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Popcorn Frights 10th Anniversary First Wave: From Serial Killers to the Supernatural

Whether you’re into horror, thrillers, science fiction, or other genre cinema, Popcorn Frights — Florida’s premiere film festival destination for such fare — has something for you. Running August 8–18, 2024, with both in-person and virtual programming options, you can even join in on the movie madness from the comfort of your own couch! Following is the official press release. Popcorn Frights celebrates its 10th anniversary with a first wave announcement headlined by 24 boundary-pushing and mind-enhancing feature films, including eleven world premieres as well as a stacked cult classics lineup that pays homage to horror’s titans, and with many more screams, surprises, delights, and film premieres, yet to come! To add to the pure mayhem of its anniversary celebration, Popcorn Frights’ in-theater experience will be offered free and open to the public, as a gift back to the community for ten years of their dedicated support and moviegoing love. Popcorn Frights’ free festival is made possible by the generous

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 18, 2024

Spoiler-Free Review: “House of Sayuri” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

If you watch J-horror, you have likely heard of director Kôji Shiraishi. He has 95 directing credits on IMDB, with his most well-known film to Western audiences perhaps being the 2016 phantom face-off Sadako vs. Kayako. With his latest feature House of Sayuri (AKA Sayuri; Japan, 2024), he pulls off remarkable magic with tonal shifts to deliver a wholly satisfying haunted house spookfest. Head of the household Akio Kamiki (Sen Kajihara) has worked hard to move his wife, three children, and parents from a cramped city apartment into a spacious house all their own. Alas, the angry spirit of Sayuri, a girl who was murdered there, isn’t as happy about the situation as the new residents, and she would just as soon see them dead. Teen son Norio (Ryoka Minamide), his grandmother who suffers from dementia (Toshie Negishi), and his new school friend Sumida (Hana Kondo) — who happens to have a special sense about supernatural occurrences — need to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 15, 2024

Box Set Review: Danza Macabra Volume 2 – Severin 4K/Blu-ray

Remember way back to like last year when Severin released their collection of Italian Gothic fright flicks in a handy box set called Danza Macabra? Well, they went and released a second volume (and because I’m woefully behind, a third set as well… review coming soon) so lets do the film by film bag, shall we? First up is Antonio Margheriti’s (Yor: The Hunter From the Future) and Sergio Corbucci’s (1966’s Django) Castle of Blood from 1964, doubtless an answer to then-popular Edgar Alan Poe adaptations coming from legendary producer Roger Corman… hell, Poe even appears as a character in this very narrative (played by The Bloodstained Butterfly’s Silvano Tranquilli)! Speaking of Poe as we are, he’s balls deep into describing the final act of his story Berenice to his chum Lord Thomas Blackwood (Umberto Raho, The Last Man on Earth) when they are joined by journalist Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) who believes that the supernatural is a load of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 13, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Indera (Malaysia, 2024) Although Malaysian horror Indera is, according to the official film description, “set against the backdrop of the violent Memali Incident in 1985,” director Ming Jin Woo’s feature should work fine for viewers with little-to-no prior knowledge of the event. Handyman Joe (Shaheizy Sam) does his best to raise his young daughter Sofia (Samara Kenzo) after her mother (Ashira Shafinaz) — who was also his wife — died in a tragic accident. Penniless and evicted, Joe takes on the position of caretaker for an older Javanese woman (Ruminah Sidek) who is raising three young orphans. The locals give the woman a wide berth for mysterious reasons. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to be impressed with here, with top-notch performances from the main cast members, and although Indera contains some tried-and-true horror tropes, it puts an intriguing local flavor on matters, and Woo directs with a fine sense of building mystery and delivering chills. Help, I’m Alien

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Whale Bones” and “Six Singing Women” (Japan Cuts 2024)

Whale Bones (Japan, 2023) Horror-adjacent Japanese feature Whale Bones delivers social commentary about the fickleness, loneliness, and desperation of life on social media apps, along with a good deal of mystery. Salaryman Mamiya (Motoki Ochiai) is unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée. On the advice of a coworker, he uses a dating app to meet someone for a hook-up, who turns out to be a young lady named Aska (Ano, who also has a singing career). Aska commits apparent suicide in Mamiya’s bed, after which he attempts to bury her body in the woods — only to find it missing from the trunk of his car. Director Takamasa Oe crafts a vibe heavy on the unease as an increasingly paranoid Mamiya then encounters many people who are obsessed with Aska’s online life and are doing their best to learn why she hasn’t added new video posts for some time. The world of Whale Bones exists somewhere between the real, surreal, and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024

Movie Review: Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) – Severin Blu-ray

