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Zombies have been a thing in cinema for nearly a century now, and since then, we have seen countless films that employ the flesh-eating monsters to tell various kinds of stories. In this sub-genre, we have seen many high and low budget films from the incredibly popular World War Z to the brilliant 28 Days Later, and while these films are every bit worthy of the praise they get, there are some films that get nearly no praise, as the masses still haven’t heard about them. To rectify that, we have compiled a list of the best and most entertaining zombie films that you might not have heard of.

One Cut of the Dead (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Shudder

One Cut of the Dead is a Japanese independent zombie comedy film written and directed by Shin’ichirō Ueda.

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If you are a horror fan, then there is a big chance that you might have heard about the horror streaming service Shudder, and if you have its subscription, you might be wondering what’s in store for you in May 2025. Don’t worry. There is a host of new and old horror movies coming to the service in the upcoming month, and we have listed the 11 best movies coming to Shudder in May 2025.

Overlord (May 1)

Overlord is an alternate history action horror film directed by Julius Avery from a screenplay co-written by Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith. The 2018 film is set in an alternate 1940s, towards the end of World War II, and it revolves around a group of American paratroopers on a mission to destroy a German radio tower. They soon find themselves in a...

Jesse Cook’s The Hyperborean had its world premiere at the prestigious FilmQuest Film Festival, where it was honored with nominations in four categories. An independent Canadian production, the film sees whiskey magnate Hollis Cameron gather his dysfunctional family at his remote woodland retreat for the unveiling of his latest spirit. But what was meant as a celebration takes quite the unexpected turn.

We’re quickly thrown into the deep end as the film introduces us to its colorful clan of characters. Hollis is an over-the-top patriarch played vibrantly by writer Tony Burgess in a true sight to behold. His three adult children could not be more different—from pretentious hipster Aldous to down-home chef Rex. Also joining in the frivolities are assorted in-laws, lawyers, and a no-nonsense crisis manager. As diverse as they are delightful, this ensemble is a joy to spend time with.

From the get-go, it’s...

"It's a laser-blasting ice mummy!" Freestyle Digital Media launched a trailer for a wacky, weird, hilarious sci-fi comedy from Canada called The Hyperborean, made by filmmaker Jesse Thomas Cook. Not to be confused with the Chilean film also called The Hyperboreans which just premiered recently. From director Jesse Thomas Cook comes a comedic sci-fi award-winning festival hit, with critics hailing it as a "bonkers film" that's both "memorable and complex." It was nominated for a 2023 Canadian Screen Award for Achievement in Spfx & Makeup. A whiskey magnate summons his contentious family to sample his legacy product: casks of Scotch aged 170 years, found in a ghost ship in the Canadian Arctic. A crisis manager then arrives and must navigate this dysfunctional family & their faltering whiskey company during a PR disaster involving triple homicide, Arctic ice mummies, and intergalactic moonshine. Yep, it's gonna be nuts! Starring Liv Collins, Justin Bott, Tony Burgess, Jonathan Craig,...

Stars: Liv Collins, Steve Kasan, Marcia Alderson, Justin Bott, Tony Burgess, Ry Barrett, Jonathan Craig, Michael Masurkevitch, Jessica Vano, Justin Darmanin | Written by Tony Burgess | Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook

Following last year’s Cult Hero, director Jesse Thomas Cook and writer Tony Burgess are back with their fifth collaboration The Hyperborean which played at this year’s Blood in the Snow Film Festival. And right from the opening animation depicting some fictional strangeness afflicting the nonfictional McClure Arctic Expedition, it’s obvious this is as strange as anything they’ve given us before.

Diana sits at a table in a large conference room with Mr. da Silva and Ms. Ladouceur (Marcia Alderson; Cult Hero), two lawyers and eventually Mr. Denbok, a crisis manager, or spin doctor as they used to be called, who represent her late father Hollis’ (Tony Burgess) corporate interests. Their first question “How did your father die?...

From the writer of Pontypool (Tony Burgess) and the director of Monster Brawl and Cult Hero (Jesse Thomas Cook) comes The Hyperborean, and we’ve got the trailer for ya today.

The sci-fi/horror/comedy is currently touring festivals worldwide from Collingwood Film Company, and you can watch the absolutely bonkers official trailer below.

Two words: Ice. Mummy. A laser-blasting ice mummy, that is…

In the film, “A whiskey magnate summons his contentious family to sample his legacy product: casks of Scotch aged 170 years, recovered from a ghost ship in the Canadian Arctic.”

Liv Collins, Ry Barrett, Jess Vano, Jonathan Craig, Justin Bott and Tony Burgess star.

