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

Crawl (July 1) Credit – Paramount Pictures

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

"Who are these people trying to protect themselves from?" Freestyle Digital Media has debuted the first trailer for the indie comedy A Bad Idea Gone Wrong, a goofy film about two wanna-be thieves who trap themselves in a house they just broke into. Yeah, it's pretty much one of those why-not, let's-try-it concepts that kind of works, but also kind of doesn't. This played at a few festivals this year to quite a bit of acclaim, like winning the Best Feature prize at the dead Center Film Festival. The cast of A Bad Idea Gone Wrong includes Matt Jones, Will Rogers, Eleanore Pienta, Sam Eidson, and Jonny Mars. This looks a bit odd, there's something weird about the trailer that doesn't feel quite right to me. But I do think this seems like the film would be worth seeing at a festival. There's something quirky about it that's appealing enough.

Stars: Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson | Written and Directed by Trent Haaga

Seemingly inhabiting the same universe as Cheap Thrills, the film he co-wrote with David Chirchirillo, 68 Kill, Trent Haaga’s second feature as director (his first being Chop) is a similar deep-dive into the fringes of American society – an underbelly that walks the fine line between morality and depravity. A world where people will do anything for money. Or so it would seem.

Trailer-dwelling, sewage-pumping Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) may not lead the most glamorous life, but he’s got one thing going for him: he’s head over heels infatuated with his girlfriend Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). He’s more than willing to overlook her wild streak, the fact that she’s hooking up with their landlord and her rather extreme mood swings. So when she proposes a plot to steal $68,000, he goes along with the plan.

Nobody writes quite like horror author Bryan Smith, and Trent Haaga recently brought one of Smith's novels, 68 Kill, to life on screen in a film that's now out in theaters and on VOD platforms from IFC Midnight. If you haven't seen it yet or you're looking for some memorable moments to reflect upon, we have a set of stills and an alternate poster for the movie.

"Trailer-dwelling, sewage-pumping Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) may not lead the most glamorous life, but he’s got one thing going for him: he’s head over heels infatuated with his girlfriend Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). He’s more than willing to overlook her wild streak—the fact that she’s hooking up with their landlord; her rather extreme mood swings —so when she proposes a plot to steal $68,000, he goes along with the plan. But when what was supposed to be a simple heist turns into an off-the-rails,...

Quick fix solutions, and promises of easy money never turn out to be that way, and best laid plans generally go to ruin. All those things come true in “68 Kill,” and today we have an exclusive clip from the film.

Starring Matthew Gray Gubler, AnnaLynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson, James Moses Black, Ajay Mehta, Michael Beasley, Dave Maldonado, Hallie Grace Bradley, Peter Jaymes, Eric Podnar, and Lucy Faust, “68 Kill” follows Chip who plots to steal $68,000 to make his girlfriend happy.

Continue reading Exclusive ’68 Kill’ Clip: Matthew Gray Gubler Tanks Up at The Playlist.

Based on Bryan Smith's novel of the same name, Trent Haaga's 68 Kill comes to life on screen later this summer, and to help hold fans over until its release, IFC Midnight recently released a trailer for the film that you can watch right now.

"Trailer-dwelling, sewage-pumping Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) may not lead the most glamorous life, but he’s got one thing going for him: he’s head over heels infatuated with his girlfriend Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). He’s more than willing to overlook her wild streak—the fact that she’s hooking up with their landlord; her rather extreme mood swings —so when she proposes a plot to steal $68,000, he goes along with the plan. But when what was supposed to be a simple heist turns into an off-the-rails, blood-spattered crime spree, Chip learns the hard way just how deranged the love of his life really is.

"Deranged human beings doing awful things." IFC Midnight has revealed a trailer for a film titled 68 Kill, a crime comedy from actor/director Trent Haaga. The quotes in this trailer seem to describe it better than anything else: "a white-trash, punk-rock, blood-soaked romp" and "brilliantly, utterly insane." The film stars Matthew Gray Gubler as Chip, and AnnaLynne McCord as his girlfriend, who comes up with a plan to rip off her rich sugar daddy. Of course, everything falls apart and Chip tries to straighten things out but ends up on a wild ride. The cast includes Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson, Michael Beasley, James Moses Black, David Maldonado, Ajay Mehta, Hallie Grace Bradley, and Lucy Faust. This definitely looks insane, like something to watch late on a weekend after you've had a few beers with friends. Here's the official trailer (+ two posters) for Trent Haaga's 68 Kill, direct from...

