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Top of the mornin’ to you! It may not be St. Patrick’s Day, but it’s never a bad time to watch Leprechaun movies, and we here at Arrow in the Head decided to go back over the whole Leprechaun franchise to rank them from worst to first. The Leprechaun Movies Ranked list can be seen below – check it out and let us know how you would rank the movies!

Leprechaun: Origins (2014)

This is appalling. Director Zach Lipovsky, writer Harris Wilkinson, and WWE Studios were given the chance to make a new Leprechaun movie, they cast a professional wrestler (Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl) as the title character, and then they just churned out a dull monster movie. I don’t know how anyone involved thought this was a good idea (“You know what we should do? Take everything people liked about Leprechaun and remove it!”) or how Leprechaun: Origins made it through production.

Roger Corman’s cult film series Deathstalker is getting a big-screen reboot.Director Steven Kostanski, 39, has described his upcoming fantasy take on the fan-favourite franchise as “not your typical reboot”, after Shout! Studios secured exclusive English-language distribution rights to it in a multi-territory deal just days before the 78th Locarno Film Festival.The agreement, struck between Shout! – a Radial Entertainment company – and Canadian outfit Raven Banner Entertainment, will bring the new reimagining of Roger’s cult sword and sorcery franchise to theatres later this year. Directed and written by Steven, the Deathstalker reboot stars Daniel Bernhardt, 59, as the battle-scarred warrior of the title, and Patton Oswalt, 55, as the voice of a benevolent wizard named Doodad. The acquisition covers theatrical, digital, video-on-demand, broadcast and physical media rights, with Raven Banner Releasing set to distribute the film simultaneously in Canada.Made in Argentina, the 2025 film revisits the fantasy kingdom of Abraxeon, which...

Up next from director Steven Kostanski (Frankie Freako, PG: Psycho Goreman) is a reboot of Roger Corman’s cult favorite Deathstalker, and Variety reports this morning that Shout! Studios has picked up the film for release. Shout! has acquired “exclusive distribution rights in English-language territories,” with no release date announced at this time.

Variety details, “Shout! Studios plans a strategic launch of the movie across all major entertainment platforms, starting with a U.S. theatrical release later this year following the film’s festival run. Raven Banner Releasing will release in Canada day and date with Shout!”

“Steve is one of the most fiercely creative filmmakers working today and his love for this IP and genre oozes from every frame,” said Radial Entertainment’s SVP of Acquisitions and Originals Jordan Fields. “Deathstalker is catnip for fans of the Dungeons and Dragons staples — thrilling battles, sly humor, offbeat creatures and thoughtful lore.

In one of the widest-ranging deals to close in the runup to next week’s 78th Locarno Film Festival, Shout! Studios, a Radial Entertainment company, has acquired exclusive distribution rights in English-language territories to Steven Kostanski’s “Deathstalker,” a reboot of Roger Corman’s cult film series.

“Deathstalker” stars Daniel Bernhardt as the titular hero, playing him more as a grizzled war veteran, as he has commented, than the buff young heroes of the originals. Patton Oswalt provides the voice of Doodad, a benevolent wizened wizard.

The deal follows on Shout! Studios’ release of Kostanski’s “Frankie Freako” in 2024.

Made in Argentina, producer Corman’s first sword and sorcery “Deathstalker”movie, enjoying a tailwind from “Conan the Barbarian,” was a hit at the U.S. box office. “Deathstalker II” has been hailed as the greatest B-movie ever made.

2025’s “Deathstalker”’s fantasy plot is in line with the originals: the...

Horror icon, Jeffrey Combs, best known for his roles in the Re-Animator franchise and most recently Michael Leavy's Stream, is set to star in Mystery of the Mothman, a creature-feature about the notorious Mothman, a cryptid of North American Folklore. The film will mark the feature length debut of Canadian director, Austin Birtch, best known for his short horror films, Giant Skeleton and Paws.

According to Variety, Mystery of the Mothman aims to explore the bizarre events surrounding the 1967 Silver Bridge Collapse in Point Pleasant, West Virginia with Combs set to play Adam Lubin, "the only paranormal investigator left in Point Pleasant after the Silver Bridge collapse. His character is the anchor to the Mothman folklore in the film, tying the narrative to the legend's origins."

2010 Chiller Theatre Expo - Day 1 | Bobby Bank/GettyImages

As an avid fan of Jeffrey Combs, I can't wait to see him return to our screens.

The fine folks at Sitges have announced the first wave of titles for this year's 58th edition.    Julia Ducournau's Alpha will open the festival this year. Other big titles from the festival circuit this year include The Ugly Stepsister, The Life of Chuck, and Fucktoys.   On the CanCon front we have a couple local lads with their new films making the trek: Deathstalker from Stephen Kostanski and Death Cycle from Gabrial Carrer. And with the ladies our own Shelagh Rowan-Legg put their literary chops to good use and will be featured in the book release, Horror Canada, a collection of essays "... celebrating the talent of women creators in the history of genre".   As with any festival of this size, the first wave...

