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AMC+ has been thriving lately, between the premiere of Shazad Latif's acclaimed swashbuckling 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea prequel series Nautilus and the return of The Walking Dead: Dead City for Season 2 back in May. While both have been streaming favorites since their release, they were recently challenged by an unexpected horror anthology. In the past week, 2019's The Mortuary Collection had overtaken the Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan-led spin-off series on the platform's streaming charts, ranking as high as fifth overall. Notably, it features one of Hollywood's brightest young stars, Jacob Elordi, in a starring role, making it a fitting watch ahead of his latest horror role in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.

The Mortuary Collection made its debut at Fantastic Fest in 2019 to rave reviews before coming to Shudder for the spooky season in 2020. As the name suggests, it features a collection of creepy stories...

Audiences are rediscovering an underrated horror anthology as The Mortuary Collectioncontinues to climb the streaming charts.

Per FlixPatrol, writer-director Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection has made yet another leap up the streaming chart of the top films and series on AMC+. As of the time of writing, The Mortuary Collection sits at fifth place after overtaking The Walking Dead: Dead City. Currently, the number one spot is held by Nautilus, although it may not be long before The Mortuary Collection begins closing in on that territory for itself.

Released via Shudder in 2020 after making its premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2019, The Mortuary Collection consists of four separate tales of terror, all set between the events of a three-part framing story set within the walls of the ominous Raven's End Mortuary. The present of The Mortuary Collection, set in the 1980s, follows Caitlin Custer's Sam as she stops by...

There’s a creative freedom to the horror anthology; they’re not tethered to one central narrative, style, tone, or even voice. Some anthology collections unite multiple filmmakers, each taking on a segment. Some employ a single director for cohesion. Even the framework in which the film weaves its tales varies, whether by conventional wraparound or a complete remix.

For the viewer, anthologies offer a grab bag of bite-sized horror treats; there’s no telling what kind of horror the next segment will bring. This week’s streaming picks highlight horror anthologies that run the gamut from classic anthology format to experimental, from lighthearted to bone-chilling.

As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Ghost Stories – AMC+, Plex, Shudder

Written and directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, based on their 2010 stage play, Ghost Stories challenges the traditional anthology’s boundaries.

Jacob Elordi's résumé is impressive, given the actor's relatively short career. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, Elordi always knew he wanted to be an actor. According to a 2022 GQ cover story, he idolized actors like Marlon Brando and Heath Ledger, which sparked his interest in performing. At the age of 12, he started acting in school plays, and by the time he was 17, he landed his first film gig as an extra in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" (2017), per Just Jared. The following year, he starred in "Swinging Safari" and Netflix's "The Kissing Booth," which launched him into stardom in an instant and opened many doors for him to star in other works, including the acclaimed HBO series by Sam Levinson, "Euphoria," which will return for a third season in 2025.

For an overnight celebrity like Elordi, the perks of being famous can easily take...

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities — a marvelous compendium of streaming deadtime stories — emphasizes everything that lures me to horror anthologies. It feels like a reinvention of Showtime’s Masters of Horror, highlighting everything I appreciate about the format. One might balk at calling Cabinet of Curiosities an outright horror anthology, more a miniseries? Still, the decadently morbid and dazzlingly darkened atmosphere under del Toro’s oversight draws rich atmospheric throughlines. Del Toro’s program calls to mind grim grab bags like A Christmas Horror Story, the V/H/S series, Southbound, and all the subgenre classics fans already laud.

If you think horror anthologies are just scattered collections of short-form storytelling and that’s all, consider yourself open to reeducation. Horror anthologies are often maligned because — like other subgenres such as found footage — horror anthologies can become fallback “easy to make” titles. Individual scripts only need to stretch minutes versus hours,...

Rlje Films just released The Mortuary Collection on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and Blu-ray for an Srp of $28.96. Written and directed by Ryan Spindell (“50 States of Fright,” The Babysitter Murders), The Mortuary Collection stars Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Thor: Ragnarok), Caitlin Custer (“Teen Wolf,” “Swingtown”), Christine Kilmer (“Hollywood,” “Shameless”), and Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth franchise, “Euphoria”). Set in the phantasmagorical town of Raven’s End, nothing is as …

The post Behind-the-Scenes Trailer to the making of The Mortuary Collection appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Watch the Short Film We All Scream: "A neglected young boy with a sweet tooth gets more than he bargained for when he receives a special visit from the mysterious ice cream man, Mr. Sweetie, in the deliciously diabolical horror short We All Scream, directed by Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff and written by Jener Dasilva. After leaving audiences melting in terror at ScreamFest, Indie Short Fest, Telluride Horror Show, the Popcorn Frights Film Festival (as part of Nightstream), and Cinequest, this high-concept horror short is available for viewing today!"