The first official trailer for the SXSW Audience Award-winning film 68 Kill (review) has arrived ahead of the film’s screening at FrightFest 2017 courtesy of Collider. Dig it! Matthew Gray Gubler, Annalynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson, Lucy… Continue Reading →

The post FrightFest 2017: 68 Kill Trailer Racks Up an Expensive Body Count appeared first on Dread Central.

New images from the SXSW Audience Award-winning film 68 Kill (review) have arrived ahead of the film’s screening at FrightFest 2017. Dig ’em! Matthew Gray Gubler, Annalynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson, Lucy Faust, Eric Podner, Peter James,… Continue Reading →

The post 68 Kill: Dangerous New Imagery appeared first on Dread Central.

Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.

– The Orchard has acquired the North American rights to Joachim Trier’s supernatural thriller “Thelma.” Written by Trier and Eskil Vogt and starring Eili Harboe, Okay Kaya, Ellen Dorrit Petersen and Henrik Rafaelsen, the film follows a young woman who falls in love and discovers that she has terrifying and inexplicable powers.

“Working with Joachim on ‘Louder Than Bombs’ was a wonderful experience and gave us the opportunity to witness, up close, his unmatched visionary talent and passion for the stories he tells,” Paul Davidson, the Orchard’s executive vice president of Film and Television, said in a statement. “Thelma represents the next evolution of his growth as a filmmaker and we couldn’t be more excited...

Exclusive: IFC Midnight has acquired North American rights to 68 Kill, the Trent Haaga thriller that won the audience award this year in the SXSW Midnighters section. Matthew Gray Gubler, Annalynne McCord, Sheila Vand, Alisha Boe, Sam Eidson and Lucy Faust star in the pic, which is based on Bryan Smith’s novel. An August day-and-date theatrical release is in the works. The plot: Scraping by flushing septic systems is not his vision of a perfect life, but Chip (Gubler) is…...

At a packed Paramount Theater this evening, the SXSW Film Festival, now at the halfway mark, handed out their big film awards. The fest’s two big competition jury prizes went to director Ana Asensio’s “Most Beautiful Island” (Best Narrative Feature) and directors Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous’s “The Work” (Best Narrative Feature).

Read More: Terrence Malick Makes a Rare Appearance at SXSW 2017 and Digs Deep On His Process

Asensio, a Spanish actress and filmmaker living in New York, shot her film in super 16mm. It tells the story of undocumented female immigrants struggling to start a life in New York. It is a feature film debut for Asensio, who also stars and wrote the screenplay. “Island” is being billed as a dramatic thriller and was produced by the New York horror master Larry Fessenden’s Glass Eye Pix.

The Doc Prize winner, “The Work,” is an intense...

Oh, 68 Kill features a psychotic AnnaLynne McCord seducing and shit-kicking her way through country-fried thrills? Why yes, this is exactly my kind of midnight carnage. Wait, it gets better? You bet! This dark comedy marks Trent Haaga’s directorial follow-up to Chop (also co-wrote Cheap Thrills/Deadgirl), and 68 Kill only furthers his catalog of gleeful nastiness. Femininity and masculinity clash in a bumbling Bonnie and Clyde reimagining, with a dash of Tarantino unpredictability. It’s a raucous closing-time nightcap that runs on perfume and blood-soaked booty shorts, because what man wouldn’t kill for Ms. McCord? Brilliant casting, Mr. Haaga. Novelist Bryan Smith should be proud of this adaptation.

Matthew Gray Gubler stars as Chip, the love-struck boyfriend of white-trash vixen Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). She’s the talk of the trailer park. Everyone wants her, but Chip is the lucky guy she goes home with – when not sexing landlords in lieu of late rent.

For years, horror author Bryan Smith has been writing some of the genre’s most consistently entertaining, wildly unpredictable, and thought-provoking (and blood-splattered) novels, one of which, 68 Kill, will raise hell on the big screen this March at the SXSW Film Festival in Trent Haaga’s anticipated adaptation. Ahead of its world premiere, new images from 68 Kill offer a look at the upcoming thriller.

