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If you are a horror fan, then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription, you might be wondering what’s in store for you in July 2025. Don’t worry. There is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month, and we have listed the 10 best movies coming to Shudder in July 2025.

Crawl (July 1) Credit – Paramount Pictures

Crawl is a natural horror film directed by Alexandre Aja from a screenplay co-written by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen. The 2019 film is set in Florida as a Category 5 hurricane hits the state, and it follows a father and daughter as they get trapped in a crawl space where they are hunted by alligators. Crawl stars Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper.

Today, the Nantucket Film Festival, which featured conversations with Ken Burns and many others, announced winners for this year’s 29th edition of the fest. In addition to Audience Award winners, they have also released winners for Best of Fest, the Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Award, and many others.

“It is a privilege to honor this cohort of both established and emerging screenwriters and storytellers, who represent the heart of our industry, at the 2024 edition of the festival,” said Mystelle Brabbée, Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival, and Anita Raswant, Lead Programmer of the Nantucket Film Festival. “Thank you to all of our attending filmmakers and writers for sharing their powerful stories with us and our passionate audiences who continue to turn out to the theaters and support our mission. We would like to take a moment to recognize our jurors, sponsors, staff, and volunteers,...

Poppy tunes open Vo Thanh Hoa’s screen adaptation of Kenji Uchida’s “Key of Life” (2012), following the first action scene that introduces one of the film’s three key characters – Thach (Kieu Minh Tuan), a notorious assasin who’s seen completing his task and then disappearing from the crime scene. In just a couple of minutes he will shake of a bunch of armed criminals by swiftly changing roles from one type of servant to the other, to be ridiculously defeated by a simple bar of soap. Just like in Kenji’s original, the fantom assasin gets knocked unconscious in a bath house, and wakes up with amnesia and a wrong locker key in his hand, logically believing to be someone else.

Chìa Khoá Trăm Tỷ (A Hundred Billion Key) has opened in 50 major U.S. theaters nationally on Friday, Oct 28th.

Thach starts living...

Lloyd Lee Choi, Erin Lau and Derek Nguyen were named as the recipients of the Future Gold Film Fellowship, a program designed to elevate three Asian and Pacific Islander directors that’s supported by Netflix, Gold House and Tribeca Studios.

Through the program, the directors will create scripted short films that explore the complexities of family love, persistence, and loss through their own artistic visions. The filmmakers will receive full funding; creative feedback and mentorship from Tribeca Studios and Netflix executives as well as production expertise from Tribeca; exposure to established talent within the Gold House network; and a seat in Gold House Futures. The short films will also be considered to premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June.

“Passing” producer and producing partner of Significant Productions, Nina Yang Bongiovi, who served on the selection committee, said, “Lloyd, Erin and Derek brought their A-game to this fellowship. It’s imperative...

The inaugural class of Netflix, Tribeca Studios and Gold House’s Future Gold Film Fellowship has been revealed. Directors Lloyd Lee Choi, Erin Lau and Derek Nguyen have been named the program’s first fellows.

The Gold Film Fellowship, which was designed to elevated experienced directors from Asian Pacific Islander (Api) communities, will see the selected directors created scripted short films that explore themes of family love, persistence and loss. The trio of directors will receive full funding, creative feedback and mentorship from executives at Tribeca Studios and Netflix and production expertise from he former. They will also have access to the Gold House Network and a seat in Gold House Futures. Their short films will also be considered to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June.

The three directors selected for the program where vetted by Tribeca Studios and a panel of industry leaders including Aneesh Chaganty, Jon M. Chu,...

Exclusive: Derek Nguyen, the award-winning writer, director and producer behind horror-romance The Housemaid (Cô Hầu Gái), has signed with Cinetic Media for management.

The Vietnamese American multihyphenate’s first feature follows an orphaned Vietnamese girl who is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in French Indochina during the 1950s. IFC Films released it in theaters in 2016.

Nguyen also is producing an American adaptation of The Housemaid called Grave Hill from director Deon Taylor, which is slated for production this year, having penned the script with Oscar winner Geoffrey Fletcher. He exec produced the Tribeca-premiering thriller Catch the Fair One with Darren Aronofsky and has served as an associate producer on titles including The Long Dumb Road, The Tale, Buster’s Mal Heart, Lovesong and Addicted to Fresno. He is also a partner at the production company The Population with Mynette Louie.