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Behind-the-Scenes Trailer for the Making of The Mortuary Collection: "Rlje Films just released The Mortuary Collection on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and Blu-ray for an Srp of $28.96.

Written and directed by Ryan Spindell, The Mortuary Collection stars Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, and Jacob Elordi.

Set in the phantasmagorical town of Raven's End, nothing is as it seems.

The newly released DVD and Blu-ray of The Mortuary Collection features commentary, in-depth conversations and 14 extensive behind-the-scenes segments that include Cinematography, Costumes, Art Department, Locations, Props, Hair & Make-Up, Special Effects, Sound, Stunts, and Visual Effects of The Mortuary Collection. Here’s a Behind-the-Scenes Trailer:

Rlje Films just released The Mortuary Collection on DVD for an Srp of $27.97 and Blu-ray for an Srp of $28.96.

Written and directed by Ryan Spindell (“50 States of Fright,” The Babysitter Murders), The Mortuary Collection stars Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Thor: Ragnarok), Caitlin Custer (“Teen Wolf,” “Swingtown”), Christine Kilmer (“Hollywood,”“Shameless”), and Jacob Elordi (The Kissing Booth franchise,“Euphoria”).

Set in the phantasmagorical town of Raven’s End, nothing is as it seems…. In The Mortuary Collection, a misguided young girl takes refuge in a decrepit old mortuary. There she meets Montgomery Dark, an eccentric undertaker with more than a few skeletons in his closet.

Stars: Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Ema Horvath, Jennifer Irwin, James Bachman, Barak Hardley, Sarah Hay, Ben Hethcoat, Mike C. Nelson | Written and Directed by Ryan Spindell

Writer and director Ryan Spindell (Kirksdale) delivers to us a new entry into the world of anthology-based horror with The Mortuary Collection. The film takes a funeral home as its central location, a proven setting in the world of horror films.

The film, in my mind, immediately harkened back to such anthology delights as Tales from the Crypt, with Clancy Brown delivering a wonderfully energised performance as Montgomery Dark, the mortician. He’s a hoot in the role and it really pulls the whole film along in an enjoyable way, with his delivery as this central host-type figure. Now, believe me, I’ve seen my fair share of passable or even terrible portmanteau horror, but The Mortuary Collection drew me...

There is a new horror host, and he's a little friendlier than most. This week, meet undertaker Montgomery Dark when The Mortuary Collection arrives on VOD, Digital HD, DVD & Blu-ray on April 20, 2021. The legendary Clancy Brown takes the terrifyingly creepy lead in this horror anthology. We recently caught up with the fan-favorite actor to talk about creating a new horror icon, along with a whole host of other stuff he's currently working on.

Clancy Brown is no stranger to genre fare. He's been working since the '80s, when he got his start in such popular TV shows of the time as The Dukes of Hazzard and Bay City Blues. He made a name for himself amongst fanboys everywhere when he took on the immortal role of Kurgan in Highlander, which followed supporting parts in cult classics like The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai and Thunder Alley. He's kept that streak...

A funeral home in the town of Raven’s End becomes the ideal setting for the telling of a handful of horror stories in The Mortuary Collection. The mortician, Montgomery Dark (Clancy Brown), receives the visit of “Sam” (Caitlin Fisher), a young woman who, apparently, seeks to fill the assistant vacancy. While showing her the different areas of the morbid house, Montgomery fulfills another wish of the girl: to hear stories about the dead at the funeral home. "Something dark, twisted and awesome," demands the co-star to the old man. Thus begins the horror anthology, written and directed by Ryan Spindell. “I grew up on Creepshow and The Twilight Zone”, revealed Spindell in an interview with ScreenAnarchy and added, “when I first sat down, in 2012,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

On the surface, writer/director Ryan Spindell's The Mortuary Collection looks like a pretty tame horror anthology but don't let looks deceive you; there's a lot more horror in this collection than you might initially anticipate.

Clancy Brown stars as Montgomery Dark, an eccentric mortician who recounts some of the crazy stories he's encountered throughout his career. He's sharing the stories with Sam, a bright-eyed young woman applying for a job. She's isn't exactly as tame and innocent as she appears to be though she's also not prepared for the fate that is about to befall her.

I fully admit I wasn't expecting a whole lot from The Mortuary Collection but was overall impressed by Spindell's storytelling and his ability - and willingness - to lean into the horror and...