EW revealed two new images for 68 Kill that you can view along with a previously unveiled still below.

Directed by Trent Haaga and based on the book of the same name by Bryan Smith, 68 Kill stars Matthew Gray Gubler, Annalynne McCord, Alisha Boe, Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson, Lucy Faust, Eric Podner, Peter James, Hallie Grace Bradley, and James Moses Black. The film will make its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival this March. Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more details.

“Chip’s problem is...

With little over a month to go until Austin plays host to SXSW 2017 for another year, organizers of the annual showcase have announced that James Franco’s drama The Disaster Artist has been added to the stacked lineup.

Based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell’s non-fiction book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, Franco’s passion project is set to recount the infamous story behind The Room, Tommy Wiseau’s widely-derided pic that has since gone on to become something of a cult classic. No release date has been set, but we know that the feature will be written and directed by Franco, who stars as the eccentric Wiseau, and features a cast comprised of Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Ari Graynor, Jacki Weaver, and former Community star Alison Brie. Bryan Cranston and Zach Braff are among those set to cameo.

In related news, the midnight...

After drawing attention to the festival’s annual Gaming Awards, organizers behind the South by Southwest Film Festival have posted the full, comprehensive lineup, revealing that the likes of Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and Free Fire, the riotous ensemble thriller from Ben Wheatley, are among those films that will screen for critics and attendees.

Per SXSW 2017‘s website, this year’s showcase will host “84 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres, and 6 Us Premieres. First-time filmmakers account for 51 films, continuing our tradition of unearthing the emergent talent of tomorrow.” British auteur Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England) is a regular of the Texas festival, and will be rubbing shoulders with other favorites including Michael Winterbottom, Nacho Vigalondo, Michael Showalter.

SXSW 2017 begins on March 10th in Austin, Texas and you can get up to speed on everything the festival has to offer down below.

Narrative Feature Competition

A Bad Idea Gone Wrong...

Movie theaters are constantly trying to come up with new tricks to make the theatrical experience special again. The screens keep getting bigger, the sound keeps getting louder, and the dimensions keep getting dimensionier (we're up to 4D!). Pretty soon theaters will have to integrate some kind of live experience as well, and when they do, we hope they take a queue from our pals behind the Old Murder House Theatre, who offer up one of the most unique celebrations of movies you're ever going to find. We've featured Old Murder House, which is the brainchild of Zero Charisma star Sam Eidson, a few times over the years thanks to their performances of Robocop Live, Aliens on Ice, and Jurassic Live, and now they're back again with another Spielberg classic: Jaws: Live...

Read More...

“A Song of Ice and Fire” books are long, they’re laboriously detailed, and if George R. R. Martin dies before the series is finished, it will be the greatest tragedy of modern fantasy storytelling. It is known. In fact, it’s so widely known that putting pressure on Martin to stop doing any activities other than ones that lead to the completion of the books has become a loud, necessary cri de coeur for fans. Not only is it accepted, it’s a fan’s duty — when he or she sees Martin at a Game of Thrones red carpet or at a signing event — to tell him to get the fuck back to work. Fortunately, a filmmaking team headed by Andy Young (of Keith and Heath fame) has taken inspiration from Multiplicity to toy with the cultural frustration in a fun, inventive way. As a bonus, Zero Charisma‘s Sam Eidson plays Martin (and all of...

Other than knowing that Keith & Heath features the two titular puppets, I went into writer-director Andy Young's (The Crime of the Century) eight-minute short film with absolutely no idea what to expect. And, I gotta say, I was pretty blown away! The Keith and Heath puppets have a familiar Sesame Street-like air about them, with a craftfully-rendered design (Puppet Designers: Laura Dávila, Victoria Prescott & Laura Stephens) that is more nostalgic than mere copycatting. The voicing (Jon Cozart), puppeteering (Jennifer Bateman & Christian Haigis) and production design (Emily Haueisen) are so spot-on perfect, that it is difficult to believe that this is not a Sesame Workshop or The Jim Henson Company production. On top of all that, there is a bevy of Austin-based talent that appears as the puppets' human counterparts -- such as Sam Eidson, Byron Brown, Katie Folger and Tony Vespe. Unlike some of the actors who have...