The post ‘The Hyperborean’ Trailer – Laser-Blasting Ice Mummy Unleashed in New Movie from ‘Pontypool’ Writer appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Maple Syrup Massacre is an editorial series where Joe Lipsett dissects the themes, conventions and contributions of new and classic Canadian horror films. Spoilers follow…

Language is paramount in Pontypool, Bruce McDonald’s Canadian (don’t call it zombie) thriller. The film concerns a shock jock DJ and his pair of female colleagues who manage a radio station over the course of a morning as a word-based pathogen destroys the surrounding community.

Based on the book by Tony Burgess (who also wrote the screenplay), the film is a single location thriller that relies heavily on its small cast and mildly claustrophobic setting. Dialogue and audio flesh out not only the world and the looming threat; it also captures the power and impact of language.

It’s vital that Grant Mazzy (Canadian screen legend Stephen McHattie) is something of a disgrace at the beginning of the film. He’s only recently...

If you follow any of our Canadian genre filmmakers you'd know this week from their socials that their film will be included in this year's lineup at Blood in the Snow. The film festival with the sole mandate to promote and highlight Canadian genre cinema is back with another hybrid edition this November.   The in-house program will take place at the posh Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. The festival is teaming up once again with SuperChannel to provide an online program for genre fans across the country.    This year's lineup includes lauded post apocalyptic flick Polaris, the latest collab between Jesse Thomas Cook and author Tony Burgess, Cult Hero, and the most rockingest collab of all, the one between Rodrigo Gudiño and the producer...

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

Stars: Ry Barrett, Justin Bott, Tony Burgess, Liv Collins, Jess Vano, Matt Griffin | Written by Kevin Revie | Directed by Jesse T. Cook

Cult Hero opens with the credits presented as those of a reality TV show called Cult Buster which may have been the film’s original title. Revolving around the exploits of deprogrammer Dale Domazar the season final goes off the rails as not only doesn’t he stop their human sacrifice, but his intervention also results in a mass suicide.

Elsewhere Kallie and her husband Brad are having problems. Brad seems to have lost his vigor and his drive, even worse he dared to buy a painting for the house without getting her approval. So she enrolls him at Master Jagori’s retreat for men.

But when he extends his stay without her permission she’s furious and demands to speak to the manager. When that doesn’t...

"When drinking the Kool-Aid, remember to Live, Laugh, Love." An early promo trailer has debuted for an indie film premiering soon at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, titled Cult Hero. This action-packed horror comedy is the latest from the director of Monster Brawl, The Hexecutioners, and Deadsight. Control freak Kallie Jones attempts to rescue her husband from a "wellness center" with the help of a washed-up expert Cult Buster. This cult comedy is about a woman who hires this "Cult Buster" to free her man from a suspected "husband" cult run by Master Jagori, played by Tony Burgess, who has a sinister plan they did not expect. Fantasia describes it as: "With countless gags, lots of gore, and outrageous performances from Barrett and Collins as unlikely partners in cult-busting, Cult Hero bursts off the screen with absurdly nutso energy." Starring Liv Collins, Ry Barrett, Justin Bott, Jessica Vano, and Burgess.

Coming at you today with your first look at the trailer and new poster (from SmallDog Design) for Jesse T Cook's new action horror, Cult Hero.    Cult Hero was written by Kevin Revie (Deadsight). It is based on a story by Cook and frequent collaborators, one of his stars and partner Liv Collins and author Tony Burgess. Collins stars along with Burgess and another familiar face in the Cook family of films, Ry Barrett.    Collins plays Kallie Jones, a real estate agent, control freak and 'Karen' who loses her husband to a cult run by Master Jagori (Burgess). She turns to disgraced cult buster Dale Domazar (Barrett) for help to get him back. Both Collins...

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

Stars: Lisa Solberg, Tony Burgess, Barry More, Ry Barrett, Elma Begovic, Marcus Ludlow, Justin Darmanin, Jesse Thomas Cook | Written by Tony Burgess, Jesse Thomas Cook, Matt Wiele | Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook, Matt Wiele

The ultimate reality show turns into a deadly nightmare, as a crew of TV personalities, including Sheila Smyth (Lisa Solberg), a professional organizer; Dr. Lance Ebe (Tony Burgess), a psychotherapist with an alarming patient relapse rate of 94%; ghost hunters Caleb and Chloe Black (Ry Barrett and Elma Begovic); and renovators Derek ‘Duke’ Jago (Marcus Ludlow) and The Falcon (Justin Darmanin), attempt to reform a legendary hoarder who owns four condemned and haunted properties. It’s the pilot episode for their comeback series ‘Extremely Haunted Hoarders.’ What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out a lot!