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La nueva edición tendrá como eje temático el cruce entre el humor y lo fantástico. © Sitges

Apuntad en vuestra agenda cinéfila: del 9 al 19 de octubre, la ciudad costera de Sitges volverá a metamorfosearse en la capital del cine fantástico. Hoy, durante la rueda de prensa celebrada en la Fàbrica Moritz Barcelona, Ángel Sala y Mònica Garcia i Massagué, Director Artístico del Festival y Directora de la Fundación, respectivamente, han ofrecido el primer gran anticipo de la programación del Festival de Sitges 2025, con el cruce entre el humor y el género fantástico como hilo conductor.

En su edición número 58, el Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya inaugurará con Alpha, el nuevo largometraje de la cineasta francesa Julia Ducournau, que se convierte en la tercera mujer en inaugurar Sitges después de que lo hicieran Mary Harron y Ana Lily Amirpour. Esta vez, su nueva película explora un mundo distópico que funciona...

Steven Kostanski is best known as a director, having directed or co-directed such films as Frankie Freako, Psycho Goreman, Leprechaun Returns, The Void, Father’s Day, and Manborg. But he’s also a special effects artist who has created effects not just for his own movies, but also for the likes of In a Violent Nature, Suicide Squad, Crimson Peak, Clown, Hannibal, Silent Hill: Revelation, Resident Evil: Retribution, Wrong Turn 4, and others. Variety reports that Kostanski is now on board to provide effects for a film called Mystery of the Mothman, which will mark the feature directorial debut of Austin Birtch and has genre icon Jeffrey Combs set to play a key role!

Mystery of the Mothman will explore the legend of the Mothman, tied to a wave of late-1960s sightings in New Jersey of a human-sized, birdlike creature with glowing red eyes.

Birtch provided a piece of artwork...

Canadian director Austin Birtch will be making his feature debut with Mystery of the Mothman, a horror movie centered on the mysterious winged cryptid that took to the skies of Point Pleasant, West Virginia back in the 1960s. The Mothman was most notably the subject of 2002’s The Mothman Prophecies, as well as a few other less notable horror movies.

The upcoming film “explores the legend of the Mothman, tied to a wave of late-1960s sightings in New Jersey of a human-sized, birdlike creature with glowing red eyes.”

“The Mothman legend is a unique fixture of North American folklore that has always felt ripe for adaptation,” Birtch said in a statement. “The original story of a town plagued with tragedy, a shadowy red-eyed, winged monster haunting the skies, bizarre Men in Black threatening UFO witnesses, and a telepathic alien calling himself Indrid Cold has always captivated my imagination. What...

Jeffrey Combs, who cemented his horror-legend status with genre classics such as “Re-Animator” and “From Beyond,” is set for a key role in “Mystery of the Mothman,” selected for this year’s Frontières Co-Production Market in Montreal.

The feature debut of Canadian director Austin Birtch, and produced with Lauren Andrews and Sydney Lloyd, the film explores the legend of the Mothman, tied to a wave of late-1960s sightings in Point Pleasant, West Virginia of a human-sized, birdlike creature with glowing red eyes.

“The Mothman legend is a unique fixture of North American folklore that has always felt ripe for adaptation,” Birtch told Variety. “The original story of a town plagued with tragedy, a shadowy red-eyed, winged monster haunting the skies, bizarre Men in Black threatening UFO witnesses, and a telepathic alien calling himself Indrid Cold has always captivated my imagination. What really happened in Point Pleasant in 1967?!”

The mystery...

Director Steven Kostanski is rebooting Roger Corman’s cult favorite sword and sorcery film Deathstalker, and new images give a better look at Kostanski’s vision ahead of the film’s premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.

Daniel Bernhardt stars as the warrior Deathstalker in what’s being described as “a newly reimagined installment of the cult sword and sorcery series of the same name.”

The film’s synopsis: “The Kingdom of Abraxeon is under siege from The Dreadites, a mysterious horde of warriors, whose sudden appearance are rumoured to foretell the return of Nekromemnon, an ancient sorcerer long thought dead. Such times of chaos are times of fortune for men like Deathstalker, who, having broken ties with all guilds and banners, now ekes an existence from the spoils recovered in the wake of Dreadite attacks.

“Our story begins when Deathstalker unknowingly recovers an enchanted amulet from a corpse-ridden battlefield...

Yuppie Conor (Conor Sweeney) is a hardworking, straight arrow type who thinks adding red text to a presentation could be too hot to handle for some. He’s also targeting a promotion at work, a promotion which boss Mr. Buechler (Adam Brooks) will make a reality if Conor helps him out with some document shredding, the act of which should be clearly viewable on the company’s CCTV system, no questions asked.