2020 sucked in so many ways, but nobody told the movies. Here are some of my favorite things from a very, very weird year for all of us.

Color Out of Space (dir. Richard Stanley)

Richard Stanley’s return to directing after too many years away resulted in one of my favorite films of 2020 full stop, containing a great, unhinged performance from my favorite actor Nicolas Cage. It’s a neon-soaked nightmare and features maybe the second most disturbing visual of any movie in 2020; I won’t say what it is except that it involves family bonding. This is a bold, confident film, one that's weird, but never cold and disturbing without the nihilism of, say, Stanley's own Hardware. It's a horror film that's not afraid to go to really big places. It presents us with a true, exciting vision. Richard Stanley is back, and he's brought the best Lovecraft adaptation in 30 years with him.

I can’t imagine I’ll be the first person to kick off their year-end favorites list by saying it was a dumpster fire. But while we’re all eager to put this Hindenburg-esque disaster of a year in our rearview, there were certainly some highlights in the world of horror. We squeaked in a few theatrical releases before we all had to go into involuntary hibernation, and while the disruption to major releases wasn’t ideal, we got a chance to give some love to smaller releases that may have flew under the radar in other years. Add to that some great genre television and virtual events that let us come together and celebrate horror without even having to put on pants, and there are definitely reasons to rejoice. Here are a few of mine in no particular order.

Underwater

I’m a sucker for aquatic horror, so one...

2020 has been a tough year for cinema with theaters forced to close and release dates delayed. It’s a rough break for filmmakers whose work was due to get a wide theatrical release and instead launched on PVOD or streaming services.

And it was a double shame for horror since 2020 has been an excellent year for the genre in terms of quality, including a handful of exceptional debut films that in any other year would have been lauded in the same way as Hereditary, It Follows, or The Babadook.

Den of Geek staff and contributors voted on their favorite horror movies of 2020 to produce this list – each is a gem worth seeking out.

10. The Mortuary Collection

The problem with most horror anthology movies is there’s usually at least one segment that pales in comparison to the others, which tends to dampen your enjoyment of the whole thing somewhat, but...

Ahead of its screening at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli's feature film debut, Violation, has been acquired by Shudder, with a streaming release slated for next year:

Press Release: New York, NY - Shudder, AMC Networks’ premiere streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, has announced the acquisition of Violation, the debut feature written, produced and directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli, which will be released exclusively on the streaming platform. The bold and unflinching thriller world premiered to critical and audience acclaim at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where Sims-Fewer was a recipient of the TIFF Rising Star Award, and is also an official selection of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival where it will make its international premiere. Shudder has acquired all rights for the U.S., UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand to premiere on its service in those territories later next year.

Shudder has had excellent content offerings for horror fans all month long, and they're not done yet! Today, they officially announced ShudderFest, their virtual event that will take place all day on Halloween! We have the full schedule of virtual events, that include Tony Todd, Robert Englund, a secret screening, and much more!

October 27, 2020 — New York, NY — Staying home for Halloween this year? Fear not: Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, is bringing the holiday to you with ShudderFest, a horror celebration you don’t need to leave the house to attend. This incredible day-long virtual event will feature panels, presentations, conversations and screenings led by legendary genre icons, fan-favorite musicians, and acclaimed directors, writers, and producers, free to all and available anywhere in the world via the shudderfest.com website.

Highlights of the event include a virtual hang with “horror royalty” including genre...

Our Halloween episode! The legendary actor and star of Shudder’s The Mortuary Collection talks about his favorite horror movies from his childhood.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Mortuary Collection (2020), now streaming on Shudder!

Nightmare Cinema (2019)

We Come In Pieces: The Rebirth of the Horror Anthology Film (2014)

Bad Boys (1983)

Gentle Giant (1967)

Gone In 60 Seconds (1974)

The Green Slime (1969)

Battle Royale (2000)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Tarzan’s Three Challenges (1963)

The Professionals (1966)

Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)

Ultraman (1967)

Batman (1966)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Psycho (1960)

Jack The Ripper (1959)

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1974)

Count Dracula (1977)

Son of Dracula (1943)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

The Haunting (1963)

The Haunting (1999)

The Others (2001)

The Babysitter Murders (2015)

Halloween (1978)

Frankenstein (1931)

King Kong (1933)

Scanners (1981)

Wisconsin Death Trip (1999)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

The Bride (1985)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

The Love Bug (1968)

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Son of Kong (1933)

The Road Back (1937)

Crimson Peak...

Several major distributors return to UK cinemas this weekend.