Ok, confession time. When I’m sat in front of my laptop, planning out posts for this very site, I often put...

As theaters tentatively start to reopen around the U.S. without the usual glut of studio product to fill their screens, there’s an opportunity for filmmakers who previously might not have edged their way very deeply into U.S. cinemas to find a wider audience. That’s particularly true of Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald, whose fantasy crime comedy “Dreamland” is being released by Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures on June 5, day and date with VOD.

McDonald, known for films like “Roadkill,” “Hard Core Logo” and “Pontypool,” which mash up humor with adventure, music or horror — and sometimes all of these — felt that for “Dreamland,” he needed to venture outside the familiar environs of Canada to find the right locale to bring the story to life. The movie, which reunites the director with “Pontypool” novelist and screenwriter Tony Burgess, follows a hitman tasked with obtaining the pinkie finger of...

We're back with another installment of Horror Highlights! In today's edition, we have an exclusive clip from Dreamland that features Juliette Lewis, the full documentary Tax Shelter Terrors, release details for Zeta, a teaser for 6:45, and an interview with the composer of Artik:

Exclusive Clip from Dreamland: Starring Stephen McHattie, Henry Rollins, Juliette Lewis, directed by Bruce McDonald, written by Tony Burgess and Patrick Whistler:

On the night of the strangest weddings in cinema history, a grotesque gang boss hires a stone cold killer to bring him the finger of a fading, drug-addicted jazz legend.

Uncork'd Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures will release the horror/crime/thriller Dreamland in theaters, on VOD and Digital HD on June 5, 2020.

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Canadian Horror Documentary Tax Shelter Terrors: "An in depth look how the Canadian Government tax incentives helped develop Canada's horror and exploitation film industry.

Montreal, Canada - Immediate Release – June...

Uncork’d Entertainment and Dark Star Pictures will release the horror/crime/thriller Dreamland in theaters, On Demand and Digital on June 5, 2020.

Check out the trailer:

Dreamland is directed by visionary filmmaker Bruce McDonald (Pontypool, Weirdos, Roadkill, Hard Core Logo) from a script co-written by Tony Burgess (The Hoard, Saturn’s Rings) and Patrick Whistler (“Cardinal”). The film stars Stephen McHattie (Watchmen, The Fountain), musician/actor Henry Rollins (frontman of Black Flag, Feast, Lost Highway), Juliette Lewis (Natural Born Killers, Cape Fear) and Tomis Lemarquis (Blade Runner 2049, Snowpiercer).

On the night of the strangest weddings in cinema history, a grotesque gang boss hires a stone cold killer to bring him the finger of a fading, drug-addicted jazz legend.

The post Stephen McHattie and Henry Rollins in Dreamland in Theaters, On Demand and Digital on June 5th appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

Bruce McDonald has long been a favourite among fans of off-beat cinema. McDonald is always pushing the envelope in some way or other and though the results are sometimes mixed, one can't deny the fact that he's always trying something new.

For his latest, McDonald is re-teaming with writer Tony Burgess, the writer behind McDonald's biggest commercial success Pontypool (review, for Dreamland, a surreal, darkly comedic crime drama that also re-teams the director with Stephen McHattie.

McHattie stars as a boozie, drug-addicted jazz legend who, on the eve of one of his biggest gigs of his career, finds himself being hunted by a low-level gangster. Into the m...

Spaceship Earth Radical Media Reviewed by: Tami Smith, Film Reviewer for Shockya Grade: B+ Director: Matt Wolf Editor: David Teague Cast: John Allen, Tony Burgess, Freddy Dempster, Kathelin Gray, Linda Leigh, Mark Nelson, Sally Silverstone, Marie Harding, Kathy Dyhr, Larry Winokour Release Date: May 8th, 2020 On an early dry Arizona morning during the first […]

The post Spaceship Earth Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

The theatrical experience, for the most part, has been inaccessible for people in the U.S. for about a month and a half. Theaters aren't expected to open back up until at least July, which means lovers of cinema, as well as distributors, have had to get creative with new movies. Case in point, Neon has come up with a clever and unique way to handle their latest release, Spaceship Earth, which will be coming to a drive-in near you next week.

Spaceship Earth is a documentary that chronicles a crazy, yet very real, scientific experiment that took place in the 90s involving a quarantine. Quite timely, as it turns out. Neon picked up the rights to the movie after it debuted at this year's Sundance Film Festival, generating quite a bit of buzz. The original plan was to do a theatrical release. Since that isn't possible, they've opted to get creative,...