With wife Kristina (Kristy Wordsworth) out of town and the sudden realisation that his life may be in something of a fug, Conor’s imagination is caught by a TV spot advertising a party hotline, the host of which is leather jacketed, dancing goblin Frankie Freako. What Conor doesn’t realise that calling up Frankie is just the start of a bizarre, dimension-hopping adventure as Frankie and his fellow freakos Dottie Dunko and Boink Bardo show up at...

Back in 1983, legendary producer Roger Corman brought the world a sword and sorcery film with an awesome title: Deathstalker. It was so successful, it paved the way for three sequels: Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987), Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988), and Deathstalker IV: Match of the Titans (1991). The franchise went dormant for more than thirty years, but last year we learned that it’s being revived by filmmaker Steven Kostanski – whose previous credits include Manborg, Father’s Day, The Void, Leprechaun Returns, Psycho Goreman, Frankie Freako, and episodes of the short-lived Day of the Dead TV series. Kostanski is writing and directing a Deathstalker remake that has Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick) playing the title character… and now we know when it’s going to premiere! The first screening of the new Deathstalker will be held at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on August 15th! The filmmakers...

The Locarno Film Festival (August 6-16) has unveiled the line-up for the 2025 edition, with world premieres including Radu Jude’s Dracula.

Romanian filmmaker and Berlinale Golden Bear winner Jude’s Romania-Austria-Luxembourg co-production, which competes in the international competition, is a comedy drama shot and set in Transylvania that explores the legend of Dracula through multiple lenses. Luxbox represents sales. Jude returns to Locarno after two films played out of competition last year – Eight Postcards From Utopia, co-directed with Christian Ferencz-Flatz, and Sleep #2.

Locarno’s international competition comprises of 17 world premieres, which will vie for the Golden Leopard awards. Among them...

Ineffectual office worker Conor calls on the services of a gremlin that looks like someone dipped a Muppet in latex, covered it in caustic soda, and ran a car over it a few times

Canadian writer-director Steven Kostanski has been one of the creative forces behind a bunch of silly-sweet horror pictures such as The Void and PG: Psycho Goreman that appear to skew towards a younger demographic. Or perhaps his target audience is really the gen X crowd that never outgrew its affection for 1980s fare such as Critters or Gremlins, cheap and cheesy schlock reliant on practical special effects. Luckily, the latter happens to be Kostanski’s speciality; he’s also worked as a prosthetic FX artist on bigger budget films such as Crimson Peak and the TV series Hannibal. All of that comes together for this daft comedy horror farrago, seemingly set in the 80s, about a...

It’s been seven years since the last installment in the Leprechaun franchise, with director Steven Kostanski’s Leprechaun Returns putting a bloody new coat of paint on the saga back in 2018. While we wait for the character to return to the screen, the production team behind the Terrifier series and Stream have made their own fan film tribute to the Leprechaun series.

Fuzz on the Lens Productions have just released 10-minute short Leprechaun Revenge, a reimagined continuation of the original 1993 classic that serves as a direct sequel.

Mark Holton reprises his role as Ozzie in Leprechaun Revenge, with Linden Porco reprising his role as the Leprechaun from Kostanski’s aforementioned Leprechaun Returns.

Maren Altman plays Ozzie’s long-lost niece, who makes a mysterious return into his life.

In Leprechaun Revenge, “After surviving the horrors of a malevolent creature obsessed with his gold, an older and reclusive Ozzie Jones has...

Lightbulb Film Distribution is set to launch a daft and deadly dose of 80s-style horror-comedy when Frankie Freako arrives on digital platforms in the UK and Ireland from 14 July. The film, written and directed by genre maverick Steven Kostanski, pays affectionate homage to cult classics like Gremlins, Ghoulies and Critters, plunging viewers into a world where a simple phone call can unleash pint-sized evil.

Conor Sweeney takes centre stage as the unwitting hero who dials a late-night party hotline and inadvertently opens a gateway to chaos. On the other end of the line lurks Frankie Freako, a diminutive demon with a fondness for mischief, brought to hideous life by Kostanski’s trademark fusion of practical effects and puppetry. Adam Brooks and Kristy Wordsworth round out the principal cast, enacting Sweeney’s frantic scramble to contain the mayhem before it overruns his hometown.

The film made its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival,...

Welcome to IndieWire After Dark, where we pick a new theme for our midnight movie programming every month!

Join us on Friday nights (and special occasions!) to explore some of the strangest fringe films available at any hour in the Streaming Age.

The scariest puppet this side of the “Saw” franchise, Jenny Pen is an early frontrunner in the race for 2025’s favorite new horror icon. She’s the reason for the season and the inspiration behind this month’s IndieWire After Dark lineup — Two Midnight Movies (and a Muppet!) That Influenced “The Rule of Jenny Pen.”

