Horror Fuel
☰ Browse the Crypt
Category

Film Festivals

812 stories

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Unholy Night and The Galactic Ghoul (Fantasia 2026)

Unholy Night (Canada, 2026) Official Synopsis Gino’s traditional family Christmas Eve turns into a bloody battle for survival when his long-dead grandma drops by and goes on a murderous rampage. Amid the chaos, Gino reunites with his ex and the dysfunctional duo must avoid his dead Italian relatives popping up all around the neighbourhood as they search for a way to get rid of these Yuletide revenants and survive his family Christmas. Review Unholy Night is a horror comedy with heart. Squabbles between the Italian family members on Christmas Eve and the problems that arise when relatives return from the dead drive the comedy elements winningly. Director Michael Gabriele balances the humor and the horror nicely, along with relationship and family drama. The ensemble cast members all give solid performances, and the makeup for the revenants is satisfyingly creepy. These living dead can speak, cook, and move around well, and can sometimes be calmed down when they become aggressive enough

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 7, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Metal Messiah (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Vincenzo Nappi After learning of an evil rock ’n’ roll music promoter’s plan to use heavy metal as a means of enforcing society’s cyclical self-destructive nature and to keep individuals from true self-realization, a metallic-skinned and incredibly well-dressed alien beams down to earth to try to save humanity. However, as his presence attracts the attention of private investigators and corrupt police forces, the stranger must fight to keep society from reaching its hedonistic end. Review Devotees of genre-film musicals that combine horror and science fiction elements with rock and roll are bound to get a kick out of Canadian International Pictures’ terrific new 4K restoration of director Tibor Takács’ 1978 Canadian feature Metal Messiah. Written by Stephen Zoller and based on his play, the film is a gritty journey from the mind of noirish detective Philip Chandler (Richard Ward Allen) to the streets and rock clubs of late seventies Toronto, to places

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 6, 2026

Indie Filmmakers Brett and Jason Butler’s New Horror Film, ‘STRASUCKERS,’ To Premiere at Tubi FrightFest

Canadian indie directors Brett and Jason Butler are hopping across the pond this August for the World Premiere of their dark satire, STARSUCKERS. And it’s arriving at Tubi FrightFest 2026, the UK’s undisputed holy grail of genre cinema. Want to watch influencers and elite celebrity culture get dismantled in the most chaotic way possible? The Butler Brothers have you covered. Never Meet Your Idols Chuck and Eileen are an ordinary couple. They win a dream weekend getaway with ultra-glamorous celebrity icons Bjorg Everglow and Sasha Nightshade. Naturally, the “dream escape” rapidly degenerates into psychological warfare, manipulation, and casual murder as the famous duo reveals their deeply unhinged true intentions. STARSUCKERS skewers our cultural obsession with clout, status, and the desperate urge to live someone else’s highlight reel—proving that fame isn’t just toxic, it’s deadly. The film stars Manon Ens-Lapointe (The Last Anniversary) and Steven Hobé (How Disney Built America). Rising talents James Alex, Jersey Anderson, and Jacob Stickles join the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 4, 2026

Fresh Blood: Heretic’s Chris Schwab Delivers New Trailer for ‘Dracula: The Night Around Us’ Ahead of Tubi FrightFest

Writer-director Chris Schwab (Heretic) has unveiled the trailer for his new feature Dracula: The Night Around Us. The film is a modern spin on Bram Stoker’s timeless horror masterpiece that proves you can never truly keep a good vampire down. Fresh off winning the Goule D’Or Award for Best Feature Film at the Portland Horror Film Festival, Dracula: The Night Around Us is now officially bound for London. It will celebrate its UK Premiere at Tubi FrightFest on August 30th as part of the Discovery Screen One lineup. “Dracula is a timeless story, and we’re thrilled to have been able to put a unique spin on one of cinema’s most iconic horrors,” says Schwab. “We can’t wait for London audiences to see what we’ve created.” Sewer-Dwelling Terror The dark reimagining centers on Dr. John Seward. He’s a depressed doctor working at an asylum for the criminally insane. However, he finds a rare glimmer of hope after bonding with his new