Bruce McDonald’s horror premiered at the Brussels International Film Festival.

Paris-based sales agent Reel Suspects has acquired worldwide rights to Bruce McDonald’s English-language horror title Dreamland ahead of the film’s North American premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal this month.

The film premiered at Brussels International Film Festival in April.

McDonald’s credits include Pontypool and Hellions, which premiered at Toronto and Sundance respectively.

Dreamland stars Stephen McHattie, Juliette Lewis, Henry Rollins and Tómas Lemarquis and tells the story of a gang who employ a world-weary hitman to cut off a finger from a famed heroin-addict trumpet player.

Stars: Lisa Solberg, Tony Burgess, Barry More, Ry Barrett, Elma Begovic, Marcus Ludlow, Justin Darmanin, Jesse Thomas Cook | Written by Tony Burgess, Jesse Thomas Cook, Matt Wiele | Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook, Matt Wiele

The ultimate reality show turns into a deadly nightmare, as a crew of TV personalities, including Sheila Smyth (Lisa Solberg), a professional organizer; Dr. Lance Ebe (Tony Burgess), a psychotherapist with an alarming patient relapse rate of 94%; ghost hunters Caleb and Chloe Black (Ry Barrett and Elma Begovic); and renovators Derek ‘Duke’ Jago (Marcus Ludlow) and The Falcon (Justin Darmanin), attempt to reform a legendary hoarder who owns four condemned and haunted properties. It’s the pilot episode for their comeback series ‘Extremely Haunted Hoarders.’ What could possibly go wrong?

Turns out a lot!

Ok, confession time. When I’m sat in front of my laptop, planning out posts for this very site, I often put...

Jesse Thomas Cook's new horror comedy The Hoard will premiere at the Blood in the Snow Film Festival at the end of the month. Cook sent us the poster, stills and trailer to share with you.    The latest film from the director of Septic Man and The Hexecutioners was written by Canadian enfent terrible and regular writing partner Tony Burgess.    From indie horror studio Foresight Features and the creators of Pontypool, Monster Brawl, and Septic Man comes their latest batshit horror/comedy The Hoard.    The Hoard depicts the ill-fated effort of a group of Reality TV stars trying to produce a pilot episode for their comeback series "Extremely Haunted Hoarders". An ensemble comedy, a paranormal investigation, a hoarder intervention and a house-flipping misadventure, The...

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

Well, This Is Us just broke the internet.

In a special post-Super Bowl episode, the hit NBC series finally aired the moment fans have been anxiously anticipating for over a year: the death of beloved-yet-flawed TV dad Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia).

Spoiler Alert: The following contains spoilers from Sunday’s episode of This Is Us.

As it turns out, Jack doesn’t actually die in the fire. He dies later that day, in the hospital, after going into cardiac arrest while wife Rebecca (Mandy Moore) was getting a candy bar from the vending machines. The devastating episode rocked fans to...

Fans of Pontypool may rejoice for the beginning of production on Bruce McDonald's latest film, Dreamland. It reunites the director with writer Tony Burgess and star Stephen McHattie. While not the long rumoured sequel to the Canadian cult semiotic zombie film (at one point titled Pontypool Changes), but a totally new story, being tailor made for McHattie's particular character actor genius: You have seen McHattie in a lot of Darren Aronfsky films (including The Fountain and mother!), as Night Owl in Zack Snyder's Watchmen, and as the bad dude in the prologue of David Cronenberg's A History Of Violence. McDonald stated, "Once in a while, in this movie game, we connect with people who are stars – and we are inspired to create just the right movie...

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

The novel People Live Still in Cashtown Corners, from Pontypool author Tony Burgess, is soon going to be hitting the big screen. Directors Eric Boissonneault and Tyson Carlson both were offered the property by Burgess himself after the film rights… Continue Reading →

The post Tony Burgesss Novel People Live Still in Cashtown Corners Getting the Film Treatment appeared first on Dread Central.

I don’t believe in Karma. But there may be something to it. I’m sitting in my basement getting a whiff of my own shit while trying to write about a movie called Septic Man. Nothing like a good rain to get the sewer backed up. Ugh. Here’s hoping I can get power through this while holding my nose.

Water contamination in a small Canadian town forces an evacuation. That is when plumber Jack (Jason David Brown) is approached by a strange man (Julian Richings) who asks him to look into the cause. Years ago, Jack was able to fix a similar problem and received no recognition. After convincing his pregnant wife (Molly Dunsworth) to leave without him, he goes to investigate at the water treatment plant. Unfortunately for Jack he his trapped in a giant septic tank by metal mouthed, non talker, Lord Auch (Tim Burd) and...

