Ahead of Bag of Lies' theatrical release tomorrow, we have an exclusive clip you can watch right now!

"DREAD, L.A.-based distribution and financing company Epic Pictures’ specialty horror label, will be releasing their horror/thriller, BAG OF LIES, in North America. The film will have a limited theatrical run beginning March 29, 2024, followed by a VOD release on April 2, 2024. Bag of Lies was directed by David Andrew James, co-written by Joe Zappa and James from a concept by Nick Laughlin. Patrick Ewald, Jacob P. Heineke and James served as the film’s producers. Bag of Lies stars Patrick Taft (Baby StepsWildfire), Brandi Botkin (Zero PercentSt. Gabriel), John Wells (Supernatural AssassinsI Can), Madison Pullins (The Kiss List) and Terry Tocantins (Red Is the Color ofAlly McBeal).

How far would you go for the one you love? Desperate to save his dying wife, Matt turns to The Bag, an ancient relic with dark magic. The cure demands a chilling ritual and strict rules. As his wife heals, Matt's sanity unravels, facing terrifying consequences."

TW // Self-harm

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Let them fight? No. LET THEM BE FRIENDS!

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire had me feeling like a little Donato again; sitting on the couch, cradling a bowl of sugary cereal, with my favorite Saturday morning cartoons on TV (like Godzilla: The Series). Will the screenplay win an Academy Award? Hell no. Does director Adam Wingard have an absolute blast staging supersized Titan mayhem? Big time. 

Godzilla: Minus One satisfied our cravings for societally introspective and richly commentative kaiju narratives that produce more than citywide destruction. Godzilla x Kong is almost exclusively about everything Toho’s Oscar-winning Godzilla flick is not. The only thing missing from this royally massive rumbler is famed ring announcer Michael Buffer’s “Let’s get ready to rumble!” catchphrase and a ring bell’s ding each time mayhem erupts. That’s the energy Wingard brings — the definition of Friday night popcorn entertainment.

Screenwriters Terry Rossio, Jeremy Slater, and Simon Barrett crack a teamup scenario where Kong and Godzilla must unite to protect humanity from unknown Hollow Earth adversaries. It’s not particularly complex because why bother — you’re here for the smashies and the brawlies. We're talking about a kaiju flick that starts with Kong’s dentist visit, and the glorious introduction of Dan Stevens as the Ace Ventura lookin’ Titan veterinarian known as Trapper. That’s not even a joke. Kaiju toothaches and telepathic signals kick things off; Kaylee Hottle’s Iwi orphan Jia receives mysterious messages like a radio tower intercepting foreign frequencies. Cue the partnership between Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews, Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie Hayes, Jia, and Ilene’s kooky ex-boyfriend Trapper (because the movie needs a few humans to explain what little plot connectivity exists).

Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse franchise has long had a people problem, but Godzilla x Kong minimizes the damage by letting the kaiju be more than combatants. Kong’s never felt more human; the camera catches Kong in humorous, almost sitcom-like situations. Long stretches of the film are just Kong hunting nightmare rodents in Hollow Earth or sharing buddy comedy moments with a new friend, Suko (a rambunctious and feisty juvenile “Mini-Kong” who appears in Hollow Earth). Wingard’s attentiveness to Kong’s personality — the monkey’s facial expressions as he bonds with Suko or the tag-team chemistry shared with Godzilla — brings us closer to the monster than ever before. Kong and Suko could carry an entire movie by themselves; compassion comes easy for Titan characters who can’t speak, yet are surprisingly emotive through glances, smirks, and bodily signing motions.

It’s the kind of kaiju movie where Godzilla takes power naps in Rome’s Colosseum like a cat curled in its circular bed because these kaiju are just gigantic, wanna-pet-’em animals. The way Wingard views his Titans is wholesome and inviting, not reducing them to screechy and violent creatures with only skyscraper obliteration on their minds.

However, there’s not much to say about the Monarch employees, stepmothers, and conspiracy podcasters beyond their functions for plot advancement. Wingard clearly understands that the best kind of Dan Stevens role is a weirdo Dan Stevens role, which is Trapper in a nutshell. Stevens chews through scenery like an all-you-can-eat buffet, especially when exploring his adorable bromance with Henry’s woefully unprepared plus-one to the expedition. Wingard lets Stevens off the leash, whether he’s pondering aloud existential anecdotes or dangling from an aircraft, all smiles, while rock music blares in the background — but it’s not enough for a blanket pass on character development. Hall and Hottle share a mother-daughter warmth played in basic dramatic beats, which isn’t exceptionally riveting. Henry tags along for perfectly apt if predictable comedic relief, a skittish tourist in Hollow Earth. There’s still a shallowness to Kong’s human counterparts that won’t have you thinking about them long after the credits, but maybe that’s by design.

What exists in terms of kaiju battles is everything we could want from Godzilla x Kong. Without spoiling too much, it’s like a scaled-up Planet of the Apes influenced by professional wrestling. Windgard’s disregard for worldwide landmarks is well documented as Godzilla and Kong topple pyramids or trample Rio de Janeiro underfoot, as Earth’s only hope causes extensive collateral damage during their final stand. Kong receives a mechanical gauntlet augmentation that brings the thunder, while Godzilla supercharges their atomic powers by harnessing the surging energies of bisexual color schemes. It’s all absurd, but the appropriate amount of absurd for an epic collaboration between two of cinema’s O.G. heavyweights. Godzilla x Kong has it all in kaiju epicness terms: suplexes, Skar Kings, icy-breathed pets, fan favorites and cutthroat rivalries.

