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In a rare instance of introspection, Dylan (Ben Hunter), a rowdy bro type in his 20s, beams at the possibility that another person might genuinely be offering the kind of friendship he yearns for. A shy smile crosses his face, only for the spell to be immediately broken, leaving him feeling used. It’s a brief, easy-to-miss exchange, but one that evinces the lack of meaningful intimacy between him and his closest mates.

That moment of vulnerability follows a night of insidious games and unsavory revelations that test the bonds among a group of friends and acquaintances during a fateful buck’s party in “Birdeater,” an engrossing horror-laced ensemble piece from Australia that successfully instills uneasiness and discomfort via confident and consistently in-your-face stylistic choices. Hunter remains a scene-stealer throughout thanks to his anger-inducing performance as overbearing Dylan, but it’s the character’s best bud Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) and...

One of the best parts of entering a brand new year is looking ahead and previewing another packed year for horror. And 2025’s horror slate is densely packed, its release schedule already stacked with exciting adaptations, franchise sequels, reboots, originals, and beyond. Even more exciting is that this only covers what’s already been announced; expect to get inundated with surprise announcements and film festival discoveries to further fill the calendar with horror goodies.

Welcome to Bloody Disgusting’s 2025 Horror Preview.

How massive will 2025 be for horror? If this preview of the year’s looming horror offerings is any indication, horror fans may be spoiled for choice. Of course, expect some release dates to shift and many surprises yet to get announced in the coming months. In other words, this is only the beginning of the year’s horror offerings.

Here are over 50 horror movies we’re excited to check...

Birdeater takes way too long to actually get going, which is the movie’s biggest issue. Australian director-writer duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir set their debut feature up pretty well—especially the first forty minutes or so, which is a clear sign of astute filmmaking with a clear vision. But then it turns into a frustrating ordeal where it misses the mark thanks to an unnecessary over-exploration of toxic masculinity, the very thing it attempts to satirize. The deliberate underdevelopment of its female character is also something that doesn’t work out, other than the very last scene of the movie. What we can say for sure is this is an interesting movie for sure; a lot can be discussed about it, and one can come up with multiple theories about the climax. Perhaps that’s the biggest triumph of Birdeater.

Spoilers Ahead

What Is The Movie About?

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A bachelor party weekend transforms into an intense nightmare in Birdeater, and Dark Sky Films has unveiled a brand new Birdeater trailer and poster that emphasizes just how “feral” this Australian psychological thriller will become.

Dark Sky Films releases Birdeater in theaters on January 10, 2025.

“A bride-to-be joins her fiance’s bachelor party in the remote Australian Outback. As the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, turning the celebration into a feral nightmare.”

Watch the intense, almost hallucinatory trailer and get a peek at the poster below. While the film itself may be intense, it’s hard not to be amused that critics keep coming back to one word to describe this psychological thriller: Feral.

Directed by the filmmaking duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir, their feature has been described as a “horror thriller that represents a visually striking and daring debut from this Australian duo.

Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s Birdeater at first seems like a familiar premise—a bachelor party weekend gone awry in the Australian outback. But appearances can be deceiving. Below the surface lies a much more unsettling story, one dealing with complex issues of masculinity, relationships, and abuse.

The film centers around Louie, soon to be married to his partner Irene. He invites her along to his bucks party with a group of male friends at a remote property. But tensions simmer between Louie and Irene, hints of deeper troubles in their romance. As the party kicks off and alcohol and drugs flow, uncomfortable truths are reluctantly dragged into the light.

We learn Louie’s behavior toward Irene extends beyond simple anxiety. He manipulates and controls her in disturbing ways, enabled by friends quick to overlook problems. But the directors don’t depict abuse violently, instead opting for a subtler...

Larry Fessenden’s career in horror films will be honored at the 2024 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival (Bhff).

The indie filmmaker, who launched his career with a Frankenstein story in 1991’s “No Telling,” will be celebrated with the Leviathan Award to mark his cinematic achievements. A special screening of Fessenden’s 1996 film “Habit” will also be part of the ceremony. Fessenden will participate in a Q&a with Bhff alum Jenn Wexler.