France, opening Wednesday, October 21

A dozen new films opened in France this week into a complex reality for the country’s distributors and exhibitors following the introduction of a night-time curfew for Paris and eight other major cities on October 17. It was announced yesterday (Oct 22) that the measure will be extended to more than half the country this Saturday (Oct 24) following a further surge in cases over the past week.

Prior to the announcement, a dozen distributors had taken the plunge to release films on Wednesday against already difficult odds. In the backdrop,...

On a dark and spooky day, atop a dark and spooky hill, sits a dark and spooky house inhabited by a dark and spooky mortician. Welcome to The Mortuary Collection.

When a young woman attends a funeral in the strange, expansive old mortuary, she stumbles upon a room of curious tomes and meets the ominous mortician that cares for the dead. Under the guise of looking for a job, the woman allows herself to be guided through the mortician's collection of the macabre. Each part of the collection tells the story of a corpse. Who they were, how they died, and (most importantly) why Death took them.

The Mortuary Collection stars Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Barak Hardley, and Clancy Brown (who is absolutely Fabulous in this!). The anthology horror by writer and director Ryan Spindell originally premiered at the 2019 Fantastic Fest film festival in Austin, TX, before finding...

New anthology horror is coming to Shudder just in time for Halloween! Here's the official trailer for The Mortuary Collection, coming to Shudder on October 15th:

"A young drifter applies for a job at the local mortuary and meets an eccentric mortician (Clancy Brown) who chronicles the strange history of the town through a series of twisted tales, each more terrifying than the last."

Written and directed by Ryan Spindell, The Mortuary Collection stars Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Barak Hardley, Christine Kilmer, Ema Horvath, Sarah Hey, and Jacob Elordi.

The post Watch the Trailer for The Mortuary Collection, Coming to Shudder on October 15th appeared first on Daily Dead.

Shudder continues to stack the terror in October with an all-new original horror anthology film, The Mortuary Collection. Horror maestro Sam Raimi calls The Mortuary Collection "A twisted tapestry of grisly fun and endlessly inventive terror" and Rotten Tomatoes praises it as "One of the best horror anthologies in years."

The Mortuary Collection is the feature debut from writer/director Ryan Spindell, who also contributed to Quibi and Sam Raimi's celebrated 50 States of Fright series. The film stars beloved character actor Clancy Brown, widely recognized as one of the most prolific and versatile performers in Hollywood, and best known for his roles in Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, Starship Troopers as well as Brother Justin Crowe on HBO's Carnivàle, Kelvin Inman on ABC's Lost, and as the voice of Mr. Krabs in Sponge Bob Square Pants. A Shudder original.

A young drifter applies for a job at the...

Every corpse tells a story. Clancy Brown plays the creepy host in Ryan Spindell‘s upcoming horror anthology film The Mortuary Collection (review), which is coming to Shudder on the road to Halloween. Sam Raimi calls The Mortuary Collection “A twisted tapestry of grisly fun and endlessly inventive terror” in a new trailer unleashed by Shudder today, which you’ll […]...

Hot on the heels of the surprise news of The Creepshow Halloween Special, premiering October 26, starring Kiefer Sutherland and Joey King with stories from Joe Hill and Stephen King, streaming horror king Shudder is adding even more treats for their one million-plus members.

2020's All-New Ghoul Log - October 1

Halloween's answer to the Christmas Yule Log, the Ghoul Log is: a 24/7 streaming jack-o'-lantern (available on demand as a Shudder TV feed 'round the clock) that offers the perfect ambience for all your Halloween festivities. This year's edition has been lovingly crafted by a fan-favorite filmmaker who knows a thing or two about the holiday. Visit Shudder October 1 for the big reveal...

Joe Bob's Halloween Hideaway - October 23 at 9pm Et

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Horror host and drive-in movie expert Joe Bob has left the trailer park behind in favor of a more remote retreat, but he's still...

Shudder has plenty of treats for horror fans to dig into this Halloween season, with a jam-packed October release schedule that includes an animated Creepshow Halloween Special, Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses, Timo Tjahjanto's May the Devil Take You Too, "The Price of Fright" Vincent Price collection, Chris Lamartina's Wnuf Halloween Special, and much more!

Below, you can check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the U.S. this October, and be sure to visit Shudder's website to learn more about the streaming service and their scary good lineup!

"New Shudder Specials

2020’s All-new Ghoul Log — October 1

Halloween’s answer to the Christmas Yule Log, the Ghoul Log is: a 24/7 streaming jack-o’-lantern (available on demand as a Shudder TV feed ‘round the clock) that offers the perfect ambience for all your Halloween festivities. This year’s edition has been lovingly crafted...

