Horror Movies
George A. Romero’s Lost 1973 Movie The Amusement Park Gets First Trailer: Watch
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-07T02:05:16+00:00“>May 6, 2021 | 10:05pm ET Three years ago, Guillermo del Toro collaborator Daniel Kraus revealed that George A. Romero’s long lost 1973 horror film The Amusement Park had been discovered and that he had watched a cut. Last year, it screened at a few repertory programs to select viewers. And now, almost 50 years after it was created, the movie has finally gotten its first-ever trailer alongside news that it will stream on Shudder on June 8th. Romero was originally commissioned to direct The Amusement Park by the Lutheran Society, who hoped he could create a film that raised awareness about ageism and elder abuse. The late film icon accepted the task and set ...
What’s Streaming on Shudder in April 2021
Dust off your costumes because Shudder is once again celebrating Halfway to Halloween Month in April. Like last year, the spooky streaming service has curated a candy-coated collection of content that should leave you screaming in pastels. “Some do Christmas in July but at Shudder we celebrate Halloween in April to mark the halfway point to the greatest holiday of the year,” says Craig Engler, general manager of Shudder. “‘Halfway to Halloween Month’ is going to be the biggest month of programming in Shudder history with new movies, series, a killer documentary and more.” He’s not kidding. This month sees the return of both Creepshow and The Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs, the 2021 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards, another four hours of horror nostalgia with In Search of Darkness: Part II, and ...
Southern Culture on the Skids on the Influence of Horror Movies
Kyle Meredith With… Southern Culture on the Skids Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Southern Culture on the Skids frontman Rick Miller hangs out with Kyle Meredith to discuss the band’s new album, At Home with Southern Culture on the Skids. Miller reflects on how the pandemic changed their style of writing and recording. The two also get into the Chapel Hill band’s famous mix of psychedelic sounds, how their love of campy horror movies influenced their music, and being part of I Know What You Did Last Summer. We also hear about covering Dear Mr. Fantasy while taking inspiration from Spacemen 3, the 30th anniversary of Too Much Pork For Just One Fork, and their 2020 release, Kudzu Re...
Jakob’s Wife Sinks Its Fangs Into a Complicated Feminist Message: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Jenn Adams dances in the darkness with Barbara Crampton’s latest feature. The Pitch: Anne Fedder (Barbara Crampton) is the epitome of a church mouse. Married to Pastor Jakob Fedder (Larry Fessenden), she dutifully stands by his side as he cares for his flock and listens to his sermons on what a good wife should be. But something strange is happening to Anne. She’s got a new look, a newfound swagger, a new bite mark on her neck and a new thirst for blood. During a clandestine tryst with a former flame, Anne is attacked by a vampire and begins to transform into one herself. Rather than fea...
Offseason Is a Terrifying Road Trip to Nowhere: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Jenn Adams covers Mickey Keating’s spooky new feature. The Pitch: There’s something mysterious about Lone Palm Island. Marie Aldrich (Jocelin Donahue) and her friend George (Joe Swanberg) head to the island community after receiving a letter from the caretaker of her mother’s grave notifying her that it’s been vandalized. They arrive to find the island closed to tourists for the offseason, not to reopen until Spring. While searching for answers, and for the mysterious caretaker, Marie and George realize they may be the latest to fall into a horrific trap spanning generations. Mickey Keat...
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched Is a Comprehensive, Spellbinding Folk Horror Doc: SXSW Review
Editor’s Note: The following review is part of our coverage of the 2021 South by Southwest Film Festival. Stay tuned for further reviews straight outta Austin — well, virtually, of course. Below, Clint Worthington learns all about folk horror. The Pitch: The history of folk horror is far richer and more expansive than is typically thought of by horror neophytes: More than The Wicker Man and Midsommar, folk horror has its roots all the way back to the 18th century and extends beyond the Anglocentric perspectives of ’70s British horror film fans. Director Kier-La Janisse knows this, and in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, she’ll show you an entire syllabus’ worth of cinematic folk horror from across nations, time periods, and forms of media (folk horror exists on T...
