its youthful killers and instead doubles down on their particular brand of nihilism.
  • Therottingzombie.co.uk: I expected Extracurricular to be a typical teen slasher even with the shift in perspective. I wasn't prepared for just how involved I would get into the story, and the second half especially was a particularly enjoyable and thrilling watch.
  • Wickedhorror.com: Dark, funny, thrilling, and loaded with YA menace, this is a refreshingly modern take on typical slasher tropes.

Extraterrestrial

Horror, SF
Available on VOD: 5 oktober 2015
Director: Colin Minihan
Cast: Brittany Allen (Jigsaw, Bomb Girls, Dead Before Dawn), Freddie Stroma (Pitch Perfect 1 & 2, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), Michael Ironside (X-Men: First Class, Terminator Salvation, Starship Troopers), Gil Bellows (Unthinkable, The Shawshank Redemption, The Weather Man), Melanie Papalia (Smiley, American Pie), Jesse Moss (Final Destination 3, The Big Year)

A group of college friends travel to a secluded cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying. As the night is winding down, they notice something strange in the sky: A ball of fire descending through the air, crash landing in the nearby forest. They drive out to the crash site and what they find is the wreckage of an aircraft, along with a pair of footprints that lead out of the ship... back toward the cabin.

Reviews
  • 1nfluxmagazine.com: A film that looks amazing, has excellent performances and is well directed. Because of this gig I see way more films than your average person and yet I have absolutely no problem recommending Extraterrestrial.
  • Horror.About.com: Once you accept it for what it is, Extraterrestrial is a real hoot, and you can take its silliness, genre clichés and horror movie logic in stride. Good performances all around, with surprising comedic relief from Michael Ironside. Tense but fun and cinematic with moments of humor.
  • Joblo.com: The Vicious Brothers can craft a nifty suspense scene and they also get a lot of bang for their buck. Brittany Allen impresses as the lead girl, and though his character is often ridiculous, Michael Ironside rises to the occasion with a performance that he obviously had fun with.
  • Blu-ray.com: Minihan wears his influences on his sleeve ("The X-Files" is a big one, with the feature often resembling a prequel to the hit show), and the picture is shot well by Samy Inayeh, who bathes the frame in red light and dark corners. It's an impressive looking movie, carefully exploring what the aliens are up to with bold light shows. The production also scores with Ironside, who brings thespian authority to the role of a gun-toting recluse who understands that the aliens aren't attacking, they're responding to a broken truce, complicating the situation for our heroes.
  • Empire.com: The exact midway point between Steven Spielberg and Ed Wood, this a cheerily obvious schlocker.
  • ScreamHorrorMag.com: Though they can't resist an anal probe sequence they do buck the Hollywood trend and have the confidence to ensure a suitably grim and downbeat ending finishing with a technically excellent final tracking shot enough to show that they've got an assured future in horror.
  • TheHorrorClub.Blogspot.nl: Extraterrestrial is an intense stalk-and-slash flick. Visually and atmospherically, Extraterrestrial was pretty solid.
  • UKHorrorScene.com: A slick, well directed alien movie that will enjoyed up by young and old horror genre fans. 8 out of 10.
  • WeGotThisCovered.com: Extraterrestrial harkens back to a time when sci-fi movies could be both fun and horrific, finding success thanks to the Vicious Brothers' "no holds barred" filmmaking mentality. GOOD.
  • Filmfracture.com: Extraterrestrial isn't the type of film that is going to give anyone nightmares, but it definitely has its scary moments. It has its share of jump scares, some of them cheap, but all are effective. There's plenty of creepy imagery in the film as well, with the aliens never being far from their prey. Extraterrestrial also features scenes of maddening suspense, especially in the sequences leading up to the actual abductions - there's some real terror there. The most unsettling thing about Extraterrestrial (or any alien abduction movie, for that matter) is the idea of being completely helpless as the aliens do whatever they want to their abductees. The helpless victim theme is more disturbing than any jump scare, and Extraterrestrial plays to that particular fear very well.
  • BIFFF.net: De thema's van Signs en Steven Spielberg's War Of the Worlds, gemixt met de spanning van een David-Fincher-on-acid, dat geeft ongeveer de sfeer weer van Extraterrestrial. In deze slasher/sci-fi film, zien we hoe mensen ontvoerd worden door aliens en wat ze doormaken wanneer ze terug op aarde zijn. Achter deze scherpe sci-fi thriller zit niemand minder dan de Vicious Brothers. Dit olijke duo maakte furore met Grave Encounters, de grootste tegenhanger van Paranormal Activity zoals de Stones de grootste tegenhanger waren van de Beatles. Met andere woorden mannen met gevoel voor ritme, spanning en de gave van de betere found footage.
Awards
  • Nocturna Madrid International Fantastic Film Festival 2014 - Nocturna Best FX Award

From Black

Horror
Available on VOD: 10 augustus 2023
Director: Thomas Marchese
Cast: Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, The Help), John Ales, Jennifer Lafleur (Nope)

A recovering drug addict, desperate for closure and saddled by crushing guilt after the disappearance of her young son, is presented with a bizarre offer to learn the truth about what happened and set things right - if she is willing to pay a terrifying price. How dark is she willing to go for a chance at redemption?

Reviews
  • Foritismansnumber.blogspot.com: I highly recommend From Black.
  • 48hills.org (Dennis Harvey from Variety): Marchese treats his story with a non-hyperbolic, stylistically economical, psychologically realist sobriety that is compelling in itself.
  • Aiptcomics.com: Camp who is fantastic as a woman who has suffered immensely and is basically a shell of a person.
  • Tinakakadelis.com: From Black asks the audience if there’s anything more terrifying than simply not knowing, and forces them to live in that uncertainty.
  • Nofspodcast.com: Relies on a non-linear structure, establishes a sense of dread and a curiosity for what is to come.
  • Punchdrunkcritics.com: For fans of atmospheric, slower burn horror with an emphasis on demons and Satanic rites, From Black is definitely one worth searching out.
  • Dmtalkies.com: An Interesting Horror Film About Grief.

Funhouse

Horror
Available on VOD: 11 juni 2020
Director: Jason William Lee
Cast: Valter Skarsgard, Khamisa Wilsher, Christopher Gerard (Arrow), Karolina Benefield

Down and out backup singer and celebrity ex-husband Kasper is invited to compete in the Funhouse, an online ‘Big Brother’ style reality show. To rebrand his image and tarnished reputation, Kasper reluctantly accepts the offer. Together with 7 other C-list celebrities from around the globe he will compete for the prize of 5 million dollars.

At first, the Funhouse is just as the name suggests, full of wild times, budding friendships, love connections and brewing rivalries. To everyone’s surprise, the fun quickly turns into misery when the first challenge leaves one of the contestants brutally murdered.

Reviews

Nog geen reviews beschikbaar.

Ghosts of War

Horror, War
Available on VOD: 10 december 2020
Director: Eric Bress
Cast: Brenton Thwaites (Pirates of the Caribbean Salazar's Revenge), Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy, Luke Cage), Kyle Gallner (American Sniper, Jennifer's Body)

Five American soldiers assigned to hold a French Chateau near the end of World War II. This unexpected respite quickly descends into madness when they encounter a supernatural enemy more terrifying than anything seen on the battlefield.

Reviews
  • Variety.com: This is the rare horror exercise you wish were longer.
  • RogerEbert.com: One of Bress' greatest strokes comes with casting - he's collected five faces you might recognize from younger, more innocent roles, and who are compelling to see here as men who have matured rapidly due to the wartime experiences eating away at them.
  • Variety.com: Beautifully atmospheric, handsomely produced.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Ghosts of War may look like a haunted house yarn dripping with déjà vu from the outside.  Inside, there’s so much more that makes the movie impressively entertaining. 8/10.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: Explores the madness that weighs on men who’ve done the unthinkable by trapping them in a situation where they must face their demons. Kyle Gallner delivers an appropriately haunted performance as one of the soldiers.
  • Thefilmstage.com: Gallner is especially memorable). It’s through these actors that we see how their characters process their pain above and below the façade created and understand why they’re incapable of looking beyond their tragic wealth of regret.

Girl On The Third Floor

Horror
Available on VOD: 12 december 2019
Director: Travis Stevens
Cast: C.M. Punk (WWF Smackdown), Sarah Brooks, Trieste Kelly Dunn (United 93)

Bursting pipes, rotting walls, and unidentifiable slime were not what Don Koch expected when he convinced his wife Liz that he could rehab their new Victorian home himself. In over his head, under duress, and tempted by his old weaknesses, Don soon discovers that the house has its own dark, sordid history and won’t be so easy to renovate after all...

Reviews
  • Variety: The vengeful spirits in a former bordello prey on the home's new tenants in Travis Stevens' enjoyable horror opus.
  • RogerEbert.com: A unique vision that satisfies from beginning to gory end.
  • Film School Rejects: An effectively unsettling horror film about pains caused by monsters who are far too real.
  • Daily Dead: truly unique and wickedly weird take on haunted house tropes.
  • Nighmare On Film Street: A chilling, blood drenched haunted house flick.
  • The Verge: A skin-crawling horror movie about home improvement and hauntings.
  • Nightmarish Conjurings: Viewers get an ending that they most certainly did not see coming.

Halloween Party

Horror
Available on VOD: 22 oktober 2020
Director: Jay Dahl
Cast: Amy Groening (Goon), Lisa Hackett, T. Thomason

When her best friend dies mysteriously, college student Grace enlists a talented I.T. student, Spencer, to help her investigate. The two soon discover that the school has a terrible secret - their dorm rooms were once used as a hospice to house dying patients, including The Balloon Babies, monstrously disfigured teens who wore masks twenty-four seven for The Halloween Party.

Reviews
  • Entertainment-focus.com: Part of the fun of the film is looking for clues along with Grace and Spencer because that way the full horror of the situation dawns on you at the same time it does them. The second half of the film is proper edge-of-the-seat stuff and there are some fantastic scares.
  • Projectedfigures.com: Halloween Party marries the fatalistic tensions of Hideo Nakata’s Ring to the amiable student banter that Dahl had already honed in his previous feature.
  • Johnnyalucard.com: Writer-director Jay Dahl keeps dialogue and character stuff sparking as the mystery unfolds, with appealing performances.

Hansel & Gretel Get Baked

Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 1 juni 2014
Director: Duane Journey
Cast: Yancy Butler (Kick-Ass 1 & 2), Andrew James Allen (The Lovely Bones), Molly C. Quinn (Castle, We're the Millers, Winx Club), Michael Welch (The Twilight Saga (all films)), Lara Flynn Boyle (Men In Black II, The Practice, Twin Peaks)

When Gretel's stoner boyfriend goes missing, she tracks him down to a suburban house where she discovers Agnes, a little old lady from Pasadena who grows the best weed in town, devouring his soul to revive her youth and beauty. Her attempts to rescue him are thwarted by the arrival of a drug gang who threaten a turf war. The ensuing battle pitches latino home boys against a cannibal witch, a hound from hell and a pack of rabid zombies.

Reviews
  • ScreenDaily.com: Fairy-tale horror and stoner comedy combine to good effect in Hansel And Gretel Get Baked, a smart and entertaining youth-orientated chiller that delivers a goodly amount of gore along with the slacker laughs. Molly C. Quinn is great as Gretel, a smart stoner turned investigator, and shows that she can carry a lead role, while Lara Flynn Boyle gets to change her persona from wrinkly old crone to would-be sex kitten.
  • 28dayslateranalysis.com: actress Lara Flynn Boyle anchors the film expertly with her character, the notorious witch of German fairytales. All of the performances are solid, but this film will be remembered for its hilarity and light-hearted mood.
  • AlienBee.net: a really fun movie! Even though it doesn't have that blockbuster budget there are so many things about the movie that make up for it. Great acting, some fun special effects and that special, special witch played by Lara Flynn Boyle, she's both beautiful and deadly you know!
  • Best-horror-movies.com: Hansel & Gretel Get Baked is most definitely worth a watch. This film has camp, gore, stupid drug references, flayings alive and killer dogs – not to mention the most amazing indoor pot-growing mecca ever conceived.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: The film doesn't try to do anything outside of retelling the fairy tale with more stoner humor and bloody carnage. However, that's what makes it so enjoyable in the first place. There are fun characters with good dialogue. The dark humor hits its marks and the script has some clever moments. The gore and scares are satisfying and messy. Better yet, there's even a cameo by Carry Elwes with a ridiculous mustache. Hansel and Gretel Get Baked is a lot of fun for the comedy loving horror fan in all of us.
  • Britflicks.com: Ever wondered what happened to Lara Flynn Boyle? Catch her in this stoner horror that loosely uses the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale for gore and smiles.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Hansel & Gretel Get Baked is fun whether you're a big fan of stoner comedy or not. There's a ton of action, nice effects, witches, zombies, cannibalism and a badass demonic Doberman.
  • Goodefficientbutchery.blogspot.nl: Well-made, doesn't fall into the trap of repetitive and annoying stoner humor and Boyle, who hasn't been seen in much since the 2005-2006 season of the NBC series LAS VEGAS, really gets a chance to cut loose here and have some fun.
  • Horrornews.net: a goofy, entertaining picture that is worth catching for its spirited performances, gruesome special effects and spicy black comedy.
  • Mikeschiller.blogspot.nl: This was a very entertaining movie with a lot of black comedy, it was certainly a unique and very modern spin on the classic children's story. This is the first time I've seen Michael Welch in a movie other than the Twilight series and his performance was excellent.
  • Thehorrorclub.blogspot.nl: the movie takes on a more serious tone as things progress, and it all ends up being a solid mixture of bloody and fun.
    Wegotthiscovered.com: there are some wickedly entertaining moments that produce an inconsistant yet intoxicating high.

