Horror Fuel
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Joseph Perry

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Horror Fuel

Movie Review: “The Silencing”

Director Robin Pront’s serial killer thriller The Silencing is chock full of genre-film tropes and red herrings, but solid performances and crisp cinematography help raise the film to the level of being a perfectly serviceable thriller. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones; Headhunters) stars as Rayburn, an alcoholic former hunter who has transformed his old hunting grounds into a wildlife sanctuary. He is emotionally haunted by the disappearance of his daughter five years earlier. He sees someone heavily disguised on one of his trail cams hunting down a frightened, bleeding young woman and goes in pursuit. The other main character is Sheriff Alice Gustafson, played by Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle; Peaky Blinders). She is so protective of her younger, screw-up brother that she is willing to go beyond just bending the law to keep him out of further trouble. As astute readers might guess, Rayburn and Gustafason cross paths in their mutual quest to determine the identity of the killer and stop

Continue reading →
Aug 14, 2020
Horror Fuel

Five Fantastic U.S. Genre Film Festivals Announce Collective Virtual Event NIGHTSTREAM for October

Film festivals around the world have had to make the difficult choice of either canceling or experimenting with digital versions this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With several fests finding success and in some cases wider audiences with online formats, the trend is growing stronger. Now five highly regarded U.S. horror and genre film themed festivals are joining together to create NIGHTSTREAM with an online launch planned for October. Following is the official press release. Artwork by Sister Hyde In response to the many challenges impacting the film community amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and the concerns of safety and security that presently come with physical exhibition and festivals, a collective online initiative will be launched by organizers of a number of American genre festivals for the upcoming fall season to offer a singular experience for U.S. audiences. Together the Boston Underground Film Festival (MA), Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (NY), North Bend Film Festival (WA), the Overlook Film Festival (LA),

Continue reading →
Aug 13, 2020
Horror Fuel

Directing Duo Nick and Lexie Trivundza Score Sixth FilmQuest Selection with “Danger! Danger!”

Utah’s FilmQuest film festival, which “celebrates the majesty of genre filmmaking in the realms of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the beyond,” has selected an entry from the directing duo of Nick and Lexie Trivundza for the sixth time with the feature film Danger! Danger! Following is the official press release about this intriguing movie. Danger! Danger! is the second feature film by directing duo Nick + Lexie Trivundza and their 6th project to be featured at FilmQuest, one of the best genre film festivals in the world! Danger! Danger! is a love letter to the Spielberg films of the ‘80s that made the directors want to make films in the first place — films like The Goonies, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones. Danger! Danger! is an adventure movie with healthy doses of sci-fi and horror mixed in for good measure making it a super fun ride for the audience! The Trivundza’s previous films to screen at FilmQuest were

Continue reading →
Aug 10, 2020
Horror Fuel

“Rock, Paper and Scissors” and “Two Heads Creek” Among Sixteenth Fantaspoa Awards

The 2020 online version of Fantaspoa Awards have been announced, and the dysfunctional families of the Argentinian chiller Rock, Paper and Scissors and the Australian horror comedy Two Heads Creek are two of the films capturing Best Feature prizes. Following is the official press release listing all of the winners. The sixteenth edition of Fantaspoa was a landmark moment for the long-running genre festival. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, South America’s largest genre film festival marked its first-ever online edition, with free access to all festival content in Brazil. In total, 138 films were exhibited: 49 features and 89 shorts from over 40 countries. The massive virtual event took place from July 24th until August 2nd on the Brazilian streaming platform, Darfklix, and the festival presented two masterclasses along with 21 Q&A’s with filmmakers from around the globe. According to festival directors and producers João Fleck and Nicolas Tonsho, this was certainly the most challenging edition of the festival. After

Continue reading →
Aug 9, 2020
Horror Fuel

Arrow Video FrightFest Announces Its Short Film Showcases

Arrow Video FrightFest has already announced the incredible feature film lineup for its August 2020 digital edition, and now the festival has revealed its intriguing short film program. The shorts are available to watch on demand for U.K. viewers from 6:00 pm August 27th to 9:00 pm August 31st. Following is the fest’s official press release regarding the short film showcases. The films may be short, but there is no shortage of scares as Arrow Video FrightFest 2020 showcases the best new short films from the UK and around the world, with six countries representing three continents. From under-the-bed monsters to monsters in front of your eyes, from the sinister and the creepy to the wickedly human and the not-so-human, this year’s selection shines a spotlight on upcoming filmmakers. The UK is represented with a record 11 entries. There are world premiere screenings for WEREWOLF, where game night just got dangerous, A BIT OF FUN, where a girls’ night in