The Leviathan Award, Brooklyn Horror’s first and only tribute award, was created in 2023 to honor the luminaries of horror and acknowledge their monstrous contributions to the genre.

Fessenden is credited by the festival for being an “irreplaceable” voice in filmmaking. Fessenden is the founder of Glass Eye Pix, which has sustained indie horror in New York for three decades and counting.

“Larry Fessenden is exactly the kind of trailblazing and enduring artist we want to celebrate, one whose...

The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its 2024 edition, which runs from Oct. 17-24. All films will be screened at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations.

Opening with Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s crime thriller “Dead Mail,” Bhff will feature the North American premieres of Tiago Teixeira’s erotic body horror “Custom,” Phillip Escott and Sarah Appleton’s late ’90s horror documentary “Generation Terror” and Sasha Rainbow’s “Grafted” starring Jess Hong.

Films receiving their world premieres at Bhff include Izzy Lee’s directorial debut “House of Ashes,” the queer science fiction adventure “Psychonaut” and “Lilly Lives Alone” starring Jeffrey Combs.

“Fear in Focus” is set to return for Bhff 2024, with this year’s rendition centering around horror films from Spain. The sidebar program will feature a 35mm screening of “The Blood Spattered Bride” and a showing of the Spanish version of “Dracula” with...

It’s that time of the year again: Edinburgh has come alive.

With three different festivals taking over the Scottish capital for the month of August (Film, TV and, of course, the Fringe), the city is bursting at the seams with creativity.

That’s what the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) director Paul Ridd hopes, anyway. In his words, he’s worked to reboot this year’s event and embrace “the spirit of discovery” in an impressive slate of projects premiering, around half of them world premieres. With Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan, Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus and the European premiere of Colman Domingo film Sing Sing among the lineup, Ridd has shown a commitment to take the Eiff to a league above.

“The long-term plan for me would be to [look at] the models of the likes of Sundance and Telluride,” Ridd tells The Hollywood Reporter.

The 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has launched its entire program for the Aug. 15-21 event, where it will screen 37 new feature films and 18 world premieres.

Ten world premieres will compete for the new Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence as the fest showcases talent from filmmakers in the U.K., U.S., Canada, Mexico, Norway, China, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Iran and beyond. Screenings will take place in the heart of Scotland’s picturesque capital at some of the city’s most iconic venues including Cameo Cinema, Summerhall, and 50 George Square.

Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, starring Saoirse Ronan, was previously confirmed as the Fest’s opening night film, with the world premiere of Carla J. Easton and Blair Young’s documentary Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands set to close. Its Midnight Madness strand will close with the body horror The Substance, starring Demi Moore.

An Australian stag party goes off the rails when the details of the happy couple's relationship get spilled during a night of heavy drinking and drugs in Jack Clark & Jim Weir's Birdeater, making its international debut at this year's SXSW. There are at least two films at this year's festival in which women are introduced into men's bachelor parties in isolated locations and neither of them go well for anyone involved, the other being Annick Blanc’s Hunting Daze. Not sure if there's some unintentional messaging behind that, but it's interesting to think of the different treatments that both essentially boil down to the core idea that most men when surrounded by drunken groups of other men, are absolute trash, and Birdeater does nothing to...

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

Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s Birdeater is an intriguing entry into the Australian horror scene, attempting to weave a tapestry of psychological tension amidst the backdrop of a bachelor party gone terribly wrong. The premise is straight forward—a cocktail of bad decisions, simmering tensions, and an echo chamber of toxic masculinity, making for an unsettling slow-burn thriller that promises to leave its audience teetering on the edge of their seats. However, while the concept is ripe with potential, the execution leaves something to be desired.

The film introduces us to Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley), his fiancée Irene (Shabana Azeez), and a motley crew of friends and frenemies, including the unpredictable Dylan (Ben Hunter), the laid-back Murph (Alfie Gledhill), and the enigmatic Sam (Harley Wilson), an old flame of Irene’s with a complicated history within the group. The dynamic is ripe for drama, and the film teases the unraveling...