A labor of love from filmmaker James Ashcroft, puppeteer Paul Lewis, and star actor John Lithgow, the titular prop drew on a slew of sources. The movie is based on a story by Owen Marshall, which was optioned by Ashcroft and his co-writer Eli Kent more than a decade ago, and it’s...

Ah, the “Leprechaun” films! They may not be the St. Patrick’s Day slashers we deserve — but they sure as shit are the ones we have. Revisiting Lubdan the Leprechaun is an annual tradition that plenty of horror fans practice each and every spring. In 2025, marathoning these mostly mediocre movies is an especially good idea.

For one thing, the best “Leprechaun” film was made by the always-busy Steven Kostanski: a cult-favorite director who found even more fans with last year’s delightfully weird “Frankie Freako.” The worst in the bunch is also worth checking out this March, if only because it was directed by the same guy who is now helping to resurrect “Final Destination” at Warner Bros. with co-director Adam Stein.

Director Zach Lipovsky missed big with “Leprechaun: Origins” in 2014, but Kostanski helped the series rebound with “Leprechaun Returns” just four years later. That’s par for the...

The Void(2016) is a beloved modern cult classic of cosmic horror. Directors Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie created an indie masterpiece that features incredible practical effects, an otherworldly atmosphere, and an aura of impending doom. On a small budget of 83k, The Void successfully grossed 377k at the worldwide box office, cementing its success in the Lovecraftian horror genre. The premise follows patients, staff, and a deputy sheriff, Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) who are trapped inside a local hospital while a mysterious cult infiltrates. The cult uses the hospital as the grounds to open a gateway to hell, allowing grotesque monsters and deadly consequences to take place.Poole delivers a memorable performance, masterfully balancing humor and satire with straight-faced terror.

Occult horror is a broad umbrella that deals with the esoteric, witchcraft, mysticism, alchemy, spiritualism, cults, magic, and supernatural beliefs beyond mainstream religion and science. That pursuit of arcane knowledge yields no shortage of nightmarish terror here in the world of horror cinema, whether through violent cultists or demonic forces from another plane.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to occult horror movies that unsettle with haunting depictions of secret societies, sects, and supernatural terror. Here’s where to stream them.

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

A Dark Song – AMC+, Shudder

Sophia Howard (Catherine Walker) contracts an acerbic, callous occultist, Joseph Solomon (Steven Oram), to help her enact the Abramelin Operation, a grueling 18-month dark magic ritual to meet with a guardian angel and receive a granted wish. As daunting as the spell can be, Sophia risks their work, lives, and souls by harboring a hidden agenda.

There’s no denying that classics like Evil Dead and What We Do in the Shadows are frequently lauded as the pinnacles of horror comedy. They’re as violent as they are hilarious, offering the perfect mix of horror and offbeat satire. But while some titles stand out as clear fan favorites, in 2020, Steven Kostanski released Psycho Goreman, a gloriously grotesque movie that, despite going unnoticed by the masses, easily holds its own alongside the genre greats, and should be counted among them.

Bit Bot Media and FreakZone Games, the studios behind The Rocky Horror Show Video Game, are back with another nostalgic 8-bit experience, this time with Frankie Freako, a retro sidescroller prequel to the film from Steven Kostanski.

Look for the game to arrive on Steam and major consoles in Q2 2025. Fans can wishlist the game now.

Frankie Freako: The Video Game acts as a prequel to the Raven Banner film, “immersing players in the apocalyptic chaos of Freak World. Take control of Frankie, Boink, and Dottie as they

run, jump, and battle their way through a vibrant cityscape and ascend the treacherous Munch Tower to uncover the secrets behind Munch’s sinister Freak Phone technology. Frankie Freako pays homage to classic ’80s movie-to-game adaptations with a challenging, fast-paced platforming experience. Known for their signature style in titles like Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, FreakZone Games delivers another expertly crafted retro...

Directed by Steven Kostanski of Psycho Goreman fame, Canadian horror Frankie Freako is a homage to mini-monster classics like Gremlins and Critters, and to some extent Beetlejuice as well. Through its characterization, dialogue, and plot progression, Frankie Freako exudes a vibe that typically characterizes 80s horror-comedies. Having a simplistic, ridiculous plot structure, the key hook of the movie turns out to be its funky, silly humor, excellent prosthetic and animatronic work, miniature set design, and its music. Not once does the fact become apparent that the movie had a shoestring budget, as adept cinematography and production do an excellent job in creating a potent immersion of the world of Frankie Freako.

Spoiler Alert

Why Did Conor Summon the Freakos?

Set in the 80s, Frankie Freako focuses on an old-school, boring, naïve corporate employee, Conor, whose timid demeanor and conservative, extremely careful approach make him stand out from everyone else, but not in a good way.