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Fantasia 2020 Reveals Final Round of Features and Lifetime Achievement Award for John Carpenter in Massive Third Wave Announcement

As if Fantasia Film Festival’s first and second wave announcements about its 24th edition weren’t jaw-dropping enough, today the Montreal-based fest announced a huge new assortment of feature films, along with details on scheduled panels, talks, tributes, and special events. Following is the official press release from Fantasia, which presents its digital edition from August 20–September 2, 2020. JOHN CARPENTER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND MASTERCLASS Fantasia attendees lovingly recall that the Kentucky-raised writer/director/musician was one of the first major international guests to attend Fantasia for the fest’s third edition in 1998, when it launched the International Premiere of VAMPIRES. In conjunction with awarding him a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award, the festival will also present a masterclass from Carpenter, where he’ll discuss everything from his own festival origin story to his awe-inspiring career, touching on HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING, STARMAN, THEY LIVE, and many more. In addition, the fest will explore his recent resurgence as a

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Shifter (2020)

Writer/director Jacob Leighton Burns delivers an engaging character study of a socially awkward young woman who is self-taught well enough to build a time machine in the science fiction/horror feature Shifter. A microbudget independent feature, the film relies on the lead performance of Nicole Fancher and the story behind her character Theresa Chaney rather than elaborate special effects. Theresa sacrificed much of her life, including going to university, to take care of her now deceased father on their rural homestead. She is well versed enough in science to create the aforementioned time machine, and after experimenting successfully with her pet cat, she experiments with it herself. The good news is that the time travel works well enough for her to get revenge on a pompous date, but the bad news is that it takes a physical toll on her body that gets worse each time she uses the device. The time machine and its effects also affect Theresa’s job performance

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: La Llorona

In Guatemalan/French co-production La Llorona, director Jayro Bustamante offers up a historical and political spin on the South American legend of the titular “Weeping Woman” ghost. The result is an eerie film that delivers the supernatural goods along with topical drama. Ailing, aged military dictator General Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) is confined to his home after a court decision that finds him guilty of war crimes against the indigeous Kaqchikel people is overturned by his cronies. Guatemalan citizens including Kaqchikel people protest outside his mansion around the clock. Stuck inside with the General are his embittered, witchcraft-practicing wife Carmen (Margarita Kenéfic); their physician daughter Natalia (Sabrina De La Hoz); her young daughter Sara (Ayla-Elea Hurtado); and head servant Valeríana (María Telón). After one night when the General hears a woman wailing and investigates with a gun in hand, all of the staff members except Valeríana resign in fear. A new servant named Alma (María Mercedes Coroy) is hired, and from

Continue reading →
Aug 6, 2020
Horror Fuel

Murderers, Monsters, and Other Mayhem Makers Invade Arrow Video FrightFest’s 2020 Edition

Arrow Video FrightFest, the United Kingdom’s most popular horror and fantasy film festival, presents a digital edition as it celebrates its 21st year. The fest will showcase 25 films from August 27–31st, including 7 world premieres and 16 U.K. premieres. Ten countries are represented from 4 continents in a diverse program exclusively presented to U.K. audiences. Following is information from FrightFest’s official news announcements. The menu of sinister treats and gory delights kicks off on the Thursday night with a live streamed quiz, hosted by Mike Muncer, host and producer of “Evolution of Horror,” the U.K.’s number 1 horror movie podcast. Mike will be putting your horror knowledge to the test. You can play as a team or as an individual. There will be several different rounds of horror and FrightFest-centric questions. Join in the fun at 8:00 pm on the Evolution of Horror YouTube Channel. The Horror Channel is sponsoring the talent-seeking FIRST BLOOD strand. Horror Channel will continue

Continue reading →
Aug 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Nothing But the Blood

Writer/director Daniel Tucker’s Nothing But the Blood is a microbudget drama with horror elements that makes no bones about its being against organized Old Testament Christian religion, from the hypocrisy of following or interpreting some things mentioned in that text while conveniently ignoring others to the sometimes cult-like devotion of indoctrinated followers. Although the film focuses on family drama for the most part, it does deliver some fright-fare material with well-crafted practical effects, mostly in the third act. Jessica (Rachel Hudson) is a small-town newspaper reporter who requests handling the story of the controversial, cult-like Emeth church setting up locally. She interviews Pastor Michael (Nick Triola), whose mild-mannered demeanor quickly turns when she confronts him about physical abuse within the church. Jessica then meets Thomas (Jordan O’Neal) and invites him into her home, which he politely declines. She then discovers that he is a member of Emeth on one of her follow-up visits for her research. After a violent brush

Continue reading →
Aug 3, 2020

More from Joseph Perry

Horror Fuel

Movie Review: “The Silencing”