Nguyen was a fellow at...

“Catch the Fair One,” a critically acclaimed thriller from Josef Kubota Wladyka (“Narcos”) starring real-life professional boxer Kali “K.O.” Reis, has been sold to major markets by Paris-based Memento International (“Call Me By Your Name”).

“Catch the Fair One” opened at Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and a Special Jury mention for Reis’ performance.

Memento has sold “Catch the Fair One” to France (Ace entertainment), U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand (Vertigo Releasing), Scandinavia and Baltics (Nonstop Entertainment), Israel (Lev Cinemas), Russia+Cis (Russian World Vision), Eastern Europe (HBO Europe), India (Indo Overseas Films), Indonesia (Pt Falcon) and the Middle East (Front Row).

IFC Films will release “Catch the Fair One” in the U.S. on Feb. 11.

“Catch the Fair One” follows Kaylee “K.O.” Uppashaw (Reis), a former boxer, as she discovers that her missing sister is possibly alive and circulating in a trafficking network.

Nomadland Oscar winner Mollye Asher among producers; Darren Aronofsky served as EP.

IFC Films has picked up US rights from The Film Sales Company to Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Tribeca Festival winner Catch The Fair One and plans a 2022 release.

Wladyka wrote the screenplay to his second feature from a story he developed with the film’s star and professional boxer Kali “K.O.” Reis, who plays an Indigenous former boxer that sets out to save her missing sister when she learns her sibling is possibly circulating in a trafficking network.

The film won Tribeca’s audience award this summer...

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “Catch the Fair One,” a thriller from “Narcos” director Josef Kubota Wladyka that stars real-life professional boxer, Kali “K.O.” Reis. The deal comes after “Catch the Fair One” debuted at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, where it received warm reviews and captured the Audience Award and a Special Jury mention for Reis’ performance.

It was a role that Reis helped develop in conjunction with Wladyka, who wrote the screenplay based on a story she created. And it’s also a film that drew on her experiences as the first Indigenous fighter to win the International Boxing Association middleweight crown and the reigning Wba Super lightweight champion.

“Catch the Fair One” follows Kaylee “K.O.” Uppashaw (Reis), a former boxer, as she discovers that her missing sister is possibly alive and circulating in a trafficking network. She plugs herself into this dark and dangerous world to find her,...

Executive has overseen growth in TV, podcasts. Films under her tenure include upcoming Spencer.

Topic Studios has promoted Maria Zuckerman to president of the company, effective immediately.

Zuckerman will continue to report to CEO Michael Bloom and leads creative vision and overall strategy in a wide remit that covers development, financing, and production of films, documentaries, TV and podcasts.

She joined Topic Studios in May 2019 as EVP and head of Topic Studios and in that time has grown TV and podcast activity.

Recent films include Pablo Larrain’s upcoming Venice world premiere Spencer with Neon; Kevin Macdonald’s legal thriller...

Maria Zuckerman has been promoted to president of Topic Studios, First Look Media announced Wednesday.

Zuckerman joined Topic in May 2019 as EVP and head of Topic Studios and will now continue to report to the company’s CEO, Michael Bloom. She will continue to lead the studio’s creative vision and overall strategy, including development, financing and production across feature films, documentaries, television and podcasts.

“I’m thrilled to recognize Maria’s role in growing Topic Studios with her promotion to President. Maria and her team have built the Studio into a major creative force, giving new and established voices the opportunity to collaborate and produce truly extraordinary work. I know the Studio will continue to thrive under her leadership, and I can’t wait to see what’s next,” Bloom said in a statement.

“It has been thrilling over the past two years to grow Topic Studios’ reach and slate of productions.

Exclusive: Deadline has your first look at Catch the Fair One, a boxing pic backed by Darren Aronofsky and Oscar-winning Nomadland producer Mollye Asher, which will soon premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The thriller, written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka, centers on a former boxer who embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.

Leading the cast, in her first film role, is professional boxer Kali Reis. Known for competing in the first female boxing match ever televised, Reis is also the first Native American fighter to win the International Boxing Association middleweight crown.

Exec produced by Aronofsky, with Asher producing, the film also stars Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu, Michael Drayer, Shelito Vincent, Lisa Emery, Kimberly Guerrero, and Kevin Dunn.