Normally I would not pay much attention to a movie about college guys bonding over sports, especially football. We get more than enough football here in Texas if you are not a fan. But Intramural lured me in -- shot in Austin; directed by Andrew Disney, who showed a nice touch with humor in his previous film Searching for Sonny; written by Bradley Jackson (The Man Who Never Cried). In fact, Jackson pretty much convinced Disney to direct Intramural during Hill Country Film Festival 2012 (after meeting him at Austin Film Festival -- this is why filmmakers should go to film fests), so it felt like a can't-miss as the Hcff closing-night film.

It turns out that Intramural is pretty damn funny, even for middle-age women who don't subscribe to the Texas Cult of Football. The plot is fairly standard -- a bunch of fifth-year college seniors (apparently this is a...

Editor’s Note: This review first came out during our SXSW coverage, but Zero Charisma is now available on DVD. Scott Weidemeyer (Sam Eidson) is passionate. Really passionate. Probably too passionate. He lords over a weekly table top fantasy game with a few friends, and it’s the only time in his donut-delivering, squatting-in-grandma’s-house, adult boy life where he has any real power. The problem is the passion — he’s become a bully, and the game has evolved into something tedious and bitter. The signs that the camel’s back is only waiting for a straw come as soon as Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews’ Zero Charisma gets going, so it’s no surprise that when a hipster gamer named Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the crew, the loss of his spotlight drives Scott further and further into desperation. Those who have seen Todd Solondz’s Dark Horse will see some of the same irritating DNA here...

Arlo (Alex Dobrenko, Hell No) and Julie (Ashley Spillers, Loves Her Gun) are your typical young twentysomething Austinites. Arlo works at a software company but writes historical articles about General Grant on the side. Julie is a waitress at a restaurant that looks like Eastside Cafe. They live, love and get by in a fourplex on W. 29th. One day, Julie receives a couple of puzzle pieces in the mail.

Such is the premise for director Steve Mims' adorable mystery-comedy Arlo and Julie. Filmed around Austin -- and on a soundstage at Ut's Rtf department -- this movie is a quirky look at obsession. As Julie and Arlo become more and more engrossed in this puzzle of puzzles, their lives and goals are ignored. The script, which Mims also wrote, is filled with laughs and bits of Civil War trivia. 

Old jazzy numbers punctuate scenes of Julie and Arlo...

My last movie for SXSW this year was the amusing Space Station 76, at Stateside. I planned to walk a little bit around downtown afterward and maybe take some photos of various interesting SXSW sights, if it didn't rain again. I chatted a little outside the theater with local actor Sam Eidson (Zero Charisma, SXSW 2013), who was still planning to see movies that day. I almost literally ran into Austin filmmaker Emily Hagins (Grow Up, Tony Phillips, SXSW 2013) as I walked down Congress to Sixth.

As I was passing Wholly Cow Burgers, a musician was playing a guitar under the awning, a frequent sight during non-rainy SXSW days. He looked so energetic and happy that I snapped his photo a couple of times, and we exchanged waves. I stopped briefly to listen and liked the music -- not a crappy cover pandering to passersby, not someone loudly learning to play.

Sundance just ended, and we are already preparing for the next big film festival, South By Southwest. Not too long ago, the festival announced a few of the films premiering this year, but now they’ve announced the main slate. The midnight selections and some inevitable late-breaking additions are still to be announced, but this should be more than enough to get you excited. Along with many World Premieres, and Sundance favorites like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2, the line up also includes an anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and an extended Q&A screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel with Wes Anderson. SXSW 2014 runs March 7 through 15 in Austin, Texas. Check out the line up after the jump.

****

Narrative Feature Competition

Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...

Today the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced a diverse features lineup for this year’s Festival, the 21st edition and running March 7 – 15, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The 2014 program expands on SXSW tradition of embracing a range of genres and span of budgets, featuring a wealth of vision from experienced and developing filmmakers alike.

For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.

Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...

After announcing earlier this month that Jon Favreau’s Chef and the Veronica Mars movie will be making their world debuts at SXSW this year, the festival has revealed its full line-up, including further very promising world premieres, alongside appearances from some of the year’s most high-profile films.

