“SCREAMBOAT,” from “TERRIFIER 2” team and based on a certain Disney mouse, sets theatrical distribution and effects team By MICHAEL GINGOLD The movie that turns the star of STEAMBOAT WILLIE into a slasher is coming next year. The producers of SCREAMBOAT have announced that they’ve signed a deal with Iconic Events to bring their movie to theaters in 2025. Director Steven LaMorte of the horrific Grinch takeoff THE MEAN ONE is behind this macabre Mickey Mouse variant, and is producing with MEAN ONE collaborators Amy Schumacher and Martine Melloul, along with Steven Della Salla and Michael Leav ..read more

Piercing the Veil: Burning it all down with “BAGHEAD” By JILLIAN KRISTINA Sometimes, opportunity knocks. We may find ourselves circling the drains of our lives, not knowing which way is up, maybe never having known a reprieve from the constant struggle. The never-ending grind to grasp at something that seems so out of our reach, that when finally get close, it dissipates, like a ghost in the fog. We’re forging forward the only way we know how, whether or not it’s the right way, but nonetheless, we keep going. Even if it doesn’t feel quite right, because desperation can be funny that wa ..read more

Overlook ’24 Movie Review: This Relationship is Infectious in “KILL YOUR LOVER” By DEIRDRE CRIMMINS Starring Paige Gilmour and Shane Quigley Murphy Written and directed by Alix Austin and Keir Siewert Switchblade Cinema Breakups are messy. Usually, the “mess” in question is emotional and, occasionally, financial. In KILL YOUR LOVER, it’s both but also an icky, sticky mess of viscera. In the beginning, one of the first things we learn about Dakota (Paige Gilmour) is that she wants to break up with her boyfriend, Axel (Shane Quigley Murphy). The punk rocker does not want to change to fit int ..read more

Exclusive trailer: “WAR OF THE NINJA MONSTERS; JARON VS. GOURA” rampages onto Blu-ray soon By MICHAEL GINGOLD This new Japanese monster mash is inspired by classic kaiju. SRS Cinema has begun pre-orders on the Blu-ray of WAR OF THE NINJA MONSTERS: JARON VS. GOURA, from director Shinpei Hayashiya (REIGO: KING OF THE SEA MONSTERS, RAIGA: GOD OF THE MONSTERS). Written by Hayashiya and Hirokatsu Kihara, the movie stars Makoto Inamiya, Kingentei Anju, Yumiko Tanaka, Keiki Hayashiya, Zui Nishikawa and suit actors Mizuho Yoshida (GODZILLA: GMK) and Akihiko Ohashi (GAMERA 2: ATTACK OF LEGION and GA ..read more

Exclusive photos: Road-trip thriller “AN AMERICAN MASQUERADE” shoots for its world premiere By MICHAEL GINGOLD It’s a violent and funny voyage down the West Coast by Australian filmmakers. AN AMERICAN MASQUERADE is the latest film from directors Jasmine Jakupi and Addison Heath, the award-winning duo behind MY CHERRY PIE, THE VIPER’S HEX and MONDO YAKUZA. It stars Elissa Dowling (WE ARE STILL HERE, THE GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR), Yoji Yamada, Dylan Heath, Trent Haaga (CITIZEN TOXIE, 68 KILL), Love Connie and Ezra Buzzington (BROOKLYN 45, MOHAWK). The synopsis: “Scott Mifune [Yamada] and Lenny ..read more

Fear films announced for Tribeca Film Festival 2024 By MICHAEL GINGOLD There will be a wide variety of scary stuff on view at the New York City fest, including the new movie from the creators of GOODNIGHT MOMMY. The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place June 5-16, has 103 feature films in its lineup, including a number of genre movies in its Escape from Tribeca and Midnight programs. Here’s the full lineup for those two: Escape from Tribeca: AMFAD: ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DEAD (pictured above; United States)–World Premiere. Slasher cinema gets a candy-coated and raucous new spin as a gro ..read more

Analog Abattoir: “DEMON WIND” is what happens when “THE EVIL DEAD” takes too many edibles…and I love it! By DR. BENNY GRAVES Starring Eric Larson, Stephen Quadros, Rufus Norris, Francine Lapensée Written and directed by Charlie Philip Moore Released on Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome  Like many horror media collectors, I have a system for how my VHS are categorized. My chosen method of organization is by genre. However, I also have a special section that I’m sure many fellow horror fiends relate to. I refer to this region as my “Go-To” section. After a night of hard partying, or when only ..read more

Ghostly Pakistani Thriller “IN FLAMES” Out In Theaters Now Zarrar Kahn is an award-winning Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker who saw his film IN FLAMES premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight. The first Pakistani film to play in Cannes Director’s Fortnight in nearly half a century, IN FLAMES is a ghostly parable about Pakistan’s insidious patriarchal order. A psychological thriller, the film stars Ramesha Nawal, Omar Javaid, Bakhtawar Mazhar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Mohammad Ali Hashmi and Jibran Khan.  IN FLAMES follows Mariam, who lives with her younger brot ..read more

There’s “SOMETHING IN THE WATER,” wanna guess what it is?; trailer & poster By MICHAEL GINGOLD The latest seafaring scare film is coming next month. Samuel Goldwyn Films has announced a May 3 release date for SOMETHING IN THE WATER, a female-led entry in the killer-fish stakes. Directed by Hayley Easton Street, written by Cat Clarke and produced by Julie Baines, it stars Hiftu Quasem, Lauren Lyle, Natalie Mitson, Nicole Rieko Setsuko and Ellouise Shakespeare-Hart. The synopsis: “Five friends reunite for a wedding in the Caribbean. The day before the ceremony they go ..read more

Encyclopocalypse and Shout! Factory team on “CHOPPING MALL” novelization By MICHAEL GINGOLD The Killbots are coming to the printed page. Encyclopocalypse Publications has announced that it has teamed with Shout! Factory to publish a novelization of Jim Wynorski’s CHOPPING MALL, with a release date of November 19. The adaptation of Wynorski and Steve Mitchell’s screenplay is being written by Brian G. Berry, whose novelizations of DIY horror flicks like HOUSE SHARK, THE BARN and AMITYVILLE DEATH TOILET are currently available from Encyclopocalypse. “As a kid, I watched tons of horror movies ..read more