Asher’s fellow producers on the project are Kimberly Parker and Wladyka, who previously won Tribeca’s...

Exclusive: Memento International has boarded international sales rights to Tribeca Film Festival thriller Catch The Fair One, Oscar-nominated producer Mollye Asher’s follow-up to Nomadland.

The movie, about a former champion boxer who embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister, marks the acting debut of real-life boxer, Kali “Ko” Reis, the first Native American woman to win a major world title. Reis is the current Wba Super Lightweight World Champion and fought in the first televised women’s bout on HBO.

As announced by Tribeca yesterday, the film will get its world premiere in the festival’s U.S. narrative competition. Above is a first look image from the movie.

Pic is written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka and stars Reis in the lead role. Reis also shares a story by credit with Wladyka. Other cast include Daniel Henshall, Tiffany Chu,...

Topic Studios has signed a first-look deal with The Population, formed by “Nomadland” producer Mollye Asher, “I Carry You With Me” producer Mynette Louie and Derek Nguyen.

The deal, announced Thursday, expands the relationship between Topic and Louie, currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television.

Topic Studios produced the ACLU documentary “The Fight,” Kevin Macdonald’s upcoming legal thriller “The Mauritanian,” “The Climb” and recently wrapped production on Daniel Antebi’s NYC-set pandemic comedy “God’s Time.” Topic Studios is also ramping up its scripted television division, having set up two dramas arising from their previous first-look deal with Tracy Oliver, including the just-announced adult thriller “Savannah” with Pkm Productions for Amazon Studios. Topic Studios is also developing an English-language adaptation of the Israeli comedy, “Nehama.”

“We love that Topic Studios, as an independent studio, has the capacity to pivot and innovate, which is more important now than ever,...

Topic Studios has entered a first-look deal with Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher, and Derek Nguyen’s The Population, the production company behind I Carry You with Me and Swallow. The multi-faceted deal covers all media and includes film, television, non-fiction and podcasts.

Topic Studios’ new partnership with The Population expands the relationship with Emmy-nominated Louie. They are currently collaborating on a scripted limited drama series for television. The deal comes as The Population continues to bolster diversity and, at the same time, ramp up for awards season including Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures) produced by Asher. In addition, The Population is putting some shine their first two films, the aforementioned I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics) from director Heidi Ewing and Swallow (IFC Films) from director Carlo Mirabella-Davis. They are currently in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s action-thriller Catch the Fair One.

“Topic Studios has a...

New company teams producers Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher and Derek Nguyen.

Topic Studios has signed a first-look deal for all media with The Population, the independent production company formed by producers Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher and Derek Nguyen.

The Population’s first two films, I Carry You With Me and Swallow, were released this year and the company is currently in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s action-thriller Catch the Fair One. Asher is also a producer of awards contender Nomadland.

Before they joined forces in The Population, Louie, Asher and Nguyen worked together at the women director-focused film fund Gamechanger Films.

Spotlight producer Topic Studios has signed a first-look deal with The Population, the independent production company formed by Nomadland producer Mollye Asher, Mynette Louie and Derek Nguyen.

The Populations’s first two films are I Carry You With Me from director Heidi Ewing and Sony Pictures Classics, and Swallow from director Carlo Mirabella-Davis and IFC Films.

The first look deal expands ties between Topic Studios and Louie, who are jointly working on a scripted limited TV drama series.

The deal also comes amid an award season campaign for Zhao’s Nomadland from Searchlight Pictures, a movie that was produced by Asher and ...

Spotlight producer Topic Studios has signed a first-look deal with The Population, the independent production company formed by Nomadland producer Mollye Asher, Mynette Louie and Derek Nguyen.

The Populations’s first two films are I Carry You With Me from director Heidi Ewing and Sony Pictures Classics, and Swallow from director Carlo Mirabella-Davis and IFC Films.

The first look deal expands ties between Topic Studios and Louie, who are jointly working on a scripted limited TV drama series.

The deal also comes amid an award season campaign for Zhao’s Nomadland from Searchlight Pictures, a movie that was produced by Asher and ...

In today's Horror Highlights, we have the trailer for Kane Hodder's Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation, details on Grave Hill (the remake of The Housemaid), and the trailer for Darkness in Tenement 45!

Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation: "Kane Hodder recently premiered the trailer for his new project, “Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation” at Mad Monster Party Arizona. Kane Hodder has been working with producer and director Tony H. Cadwell (Behind The Sightings) to produce a documentary entitled "Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation."

Synopsis: Kane Hodder leads a team of paranormal investigators as they investigate The Grand Old Lady Hotel in Balsam, North Carolina. The Grand Old Lady Hotel is a 112-year-old, 40,000 square foot hotel with a disturbing past. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the hotel is referred to by locals as the South's Stanley Hotel.

Director Tony H. Cadwell stated, "We wanted to put together a project for horror...

Deon Taylor is to direct the horror-thriller “Grave Hill” for Cj Entertainment, the Korean studio behind Oscar winner “Parasite.” The film is an English-language remake of the hit Vietnamese horror film “The Housemaid.”

The original romance-horror “Housemaid,” which premiered in the U.S. in 2017, explores racial and social themes. “Grave Hill” will stay true to this concept and will be set in the American South during the Reconstruction era.

Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing “Grave Hill” with production to start in early 2021. Executive producers are Cj Group vice chairwoman Miky Lee, Cj Entertainment’s Jinnie Choi and head of international Jerry Ko along with Hidden Empire’s Roxanne Taylor and Motor’s Sean Sorensen. Producers are Don Handfield (“The Founder”) through his Motor production banner, Linh Bui from Happy Canvas, “Housemaid” writer and director Derek Nguyen, and Cj Entertainment’s Choi Yeonu.

“Deon is a filmmaker who will...

Parasite producer Cj Entertainment has tapped Black And Blue and Traffik filmmaker Deon Taylor to direct gothic horror-thriller Grave Hill, the company’s English-language remake of the hit Vietnamese horror film The Housemaid.

As we previously revealed, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) wrote the adapted screenplay with Derek Nguyen, writer-director of 2016 pic The Housemaid, which explores racial and social themes through a genre lens. The remake will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era.

In the original, an orphaned Vietnamese girl is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina. However, she unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife.

Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the new English-language remake. Executive producers are Cj Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, Cj Entertainment’s Jinnie Choi and Jerry Ko along with Hidden Empire’s Roxanne...

“Traffik” filmmaker Deon Taylor will direct an English-language remake of the Vietnamese horror film “The Housemaid” that will be produced by “Parasite” studio Cj Entertainment, the studio announced Thursday.

The remake is now titled “Grave Hill,” and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the 2016 Gothic horror film, also adapted the screenplay alongside Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”).

“The Housemaid” is set in French Indochina in 1953 and follows a Vietnamese orphan girl hired to work as a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation. When she falls in love with the estate’s landowner, she attracts the fury of the ghost of the landowner’s dead wife. Taylor’s film will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era and aim to remain true to the original’s racial and social themes.

Principal photography on “Grave Hill” hopes to begin in early 2021.

Cj Entertainment, which financed and produced “The Housemaid,” is also financing,...

Principal photography anticipated for first quarter 2021.

South Korean powerhouse Cj Entertainment has hired Deon Taylor to direct Grave Hill, the English-language remake of Vietnamese horror The Housemaid.

Taylor will direct from an adapted screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the original film.

Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the remake, which is expected to begin principal photography in the first quarter of 2021.

Grave Hill will be set in the American South during the Reconstruction Era in post-Civil War late 19th Century.

It will explore the same social and racial themes touched on in 2016 period horror romance The Housemaid,...

South Korea’s Cj Entertainment, best known as the studio behind Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winner Parasite, has signed Deon Taylor (The Intruder, Black and Blue, Traffik) to direct the upcoming gothic thriller Grave Hill, the company’s English-language remake of the hit Vietnamese horror film The Housemaid.

The original version of The Housemaid, written and directed by Derek Nguyen, was released in 2016 and became a Vietnamese box office sensation, striking a nerve with a story touching on racial and social themes through the period romance and horror genres. The remake, titled Grave Hill, will stay true to this concept, but take place in the American ...

South Korea’s Cj Entertainment, best known as the studio behind Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar winner Parasite, has signed Deon Taylor (The Intruder, Black and Blue, Traffik) to direct the upcoming gothic thriller Grave Hill, the company’s English-language remake of the hit Vietnamese horror film The Housemaid.