Hollow Earth provides a gorgeous panorama in small doses, but the digitally rendered visuals, while exotically appealing, start to numb our senses. There’s so much pixelated animation used that photographic composition blurs together. Some views are astonishing as Hollow Earth’s floor and ceiling mirror one another; glistening crystals sprout from lush jungles where extraordinary beasts roam. Kong looks aces, Godzilla looks excellent, and the other supporting kaiju all look incredible, but fantasy wilderness settings homogenize at times with so many computerized location models. Here’s where that Saturday morning cartoon comparison stings a bit, because while special effects never approach the word “terrible,” Hollow Earth can become repetitive as a glamorized backdrop.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire accomplishes what it sets out to achieve. Wingard’s direction is like a giddy child playing with his favorite action figures in the backyard. There’s no surprise to what you’re in store for, which is quite alright — we’re allowed a “big dumb” monster movie treat now and again. Godzilla x Kong is kaiju comfort food that lets Kong and Godzilla shine as Titans with more to live for than territorial violence. Wingard clearly loves this franchise and its monsters; that enjoyment is infectious. Come for the kaiju chaos, stay for Dan Stevens’ scene stealer, become an instant Suko fan, and leave with a smile.

Movie Score: 3.5/5

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DARKLIT PRESS SETS SAIL ON KICKSTARTER WITH DARKLIT SAILS: A GROUNDBREAKING PIRATE HORROR ADVENTURE SERIES BY MARGINALIZED AUTHORS: "DarkLit Press proudly announces the launch of their Kickstarter campaign for DarkLit Sails, an exhilarating series of pirate horror adventures written by underrepresented and marginalized authors. This daring voyage into the world of dark literature promises to captivate readers with spine-tingling tales of high-seas terror, all while championing diverse voices in the literary landscape. 

Underrepresented and marginalized authors have long struggled to find their place in mainstream publishing, but DarkLit Sails aims to change that narrative. By providing a platform for these talented storytellers, DarkLit Press is committed to amplifying voices that have been historically overlooked in the industry. 

"We believe that everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the stories they read," says Andrew Robert, Founder and CEO of DarkLit Press. "With DarkLit Sails, we're not only offering thrilling adventures but also fostering inclusivity and representation in literature." 

Each installment of DarkLit Sails will transport readers to the treacherous waters of pirate-infested seas, where danger lurks at every turn. From ancient curses to supernatural horrors, these tales promise to keep readers on the edge of their seats. 

Adding to the allure of the campaign, DarkLit Sails will feature stunning cover illustrations by the acclaimed artist Val Halvorson, whose captivating artwork brings the chilling atmosphere of each story to life. 

But the excitement doesn't end there! Backers of the Kickstarter campaign will enjoy a bounty of rewards, including discounted books from DarkLit Press's back catalogue and a treasure trove of free books. With rewards tailored to suit every budget, supporters will have the opportunity to dive into a sea of captivating stories while helping to bring DarkLit Sails to fruition. 

"We're incredibly grateful for the support of our backers," says Andrew Robert. "Their contributions will not only help us publish DarkLit Sails but also pave the way for more diverse voices to be heard in the literary world." 

The Kickstarter campaign for DarkLit Sails sets sail on March 26th, 2024, and supporters are encouraged to join the adventure by visiting the link below. With your help, DarkLit Press can chart a course toward a more inclusive and vibrant literary landscape."

For more info, visit:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darklitpress/darklit-sails-a-swashbuckling-horror-adventure series

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HARD:LINE 2024 Festival Announcement: "For the past eleven years, the HARD:LINE Film Festival has taken place at the northernmost point of the Danube, where dark films from all over the world are celebrated in a stunning medieval setting. In 2024, the event will once again attract thousands of visitors to the cathedral city of Regensburg and, from April 11th to 14th, dozens of horror, thriller, and sci-fi films will be screened there, mostly as German Premieres.

For eleven years, the HARD:LINE Festival has welcomed extreme cinema – often against all odds – and has passionately emphasized quality over quantity since its inception. A finely-selected assortment of short and feature-length films make up the festival’s program, and will once more fill the seats of the city’s legendary Ostentor Cinema. The central focus of the festival is to dispel prejudice, make art understandable, and to make contributions to artistic freedom. The festival’s 2024 program includes thirteen features and sixteen shorts from thirteen countries, 21 of which are proudly celebrating premieres at HARD:LINE 2024.

Nearly half of the festival’s screenings will be accompanied by guests, including Fabio D'Orta from Italy, who will be presenting his critically-acclaimed mindfuck masterpiece THE COMPLEX FORMS for the first time in Germany. Alix Austin and Keir Stewart will travel from England to present their joint directorial debut, KILL YOUR LOVER. And THE LAST ASHES, Luxembourg’s Oscar entry, is a superbly-staged female empowerment western from acclaimed director Loïc Tanson. 

