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Stars: Lew Temple, Cassandra Gava, Brinke Stevens, Brandon Kirk, Robert Miano, Susan Priver, Katie Silverman, Elina Madison, Joe Castro | Written by Chad Ferrin, Stephen Johnston | Directed by Chad Ferrin

Chad Ferrin’s Ed Kemper is a masterstroke in the ever-growing canon of true crime cinema—a haunting, mesmerising, and fiercely compelling dive into the mind of one of America’s most notorious serial killers. Ferrin, no stranger to the darker corners of the human psyche, elevates his signature grindhouse grit to a whole new level here. This isn’t just a horror film—it’s a chilling character study with a deeply disturbing heartbeat, and arguably his most nuanced work to date.

Fans of Ferrin’s previous films—Pig Killer, Scalper, and Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep—will immediately recognise his fearless approach to taboo subject matter and his gift for merging horror with unflinching psychological depth. While Pig Killer...

The latest from director Paul W.S. Anderson, a new big screen thriller from Christopher Landon, and a film adaptation of a popular horror game are just a few of this week’s new arrivals.

Here’s all the new horror that released April 7 – April 11, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

Say his name, say his name… Rumpelstiltskin is back with a brand new update on the terrifying fairy tale, and the film was released on VOD outlets this past Tuesday.

Andy Edwards (Zombie Spring Breakers, Midnight Peepshow) directed. Hannah Baxter-Eve (Escape), Joss Carter (Tarot) and Adrian Bouchet (The Wheel of Time) star.

Miracle Media previews, “The film breathes new life into the age-old children’s story, with eye-popping, gnarly special effects and a potty mouthed female protagonist who isn’t your typical damsel in distress. With bawdy humour and devilishly delightful visuals, this new...

Between May 1972 and April 1973, Ed Kemper—also known as the Co-Ed Killer—slaughtered seven women and one teenage girl. This is after he murdered his grandparents in cold blood as a teenager. He’s been immortalized in media such as the Netflix series Mindhunter, and now director Chad Ferrin is telling a different side to his story in Dread’s latest release, Ed Kemper.

The new film follows the horrifying true story of Ed Kemper, a cunning and sadistic serial killer shaped by childhood abuse. His charming facade masks his grotesque obsession with murder, mutilation, and the ultimate act of revenge against the woman who scarred him most—his mother.

The new film delves not only into Kemper’s crimes, but also into his mother’s own struggles, as well as their antagonistic and abusive relationship.

In our exclusive clip from Ed Kemper, Kemper himself explains to the parole board...

"All I want... is for you to be proud of me." Dread has revealed an official trailer for an indie horror thriller film titled Ed Kemper, a story about the serial killer named Ed Kemper, Jr. This is set for release in April in a few theaters and on VOD if anyone is interested. The only thing that sells now is true crime and murder mysteries! This is the chilling true story of Ed Kemper, a manipulative serial killer whose charm hid a dark obsession with murder, revenge, and his tormented past. Based on actual events surrounding the American serial killer Edmund Kemper, who murdered his grandparents at age 15 and, after being paroled for that crime, then killed eight women in 1972 and 1973 including his own mother. Scary. Also known as the "Co-ed killer", don't confuse Kemper with Ed Gein (who inspired Hitchcock's Psycho) this is a different guy. Writer...

In the early 2000s, Stephen Johnston penned a series of indie horror movies chronicling the true crimes of serial killers, including Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, The Hillside Strangler, and Starkweather.

Johnston returns to familiar territory with Ed Kemper, which he co-wrote with director Chad Ferrin.

The film tells the chilling true story of Edmund Kemper, a manipulative serial killer known as The Co-Ed Killer whose charm hid a dark obsession with murder, revenge, and his tormented past.

Brandon Kirk stars as Kemper, who murdered his grandparents at age 15 and, after being paroled for the crime, killed eight women — including his mother — between 1972 and 1973.

Susan Priver, Brinke Stevens (The Slumber Party Massacre), Lew Temple (The Devil’s Rejects), Robert Miano (Donnie Brasco), and Cassandra Gava (Conan the Barbarian) round out the cast.