The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.

Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.

David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.

Not sure if there is a Short Term 12 equivalent in this year’s Narrative Feature Comp, but on paper SXSW programmers are serving up a mean (and the usual lean group of 8 out of a whopping 1,324 film entries) for the upcoming competitiuon of eight which includes notable entries (that we’ve been tracking for a good time now) such as Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine, John Magary’s The Mend, Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns and Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries. Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated docs of the year, on the non-fiction side we find Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the other sections (notable world preems in We’ll Never Have Paris and Faults (see Mary Elizabeth Winstead above), some Sundance items with Texan connections and other nuggets.

Narrative Feature Competition

Eight world premieres, eight...

Stars: Sam Eidson, Anne Gee Byrd, Brock England, Garrett Graham, Lowell Bartholomee, Katie Folger, Larry Jack Dotson | Written by Andrew Matthews | Directed by Katie Graham, Andrew Matthews

Another production of crowd-funding, Zero Charisma is a black comedy that tells the story of Scott (Sam Eidson) an overgrown nerd who lives with his grandmother and spends his nights as Grand Master of a fantasy board game that he and his guild have been playing constantly for three years. When one of his players has marital trouble and leaves the game, Scott finds his role as leader of the misfits put into jeopardy when a new “hipster” initiate enters the group.

Despite being a huge nerd, board games and in particular role-playing games, have never appealed to me. Yes, I’ve had the odd game of Zombicide and Star Wars: X-Wing with my board-game loving buddy Andrew, and I did...

Interested in joining a journey through a magical realm with heroes, trolls, goblins and fire enchantments? Scott Weidermeyer has a seat open. Sam Eidson leads “Zero Charisma” as Scott, a Game Master who’s deeply dedicated to his role-playing board game. Trouble is, sometimes he takes that passion a little too far and his game time intensity can be too much to handle. When one of his players cracks under the pressure, it’s Scott’s responsibility to fill the seat and he bestows that honor upon a “neo-nerd hipster” named Miles (Garrett Graham). From the moment Miles sits down at Scott’s grandmother’s kitchen table, the other players are enamored by his wits [ Read More ]

The post Interview: Zero Charisma’s Sam Eidson, Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham appeared first on Shockya.com.

Zero Charisma

Written by Andrew Matthews

Directed by Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews

USA, 2013

It is, perhaps, a bit strange that the first movie being distributed by Nerdist Industries is an examination of the most hyper-antisocial people of all nerddom. Chris Hardwick’s company, starting off with his Nerdist podcast, has helped emphasize, along with all sorts of big-budget comic-book blockbusters, that nerd culture is now not just part of mainstream culture, but has become its foundation. Zero Charisma is a movie whose lead character becomes almost immediately suspicious of an interloper to his group, someone who professes to being a nerd while being personable, affable, and social. In short, it’s hard not to imagine this film’s lead looking at Hardwick askance, wondering if all his nerd cred is earned or a put-on.

Scott (Sam Eidson) is a Dungeons & Dragons gamemaster in Austin, Texas, holding court with four...

Hell No Trailer. Joe Nicolosi‘s Hell No (2013) movie trailer stars Sam Eidson, Samuel Davis, Alex Dobrenko, Katie Folger, and Deke Garner. Hell No‘s plot synopsis: “Imagine a realm where the most horrifying terrors of the underworld emerge to wreak bloody vengeance upon any who… hmm? what’s that? you wanna [...]

Continue reading: Hell No (2013) Movie Trailer: The Sensible Horror Film We’ll Never See...

Let's go camping! Let's break into the insane asylum! Let's use this Ouija board! Let's pick up that hitchhiker! Let's go swimming in the shark infested water! Let's... not! Here you go, kids! Guaranteed the best damned video of the day!

Hell No comes to us from director Joe Nicolosi and it stars Alex Dobrenko, Ashley Spillers, Jessie Tilton, Sam Davis, Brandon Potter, Sam Eidson, Katie Folger, Sam Van Metre, Deke Garner, Jonny Mars, Zack Carlson, Bryan Connolly, David Hess, Mike Gassaway, Jason Newman, Elise Garza, April Swartz, Isaac Solomon, Marc Calderaro, Matt Van Doren, Drew Daniels, Aimee Thomas, Brock England, Jenniemarie Jemison, Clay Crenshaw, Andrew Matthews, Katie Graham, Will Elliott, Mallory Culbert, and Joey Hood.