There’s a moment in John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian that always gets to me. It’s that scene right before the final battle when Conan prays to his Cimmerian god and states that no one will remember who he and his companion were – the only thing that matters is that, in that moment, two stood against many. From the battle of Thermopylae to Black Hawk Down, the idea of a small group standing their ground against an overwhelming force is one of the most compelling setups in all of fiction, and this also applies to the horror genre.

Many of our favorite scary stories borrow from this same mythological source, which is why there are countless horror movies about small groups of survivors attempting to defend an isolated location from evil invaders. And in honor of what we’ve now come to know as “Siege Films,” we’ve decided...

Like Friday the 13th meets Skinamarink, In a Violent Nature takes an arthouse approach to the slasher genre. While the experiment proved to be divisive, I found myself mesmerized by it.

Regardless of your feelings on the film, its Blu-ray release deserves to be celebrated. Harkening back to the halcyon days of physical media, IFC Films and Shudder’s two-disc Collector’s Edition is loaded with special features.

Two audio commentaries are included: a production and cast audio track with writer-director Chris Nash, actors Ry Barrett (Johnny) and Andrea Pavlovic (Kris), and producers Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer, as well as a technical track with Nash, Hanmer, cinematographer Pierce Derks, and sound designers Tim Atkins and Michelle Hwu.

Here are nine things I learned from the In a Violent Nature commentaries…

1. The film was influenced by Gus Van Sant.

Gus Van Sant’s only foray into the horror genre is his shot-for-shot remake of Psycho,...

Back in 1983, legendary producer Roger Corman brought the world a sword and sorcery film with an awesome title: Deathstalker. It was so successful, it paved the way for three sequels: Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans (1987), Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988), and Deathstalker IV: Match of the Titans (1991). The franchise went dormant for more than thirty years, but earlier this year we learned that it’s being revived by filmmaker Steven Kostanski – whose previous credits include Manborg, Father’s Day, The Void, Leprechaun Returns, Psycho Goreman, Frankie Freako, and episodes of the short-lived Day of the Dead TV series. Kostanski is writing and directing a Deathstalker remake that has Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick) playing the title character… and now that the project is in post-production, the filmmakers recently revealed that the theme song composed for the remake is a collaboration between legendary musician Slash, composer Bear McCreary, and Deathstalker II composer Chuck Cirino!

Manborg, Father’s Day, The Void, Leprechaun Returns, and Psycho Goreman director Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy Frankie Freako, which is said to be a “commemoration of various practical FX-led projects including Gremlins 2: The New Batch and Ghoulies Go to College,” was given a limited theatrical release earlier this month, and now our friends at Bloody Disgusting have learned when we’re going to be able to watch this movie in the comfort of our own homes! They report that Frankie Freako will be getting a digital release on October 25th, with a Scream Factory Blu-ray release to follow on November 5th. The digital release is available for pre-order through Amazon at This Link, while Blu-ray copies can be pre-ordered Here.

The story of Frankie Freako follows Conor Sweeney (The Editor) as a workaholic yuppie with a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers,...

Currently in select theaters, Frankie Freako will be released on Digital on October 25 before hitting Blu-ray on November 5 via Scream Factory.

Drawing inspiration from little monster movies like Gremlins, Ghoulies, and Critters, the Canadian horror-comedy is written and directed by Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman).

Conor Sweeney, Adam Brooks, Kristy Wordsworth, Matthew Kennedy, and Meredith Sweeney star.

Special Features include:

Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Steven Kostanski, Actor Conor Sweeney, and Cinematographer Pierce Derks Fasten Your Freakbelts: Behind the Scenes of Frankie Freako Conor & Frankie: A Conversation Between Actors Frankie Freako’s Funtime Phone Commercial Antique Connoisseurs Segments Trailer

In the film, “Workaholic yuppie Conor has a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers, not even his wife Kristina, who thinks he’s an uptight “square”! Conor sees no way out of this existential rut until one night while channel-surfing, he catches a bizarre ad...

Raven Banner has announced the launch of pre-sales for their Special Edition of Steven Kostanski's small creature feature Frankie Freako.    An instant hit on the festival circuit, pleasing fans wherever it played, you can pre-order either the Special Edition Blu-ray/CD combo pack, or, if you really want to feel vintage, get Frankie Freako on Limited Edition VHS.    Links for both editions are in the official announcement below.    Fasten Your Freakbelts for a Fully Freak'd Out Physical Release Party!!!   Raven Banner has just launched pre-sales for their Special Edition of Steven Kostanski's Frankie Freako. The 2-Disc release is a Blu-Ray/CD combo loaded with bonus features as well as the full film score by Blitz//Berlin. Plus it comes with a book of illustrations...

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A popular anime empire and a beloved manga both hit screens in North America this weekend, with The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan, five actors playing surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and a trio of thought provoking docs new on the specialty circuit this weekend.