Primal Scream: An Oral History of The Howling
“What if this is a movie where the characters have actually seen a horror movie?” –John Sayles By the dawn of the 1980s, there hadn’t been a genuinely successful werewolf film in years. And in the wake of films like The Last House on the Left and Halloween, which brought horror to the cities and suburbs where most Americans lived, torch-wielding villagers and mythical monsters lurking around the European countryside seemed quant. Even when the cinematic werewolf mythology was occasionally modernized in the 1970s, with films like Werewolves on Wheels and The Werewolf of Washington, the results were lackluster. But just as the sub-genre appeared to lose its bite, The Howling burst onto screens and changed everything. The first in a series of three werewolf-centric films released in 1981 — Wo...
Candyman Is a Manifestation of Generational Trauma
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS Psychoanalysis is a weekly series on the Consequence Podcast Network that takes an in-depth look at a mental health topic through the lens of horror. “I am the writing on the wall, the whisper in the classroom. Without these things, I am nothing. So now, I must shed innocent blood. Come with me.” Today, Jenn, Lara, and Mike say their names five times in the mirror to conclude their series on generational trauma with Bernard Rose’s complicated classic, Candyman. There’s a lot lurking beneath the surface of this ’90s slasher and the conversation covers broad topics such as systemic racism, confronting privilege, and white saviors. Together, they’ll discuss the relationship bet...
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Is the Unholy Marriage of Gothic Horror and Camp
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | RSS Psychoanalysis is a weekly series on the Consequence Podcast Network that takes an in-depth look at a mental health topic through the lens of horror. “I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” With Valentine’s Day looming, Jenn, Mike, and Lara cross oceans of pods to join special guest Gena Radcliffe from the Kill By Kill podcast and The Spool for a comfort horror episode on Francis Ford Coppola’s blockbuster reimagining of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Put on your muscle armor and meet us in the daylight as we talk Victorian horniness and gothic writhing in Coppola’s star-studded adaptation of the classic vampire tale. Gena loves the unique costume design, Lara analyzes the film’s ce...
The Reckoning Is Neil Marshall’s Biggest Whiff Yet: Review
This review was originally part of our coverage of the 2020 Beyond Film Festival. The Pitch: It’s late 17th century England, and although the plague is no longer running as rampant as it once was, a new pandemic has taken over: witchcraft. The era of scapegoating women for anything and everything is prevalent and the main conflict in The Reckoning. Grace Haverstock’s husband has committed suicide, himself afflicted with the plague, and has left Grace and their newborn daughter to care for their small farm. When she falls behind on rent, her landlord attacks her and suggests she make payment with sexual favors. Grace spurns his advances. With his fragile male ego damaged, he accuses her of witchcraft, and Grace is put into bondage and undergoes a series of physical and psychological torture...
John Carpenter’s Lost Themes III Haunts With Urgency: Review
The Lowdown: Six years after returning to the synthesizer for 2015’s Lost Themes, the Master of Horror is back for more with its second sequel: Lost Themes III: Alive After Death. Once again, John Carpenter is working alongside his son Cody Carpenter and his godson Daniel Davies, a collaboration that’s only grown stronger with time. “We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, how to communicate without words, and the process is easier now than it was in the beginning,” Carpenter has stated in press releases leading up to its release, adding: “We’ve matured.” That growth is evident in all 10 tracks of his latest opus, and the tagline is thus: John Carpenter is back, and this time we’re ready. The Good: Synths and piano have forever been the easiest flexes for Carpenter. He didn’t ...
Ben Wheatley’s In The Earth Is a Surprising De Facto Sequel to Annihilation: Review
This review is part of our Sundance 2021 coverage. The Pitch: In The Earth is Ben Wheatley’s welcome return to horror after last year’s Rebecca, his disappointing foray into Netflix-approved gothic romance. The film follows city dwelling scientist Dr Martin Lowery (Joel Fry) and intrepid park scout Alma (Ellora Torchia) as they set out on foot through the Arboreal Forest to investigate the welfare of his colleague Dr. Olivia Wendle (Hayley Squires), who has been radio silent for months. After Martin injures his foot, the pair seek help from Zac (Reece Shearsmith), an enigmatic recluse who has been living illegally in the forest. It quickly becomes clear that not all is right and the pair lose their sense of time and become increasingly disoriented. A dangerous discovery reveals that their ...