One of HARD:LINE’s unique selling points is its annual showcase of a modern genre directors' oeuvre. The fest’s "Directors Spotlight" annually features three films which summarize the career of a specific filmmaker and, traditionally, the films are programmed anti-chronologically to offer the audience the unique opportunity to travel backwards through a filmmaker’s works. This year, the festival is dedicating its retrospective to U.S. filmmaker Ted Geoghegan, who will be traveling to Regensburg from New York City to screen and discuss his directorial efforts BROOKLYN 45, MOHAWK, and WE ARE STILL HERE. Geoghegan will also hold a masterclass for select guests and be available for conversations with attendees in the festival’s cinema pub, The Kinokneipe.

Being a hands-on film festival remains HARD:LINE’s top priority, which means there are no red carpets in Regensburg. Instead, the fest offers a space expressly dedicated to passion and art, a place that welcomes discourse and fosters opportunities. 

In addition to film screenings, HARD:LINE also features DJ nights in The Kinokneipe on Friday and Saturday nights of the festival, featuring incredible local talent. Ending the festival with monumentally good vibes is also a tradition at HARD:LINE, and this year is no different. Its closing night party on Sunday evening will feature Regensburg post-punk supergroup Zustand taking center stage at the Ostentor Cinema, with matching visuals on-screen behind them. Following their show will be the festival’s award ceremony, The Razor Blades, which will include the festival's Audience Awards and the presentation of the Méliès D'Argent Award. And because HARD:LINE is a film festival that passionately adores cinema, it needs a phenomenal closing film... which, this year, is the German Premiere of Cooper Roberts’s highly ironic and genre-reflective ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD.

The full line-up of feature films screening at HARD:LINE 2024 are ALL YOU NEED IS BLOOD (German Premiere), BROOKLYN 45 (German Premiere), THE COMPLEX FORMS (German Premiere), DEMIGOD: THE LEGEND BEGINS, THE EMU WAR, IN A VIOLENT NATURE (German Premiere), KILL YOUR LOVER (German Premiere),THE LAST ASHES, MOHAWK, PROPRIEDADE, STOPMOTION (German Premiere), WE ARE STILL HERE, and YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (German Premiere)."

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ARROW Astounds with April Additions to Streaming Service April 2024 Lineup Announced: "London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the April 2024 lineup of their subscription-based ARROW platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland. Enjoy a selection of new titles, from carefully cultivated curations to shorts by new talent to deep dives into the tastes of filmmakers that changed the way we see the genre.

The Seasons launch April 5 with Regional Horror (UK/ IRE/ US/CA): A fascinating and fun thing happens when regular people decide to make a horror film outside of the Hollywood studio system. Utilizing purely the talents of themselves, family, friends and pretty much anyone who lives nearby and fits the bill, these 'regional horror' films fuse outsider art, a rebellious nature and a lack of any oversight to create some truly unique and terrifying films that never go where you would expect!

Titles Include: Regional Bloodshed, Dark August, The Driller Killer.

Also on April 5 you can also listen to the first of six more episodes of the Arrow Video Podcast with Sam and Dan to join ARROW, where they discuss the delights of David Lynch’s oft-maligned sci-fi epic Dune (1984), and the kaiju carnage of Gamera: Guardian of the Universe.

On April 12, ARROW casts a spell with Bad Magic (UK/IRE/US/CA).

In Bad Magic, illusion and wizardry brings forth terror, bloodshed and even some brutal beatdowns. So, hit play on one of these bewitching bangers and let's all say the magic word together: "Abracadabr-ARGH!".

Titles Include: Wizard of Gore, The End of Man, The Boxer's Omen.

Also on April 12, ARROW continues its commitment to showcasing short films from acclaimed talent, with a new quartet of appetizer sized horror.

Arm (UK/IRE/US/CAN): After the break-up of her relationship, Katharine finds herself alone and miserable in the middle of the pandemic. With isolation madness taking hold, she buys herself a companion - a boyfriend pillow. It’s an impulse purchase she may come to regret.

Meat Friend (UK/IRE/US/CAN): Nominated for a 2023 Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Short Film. An ex-con, sentient pile of hamburger meat (voiced by Steve Johanson) teaches after-school lessons to a child (Marnie McKendry) in this absurdist comedic short film directed by festival favorite Izzy Lee.

BLEEP! (UK/IRE/US/CAN): Jason and Clara are stuck in a rut. They have the same argument every single night, their relationship is on the brick of dying. One particular night they awake to a strange bleep. Determined to find the mysterious sound they search the house.

Bad Acid (UK/IRE/US/CAN): A wild exploration of the realm where ego, fitness and vanity collide.

On April 15, peek into the tastes of the man behind Phantasm and The Beastmaster with Don Coscarelli Selects (UK/IRE/US/CA).

Independent filmmaker Don Coscarelli is best known for the Phantasm films. Phantasm and its successful sequels spawned a rabid cult of fans around the world, alongside his other enduring works, The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep and John Dies at the End.

Titles Include: Basket Case, The Woman, The Crazies.

On April 19, Sister Filth returns once more to shepherd you away from the deviant delights that drip from the very pores of this sick and sinful streaming service.

Sick Filth Never Dies (UK/ IRE/ US/CA): Worry not, my children, for I have taken it upon myself to cloister all of the worst offenders that could corrupt you the most within this collection, safe from perverted prying eyes. Now, you wouldn't dare disobey me and watch any of these corrupt and disgusting films, would you?

Titles Include: Behind Convent Walls, The Awakening of the Beast, A Serbian Film.