Drac (Jess Franco regular Howard Vernon, who’s appearance here proves my words, as this too is a Franco flick) is back, and he’s doing his fang bang schtick on ye local comely lasses… an action that really sticks in the ass of Dr. Jonathan Seward (Alberto Dalbés)… here filling the traditional Van Helsing role… so much so that he takes a carriage ride to Dracula’s castle and straight up stakes the mother sucker turning him into an ex-bat! Well, nightmare over… right? Wrong. Before the pillow is even cold, Dr. Frankenstein (Dennis Price, who would return to the role in Franco’s The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein a year later in 1973), and his unfortunately horny assistant Morpho (Luis Barboo) slide their asses on into the castle, and immediately reawaken the Doctor’s Monster (Fernando Bilbao) whom they’ve conveniently brought along. Said Monster then ambles into town and abducts a showgirl (who’s eventual corpse is the only thing to quench Morpho’s unholy

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 10, 2024

Body Horror ‘Tiger Stripes’ Claws Its Way onto VOD Today

Brace yourself for a coming-of-age story that will get under your skin. Tiger Stripes, the critically acclaimed debut film by director Amanda Nell Eu, is out today. This unique film tackles the complexities of puberty through a haunting lens of female body horror. Zaffan, a rebellious 12-year-old, experiences a horrifying transformation as her body begins to change. Struggling to maintain normalcy at school, Zaffan desperately tries to hide her transformations, leading to a growing sense of isolation and fear. As Zaffan’s anxieties rise, a wave of mass hysteria engulfs the school. Rumors of a dark presence and bizarre physical manifestations spread like wildfire. A visiting doctor arrives, determined to banish the supposed demon plaguing the school. Tragically, his misguided investigation leads him to Zaffan, wrongly accusing her of causing the chaos. Faced with public humiliation and the doctor’s extreme methods, Zaffan undergoes a profound transformation. Like a cornered tiger, she sheds her inhibitions and unleashes her rage. She channels her

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 10, 2024

A Killer Military Experiment is on the Loose in K-Horror ‘Project Silence’

Prepare for a heart-pounding experience as the South Korean horror-thriller Project Silence makes its U.S. debut this week. It promises an action-packed, wild ride. The official trailer unleashes a barrage of action as a group of civilians find themselves trapped on a failing bridge. Struggling to escape the crumbling structure, they face another deadly threat: escaped military experiments from the secretive “Project Silence” is on the loose. The trailer gives you a look at Lee Sun-kyun‘s final performances before his tragic passing in 2020. The acclaimed actor, who rose to international fame with his role in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, left an undeniable mark on cinema. “Sudden weather turns deadly as a series of collisions and explosions cripple the Airport Bridge. People find themselves stranded. Amidst the chaos, military experiment canines codenamed ‘Echo’ escape from Project Silence, transforming the survivors into hunted prey.” The bridge becomes a microcosm of society. A government official, a tow truck driver, an elderly

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 8, 2024

Eight Fear-Filled Films to Watch for at Fantasia’s 2024 Edition

Fantasia, Canada’s premiere genre-film festival, has announced all of the selections for its upcoming 28th edition, running from July 18 through August 4, 2024 at Montreal’s Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. Following are recommendations for eight of the more than 125 feature films scheduled. I have seen the first three listed below and can highly recommend them. The other five have me champing at the bit to get a peek at. Below are Fantasia’s official descriptions, each one followed in italics by thoughts from yours truly. HOUSE OF SAYURI MARKS THE RETURN OF J-HORROR MASTER KOJI SHIRAISHI Legendary J-horror director Koji Shiraishi (NOROI: THE CURSE) brings the genre to new levels of fun with HOUSE OF SAYURI. A vengeful ghost disseminates a family until a counterattack from a bold grandma brings a startling new dynamic into the house. Shifting tones in surprising and destabilizing ways, this

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 8, 2024

Movie Review: Crocodile (1979) – Synapse Blu-ray

After a series of freak un-natural disasters pound coastal Thailand to absolute shit, a giant crocodile crawls from fuck knows where and begins eating the various citizenry of water-side towns. Enter: Dr. Tony Akom (Nard Poowanai) and his pal John (Min Oo); two dudes who’s spouses… and in one case daughter… are devoured by that toothsome terror which sets the men on a little mission to put the hurt on that scaly fucker but good! To that end they enlist the help of grizzled sailor/possible early ’80s NYC LeatherDaddy Tanaka (Kirk Warren) and before you can say “Amity Island” the group (eventually joined by a Third Act comedy relief photographer character) begin the hunt to end the monster before he eats even more people… good luck fellas! Crocodile had me hooked right from the beginning with an impressive depiction of nearly supernatural storms and their destructive powers realized through sweet miniature work, tank effects, and animated lightning strikes… I eat

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 4, 2024

More from Foreign

Popcorn Frights 10th Anniversary First Wave: From Serial Killers to the Supernatural