If only this were a real film!

Synopsis

Imagine a realm where the most horrifying terrors of the underworld emerge to wreak bloody vengeance upon any who... hmm? What's that? You wanna go literally anywhere else?...

Well, thank God for accurate titles. “Zero Charisma” takes the viewer into the world of hardcore roleplaying games, this one ruled over by a behemoth named Scott (Sam Eidson). A twentysomething living with his grandmother and barely earning a living wage at a local donut shop, nothing much seems to faze Scott, who happily tends to his world of fantasy and escapism, disappearing into his dingy room of models, science fiction, and the elaborate “Dungeons And Dragons”-type RPG he’s devised. This game has allowed the bullish Scott to basically enslave his four close friends, and they’ve been participating in Game Night for three years, wrapping up a campaign for Scott, the dungeon master. Credit to Eidson’s performance that much of this character’s petty one-upmanship feels accurate and lived-in. Nerds no longer hide their interests like teenagers shuffling their pornography under the bed. A general acceptance of toys,...

If you're checking out movie news on the web, there's a good chance that you'll be able identify some of the characters in Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews' new indie comedy Zero Charisma , lovingly set in the nerd haven of Austin, Texas and examining the life of an RPG gamer who takes his hobby just a little bit too seriously. Scott (Sam Eidson) doesn't have a lot going on in his life outside of his weekly role-playing game gathering with his friends. There, he's king and, quite literally, ruler. That all begins to change one day, however, when Miles, a smart, funny and charismatic neo-nerd hipster, joins the group and Scott's popularity begins to falter. ComingSoon.net spoke with Graham and Matthews about the painfully accurate look at some of the darker sides of fandom and...

In the Dungeons and Dragons-themed Zero Charisma (which comes out tomorrow, and is also available on VOD) a socially awkward D&D obsessive called Scott (Sam Eidson) loses both his role-playing game and his friends to a suave hipster-type, Miles (Garrett Graham), with darkly comedic consequences. The film’s writer and co-director Andrew Matthews was inspired to make the film by his own history as a gamer and ‘Dungeon Master.’

“I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 5th grade,” he explains. “It’s a nerdy obsession but it’s a very creative one too and it’s a social hobby...

This often pained comedy/character study stands as something of a breakthrough in the portrayal of geek culture on film. Here's a bunch of guys playing a homebrew iteration of Dungeons & Dragons in the house their grown-man gamemaster lives in rent-free with his nana—but it's not the game or the nerdery that's the joke, and the particular case of manchild-dom diagnosed by Andrew Matthews's script and Sam Eidson's excellent lead performance isn't presented as some deadly, contagious strain. It's something like a lighter Big Fan about a role-playing game obsessive, Scott, an Ignatius J. Reilly type who insists that the sessions he runs are more about "collaborative storytelling" than fellowship, dice-rolling, and escaping a life that isn't going anyplace. Eidson loo...

For a culture as prevalent as it is, nerds have never really gotten their due. It's usually all glasses and acne and high-waisted pants left over from "Family Matters" and "Revenge of the Nerds." In a lot of ways, pop culture hasn't updated its image of the ultra geeky in decades.

That's why "Zero Charisma" is such an important movie.

The new indie being released by Chris Hardwick's Nerdist Productions, their first, tells the story of Scott (Sam Eidson), an avid RPG gamemaster, who feels the mainstream world creeping in when a new, hipper player joins his game. It's a touching, often hilarious story that anyone who has ever felt like an outcast will be able to relate to.

With nerd culture moving toward the mainstream, we decided to ask the directors of "Zero Charisma," Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews, how they feel about the current state of the most popular geek staples.