Also noting Columbia Pictures’ Saturday Night from Jason Reitman, which rocked its opening last week, expands in NY and LA and adds ten new markets for 21 locations total before going wide Oct. 11. The film, based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live in 1975, debuted to $270k at five theaters in NY/LA for a terrific $54k per theater average.

Moderate releases: Sony Pictures Classics’ Saoirse Ronan-starring and Nora Fingscheidt-directed drama The Outrun hits 508 screens. After a decade away in London, 29-year-old Rona (Ronan) returns home to the Orkney Islands. Sober but lonely,...

Horror writer and director Steven Kostanski, who helmed indie hits like 2016’s “The Void” and 2020’s “Psycho Goreman,” knows his interests don’t always align with what’s trendy for genre fans.

“For years, I’ve been trying to push my fellow filmmaker friends into trying to make some kind of little creature movie,” he says. “It would be great to have little puppets running around torturing people. Who doesn’t want to watch that? Everybody said, ‘Oh, there’s no market for that.’ Everybody talks in terms of, ‘What is the popular thing in horror right now? Is it zombies?’ Nobody ever says, ‘It’s little trouble-making gremlin creatures.'”

Feedback be damned, Kostanski started developing a film in the spirit of genre classics like “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” and “Ghoulies.” The result is “Frankie Freako,” opening Oct. 4 in theaters via Shout! Studios. In the movie, Conor (Conor Sweeney...

A painfully bland office worker gets his world turned upside down by a trio of tiny cosmic weirdos in Steven Kostanski’s latest gonzo comedy, Frankie Freako. After he hit cult comedy gold with 2021’s Psycho Goreman, Kostanski and his usual bunch of misfit miscreant co-conspirators are back with their version of an 80s puppet adventure movie. He lovingly borrows from the greats in this long-thought extinct subgenre to create a gooey, chaotic, freaky family film with a twist. It’s everything you miss if you – like me – list Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go to College in your personal top ten of all time. Conor (Conor Sweeney) is the most boring, milquetoast man who ever lived. He spends his days at the office trying not to...

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Steven Kostanski’s latest film, Frankie Freako, pays tribute to the weird little monster movies of the 1980s. We follow Conor, an uptight businessman trapped in a dull routine. When his boss and wife encourage him to loosen up, Conor makes an impulsive call to a strange party hotline. Little does he know the call will conjure up Frankie Freako and his gang of anarchic goblins.

The creatures in Frankie Freako take the film on a wild ride. Frankie, Dottie, and Boink erupt into Conor’s tidy life, ready to cause pure chaos. praising the film’s practical effects, it’s clear these wacky monsters are worth the price of admission. Under the direction of Kostanski, the creatures breathe new life into the retro style of movies like Gremlins and Ghoulies.

Audiences curious about 1980s nostalgia will find much to enjoy in Frankie Freako. Kostanski fully immerses viewers in that era’s zany tone.

If trashy shlock in the vein of Full Moon’s Demonic Toys or Puppet Master isn’t a viewer’s vibe, they won’t get the genius of Frankie Freako. Writer-director Steven Kostanski doesn’t only capture the spirit of late ’80s/early ’90s little monster features; he replicates it in a scaringly accurate format. Seriously, don’t tell anyone which era […]

Frankie Freako Movie Review – Tiny Terrors Get Freaky and Absurd Written by Sergio Pereira for Fortress of Solitude...

Conor Sweeney (conveniently played by Conor Sweeney) is a lot of things, but “freaky” is not one of them. He desperately wants to get promoted at his generic office job, but his boss thinks his presentations about sector subdivisions are too bland — even though Conor worried they were too flashy because he occasionally uses red text. His idea of an adventurous dinner is a pizza with half cheese, half other cheese. And when his inexplicably gorgeous wife Kristina (Kristy Woodworth) makes efforts to seduce him, the farthest he’s willing to go is holding hands for a few seconds.

All of which is to say that if there was ever a person destined to patronize a pay-by-the-minute phone line advertising wild partying and general freakiness, it’s Conor. Our schlubby hero might have been satisfied with his quiet existence, but pleas to act less bland from everyone else in his...

I should start by saying I’m a Steve Kostanski stan. Does that make me a Kost-fan-ski? In any event, his name on a project automatically elevates my interest. This is especially true when he’s in the director's chair. Manborg (2011), The Void (2016) and Psycho-Goreman (2020) all showcase an absolutely gonzo approach to film aesthetics and a confidence that the most outlandish premises can result in something hugely entertaining. His latest film, Frankie Freako is a joyful explosion of weirdness that will immediately call to mind the Gremlins films and all their knockoffs. But it also connected me back to countless other threads of genre history. Its frenetic energy and characters reminded me of Sam Raimi’s ultra-weird live-action cartoon Crimewave (1985), other 80’s classics...