Hell Baby

Comedy, Horror
Available on VOD: 1 mei 2014
Director: Robert Ben Garant
Cast: Robert Ben Garant (Reno 911!, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian), Rob Corddry (Pain and Gain, Warm Bodies, Hot Tub Time Machine), Leslie Bibb (Law Abiding Citizen, Iron Man, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy), Keegan Michael Key (Just Go with It, Due Date, Role Models), Thomas Lennon (We're the Millers, What to Expect When You're Expecting, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas), Rob Huebel (What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Other Guys, The Descendants), Paul Scheer (Piranha, The League)

HELL BABY, a comedy scripted by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant (Night at The Museum, Reno 911!: Miami) marks their co-directing debut. Jack (Rob Corddry) and Vanessa (Leslie Bibb) are an expectant couple that moves into the most haunted fixer-upper in New Orleans -- a house with a deadly demonic curse. Things soon spiral out of control for Jack and Vanessa, as well as their-not-so-helpful neighbor F'Resnel (Keegan-Michael Key), Vanessa's friendly psychiatrist (Michael Ian Black), Vanessa's Wiccan sister Marjorie (Riki Lindhome) and the detectives assigned to look into the rising body count (Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer). Only the Vatican's elite exorcism team (Garant and Lennon) san save them -- or can they?

Hell Baby -- the funniest horror movie you will ever see.

Reviews
  • Villagevoice.com: The movie is delightfully crude in places (including an instance of relay puking) and just plain silly-clever in others.
  • LATimes.com: The brain child of 'Reno 911!'s' Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, this horror spoof features amusingly offbeat characters and a bit of Mel Brooks-like deadpan silliness.
  • 1nfluxmagazine.com: Lennon and Garant have crafted a horror comedy that is often quite funny. There are definitely a few supporting performances that truly raise the comedy level.
  • Blu-ray.com: Bringing pleasant energy to the movie are Paul Scheer and Rob Huebel as two dim-witted cops one step behind everyone else, while Lennon and Garant slap on Chef Boyardee accents to play Vatican G-men, hamming it up in their own special way. 'Hell Baby' is certainly funny, especially when it goes absolutely berserk in the finale, paying off the birthing event with amusing creature-feature special effects and geysers of blood.
  • Dreadcentral.com: In between the big move and the grotesque finale are a ton of laughs. A welcome addition to the horror comedy sub-genre.
  • Slantmagazine.com: these guys display a freewheelin' sense of invention that should be watched closely, because they have the raw stuff of major comic filmmakers.
  • Slugmag.com: a wickedly funny horror-comedy that explores horror film conventions in such an over-the-top and self-aware way that I'll never be able to take a haunted house, exorcism or demonic baby films seriously again. I haven't laughed this hard since Bridesmaids.
  • RogerEbert.com: The cast excels at slapstick humor.
Awards
  • Official Sundance Selection 2013

The Hollow Child

Horror
Available on VOD: 3 januari 2019
Director: Jeremy Lutter
Cast: Jessica McLeod, Hannah Cheramy (Van Helsing), John Emmet Tracy (Fifty Shades Freed), Jana Mitsoula

Troubled teen Samantha's position in her new foster family is jeopardized when her new sister Olivia goes missing in the woods, only to reappear, apparently unharmed, days later. But when Sam begins to suspect that what emerged from the woods is not Olivia, her investigation will bring her face to face with an evil presence which has haunted the town for generations.

Reviews
  • Timescolonist.com: a quietly unsettling folklore-inspired feature debut that turns familiar horror tropes on their ear. McLeod’s performance is as much a highlight as the spooky spirit Lutter conjures, enhanced by Nelson and Graham Talbot’s striking cinematography and David Parfit’s sinister score.
  • Starburstmagazine.com: A diverting supernatural thriller and a film with talent to watch out for in the future. 7/10.
  • Mondaymag.com: Lutter is a skillful traditionalist, invoking all the expected tropes of a fright flick with a sharp eye and a dark sense of glee.
  • Twoohsix.com: The Hollow Child feels appropriately spooky, it has the dark and gloomy feel of a classic moody thriller, and the cast is fantastic from top to bottom. Horror fans, definitely give this one a look.
  • Jbspins.blogspot.com: Young Hannah Cheramy also chews the scenery like a seasoned horror genre performer as impostor Olivia.
  • Horrorgeeklife.com: An outstanding horror film. It was fresh, and dark, and one of the best iterations of little girl-turned monster that I have seen in years.
  • Crypticrock.com: Clever and thought-provoking, CrypticRock gives this film 4 out of 5 stars.

A House on Willow Street

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 24 maart 2017
Director: Alastair Orr
Cast: Carlyn Burchell (Bomb Girls), Sharni Vinson (Step Up, Bait), Gustav Gerdener, Zino Ventura, Steven John Ward

Roguish kidnappers devise a plan to abduct the daughter of a wealthy diamond distributor. When they have her locked up in their hideout, they realize she's been possessed by a sinister demon. The kidnappers are forced to bargain for their souls and deal with their personal demons as they appear in physical form inside the house.

Reviews
  • Britflicks.com: Fortunately, From A House On Willow Street does have great looking set pieces. They showcase beautifully the fantastic visual effects of George Webster and computer generated wizardry of Derik van den Berg. Equally, Director Alastair Orr delivers a few frights and confidently captures the mania and fear.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: There's a lot more visceral horror here than in the average supposedly gruesome possession film, so it works well enough for a Friday night thrill.
  • Horrocultfilms.co.uk: It's visually impressive, has some strong set pieces and the pacing's fairly good.
  • Projectedfigures.com: There is much fun to be had with its po-faced silliness and macabre maximalism.
  • Wyliewrites.com: From a House on Willow Street has some amazing makeup work, one of the best posters of any film at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and the film includes the most clever scare in a horror in recent years. The film also utilizes chiaroscuro effects to great value.
  • Dreadcentral.com: A good setup, a majority of solid characters (and cast) and some balls-out demon action in the final stretch manages to ensure From a House on Willow Street provides enough entertainment to see you through to the end.

Howl

Horror
Available on VOD: 4 oktober 2016
Director: Paul Hyett
Cast: Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Eragon), Shauna Macdonald (The Descent, Filth), Holly Weston (Assassin), Sean Pertwee (Gotham)

Joe, a young ticket-collector, is riding the last train out of London on a dark and stormy night along with a meager bunch of passengers. When the train brakes violently and comes to a sudden halt deep in the middle of a forest, it seems they have hit something on the line. But when the driver ventures out to investigate he never returns, leaving the passengers in a state of panic – particularly when Joe sees the driver's mutilated body outside the carriage.

Realising there's something dangerous lurking in the forest, Joe tells the passengers to make barricades to secure themselves in the carriage but soon the deadly creature is stalking the besieged train and smashing through their defences, picking them off one-by-one. Joe rallies his 'pack' of passengers to fight back. During a vicious battle they manage to kill the creature, revealing it to be a hideous mutated fusion of human and wild animal - a werewolf. However, celebrations are cut short when they hear more howls coming from the forest...

Reviews
  • Britflicks.com: With HOWL Director Paul Hyett keeps the drama visually interesting and entertaining despite the very contained location of a train – a long sausage of a space to work with. He also absolutely delivers on the key action sequences when the hapless passengers go toe to toe with his creature.
  • DerekWinnert.com: a good script, good characters and good monsters. It's well acted and well made.
  • Flickeringmyth.com: Howl is a brilliant example of how to get a monster movie right. Werewolf movies have been done a million times before, but Howl brings something slightly new to the table. Hardcore werewolf lovers might be upset by Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby flagrant disregard of the rules set up by other stories, but Howl is the best werewolf horror in years.
  • Horrortalk.com: Like Dog Soldiers, this is more action flick and black comedy than it is straight horror, although it does get shockingly gory at times. The train is well packed with a fun cast of horror movie and public transport archetypes alike, from the slobby drunk to the Carter Burke-like asshole prepared to throw everyone else under the bus (or train) to ensure his own survival. The lively cast and sharp writing make almost everyone seem likeable and sympathetic, allowing us to care whenever one of them is knocked off or ripped up. And oh, what ripping! There's a fantastic level of splatter to the violence, particularly during one climactic encounter with a beast and its terrified would-be victims.
  • Thehollywoodnews.com: A tense game of hunter and prey that chugs along nicely.
    Ukhorrorscene.com: Howl is a perfectly awesome addition to the British Werewolf film genre. Watch this as soon as you can!
  • Radiotimes.com: even those well-acquainted with the genre should find enough to enjoy in the stylish set-pieces that feature plenty of bloody action.

I Am Not A Serial Killer

Horror
Available on VOD: 27 april 2017
Director: Billy O'Brien
Cast: Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are), Christopher Lloyd (Ghostbusters, Back to the Future), Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad, I Am Not a Serial Killer)

John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous and he knows it. He is 16 and helps his Mum and Aunt at the family Mortuary. John is obsessed with serial killers but really doesn't want to become one. So for his own sake and the safety of those around him he lives by rigid rules to keep himself "good" and "normal". When somebody starts murdering people in John's small MidWest town, he has to investigate and risk letting his own dark side out in order to stop the killer. But without his rules to keep him in check he might be more dangerous then the monster he is stalking. As the icy winter tightens its grip on the community a deadly supernatural game of cat and mouse ensues.

Reviews
  • Juryrapport MovieZone award Imagine Festival 2017: Deze film portretteert op een fenomenale manier een uniek hoofdpersonage, vertolkt door een uitstekende acteur. De film is gefilmd in een prachtige oude stijl en met een mooi kleurpallet, waardoor een afstandelijke sfeer ontstaat die past bij het plot. Deze sfeer wordt ook versterkt door de gekozen locatie. Het is een goed uitgevoerde film die echt de geest van Imagine belichaamt, maar tegelijk ook toegankelijk is en perfect voor jongeren om verliefd te worden op arthouse film.
  • Imaginefilmfestival.nl: Gebaseerd op een Young Adult-roman zet de op gruizig 16mm gedraaide film de kijker lange tijd op het verkeerde been. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat de moordenaar niet zomaar een moordenaar is; zo worden op de plaats delict telkens oliesporen aangetroffen. Maar dit is toch vooral het verhaal van John die in acteur Max Records (Where the Wild Things Are) een uitstekende vertolker blijkt te zijn van afwijkend pubergedrag. Doordat zijn omgeving laconiek op zijn morbide fantasieën reageert, blijft de toon licht, zelfs als de lijken zich opstapelen. En die ontknoping? Bereid je maar vast voor op de krankzinnigste plotwending in jaren... Lees hier verder.
  • Cinemagazine: Met ‘I Am Not a Serial Killer’ levert regisseur Billy O’Brien een geslaagde verfilming af van Dan Wells’ succesvolle young adultroman. De toon is donker, maar niet kil, met veel ruimte voor wrange humor. De cast is fenomenaal. Records krijgt geduchte concurrentie van Lloyd, die als de fragiele maar gevaarlijke Crowley een van de meest memorabele rollen van zijn carrière speelt. Toppertje! Lees de hele recensie hier.
  • SchokkendNieuws.nl: AM NOT A SERIAL KILLER won vorige week op filmfestival Imagine de MovieZone Award, toegekend door een jury bestaande uit vijf jongeren tussen de zestien en negentien jaar oud. Geen enorme verrassing, want de film speelt knap in op de existentiële moeilijkheden die velen op die leeftijd ervaren.
  • Lees hier een uitgebreid interview met regisseur Billy O'Brien.
  • Kermode en Mayo vinden het een klapper, zie http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04kvhcv
  • Empire: Breathing new life into the overfamiliar terrain of the serial killer, Irish director Billy O'Brien here both successfully reintroduces Max Records to the world, and elicits Christopher Lloyd's best performance in a long time. His film deserves cult classic status at the very least.
  • Sight & Sound: a truly superior genre offering from a filmmaker of genuine class and ambition. Lees de raving review hier.
  • Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival: I Am Not A Serial Killer is gebaseerd op het gelijknamige boek van Dan Wells uit 2009 dat meteen een hit werd in de VS. De film gaat niet uit van standaard horror en zogenaamde 'jump scares' maar is een mooie cross-over geworden; een intelligent thriller/drama dat geregeld flirt met bovennatuurlijke en sci-fi elementen.
  • Variety.com: Max Records gives a sharp performance in this endearing first adaptation of Dan Wells' YA series. The tale of a likable teenager, raised by a mortician family, whose own nascent sociopathic tendencies make him a perfect amateur sleuth when a serial killer strikes his folksy Midwestern town, director Billy O'Brien's film adaptation strikes a tone that's far more unique and endearing than that premise might imply, helped in no small part by a sharp-witted performance from former child star Max Records.
  • NYTimes.com: Mr. Records (the child actor in "Where the Wild Things Are") is nimble and unsentimental in playing a character who is playing at normal, supported by a solid cast in a well-filmed indie that doesn't let its low budget get in the way of some true chills.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: A Moody and Creative Thriller!
  • Screenanarchy.com: I Am Not a Serial Killer morphs comfortably from teen fiction to a murder mystery to a cagey thriller, all with a wry sense of humor. It's modest and fully engaging, and smart enough not to overplay its hand.
  • Thefilmstage.com: dark and dangerous, suspenseful and unique.
  • AVClub.com: Psychopaths are people too in the nuanced I Am Not A Serial Killer! What sets Billy O'Brien's sharply observed indie horror-drama apart from other takes on this "killers hunting killers" concept (Dexter, anyone?) is its naturalistic, character-based approach.
  • Undertheradarmag.com: I Am Not a Serial Killer shines in its exploration of what it is like to live with inclinations you wish you didn't have but find it increasingly hard to fight.
  • LATimes.com: The surprisingly warm and fuzzy horror-dramedy wonders "can serial killers love?"
  • Efilmcritic.com: Underneath it all, though, is the idea that being human and being a monster are fundamentally connected, and that the struggle is what makes people interesting and worth examining. That may not be an uncommon thought, but O'Brien and company handle it with unusual skill for a thriller aimed at young people, to the extent that giving someone like Lloyd what may be one of his best parts is something of a bonus.
  • Influxmagazine.com: Am Not a Serial Killer is a very slow and deliberately paced film. I am telling you this up front so that you know that it's well worth sticking with this one...please resist your urge to try something else because of this! The payoff is well worth it and the film is well made and I honestly can say I've never seen anything like it in my life!
  • Wegotthiscovered.com: At its best, this is a film that keeps tension tight and anticipation on edge. Maybe John's a serial killer, maybe he isn't – each decision pushes Records' performance closer to the brink, and we never doubt his capabilities. You think you know, but you don't. Or you might? That's the beauty of it all, never providing answers until the final, shocking turn.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Max Records somehow makes magnetism out of teen angst. And though it may be clichéd to say, this is co-star Christopher Lloyd like you've never seen him before. Lloyd flips an expectation of his often-comedic presence on its ear by managing to make the warmth of an elderly neighbor sinisterly chilling. Ice the cake with a terrific monster design from Toby Froud and "I Am Not a Serial Killer" combines dark family drama, creature feature, and serial killer thriller into one uniquely entertaining package.
Awards
  • IMAGINE Film Festival 2017: Movie Zone Award
  • IFTA 2017: Best Editing
  • Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival 2016: Best Film
  • Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival 2016: Best Director
  • Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival 2016: Best Actor - Max Records
  • Sitges 2016: Panorama Audience Award
  • Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival 2016: Melies D'Argent
  • Trieste Science+Fiction Festival 2016: Nocturno Nuove Visioni Award

