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Showing posts from August, 2020

THE HORROR CROWD REVIEW

Revealing, intimate documentary spotlighting the Hollywood horror community. Starring: Lin Shaye, Greg Grunberg, and Russell Mulcahy Directed by: Ruben Pla    Whether on Twitter or on the podcast, we often talk about being a part of a horror community. Just a bunch of us out there talking about horror on social media, on podcasts, or creating anything from books to movies and art. We talk about it from a fan stand point in awe of the people out there creating big time horror movies. But in these conversations we rarely stop to consider…hey these people are a part of the horror community, or in this case crowd, as well.   “The Horror Crowd” takes fans into the world of the Hollywood horror community. It’s brought to us by Ruben Pla, who has found himself part of this crowd after being in movies like “Insidious,” and “Big Ass Spider!”. He uses his connections to talk to many familiar faces in the horror crowd, and takes a fan friendly approach to it. He presents th

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: THE DARK AND THE WICKED

On a secluded farm in a nondescript rural town, a man is slowly dying. His family gathers to mourn, and soon a darkness grows, marked by waking nightmares and a growing sense that something evil is taking over the family. Starring: Marin Ireland, Michael Abbott Jr., and Xander Berkeley Directed and written by: Bryan Bertino A Fantasia International Film Festival Review “The Dark and the Wicked”…  “The Dark and the Wicked”…  “The Dark and The Wicked!” Get to know this title and movie as soon as you can. Without a doubt it lives up to it’s name starting off dark, and ending very wickedly. Prepare yourself to join this family on a week long journey of true terror!   Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) have come back to their parent’s farm to help their mom (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) take care of their dying dad (Michael Zagst). Dad is basically stuck in a comma, and apparently there’s an evil presence just waiting for him to pass away. Their

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: THE BLOCK ISLAND SOUND

Something terrifying is happening off the coast of Block Island. A strange force is thriving, influencing residents and wildlife alike. Starring: Michela McManus, Neville Archambault, and Jim Cummings Directed and written by: Kevin McManus, and Matthew McManus A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   “The Block Island Sound” sets up a lot of strange happenings, but will give the audience plenty to think about once it concludes. Harry (Chris Sheffield) might not be perfect, but like any good son he loves his father (Neville Archambault). He kind of ignores some of his father’s odd behavior, and just thinks it’s him getting older. His father’s behavior isn't the only thing odd in Block Sound, as there have been changes in the environment and animals discovered dead all over the place.    Audry (Michaela McManus), Harry’s sister, comes back to town to visit, but also to investigate some of the animal deaths. She has brought along her young daughter to s

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: DOPPELBÄNGER REVIEW

In a future where your robotic double, known as your Doppelsynth, goes to work in your stead, humans are rapidly approaching obsolescence. George, a struggling writer holding out hopes that the bots won’t take over literature for another decade, is also a very sexually frustrated human being. Luckily there’s an underground industry of Doppels reprogrammed for just the kind of fun he’s looking for. But things don’t go as planned when the Doppel in his bed malfunctions. Hiding the illegal lovebot before his own Doppel comes home, George must now make the call of shame to the broken bot’s owner. When she comes to collect her property, the awkward meeting results in improbable but undeniable sparks flying between them. Starring: Gibson Frazier, and Annapurna Sriram Directed and written by: Sofian Khan A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   “Doppelbänger” starts right off with a bang, or some banging going on. George (Gibson Frazier) is having sex with a robo

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: KRIYA

KRIYA is the nightmare odyssey of a young DJ named Neel who is picked up one fateful night by the beautiful Sitara, only to be thrust into a hallucinatory world of ritual magic surrounding the imminent death of her father. Starring: Avantika Akerkar, M.D. Asif, Noble Luke, and Kishan Bahurupiya Directed and written by: Sidharth Srinivasan A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   Oh “Kriya” is definitely a nightmare for Neel (Noble Luke). He’s out one night just being a DJ at a club, meets an attractive woman named Sitara (Navjot Randhawa), and is excited to be going home with her. Maybe he should have taken her to his house because his life changes the second he walks into the house. Instead of spending time with her, he comes into a room where her father lies dying with several family members around him.   Of course this is a very uncomfortable situation to be in so he wants to leave. However, they’re bound by many traditions and rituals, and ask him to

THE SHED REVIEW

A hunter gets bitten by a vampire and runs into a shed to avoid sunlight. Stan, a 17 y.o. on probation, and his supervisor grandpa live next to it. Stan’s bullied high school buddy can use a monster. Starring: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, and Sofia Happonen Directed by: Frank Sabatella Written by: Jason Rice, and Frank Sabatella   So how harmful could a shed be? Well it could be the source of tools to use against someone, but that might be about it…or not. What if something evil decides to hide in it? That’s where the problem starts in “The Shed.” Oh the horror that is about to come to such a small space!   Instead of hiding what’s in the shed, they show the audience what’s in there, and how it got there right off the bat. A man is out in the woods just before daybreak when he’s bitten by a vampire. Before the vamp can feast the sun comes out to fry it. The man realizes that’s about to happen to him too, but he’s able to make it to the shed for cover. And what h