Director Robin Pront’s serial killer thriller The Silencing is chock full of genre-film tropes and red herrings, but solid performances and crisp cinematography help raise the film to the level of being a perfectly serviceable thriller. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones; Headhunters) stars as Rayburn, an alcoholic former hunter who has transformed his old hunting grounds into a wildlife sanctuary. He is emotionally haunted by the disappearance of his daughter five years earlier. He sees someone heavily disguised on one of his trail cams hunting down a frightened, bleeding young woman and goes in pursuit. The other main character is Sheriff Alice Gustafson, played by Annabelle Wallis (Annabelle; Peaky Blinders). She is so protective of her younger, screw-up brother that she is willing to go beyond just bending the law to keep him out of further trouble. As astute readers might guess, Rayburn and Gustafason cross paths in their mutual quest to determine the identity of the killer and stop

Continue reading →
Aug 14, 2020
Horror Fuel

Five Fantastic U.S. Genre Film Festivals Announce Collective Virtual Event NIGHTSTREAM for October

Film festivals around the world have had to make the difficult choice of either canceling or experimenting with digital versions this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With several fests finding success and in some cases wider audiences with online formats, the trend is growing stronger. Now five highly regarded U.S. horror and genre film themed festivals are joining together to create NIGHTSTREAM with an online launch planned for October. Following is the official press release. Artwork by Sister Hyde In response to the many challenges impacting the film community amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and the concerns of safety and security that presently come with physical exhibition and festivals, a collective online initiative will be launched by organizers of a number of American genre festivals for the upcoming fall season to offer a singular experience for U.S. audiences. Together the Boston Underground Film Festival (MA), Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (NY), North Bend Film Festival (WA), the Overlook Film Festival (LA),

Continue reading →
Aug 13, 2020
Horror Fuel

Directing Duo Nick and Lexie Trivundza Score Sixth FilmQuest Selection with “Danger! Danger!”

Utah’s FilmQuest film festival, which “celebrates the majesty of genre filmmaking in the realms of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the beyond,” has selected an entry from the directing duo of Nick and Lexie Trivundza for the sixth time with the feature film Danger! Danger! Following is the official press release about this intriguing movie. Danger! Danger! is the second feature film by directing duo Nick + Lexie Trivundza and their 6th project to be featured at FilmQuest, one of the best genre film festivals in the world! Danger! Danger! is a love letter to the Spielberg films of the ‘80s that made the directors want to make films in the first place — films like The Goonies, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones. Danger! Danger! is an adventure movie with healthy doses of sci-fi and horror mixed in for good measure making it a super fun ride for the audience! The Trivundza’s previous films to screen at FilmQuest were

Continue reading →
Aug 10, 2020
Horror Fuel

“Rock, Paper and Scissors” and “Two Heads Creek” Among Sixteenth Fantaspoa Awards

The 2020 online version of Fantaspoa Awards have been announced, and the dysfunctional families of the Argentinian chiller Rock, Paper and Scissors and the Australian horror comedy Two Heads Creek are two of the films capturing Best Feature prizes. Following is the official press release listing all of the winners. The sixteenth edition of Fantaspoa was a landmark moment for the long-running genre festival. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, South America’s largest genre film festival marked its first-ever online edition, with free access to all festival content in Brazil. In total, 138 films were exhibited: 49 features and 89 shorts from over 40 countries. The massive virtual event took place from July 24th until August 2nd on the Brazilian streaming platform, Darfklix, and the festival presented two masterclasses along with 21 Q&A’s with filmmakers from around the globe. According to festival directors and producers João Fleck and Nicolas Tonsho, this was certainly the most challenging edition of the festival. After

Continue reading →
Aug 9, 2020
Horror Fuel

Arrow Video FrightFest Announces Its Short Film Showcases

Arrow Video FrightFest has already announced the incredible feature film lineup for its August 2020 digital edition, and now the festival has revealed its intriguing short film program. The shorts are available to watch on demand for U.K. viewers from 6:00 pm August 27th to 9:00 pm August 31st. Following is the fest’s official press release regarding the short film showcases. The films may be short, but there is no shortage of scares as Arrow Video FrightFest 2020 showcases the best new short films from the UK and around the world, with six countries representing three continents. From under-the-bed monsters to monsters in front of your eyes, from the sinister and the creepy to the wickedly human and the not-so-human, this year’s selection shines a spotlight on upcoming filmmakers. The UK is represented with a record 11 entries. There are world premiere screenings for WEREWOLF, where game night just got dangerous, A BIT OF FUN, where a girls’ night in

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Fantasia 2020 Reveals Final Round of Features and Lifetime Achievement Award for John Carpenter in Massive Third Wave Announcement