The original version of The Housemaid, written and directed by Derek Nguyen, was released in 2016 and became a Vietnamese box office sensation, striking a nerve with a story touching on racial and social themes through the period romance and horror genres. The remake, titled Grave Hill, will stay true to this concept, but take place in the American ...

Exclusive: Film Independent has unveiled their keynotes, conversations and panelists for the 15th annual Film Independent Forum. The Forum, which is traditionally a weekend event, will now be a week-long virtual event that will reach all corners of the globe from July 31 to August 7.

The event has set a roster of banner names in the industry, featuring a U.S. Filmmaker Keynote with Lulu Wang (The Farewell); a U.S. Executive Keynote with Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at Neon; a Documentary Keynote with Dawn Porter; and a Global Executive Keynote with Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group. Traditionally a weekend event, the Forum has expanded to a full week-long event accessible online to global audiences the week of July 31 to August 7.

In addition, panels will cover financing, production and distribution of films to digital content across diverse platforms...

Newly launched accelerator Starfish has selected the first four participants of its six-month paid program designed to highlight the visions and voices of people of color within the entertainment industry. 

Black genre writer Vanessa Benton, Vietnamese American playwright and filmmaker Derek Nguyen, narrative television writer, Palestinian American producer and director Cherien Dabis, and black poet enthusiasts and creative brother duo Amir and Mikaal Sulaiman are the inaugural participants, chosen from a pool of over 60 applicants.

Starfish awardees will each receive a $50,000 stipend as well control over the creation and development of their ideas. Each awardee will ...

Newly launched accelerator Starfish has selected the first four participants of its six-month paid program designed to highlight the visions and voices of people of color within the entertainment industry. 

Black genre writer Vanessa Benton, Vietnamese American playwright and filmmaker Derek Nguyen, narrative television writer, Palestinian American producer and director Cherien Dabis, and black poet enthusiasts and creative brother duo Amir and Mikaal Sulaiman are the inaugural participants, chosen from a pool of over 60 applicants.

Starfish awardees will each receive a $50,000 stipend as well control over the creation and development of their ideas. Each awardee will ...

Sergio Mendes is set to perform after the world premiere of “Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy” at the Santa Barbara Film Festival on Jan. 18. The Grammy award-winning Brazilian musician will perform three songs and participate in a Q&a at the Lobero Theater with director John Scheinfeld.

“Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy” includes interviews with Mendes, Herb Alpert, Carlinhos Brown, Harrison Ford, Lani Hall (lead singer of Brasil ’66), Quincy Jones, John Legend, Gracinha Mendes (Sergio’s wife and lead singer since 1971), Jerry Moss, Pele (soccer legend), Carlos Saldhana (Oscar-nominated filmmaker of Rio) and will.i. am.

Scheinfeld has made documentaries on subjects including John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, John Coltrane and many others.

****

Oscars Director Returns

Veteran Oscars director Glenn Weiss will return to direct the 92nd Oscars, producers Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain announced Tuesday. “We are so lucky that Glenn is back as our director this year.

Emmy nominee Mynette Louie, who produced the HBO movie, The Tale, has teamed with Mollye Asher, the producer behind acclaimed films Songs My Brothers Taught Me and The Rider, as well as Derek Nguyen (director of The Housemaid) to launch The Population. The newly formed shingle will focus on film and TV projects by or about women, people of color, Lgbtqia+ and other underrepresented groups.

The company’s first film, Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, is set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. It’s an epic love story spanning decades that is sparked by a chance encounter between two men in provincial Mexico.

Producer Mary Jane Skalski will serve as the banner’s senior advisor. The Population’s slate also includes the Josef Kubota Wladyka-helmed film, Catch the Fair One, about a boxer who orchestrates her own abduction, a feminist...

Producers Mollye Asher (“The Rider”), Mynette Louie (“The Tale”) and Derek Nguyen (director of “The Housemaid”) announced the launch of a new production company on Tuesday called The Population.

The group will focus on producing film and TV projects by or about women, people of color, the Lgbtqia+ community and other underrepresented groups. Producer Mary Jane Skalski will serve as senior advisor to The Population.