It Stains The Sands Red

Horror
Available on VOD: 9 november 2017
Director: Colin Minihan
Cast: Brittany Allen (Jigsaw, Bomb Girls, Dead Before Dawn), Juan Riedinger (Narcos, Grave Encounters), Merwin Mondesir (Grave Encounters)

In the throes of a zombie apocalypse, Molly – a troubled woman from Las Vegas with a dark past – finds herself stranded in the desert with a lone ravenous zombie on her tail. At first, she's easily able to outpace her undead pursuer, but things quickly become a nightmare when she realizes the zombie doesn't need to ever stop and rest. Running low on supplies and beat down by the harsh environment, Molly will have to summon the strength she never knew she had to ultimately face both the zombie and the demons that have chased her all her life.

From the creators of Grave Encounters and Extraterrestrial, IT STAINS THE SANDS RED is an action-packed apocalyptic thriller where only the strongest-willed survive.

Reviews
  • Cinemagazine.nl: Het middendeel van de film, waarin we Molly leren kennen door haar gesprekken met Smalls en ontroerende flashbacks naar het leven dat ze ooit had, is verreweg het sterkst. Naar het einde toe nemen de actiescènes de overhand en laat de ontknoping zich raden. Het is wel een einde dat je deze hoofdpersoon gunt. Aanrader!
  • HeYuGuys.com: Thrilling, fascinating, groundbreaking. It's a remarkable work for film fans in general, as well as being one of the greatest zombie movies ever made.
  • SciFiNow.co.uk: A mannered mix of the odd-couple corpse comedy of Swiss Army Man (2016) and the arid maternity ordeal of Monolith (2016), It Stains The Sand Red offers a fresh feminist spin on well-trodden tropes, only reverting to a more conventional kickass routine in its wisely abbreviated final act.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Brittany Allen carries the entire film with aplomb, and her performance is up there with the best the genre has had to offer in recent years. Her transformation from fractured party girl to strong, independent mother is fiercely brilliant and believable. At this moment in time, It Stains the Sands Red is the best zombie film since Shaun of the Dead.
  • Glasgowlive.co.uk: Allen is incredible as she displays layers and emotions we don't normally expect from characters who tend to simply be fodder for the walking dead. Director Minihan (Grave Encounters, Extraterrestrial) has performed a masterstroke with It Stains the Sands Red. His direction, coupled with Allen's performance, makes for a winning combination that puts a beating heart in the chest of the undead.
  • Nerdly.co.uk: A taught, tense (and funny) reinvigoration of the zombie genre, It Stains the Sands Red honestlydeserves to be held in as high a regard as Romero's original zombie trilogy. **** 4/5
  • Horror Channel FrightFest: Smart, sharp, savage and unexpectedly moving. The most original zombie movie since 28 Days Later. One of the top 10 films of 2017!
  • Horrorfreaknews.com: With a tremendously watchable and heartfelt lead performance, a wholly unique and unexpected central relationship and a damn good sense of humor (the tire/raft reveal) – It Stains the Sands Red is original and endearing. A shining example that there's something new to be culled from the genre created by George A. Romero almost 50 years ago.
Awards
  • Sitges 2016: Midnight X-Treme

Jakob's Wife

Horror
Available on VOD: 12 augustus 2021
Director: Travis Stevens
Cast: Larry Fessenden (I Sell the Dead, Hellbenders), Barbara Crampton (You're Next, Re-Animator), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun, Silver Linings Playbook)

Anne is in her late 50s and feels like her life and marriage have beenshrinking over the past thirty years. Through a chance encounter with astranger, she discovers a new sense of power and an appetite to live biggerand bolder than before. However, these changes come with a toll on hermarriage and a heavy body count.

Reviews
  • Joblo.com: a blood-soaked good time that gives Crampton the role of her career.
  • Filmthreat.com: That uniqueness is in every frame. Believe me when I tell you that Jakob’s Wife is worth seeing.
  • Latimes.com: This is where having actors the caliber of Crampton and Fessenden pays off.
  • Nightmarishconjurings.com: A vital and shocking modern vampire story, pulses with joy and the electricity that flows through the human heart.
  • Rogersmovienation.com: Has gloriously icky makeup, over-the-top geysers of blood goofiness, down-and-dirty vampire trash talk laughs.
  • Rogerebert.com: Fessenden and Crampton play it real. Very well-conceived and well-executed.
  • Aisleseat.com: Jakob's Wife is freaky, gory, darkly funny, and, best of all, substantive. I very much want to see it again. This is easily my favorite movie from the 2021 SXSW Film Festival.
  • Austinchronicle.com: By turns funny, grisly, tragic and insightful, Jakob's Wife carries the smartness of years. Never has the idea that vampire and vampire hunter are caught in a codependent relationship been more elegantly and humorously framed.
  • Culturecrypt.com: Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden are fantastic in the film.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: A fantastically worthy dynamic. You can’t possibly go wrong with a movie that lets Crampton tell a little girl to fuck off.
  • Slantmagazine.com: Well acted, sturdily constructed, and psychologically astute.
  • Moviesandmania.com: It's funny, it’s bloody and it will warm your bleeding heart.
  • Backseatmafia.com: Jakob’s Wife is up there with her [Barbara Crampton] best performances.
  • Badfeelingmag.com: a gory and crowd-pleasing horror-comedy that feels perfectly-suited for these times.
  • Fathersonholygore.com: Awesome genre work. A horrifying, darkly hilarious tale.
  • Horrorobsessive.com: Fresh, entertaining, and unexpectedly substantive.
  • Dreadcentral.com: an homage to classic vampire stories and a tribute to Barbara Crampton.

Let Us Prey

Horror
Available on VOD: 6 april 2015
Director: Brian O'Malley
Cast: Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Hunger), Pollyanna McIntosh (Filth, The Woman), Bryan Larkin (Outpost 3), Hanna Stanbridge (Outcast), Douglas Russell (A Lonely Place To Die)

When a menacing stranger (Game of Thrones' Liam Cunningham) winds up in the purgatory of a small-town police cell, a terrifying chain reaction begins among his fellow inmates. As madness descends, blood starts to flow and WPC Rachel Heggie (Pollyanna McIntosh) finds herself with her back to the wall, fighting for her life.

With echoes of John Carpenter and Dario Argento, director Brian O'Malley expertly builds the tension from a slow-burning start to an absolutely explosive, nerve-shredding finale.

Judge, Jury and Executioner are waiting in Let Us Prey.

Reviews
  • Taste of Cinema names Let Us Prey as one of the "20 European Horror Films From The 21st Century You Must Watch"! Read the full article here.
  • Starburstmagazine.com: Right from the doom-rock credit sequence of barbed wire dripping with fresh blood, squadrons of crows swarming in slow motion and darkened thunderclouds rolling overhead, O'Malley has marked himself as a talent to watch. Striking a perfect balance of suspense, violence, humour, story and action, LET US PREY feels at once classic and modern. You will not be disappointed. 10 out of 10!
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: Director Brian O'Malley and writers David Cairns and Fiona Watson do an excellent job of navigating the stereotype minefield of this type of horror film, with the hypocrisy and Calvinist repression of the rural community very much to the fore. There are plenty of funny lines, the earliest of which are delivered with characteristic brio by Jonathan Watson of Only An Excuse fame. Credit must go to cinematographer Piers McGrail whose sumptuous visuals add to the tension and creeping sense of dread and bring to mind French slasher flick Switchblade Romance. There's plenty gore to keep horror fiends satisfied, yet enough intrigue and chuckles to appeal to a wider audience too.
  • Culturefix.co.uk: There is some fun chaos in Let Us Prey's final moments as officers and prisoners battle for survival in a violent frenzy. The setting of a locked down prison also gives things a nasty, claustrophobic atmosphere and Polyanna McIntosh makes a likeable kick-ass action heroine.
  • Reelinsights.co.uk: It is a grim tale of damnation and death which all takes place within a confined space, adding to the tension of the unpredictable plot. From start to finish the film is relentlessly unnerving; full of jumps and twists to keep your fists clenched until its dramatic and operatic finale.
  • Quipmag.com: If you're looking for a new thriller to watch that'll keep you on edge with what to expect as well as a mysterious protagonist with an attitude and appearance that screams judgment day has come, you'll love Let Us Prey. Director, Brian O'Malley, brings the audience the perfect blend of suspense, gore, and humor. Cunnigham most certainly backs the thought that a person with confidence is sexy, through his tonality and assertiveness in his expression, posture and words. I personally do not think a better actor could have carried out the role. Manipulating and taking souls of sinners has never been more alluringly done.Fire, bloodshed, madness, and the inevitable death to sinners – Let Us Prey will make you rethink your own wrongdoings and repent for them before midnight strikes.
  • Fantasticfest.com: The film has a solid cast featuring THE WOMAN's Pollyanna McIntosh as Heggie and Liam Cunningham from GAME OF THRONES as the mysterious stranger. Cunningham is particularly cold and menacing in his role, blending perfectly with the atmosphere created by the score and cinematography. LET US PREY is a surprisingly brutal film with a pitch black soul and just a hint of gallows humor thrown in for good measure.
  • Efilmcritic.com: Pollyanna McIntosh owns this movie as Rachel, with the hard-ass rookie cop absolutely holding her own against the other characters, all of whom are against her at various moments. She's a taut mass of determined body language but never becomes monotonous, in part because she's damn good at letting the audience see how much she's trying to look tougher than she fears she may be even while still being fairly formidable. McIntosh is complemented by Liam Cunningham, who is great as a sarcastic spirit of vengeance. Once "Six" reveals himself as not being the victim Rachel expected, Cunningham gets to spot gravelly, disdainful lines at the whole cast of characters in a way that's just barbed enough to get under their skin; is a sort of certainty and control that is obvious without announcing itself. They've got good support, too, with Bryan Larkin and Hanna Stanbridge playing partners in more ways than one, Douglas Russell taking a reserved character in eye-opening directions, and a jail full of folks rope for retribution.
  • Kneelbeforeblog.co.uk: This film was really entertaining. It was violent, unsettlingly atmospheric, hilarious in places and shocking in others. A strong cast rounds out this strangely violent tale with a supernatural edge. Highly worth a watch.
  • Soundonsight.org: From the opening shots of Cunningham standing atop a craggy shore, looking for all the world like the world's most sinister puffin, to the fiery, violent climax. Let Us Prey feels truly apocalyptic, and the chilling final shot gives the sense that what we've seen was just the overture to something even more horrifying. Let Us Prey presents a lot for horror fans to love: an interesting idea, held on the shoulders of some very strong performances and expertly maintained atmosphere and tension, with enough violence and gore to keep things interesting without being excessive. With only eight characters, and a few sets, director Brian O'Malley's feature debut strikes a perfect balance of suspense, violence, humour, plotting and action. Prey feels at once classic and modern; the film wears its influences on its sleeve but manages to feel fresh all the same. O'Malley is clearly a fan of early John Carpenter, and Let Us Prey features a glorious electronic score alongside several nods to Assault On Precinct 13. Cinematographer Piers McGrail keeps the shots, tight, closed and claustrophobic, using mostly slow, creeping camera movements and as the film progresses, O'Malley ramps up the tension and the chaos, culminating in a superb, quasi-religious, climax with ample amounts of brutal violence and bloody carnage. Let Us Prey took home the esteemed Melies D'argent award when it made its world premiere at the Brussels Fantastic Film Festival this past March. O'Malley has marked himself as a talent to watch, and this is just the beginning of what looks to be a very promising career.
  • Houseofgeekery.com (EIFF 2014 Review): A fucking great time and a new must-see for genre fans. Intense as hell, bloody as fuck and with some of the most twisted humor I've seen in a film, it's just so much fun. The prison setting and themes of retribution and judgment add an extra layer to the whole thing and the characters all give it their all with McIntosh and Cunningham coming out on top, McIntosh might be one of the best final girls I've seen in a long time. Plus Macready who far and away is the most entertaining character I've seen this year. It's a blast and if you're a fan of horror then keep your eyes peeled for when this is released. 9/10!
  • Screenrelish.com (Grimmfest 2014 Review): Fiona Watson and Dave Cairns' script is superbly lean, yet there is something ambitious at the centre of all the horrific happenings despite such a small-scale. You get the sense O'Malley and his cast have something to say on the darkness of human nature and that anyone can be corrupted... just as long as they're willing to pay the price. Your soul!
  • Craveonline.com: Let Us Prey is a solid horror tale featuring a badass heroine. The hows and whys put a good twist on the genre, and no matter how crazy it gets, you'll be rooting for Rachel.
  • Thehorrorshowtv.tumblr.com (Scott Weinberg): Crisply and cleverly put together. On one side we have the insidious and evil Liam Cunningham; on the other is the noble and heroic Pollyanna McIntosh. Basically, Let Us Prey follows one of the golden rules of indie horror filmmaking: take something you like (in this case, Assault on Precinct 13 or any sort of self-contained "ticking clock" thriller) and then combine that with enough fresh material to make your own mark. Let Us Prey is half an homage to horror stories you already know, and half a collection of themes, ideas, moments, and shocks you might not see coming. And even if you do, there's more than enough energy here to keep things fun as it all plays out. Fun stuff.
  • AustinChronicle.com: Not since Calvary has there been a film more likely to piss off the National League of Decency, nor has there been one that really tests the definitions and subtexts of faith. Admittedly, this does all that under the guise of being a smart, tense, disturbing, and sly horror film.
  • Fangoria.com: LET US PREY is one of the more satisfying and utterly savage horror films in recent memory, touching on morality plays while dishing out artful sadism of the highest order. Brian O'Malley refashions familiar fright film tropes and relationships into something much more sinister, all the while providing a somewhat fantastic atmosphere from the combination of a chilling visual composition and provocative cinematic storytelling. Throw in some incredible and committed performances all-around, LET US PREY is the kind of brutal nightmare fare that gorehounds often clamor for but rarely receive.
Awards
  • 2014 Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film: Silver Méliès
  • 2014 Festival de Cine de Terror de Molins de Rei: Audience Award
  • 2014 Toronto After Dark Film Festival: Audience Choice Award for Best Music
  • 2015 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival: MICHAEL DWYER DISCOVERY – Piers McGrail, cinematographer Let Us Prey