Also on April 19, Sam, Dan and Shea return with more episodes of the ARROW Podcast (UK/IRE/US/CAN) to discuss horror favorites Phantasm, Hellraiser, and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and the off-the-scale martial arts horror of The Boxer’s Omen.

On April 20, what else can subscribers do except Blaze It (UK/IRE/US/CA)!

Full of far-out 420 fun and hazy horror, kick back and Blaze It with this carefully rolled collection.

Titles Include: Reefer Madness, Bad Acid, The Hooked Generation.

The Kids Aren't Alright (UK/ IRE/ US/CA) on April 26.

The youth is revolting in this collection of tearaway teens, chilling children and killer kids.

Titles Include: Hell High, The Child, The Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch.

The lineup wraps up, rather appropriately, on April 30 with Basket Case - 4K (UK/IRE/US/CAN).

The feature debut of director Frank Henenlotter (Frankenhooker, Brain Damage), 1982's Basket Case is a riotous and blood-spattered "midnight movie" experience, now presented for the first time ever in glorious 4K.

ARROW is available in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland on the following Apps/devices: Roku (all Roku sticks, boxes, devices, etc), Apple TV & iOS devices, Samsung TVs, Android TV and mobile devices, Fire TV (all Amazon Fire TV Sticks, boxes, etc), and on all web browsers at https://www.arrow-player.com.

With a slickly designed and user-friendly interface, and an unparalleled roster of quality content from westerns to giallo to Asian cinema, trailers, Midnight Movies, filmmaker picks and much, much more, ARROW is the place to go for the very best in on-demand entertainment."

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From the masterful minds of Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay comes SOMNA, "an intoxicating blend of history, eroticism, and the supernatural in SOMNA [that] will transport readers to a world where passion and spirits intertwine, captivating your senses and leaving you craving more." The series concludes today with issue #3 and we have an exclusive look at a brand-new cover by Michael Kaluta, as well as undressed versions of both Kaluta's cover, a stunning variant by celebrated mangaka Shūzō Oshimi, and a DTC variant by the legendary Jenny Frison, all 4 of which will be available exclusively through DSTLRY's website at dstlry.co.

"DSTLRY’s hit erotic folk-horror series SOMNA concludes today with issue #3, available now from co-writer/artists Tula Lotay (Barnstormers) and Becky Cloonan (By Chance or Providence) following the complete sellout of both previous issues!

The gripping climax of this jaw-dropping series is graced with two dstlry.co-exclusive DTC variant covers, including a brand-new variant by Michael Kaluta (The Shadow, Starstruck, Lucifer) and an undressed variant by celebrated mangaka Shūzō Oshimi (Blood on the Tracks, The Flowers of Evil), the first result of a recently announced partnership between DSTLRY and Kodansha to regularly exchange cover artists for upcoming comics and manga releases. An undressed variant of Kaluta’s cover is also offered in a ‘Print + Free Digital Copy’ bundle, available to readers who own at least one digital copy of any DSTLRY release.

Also available today at dstlry.co is the SOMNA Triple X Undressed Bundle ($75), featuring undressed, art-only print and digital editions of co-creator Tula Lotay’s explicit connecting covers for all three issues of SOMNA, plus an exclusive digital poster of the entire original piece. Rounding out the celebratory series finale offerings are two new SOMNA t-shirt designs, available in both women’s and men’s cuts ($35).

SOMNA #3 closes out the masterfully evocative series with a glorious full selection of covers available now in both print and digital, including:

  • Cover A - Becky Cloonan; Open Order
  • Cover B - Tula Lotay; Open Order
  • Cover C - Emma Ríos ; 1:10 Incentive Variant
  • Cover D - Anwita Citriya; 1:25 Incentive Variant
  • Cover E - Pernille Ørum-Nielsen; 1:50 Incentive Variant
  • Cover F - Shūzō Oshimi; Open Order Variant
  • Cover G - Tula Lotay; Open Order Explicit Bagged Variant
  • Cover I - Shūzō Oshimi; dstlry.co-Exclusive DTC Undressed Variant
  • Cover J - Michael Kaluta; dstlry.co-Exclusive DTC Variant
  • Cover K - Michael Kaluta; dstlry.co-Exclusive Undressed Digital Owner Benefit Variant (Print + Free Digital Copy when both added to cart)
  • Cover L - Jenny Frison; dstlry.co-Exclusive DTC Variant

The hit series by Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay comes to its gripping climax! The mystery of who killed Harald is finally solved, but is it too late for Ingrid to escape the harrowing clutches of the ethereal and deadly "Shadow Man?" More importantly, does she even WANT to escape, or has her new-found sexual awakening made it impossible to ever return?!

From the masterful minds of Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay comes an intoxicating blend of history, eroticism, and the supernatural in SOMNA—an evocative masterpiece that draws inspiration from folk-horror staples like Midsommar and The Witch—and will transport readers to a world where passion and spirits intertwine, captivating your senses and leaving you craving more.

SOMNA #3 is out today, March 27, in print and digital. Readers can purchase digital copies on dstlry.co from March 27 through April 2. Print copies are available online and at local comic shops while supplies last.

Print copies of SOMNA #3 are available at participating local comic shops and online at dstlry.co. Digital copies are available exclusively at dstlry.co."