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Following the death of his mother, the grief-related anxiety of Sonny Donahue (Daniel Doheny) is manifesting itself as an extreme phobia of germs. Concerned that this fear is going to ruin Sonny’s life, dad Don (Steven Ogg) decides that it’s time for Sonny to participate in the family plumbing business, hoping that Sonny will be able to overcome his fears if he faces up to literally getting his hands dirty.

Don and Sonny’s first team-up is a job at an apartment block called The Palmer Estate, where kindly Mrs. Appelbaum is having trouble with a blocked toilet. However, the drain-clearing duo will soon find themselves with far more to deal with as the building is also playing host to Professor Robert (Mark McKinney), a government scientist who has sneaked a top-secret experiment into the place after an explosion and subsequent fire has destroyed his lab. Surely the...

An acclaimed Canadian slasher movie is heading to Shudder. The streaming service has revealed that In a Violent Nature will finally be arriving on its platform next month.

In a Violent Nature, written and directed by Chris Nash, will debut on the platform as a Shudder Original Film on Sept. 13, 2024. Starring Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, and Lauren-Marie Taylor, the well-received slasher movie follows a mute killer named Johnny who is accidentally resurrected from his grave in the Ontario wilderness by a group of teenagers, whom he then begins stalking and murdering. In a unique take on the genre, the movie is largely observed from the killer's perspective.

Related One of Horror's Most Polarizing Sequels Comes to Peacock Next Month

A polarizing, yet enjoyable horror sequel, that forever changed the franchise it is part of, is heading to Peacock in September.

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After premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival,...

"Let's boogie!!" It's time to get Freako!! Shout Studios has debuted the full official trailer for a wacky horror (maybe??) comedy called Frankie Freako, the latest by filmmaker Steven Kostanski behind the other cult classic horror faves Manborg, The Void, and Psycho Goreman. Well this looks off the charts weird! This movie "taps into the nostalgia of Saturday morning cartoons, the charm of old-school puppetry, and gonzo comedy." Workaholic yuppie Conor is in an existential rut until one night he catches a bizarre ad for a party hotline hosted by a strange dancing goblin: Frankie Freako. Could this be just the secret to spice up his boring life? Soon his home is overrun with interdimensional beings that bring chaos to his life and he must figure out how to get rid of them. Frankie Freako stars Conor Sweeney as the dweeb Conor, with Adam Brooks, and Kristy Wordsworth as his wife.

Steven Kostanski's deep dive into the films that influenced their own filmography continued with their ode to 80s small creature features, Frankie Freako. The film had its world premiere at Fantasia last month, well received by that uproarious crowd, no doubt. Shout! Studios is putting it in Select Theaters on October 4th and today the first trailer this afternoon. Check it out down below. A new monster-driven horror comedy by cult-favorite director Steven Kostanski and starring Conor Sweeney, Adam Brooks, Kristy Woodsworth. Frankie Freako is loaded with ‘80s nostalgia and follows uptight yuppie Conor Sweeney, who, after calling a late-night party hotline that promises out-of-this-world fun, must battle the pint-sized forces of evil unleashed through his phone line,...

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Almost exactly one year has passed since we heard that production had wrapped on Manborg, Father’s Day, The Void, Leprechaun Returns, and Psycho Goreman director Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy Frankie Freako, which is said to be a “commemoration of various practical FX-led projects including Gremlins 2: The New Batch and Ghoulies Go to College” – and now we know when the movie is going to be making its way out into the world! Shout! Studios has announced that Frankie Freako will be reaching select theatres on October 4th. Along with that announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer, which can be seen in the embed above.

The story follows Conor Sweeney (The Editor) as a workaholic yuppie with a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers, not even his wife Kristina, who thinks he’s an uptight “square”! Conor sees no way...

"Are you ready?" "Ready for what?" "To party, my man!!" Ahahaha let's go!! Raven Banner has released a first look teaser trailer for a wacky horror comedy called Frankie Freako, the latest by filmmaker Steven Kostanski. He's the very same director behind the other cult classic horror faves Manborg, The Void, and Psycho Goreman (!!) and this is his new creation - "he taps into the nostalgia of Saturday morning cartoons, the charm of old-school puppetry, and gonzo comedy!" Yep that sounds like crazy fun. Workaholic yuppie Conor is in an existential rut until one night he catches a bizarre ad for a party hotline hosted by a strange dancing goblin: Frankie Freako. Could this be just the recipe to spice up his boring life? Soon his home is overrun with interdimensional beings that bring chaos to his life and he must figure out how to get rid of them. This stars Conor Sweeney,...

The next movie from director Steven Kostanski (The Void, Psycho Goreman) is the zany horror-comedy Frankie Freako, and Shout! Studios will unleash the ’90s-style puppet horror movie just in time for Halloween. Watch the new trailer below.