The Population will also premiere the film “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)” by director Heidi Ewing at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is in post-production on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s “Catch the Fair One.” The Population also has several other projects in development including a feminist horror film based on a true survival story in Mexico and a true-crime series set among the Asian American and working-class communities in Detroit.

Also Read: 'First Cow' Director Kelly Reichardt Wins...

“Our goal is to change the status quo of who gets to make movies.”

Producers Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher and Derek Nguyen have launched The Population to champion diverse storytelling and are developing a Mexico survival story and a crime series set in Detroit’s Asian American and working class communities.

While the projects are in their infancy, the track record of the three co-founders is likely to inspire the kinds of content creators The Population wants to support: stories in film and television by or about women, people of colour, Lgbtqia+, and other underrepresented groups.

The first film on...

Producers Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher and Derek Nguyen — whose collective credits include Jennifer Fox's The Tale, Chloe Zhoa's The Rider and Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation — are teaming for a new production banner named The Population.

The newly formed venture will premiere their first title, Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival and is in postproduction on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Catch the Fair One.

“Our hope with The Population is to help build a more equitable film and television industry,” Louie said Tuesday in a statement. “While so many companies ...

Producers Mynette Louie, Mollye Asher and Derek Nguyen — whose collective credits include Jennifer Fox's The Tale, Chloe Zhoa's The Rider and Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation — are teaming for a new production banner named The Population.

The newly formed venture will premiere their first title, Heidi Ewing’s I Carry You With Me, at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival and is in postproduction on Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Catch the Fair One.

“Our hope with The Population is to help build a more equitable film and television industry,” Louie said Tuesday in a statement. “While so many companies ...

With roles in films like the Bitcoin Heist and The Housemaid, Kate Nhung (Dương Hồng Nhung) has emerged as one of the most recognizable artists from Vietnam. Here she lists her favorite Vietnamese films, in random order.

1. Bụi đời chợ lớn

In the heart of Saigon, there’s a place where promises are still written in blood.

2. Cánh đồng bất tận

The film portrays the life of a family separated from the mainstream of modern society, yet containing within its microcosm the complex layers and dramas of human relationship: conjugal life, sexual trauma, and the failures and bonds of fatherhood, brother and sisterhood.

3. Mùi đu đủ xanh

A little girl, Mui, went to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui’s age. In her mind she treated Mui as her daughter. 10 years later Mui (now a young...

Guest reviewer Lee Broughton offers a look at writer-director Derek Nguyen’s intriguing debut feature, a finely observed supernatural gothic chiller-cum-illicit period love story, set on a French plantation in Vietnam towards the end of the First Indochina War. It’s also a spooky melodrama with a difference. As such, this well-acted, handsomely staged and stylishly shot Vietnamese-South Korean co-production is able to offset its scenes of uncanny terror and interracial romance with scenarios that pass comment on both the mechanics of colonialism and the physical violence and psychological damage that necessarily accompany the colonial process.

The Housemaid

Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD

Eureka Entertainment

2016 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Co Hau Gai / Street Date, 19 Feb 2018 / £12.99

Starring: Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Rosie Fellner, Phi Phung, Kien An, Svitlana Kovalenko.

Cinematography: Sam Chase

Film Editor: Stephane Gauger

Production Designer: Jose Mari (Joji) Pamintuan

Original Music: Jerome Leroy

Produced by Timothy Linh Bui,...

February has been a busy month, as there have been a ton of indie genre offerings coming out each and every week, and I had a chance to check out a trio of recent titles: The Cured from Irish filmmaker David Freyne, the quirky romance/body horror hybrid Are We Not Cats, and Derek Nguyen’s gothic romance, The Housemaid.

The Cured: Right from the start, it is evident that writer/director David Freyne wasn’t looking to make a typical zombie movie, as The Cured begins its story at a juncture where most filmmakers never venture: a deadly zombie outbreak has been curbed after a cure has been discovered, and those no longer afflicted by the disease are able to rejoin the general population. Of course, this causes a myriad of problems, as society doesn’t exactly welcome the former flesh eaters back with open arms, causing a deep...