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 4, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Corpus (Fantasia 2026)

Official Synopsis It’s the summer of 1998 in New York City; Sayo (Jeff Wahlberg, EUPHORIA), a soulful nightlife photographer and small-time drug dealer, is invited to a party upstate by his long-time friend and unrequited love, a movie star on the rise: Vince Marlowe (Brodie Townsend, HEARTBREAK HIGH). Together with their rowdy friend Ross (Michael Vlamis, POOLS), they drive to a remote, bucolic manor in hopes of some summer debauchery. But when they arrive, they discover that the promise of a party is actually three mysterious women – Billie (Lily Cowles, ANTEBELLUM), Wren (Nuha Jes Izman, YELLOWJACKETS) and Cata (Ching Valdes-Aran, THE EQUALIZER) – whose disturbing agenda draws the boys into a dark web of seduction and terror. Review Director Corrin Evans crafts an intriguing fear-fare feature rooted in 1990s club and art culture with Corpus. Evans and cowriter Lily Cowles — who also stars as a renowned photographer — set the discomfiting tone of the film from the opening

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 3, 2026

Sing for Your Life: Horror-Comedy ‘Bad Karaoke’ Prepares to Slaughter Tubi FrightFest 2026

We’ve all sat through a karaoke cover so agonizing it felt like an actual hate crime. Now, co-directors Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. are taking that universal nightmare and turning it into a literal body count. Making their feature directorial debut, Lightbody and Steinmiller have officially announced the world premiere of Bad Karaoke. It’s a pitch-black horror-comedy where an ambitious young band finds themselves locked in a battle for survival against a murderous, possessed karaoke machine. Safe to say, there’s a whole lot more on the line than a free round of pub shots. The film stars Lexi Underwood (Little Fires Everywhere), Case Walker (The Other Two), and singer-actor Kat Cunning (Trinkets). The Story When wedding band keyboardist Emily discovers an old karaoke machine in the back of a dive bar, she thinks it will lead to a fun-filled night of singing and bonding with her bandmates. Unfortunately, this karaoke machine seems to have a thirst for blood.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 2, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: The Mouths (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Rupert Bottenberg: There’s a rumour going round about a cursed tree standing in the middle of a supposedly haunted cemetery, deep in the forest. For Shota and his university friends, it’s a chance to tempt fate and give themselves a proper scare by visiting this legendary spot in the dead of night. Once there, their courage immediately falters at the gloomy sight of the place. There is also the abnormally deafening sound of cicadas, which adds to the eerie aspect of the site. Things quickly spiral out of control for the four of them, as one of them, Ann, starts babbling strange words and behaving completely irrationally. Review Famed J-horror filmmaker Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge franchise, Ox-Head Village, Sana) helms The Mouths (Japan, 2026), an intriguing approach to the genre that feels somewhat uneven in its pacing and approach but that also delivers some solid chills. The ensemble cast members are all

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 31, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Sekiro: No Defeat (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Rupert Bottenberg: The Divine Heir of the sacred land of Ashina has been kidnapped for malevolent purposes. His sworn protector, the stoic shinobi Sekiro, must rescue the child—the fate of all Ashina depends on it. Adapting SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE, the award-winning video game released by FromSoftware in 2019, the highly anticipated anime adventure SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT sees the war-torn Japan of the Sengoku period further fractured by conspiracy, betrayal, and bloody boss battles to beggar belief. Review Genre film aficionados, the Japanese anime combining supernatural elements and shinobi swordplay that you have been hoping for has arrived in the form of director Kenichi Kutsuna’s Sekiro: No Defeat (Japan, 2026). Having never played the video game that is the original source for this anime, I can only view this feature as a stand-alone film. The animation is gorgeous, the storytelling is both classic and timeless, and the Japanese voice actors deliver brilliantly.