As if Fantasia Film Festival’s first and second wave announcements about its 24th edition weren’t jaw-dropping enough, today the Montreal-based fest announced a huge new assortment of feature films, along with details on scheduled panels, talks, tributes, and special events. Following is the official press release from Fantasia, which presents its digital edition from August 20–September 2, 2020. JOHN CARPENTER LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND MASTERCLASS Fantasia attendees lovingly recall that the Kentucky-raised writer/director/musician was one of the first major international guests to attend Fantasia for the fest’s third edition in 1998, when it launched the International Premiere of VAMPIRES. In conjunction with awarding him a Fantasia Lifetime Achievement Award, the festival will also present a masterclass from Carpenter, where he’ll discuss everything from his own festival origin story to his awe-inspiring career, touching on HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, THE THING, STARMAN, THEY LIVE, and many more. In addition, the fest will explore his recent resurgence as a

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Shifter (2020)

Writer/director Jacob Leighton Burns delivers an engaging character study of a socially awkward young woman who is self-taught well enough to build a time machine in the science fiction/horror feature Shifter. A microbudget independent feature, the film relies on the lead performance of Nicole Fancher and the story behind her character Theresa Chaney rather than elaborate special effects. Theresa sacrificed much of her life, including going to university, to take care of her now deceased father on their rural homestead. She is well versed enough in science to create the aforementioned time machine, and after experimenting successfully with her pet cat, she experiments with it herself. The good news is that the time travel works well enough for her to get revenge on a pompous date, but the bad news is that it takes a physical toll on her body that gets worse each time she uses the device. The time machine and its effects also affect Theresa’s job performance

Continue reading →
Aug 7, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: La Llorona

In Guatemalan/French co-production La Llorona, director Jayro Bustamante offers up a historical and political spin on the South American legend of the titular “Weeping Woman” ghost. The result is an eerie film that delivers the supernatural goods along with topical drama. Ailing, aged military dictator General Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) is confined to his home after a court decision that finds him guilty of war crimes against the indigeous Kaqchikel people is overturned by his cronies. Guatemalan citizens including Kaqchikel people protest outside his mansion around the clock. Stuck inside with the General are his embittered, witchcraft-practicing wife Carmen (Margarita Kenéfic); their physician daughter Natalia (Sabrina De La Hoz); her young daughter Sara (Ayla-Elea Hurtado); and head servant Valeríana (María Telón). After one night when the General hears a woman wailing and investigates with a gun in hand, all of the staff members except Valeríana resign in fear. A new servant named Alma (María Mercedes Coroy) is hired, and from

Continue reading →
Aug 6, 2020
Horror Fuel

Murderers, Monsters, and Other Mayhem Makers Invade Arrow Video FrightFest’s 2020 Edition

Arrow Video FrightFest, the United Kingdom’s most popular horror and fantasy film festival, presents a digital edition as it celebrates its 21st year. The fest will showcase 25 films from August 27–31st, including 7 world premieres and 16 U.K. premieres. Ten countries are represented from 4 continents in a diverse program exclusively presented to U.K. audiences. Following is information from FrightFest’s official news announcements. The menu of sinister treats and gory delights kicks off on the Thursday night with a live streamed quiz, hosted by Mike Muncer, host and producer of “Evolution of Horror,” the U.K.’s number 1 horror movie podcast. Mike will be putting your horror knowledge to the test. You can play as a team or as an individual. There will be several different rounds of horror and FrightFest-centric questions. Join in the fun at 8:00 pm on the Evolution of Horror YouTube Channel. The Horror Channel is sponsoring the talent-seeking FIRST BLOOD strand. Horror Channel will continue

Continue reading →
Aug 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

Movie Review: Nothing But the Blood

Writer/director Daniel Tucker’s Nothing But the Blood is a microbudget drama with horror elements that makes no bones about its being against organized Old Testament Christian religion, from the hypocrisy of following or interpreting some things mentioned in that text while conveniently ignoring others to the sometimes cult-like devotion of indoctrinated followers. Although the film focuses on family drama for the most part, it does deliver some fright-fare material with well-crafted practical effects, mostly in the third act. Jessica (Rachel Hudson) is a small-town newspaper reporter who requests handling the story of the controversial, cult-like Emeth church setting up locally. She interviews Pastor Michael (Nick Triola), whose mild-mannered demeanor quickly turns when she confronts him about physical abuse within the church. Jessica then meets Thomas (Jordan O’Neal) and invites him into her home, which he politely declines. She then discovers that he is a member of Emeth on one of her follow-up visits for her research. After a violent brush

Continue reading →
Aug 3, 2020