A trailer for Jesse Thomas Cook’s The Hexecutioners has landed and can be seen right here in today’s Horror Highlights. The film is also now available in the UK and will soon be released in Canada by Anchor Bay. Also: a look at four new Warcraft character videos and a behind-the-scenes video for the Stan original series Wolf Creek.

The Hexecutioners Trailer and Distribution Details: “Three years ago Proposition 117 was passed allowing private medical films to conduct assisted suicide procedures. Two disparate young women working for a Rite-to-Die company are dispatched to a remote estate to perform a custom Euthanasia ritual, but unwittingly summon the spirits of a death cult that once inhabited the property.

Produced by Foresight Features. Available in May 2016 from Studio Canal in the UK. Coming soon in Canada from Anchor Bay Entertainment.”

Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook from a screenplay by Tony Burgess, The Hexecutioners stars Liv Collins,...

Exclusive new trailer and stills for supernatural shocker The Hexecutioners. Ahead of an imminent UK home release, Shock’s here to serve up some exclusive stills and the brand new trailer for director Jesse Thomas Cook and scribe Tony Burgess’ supernatural shocker, The Hexecutioners. Cleverly combining sanctioned euthanasia with the spiteful spirits of a Death Cult…

The post Exclusive Trailer Premiere and 80 Stills: The Hexecutioners appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Stars: Liv Collins, Sarah Power, Timothy Burd, Ari Millen, Barry Flatman, Walter Borden, Boyd Banks, Tony Burgess, Jason David Brown, Matt Griffin | Written by Tony Burgess | Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook

It would seem, at least on paper, that the director of low-budget quasi-wrestling monster movie Monsters Brawl and the (literal) shit-monster movie Septic Man; teaming up the writer of the neo-classic Pontypool for a movie that encapsuates an American gothic vibe would not work. On the one hand you have someone’s whose work is filled with subtlety, on the other… shit-monster (and yes, I know Burgess also penned Septic Man)! Yet somehow, despite some lapses in judgement and a conclusion that falls off the cliff somewhat, The Hexecutioners really works.

From the offset, The Hexecutioners is completely overblown and overwrought. The film is scored like some kind of idiots guide to horror – queues hit all the notes that...

Stars: Jason David Brown, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet, Molly Dunsworth, Timothy Burd, Stephen McHattie, Nicole G. Leier | Written by Tony Burgess | Directed by Jesse Thomas Cook

Some films are just crap, but Septic Man is literally about it. In the first few minutes you may get to see a lot of human waste, but if truth be told if the movie has a bigger problem than that… it may be slightly constipated.

Jack (Jason David Brown) is a sewage worker who is known to be good at his job. When government official Phil Prosser (Julian Richings) gives him an offer he can’t (or isn’t) allowed to refuse he finds himself investigating problems in the city water system which are leading to a plague of diseases, even death. When he finds the source though he finds himself trapped in the water treatment facility at the mercy of two strange brothers intent on killing him.

The Hexecutioners is a Canadian shot horror feature. From director Jesse Thomas Cook (Monster Brawl) and writer Tony Burgess (Pontypool), the film involves assisted suicide and the strange clients that two medical assistants encounter. Recently, a trailer for the film was release. As well, the film had its World Premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. Now, the film is slated for a further showing in Ontario, at Owen Sound. A preview for the film's latest showing is hosted here. The film's story, as seen in the trailer, focuses on euthanasia. Two women are tasked with the dispatch of an aging philanthropist. But, they unwittingly unleash a demon as part of their duties. Malison (Liv Collins) and Olivia (Sarah Power) must now use their murderous arts to set reality right. The Hexecutioner will show for one night only, at Owen Sound, the city in which the film was shot.

Word from our friends at Raven Banner Entertainment is that they have picked up the World sales rights for Jesse Thomas Cook's rural horror flick The Hexecutioners. Raven Banner lands cult thriller "The Hexecutioner's"Toronto, Canada - Raven Banner Entertainment has picked up World sales rights to the cult thriller "The Hexecutioner's" which marks the second direct collaboration between director Jesse Thomas Cook (Monster Brawl and Septic Man) and Canada's nefarious scribe Tony Burgess (Pontypool and Hellmouth). The film tells the story of Two young women working for a Rite-to-Die, an assisted suicide company who are dispatched to a remote estate to perform a custom euthanasia ritual, but they unwittingly summon the spirits of a death cult that once inhabited the property.The film stars newcomer Liv Collins, Sarah...

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

Raven Banner Entertainment are selling the film at Afm.