A blurred image of a Wake in Fright poster in an early shot in Birdeater cuts right to the heart of directors Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s feature debut, a hat tip to the style and tone of madness ahead. Like Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 classic thriller, Birdeater utilizes horror and thriller mechanics and tropes to deconstruct Australia’s masculine identity, one at odds with today’s sociopolitical landscape, through a contemporary lens. While it doesn’t push the genre elements far enough, its heady themes, sustained dread, and distinct visual language culminate in a tense psychodrama that poses compelling questions.

The signs that something’s deeply amiss in the relationship between engaged couple Irene (Shabana Azeez) and Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) come fast and furious from the outset. Codependency issues and controlling behavior bubble just beneath the surface of their seemingly idyllic romance. Before filmmakers Clark, who wrote the script,...

Universal’s monster movie Abigail helmed by Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett has been set to world premiere as the closing night film of horror fest The Overlook Film Festival, which is taking place this year at the Prytania Theatres in New Orleans from April 4 – 7.

Slated for release on April 19, Abigail watches as a group of criminals retreats to an isolated mansion after kidnapping the ballerina daughter (Alisha Weir) of a powerful underworld figure, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the film’s cast also includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand, Giancarlo Esposito, and the late Angus Cloud.

This year’s Overlook lineup includes 45 films — 22 features and 23 shorts — from 11 countries, as well as four live presentations and five immersive experiences. Set to open the fet, on the heels of its Berlin launch,...

The Overlook Film Festival, billed as “the annual celebration of all things horror,” announced today the initial lineup for its 2024 edition.

Taking place April 4 through 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror fest is ready to bring audiences back to “America’s most haunted city” with a selection of both new and classic films, including 2024 releases like Sundance smash hit “I Saw the TV Glow” from director Jane Schoenbrun, Tilman Singer’s opening night pick “Cuckoo,” closing night offering “Abigail” from the Radio Silence team, plus offscreen offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming, special guests and much, much more.

“We are finally able to see the fruits of post-pandemic productions and it’s a sight to behold,” said Michael Lerman, co-founder and director of film programming of the Overlook Film Festival, in an officials statement. “This year’s lineup is full of bigger, scarier, more personal,...

Watch the Trailer for Alice Maio Mackay's T-blockers: "In small-town Australia, a nightmare is brewing. Sophie is a young filmmaker obsessed with finding a thought-to-be long-lost film. Meanwhile, an earthquake unleashes ancient parasites in the area that thrive on hatred, causing outbursts of violence. Now Sophie and her friends, struggling with dating and their undesirable jobs, must also face off against an ancient evil that spreads like wildfire."

Starring: Lauren Last, Lewi Dawson, Joe Romeo, Chris Asimos, Joni Ayton-Kent, Stanley Browning, Lisa Fanto Director: Alice Maio Mackay Writers: Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson Release Date: March 5, 2024 from Dark Star Pictures

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Birdeater: "A bride-to-be is invited to join her own fiancé’s bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback. But as the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, and the celebration soon becomes a feral nightmare."

Directed by: Jack Clark,...

"Should we really be doing that? Shouldn't you just stop now?" Blue Finch Films has revealed a fantastic festival teaser trailer for a new film titled Birdeater, an Australian indie horror flick marking the feature directorial debut of filmmakers Jack Clark & Jim Weir. It first premiered at the 2023 Sydney Film Festival last year and won the Audience Award for Australian Narrative Feature there. And it's playing at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival coming up this March. Birdeater is an unsettling horror thriller that "represents a visually striking and daring debut from this Australian duo." A bride-to-be is invited to her fiancé's bachelor party, but when uncomfortable details of their relationship are exposed, the night takes a feral turn. Vague yet compelling. The film stars Shabana Azeez, Mackenzie Fearnley, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Alfie Gledhill, Harley Wilson, and Caroline McQuade. Oh damn. Yeah this looks quite good, even from only 30 seconds of footage.

One of the horror movies on our radar for SXSW 2024 this month is the Australian film Birdeater, which has received an official teaser trailer ahead of the festival this week.

Birdeater, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival and earned the Audience Award for Australian Narrative Feature, is set to make its International Premiere at SXSW.

