Alice Maio Mackay’s THE SERPENT'S SKIN Trailer: "Dark Star Pictures has released the new theatrical trailer for Alice Maio Mackay’s The Serpent’s Skin ahead of its upcoming North American theatrical release, which kicks off on March 27 in New York City and on April 3 in Los Angeles.
At only 21-years-old, the trans Australian filmmaker has announced herself as a talent to watch, and her latest film had a celebrated world premiere at San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ film festival Frameline and enjoyed a buzzy run with stops at Beyond Fest, Fantasia Film Festival, London’s Frightfest, NewFest, and more.
The Serpent’s Skin is Maio Mackay’s most ambitious film to date, combining her distinct filmmaking voice—known for channeling genre tropes through a trans lens, her innovative approach to aesthetics, and a unique wit—with a larger scope that leans into a darker storyline and a loving influence of 90s cult television like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed.
After writing and directing a string of low-budget horror shorts in her teens, Maio Mackay—who begins every feature with the on-screen evocation of “A Transgender Film”—erupted onto the scene with her 2021 vampire horror-comedy So Vam, starring BenDeLaCreme and Etcetera Etcetera from Drag Race, which was released as a Shudder Original when she was only sixteen years old. Following her breakout, she helmed Bad Girl Boogey (2022), featuring a cameo from horror icon Bill Mosley; the explosive underground horror T Blockers (2023), which earned her the Emerging Talent Award from Outfest L.A.; musical horror-comedy Satranic Panic (2023); and queer holiday horror Carnage for Christmas (2024), with I Saw the TV Glow’s Jane Schoenbrun executive producing her forthcoming feature Our Effed Up World.
Co-written with her constant collaborator Benjamin Pahl Robinson, the film stars Australian actor Jordan Dulieu (Everything in Between) alongside rising American actor and performance artist Alexandra McVicker (HBO’s Vice Principals, Jack Haven’s October Crow, Castration Movie) and award-winning Canadian filmmaker and actor Avalon Fast (Castration Movie), with McVicker and Fast bringing their characters—doomed lovers who unwittingly unleash a demon through their deepest insecurities—and their romance to life with a palpably intense on-screen chemistry.
Mackay has quickly cemented her position in the exciting new wave of queer filmmaking and The Serpent’s Skin brings many of the trans luminaries in the scene together, with Castration Movie auteur Louise Weard as Executive Producer, The People’s Joker breakout Vera Drew as Editor (after first teaming up on Carnage for Christmas), and So Pretty’s Jessica Dunn Rovinelli as Colorist.
The film will open in New York at the Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn on March 27 and in Los Angeles at the Alamo Drafthouse DTLA on April 3—as part of a special Fantastic Fest Presents showcase—with Mackay and special guests in attendance for opening nights.
Additional screenings with director Q&As include the Roxie Theater in San Francisco on April 2 and Vidiots in Los Angeles on 4/4, with further cities and dates to be announced."
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Teaser Trailer for IN A VIOLENT NATURE 2: "Johnny’s violent rampage leads him to a summer camp, just as a young, outcast camper is forced to spend the night with his counsellor sister and her friends at their annual end-of-season party."
COMING SOON 2026
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Bewitching Return of The Family Graves Rockets Your Way on Kickstarter with a Blazing Phil Hester Variant Cover!: "From co-creators Timothy Bach and Brian Atkins, The Family Graves is a cross between The Munsters and The Fantastic Four and stars a mixed-up family of monsters—a werewolf dad, a medusa mom, a teen siren, a fish-boy, and an adorable baby zombie—who are the only ones with the mad science capable of saving the world from terrifying supernatural threats.
The Kickstarter for Spell of the Space Witches #1 launches a brand-new chapter of the comic book series, blending monsters and science fiction along with teen and family drama into a spellbinding adventure that explores destiny, power, and agency—all with the series trademarked mix of horror, humor, heroics, and heart.
The story: Witchcraft is slow, complicated work in real life. But the quantum realm has no limits. Enter Tessadora, a girlboss witch with dark ambition and no time for the old ways.