Frankie Freako crashes into theaters on October 4, 2024.

In Frankie Freako, “After calling a late-night party hotline that promises out-of-this-world fun, uptight yuppie Conor Sweeney must battle the pint-sized forces of evil unleashed through his phone line, led by the maniacal rock n’ roll goblin Frankie Freako.”

Here’s the full plot synopsis: “Workaholic yuppie Conor Sweeney (The Editor, Father’s Day) has a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers, not even his wife Kristina, who thinks he’s an uptight “square”! Conor sees no way out of this existential rut until one night channel-surfing he catches a bizarre ad for a party hotline hosted by...

No one makes movies like Astron-6 alumnus Steven Kostanski that's not hyperbole. The Canadian renegade behind bold low-budget oddities like Manborg and Psycho Goreman delivers do-it-yourself effects work ranging from gootastic gore to layers of alien makeup applications. The filmmaker's canon hallmarks are cartoonish violence, absurdist humor, and after-midnight appeal, which makes Frankie Freako somewhat of a departure. It's his Ghoulies or Prehysteria!, swapping hard-r slop-fests for family-friendly mischief as Cabbage Patch gone rotten puppets party their butts off in a very 80s sitcom fashion.

From the wacky world of Steve Kostanski’s workshop, comes another character inspired by ‘80s rubber creatures, this time playing on the subgenre of mischievous little monsters running amok à la Gremlins, Ghoulies and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie. Following up on his fan-favourite feature PG: Psycho Goreman, Konstanski summons forth Frankie Freako, a fantasy laugh riot that takes what would otherwise be the premise for a kid’s movie, and pumps it up for a midnight audience.

Suburban yuppie Conor is facing an existential crisis. His boss Mr. Buechler is telling him his board presentation needs to be spiced up because it’s too “bland.” His bombshell wife Kristina says he can be a bit of a “square.” How can Conor convince them that he is capable of taking a walk on the wild side? His answer comes in the form of a late-night commercial featuring a little red...

Vivieno Caldinelli’s gut-busting Scared Shitless is a horror comedy with a giant monster and a lot of toilet humor. Like, actual toilet humor. There are more jokes about plumbing than pooping! And who you gonna call when an unstoppable human-eating creature comes crawling out of your toilet to eat your loved ones in a single bite? This is no job for an exorcist. The Ghostbusters can’t help you. For something this gnarly your only recourse is to call in those fearless experts that keep the world turning. Those working-class heroes that fearlessly charge into the fray: The Plumbers.

Featuring some slimy creatures designed and created by Psycho Gorman director Steven Kostanski (who has a new movie of his own at Fantasia this year) Scared Shitless is a gory playground of practical effects. The monster, a thing-from-another-world style worm creature created in a secret lab by Canadian comedy legend...

Almost exactly one year has passed since we heard that production had wrapped on Manborg, Father’s Day, The Void, Leprechaun Returns, and Psycho Goreman director Steven Kostanski’s horror comedy Frankie Freako, which is said to be a “commemoration of various practical FX-led projects including Gremlins 2: The New Batch and Ghoulies Go to College.” We still don’t know of a release date for this one, but the movie did just have its world premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival, and we got our hands on the teaser trailer, which you can watch in the embed above. Shout! Studio holds the U.S. distribution rights to Frankie Freako.

The story follows Conor Sweeney (The Editor) as a workaholic yuppie with a dilemma: no one in his life respects him! Not his boss, not his coworkers, not even his wife Kristina, who thinks he’s an uptight “square...

Conor Sweeney in Frankie Freako! Photo: Fantasia International Film Festival

It’s 8:30 at night, and that, by Conor’s standards, is late even for a Friday. His wife is away. He’s supposed to be looking after the house. That shouldn’t really be a stretch for this fundamentally very boring man. But Conor has seen an advert for a party line on late night TV and he just can’t get it out of his head. It’s not the sort of thing he would normally do, but perhaps it’s inevitable: he picks up the phone and dials. his life will never be the same again.

That’s the plot of Frankie Freako!, the latest offering from Psycho Goreman director Steven Kostanski, which screened as part of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival. I spoke with Steven the morning after to find out more about it.

The buzzy slasher In a Violent Nature carved up critical acclaim and an impressive run at the box office. Thanks to a surprise exclusive Letterboxd announcement and the “The Bold Voice of Contemporary Horror” panel at San Diego Comic-Con, sequel In a Violent Nature 2 is officially confirmed to be on the way courtesy of IFC Films and Shudder.

In a Violent Nature is now available on Digital/VOD outlets, including Amazon and Fandango at Home, if you need to catch up.

While no plot details have been revealed just yet, the very nature of the slasher’s killer means that he can be revived to slaughter again. Maybe even in outer space?

In the first film, “When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is...