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: BLEED WITH ME

During a winter getaway at an isolated cabin, a self-destructive young woman becomes convinced that her best friend is stealing her blood. Starring: Lee Marshall, Lauren Beatty, and Aris Tyros Directed and written by: Amelia Moses A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   “Bleed with Me” sets up in the very familiar horror setting of a cabin out in the woods, and a group of young people taking time to relax there. Emily (Lauren Beatty) and her boyfriend Brendan (Aris Tyros) have come there after some tough times for Emily, and a chance for them to work on their relationship. However, that becomes a little challenging because Emily has brought along a new friend, Rowan (Lee Marshall). She’s a shy young woman who tries to fit in as a third wheel.   They spend the first night together getting to know each other better, and dropping the first clues of the strangeness that’s coming. Rowan tells an odd story or two before getting drunk and passing out. The next

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: DON'T TEXT BACK

A hilarious portrayal of online dating, DON’T TEXT BACK is the story of a naive young woman who seeks the help of an energy healer to rid herself of a cursed necklace that strangles her every time she doesn’t text back her bad Tinder date. Starring: Danielle Lapointe, and Nancy Webb Directed and written by: Mariel Sharp, and Kaye Adelaide A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   Many people have experienced the horrors of online dating. Sometimes you find that person that isn’t your type, but you can’t get rid of them. In “Don’t Text Back,” Kelly (Danielle Lapointe) is having trouble ditching a guy she met on Tinder. It should be as easy as not texting back, but unfortunately for her she put on a cursed necklace that strangles her if she doesn’t text him back. This story begins when she visits Jaren (Nancy Webb), an energy healer, for help.    Jaren is definitely an interesting character, as she’s a straight shooter, and set in her unusual ways. Kelly i

UNCLE PECKERHEAD REVIEW

When a punk band scores their first tour, life on the road proves tough when they are joined by a man-eating demon as a roadie. Starring: David Littleton, Jeff Riddle, Chet Siegel, and David Bluvband,  Directed and written by: Matthew John Lawrence   Lots of people think of starting a band when their young. Some get to play in their garage with dreams of touring one day. That doesn’t usually work out for many, but lets imagine it does. They get a chance to go on what can hardly be called a true tour, but they’ll take what they can get. They couldn’t be more excited except for the fact that their number one fan is a demon who they can’t ditch.    Judy (Chet Siegel) is the leader of the three person group, Duh, and closet thing to an adult in the band. They’re on their last pennies, and hoping to score a big gig to have their group seen by a much more popular group. She’s set up a few places to play to get some experience, but nothing that will bring them fame. Just

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: DETENTION

In 1962 Taiwan during the White Terror martial law period, Fang Ray Shin, a female student at the hillside Greenwood High School is attending  counseling with teacher Mr. Chang, and they gradually fall in love. It was a dangerous period where sensitive books were banned and free speech were restricted, Mr. Chang secretly organized a study group for banned books, together with fellow teacher Miss Yin and male student Wei Chong Ting. Starring: Gingle Wang, Meng-Po Fu, and Jing-Hua Tseng Directed by: John Hsu Written by: Shih-Keng Chien A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   “Detention” creates a creepy atmosphere similar to “Silent Hill,” and somehow manages to weave a beautiful love story in the middle of all the madness. It starts with what might seem like a military base, but is really a high school. While there are teachers present, there are also soldiers making sure that certain books and free speech are banned. Everything is strictly monitored,

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 59

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 59: HOST with JEMMA MOORE We watch a lot of horror movies...this one might be one of our favorites. HOST, the hit sensation from SHUDDER is a 50min thrill ride all on ZOOM. Jemma Moore joins us on the show to discuss her role in the film. MonsterMash talks Beer and Movie Flashbacks. Muse gives us her Sinister6: Group Get Togethers Gone BAD! HorrO gives us all the horror news and discusses HIGH TENSION. Chris gives us an amazing review of HOST.   Listen Here wherethescarythingsare.com Apple apple.co/32iTL0t Spotify spoti.fi/3aZcQsA IHeart ihr.fm/3gpfeKb

FANTASIA 2020 REVIEW: THE CURSE OF AUDREY EARNSHAW

A mother and daughter are suspected of witchcraft by their devout rural community. Starring: Catherine Walker, Hannah Emily Anderson, Jessica Reynolds, and Jared Abrahamson Directed and written by: Thomas Robert Lee A Fantasia International Film Festival Review   “The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw” sets the stage for witchcraft to ruin another town. While the world has progressed, this group of settlers has kept to their original ways of living simple, going to church, and farming. It worked until the night of an eclipse about 17 years ago, and then everything changed for the worse. It seems like that was the night a curse was born, and the town’s suffering began.   Agatha Earnshaw has been keeping her daughter a secret of these 17 years, as her farm thrived leaving the town’s hate for her to grow. She spent all these years protecting Audrey Earnshaw (Jessica Reynolds) from the villagers, but after seeing her mom bullied by them Audrey decides it’s her time to prote