Ed Kemper will be released on Digital and VOD on April 8 from Dread.

Ferrin’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptation Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep...

With the Ted Bundy primer covered off (listen), it’s time for Jenn and I to dig into our first Ted Bundy adaptation.

Writer/director Matthew Bright is…an acquired taste. The man behind the Freeway films (which Trace Thurman and I have covered on Horror Queers) has a tendency to blur the boundaries of “good taste” with his mix of comedy, violence, sex and exploitation.

This is certainly applicable to Ted Bundy (2002), which Bright co-wrote with Stephen Johnston. The film is part of a glut of fictionalized true crime films of the early aughts.

In the case of Ted Bundy, there’s a *partial* attempt at covering the real story. Aside from Bundy, all of the names have been changed, but several key incidents, including the Lake Sammamish double murder, as well as the attempted mall abduction, are recreated here.

But Bright and Johnston can’t help indulging in...

Same Kind Of Different As Me, the first joint film partnership between Paramount Pictures and Pure Flix, is releasing in theaters on October 20, 2017.

Greg Kinnear, Renee Zellweger, Djimon Hounsou and Jon Voight

Credit/Copyright: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Pure Flix/Paramount

The film stars Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear, Academy Award winner Renee Zellweger, Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou, and Academy Award winner Jon Voight.

In honor of the film’s message that acts of kindness can make a powerful difference, Pure Flix created an initiative for regional organizations around the country to host red carpet screening events. On October 18, 126 local red carpet events (resulting in sales of 75,000 tickets and showings on 410 screens) took place to benefit local communities and shelters where attendees got a first viewing of the film and were reminded they can make a difference in their communities through their own acts of kindness.

“Same Kind Of Different As Me...

Stephen Johnston, former president of Goldcrest Films, whose best picture Oscar winners included Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Dances With Wolves and Driving Miss Daisy when run by co-founder Jake Eberts during the 1980s, has died. He was 68.

Johnston, who served as president and managing director of the Los Angeles office of Goldcrest before retiring in 2013, died May 4 in Los Angeles after a short illness, according to his publicist.

"I’ll miss him terribly and fondly recall our 30 years of joy and laughter," Goldcrest Group chairman John Quested said Sunday in a statement.

Johnston was born...

Distribution and sales exec joined Goldcrest in 1989.

Former Goldcrest Films president Stephen Johnston has died in Los Angeles after a short illness. He was 68 years old.

Born in Calgary, Canada, Johnston made his way into distributing movies in 1972 with Pacific International Enterprises.

His career saw him work at companies including Jensen Farley, Taft International and Sun-Classic Pictures. He was a senior vice president at sales outfit Simcom in La between 1985 and 1989 before joining Goldcrest, working under chairman and CEO John Quested.

There, he worked on titles including the 1989 animation All Dogs Go To Heaven, which grossed $27m in the Us.

Prior to retiring in 2013, he served as president and managing director of the La Goldcrest office.

He is survived by his wife Patricia, whom he married in 1990.

John Quested, the current chairman of Goldcrest Group, commented: “I’ll miss him terribly…and fondly recall our 30 years of joy and laughter.”...

*full disclosure: a screener of this film was provided by American World Pictures.

Director: James D. R. Hickox.

Writers: James D. R. Hickox, Stephen Johnston, Michael Muscal, and John Stienfield.

So, here is another entry for worst horror film for 2011 with Detention. This film stars the late David Carradine and Thomas Calabro as two faculty staff of a haunted school. Released on DVD May 17th through American World Pictures, Detention feels just like those days spent after school in a stale classroom, staring at the clock. Full of poor music selections, soulless writing and a plot that takes too long to get there, Detention easily gets nominated to 28Dla's worst horror films for this year (2011). Sorry Carradine, but this reviewer is still a fan.

Detention plays out like a bad offering of Rumpelstiltskin. Instead of offering up the first born right away, several children are hunted down by a vengeful...