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 31, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Knock and Don’t Follow Me (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2026)

Once again, our coverage of Bucheon International Film Festival (BIFAN) reviews is cowritten by Film Festival Editor Joseph Perry and Guest Contributing Writer Chris Weatherspoon. A man of the world, guest reviewer Chris Weatherspoon has lived in South Korea for “quite a bit.” A huge fan of all cinema, Chris also works locally in the entertainment industry, and knows what he is talking about . . . alright!? Knock (South Korea, 2026); review by Chris Weatherspoon Official BIFAN synopsis from program notes written by Kim Hyeung-Seok: In his first feature, The Berefts (2024), co-directed with Huh Jang, director Jung Bum presented a desolate portrait of home and family. With Knock, his first solo feature, he turns to a reality just as bleak—perhaps even darker. A documentary crew filming a youth care facility turns its camera on the teachers and children there. Yet there are truths the camera cannot capture. When In-a, a former resident of the facility who now works

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 28, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Killing Time and Pacific (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2026)

Once again, our coverage of Bucheon International Film Festival (BIFAN) reviews is cowritten by Film Festival Editor Joseph Perry and Guest Contributing Writer Chris Weatherspoon. A man of the world, guest reviewer Chris Weatherspoon has lived in South Korea for “quite a bit.” A huge fan of all cinema, Chris also works locally in the entertainment industry, and knows what he is talking about . . . alright!? Killing Time (South Korea, 2026); review by Chris Weatherspoon Official BIFAN synopsis from program notes written by Kim Hyung-Seok: The popular horror YouTube channel ‘Killing Time’ is forced to shut down after a fatal accident during a live broadcast. Later, in hopes of making a comeback, the channel’s staff plan even more sensational content, this time set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital deep in the mountains. Can they make it through the broadcast without another disaster? Review Director Jang Jun-yeop’s Killing Time opens with unease baked right into the premise: a mysterious

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 26, 2026

More from Film Festivals

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Unholy Night and The Galactic Ghoul (Fantasia 2026)

Unholy Night (Canada, 2026) Official Synopsis Gino’s traditional family Christmas Eve turns into a bloody battle for survival when his long-dead grandma drops by and goes on a murderous rampage. Amid the chaos, Gino reunites with his ex and the dysfunctional duo must avoid his dead Italian relatives popping up all around the neighbourhood as they search for a way to get rid of these Yuletide revenants and survive his family Christmas. Review Unholy Night is a horror comedy with heart. Squabbles between the Italian family members on Christmas Eve and the problems that arise when relatives return from the dead drive the comedy elements winningly. Director Michael Gabriele balances the humor and the horror nicely, along with relationship and family drama. The ensemble cast members all give solid performances, and the makeup for the revenants is satisfyingly creepy. These living dead can speak, cook, and move around well, and can sometimes be calmed down when they become aggressive enough

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 7, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Metal Messiah (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Vincenzo Nappi After learning of an evil rock ’n’ roll music promoter’s plan to use heavy metal as a means of enforcing society’s cyclical self-destructive nature and to keep individuals from true self-realization, a metallic-skinned and incredibly well-dressed alien beams down to earth to try to save humanity. However, as his presence attracts the attention of private investigators and corrupt police forces, the stranger must fight to keep society from reaching its hedonistic end. Review Devotees of genre-film musicals that combine horror and science fiction elements with rock and roll are bound to get a kick out of Canadian International Pictures’ terrific new 4K restoration of director Tibor Takács’ 1978 Canadian feature Metal Messiah. Written by Stephen Zoller and based on his play, the film is a gritty journey from the mind of noirish detective Philip Chandler (Richard Ward Allen) to the streets and rock clubs of late seventies Toronto, to places

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 6, 2026

Indie Filmmakers Brett and Jason Butler’s New Horror Film, ‘STRASUCKERS,’ To Premiere at Tubi FrightFest