Michael Kaluta: 

Shūzō Oshimi:

Jenny Frison:

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Starring Barbara Crampton and Rachel Michiko Whitney, we have an exclusive clip from Snow Valley! The film is the directorial debut of the late Brandon Murphy, and is now available from Gravitas Ventures, who had recently acquired Snow Valley from Uinta Productions and Paper Street Pictures.

"Written and directed by Murphy (HITMAN’S WIFE’S BODYGUARD), the film stars Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR), Rachel Michiko Whitney (THE CARD COUNTER), Cooper van Grootel (ONE OF US IS LYING), Tom Williamson (ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE), David Lambert (THE FOSTERS), Paige Elkington (RELATIONSHIP STATUS), and Ali Fumiko Whitney (THE ROAD DANCE).

In this psychological thriller, a newly engaged couple's swank ski weekend goes horribly awry, when an unexpected guest arrives and the house's dark supernatural forces begin to rise on the anniversary of a tragic event.

SNOW VALLEY was produced by Chris Abernathy, Aaron B. Koontz, Justice Laub, Rachel Michiko Whitney, and executive produced by Andrea Chung and Solco Schuit."

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Directed by Diane Foster, EASTER BLOODY EASTER is now available on Cable VOD and Digital HD from Gravitas Ventures, and we have an exclusive clip you can watch right now!

"When a bloodthirsty Jackalope starts a fluffy murder-spree at Easter time, a Texas housewife fights to the death to save her husband and discover the creature’s true identity before her town is destroyed forever."

EASTER BLOODY EASTER stars Diane Foster, Kelly Grant, Allison Lobel, Zuri Starks, D'Andre Noiré, Zachary Kanner, Miles Cooper and Gavin Lee. It was written by Allison Lobel and produced by Diane Foster, Allison Lobel, Kelly Grant, Mitch Olson, Liana Montemayor, Rafi Jacobs, and Will Amato. The iconic demon bunnies were created by Jesse Velez of Raptor House FX, who are known for creating "Thing" from Wednesday.

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After introducing readers to the masked convention slasher known as Killr™ last fall, Stephen Graham Jones, Joshua Viola, and Ben Matsuya are teaming up to bring readers back to the Colorado Festival of Horror for another round of killer cosplay in True Believers #2. Once again featuring star-studded cameos and plenty of murderous mayhem, True Believers #2 is coming soon to Kickstarter via Hex Publishers, and we're thrilled to exclusively reveal that Trivium vocalist and guitarist Matthew Kiichi Heafy will appear in the second issue, and we also have a reveal of the new variant cover by Luigi Scarcella!

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Happy Hellboy Day! Although it may be hard to believe, this month already marks 30 years since the debut of the first Hellboy comic book miniseries (following the fiery character's first appearance in 1993), and we're celebrating Mike Mignola's iconic creation by giving away one hardcover copy of Dark Horse's Hellboy Library Edition Volume 1, featuring the Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil story arcs as well as supplemental sketches and designs for fans to enjoy!

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A knock on his mobile home door one dark and stormy night leads to haunting reflections, shocking revelations, and eerie interactions for a lonesome man and his mysterious visitor in You'll Never Find Me. Directed by Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell (who also wrote the screenplay), You'll Never Find Me is now streaming on Shudder, and Daily Dead recently caught up with Josiah and Indianna to discuss their ambitious feature film directorial debut, including keeping things fresh while filming in a singular location, building a sense of dread through the movie's powerful (and, at times, nautically inspired) sound design, and working with actors Brendan Rock and Jordan Cowan to create a psychologically compelling (and potentially deadly) game of cat-and-mouse between their characters.

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Twenty years ago, I saw a movie that changed my life. I also saw Jersey Girl. Not a bad movie. I enjoy it to this day - especially George Carlin as the gruff but loveable grandfather. It’s a fun movie and I recommend you check it out if you haven’t - it really got a bad rap. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about. We’re here to celebrate Zack Snyder’s 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.

In March of 2004, some friends and I decided to do a double feature of Jersey Girl (because we liked Kevin Smith) and Dawn of the Dead (because it looked scary). Jersey Girl worked out fine and we all had a nice time, and then Dawn of the Dead had us talking excitedly for the rest of the night. It had an immediate effect, giving us the kind of scares that get you charged up and excited. Zombies weren’t as ubiquitous as they are today, so it felt like something new, even though it was a remake (and none of us had seen the original yet, so it was even newer to us). 

Written by James Gunn and directed by Snyder, who would both go on to have incredibly successful careers, Dawn of the Dead was a welcome and exciting shot in the arm for early 2000s horror. 2003 had seen the US release of Danny Boyle’s 28 Day Later, so the idea of a fast-moving zombie wasn’t brand new, but it was still novel. The living dead weren’t the stumbling, bumbling monsters that we had grown up with in cartoons. This was something different, and it felt really dangerous. Zombies for a new era, bringing with them a new kind of fear. 

Dawn of the Dead has hooks you from the beginning. Anna (Sarah Polley) is at the end of a long nursing shift at the hospital. One of her patients was admitted earlier that day due to a bite that he had received during a drunken bar fight. Hours later, he is in the ICU, awaiting test results. As Anna finally leaves the building, she sees a team of paramedics pull away in their ambulance. As they drive off, we hear one of them say “It’s starting early,” indicating that not only do they have a long night ahead, but they anticipate it to be an active one as well. In Anna’s car and home, we hear short short sound bites on the radio and TV, referring briefly to a developing emergency situation. We never really get time to zero in before the channel is changed or our attention is pulled elsewhere. Beat by beat, the audience is given just enough to know that something big is about to happen, while the characters remain blissfully unaware. 