Toronto-based Raven Banner Entertainment has picked up worldwide rights to Foresight Features’ thriller The Hexecutioners and has introduced the film to Afm buyers.

Jesse Thomas Cook directs from Tony Burgess’ screenplay about two women working for an assisted suicide company who unwittingly summon spirits on a remote estate.

Newcomer Liv Collins stars with Sarah Power and Tim Burd on Raven Banner’s sixth collaboration with Foresight Features.

The Hexecutioners marks the second direct collaboration between director Jesse Thomas Cook (Monster Brawl and Septic Man) and Canada's nefarious scribe Tony Burgess (Pontypool and Hellmouth). Cook produced two more of Burgess' screenplays Hellmouth and Ejecta, so yeah, they are pretty comfortable around each other. Their latest project The Hexecutioners will have its World Premiere at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. We have a collection of stills to share with you, as well as the first trailer. Three years ago Proposition 117 was passed allowing private medical films to conduct assisted suicide procedures. Two disparate young women working for a Rite-to-Die company are dispatched to a remote estate to perform a custom euthanasia ritual, but unwittingly summon the spirits of a death cult that once inhabited the property. The Hexecutioners Press release October 1st, 2015 -...

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

In this morning's round-up, we have a Q&A with Casper Van Dien from the supernatural horror film, June. Also: details on Dracula's prop auction, XLrator Media's 24 Hour Rental, a video tribute to Friday the 13th Part VIII called "Voorhees Stomp", a new poster for The Hexecutioners, and release details for Krampus: The Reckoning.

Casper Van Dien Q&A: "June tells the story of nine-year-old June (Brice) who has been shuffled in and out of foster homes for years. And though she tries to be good, no matter where she goes, a trail of chaos and terror seems to follow. It’s only when June is sent to live with a new couple, Lily (Pratt) and Dave (Van Dien), that it looks as if things might finally work out. Except this innocent child with the face of an angel is possessed by an ancient, malevolent entity that has hijacked her soul.

The tenth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival kicks off in a couple weeks and the festival has finally announced the second half of titles for this year’s lineup as well as the Canadian and International shorts. PopOptiq will once again be covering the event so be sure to check back at the end of the month. Here is the press release.

The Hallow (Ireland) Toronto Premiere

Possibly the scariest film in this year’s Toronto After Dark lineup, The Hallow from the producers of Let Us Prey terrified audiences at Sundance on its debut. After a young family move from the big city to a peaceful Irish woodland cottage, their dismissive attitude to folklore legends angers the local townspeople. It’s not long before the family members find themselves in a desperate fight for survival in a prolonged confrontation with some vicious creatures lurking in the forest.

The...

We are only a couple weeks away from the tenth annual Toronto After Dark Film Festival. On Friday the festival announced the second half of titles for this year's lineup as well as the Canadian and International shorts. Leading the second wave of titles we have a couple of Canadian features. Trevor Juras' The Interior is just damned good and creepy stuff. Jessie Thomas Cook has teamed up once again with Pontypool's Tony Burgess for his latest film The Hexeutioners. Recent Fantastic Fest entry Gridlocked will also return home to Toronto for it's Canadian premiere. There is a smack of the supernatural in this second wave of titles. Backtrack, The Diabolical and The Hollow One promise supernatural thrills. Irish horror flick The Hallow will stand as the...

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

With Halloween night rapidly approaching, Bruce McDonald’s Hellions sounds like the perfect seasonal watch for a little post-witching-hour entertainment. McDonald previously asserted himself as a cult hero by teaming with Tony Burgess on Pontypool, a tremendously underrated take on zombie movies, and who doesn’t like a good thriller about vengeful trick ‘r treaters, à la Sam from Trick ‘r Treat?

Candy, kills, and shotguns sound like sweet Halloween treats to me, but Hellions is a messy slop of housebound Malickian horror that simply doesn’t deliver. It’s an unfortunate exercise in futilely that never approaches coherency, which will leave most viewers feeling like McDonald gave them dental floss instead of a Kit-Kat this Halloween.

Chloe Rose stars as young Dora Vogel, a high school slacker who discovers she’s pregnant with her boyfriend Jace’s (Luke Bilyk) child at the age of 17. She struggles to find a...

Sneak Peek footage from the science fiction horror feature "Ejecta", directed by Chad Archibald and Matt Wiele, available August 19, 2015 from Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada, Foresight Features and Raven Banner Entertainment:

"...'William Cassidy' (Richings) is a man who has had steady interactions with extraterrestrials for the last 40 years, which has left him so filled with paranoia and fear that he now spends his days as a blogger living in seclusion.