The Lockdown Hauntings

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 20 mei 2021
Director: Howard J. Ford
Cast: Tony Todd (The Man from Earth, The Rock), Angela Dixon (Never Let Go)

With the streets empty, free from activity of humans and machines, spirits are freer than ever before. The ghost of a notorious serial killer begins prowling for young women isolated and alone in Lockdown. With more potential victims than ever before, can the paranormal experts and detectives prevent more young women from becoming further victims of The Lockdown Hauntings?

Reviews

Film is nog niet uitgebracht, nog geen reviews beschikbaar.

The Lodgers

Horror
Available on VOD: 8 november 2018
Director: Brian O'Malley
Cast: Bill Milner (Dunkirk, X: First Class, Locke), Charlotte Vega (American Assassin, Another Me), David Bradley (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones), Eugene Simon (Game of Thrones, Ben Hur)

Set in 1920’s Ireland, this gothic horror story centers on brother and sister twins who are forced to stay in their estate due to a secret family curse, which took the life of their parents. But when a young man falls in love with the sister, his attempt to free her of the curse creates a deadly chain reaction.

Reviews
  • IMAGINE Film Festival: The Lodgers is een beeldschone aanvulling op de canon van gothic horrorfilms. 
  • Variety.com: Enchantingly gloomy and lustrous, this lushly staged costume chiller is a fragrant beauty indeed.
  • Cineuropa.org: O'Malley creates a lurid atmosphere by using cinematographer Richard Kendrick’s gentle camera movements and Tony Kearns’ measured editing to maximum effect, and even elevating the elements of the production design, such as the house and the menacing water, to the level of lively characters. The old, beautiful and broken mansion, with all its creaking noises and its huge wooden staircase, is allegedly a real-life haunted house, while the water the ghostly creatures live in, emerging from down below and rushing up to the ceiling in drops, looks impressive in CGI, making The Lodgers a must-see for fans of gothic horror cinema.
  • Comingsoon.net: here hasn’t been a more effective, disturbing and sensorially pleasing film of this kind since Alejandro Amenabar’s The Others and, like that masterpiece, O’Malley’s artful, lurid and meticulously orchestrated exercise in atmosphere, pretty misery and dread seeps deep under your skin. And it stays there. For keeps.
  • Digitaljournal.com: ‘The Lodgers’ is a chilling, gothic tale of co-dependent twins imprisoned by a family curse.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Delicately crafted, The Lodgers is a richly woven tapestry of classically inspired gothic horror. Smart, scary, and undeniably beautiful, it will no doubt be considered one of the pinnacles of its genre.
  • Thefilmstage.com: So we let the atmospheric mood draw us into the horror as mystery makes way towards scares. The whole looks gorgeous from the macabre carcasses of long-dead pets to the image of two bodies silently floating above the lake as O’Malley holds our attention with the rising malevolence executed by Milner and inspiring desire to take hold of her destiny imbued by Vega. That which frightens them is left shrouded in secrecy beyond the connection to their blood and the result their disobedience secures.
  • Blu-ray.com: The Lodgers presents some strong visual filmmaking from O'Malley, who has a distinct battle plan to present the enigmatic threat, creating some striking imagery along the way (with cinematographer Richard Kendrick) that increases eeriness, delivering satisfying payoff for troubling events. Turpin contributes some mental illness to lubricate the terror, with the twins adding to a long line of family rituals that contribute to their hellish existence. Mystery is present, along with Hammer-style gothic environments and numerous threats to the safety of the lead characters, and once The Lodgers finally gets going, there’s much to appreciate dramatically and cinematically. 
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: One of the better Gothic films of recent years, The Lodgers blends beauty and creepiness sublimely. It will delight genre fans and deliver pleasing chills to others.
Awards
  • Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival 2017 - Jury Prize Best Film
  • FANCINE Festival de Cine Fantastico de la Universidad de Malaga 2017  - Best Actress
  • FANCINE Festival de Cine Fantastico de la Universidad de Malaga 2017  - Best Special Effects

Malicious

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 6 september 2018
Director: Michael Winnick
Cast: Josh Stewart (Insidious: The Last Key, The Dark Knight Rises), Bojana Novakovic (Edge of Darkness,, Drag Me To Hell, I Tonya), Delroy Lindo (Gone in Sixty Seconds, Sahara), Melissa Bolona (The Hurricane Heist), Yvette Yates (Inherent Vice)

A young college professor Adam (Josh Stewart), and his pregnant wife Lisa (Bojana Novakovic) nd and open an antique box when moving into their new home. After an unexpected tragedy befalls them Lisa starts being plagued by visions and hauntings that convince her there'is something evil in the house. Adam, though sympathetic is convinced she must be having a nervous breakdown. It is only when Adam calls upon Dr Clark (Delroy Lindo) a professor of parapsychology at the university that the true horror of what they have let out becomes clear. The opening of the box has unleashed a malevolent entity that will stop at nothing until it satisfies its murderous intentions.

Reviews
  • Crypticrock.com: good camerawork and sound, fair twists, and fine pacing.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: A very pleasant surprise.
  • Fromblacktoredfilmreviews.blogspot.com: This is the kind of horror that's going to hit you where you're most vulnerable, then dig in deeper just because.

Mayhem

Action, Horror
Available on VOD: 26 april 2018
Director: Joe Lynch
Cast: Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Okja), Samara Weaving (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , Home and Away, Bad Girl), Steven Brand (Hellraiser: Revelations)

The story of a virus that infects a corporate law office on the day attorney Derek Saunders (Yeun) is framed by a co-worker and wrongfully fired.  Trapped in the quarantined building, our hero is forced to savagely fight tooth and nail for not only his job but his life.

Reviews
  • Variety.com: Equal parts corporate satire and violent melodrama, this indie with attitude is an exuberantly gonzo thriller.
  • RogerEbert.com: A stylish, smart, propulsive gore-fest set in a corporate America that takes no prisoners. It’s like “Office Space” if Michael Bolton went on a murderous spree with a nail gun, playing on workplace stress instead of pure id, and it has a violent momentum that’s hard to deny, well-directed by Lynch.
  • Scary Epidemic: Very reminiscent from horror movies like The Belko Experiment and Severance, its concept is filled with lots of dry humor and plenty of gore. Steven Yeun is fantastic in the lead role, and proves that he can carry a movie without an entire cast breathing down his neck (looking at you Walking Dead). Full review here.
  • Horror-movies.ca: You MUST watch "Mayhem" when it is available. This violent masterpiece has little to no flaws, is terrifically entertaining, for various reasons, from beginning to end, and is definitely the best film of the 2017 edition of Fantasia. I reward it with a perfect 5 stars out of 5.
  • Cinemaslasher.com: hanks to its likable protagonists, relatable themes, sharp editing, synthy score, and incredible soundtrack of licensed music, Mayhem is an absolute blast and should not be missed by anyone with an affinity for intense genre cinema. This one is an absolute blast that deserves the highest of recommendations.
  • Culturecypt.com: frenzied fun and vicious violence.
  • Cutprinfilm.com: Lynch stages impalings and hammerings and nail-gunnings for maximum impact. He makes stunning use of sound to give each event its own savage feel. And he escalates the bloodletting in creative ways. But there’s an odd sort of righteousness about it all. Yeun and Weaving are responsible for that. The pair have a palpable, natural chemistry that brings a much needed humanity to the bloody business at hand. Their quippy back-and-forth would be right at home in a romantic comedy if they weren’t, you know, mercilessly killing lots of people all the way.
  • Modernhorrors.com: Lynch’s latest feature is a true crowd pleaser; it’s a God damn blast. It’s vicious and funny, and wildly entertaining.
  • Thewolfmancometh: As a filmmaker, Lynch has fully embraced his enthusiasm and passion for genre cinema while also flexing his comedic chops, all thanks to the tour-de-force performance of his new muse, Steven Yeun.
  • Wegotthiscovered.com: Mayhem is a wonderfully violent middle finger to corporate culture, gleeful in its desire to redecorate cubicles with red blood splatters.
Awards
  • Second place audience award Razor Reel 2017.
  • Chattanooga Film Festival 2017 : Audience Award

MethGator

Action, Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 18 april 2024
Director: Christopher Ray
Cast: LaRonn Marzett, Vanesa Tamayo, Bruce Peoples

In a news bulletin, police warned residents to refrain from flushing methamphetamine down the toilet to prevent “meth-gators.” Down in Sweet Water Point, Florida, they didn’t listen...

Our Evil

Horror
Available on VOD: 14 september 2017
Director: Samuel Galli
Cast: Ademir Esteves, Ricardo Casella, Sonia Moreno

A man with spiritualist powers is told by his mentor (the spirit of a Clown) that a demonic entity is coming to destroy his daughter's soul, and that he should take drastic measures. To prevent this from happening he employs a serial killer.

Reviews
  • Screendaily.com: using impressive physical effects, Our Evil features gruesome gore sequences which hark back to the video nasties of the 1980s and the torture porn of the 2010s but never descend into gratuitousness. The oily, slimy, cleverly-designed demon creatures are supremely squirm-inducing, with stellar make-up effects work from Rodrigo Aragâo. This is a confident, technically ambitious picture, with an especially effective circus-themed score from Guilherme Garbato and Gustavo Garbato augmented by unsettling sound design from Alessandro Laroca and Eduardo Vermond Lima.
  • Alan Jones, FrightFest: Shocking, surprising, gripping and always keeps you guessing.
  • Anton Bitel, Projected Figures: A hitman/serial killer thriller that evokes THE SIXTH SENSE and THE EXORCIST.
  • Becky Roberts, Horror Talk: An imaginative and ambitious revenge story chock full of shocks and surprises.
  • James Whittington, Horror Channel: Vicious and violent with an intelligent surreal edge.
  • BloodyDisgusting.com: Our Evil is an emotionally charged film featuring harrowing acts of violence. It covers a whole spectrum of emotions, styles and horror conventions, and yet manages to hold it all together.

Piercing

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 7 februari 2019
Director: Nicolas Pesce
Cast: Christopher Abbott (It Comes at Night, James White), Mia Wasikowska (Alice Through the Looking Glass, Only Lovers Left Alive), Laia Costa

Reed (Christopher Abbott) is going on a business trip. He kisses his wife and infant son goodbye, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he's packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), an alluring call girl who arrives at his room. First, they relax and get in the mood, but when there’s an unexpected disruption, the balance of control begins to sway back and forth between the two. Is he seeing things? Who's playing whom? Before the night is over, a feverish nightmare will unfold, and Reed and Jackie will seal their bond in blood.