Stars: Clancy Brown, Caitlin Custer, Christine Kilmer, Jacob Elordi, Ema Horvath, Jennifer Irwin, James Bachman, Barak Hardley, Sarah Hay, Ben Hethcoat, Mike C. Nelson | Written and Directed by Ryan Spindell

Writer and director Ryan Spindell (Kirksdale) delivers to us a new entry into the world of anthology-based horror with The Mortuary Collection. The film takes a funeral home as its central location, a proven setting in the world of horror films.

The film, in my mind, immediately harkened back to such anthology delights as Tales from the Crypt, with Clancy Brown delivering a wonderfully energised performance as Montgomery Dark, the mortician. He’s a hoot in the role and it really pulls the whole film along in an enjoyable way, with his delivery as this central host-type figure. Now, believe me, I’ve seen my fair share of passable or even terrible portmanteau horror, but The Mortuary Collection drew me...

The Canadian virtual festival will include more than 100 features and 200 shorts.

Canada’s Fantasia Film Festival has announced a third and final wave of feature films, as well as details of its panels, talks, tributes and special events.

This year’s virtual edition of the Montreal-based festival, running from August 20 to September 2, will include more than 100 features and more than 200 shorts.

Among the latest titles added to the line-up are Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, getting its world premiere, Jorge Michel Grau’s Perdida, getting its international premiere, and Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’A, which will be the closing night film.

The Legend Of Baron To'a Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

The third and final part of this year's Fantasia International Film Festival line-up was announced today, with New Zealand/Tonga co-production The Legend Of Baron To'a revealed as the closing feature. The festival, which is based in Montreal but will take place online this year because of Covid-19, will also see a lifetime achievement award presented to genre favourite John Carpenter, who is currently focusing on his music career, and there will be a chance for attendees to hear his latest single.

Other new additions to the line-up include Ryan Spindell's gothic horror anthology The Mortuary Collection, Johnnie To's musical martial arts spectacular Chasing Dream and Jorge Michel Grau's dark, stylish romance Perdida. A slate of great Japanese films includes the unforgettable kigurumi tokusatsu Monster Seafood Wars, which will ensure that you never look at a plate of...

Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, which runs August 20-September 2 and is being held digitally this year due to the pandemic, has unveiled its final lineup.

The fest has also announced that revered genre filmmaker John Carpenter will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award and will host an online masterclass as part of its virtual events.

New pics selected include Kiel McNaughton’s Indigenous action-comedy The Legend Of Baron To’a, which closes the fest, the world premiere of Persepolis co-director Vincent Paronnaud’s Hunted, Johnnie To’s Chasing Dream, and Finn Wolfhard’s directorial debut short Night Shifts.

Further events will include talks with Mike Flanagan and Mick Garris, Simon Barrett, and Dennison Ramalho with José Mojica Marins aka Coffin Joe.

As reported previously, this year’s fest will open with Neil Marshall’s horror The Reckoning. The online screenings, which will run via Festival Scope and Shift72’s virtual screening platform,...

Last summer I saw firsthand how the team behind the Popcorn Frights Film Festival work hard to create a thriving and supportive community for horror fans in South Florida, and those efforts are continuing even in the days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Popcorn Frights co-founders and co-directors Igor Shteyrenberg and Marc Ferman have announced that they're taking their festival on the road with the Popcorn Frights Drive-In Horrorshow, kicking off on Saturday, May 30th with a horror anthology double feature of Scare Package and The Mortuary Collection.

Below, we have the official press release with additional details on the Popcorn Frights Drive-In Horrorshow, which will run through this summer at various drive-ins throughout South Florida.

In case you missed it, this year's Popcorn Frights Film Festival was rescheduled for October, and you can learn more about the Drive-In Horrorshow and the festival on their official website.

Press Release: Fort Lauderdale,...

Quibi, the Jeffrey Katzenberg-backed 2020-launching streaming platform designed for short-form stories, has announced a most intriguing offering amongst its deep backlog, a horror anthology series, titled 50 States of Fright, which has corralled quite the cast and crew, notably with genre legend Sam Raimi–the movie maestro of the Evil Dead cinematic and television franchise and crucial comic book cinema of the Spider-Man Trilogy–tapped to develop and even direct an entry.

Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel, Christina Ricci, Asa Butterfield, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, John Marshall Jones and Ron Livingston are just some of the names lined up to fill 50 States of Fright’s anthology episodes. With the average runtime of approximately 10 minutes, each episode culls content from American urban legends and folklore.