Directed by the filmmaking duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir, Birdeater is said to be a “horror thriller that represents a visually striking and daring debut from this Australian duo.”

“A bride-to-be is invited to join her own fiancé’s bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback. But as the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, and the celebration soon becomes a feral nightmare.”

Shabana Azeez, Mackenzie Fearnley, Ben Hunter, Jack Bannister, Clementine Anderson, Alfie Gledhill, Harley Wilson, and Caroline McQuade star in Birdeater.

Jack Clark wrote the screenplay.

The latest edition of the SXSW Film Festival kicks off later this week in Austin, Texas, unleashing an expansive slate of film programming an experiences- emphasis on expansive. For the horror fan, the fest offers so much more beyond the Midnighter programming section, and this SXSW 2024 preview guide should help.

The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. The Midnighter category includes buzzy titles like Samara Weaving-starring Azrael and Sundance favorite It’s What’s Inside. The fest’s Headliner section comes packed with highly anticipated titles like Immaculate, Cuckoo, and Arcadian. But all of this only scratches the surface of titles to get excited about.

Whether you’re heading to Austin this week or keeping track...

U.K. sales and distribution outfit Blue Finch Films has boarded worldwide rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to thriller “Birdeater.”

The debut feature from filmmaking duo Jack Clark and Jim Weir follows a bride-to-be who is invited to join her own fiancé’s bachelor party on a remote property in the Australian outback. But as the festivities spiral into beer-soaked chaos, uncomfortable details about their relationship are exposed, and the celebration soon becomes a feral nightmare.

Blue Finch describes the film as “an unapologetic look at how Australia’s iconic masculine identity has become incompatible with contemporary gender politics.” The film stars Shabana Azeez (“Run Rabbit Run”) and Mackenzie Fearnley (“Operation Buffalo”) as the soon-to-be-wedded couple. Written by Clark, the film is produced by Stephanie Troost and Ulysses Oliver of Breathless Films. The Australian and New Zealand rights are with Umbrella Entertainment.

The film screened at the Melbourne International...

Australia is among the most represented countries outside of the US in the initial line-up for this year's SXSW Film and TV Festival, with Natalie Bailey’s 'Audrey', Jon Bell's 'The Moogai', and Jack Clark and Jim Weir's 'Birdeater' among the films selected.

The post ‘Audrey’, ‘The Moogai’, ‘Birdeater’ in SXSW line-up appeared first on If Magazine.

March fest announces multiple competition sections.

SXSW announced on Wednesday that Netflix series 3 Body Problem from Game Of Thrones co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss is the festival’s opening night TV premiere, while Universal’s action comedy The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt is the centrepiece screening.

Top brass at the Austin, Texas, festival (March 8-16) also unveiled feature and short competitions and Midnighters and Global sections, as well as select titles from other categories and Xr Experience for the 31st edition.

Headliners selections include world premieres of Pamela Adlon’s Babes starring Ilana Glazer,...

Since launching in 2020, Breathless Films has helped a bring a steady stream of micro-budget titles to life, including Craig Boreham’s 'Lonesome' and Jack Clark and Jim Weir’s 'Birdeater'. With the company having just begun work on a new slate of projects, If speaks with founders Ben Ferris and Ulysses Oliver about the road so far.

The post Take Two: Ulysses Oliver and Ben Ferris appeared first on If Magazine.

Jack Clark and Jim Weir's 'Birdeater', with its echoes of 'Wake in Fright', joins Australia's recent indie success stories. After snaring Sydney Film Festival's Audience Award, their debut feature - made on a shoestring - sold out all its sessions at the Melbourne International Film Festival, landed distribution with Umbrella and simply generated a significant amount of buzz.

The post Jack Clark and Jim Weir pull apart Australian masculinity in ‘Birdeater’ appeared first on If Magazine.

Emirati Movie

British actor Jefferson Hall will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed.

Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand.

Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.

“Three” marks a rare case of a drama in which a Brit becomes enmeshed with the core of an Emirati family. The film unfolds in an unspecified modern-day Middle Eastern city, where a young boy named Ahmed begins exhibiting strange behavior, eventually leading his mother Maryam, to believe he is possessed. As the plot thickens,...