Based on the critically acclaimed cult novel by Ryu Murakami, Director Nicolas Pesce (The Eyes of My Mother, Sundance 2016) blends psychological horror with comedy and stylish neo-noir, resulting in a sly take on the fantasy of escape and the hazards of modern romance.
Reviews
  • IFFR.com: Zelfs Freud doet zijn intrede in dit onvoorspelbare, seksueel geladen duel, dat zowel een dodelijke krachtmeting als een bevrijdende loutering zou kunnen zijn. Is dit wat zich afspeelt achter die anonieme vensters van de gestileerde stadsgezichten die het decor vormen?
  • Schokkendnieuws.nl: Wasikowska in het bijzonder is fantastisch: grillig, onvoorspelbaar, kwetsbaar en angstaanjagend tegelijkertijd.
  • Moviemeter.nl: Al vanaf de miniatuur-flatgebouwen tijdens de opening weet je dat je met iets bijzonders te maken hebt. De film omvat een ijzingwekkend kat- en muisspel tussen de twee goed acterende hoofdrolspelers Christopher Abbott en Mia Wasikowska. De genres vliegen je om de oren, maar het houdt ergens midden tussen een prachtig vormgegeven psychologische thriller en een gitzwarte komedie. Hele review hier.
  • TheHollywoodReporter.com: A nail-biter whose sick premise conceals a stranger agenda. Stars Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska go a long way toward keeping this tricky pic balanced, though Pesce's knowing use of sleazy-Seventies vibe (following the distinctive b&w spareness of The Eyes of My Mother, his only previous feature) creates the perfect world for them to do it in.
  • Variety.com: An orderly murder takes a twist in Nicolas Pesce's stunning black comedy.The film is expertly crafted with jewel-toned cinematography, terrifically sleazy saxophone music, and performances by Abbott and Wasikowska that take turns seizing command.
  • JoBlo.com: Both main actors are perfectly suited to their roles. Waskikowska continues to make a career out of playing seemingly vulnerable yet potentially very dangerous women, so she and Jackie are an ideal match. Abbott has the unenviable task of making Reed someone we end up caring about. 8/10.
  • Culturefix.co.uk: Piercing is a cinematic assault that firmly establishes Pesce as one of the genre's most exciting filmmakers. This twisted psycho-sexual body horror amuses with its obscene black comedy, repels with its gruesome brutality, and entrances with its aesthetic bravado. 
Awards
  • Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival 2018: Winner International Critic's Award
  • Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival 2018: Winner Imaging the Future Award (Production Design)
  • Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival 2018: Nominee Best Feature Film
  • Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018: Nominee Tiger Award
  • Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival 2018: Nominee Best Film

Pledge

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 21 april 2019
Director: Daniel Robbins
Cast: Zachery Byrd, Phillip Andre Botello, Aaron Dalla Villa, Cameron Cowperthwaite

Three nerdy college freshmen, Ethan, David, and Justin, are having a tough time adjusting to college life. Rejected and ridiculed by just about every fraternity on campus, they are prepared to give up all hope. That is, until a beautiful girl invites them off campus to a party at a secluded mansion.

They are not only invited in, but are treated like princes by the resident brothers. The party is everything they dreamed college would be—beautiful women, drinking, and most importantly, a cool group of guys willing to accept them as one of their own.

When the freshmen are presented with an opportunity to pledge the elite social club, they accept without hesitation. However, as the gruesome, dehumanizing hazing progresses, a more sinister picture of the club emerges.

Reviews
  • Moviemeter.nl:  Er wordt degelijk gefilmd, goed geregisseerd en de schare gore weet prima te werken. Hele review hier.
  • De Nachtvlinders: Mijn mening over ontgroeningen en studentenverenigingen zal ik hier niet poneren, maar misschien zegt het genoeg dat ik de tweede helft van de film met een grote grijns op mijn gezicht heb zitten kijken. Pledge is een bescheiden, maar zeer vermakelijke thriller. Hele review hier.
  • Imagine Film Festival: Alles werkt binnen de eenvoudige opzet van deze film. De opbouw, de personages, de horror en de ontknoping – het is allemaal heel goed gedaan. Meer info hier.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: For those that like their thrillers fast and warped, Pledge is an entertaining take on a familiar story. Partying, torture, death, and dark humor makes for a fun and sometimes gruesome watch.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: Phenomenally well balanced and containing outstanding performances across the board, this is incredible horror/thriller filmmaking.
  • Thehollywoodnews.com: Pledge offers a fresh spin on the horrors of pledge life through this new genre angle. This film is a bloody and brutal burst of masculinity that packs a punch.
  • Cinemaslasher.com: Pledge is paced perfectly, with many of the sequences unfolding in real time, which adds a suspenseful urgency to the film.
  • Culturecrypt.com:  a clear-cut slash of traditional thrills biting off only what it can chew with entertainingly sharp teeth.
  • Nightmarishconjurings.com: A brilliantly crafted thriller.
  • Haddonfieldhorror.com: Equal parts intoxicating and nauseating.
  • Pophorror.com: Utterly insane and one hell of a ride.
  • Thatmomentin.com: A grueling and brutal rollercoaster ride.
  • Adamthemoviegod.com: A masterclass of gritty independent cinema, sure to go down as one of the best independent films of 2018.
  • Dailygrindhouse.com:  The film is gorgeously shot, a nasty piece of work to show off to your friends so that you can watch them cringe, and with the tight runtime, you just go in, get your hands and soul messy, and get out. A cutthroat, grueling experience.
  • Dreadcentral.com: With the insane incidents that happen to the guys in this film, I feared if the overall concept of this movie had ever been done for an actual pledge.
  • Filmthreat.com: Watching Pledge, I almost felt like I had found the loophole in the system and discovered that it doesn't take a big budget or a recognizable IP to sell a ticket. I was wholly entertained from the start to the finish.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: a solid little horror movie with plentiful unpleasantness.Filmpulse.net: A solidly crafted thriller.
  • Modernhorrors.com: A Mean and Disgusting Home Run of a Horror Film. Don’t miss this one.
  • Nightmarishconjurings.com: A fantastic thriller that kept me entertained and on edge throughout its entire duration, and even surprised me at the end.
  • Slashfilm.com: Pledge stakes its genre claim on fruitless anger, merciless abuse and satirical wit concerning what we're willing to do for popularity.

The Puppetman

Horror
Available on VOD: 8 februari 2024
Director: Brandon Christensen
Cast: Michael Par (The Philadelphia Experiment, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Virgin Suicides), Alyson Gorske (Shrinking), Angel Prater

The Puppetman, a convicted killer on death row, always maintained his innocence and that it was an evil force controlling his body as he slaughtered his victims.

Now Michal, the killer's daughter, begins to suspect that there may be some truth to her fathers claim when those around her begin to die in brutal ways.

She must try and break the curse of The Puppetman before all her loved ones are killed.

Reviews
  • Heavenofhorror.com: This is very much a horror movie. And a good one at that.
  • Loudandclearreviews.com: The Puppetman will satisfy horror fans with its kills.
  • Scifihistory.net: Great thrills and chills.
  • Rogerebert.com: The horror flicks transition to a “Final Destination” collage of kills possibly guided by fate or some other being. These are bloody, gruesome deaths.
  • Nightmare on Film Street: A supernatural shocker that boasts some of the year’s most brutal moments in horror.
  • Confessionsofahorrorfreak.org: Thanks to Gorske Michal’s character development can be properly seen and her transition from vulnerable to creepy is believable.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: A true horror treat.
  • Jbspins.com: Christensen’s best film yet, thanks to some genuinely eerie séance sequences and the super-nasty spin it puts on demonic possession. Christensen takes viewers to some dark, twisted places, which is great.
  • Vanessasnonspoilers.com: It has the potential to pave the way for more films in this subgenre, exploring the depths of fear and psychological terror even further. Overall, The Puppetman is a great horror movie enlisting a new type of evil power to contend with.
  • Signalhorizon.com: It's a moody and atmospheric film with several memorable and jolting kills.

Radius

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 4 januari 2018
Director: Caroline Labrche, Steeve Lonard
Cast: Diego Klattenhoff (The Blacklist, Pacific Rim), Charlotte Sullivan (Chicago Fire, Defendor)

Liam wakes from a car crash with no memory of who he is. As he makes his way into town to look for help, he finds only dead bodies, all with strange pale eyes. Liam's first assessment is that a virus is present in the air, but he soon discovers the horrible truth: anyone who comes within a 50-foot radius of him dies instantly.

Reviews
  • SciFiNow.co.uk: Radius is a slow-burn moral parable, driving its high-concept premise towards a final reveal that is not only genuinely satisfying, but might well have viewers heading back several times.
  • Britflicks.com: an original and haunting sci-fi nightmare that riffs on storytelling techniques used by Christopher Nolan in Memento (2000). It cleverly subverts all expectations of traditional murder mysteries through a slow burning psychological drama that succeeds because the filmmakers are able to deliver the seemingly complicated, and competing story strands together into in to a satisfying resolution.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: Initially stilted acting (entirely appropriate given the characters' situation) gives way to powerful work in the final scenes. For those possessed of a healthy respect for mystery in its own right. it's a treat.
  • HeYuGuys.com: Horror hounds, sci-fi fans and even just those chasing a good old-fashioned mystery will find a lot to love in Radius. There’s no denying that Radius fully delivers on what is easily one of the most unique core concepts of the year.
  • Liveforfilm.com: A Best of FrightFest, Radius is a smart emotional laid back flashback sci-fi mystery drama with an awesome payoff that you will not see coming and that will break your heart. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
  • Nerdly.co.uk: Radius manages to leave its audience asking deep, meaningful, philosophical questions about life, humanity, whether we can ever escape our past, and if our past can, and should, dictate our future… Oh, and did I mention that ending. That ending! Let’s just say it’s not often a genre films conclusion can bring you to tears. Another superb slice of Canadian genre cinema, Radius should be on the radar of horror fans everywhere. One of the true surprises of this years Frightfest.
  • Thefilmgrump.blogspot.nl: An interesting, clever Sci-Fi film, one that I hope finds its audience as it is a very good film indeed. A favourite from FrightFest, this is highly recommended.
  • Whenitwascool.com: With Radius, Lábrèche and Léonard serve up a genre film that offers intelligent psychological drama and disquieting twists that hold up until the impact of the finale.  It’s an intelligent effort that will intrigue, excite, and disturb viewers.

Reborn

Horror
Available on VOD: 10 oktober 2019
Director: Julian Richards
Cast: Barbara Crampton (You're Next, Re-Animator), Michael Par (The Philadelphia Experiment, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Virgin Suicides), Kayleigh Gilbert, Monte Markham, Chaz Bono (American Horror Story)

A stillborn baby girl brought back to life by an electrical storm before being abducted from hospital by a morgue attendant. On her sixteenth birthday, empowered with the gift to manipulate electricity, she escapes her captor and sets out to find her birth mother leaving a trail of destruction behind her.

Reviews
  • BFI.org.uk: a sophisticated dramatisation of an actress’s internalised ‘method’ of processing personal trauma into performance.
  • Joblo.com: Kayleigh Gilbert, who did a terrific job in the role of Tess, her performance complimented by the fact that she has a great look for the part. 7/10.
  • 28dayslateranalysis.com: Full of interesting scenes and outlandish deaths, Reborn is a horror thriller for those seeking out something a bit refreshing.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: We get a playfully formulaic story involving protectiveness, revenge, spectacular deaths (some of which feel richly deserved) and investigation.
  • Horrorhothousereview.wordpress.com: Crampton makes a fair fist of the older woman film star determined to fight her way back while still saddled with an overarching sense of loss while Gilbert appears superbly deranged as the girl determined to sort things out for her new-found mom. All in it’s an effective chiller with at least two killer jump out of your seat moments.
  • Moviesinfocus.com: A fun flick with a game cast.
Awards
  • Best Director - Fantasporto (Portugal)
  • Best Director - Roswell Film Festival (USA)
  • Best Sci-Fi Feature - Another Hole In The Head (USA)
  • Best Horror Feature - Mad Monster Party (USA)
  • Best Horror Feature - Horror Hotel (USA)

The Reckoning

Horror
Available on VOD: 10 juni 2021
Director: Neil Marshall
Cast: Charlotte Kirk (Vice, Ocean's Eight), Joe Anderson (Hercules, The Grey), Steven Waddington (The Imitation Game), Sean Pertwee (Gotham)

Set against the backdrop of the Great Plague and subsequent witch-hunts against women, Grace Haverstock must grapple with the tragic untimely death of her husband Joseph, in a society completely consumed by fear and death. Because she rejects her landlord Squire Pendleton’s advances, she is falsely accused of being a witch and thrown in jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

Grace must endure physical persecution at the hands of England’s most ruthless witch-hunter Judge Moorcroft and face her own inner demons as the Devil himself starts to work his way into her mind.

Reviews
  • Badfeelingmag.com: gorehounds will love some of the kills on display, and Marshall provides some effective jump scares.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Looks good and is shot well, particularly for audiences with an affinity for torture.
  • Britflicks.com: A proper rip, roaring yarn about witchfinder era Britain that is best when the fighting is in full flow or skulls are being squashed under cartwheels.
  • Cgmbacklot.com: Great performances across the board.
  • Entertainment-focus.com: A return to form for acclaimed film-maker Neil Marshall. It’s a solid pot-boiler that’s in no rush to reveal its hand early so you do have to be patient as the plot slowly unravels.
  • Fathersonholygore.com: The story's a fresh one that starts off running and never slows down until the credits roll. Easily one of the best witch hunt films there's been.
  • Filmpulse.net: A compelling one that accurately shows the horrific results of rumor and mass panic.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: An attractive tale about ugly times and deeds.
  • Horrorcultfilms.co.uk: Looks and sounds great.
  • Ihorror.com: Solid performances and a thoughtfully constructed, historically relevant story that rings a bit too true at the present moment.
  • Moviemovesme.com: An entertaining and terrifying journey.
  • Skonmovies.com: A well-made film.
  • Johnnyalucard.com: An old-fashioned period melodrama (when was the last time you saw a film with a wicked squire), torture-fetish grand guignol (authentic and inauthentic witch-finding devices alike are used on innocents), and hallucinatory horror movie.
  • Tiltmagazine.net: It’s fun. There’s blood and fire, a ludicrous explosion, and all the mayhem you’d expect from a Neil Marshall flick.