50 States of Fright will manifest via Gunpowder & Sky’s horror brand, Alter, which will produce with Diga Studios and Pod 3.

50 States of Fright...

The Mortuary Collection

In the first part of my interview with Ryan Spindell about The Mortuary Collection we discussed the challenging process of finding funding for an anthology film in the modern age. In part two we look at how he cast Clancy Brown and Caitlin Custer in the roles of mortician Montgomery Dark and his new assistant, beginning by talking about how making part of the film as a short, The Babysitter Murders, helped him to get the project off the ground.

Clancy Brown as mortician Montgomery Dark

“The short helped us so much with upgrading the amount of talent that we were able to bring to the feature,” he says, “because we didn’t have a lot of money but we did have this one piece so we could show people, like, ‘This is the kind of thing we’re going for.’ We got Adi, which is this...

Caitlin Custer in The Mortuary Collection Photo: Glasgow Film Festival

The first thing Ryan Spindell does when I connect with him on Skype for our scheduled chat is to apologise for having a boring office. It’s painted white with a Venetian blind over the window; a shelf at one side looks as if it’s thinking about spilling books onto the floor. He’s envious of the wall of books behind me in my study. I suggest that he get a poster with books on it to sit in front of whilst he Skypes, and his reaction makes it clear that we’re going to get along.

Ryan is the director of The Mortuary Collection, one of the films selected by the Frightfest team to appear in their section of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. I admit that I approached it with some trepidation, having a queue of...

After a nine-day extravaganza that celebrated the whole spectrum of genre cinema, the 25th anniversary edition of the Lund Fantastic Film Festival came to a festive end on October 5. A closing night international premiere of Ryan Spindell’s The Mortuary Collection was followed by another treat for true devotees: a secret screening of the first episode of the long-awaited Creepshow reimagining. No festival would be complete without a proper awards ceremony and Lund Fantastic 2019 saw an impressive roster of talent vying for the coveted Méliès d’Argent and Siren Award. The Méliès d’Argent-nominated feature film that most impressed the judges was Adrian Panek’s Werewolf (pictured above). In their official statement, the jury praised Lund’s best European Fantastic Film for portraying a cinematic world in which...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

New horror brand Alter, in association with Diga Studios and Pod 3, has teamed up to release a new anthology series called 50 States of Fright which explores the country's urban legends. Directed and co-written by Sam Raimi, the cast includes Taissa Farmiga, Christina Ricci, and Rachel Brosnahan, just to name a few. Also: FrightFest's Halloween event details, The Fan's debut of Blu-ray, and production and release details announced for Necropolis: Legion.

50 States of Fright Release Details: "Quibi, Gunpowder & Sky’s new horror brand, Alter, that explores the human condition through warped perspectives, along with Diga Studios and Pod 3 announced today that Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel, Christina Ricci, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, John Marshall Jones, and Ron Livingston will each star in an episode of the upcoming horror anthology series, “50 States of Fright.” The first season of “50 States of Fright” will explore stories based on urban legends from Colorado,...

While I’m not really sold on the upcoming short-form streaming service Quibi, there’s a lot of big talent on board to create the series that will fill it with content.

Sam Raimi is producing one of the shows for it called 50 States of Fright, a horror anthology series that will feature a great cast of talent that includes Christina Ricci, Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, John Marshall Jones, and Ron Livingston.

The series will focus on urban legends that come from specific states. When talking about the series, Gunpowder and Sky CEO Van Toffler told THR:

“The driving force for us as a studio is to foster the careers of emerging talent by marrying them with proven innovators. With 50 States of Fright we sought out a diverse group of breakthrough performers and fearless horror visionaries and partnered them with Sam...

Joseph Baxter Michael Ahr Dec 18, 2019

50 States of Fright, an urban legends-based horror anthology series bound for Quibi, reveals an impressive cast roster.

Quibi, the Jeffrey Katzenberg-backed 2020-launching streaming platform designed for short-form stories, has announced a most intriguing offering amongst its 40-project-deep backlog, a horror anthology series, titled 50 States of Fright, which has corralled quite the cast and crew, notably with genre legend Sam Raimi – the movie maestro of the Evil Dead cinematic and television franchise and crucial comic book cinema of the Spider-Man Trilogy – tapped to develop and even direct an entry.

Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel, Christina Ricci, Asa Butterfield, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, John Marshall Jones and Ron Livingston are just some of the names lined up to fill 50 States of Fright’s anthology episodes, which each culling content from American urban legends and folklore.

The official greenlight has been given for 50 States of Fright,...