Scheming to weaponize Phil’s new quantum communications satellite and make spells available on demand, she attacks The Family Graves from within and without, forcing young Nori to navigate her growing siren powers, mean girls, family ties, and the stygian allure of witchcraft.
As fate puts her on a collision course with her mother’s secret past, the family’s safety, and the freedom of the world, will Nori fall under the Spell of the Space Witches and succumb to a destiny of darkness?
In the first issue of this exciting new series our adventurous monster family launches into space to test Phil's bleeding-edge quantum communications satellite. But when Nori’s new friends turn out to be a trio of total witches—Nori learns there’s a steep price to pay for witchcraft: her family.
Mad science!—rockets—sabotage—magical spells—high school—and monsters!—all in this bewitching return of The Family Graves!
How do you get it? The Family Graves: Spell of the Space Witches #1 is a 22-page comic available exclusively through Kickstarter at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/654800860/the-family-graves-spell-of-the-space-witches-1
Spell of the Space Witches #1 is the first in a 4-issue series. Potential backers should know that all work on the issue is complete. The book is ready to go to the printer as soon as the campaign succeeds.
What's more: all four issues of this arc are done! There’s no need to worry about whether this series is going to finish—it's guaranteed! Bach and Atkins have been making comics together for more than ten years. This is their second Kickstarter."
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ANACORETA: "Filmhub has announced the official US digital release of Jeremy Schuetze's found footage feature Anacoreta. Following a festival run and debut in Canada, Anacoreta debuts on digital platforms February 24 in the US. Anacoreta screened at the Heartland International Film Festival, where it won Best Horror, and the Manchester Film Festival, where the team took home Best International Feature.
Anacoreta stars Antonia Thomas (The Good Doctor, Lovesick), Jeremy Schuetze (The Man in the High Castle, Jennifer's Body), co-writer Matt Visser (Fellow Travelers, Woman of the Hour), and Jesse Stanley (Van Helsing).
Beginning February 24, audiences across the US will be able to rent or own Anacoreta on Digital HD, including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Longtime fans of the genre, Schuetze and Visser leaned into the tropes of found footage and isolation in the woods, with their self-named characters headed into the wilderness to make a single-camera film, only to find chaos and death."
Synopsis: "A group of friends travel for a weekend away to an isolated cabin in the woods to shoot an experimental horror movie. Slowly the film begins to unravel, and we see the true monster appear from the shadows."
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NFT: CURSED IMAGES: "Chroma has announced the official North American release of Jonas Odenheimer's non-fungible nightmare NFT: Cursed Images. Filmed on the streets of London and fresh off a festival run, NFT: Cursed Images debuts on digital platforms March 6, coinciding with a limited theatrical run. The film premiered at the 2024 British Horror Film Festival, where it shocked audiences and swept the awards, winning Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and the Rising Star Award.
NFT: Cursed Images stars David Wayman (The Ledge), Mariah Nonnemacher (Terminator: Dark Fate), Durassie Kiangangu, Amelie Edwards, Nobuse Jnr, Jasmine Clark, Charlie Rich, and Najarra Townsend (The Stylist, Dementia: Part II). In addition to writing the script, Odenheimer produced through his Old Jim Productions shingle.
Beginning March 6, audiences across North America will be able to rent or own NFT: Cursed Images on Digital HD, including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.
Ahead of the US release, Odenheimer shared, "I'm excited to finally be able to share it with audiences. My team and I wanted not only to create a "gateway horror" that would be a good entry point for a younger audience member into the scary movie culture, but also a movie that is relatable to an entire generation whose main worries became their financial future."
In partnership with VeVe Digital Collectibles, NFT: Cursed Images gives audiences the chance to claim a free, limited-edition digital collectible by scanning a QR code embedded in the film’s official trailer. The collectible, available to the first 6,666 viewers who scan, is one of the same creatures that appears in the film."
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
After more than a decade as a consultant in the entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who passionately explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He is also consulted with as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, film festivals, and conventions.
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