Room 203

Horror
Available on VOD: 4 augustus 2022
Director: Ben Jagger
Cast: Francesca Xuereb, Viktoria Vinyarska, Eric Wiegand, Scott Gremillion

After lifelong friends KIM and IZZY move into ROOM 203, a quirky apartment with a creepy medieval stained glass window, Kim slowly becomes convinced that their new home may be haunted. With help from her new boyfriend IAN, Kim investigates the tortured history of the apartment, discovering a string of disappearances of former residents, a murder mystery from half a century ago, and an ancient curse that threatens to possess Izzy and kill Kim.

Reviews
  • Aiptcomics.com: Adaptation of J-Horror novel brings tension & scares. Accomplishes exactly what it needs to.
  • Bandsaboutmovies.com: Jagger invests the film with a brooding, eerie atmosphere, though, serving up some solid visuals and suspenseful set pieces.
  • Battleroyalewithcheese.com: an original adaptation which firmly sets the scene.
  • Dennisschwartzreviews.com: It’s indie film smart. The production values are solid. The acting is on the money.
  • Fearsmag.com: Skillfully scripted and features some excellent visuals.
  • Filmcarnage.com: Builds a sinister, creeping darkness, and holds a great tension in its chilling moments.
  • Highonfilms.com: A gripping tale that ebbs and flows between being a teenage drama and a thrilling horror movie.
  • Reelreviews.com: gets a lot of its intensity from the atmosphere it creates as something is still alive within the walls!
  • Scariesthings.com: A solid new entry in the apartment horror sub-genre.
  • Searchmytrash.com: A very cool piece of slowburn haunted house type horror that really has all the mystery and all the scares in all the right places.
  • Vsmoviepodcast.com: Room 203 is a highly enjoyable, effective horror/thriller.

Son

Horror
Available on VOD: 4 november 2021
Director: Ivan Kavanagh
Cast: Andi Matichak (Halloween, Halloween Kills), Emile Hirsch (Lone Survivor, Killer Joe, Into the Wild), Luke David Blumm (The Sinner)

Having escaped from a cult as a child, a mother must face her past when its sinister members break into her home and attempt to steal her eight-year-old son, David. Now the two are on the run pursued by a detective determined to save them both.
Since his aborted kidnapping something has changed in David and the boy has succumbed to a mysterious illness. Following her maternal instincts to save him, his mother commits unspeakable acts to keep him alive but is losing the battle. Soon, she has to decide how far she is willing to go to save her son, as some bonds run deeper than blood.

Reviews
  • Variety.com: Twisty, violent, well-crafted.
  • Screenrant.com: An unsettling fever-dream drenched in unspeakable acts that leave viewers on edge until the end.
  • Latimes.com: An amped-up version of everyday parental paranoia. This is ultimately a movie about a woman who loves her child so intensely that she becomes irrational - and dangerous.
  • Behindthelensonline.net: Twisted and terrifying.
  • Flickeringmyth.com: The performances become more layered and devastating. A twisted exercise.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: A rather glorious horror experience and definitely a horror highlight of 2021 so far!
  • Horrorfuel.com: The pacing is near-perfect, from the film’s gripping opening to its incredibly creepy final scene.
  • Jumpcutonline.co.uk: Your mind is plagued with intrigue towards Laura’s past from the first sequence, and its relatively steady pace unravels towards an eye-widening climax.
  • Markreviewsmovies.com: A chilling and occasionally gruesome piece of horror about paranoia.
  • Readysteadycut.com: Gripping, tense, bloody, and distinctly dark.
  • Screenrant.com: A thrilling ride into the bloodied entrails of terror and paranoia.
  • Thehollywoodnews.com: With echoes of Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and The Babadook, Son is a forever twisting tale of terror and trauma, featuring some excellent performances across the board.
  • Spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com: It blurs the fine line between reality and darkness while bringing us a story of pain and suffering that will see no happy ending.
  • Worldfilmgeek.com: a jaw-dropping finale.

Stoker Hills

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 7 juli 2022
Director: Benjamin Louis
Cast: Tony Todd (The Man from Earth, The Rock), Steffani Brass (Six Feet Under), David Gridley (The Duff), Vince Hill-Bedford, William Lee Scott (The Magnificent Seven)

Three college students set out to film a horror movie for their final class project, but during filming something goes terribly wrong. They suddenly find themselves in a nightmare worse than they could have written. Luckily, some of the footage of their abduction is captured on a camera that is later found by two detectives. It’s now a race against time as the detectives must use clues in the video to rescue the students and uncover the identity of their kidnapper. As the detectives get closer to their location, they find themselves in the middle of a dense forest on the outskirts of Stoker Hills, and what they uncover is far worse than anything the town has ever seen.

Reviews
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: An offbeat and enjoyable mix of found footage and conventional footage as well as a mix of horror, thriller and police procedural. A great job.
  • Carlosdev.wordpress.com: Enjoyable horror-thriller with a fair amount of gore and enough interest in the plot to keep one watching until the very end.
  • Taliesinttlg.blogspot.com: Definitely worth a watch.
  • Mybloodyreviews.com: Something different within the found-footage genre by actually having cops look into the footage that has been found and trace the missing youngsters.
  • Scaredsheepless.wordpress.com: If you are looking for something trying something new and not outstaying its welcome, you may well find something worthwhile within Stoker Hills.
  • Leisurebyte.com: The gratuitous amount of body horror and the blood and gore does push us to really be invested and be scared for the missing students. Twisty Story Keeps It Engaging.

The Stylist

Horror
Available on VOD: 9 september 2021
Director: Jill Gevargizian
Cast: Najarra Townsend (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Brea Grant (Eastsiders, Lucky)

Everyone dreams of being someone else, but for Claire, that dream goes from an obsession to a living nightmare. Her job as a hairstylist allows her to move in and out of other people’s worlds, but when the right target sits in her chair, she does more than observe the client’s life – she ends it and keeps a permanent souvenir. Her lonely life, meticulous method, and shocking secrets are suddenly thrown into turmoil when her regular client, Olivia, asks her to style her hair for her wedding.

Reviews
  • Imaginefilmfestival.nl: Als de levens van de twee vrouwen met elkaar verstrengeld raken, belandt de film pas echt op verontrustend terrein en wordt dan ook voor de kijker pijnlijk. De twee hoofdrolspeelsters zijn voortreffelijk.
  • Bfi.org.uk: a cut-throat hairdresser horror story.
  • Badfeelingmag.com: A haunting and empathetic serial killer thriller.
  • Gobeyondtheveil.co.uk: her mix of surreal aesthetics and twisted, psychological horror is exactly what the genre needs right now.
  • Bloodygoodhorror.com: An elegant crescendo of madness.
  • Butwhythopodcast.com: The Stylist will surely make many horror fans’ “Best Horror Films of 2020” lists and I for one am extremely excited. 9/10.
  • Cgmagonline.com: Gevargizian’s feature is terrifying and moody and dares us to sympathize with a psycho killer.
  • Entertainment-focus.com: A seriously chilling horror that will linger on in your mind for days after you’ve seen it.
  • Fleapitsandpicturepalaces.blogspot.com: destined to be one of the genre highlights of 2021.
  • Haddonfieldhorror.com: a uniquely feminine and sympathetic take on the well worn obsessed female friend trope.
  • Horrorcultfilms.co.uk: the best ending from any film of the festival.
  • Horrorigins.com: A well-scripted, gorgeously shot film, oozing with pathos and human emotion. Add the film to your must-watch list for 2021.
  • Loudandclearreviews.com: A suspenseful serial killer origin story that all horror fans should savor.
  • Moviesinfocus.com: Richly layered and brilliantly characterised, The Stylist is a wonderful off-beat horror film.
  • Ocmoviereviews.com: stunning performance by Townsend, the superb attention to detail.
  • Itsblogginevil.com: clipping thriller with a hair-raising performance by Najarra Townsend.
  • Warped-perspective.com: A thoughtfully-composed horror story, as compassionate as it is grisly, with careful, plausible characters and an ending which feels both incredibly OTT and somehow inevitable.
  • Trueviewreviews.com: a psychologically complex macabre tale with richly developed characters.
  • Themoviewaffler.com: boasts one of the most demented antagonists of recent horror movies, but also one of the most sympathetic.

Talk To Me

Horror
Available on VOD: 16 november 2023
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Miranda Otto (Lord of the Rings, War of the Worlds)

When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living.

Reviews
  • 95% FRESH op Rotten Tomatoes!
  • RTL Boulevard / Tim Oliehoek: Beste horrorfilm van 2023. Bekijk het item hier.
  • Telegraaf.nl: Talk to Me is een film die de luide buzz, die begon op het Festival van Sundance, weet waar te maken. Een beklemmende, effectieve en onvergelijkbare aanwinst in een genre dat de afgelopen jaren te weinig nieuwe impulsen kende. Lees de hele review en een interview met de regisseurs hier.
  • AD.nl: Wurgende horrorhit Talk to me is de Evil dead voor de TikTok-generatie (****). Lees de hele review hier.
  • Volkskrant.nl: Een zowel beklemmende als gruwelijke horrorfilm over de wurggreep van rouw. De hellevaart van regisseurs Danny en Michael Philippou kent geen enkel taboe of creatieve rem (****). Lees de hele review hier.
  • NPO3.nl: Wanneer je over een nieuwe horrorfilm hoort dat hij de engste of beste van het jaar is, denk je inmiddels: yeah right, zal wel. Maar het debuut Talk to Me van de Australische YouTubers Danny en Michael Philippou is écht heel tof en écht creepy. Lees de hele review hier.
  • DeCorrespondent.nl: Talk to Me kan zo in het lijstje van horrorfilms die het genre de afgelopen jaren nieuw leven hebben ingeblazen, samen met andere aanraders Nope, Smile en Pearl. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Filmkrant: Een uiterst efficiënte schrikmachine, die een slimme moderne twist geeft aan het aloude genre van possession-horror en waar de lol van het maken aan alle kanten vanaf spat. Lees de hele review hier.
  • VPROGids.nl: Australische horrorhit Talk to Me grijpt je bij de keel (****). Lees de hele review hier.
  • Gids.tv: Talk to Me heeft naargeestige humor met zeer gruwelijke (schrik)momenten en een ijzersterke twist die vrijwel nog nooit vertoond is. Kortom: we kunnen wel stellen dat deze productie nu al dé moderne horrorklassieker van onze tijd is. Vier en halve ster. Lees de hele review hier.
  • PU.nl: Horrorfanaat Rogina durft echter nu al met zekerheid te zeggen dat Talk To Me de beste horrorfilm van dit jaar is. Lees de hele review hier.
  • SchokkendNieuws.nl: De Philippou’s halen de hele cinematische trukendoos leeg om de spanning aan te houden. Dus roep wat vrienden bij elkaar en ga naar de bios, Lees de hele review hier.
"een uiterst efficiënte schrikmachine, die een slimme moderne twist geeft aan het aloude genre van possession-horror en waar de lol van het maken aan alle kanten vanaf spat"

Terrifier

Horror
Available on VOD: 16 augustus 2018
Director: Damien Leone
Cast: Jenna Kanell (The Bye Bye Man), Catherine Corcoran (Amityville Vanishing Point), David Howard Thornton, Samantha Scaffidi (The Demon Hole)

In for a Pennywise, in for another pound of blood-dripping flesh. You thrilled to IT, now chill to Art the maniacal clown of all your worst nightmares. Appearing initially in director Damien Leone’s 2008 short THE 9th CIRCLE, then the 2011 award-winning short TERRIFIER, horrifying Art returns for his first full-length frightener. Here Leone delivers all the gore and much more in this slasher exploitation extravaganza that’s both lip-smackingly disturbing and screamingly shocking. For Art is back on the silent prowl ready to terrorise three young women on Halloween night and anybody who stands in his dismembering way.

Reviews
  • ImagineFilmFestival.nl: Bestaan ze nog; horrorfilms die bewust akelig en bloederig zijn, niet geschikt voor mensen met een zwak gestel, maar bedoeld voor de echte fans? Absoluut, en Damien Leone's Terrifier is daar een overtuigend bewijs van. Hij koos ervoor het grootste deel van zijn vermoedelijk bescheiden budget te besteden aan practical effects, en dat is te zien. In wezen is dit 84 minuten lang stalken en slashen, en die eenvoud werkt perfect. De film is buitengewoon bloederig en clown Art steekt Pennywise naar de kroon.
  • JoBlo.com: It's a thrilling, brutal, gory '80s throwback. I could see Art the Clown being embraced by the horror community in a major way. He's got a memorable look, he's scary, and he kills people real good. 8/10!
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: The real star of this movie is obviously Art the Clown. I'd honestly rank him among the scariest clowns in horror, if not the creepiest ever. A huge crowd-pleaser. Packed with gore and featuring one of the coolest clown villains I've seen in a long time, Terrifier was a treat for anyone seeking a bloodbath.
  • Bloody-flicks.co.uk: Leone's mission was to create a truly unsettling horror film and he succeeds with bloody glee as Terrifier is certainly a film that will stay with you long after those credits have rolled.
  • FilmInquiry.com: Art is a gorgeously disturbing vision.
  • Flickeringmyth.com: Backed up with a pulsing synth score, dark gallows humour and a concise 81-minute running time, Terrifier is an extremely satisfying horror movie.Taut, nightmarishly unsafe, mercilessly brutal, and at times pretty stylish for a grindhouse throwback.
  • The Artful Critic: quickly grows into an endlessly tense experience for the viewer.
  • Modernhorrors.com: A tour de force of mayhem and disgust.
  • En nog veel meer: klik hier.