Canadian indie directors Brett and Jason Butler are hopping across the pond this August for the World Premiere of their dark satire, STARSUCKERS. And it’s arriving at Tubi FrightFest 2026, the UK’s undisputed holy grail of genre cinema. Want to watch influencers and elite celebrity culture get dismantled in the most chaotic way possible? The Butler Brothers have you covered. Never Meet Your Idols Chuck and Eileen are an ordinary couple. They win a dream weekend getaway with ultra-glamorous celebrity icons Bjorg Everglow and Sasha Nightshade. Naturally, the “dream escape” rapidly degenerates into psychological warfare, manipulation, and casual murder as the famous duo reveals their deeply unhinged true intentions. STARSUCKERS skewers our cultural obsession with clout, status, and the desperate urge to live someone else’s highlight reel—proving that fame isn’t just toxic, it’s deadly. The film stars Manon Ens-Lapointe (The Last Anniversary) and Steven Hobé (How Disney Built America). Rising talents James Alex, Jersey Anderson, and Jacob Stickles join the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 4, 2026

Fresh Blood: Heretic’s Chris Schwab Delivers New Trailer for ‘Dracula: The Night Around Us’ Ahead of Tubi FrightFest

Writer-director Chris Schwab (Heretic) has unveiled the trailer for his new feature Dracula: The Night Around Us. The film is a modern spin on Bram Stoker’s timeless horror masterpiece that proves you can never truly keep a good vampire down. Fresh off winning the Goule D’Or Award for Best Feature Film at the Portland Horror Film Festival, Dracula: The Night Around Us is now officially bound for London. It will celebrate its UK Premiere at Tubi FrightFest on August 30th as part of the Discovery Screen One lineup. “Dracula is a timeless story, and we’re thrilled to have been able to put a unique spin on one of cinema’s most iconic horrors,” says Schwab. “We can’t wait for London audiences to see what we’ve created.” Sewer-Dwelling Terror The dark reimagining centers on Dr. John Seward. He’s a depressed doctor working at an asylum for the criminally insane. However, he finds a rare glimmer of hope after bonding with his new

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 4, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Corpus (Fantasia 2026)

Official Synopsis It’s the summer of 1998 in New York City; Sayo (Jeff Wahlberg, EUPHORIA), a soulful nightlife photographer and small-time drug dealer, is invited to a party upstate by his long-time friend and unrequited love, a movie star on the rise: Vince Marlowe (Brodie Townsend, HEARTBREAK HIGH). Together with their rowdy friend Ross (Michael Vlamis, POOLS), they drive to a remote, bucolic manor in hopes of some summer debauchery. But when they arrive, they discover that the promise of a party is actually three mysterious women – Billie (Lily Cowles, ANTEBELLUM), Wren (Nuha Jes Izman, YELLOWJACKETS) and Cata (Ching Valdes-Aran, THE EQUALIZER) – whose disturbing agenda draws the boys into a dark web of seduction and terror. Review Director Corrin Evans crafts an intriguing fear-fare feature rooted in 1990s club and art culture with Corpus. Evans and cowriter Lily Cowles — who also stars as a renowned photographer — set the discomfiting tone of the film from the opening

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Aug 3, 2026

Sing for Your Life: Horror-Comedy ‘Bad Karaoke’ Prepares to Slaughter Tubi FrightFest 2026

We’ve all sat through a karaoke cover so agonizing it felt like an actual hate crime. Now, co-directors Chris Lightbody and Robert J. Steinmiller Jr. are taking that universal nightmare and turning it into a literal body count. Making their feature directorial debut, Lightbody and Steinmiller have officially announced the world premiere of Bad Karaoke. It’s a pitch-black horror-comedy where an ambitious young band finds themselves locked in a battle for survival against a murderous, possessed karaoke machine. Safe to say, there’s a whole lot more on the line than a free round of pub shots. The film stars Lexi Underwood (Little Fires Everywhere), Case Walker (The Other Two), and singer-actor Kat Cunning (Trinkets). The Story When wedding band keyboardist Emily discovers an old karaoke machine in the back of a dive bar, she thinks it will lead to a fun-filled night of singing and bonding with her bandmates. Unfortunately, this karaoke machine seems to have a thirst for blood.