Until the next morning, that is, when the young neighbor girl shows up in Anna’s bedroom and attacks her husband, biting a huge hole in his neck. He quickly succumbs to his wounds, and is dead for a few moments before returning to life and attacking Anna. She is barely able to escape to her car. As she drives away, we see that her previously typical (dare I say, even boring) middle class neighborhood has become a warzone overnight. People are attacking each other on perfectly manicured lawns. The air is thick with smoke. Emergency vehicles wiz by, and some of the homes are even burning. Whatever has happened, is big.

It’s a fantastic opening sequence, which then leads into one of the greatest opening credits sequences ever. We see a montage of zombie footage, news footage, and footage pulled from real life events and disasters to set the mood for a world on the brink of collapse, all set to Johnny Cash’s “The Man Comes Around.” By the time the intro credits have rolled, the film has established the stakes. The world of the film has gone from familiar to alien in the span of a few short hours as the world tries to get a grip on a global disaster that they can’t understand. 

Anna travels through the increasingly unsafe city and soon falls in with a group of people planning to seek shelter at the local mall. They break in and cautiously begin to look around, of course taking out a few violent corpses in the process. Almost immediately, they run into the mall security team. There is an initial power struggle between the security officers (AKA The Guys With Guns) and Everyone Else. After the two more problematic men are disarmed and put into a holding cell, the group can finally begin to work together to do more than argue and make dominance plays. This hit a certain way in the post 9/11 era of its release, and still works well today. We have a small group that has given themselves power and authority because they happen to be armed, and have no interest in joining a larger group and contributing equally to that group’s chances of survival. Eventually, they become more amenable and the leader CJ (Michael Kelly) winds up being one of the strongest characters in the movie, learning to not just think about himself and eventually even sacrificing himself via gas explosion in order to keep the surviving members of the group safe. 

The rest of our group of survivors joins us the next day, when a truck filled with people arrives, barely missing getting eaten alive in the parking lot. Among this group is a very sick woman who has to be brought into the mall in a wheelbarrow. One member of the group tells Anna that she was walking on her own when she got into the truck only an hour before, but her condition has deteriorated sharply. She was apparently bitten by one of the raging crazy people outside. It isn’t long at all before the woman takes her last jagged breath and the group takes a moment of silence to honor her passing. Moments later, she sits up, eyes pop open, and with one horrific screech, hurls herself toward Anna in a violent attack. The woman is dispatched quickly, but not before giving the group (and the audience) a fright to remember. 

This is one of my favorite moments in the film. From the second we hear that she was bitten, we are on edge, knowing that nothing good is going to happen in the next few minutes. But we still aren’t prepared for the way in which it happens. She sits up. She turns her head. She launches herself forward with almost inhuman speed, and the way she flails as she runs communicates an unnerving brand of kind of chaotic energy. It’s an absolutely frightening sequence. This moment really drives home the fact that while these beings were one people, they are now something else entirely.

From there, the group begins to put together the pieces of everything they have experienced. The people who have been attacking them are no longer living. The bites are the cause, and soon after someone is bitten, they die and then come back to life in minutes. Only they aren’t really alive. They are violent and mindless. The mall is safe, for the time being, so they continue to hold up there in the hopes that a rescue will come. To kill time, they watch movies, play golf on the roof, watch the gun guy across the street have target practice on the zombie hoards - really anything and everything they can do to keep their minds off impending doom. 

As time progresses, we get plenty of shots of the exterior of the mall, showing zombies as they try to get in.  Slowly, the hordes of undead get larger and larger. This is seen in a particularly spectacular crane shot during the Down with the Sickness jazzy interlude (thanks, Richard Cheese), wherein the camera slowly raises, we see hundreds of writhing, hungry ghouls below him in the parking lot. It’s an impressive shot that also gives the audience an understanding of just how bad things have gotten. 

Things eventually come to a head and the group decides that staying in the mall is a fruitless endeavor. Eventually, they will run out of supplies, or the masses of the undead will get in. Waiting to die is not an option. They decide to make a run for it. They will load up on weapons, zombie-proof the mall’s parking shuttles the best they can, and head to the marina to take a boat to what they hope will be a safe and zombie-free island in the Great Lakes. It’s a pretty great plan, all in all, and we get to see some creative zombie kills in the process. Of course, not everyone makes it (for better or worse - honestly it’s pretty satisfying when a character I refer to as Asshole Steve [Ty Burrell] gets zombified and Anna gets to shoot him in the head). 

In the last moments, one of our lead characters (Michael, played by Jake Webber) is bitten and stays behind while the remaining survivors cast off and sail into the unknown. Anna looks back at him, seemingly knowing that their fate is in doubt and that only more horror can be found on the horizon. It’s a bittersweet ending, and honestly, an ending that I find greatly works in this kind of film. With zombie movies, especially at this scale, we need something that isn’t too happy. We need to know that just because some of our survivors made it, their trial isn’t over yet. The world is still in the midst of a disaster, and winning today in no way means you win tomorrow.