Today, writer/director Derek Nguyen’s gothic romance The Housemaid arrives in select theaters and on various digital and VOD platforms courtesy of IFC Midnight. Starring Kate Nhung in the titular role, the story follows a young woman named Linh in 1953 who is hired to work at rubber plantation in service to French landowner Sebastien (Jean-Michel Richaud), but finds that her new place of employment harbors many dark secrets. As a forbidden romance blossoms between Linh and her employer, the evil forces lurking on the property become more dangerous than ever.

Daily Dead spoke with Nguyen earlier this week, and he discussed the real-life inspirations behind the story of The Housemaid, his experiences directing his first-time feature in Vietnam over the course of a year and half, collaborating with Nhung, and more.

Great to speak with you, Derek, and congrats on the film. I know you’ve been producing for a while now,...

Beginning today, IFC Midnight takes horror fans back in time to 1953 Vietnam in the new horror film The Housemaid, and to celebrate the release of the Derek Nguyen movie, we've been provided with an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers.

Reminiscent of a memorable scene featuring a ’58 Plymouth Fury scorned from John Carpenter's Christine, our exclusive clip from The Housemaid can be watched below.

Directed by Derek Nguyen, The Housemaid stars Kate Nhung, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Svitlana Kovalenko, and Rosie Fellner. The Housemaid is out now in select theaters and on VOD and digital platforms from IFC Midnight.

Synopsis: "A forbidden passion awakens vengeful spirits within a haunted mansion in this bloodcurdling, erotic tour-de-force. Vietnam, 1953: Linh (Nhung Kate), a poor, orphaned young woman, finds employment as a housemaid in a crumbling rubber plantation presided over by the emotionally fragile French officer Sebastien Laurent (Jean-Michel Richaud). Soon,...

Her arrival awakes the wrath of spirits. Writer-director Derek Nguyen’s Vietnamese Gothic romance horror film The Housemaid is hitting select theaters, VOD, and Digital platforms in the U.S. today, February 16. Dread Central was lucky enough to catch up with Nguyen for some one-on-one time where we talked Gothic horror, Vietnamese ghost stories, and more. It […]

The post Exclusive: Talking Vietnamese Ghost Stories and Gothic Horror with The Housemaid Writer-Director Derek Nguyen appeared first on Dread Central.

The dead are among us. Whether you believe the dead are decomposing, wandering, or haunting, they are sown into the fabric of life. Their influence varies greatly, depending upon the beliefs of the beholder. In Derek Nguyen's The Housemaid (originally titled Cô Hầu Gái), the dead exert a palpable influence upon Linh (Nhung Kate), which is revealed when she arrives at a rubber plantation in 1953 Vietnam, desperate for work. She tells Mrs. Han (Nsut Kim Xuan), the formidable housekeeper who runs the owner's mansion, that she has walked 40 kilometers in search of a job; her family is all dead. (Though it's not explained in the film, war between the French and the Vietnamese was ongoing at the time, as France struggled to hold...

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In Derek Nguyen's atmospheric -- and increasingly unsettling -- drama The Housemaid, a young woman is drawn into a world in which ghosts may exist.  Our exclusive clip sets that up. Nhung Kate has begun working at a rubber plantation in Vietnam in 1953. She appeared quite desperate for work when she arrived, but in the clip, she learns from an older, more experienced worker that the house may hold some spooky surprises for her.  Watch the clip below. We'll be posting our review shortly but (spoiler!) it's very good. The Housemaid will open in the U.S. at select theaters and via various Video On Demand platforms on Friday, February 16, all via IFC Midnight. ...

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The Asian horror explosion that began in the early 2000’s may have come and gone but it’s poised to make a comeback. Fantastic genre films from that part of the world are being shown regularly at film festivals and every year sees new titles that draw critical praise. Enter Derek Nguyen’s The Housemaid, which follows […]

The post Exclusive: This Clip From The Housemaid Grabs You By the Throat appeared first on Dread Central.

Heading for release in the U.S. on February 16, Derek Nguyen's The Housemaid has received positive advance acclaim. And now its planned English-language remake has nabbed an Academy Award-winning writer. First, about the original: A forbidden passion awakens vengeful spirits within a haunted mansion in this bloodcurdling, erotic tour-de-force. Vietnam, 1953: Linh (Nhung Kate), a poor, orphaned young woman, finds employment as a housemaid in a crumbling rubber plantation presided over by the emotionally fragile French officer Sebastien Laurent (Jean-Michel Richaud). Soon, a torrid love affair develops between the two - a taboo romance that rouses the ghost of Laurent's dead wife, who won't rest until blood flows. Submerged in moody Gothic atmosphere, this stylish supernatural saga confronts the dark shadows of Vietnam's colonial past...