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Aug 2, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: The Mouths (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Rupert Bottenberg: There’s a rumour going round about a cursed tree standing in the middle of a supposedly haunted cemetery, deep in the forest. For Shota and his university friends, it’s a chance to tempt fate and give themselves a proper scare by visiting this legendary spot in the dead of night. Once there, their courage immediately falters at the gloomy sight of the place. There is also the abnormally deafening sound of cicadas, which adds to the eerie aspect of the site. Things quickly spiral out of control for the four of them, as one of them, Ann, starts babbling strange words and behaving completely irrationally. Review Famed J-horror filmmaker Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge franchise, Ox-Head Village, Sana) helms The Mouths (Japan, 2026), an intriguing approach to the genre that feels somewhat uneven in its pacing and approach but that also delivers some solid chills. The ensemble cast members are all

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 31, 2026

Spoiler-Free Review: Sekiro: No Defeat (Fantasia 2026)

Official Fantasia synopsis from program notes written by Rupert Bottenberg: The Divine Heir of the sacred land of Ashina has been kidnapped for malevolent purposes. His sworn protector, the stoic shinobi Sekiro, must rescue the child—the fate of all Ashina depends on it. Adapting SEKIRO: SHADOWS DIE TWICE, the award-winning video game released by FromSoftware in 2019, the highly anticipated anime adventure SEKIRO: NO DEFEAT sees the war-torn Japan of the Sengoku period further fractured by conspiracy, betrayal, and bloody boss battles to beggar belief. Review Genre film aficionados, the Japanese anime combining supernatural elements and shinobi swordplay that you have been hoping for has arrived in the form of director Kenichi Kutsuna’s Sekiro: No Defeat (Japan, 2026). Having never played the video game that is the original source for this anime, I can only view this feature as a stand-alone film. The animation is gorgeous, the storytelling is both classic and timeless, and the Japanese voice actors deliver brilliantly.

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 31, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Knock and Don’t Follow Me (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2026)

Once again, our coverage of Bucheon International Film Festival (BIFAN) reviews is cowritten by Film Festival Editor Joseph Perry and Guest Contributing Writer Chris Weatherspoon. A man of the world, guest reviewer Chris Weatherspoon has lived in South Korea for “quite a bit.” A huge fan of all cinema, Chris also works locally in the entertainment industry, and knows what he is talking about . . . alright!? Knock (South Korea, 2026); review by Chris Weatherspoon Official BIFAN synopsis from program notes written by Kim Hyeung-Seok: In his first feature, The Berefts (2024), co-directed with Huh Jang, director Jung Bum presented a desolate portrait of home and family. With Knock, his first solo feature, he turns to a reality just as bleak—perhaps even darker. A documentary crew filming a youth care facility turns its camera on the teachers and children there. Yet there are truths the camera cannot capture. When In-a, a former resident of the facility who now works

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 28, 2026

Spoiler-Free Reviews: Killing Time and Pacific (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2026)

Once again, our coverage of Bucheon International Film Festival (BIFAN) reviews is cowritten by Film Festival Editor Joseph Perry and Guest Contributing Writer Chris Weatherspoon. A man of the world, guest reviewer Chris Weatherspoon has lived in South Korea for “quite a bit.” A huge fan of all cinema, Chris also works locally in the entertainment industry, and knows what he is talking about . . . alright!? Killing Time (South Korea, 2026); review by Chris Weatherspoon Official BIFAN synopsis from program notes written by Kim Hyung-Seok: The popular horror YouTube channel ‘Killing Time’ is forced to shut down after a fatal accident during a live broadcast. Later, in hopes of making a comeback, the channel’s staff plan even more sensational content, this time set in an abandoned psychiatric hospital deep in the mountains. Can they make it through the broadcast without another disaster? Review Director Jang Jun-yeop’s Killing Time opens with unease baked right into the premise: a mysterious

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 26, 2026
Next →