It is a really satisfying film, bringing fun and scares in equal measure. Dawn of the Dead was early in Snyder’s career, but it absolutely establishes him as a director with a visual eye. He utilizes some of the slow motion work that would later become part of his signature style, but here, he uses it sparingly. It comes into play quite well when setting up a gun shot and creating suspense before the shot is actually fired, or as we wait for an explosion. At the time, it felt very innovative and exciting, and it still works in the film because it is not overused. 

One of the reasons it works so well is the talented cast bringing the story to life. It’s a fairly big group (giving us ample opportunity for characters to be picked off one by one), but the actors are able to communicate things here and there that pull most of the characters off the page. That plus a few well-written conversations from Gunn that allow these people to be more than just broad strokes. We don’t know them inside and out, but we get enough for everyone to have a distinct personality and to stand apart from the rest of the group.

It’s hard to have a good zombie movie succeed without stellar makeup effects. And just like Tom Savini gave the monsters from the original Dawn their signature look. David Anderson came in and gave these monsters a look all their own. Anderson and his team did phenomenal work. The zombies look gnarly from the start, but they also change as the story goes on, appearing more and more decomposed over the course of the film, to show the passage of time. The wheelbarrow woman, the zombie baby, the use of amputee actors to show the living dead walking around with differing levels of physical trauma - it’s visual gold for a horror nerd. Every zombie that gets showcased looks a little different, and they are all appropriately gross. Since the zombie apocalypse is being spread through bites, rather than the recently deceased simply rising, that means that everyone who becomes a zombie has tangled with a zombie and lost. So they are all going to be bloody, battered, and torn up, to some degree. We see plenty of open wounds and gallons of blood.  

Some of the Romero die-hards had a difficult time with this film when it first came out. It was so different from the 1978 Dawn of the Dead. The traditional shambling zombies were gone and the fast-moving ones felt, to some, like a new and unnecessary fad. A lot of Romero’s themes of consumerism and capitalism were stripped out in the name of a more stright-forwared popcorn horror movie. I get it - I’m sure to many fans, it felt like the film did them dirty. For me, it was fantastic. I was in my early 20s and had never seen the original. My zombie education was limited to the 1990 Night of the Living Dead (which I love) and the occasional Scooby Doo episode, so this movie was terrifying. It got under my skin in the same way that NOTLD 90 had, but it also scared me in a way that got my adrenaline going. I think the most important thing that you need in a zombie movie is the fact that something completely unnatural is happening, and humanity is powerless to stop it. We need that feeling of apocalyptic desperation, and both versions of Dawn deliver that.

If I’m being 100% honest, I prefer this version of the film to the 1978 movie. Romero’s film is amazing and important, but there are aspects of it that just don’t work for me. The comedic elements, in particular. I love the idea of what he put together, and I can appreciate the finished film, but those scenes always take me out of it a bit and deflate the film’s impact. Part of what I love about Snyder’s version is that it plays a little straighter. There are some jokes here and there, but the core vibe of the zombie outbreak is dire. We are on the brink and one misstep could end everything for our characters. This version captures the intense, adrenaline-fueled fear of trying to survive in the moment, and the more dismal, longer-lasting fear of trying to survive into the future. 

Zombies have been pretty front and center for the past 15 years, thanks in large part to The Walking Dead and its various spin-offs. Some might think they have worn out their welcome, and other fans would say they can stay front and center for another decade. But in spite of the onslaught, certain films and stories are going to withstand the test of time. 2004’s Dawn of the Dead is absolutely one of those movies. The years haven’t made it any less fun, scary or impactful. Everything that worked about it in the early aughts still plays well today. It might not carry a statement like Romero’s did, but it doesn’t need to; Romero has that covered. Sometimes it’s okay to just be a standout piece of popcorn horror. The fact that it is so fun is why I keep coming back to it again and again. The characters feel real and the situation is terrifying. It’s easy to imagine myself into that space and wonder what I would do if the world suddenly went to hell and I had to fight off the undead and hold up inside a mall. And though I can leave that nightmare any time I want and come back to the real world, it’s a nightmare I always find myself revisiting, time and time again.

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Late Night with the Devil is the most fun that I have had with a horror film in a hot minute. It really finds that space in the Venn diagram that encompasses popcorn horror, clever writing, and an innovative story. I love discovering movies like this. I would file Deadstream, The House of the Devil and Saint Maud on the same shelf. Not because they are similar in premise or tone, but more because of the experience I had watching them. It’s so fun to go into an indie horror film and discover something new. A story that hasn’t been told that isn’t part of a bigger franchise. I love higher budget, more mainstream horror, but it’s films like this that give us more of an opportunity to experience something unexpected. I love that.

The story takes place in the late 1970s. Jack Delroy (David Dasmtalchian) is the host of a late night variety show called "Night Owls." He has had a successful career, but has never quite made it to the top. Year after year, as successful as the show gets, he always finds himself falling just short in the ratings. As beloved as he and his show are, he can’t quite eke his way into the top slot and become the king of late night television. 

The film opens by giving us an overview of his career, accented by clips and a great narration from Michael Ironside. After this introduction, we join Jack for a special Halloween episode of Night Owls. This is the one that is going to finally bring him to the top. He has booked a number of guests, all centering on the spiritual realm. We have a medium (Fayssal Bazzi) who does some semi-successful cold readings with the audience; a professional skeptic (Ian Bliss), who makes a living debunking charlatans who squeeze money out of well-meaning people while pretending to reach across to the “other side;” and a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) and her mysterious client, a young girl named Lilly, who claims to be possessed by a demon. (Ingrid Torelli). 