Whether you’re into horror, thrillers, science fiction, or other genre cinema, Popcorn Frights — Florida’s premiere film festival destination for such fare — has something for you. Running August 8–18, 2024, with both in-person and virtual programming options, you can even join in on the movie madness from the comfort of your own couch! Following is the official press release. Popcorn Frights celebrates its 10th anniversary with a first wave announcement headlined by 24 boundary-pushing and mind-enhancing feature films, including eleven world premieres as well as a stacked cult classics lineup that pays homage to horror’s titans, and with many more screams, surprises, delights, and film premieres, yet to come! To add to the pure mayhem of its anniversary celebration, Popcorn Frights’ in-theater experience will be offered free and open to the public, as a gift back to the community for ten years of their dedicated support and moviegoing love. Popcorn Frights’ free festival is made possible by the generous

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 18, 2024

Spoiler-Free Review: “House of Sayuri” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

If you watch J-horror, you have likely heard of director Kôji Shiraishi. He has 95 directing credits on IMDB, with his most well-known film to Western audiences perhaps being the 2016 phantom face-off Sadako vs. Kayako. With his latest feature House of Sayuri (AKA Sayuri; Japan, 2024), he pulls off remarkable magic with tonal shifts to deliver a wholly satisfying haunted house spookfest. Head of the household Akio Kamiki (Sen Kajihara) has worked hard to move his wife, three children, and parents from a cramped city apartment into a spacious house all their own. Alas, the angry spirit of Sayuri, a girl who was murdered there, isn’t as happy about the situation as the new residents, and she would just as soon see them dead. Teen son Norio (Ryoka Minamide), his grandmother who suffers from dementia (Toshie Negishi), and his new school friend Sumida (Hana Kondo) — who happens to have a special sense about supernatural occurrences — need to

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 15, 2024

Box Set Review: Danza Macabra Volume 2 – Severin 4K/Blu-ray

Remember way back to like last year when Severin released their collection of Italian Gothic fright flicks in a handy box set called Danza Macabra? Well, they went and released a second volume (and because I’m woefully behind, a third set as well… review coming soon) so lets do the film by film bag, shall we? First up is Antonio Margheriti’s (Yor: The Hunter From the Future) and Sergio Corbucci’s (1966’s Django) Castle of Blood from 1964, doubtless an answer to then-popular Edgar Alan Poe adaptations coming from legendary producer Roger Corman… hell, Poe even appears as a character in this very narrative (played by The Bloodstained Butterfly’s Silvano Tranquilli)! Speaking of Poe as we are, he’s balls deep into describing the final act of his story Berenice to his chum Lord Thomas Blackwood (Umberto Raho, The Last Man on Earth) when they are joined by journalist Alan Foster (Georges Rivière) who believes that the supernatural is a load of

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 13, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Indera” and “Help, I’m Alien Pregnant” (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival)

Indera (Malaysia, 2024) Although Malaysian horror Indera is, according to the official film description, “set against the backdrop of the violent Memali Incident in 1985,” director Ming Jin Woo’s feature should work fine for viewers with little-to-no prior knowledge of the event. Handyman Joe (Shaheizy Sam) does his best to raise his young daughter Sofia (Samara Kenzo) after her mother (Ashira Shafinaz) — who was also his wife — died in a tragic accident. Penniless and evicted, Joe takes on the position of caretaker for an older Javanese woman (Ruminah Sidek) who is raising three young orphans. The locals give the woman a wide berth for mysterious reasons. Fans of supernatural cinema should find plenty to be impressed with here, with top-notch performances from the main cast members, and although Indera contains some tried-and-true horror tropes, it puts an intriguing local flavor on matters, and Woo directs with a fine sense of building mystery and delivering chills. Help, I’m Alien

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024

Spoiler-Free Reviews: “Whale Bones” and “Six Singing Women” (Japan Cuts 2024)

Whale Bones (Japan, 2023) Horror-adjacent Japanese feature Whale Bones delivers social commentary about the fickleness, loneliness, and desperation of life on social media apps, along with a good deal of mystery. Salaryman Mamiya (Motoki Ochiai) is unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée. On the advice of a coworker, he uses a dating app to meet someone for a hook-up, who turns out to be a young lady named Aska (Ano, who also has a singing career). Aska commits apparent suicide in Mamiya’s bed, after which he attempts to bury her body in the woods — only to find it missing from the trunk of his car. Director Takamasa Oe crafts a vibe heavy on the unease as an increasingly paranoid Mamiya then encounters many people who are obsessed with Aska’s online life and are doing their best to learn why she hasn’t added new video posts for some time. The world of Whale Bones exists somewhere between the real, surreal, and