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher has been tapped to write the screenplay for Cj Entertainment’s English-language remake of Derek Nguyen’s Vietnamese gothic horror pic The Housemaid, which IFC Midnight will be releasing on VOD platforms February 16, 2018. Deadline adds that Fletcher, whose screenplay for the Lee Daniels-directed Precious won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010, will adapt Nguyen’s film, which was […]...

Exclusive: Oscar-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher has been tapped to write the screenplay for Cj Entertainment’s English-language remake of Derek Nguyen’s Vietnamese gothic horror pic The Housemaid. Fletcher, whose screenplay for the Lee Daniels-directed Precious won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010, will adapt Nguyen’s film, which was originally released in 2016 and was a big hit. The story is set in 1953 Vietnam during the First Indochinese War, and…...

On the occasion of her role in “The Housemaid“, we speak with Vietnamese actress Kate Nhung about the film, her approach towards the role, Vietnamese cinema, and other topics

Why did you decide to act in a horror film? How was the casting process like? In general, which are the criteria that make you decide on a role?

When I received the film project, I was more interested in the script, the role, and the crew, it was not the genre that influenced my decision. I went through four rounds of casting and was very excited when Derek chose me to play the part of Linh.

How did you approach the part of Linh and how did Derek Nguyen guided you for the role? Linh seems sad after the Captain dies. Was she really in love with him?

I spent a month working with the script before working with the director.

In an industry completely regulated by the State, horror films are not exactly the norm, particularly since 2007, Vietnamese authorities have warned filmmakers against producing ghost and horror movies “with incomprehensible plots and extreme horror”. However, a few films of the genre have surfaced during the latest years, with “The Housemaid,” which became the third-highest-grossing horror film in Vietnam’s history, being one of the best samples.

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The film is set in 1953 Vietnam during the First Indochinese War and revolves around Linh, a docile and hardworking poor orphaned girl who comes to Sa Cat, a former rubber plantation who barely functions due to the war, seeking a housemaid job. Sebastien Laurent is a French captain and the owner of the plantation and the massive mansion, but the only ones left there seem to be Mrs Han, who runs the house, and the other two servants, Mrs. Ngo, a...

Smt Heads, Sundance Selects’ “The Cage Fighter” makes sure that 2018’s indie season starts with some punch! This gritty documentary takes the audience through the lense and into the life of an aging Mma fighter.

Check the Trailer out right here:

The Cage Fighter: Opening in theaters and VOD February 2nd Directed by: Jeff Unay Starring: Joe Carman, Norinda Reed, Clayton Hoy, Callie Carman, Delanee Carman, Kira Carman, Mia Carman, & Vernon Beach When life hits him hard, Joe Carman punches back. Newly 40, Joe juggles long hours working in a boiler room, an ongoing custody battle, his wife’s chronic illness, and the demands of raising four girls. The one place he finds release is in the ring, where he competes in the bruising sport of mixed martial arts. Despite the promise he made to his family to stop fighting, Joe continues to train secretly, determined to prove that he can...

Forbidden love gets the supernatural attention of the vengeance-hungry dead in the official trailer for The Housemaid.

Directed by Derek Nguyen, The Housemaid stars Kate Nhung, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Svitlana Kovalenko, and Rosie Fellner. IFC Midnight will release The Housemaid in select theaters and on VOD and digital platforms beginning February 16th.

Synopsis: "A forbidden passion awakens vengeful spirits within a haunted mansion in this bloodcurdling, erotic tour-de-force. Vietnam, 1953: Linh (Nhung Kate), a poor, orphaned young woman, finds employment as a housemaid in a crumbling rubber plantation presided over by the emotionally fragile French officer Sebastien Laurent (Jean-Michel Richaud). Soon, a torrid love affair develops between the two – a taboo romance that rouses the ghost of Laurent’s dead wife, who won’t rest until blood flows. Submerged in moody Gothic atmosphere, this stylish supernatural saga confronts the dark shadows of Vietnam’s colonial past while delivering heart-stopping scares.