"He contacts 'Joe Sullivan' (Adam Seybold), an alien researcher and conspiracy theorist blogger, and invites him to his home on the night of a solar event that Cassidy believes could be potentially dangerous to Earth.

"The film switches back and forth between footage from that night to a later day where Cassidy is being interrogated by an unseen person..."

Cast also includes Lisa Houle as 'Dr. Tobin', Mark Gibson as 'Agent Brinkman', Justin Darmanin as 'Agent Falco',...

Hellmouth Clip and Poster. Stephen McHattie‘s Hellmouth (2015) movie clip (1min and 29sec) and poster have been released.

This clip immediately reminds of the innovative way that Robert Rodriguez blended live-action with animated CG backdrops. Not only is it efficient and cost-effective to work this way, but in both cases it creates a surreal, dreamlike effect that lets the viewer know they’re in for a stylized genre movie. The rules of this film may not be the same as they are for others.

In this case, Stephen McHattie has seemingly created a very interesting palette and sense of immersion. I’m sold, on the visuals, at least. I want to explore more of this world, drive around more and see other parts of town. This strongly reminds me of the style of old Under The Killing Moon point-and-click detective games, or even the Blade Runner PC game.

Check out...

*full disclosure: a Blu-ray screener of this film was provided by Anchor Bay Entertainment and Absolute Underground Magazine. Director: John Geddes. Writer: Tony Burgess. Cast: Stephen McHattie, Siobhan Murphy, Ari Millen and Tony Burgess. Writer Tony Burgess (Pontypool) and actor Stephen McHattie reteam for another horror title, Hellmouth. Part hellscape, the film develops much like a nightmare, in which nothing is real. Even the plot dissolves at certain key points. Meanwhile, the CGI visual field is full of demons, an angel and even a Sauron-like antagonist. None of these characters come together in a compelling fashion, with the film struggling to define itself. Possibly meant as an opium dream only, Hellmouth forgets that storytelling is longer lasting than any series of barely connected fantasy sequences. The plot, such as it, begins with Charlie Baker (McHattie). He is a gravedigger, with only a couple of years to live. He has a "brain rattle,...

Calling back to the minimalist sci-fi stories of yesteryear, Ejecta blends found footage camerawork with an Area 51-esque experiment that wants to prove the existence of alien lifeforms. Penned by genre favorite Tony Burgess (Pontypool/Septic Man), it’s a story about paranoia that hits on a possession arc we typically see connected to exorcisms and demonic overtakings – but it’s not one that dares to push the envelope.

What’s been said about extraterrestrial invasions is restated by Ejecta in a lot of the same ways, which only reminds us of past films that have executed interplanetary thrills with far more energy. Whether you’re thinking of the basement scene in Signs, or any first-person chase scene from the Vicious brothers’ Extraterrestrial, directors Chad Archibald and Matt Wiele are only able to produce another bland case of flying saucers and gangly spacemen. Nothing more, and nothing less.

Julian Richings stars as William Cassidy,...

Ejecta is just the latest from a tenacious collective of Canadian indie horror filmmakers including Chad Archibald, Matt Wiele, Cody Calahan and John Geddes, who rotate directing and producing duties and frequently team with Pontypool writer Tony Burgess and delightful character actor Julian Richings (Orphan Black, Cube, Urban Legend). In just the last two years,…

The post Exclusive Clip: A Shocking Interrogation in Ejecta appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Stars: Julian Richings, Adam Seybold, Lisa Houle, Mark Gibson, Justin Darmanin, Ry Barrett, Ari Millen, Cat Hostick, Tony Burgess, Jason David Brown, Matt Griffin | Written by Tony Burgess | Directed by Chad Archibald, Matt Wiele

Aliens can be annoying, especially with all the probing and implanting they seem to do. Ejecta features a character that shows just why this is the case, especially if the aliens use the victims head as a radio conductor for their conversations. When people who complain about such things are normally seen as crazy, what happens if they are telling the truth? Then you get a film like Ejecta.

Ejecta focuses on William Cassidy (Julian Richings) who at the beginning of the film is captured by an anonymous group wanting to know the truth about the aliens he says he has encountered. Watching footage found recorded by still missing Joe Sullivan (Adam Seybold) featuring the recent actions of the duo Dr.

Exclusive: Raven Banner is in talks with buyers here on a raft of new titles led by fantasy horror Hellmouth from a screenplay by Pontypool writer Tony Burgess.

The story concerns a gravedigger who enters Hell when he tries to save the soul of a beautiful woman.

Steven McHattie from Pontypool stars in Hellmouth, which Xyz Films represents for the Us.