Zero Charisma, directed by Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews, is well-drawn and funny, but ultimately a little bit bleak. The film follows Sam Eidson as Scott, an uber-controlling Game Master who is losing control. Scott is surly, overweight, unkempt, and balding. He lives with his grandmother and is marginally employed. He has very strong opinions about Mmo RPGs. If you sat next to him at a Con, you would probably want to spray him with Febreeze, and if you refused to give up your seat for him, he would totally stab you in the eye. He's pretty much a stereotype, but we all probably know someone just like him.

The story gets going when a player drops out of Scott's game. They've been playing one continuous adventure--written by Scott, who's yet to find a publisher--for three years. The first big laugh of the film comes when Scott is making phone calls to fill the spot.

There are definitely some geeks out there who are worried about Zero Charisma. Does the movie take a lot of cheap shots, or does it for once accurately show what it’s like to be a geek? Zero Charisma is more of a nuanced character study than a broad comedy, and the film captures it all without being mean, which is not an easy thing to pull off. To a lot of geeks, the arrested development, frustrations, and obsessions of the characters, not to mention the mullets, mustaches, and clothes, will feel authentic. See also: Our Zero Charisma movie review Scott Weidemeyer, played by Sam Eidson, is a much more complicated geek than we’ve seen in movies or TV before, and Andre...

Zero Charisma will be available on nationwide VOD and iTunes starting Oct 8, 2013, and in select theaters starting Oct 11, 2013. And to mark the occasion the distributors, Tribeca Film and Nerdist Industries, have unveiled a terrific new one sheet and a new trailer. As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game, Scott (Sam Eidson) leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother's kitchen. But his mastery of his own domain starts to slip - along with everything else in his life - when neo-nerd hipster Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the game, winning over the group with his confident charm and dethroning Scott with an unexpected coup. Caught in delusions of grandeur, Scott must...

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

What happens when a dedicated Game Master feels threatened by a newcomer to his realm? As they used to say on "The Real World," people stop being polite and start getting real.

In "Zero Charisma," Scott (Sam Eidson) invites a new guy to join his beloved role-playing group, but Miles (Garrett Graham) begins to steal his thunder. He's funny and charming, and he brings beer to their gatherings. He even invites them to a party -- with babes! Naturally, Scott's fellow dungeon-lovers begin to change their allegiance, which pushes this metal-lovin' gamer closer and closer to the edge.

Chris Hardwick's Nerdist Industries produced the film, which gives it some serious nerd street cred. "Zero Charisma," which was directed by Katie Graham and co-writer Andrew Matthews, got rave reviews at SXSW. It's being promoted as "an ode to nerds from every realm," although sci-fi site io9 questions whether the film...

“Zero Charisma” is Nerdist Industries’ first theatrical release, and the first trailer for the SXSW Film Festival Audience Award winner suggests the comedy will hit home for the digital entertainment company’s geek-oriented audience. The comedy stars newcomer Sam Eidson as a dungeon master-type who becomes jealous of a newer, and slightly cooler addition to his circle of fantasy role playing board game addicts that regularly meet in his mother’s kitchen. Also read: Legendary Entertainment Acquires Nerdist Industries Andrew Matthews wrote the screenplay, and co-directed with Katie Graham. Chris Hardwick, the host of AMC’s “Talking Dead” and “Talking Bad,...

"No, you and your friends sitting in there pretending to be elves and fairies... that's what's disturbing."

This is the official trailer for the funny looking fantasy role-playing comedy, Zero Charisma. The movie comes from Chris Hardwick's Nerdist, and this is their first feature film production. The story follows the Game Master of a role-playing game who becomes threatened when a hipster-style geek named Miles joins the group and becomes the life of the role-playing party.

The movie was directed by Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews and stars Sam Eidson, Garrett Graham, Brock England, Anne Gee Byrd, and Cyndi Williams .

As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game, Scott (Sam Eidson) leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother’s kitchen. But his mastery of his own domain starts to slip—along with everything else in his life—when...

Tribeca Film and Nerdist Industries have released the trailer for Zero Charisma. The movie follows Scott (Sam Eidson), a monomaniacal nerd who lords over a Dungeons & Dragons-style game, but whose power is threatened when a "cool" geek joins the group. I saw the film at SXSW, and while it's quite funny, it also de-romanticizes the current popular perception of nerds to a more realistic, sadder figure. Eidson is tremendous in the role, and it's a movie that will have you both laughing and somewhat disturbed. For more on the film, I encourage you to read Scott Wampler's enthusiastic review from SXSW (where the film picked up the Audience Award). Hit the jump to check out the trailer. Zero Charisma will be available on iTunes and On Demand on October 8th, and in select theaters on October 11th. Here's the official synopsis for Zero Charisma: As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game,...