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan and Christina Ricci are set to appear in a new horror anthology series for Quibi, the upcoming mobile-only streaming service spearheaded by Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi will serve as one of the show’s executive producer.

The series, titled “50 States of Fright,” will explore different urban legends from across the U.S. Each episode will feature different stars and stories, with Brosnahan starring alongside Travis Fimmel (“Vikings”) and John Marshall Jones (“The Last Revolutionary”) in an episode directed and co-written by Raimi and based on a Michigan urban legend.

Ricci will be joined by Jacob Batalon (“Spiderman: Far From Home”) in an episode titled “Red Rum,” on a scary story from Colorado. Ming-Na Wen (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) Taissa Farmiga (“American Horror Story”), Ron Livingston (“A Million Little Things”) and Asa Butterfield (“Sex Education”) will also star in “50 States of Freight” episodes.

Quibi has given a green light to 50 States of Fright, a horror anthology series, from Gunpowder & Sky’s Alter horror brand, Diga Studios and executive producer Sam Raimi. Cast includes Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Travis Fimmel, Christina Ricci, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, John Marshall Jones and Ron Livingston, who each will star in an episode of the upcoming series.

The first season will explore stories based on urban legends from Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon and Washington taking viewers deeper into the horrors that lurk just beneath the surface of our country.

Ryan Spindell's feature length debut The Mortuary Collection had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest this past week. It will have its international premiere in Sweden at the Lund Fantastic Film Festival. The trailer has been passed along to us. Taken us a while to get around posting it but have a look at it below. Personally I love the consistency of the vintage look, very handsome stuff. On the cusp of retirement, an eccentric mortician recounts several of the strangest stories he’s encountered in his long career, but things take a turn for the phantasmagorical when he learns that the final story… is his own. ...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Loaded with gore sloshed upon gore, blessed with creeptacular practical special effects, and boasting lush, stylish, chill-inducing cinematography, The Mortuary Collection is a feast for the eyes. This horror anthology from writer-director Ryan Spindell started off as one short film – “The Babysitter Murders” – before being expanded upon, and given a neat little wraparound story to […]

The post ‘The Mortuary Collection’ Review: A Gory, Stylish Midnight Anthology Movie More Interested In Humor Than Horror [Fantastic Fest 2019] appeared first on /Film.

The Mortuary Collection is a horror anthology from writer and director Ryan Spindell. The film tells four tales, with a wraparound segment. To have its World Premiere at this year's Fantastic Fest, this film tells tales of murder, from the '50s to the '80s. As well, The Mortuary Collection stars: Clancy Brown (Starship Troopers), Caitlin Fisher, Barak Hardley, Christine Kilmer and Mike Nelson. The film's first trailer has been released this week. And, the clip shows a lot of the wraparound story and snippets of the others. The film moves through various times and settings. One of the shorts covers a '50s housewife and a strange presence in her bathroom. Another story looks at a college boy and his fraternizing ways. Still other stories cover a strange husband and wife relationship, along with the '80s Babysitter Murders. All of these short tales are told by a...

“Look closer, the devil is in the details.”

Boy oh boy, I sure do love a good anthology horror film! If you’re the same way and riding in the same creaky old boat that I am, you’ve got to watch this first trailer for a film called The Mortuary Collection because it looks like it’s going to be a super fun and joyfully creepy flick!

The Mortuary Collection follows a young girl who ends up in a mortuary having a conversation with a creepy-ass mortician played by Clancy Brown. The young girl discovers a secret room full of strange objects, and the mortician “guides her through his collection, sharing four stories of wild, unique, and memorable deaths. Thus begins the narrative skeleton surrounding this delightful, morbid, and clever anthology.”

This looks like a delightful horror film that I’m going to enjoy. The synopsis explains the four...

"Have you any experience in the mortuary arts?" Trapdoor Pictures has debuted an official trailer for an indie horror anthology film titled The Mortuary Collection, which is getting its big premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin this weekend. The film features four unique horror stories that progress through four decades - a '50s housewife struggles with a mysterious presence in her bathroom; a '60s college boy gets a taste of his own fraternizing medicine; and a '70s husband makes some tough decisions about his wife; culminating in the '80s-set The Babysitter Murders. The film is wrapped around with a story featuring a young girl who enters a secret room in a mortuary and learns the backstory of the mortician’s favorite deaths. Starring Caitlin Custer, Clancy Brown, Barak Hardley, Christine Kilmer, Mike Nelson, and Sarah Hay. I'm always down for more anthology horror, and this looks...