Terrifier 2

Horror
Available on VOD: 19 januari 2023
Director: Damien Leone
Cast: Lauren LaVera (Iron Fist), David Howard Thornton, Kailey Hyman (A Man Called Ottto), Elliott Fullam

One year after the now infamous Miles County Massacre,serial killer Art the Clown returns to wreak havoc on abereaved family.Guided by a demonic apparition, Art targetsa teenage girl and her younger brother. As the lines betweennightmare and reality intersect and the body count rises,the siblings discover a dark family secret which may lead totheir salvation and put an end to Art's reign of terror.

Reviews
  • AD: Vergeleken met de sadistische seriemoordenaar Art de Clown uit de Terrifier-films, is de geschminkte griezel uit Stephen King’s It een onschuldige Sesamstraatbewoner. Lees de hele review én een interview met de regisseur hier.
  • Het Parool: Grensoverschrijdende enverboden gruwel die de absolute antithese is van beschaving. Lees de hele review hier.
  • De Volkskrant: Het los te bekijken, superieure vervolg op Terrifier. Steunend op de even akelige als komische expressiviteit van clown-vertolker David Howard Thornton, verheft regisseur Damien Leone de slachtpartijen tot kunstwerken van een haast droomachtige wanstaltigheid. 4/5 sterren! Lees de hele review hier.
  • NRC.nl: Sinds de martelporno-rage in de jaren nul zag je zoveel bloedvergieten nog maar zelden in de bioscoop. Monster van dienst is Art the Clown, een bovennatuurlijke, sadistische horrorclown met een smaakvol zwart-witkostuum en dito gebit die zijn slachtoffers tot gehakt rult. Hoewel verbaal minder begaafd dan clown Pennywise uit It, herinnert zijn modus operandi aan hem en Freddy Krueger. Gescalpeerd, geamputeerd, zonder ogen en in repen gesneden blijven de slachtoffers wriemelen en gillen. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Nachtvlinders.nl: Terrifier 2 is een fantastische slasher. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Stephen King: Grossin’ you out old-school.
  • Cinemagazine.nl: Kotsende bioscoopbezoekers, flauwvallende mensen en een discussie over de grenzen van fatsoen. Yep, Terrifier 2 heeft een hoop losgemaakt! De slachtpartijen zijn creatief en snoeihard. Zuur, afgerukte huid en bijtplekken: dit is geen kinderachtige film. Geweldig spel van de schurk en een mooi ingevulde rol van LaVera. Lees de hele review hier.
  • Filmthreat.com: We haven’t had a movie this dangerous in the theaters in a long time, and its presence is both important and historical in the history of extreme cinema. This movie will bite your face off.
  • IGN.com: Rips, tears, hacks, shreds, butchers, disembowels, decapitates, devours, pulverizes, tenderizes, slices, dices, skewers — I'm missing plenty — and knock-em-out-dead eviscerates the current competition.
  • Bloodgutsuk.com: a milestone in horror and proves that there's plenty more to give and that Art the Clown is the most terrifying icon the genre has to offer.
  • Backseatmafia.com: Terrifier 2 is bloody and brutal. It takes no prisoners and spares no victims. It’s also brilliant.
  • Kibsreviews.blogspot.com: As grimy, gnarly video nasties go, Terrifier 2 is the stuff. It has no more substance than it needs. It’s very successful at what it wants to be.
  • Elementsofmadness.com: It is so rare for a sequel to, dare I say it, be superior to the original movie, but Damien Leone manages to pull that off. There is so much to enjoy and indulge in as this sequel fires on all cylinders.
  • Joshatthemovies.com: Bigger, nastier, and more fun, each creative death sequence goes preposterously over-the-top. There were times when I could barely believe what I was seeing.
  • Liveforfilm.com: Damien Leone’s Art the Clown epic is a splatter slasher full of absolutely insane levels of butchery realised with incredible practical effects. Over the top, out of control and off the rails, Terrifier 2 is totally wild!
https://www.ad.nl/show/flauwvallende-bioscoopbezoekers-door-horrorfilm-maar-regisseur-wil-geen-rotgevoel-geven~aba13dea/Vergeleken met de sadistische seriemoordenaar Art de Clown uit de Terrifier-films, is de geschminkte griezel uit Stephen King’s It een onschuldige Sesamstraatbewoner. 

They Crawl Beneath

Horror
Available on VOD: 27 oktober 2022
Director: Dale Fabrigar
Cast: Michael Par (The Philadelphia Experiment, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Virgin Suicides), Joseph Almani, Karlee Eldridge (Ballers)

Danny is a young cop working on his Uncle Bill’sclassic vintage car on a secluded ranch when a major earthquake hits. Uncle Bill is crushed, and Danny becomes trapped under the car, creating a claustrophobic nightmare. The situation intensifies when something horrifying emerges out of the cracks in the ground that leaves Danny fighting for his life.

Reviews
  • Elementsofmadness.com: takes a swing for the fences.
  • Flickattack.com: The practical worms look terrifying.Horrorfuel.com: An emotional, character-driven call back to the environmentally conscious fright flicks of the sinister ’70s.
  • Jbspins.com: The practical, slimy effects are great.
  • Reviewsanddunn.info: a decent homage to the fifties-style creature feature.
  • Scifihistory.net: their gaping teeth-filled maws - what matter most - are the stuff of nightmares.  Fangs.  Bug spit.  Screeches.  The whole nine yards.
  • Searchmytrash.com: a character-driven, claustrophobic story that does have more to offer than just monster action, and a very solid ensemble cast, aided by a subtle directorial effort, bring this to life quite beautifully, making it pretty good genre entertainment.
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: A good creature feature with nasty-looking monsters

The Toll

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 20 mei 2021
Director: Michael Nader
Cast: Jordan Hayes, Max Topplin (Carrie), James McGowan (Total Recall, Suicide Squad), Rosemary Dunsmore (Orphan Black), Paul Kaye (After Life)

A socially awkward driver and a weary passenger they try to make it to their destination while being haunted by a supernatural threat.

Reviews
  • RogerEbert.com: The two leads, the great set-up, and the overall love for the genre embedded in every scene leads to an overall success.
  • Rue-morgue.com: Nader puts well-earned trust in his two leads, as Hayes and Topplin ably engage our sympathy and occasional suspicion as their characters’ situation keeps shifting. As they become more deeply ensnared in the Toll Man’s web, Nader unveils a series of revelations, some of which work and surprise us better than others. Cami and Spencer’s personal histories inevitably come into play, and what we learn about Cami has a low-hanging-fruit feeling when it comes to motivating backstory. While these past circumstances add a bit of depth to the duo, THE TOLL is at its best when it’s observing them in the moment, faced with uncertain and frightening circumstances and just trying to figure out a way to survive the night.

The Unfamiliar

Horror
Available on VOD: 7 januari 2021
Director: Henk Pretorius
Cast: Jemima West (Kidnapping Freddy Heineken), Christopher Dane, Rebecca Hanssen

British Army Doctor, Elizabeth Cormack, returns from war to rekindle her relationship with her estranged family. Izzy notices numerous inexplicable activities in her house that her husband believes are due to her suffering from PTSD as a consequence of war. Izzy militantly pieces the daunting puzzle together to reveal a terrifying, invisible enemy that has infested her entire family. In a heroic attempt to save her family, she is pulled into a dark underworld in Hawaii to explore ancient mythology.

Reviews
  • Cinemasmack.com: Entertains for all of its ninety minute runtime. Horror fans should certainly give The Unfamiliar a shot as it doesn't disappoint.
  • Carlosdev.wordpress.com: I love those psychological horror films where the main character may or may not be going insane. This is one of those.
  • Darkeyesoflondon.blogspot.com: The Unfamiliar looks very good.
  • Gingernutsofhorror.com: builds an interesting mythology, has moments of tension, action, strong character development, is marketable, and has plenty other qualities.
  • Horrorfuel.com: Looks terrific, with splendid cinematography — including some crisp underwater sequences. Well made.
  • Thegrumpofhorror.wordpress.com: With good performances and a couple of good surprising developments in the story, I did enjoy the film.
  • Scariesthings.com: A clever take on what would at first glace feel like a conventional ghost story / psychological horror tale. It ends up spinning things in a way that is surprisingly satisfying and ends up being exactly as the title suggests: Unfamiliar.

We Are Still Here

Horror
Available on VOD: 8 december 2015
Director: Ted Geoghegan
Cast: Barbara Crampton (You're Next, Re-Animator), Monte Markham, Larry Fessenden (I Sell the Dead, Hellbenders), Andrew Sensenig (I Love You Phillip Morris, W.), Lisa Marie (Planet of the Apes, Mars Attacks!), Susan Gibney

After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the quiet New England countryside to try to start a new life for themselves. But the grieving couple unknowingly becomes the prey of a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their new home, and before long they discover that the seemingly peaceful town they've moved into is hiding a terrifyingly dark secret. Now they must find a way to overcome their sorrow and fight back against both the living and dead as the malicious ghosts threaten to pull their souls - and the soul of their lost son - into hell with them.

Reviews
  • Sound On Sight names We Are Still Here one of the 15 best films at Fantasia! Read the full article here.
  • HollywoodReporter.com: Although the film moves slowly at first, the scares begin picking up after an ill-advised attempt at a seance that naturally goes horribly wrong. And hell really breaks loose in the final act boasting enough bloody gore to appease modern-day fans. Showcasing juicy performances by its actors who tear into their stock roles with admirable conviction, the film looks terrific.
  • Variety.com: Genre fans with a sense of history should make this entertaining chiller a sought-after item. Houses seldom get haunted this well.
  • RogerEbert.com: Once the viewer finds him or herself comfortable with the idea that it's going for mildly-spine-tingling rather than gut-punching and eyeball-violating, all holy hell breaks loose. Which in this case turns out to be a pretty hellishly good thing. The scares and the shocks work very well with the twists of the plot, which are within the boundaries of conventional genre fare but are pulled off with panache and some not-displeasing variation. Also exceptional is the use of a dirty white canvas contractor's tarp hanging off a wall in the grand finale, which really puts the expected exploded organic matter that hits it into bold relief. More than a mere homage, "We Are Still Here" is the kind of movie you wish you could take back in time with you and project in your favorite 42nd Street grindhouse.
  • Filmschoolrejects.com: We Are Still Here is familiar in many ways, but a clear love for the genre and a ridiculously bloody third act go a long way towards making it a memorable entry in the haunted house canon. Geoghegan shows his knowledge and wit without forgetting to embrace the horror of it all, and he delivers old-school terrors without the need for stylized reminders or ironic appreciations. And it's worth saying again that the damn thing made me jump — and I don't ever jump. The Upside: Legitimate jump scares; solid and plentiful practical gore effects; strong atmosphere; shows love and affection for genre; Monte Markham.
  • Dailydead.com: A wonderfully weird, gory and full of heart and poignancy, We Are Still Here is an assured and well-crafted debut from Geoghegan that's clearly a heartfelt love letter embracing what genre fans enjoy most about horror movies. While it may initially seem like a story we've seen before within the genre, We Are Still Here does an incredible job of taking all the right risks with the film's balls-out third act that makes it a truly inventive standout amongst its supernatural peers of late.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Nowadays it's hard to make an effective haunted house movie as we've pretty much seen it all. They range from extremely minimalistic to over-the-top silly. We Are Still Here hits the sweet spot effortlessly and is a horror film that is not only firing on all cylinders but delivers on all counts. Keep your eyes out for this one. It's an old school spookshow that is NOT to be missed!
  • DVDTalk.com: Featuring an insanely large bloodbath, We Are Still Here finally focuses on the house. It isn't a necessarily scary conclusion, but it's thrilling and entertaining in every way. Horror audiences will be sure to be going wild for this ridiculously over-the-top finale.
  • Efilmcritic.com: Houses seldom get haunted this well. Has a strange alchemy that makes an audience lean in a little closer, half-knowing what's going to happen but drawn to the details of it. It makes for a terrific little thriller, a quality piece of genre work that pushes all the right buttons in the right order.
  • Fangoria.com: an impressive feat, but what elevates WE ARE STILL HERE even further is the way it manages, from first line to very last, to imbue its exploration of the outer extremes of darkness and horror with a real poignancy, heart and humanity. Modern horror could use a whole lot more of that kind of multidimensional boldness. Here's hoping this isn't the last trip audiences are able to take with Geoghegan and Co.
  • Nextprojection.com: We Are Still Here is a celebration of the horror of a bygone era, with enough passion, inspiration, and elbow grease to show that it can still be bizarrely gross and terribly entertaining.
  • Thefilmstage.com: We Are Still Here gives us a fun romp that has a bloody finale. In addition to the wicked creature design, with the demons even having a smoldering glow, and wonderful performers, the rich history of the house and embrace of gore left this horror fan in a good mood afterward. Short and fun, this is a film that shows someone with a nice balance of reverence and the ability to establish his own charm.
  • Bloodguts.co.uk: As far as creepy goes, this is up there as one of the scariest films this year and it's a surprise that this is Geoghegan's first film. In between the blood soaking and weird happenings, the central cast manage to hold together the film with minimal effort as 84 minutes of terror is pretty persistent. This is a no-holds barred horror that goes from creepy to kickass yet never loses charm.
  • Britflicks.com: Geohegan bucks the modern horror trend of cheap jump scares by employing measured, lingering shots that force you to look at some things a little longer than you’d want to.  It’s a stylistic choice that puts him fully in control when he has to ramp up the pace as the film flies towards the finale. This level of confidence and elegance make him one to watch out for at future Frightfests.