The world of tabletop roleplaying games is put front and center in two trailers and a new poster for Zero Charisma. Sam Eidson stars as Scott, the Game Master who runs weekly games through his grandmother's kitchen. His power is threatened by the arrival of a nerdy hipster named Miles (Garrett Graham) who organizes a coup against Scott. Directed by Kate Graham and Andrew Matthews, this comedy debuts on iTunes and VOD formats October 8 before arriving in theaters October 11.

As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game, Scott (Sam Eidson) leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother's kitchen. But his mastery of his own domain starts to slip-along with everything else in his life-when neo-nerd hipster Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the game, winning over the group with his confident charm and dethroning Scott with an unexpected coup. Caught in delusions of grandeur,...

You didn’t have to be a nerd to understand what it felt like in high school when a cooler, more personable kid joined your group and threatened your position in the gang. It’s easy to relate to that feeling of jealousy and isolation when they start hanging out with your friends and seem to be having a lot more fun than you ever did. The problem with the characters in Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews‘ Zero Charisma, though, is that they’re not kids at all; they’re grown men obsessed with a tabletop role-playing game a la Dungeons and Dragons and their ringleader really needs to take a chill pill. As Game Master, Scott (Sam Eidson) takes his duties seriously, leading his friends in their weekly quests and battles through their fantasy world. But when a hipster nerd joins their league (Garrett Graham), it just about all but unravels him. But...

"No, you and your friends sitting in there pretending to be elves and fairies, that's what's disturbing." From the popular podcast Nerdist, featuring comedian Chris Hardwick, comes their first feature length film, Zero Charisma, and it's right in their wheelhouse. A manchild of a nerd (Sam Eidson) living with his grandmother finds his comfy position as the Game Master of a role-playing game threatened when a hipster nerd named Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the group and becomes the coolest kid at the table. This looks like a hilarious, low budget comedy with all the right notes to hit with nerds and general audiences. Watch! Here's the first trailer for Katie Graham & Andrew Matthews' Zero Charisma, originally from Apple: And here's the epic poster for the nerdy comedy: Katie Graham (cinematographer on The American Scream) and Andrew Matthews (editor of The Best Worst Movie) enter narrative filmmaking as directors of the comedy Zero Charisma,...

Hitting theaters October 11, directors Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews' Zero Charisma offers an indie comedy look at the world of tabletop role playing games and, today, the film has debuted both a poster (via Nerdist ) and a trailer (via iTunes Movie Trailers ). Check them both out below! As the strict Game Master of a fantasy role-playing game, Scott (Sam Eidson) leads his friends in a weekly quest through mysterious lands from the safety of his grandmother.s kitchen. But his mastery of his own domain starts to slip.along with everything else in his life.when neo-nerd hipster Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the game, winning over the group with his confident charm and dethroning Scott with an unexpected coup. Caught in delusions of grandeur, Scott must roll the dice and risk...

Montreal — A portrait in dorkdom that sees only the faintest glimmers of hope for its fantasy-obsessed protagonist, Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews' Zero Charisma offers a man-child with, as the title suggests, substantially less appeal than the similarly stunted heroes of the Apatow universe. Sam Eidson is perfect for the lead role, but that doesn't exactly guarantee the fanboy crowd will embrace the film; with funnier, more winning movies treading similar ground, this one has limited appeal outside festivals. Eidson plays Scott, an adult who lives with his Nana and has hosted the same weekly gathering of

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Plot: Scott (Sam Eidson) is a dedicated table-top RPG fan. In fact, he's such a fan that he's unable to hold down anything but a dead-end job, while living at home with his cantankerous grandmother (Anne Gee Byrd) and dominating his gamer friends at their thrice-weekly marathon gaming sessions. There, Scott is the .game-master., but his world is shaken up when the game is joined by Miles (Garrett Graham), a handsome, well-adjusted hipster nerd, who quickly wins over Scott's friends with his...