The audience is primed and is very in tune with the theme of the show. Some are die-hard believers in the supernatural, others are a bit more cautious. All of them are there for an entertaining Halloween evening. Jack hopes to deliver an exciting show that creates buzz - either by scaring the crap out of his audience members, or by giving them something to debate afterwards.

The show starts smoothly; Jack is on fire, connecting with both the audience and the guests. He is delivering an incredible performance and the special guests are an immediate hit. However, as the evening goes on, things begin to get a bit strange. Particularly (to no one’s surprise) when Dr. Gordon and her patient Lilly come out. Is Lilly really possessed by a demon? Or have we just tapped into the infamous Satanic Panic that gripped the nation in the late 70s and early 80s? As the presence of the supernatural begins to become undeniable, both the studio audience and we as the viewers begin to question the nature of what we are seeing and wonder where it will all take us. 

The story, co-written and directed by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Carines, unfolds along two distinct lines. First, we have everything that is happening onstage. It is part of the broadcast, and is being experienced both by the audience in the studio, and the television audience watching from home. Second, there is the more behind the scenes story, which is shown just to us whenever the show breaks for commercials. In those segments, we get to see how the crew is reacting to what is happening onstage, what else is happening in the building, and other details that aren’t being presented for the sake of pure entertainment. This proves to be a very clever way of filling in some of the gaps for us, the theatrical audience. We might not be seeing anything strange happening on stage, but we are hearing about things going wrong or oddly with the broadcast or elsewhere in the studio. It’s often not anything major, but it’s enough to tell us that, despite what we’re seeing as a part of the show, this night isn’t moving forward like just any night.

The joy of this film (and maybe even the Devil) is in the details. Everything here comes together perfectly, and the finished product is just magic. It’s not just the story or the effects (both are great). It’s the way the Cairnes are able to add in little flourishes along the way. There are the on- and offstage methods of delivering the story to the audience, but there are also a lot of non-story-focused beats that just add to the fabric of the world. Details that are very specific to a talk show from the 1970s. The set, obviously, and the costumes are big pieces. But also the types of acts that this show is hosting and the way Jack interacts with them, both on and off stage. It all feels very real.

Dastmalchian is incredible, especially in this regard. He nails the role of the 70s talk show host. Yes, this is definitely a character “type” that has survived to this day, but the persona has changed. Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and the like all have performance personas when they are onscreen, but that persona has changed a lot over the past 40 years. Dastmalchian is finding something a little more old school. The voice he uses, the cadence of his speech - all reminiscent of a bygone era when television personalities were a bit more polished. Not professional, just polished. The personas that Johnny Carson and his contemporaries put on were much more international. More of a mask, and less naturalistic. 

And it’s particularly interesting as we cut back and forth between the show as it airs and the stuff that is happening on set during commercial breaks. We get to see more of the real Jack come out when the cameras stop rolling. It’s not a dramatic Jekyll and Hyde scenario, but there is a big difference between Jack the person and the character that he puts out into the world. And seeing this difference helps to fill in some of the details about him and his motivations. 

There’s a lot to love about Late Night with the Devil. It’s a unique film that comes together in a lot of different ways and carries its own brand of creativity. Watching the story unfold is a lot of fun, but so is the act of just sitting with it and appreciating all of the different elements that fed into the overall experience. I didn’t know quite what to expect as this one started rolling, and it was a tremendously fun ride, start to finish.

Movie Score: 5/5

[Editor's Note: This review was written prior to the revelation that AI art was used in some of the film's transition slides. We are disappointed to learn of the inclusion of AI art, when there are numerous options to leverage artists that can create original horror artwork.]

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More than 35 years after moviegoers were first introduced to the bio-exorcist in the pinstriped suit, the "ghost with the most" (Michael Keaton) returns (along with other familiar faces) in the teaser trailer for Tim Burton's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice that takes us back to the Deetz family home in Winter River for more mischievously macabre mayhem ahead of the new film's September 6th theatrical release via Warner Bros.

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"For humanity to survive, 20% of the population must volunteer to die" in Humane, the feature film directorial debut of Caitlin Cronenberg. An exploration of the lethal lengths humanity (and one family in particular) will take to preserve itself in the face of a worldwide ecological disaster, Humane will arrive in select theaters on April 26th, and we have a look at the trailer ahead of its release.

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In his Sundance review, Matt Donato wrote that Chris Nash's In a Violent Nature "...gushes exquisite gore and reimagines the slasher structure with newfound originality," and ahead of its May 31st theatrical release via IFC Films, the film's official trailer teases some of the new movie's macabre moments after a corpse is resurrected for a vengeful rampage in the woods.

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Veena Sud's 2010s TV series The Killing (based on Forbrydelsen by Søren Sveistrup) is still one of the most enthralling viewing experiences I've ever had, so I'm especially thrilled that Veena's 2020 Quibi series The Stranger (starring Maika Monroe as a rideshare driver who encounters a killer client plalyed by Dane DeHaan) has been re-cut as a feature film that will arrive on Hulu on April 15th:

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