What Keeps You Alive

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 20 december 2018
Director: Colin Minihan
Cast: Brittany Allen (Jigsaw, Bomb Girls, Dead Before Dawn), Hannah Emily Anderson (Jigsaw), Martha MacIsaac (Superbad, The Last House on the Left), Joey Klein (Painless)

On the eve of their one year wedding anniversary, Jules and Jackie become embroiled in a merciless fight for their lives when they find themselves pitted against the most unexpected of adversaries: each other. As violence rains down upon their idyllic forest getaway, the women engage in a frenzied psychological and vicious battle that will test the very limits of their instinct to survive.

WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE is a knife to the throat of 21st century genre cinema, featuring the stars of 2017’s reinvigorated franchise juggernaut, JIGSAW. From the mind of Colin Minihan, director of GRAVE ENCOUNTERSand IT STAINS THE SANDS RED.

Reviews
  • Screendependent.be: Regisseur Colin Minihan slaagt er wel in de kijker van de eerste seconde tot het allerlaatste beeld op het puntje van diens stoel te doen zitten. What Keeps You Alive is trouwens ook een ‘menselijke’ horrorfilm en dat maakt het allemaal nog beter. Hele review hier.
  • Variety.com: an entertaining and well-crafted effort from a resourceful indie team who’ve scored enough respectable base hits to date.NYTimes.com: Ms. Allen and Ms. Anderson deliver ferocious physical performances, explicating fear and dread in their movements with such precision that this movie would be coherent even without sound. Then it takes a left turn that accelerates the shocks, transforming a mood piece into an action-filled, cat-and-mouse stalker film.
  • LATimes.com: Allen and Anderson are outstanding in roles that require a lot of levels and moods, as the central relationship goes from loving to shaky to … well, something else.
  • Blu-ray.com: it’s terrific. It’s a wicked, somewhat surprising chiller from writer/director Colin Minihan, who impressed mightily with "It Stains the Sands Red".  An impressive feature, and one that will likely delight those in the mood for something merciless and feral.
  • Efilmcritic.com:  Julie gets put through the wringer and the audience is with her every step of the way, even during the bad decisions. Anderson attacks the physical parts of the role with an enjoyable efficiency, drops darkly funny observations in perfectly dry fashion, and lets out a sort of glee when she finally gets the upper hand.
  • Indiewire.com: A chilling look at the unraveling of a relationship, and what happens when inner demons come bubbling to the surface to turn betrayal into bloodshed, bolstered by superb performances and some truly shocking twists.
  • RogerEbert.com (1): The best of the four is Colin Minihan's What Keeps You Alive, a film with a truly clever turn in that it starts feeling like it's taking the audience in one direction and then takes a sharp right angle into something else entirely.
  • RogerEbert.com (2): As a thriller, “What Keeps You Alive” is effectively eerie and unnerving. There are tense moments hinting at something wrong with Jackie, but nothing as bad as her unforgivable act of violence and the psychological torture that ensues. Allen is so convincing and empathetic as Jules. Her bewilderment at the situation is pitiable, and her determination to survive her killer has us cheering for her next counterattack. The movie is on the side of its survivor, even if it puts her through hell first.
  • GlideMagazine.com: A psychologically harrowing, intense film that grabs on tight and never lets go. Alternately heartbreaking and terrifying, Minihan has emerged as a potential master of horror and suspense. Then tension builds to a relentless, gut wrenching level as more and more twisted secrets are revealed and the film rockets towards its conclusion.
  • Theverge.com: The film makes a strong argument for the value of artistry in horror. Stark colors and an active camera, chasing or leading the characters, give the whole film a sense of intensity and dynamism. Terrific leads and a dedication to memorable imagery keeps What Keeps You Alive fresh.
  • Theplaylist.net: Colin Minihan's absolutely gorgeous thriller is best seen with as little knowledge of its plot as possible, but it drops hints about what's coming in both dialogue and mood well before the ax falls - and the blood splatters. An incredibly beautiful and brutal horror film.
  • Culturecrypt.com: The "Black Rock" meets "Single White Female" vibe of "What Keeps You Alive" makes it one of the best in show for its category, as consistently appears to be the case when Colin Minihan's team is involved.
  • Bloody-Disgusting.com: What Keeps You Alive is a solid thriller that works more often than it doesn't thanks to the performances of Anderson and Allen. Those, combined with Minihan's skilled direction, make for one of the better survival horror films to come out recently. A tense and Darkly Humorous Tale of Betrayal.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Undeniably tense with electrifying performances from both Allen and Anderson. What Keeps You Alive is a captivating and unsettling reminder that true love may not always be a two-way street.
  • Filmjournal.com: Writer-director Colin Minihan’s thriller is tightly plotted and delivers a couple of terrific shocks, shocks that are firmly rooted in character. Anderson and Allen deserve particular credit: Jackie and Jules are well-written characters—particularly in a genre where women tend to be final girls or mangled corpses-in-waiting—but the actresses' performances have a specificity that makes them memorable.
  • Pastemagazine.com: What Keeps You Alive’s forthright quality feels refreshing, and Minihan’s craft is a major plus, too. A mortal struggle between Jules and Jackie is heard, not seen, as Minihan aims his camera up at the ceiling on the cabin’s ground floor. He tracks across the beams, capturing the bumps and thuds of protagonist and antagonist scrapping with each other. Gestures like that make What Keeps You Alive worth watching on their own merit. Nothing elevates genre better than sharp filmmaking.
  • FlickeringMyth.com: An excellent film. It’s a far more cerebral and heartfelt thriller than most, and there are some nice, gory horror moments thrown in there for good measure.

What Lies Below

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 22 april 2021
Director: Braden R. Duemmler
Cast: Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Ema Horvath, Trey Tucker (The Outpost)

Liberty, a socially awkward sixteen-year-old, returns from two months at camp to a blindsided introduction of her mother’s hunky young fiance, John Smith, whose charm, intelligence, and beauty paint the picture of a man too perfect to be human. Is he something else…?

Reviews
  • RogerEbert.com: Memorably creepy, has some swing-for-the-fences chutzpah.
  • Cinemarvellous.com: Surprisingly good for a B-movie, and it has some interesting ideas up its sleeve.
  • Culturecrypt.com: I definitely dig the grim ending.
  • Heavenofhorror.com: If you like indie movies that mix genres in all the best ways, then do check out What Lies Below.
  • Horrorfuel.com: What Lies Below serves up enough head-scratching moments (in the good way) and unexpected reveals to make it a recommended watch.
  • Horrorbuzz.com: What mainly makes What Lies Below succeed is the masterful building of suspense.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: The creep factor in What Lies Below holds steady.
  • Rabbit-reviews.com: A fun movie.
  • Screenrant.com: effectively delivers slow, creepy, atmospheric dread and some sleek thrills.
  • Voicesfromthebalcony.com: An enjoyable creature feature.
  • Worldfilmgeek.com: Some great performances by Ema Horvath, Trey Tucker, and Mena Suvari help drive the film and that ending is unforgettable.

When Evil Lurks

Horror
Available on VOD: 28 oktober 2024
Director: Demin Rugna
Cast: Ezequiel Rodrguez, Demin Salomn, Silvina Sabater

When brothers Pedro (Ezequiel Rodríguez) and Jimmy (Demián Salomón) discover that a demonic infection has been festering in a nearby farmhouse — its very proximity poisoning the local livestock — they attempt to evict the victim from their land. Failing to adhere to the proper rites of exorcism, their reckless actions inadvertently trigger an epidemic of possessions across their rural community. Now they must outrun an encroaching evil as it corrupts and mutilates everyone it is exposed to, and enlist the aid of a wizened “cleaner,” who holds the only tools that can stop this supernatural plague.

Reviews
  • Jan “Mr. Horror” Doense zegt: “De beste horrorfilm van het jaar. Punt. Ik heb in tijden geen film gezien die zó onder de huid kruipt en die zulke effectieve en brute jump scares bevat.”
  • Schokkendnieuws.nl: When Evil Lurks is voor de geharde horrorfan die geen kotszakje nodig heeft.
  • DeFilmRecensent.nl: When Evil Lurks is niet alleen anders maar ook gewoon goed. Rugna legt in het begin niets uit en laat het verhaal zichzelf vertellen. De actie is snel op niveau en dan gaat When Evil Lurks er volledig voor.
  • Modernmyths.nl: Gruwelijk goede Argentijnse horror. Buiten al het demonisch geweld en de grimmige shots is When Evil Lurks ook gewoon fun.
  • Slashfilm.com: This is a movie that is both familiar and fresh. Scary, yes, but mostly disturbing, gory, smart, quite expansive, and all around created in the bowels of hell itself.
  • Nytimes.com: A dark and timely parable about what happens when trust - among community members, within families, between a government and its people - disintegrates.
  • MovieNation: One of the most original horror films of recent memory and a pretty convincing argument to turn out the lights when you’re not using them.
  • Polygon.com: 2023’s most unnerving horror release.
  • RogerEbert.com: Gets great power from occasionally dropping into gory, gnarly insanity. It’s an admirably vicious piece of work.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: Will haunt viewers, like the awful suffering of the characters, long after the film is over.
  • Inverse.com: A possession thriller unlike any that you’ve likely seen before... It's one of the boldest, most viscerally intense, and unpredictable horror movies of the year.
  • 97% op Rotten Tomatoes met maar liefst 116 reviews. Lees meer quotes hier.

The Wretched

Horror
Available on VOD: 22 oktober 2020
Director: Brett Pierce
Cast: John-Paul Howard (Hell or High Water), Piper Curda, Jamison Jones (General Hospital), Azie Tesfai (Supergirl)

A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parent's imminent divorce, faces off with athousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman nextdoor.

Reviews
  • Denachtvlinders.nl: een lekker vermakelijke horrorfilm.
  • Filmliefhebber.com: een horrorfilm die vooral uitblinkt in spannende en angstaanjagende fragmenten.
  • SchokkendNieuws.com: een geslaagde verrassing.
  • Telegraaf.nl: vlot wegkijkend horrorwerkje.
  • Movieaddicts.nl: Ik heb nog geen betere horrorfilm in de bioscoop gezien dit jaar.
  • Variety.com: The film successfully mixes together a lot of things, from the waterfront tourist-town setting of "Jaws" to a general teen fantasy-adventure feel that tempers (without weakening) horror content variably redolent of "It, ""Fright Night" and myriad other predecessors. If originality isn’t a strong suit here, the film’s conviction and polish make that a minor sin.
  • 28dayslateranalysis.com: Not to be missed, The Wretched provides lots of chills and a great story to entertain film fans. 8/10.
  • Bloody-disgusting.com: Gruesome makeup effects presents a creepy, monstrous take on a classic witch. One that's deeply submersed in nature and folkloric origins. The Pierce brothers have delivered a new dark fairy tale that the midnight crowds will enjoy.
  • Culturecrypt.com: “Evil Dead” energy keeps poking into every corner it can. Excellent effects and exceptional sound design make certain that energy burns hot. The Wretched delivers a viciously visceral experience by pounding out grotesque gurgles to go with sick sights like diseased animal guts falling onto the floor.
  • Dreadcentral.com: Truly unique supernatural concepts and effective scares. The Pierce duo has injected awesome new ideas into the underexplored witchcraft subgenre.
  • LATimes.com: Equally indebted to Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg and a mishmash of '80s horror films only the directors themselves could comprehensively name-check, "The Wretched" is a fresh horror film built out of familiar parts.

You Are Not My Mother

Horror, Thriller
Available on VOD: 9 februari 2023
Director: Kate Dolan
Cast: Hazel Doupe (Calm with Horses), Carolyn Bracken (The Lodgers), Paul Reid (Never Grow Old, Vikings)

It’s the week before Halloween and Char’s mother, Angela, has inexplicably disappeared. All that remains is her abandoned car. When she returns home without explanation the following evening, it becomes clear to Char and her grandmother, Rita, that something is amiss. She might look and sound the same but Angela’s behaviour has become increasingly frightening, as if she has been replaced by a malevolent force. When Halloween arrives, a night steeped in ancient myth and legend, Char realises that she is the only one who can save her, even if it means potentially losing her forever.

Reviews
  • Cinemagazine: Een lekker broeierig sfeertje van onbehagen dat diep onder je huid kruipt. Je voelt doorlopend dat er iets gruwelijk mis is, maar blijft als kijker lange tijd in het ongewisse over het precieze hoe en wat.. Lees de hele review hier.
  • TheGuardian.com: Intense performances by Doupe and Bracken give it a real emotional pulse.
  • Variety.com: A coolly unsettling but also deep-feeling horror film, one that keeps the ordinary and the extraordinary in tense, tetchy balance throughout.
  • TheNewYorkTimes.com: Imaginative and spooky, You Are Not My Mother shows just how frightening - and stigmatizing - a parent's mental illness can be to a child.
  • RogerEbert.com: So effective and emotional, a dedicated portrait of trauma passed down through generations.
  • TheWrap.com: With striking scares, moody atmosphere, and impressive performances, You Are Not My Mother gradually reveals itself to be a wicked, wicked work of horror.
  • LosAngelesTimes.com: At once deeply creepy and strangely moving.
  • DailyGrindhouse.com: an eerie new entry in the folk horror subgenre that mixes magic and family trauma to chilling effect.
  • Wegotthiscovered.com: Thisa thought-provoking, hard-hitting debut from Kate Dolan, balancing family drama with supernatural horror steeped in local legend.
  • Eyeforfilm.co.uk: Heartbreaking in places, spine-shudderingly creepy in others, You Are Not My Mother finds both terror and inspiration in the awareness that the world might be bigger and stranger than expected.
  • Ukfilmreview.co.uk: Dolan and a game cast explore the specific pain and yearning that goes along with wanting so badly to save a person you love from themselves. At the same time, they dig into the horror of looking into familiar eyes and finding no one you recognize, but maybe someone who means you harm.
NL EN