Netflix brings the Us Premiere of the much-lauded I Lost My Body to Fantastic Fest after an award winning debut at Cannes Critics Week. From director J&#233r&#233my Clapin, this singular tale of a severed hand trying to reunite with its owner is told in a striking hand-drawn animation style and won the Cristal award at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

"This has been a phenomenal year in terms of filmmaking, and we are proud to be hosting so many of the year's best filmmakers in Austin," says Evrim Ersoy, Fantastic Fest Creative Director. "Whether first-timers or alumni, we hope to share their work with our unique audience and to help elevate their voices within the festival world and with audiences at large."

The festival will be honoring the career of Japanese maestro Takashi Miike with a lifetime achievement award and a special screening of The Happiness of Katakuris.

In addition to their first and second waves of programming that include In the Tall Grass, Knives Out, and Parasite, Fantastic Fest has announced their final wave of programming, giving attendees of the Austin-based festival even more to look forward to, including the world premieres of We Summon the Darkness and The Mortuary, as well as the presentation of a lifetime achievement award to prolific filmmaker Takashi Miike.

We have the full final wave of programming in the official press release below, visit Fantastic Fest's website for more information, and stay tuned to Daily Dead for our live coverage of Fantastic Fest.

Press Release: Austin, TX — September 11, 2019 — Netflix brings the Us Premiere of the much-lauded I Lost My Body to Fantastic Fest after an award winning debut at Cannes Critics Week. From director Jérémy Clapin, this singular tale of a severed hand trying to reunite with its owner is told...

Exclusive: Fantastic Fest is set to honor legendary filmmaker Takashi Miike with the Lifetime Achievement Award and a and a special screening of The Happiness of the Katakuris. In addition, the fest has revealed its final wave of programming which includes the U.S. premiere of Jeremy Clapin’s I Lost My Body which recently debuted at Cannes Critics Week and won the Cristal for Best Animated Feature and the Audience Award Première at the 2019 Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival. Fantastic Fest kicks off September 19 and continues through September 26.

Miike, who has been featured at Fantastic Fest multiple times, has over 100 films on his resume and in addition to a screening of The Happiness of the Katakuris, the fest will feature the U.S. premiere of his film First Love which follows an aspiring boxer named Leo who discovers that he may not have long to live. He goes...

“Horror gives us the permission to explore our most primal fears and deepest anxieties in a safe and hopefully, cathartic way,” said Vera Miao, creator of “Two Sentence Horror Stories,” a new short form anthology series based on the Reddit thread of the same name. The ambitious series uses genre to shed light on social issues such as racism, homophobia, cyber-bullying, and the pursuit of beauty. “Horror has such a strong track record in exploring social issues,” said Miao. “In this upside down political and social moment we’re in, no one can argue that monsters aren’t real.”

Miao initially got the idea for “Two Sentence Horror Stories” from a Reddit thread, which featured horror stories told in two sentences, many of which went viral. “They had a classic, campfire spooky story feel made possible by this new, digital space. They’re so evocative, my imagination would just go off,...

Do you feel that? It’s Halloween spirit in the air! Halloween is my favorite holiday when it comes to holiday programming, well that and Christmas. But with Halloween just around the corner, you can bet there will be loads of new series and already established series airing Halloween related episodes. Below we have the Halloween programming schedule for Syfy, Google Play, Crypt TV, Stage 13, go90 and 60 Second Docs.

“60 Second Docs and Crypt TV Present Profiles in Fear, a Social Docu-Series” – Each 60 second documentary from 60 Second Docs and Crypt TV will profile unique stories about the cultures around the strange and unexplainable.

”Amityville: The Awakening” – The terrifying revival of the popular franchise will debut exclusively for free for a limited time on Google Play.

“Channel Zero: No-End House” – Inspired by Brian Russell’s “creepypasta” tale, this Nick Antosca-created anthology series tells the story of a young woman named Margot Sleator,...

Masterfully Macabre Entertainment announced the Us premiere of To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story. Continue reading for more details on its debut at ScareFest 2017. Also in today's Highlights: a sneak peek at Two Sentence Horror Stories and the lineup at this year's London Horror Festival.

To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story Us Premiere Details: Press Release: “Los Angeles, CA September 20, 2017- Masterfully Macabre Entertainment (“Mme”) announced today that their highly anticipated documentary, To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story is having its Us Premiere as the headliner at the ScareFest convention launch party on Thursday, September 28, 2017, at The Grand Reserve Event Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Launch party events begin at 4:30 pm, with the film introduction at 8:00 pm, and the film's premiere screening at 8:30 pm. The film's star subject, Kane Hodder, Director Derek Dennis Herbert, and Producer Andrew Barcello will attend the premiere...