Michael Paszt and James Fler of Raven Banner negotiated the deal with Matt Wiele and John Geddes of Foresight Features.

Raven Banner’s new slate include worldwide rights to Audrey Cumming’s horror Berkshire County, as well as We Are Monsters from Swedish directors Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, and horror anthology Mexico Barbaro.

“We’re quite excited about these films,” said Raven Banner managing director Paszt. “They represent an incredible diverse and eclectic range of talent from all around the world.”...

Authors don’t always successfully adapt their own books for the big screen, but Tony Burgess beat the odds with 2008’s Pontypool, directed by Bruce McDonald and based on Burgess’ thriller novel Pontypool Changes Everything. If you’re a fan of the… Continue Reading →

The post The Bewdley Mayhem Collects Tony Burgess’ Hellmouths of Bewdley, Pontypool Changes Everything, and Caesarea appeared first on Dread Central.

Hellmouth is the new one from Exit Humanity director, John Geddes. And writer of Pontypool, Tony Burgess. Hellmouth is a neo-noir horror tale, created with the usage of contrasting colors and other such visual techniques. Some would say that this is in the style of Sin City, which is helped along by the fact that the first third of the film is black and white, with a few traces of color. Personally, I would compare it to Dark Country before Sin City, but I’m one of only 5 people that bothered to see that nice little piece of horror-pulp starring Thomas Jane, so Sin City is probably a more accessible approach to explaining the style to expect. What I’m saying is, a lot of detail is focused on creating the visual style of the world, and it makes for a stunning experience. There are a few frightening scenes along the way.

Friday was Day Two of Toronto After Dark 2014, and the theater was packed for both of the evenings screenings. Hellmouth had its World Premiere, ABCs Of Death 2 had its Toronto Premiere, and the sold out crowds were cheering and ready for both movies. It’s kind of a big deal that both of these screenings sold out, as that means that the first four consecutive films at this year’s festival were completely full. I believe that is a new Tadff record. The festival certainly has grown over the last 8 years, and it’s exciting to watch as more and more films sell out with each iteration.

The night kicked off with Pupa, an anime-style animated mindfuck of a short film that was both entertaining and bizarre. It certainly was a great match for Hellmouth, which is about as Wtf-inducing as they come (more on that in minute), so...

For at least the past few years, we have covered the Toronto After Dark Film Festival annually. Jeff Konopka attends the festival every year, and he usually brings some really good coverage back with him. I am always jealous when he’s there, because I’m listening to the footage that he has recorded, hanging out in a crowded bar talking with filmmakers, as well as other journalists attending the event. It sounds like a lot of fund, and I’d love to make the trip one year. Some of my favorite recent films were shown at Toronto After Dark. Cheap Thrills, Motivational Growth, The Machine, We Are What We Are, Resolution, The Battery, one of my all-time favorite films, Some Guy Who Kills People, and much, much more. Recently, the first 10 films for the 2014 festival were announced, and among them were some highly anticipated films. I will list them all below,...

In case you haven't noticed, it's film fest season; and if you live in or near Toronto, one of the best is kicking off October 16th: Toronto After Dark, now in its 9th year. Per usual, it's chock-full of many of the latest high profile titles so read on for all the details!

From the Press Release:

Toronto After Dark Film Festival is thrilled to officially unveil its first wave of exciting film announcements for 2014! Included in the lineup are some of the most critically acclaimed and eagerly anticipated new horror, sci-fi, action, and cult films from this year’s international film festival circuit.

These 10 new movies will all have their Toronto, Canadian, North American, or World Theatrical Premieres hosted exclusively at the festival’s 9th Annual Edition this October 16-24, 2014, at the Scotiabank Theatre, in the heart of downtown Toronto.

The remainder of Toronto After Dark's 2014 lineup, which...

The fifth annual Telluride Horror Show is getting set to kick off in Telluride, Colorado, next month, and right now we have the first batch of announced films for your perusal.

From the Press Release

The Telluride Horror Show is excited to announce the first batch of films for its 5th annual festival, scheduled for October 10-12, 2014, in beautiful Telluride, Colorado.

Features

Backwater

USA | 2013 | 94 min | Director: Christopher Schrack

Followed by a Q&A with director Christopher Schrack.

A couple camping in the woods believe they are in tremendous danger even though they can't explain what is causing their terror.

Bag Boy Lover Boy

USA | 2014 | 77 min | Director: Andres Torres

Bag Boy Lover Boy follows the lowly life of Albert, an oddball hotdog vendor who is shocked to find himself suddenly becoming the bizarre muse of enigmatic NYC photographer Ivan Worthington. But shocks come his way even more so when, amidst his...