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 11, 2024

Movie Review: Dracula, Prisoner of Frankenstein (1972) – Severin Blu-ray

Drac (Jess Franco regular Howard Vernon, who’s appearance here proves my words, as this too is a Franco flick) is back, and he’s doing his fang bang schtick on ye local comely lasses… an action that really sticks in the ass of Dr. Jonathan Seward (Alberto Dalbés)… here filling the traditional Van Helsing role… so much so that he takes a carriage ride to Dracula’s castle and straight up stakes the mother sucker turning him into an ex-bat! Well, nightmare over… right? Wrong. Before the pillow is even cold, Dr. Frankenstein (Dennis Price, who would return to the role in Franco’s The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein a year later in 1973), and his unfortunately horny assistant Morpho (Luis Barboo) slide their asses on into the castle, and immediately reawaken the Doctor’s Monster (Fernando Bilbao) whom they’ve conveniently brought along. Said Monster then ambles into town and abducts a showgirl (who’s eventual corpse is the only thing to quench Morpho’s unholy

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 10, 2024

Body Horror ‘Tiger Stripes’ Claws Its Way onto VOD Today

Brace yourself for a coming-of-age story that will get under your skin. Tiger Stripes, the critically acclaimed debut film by director Amanda Nell Eu, is out today. This unique film tackles the complexities of puberty through a haunting lens of female body horror. Zaffan, a rebellious 12-year-old, experiences a horrifying transformation as her body begins to change. Struggling to maintain normalcy at school, Zaffan desperately tries to hide her transformations, leading to a growing sense of isolation and fear. As Zaffan’s anxieties rise, a wave of mass hysteria engulfs the school. Rumors of a dark presence and bizarre physical manifestations spread like wildfire. A visiting doctor arrives, determined to banish the supposed demon plaguing the school. Tragically, his misguided investigation leads him to Zaffan, wrongly accusing her of causing the chaos. Faced with public humiliation and the doctor’s extreme methods, Zaffan undergoes a profound transformation. Like a cornered tiger, she sheds her inhibitions and unleashes her rage. She channels her

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 10, 2024

A Killer Military Experiment is on the Loose in K-Horror ‘Project Silence’

Prepare for a heart-pounding experience as the South Korean horror-thriller Project Silence makes its U.S. debut this week. It promises an action-packed, wild ride. The official trailer unleashes a barrage of action as a group of civilians find themselves trapped on a failing bridge. Struggling to escape the crumbling structure, they face another deadly threat: escaped military experiments from the secretive “Project Silence” is on the loose. The trailer gives you a look at Lee Sun-kyun‘s final performances before his tragic passing in 2020. The acclaimed actor, who rose to international fame with his role in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite, left an undeniable mark on cinema. “Sudden weather turns deadly as a series of collisions and explosions cripple the Airport Bridge. People find themselves stranded. Amidst the chaos, military experiment canines codenamed ‘Echo’ escape from Project Silence, transforming the survivors into hunted prey.” The bridge becomes a microcosm of society. A government official, a tow truck driver, an elderly

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 8, 2024

Eight Fear-Filled Films to Watch for at Fantasia’s 2024 Edition

Fantasia, Canada’s premiere genre-film festival, has announced all of the selections for its upcoming 28th edition, running from July 18 through August 4, 2024 at Montreal’s Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screens and events at Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée. Following are recommendations for eight of the more than 125 feature films scheduled. I have seen the first three listed below and can highly recommend them. The other five have me champing at the bit to get a peek at. Below are Fantasia’s official descriptions, each one followed in italics by thoughts from yours truly. HOUSE OF SAYURI MARKS THE RETURN OF J-HORROR MASTER KOJI SHIRAISHI Legendary J-horror director Koji Shiraishi (NOROI: THE CURSE) brings the genre to new levels of fun with HOUSE OF SAYURI. A vengeful ghost disseminates a family until a counterattack from a bold grandma brings a startling new dynamic into the house. Shifting tones in surprising and destabilizing ways, this

Continue reading →
Joseph Perry
Jul 8, 2024

Movie Review: Crocodile (1979) – Synapse Blu-ray

After a series of freak un-natural disasters pound coastal Thailand to absolute shit, a giant crocodile crawls from fuck knows where and begins eating the various citizenry of water-side towns. Enter: Dr. Tony Akom (Nard Poowanai) and his pal John (Min Oo); two dudes who’s spouses… and in one case daughter… are devoured by that toothsome terror which sets the men on a little mission to put the hurt on that scaly fucker but good! To that end they enlist the help of grizzled sailor/possible early ’80s NYC LeatherDaddy Tanaka (Kirk Warren) and before you can say “Amity Island” the group (eventually joined by a Third Act comedy relief photographer character) begin the hunt to end the monster before he eats even more people… good luck fellas! Crocodile had me hooked right from the beginning with an impressive depiction of nearly supernatural storms and their destructive powers realized through sweet miniature work, tank effects, and animated lightning strikes… I eat

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Jul 4, 2024
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