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A few months ago, our good friend Chris Bumbray posted an article on our website about a banned shark movie coming to Blu-ray, albeit in a non-region A form. At first, I thought I knew exactly what he was talking about. I assumed it was the ever-popular Cruel Jaws which was already released by Severin Films and even had a Jaws 5 cover art for a limited time. Well, I was wrong. It was actually a movie I had never heard of. It was called The Last Shark or maybe it’s called Great White depending on which site you look it up on. Being the historian of the group here at JoBlo Horror Originals, I decided I needed to take on the burden of watching it. What could be so bad about a movie from an important producer, that made 18 million dollars in 1981, and that had Vic Morrow to appeal to American audiences?...

Seeing as how the 1980s gave us four Halloween movies, five Elm Streets and no less than eight Friday the 13ths, it’s pretty easy to see why the decade is considered the golden age of slasher flicks. Throw in all the lesser known psycho-killer/dead teenager flicks from the era that have since gone on to become bona fide cult classics – the Sleepaway Camp trilogy, Maniac, Pieces, etc. – and it’s pretty much indisputable that the Reagan years were indeed the glory days of cinematic mass murder.

Even in a decade glutted with degenerate cinema classics like My Bloody Valentine and Silent Night, Deadly Night, there nonetheless remain several unsung, unheralded slasher movies from the 1980s that definitely deserve more retroactive respect and reverence. Sure, none of the following flicks may be on par with subgenre heavy hitters like Black Christmas or Twitch of the Death Nerve, but they...

When Severin offered me a chance to talk about all their summer sale titles I was thrilled. So, check out the video. This really is an amazing group of films, and I was able to dig up some fun trivia on them. I also have some thoughts about what it means to be a physical media collector. First up are the Uhd upgrades of Ben Wheatley’s Kill List (2011), Can Evrenol’s Baskin (2015), Douglas Buck’s Sisters (2006), Penelope Spheeris’ The Boys Next Door (1985), the gonzo nature strikes back film Wild Beasts (1984), the classic Amicus horror anthology Asylum (1972), and Last House on the Left knockoff House on the Edge of the Park (1980). There’s also a trio of sharksploitation releases in Shark...

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

Severin has announced their annual summer sale and, as someone who has been collecting Severin titles for quite some time now, I can say that this is one of their best and most eclectic summer offerings. There's a little something for every kind of genre fan, with Uhd upgrades of modern classics, a set of Sharksploitation classics, a Uhd upgrade of Asylum (!!), and a sale on previously released titles. Everything kicks off in less than 24 hours and we have all the details directly from Severin Films:

From the Press Release: Severin Films today presents the full details of their 2025 Severin Summer Sale Event, serving up controversy, kung-fu and carnage like no other label in the industry. In one of physical media’s biggest events of the year, Severin delivers multi-disc Worldwide Uhd Premieres of Baskin directed by Can Evrenol, Douglas Buck’s acclaimed remake of Sisters and Ben Wheatley...

Stars: Brad Moore, Gledisa Arthur, Chiara D’Anna, Jaime Winstone, Richard Cotton | Written and Directed by Craig Tuohy

Everyone Is Going to Die is a new thriller about Daniel, a wealthy businessman who is trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter Imogen while she is on suspension from school for punching a supposed friend who slept with her boyfriend. Since it’s also her birthday, the timing seems perfect.

However, before they can do much reconnecting they see someone wandering around in the yard wearing a mask that looks like a poor copy of the theatrical tragedy mask. While Daniel is telling them to get off his property another intruder, this one wearing a comedy mask and carrying a shotgun.

It’s not a random robbery attempt either, the pair have an unspecified grievance with Daniel, so the rest of the movie involves them humiliating him in front of his daughter...

This August, Shudder, the premier horror streaming service, is set to deliver a thrilling line-up of original films, series, and classic horror favourites for the UK and Ireland.

Whether you’ve just returned from a summer trip, or you’re trying to stay out of the unbearable heat, Shudder has plenty of good reasons for you to close the curtains and turn on your TV. From chilling new releases to timeless horror treasures, here’s what to look forward to:

Hell Hole – Shudder Original

Film Premieres on Shudder and AMC+ Friday 23 August

The Adams Family, known for their previous work on Hellbender, brings another spine-tingling horror with Hell Hole. This new Shudder Original centres around an American fracking crew that stumbles upon a French soldier from the Napoleonic era, frozen in time and hosting a parasitic monster. Starring Toby Poser, John Adams, Max Portman, and Anders Hove, this film promises...

The third feature by director Michele Soavi—his second collaboration with producer/co-writer Dario Argento—has been called “deranged” (We Are Cult), “disturbing” (Blu-ray.com) and “long overdue for reevaluation” (Bloody Disgusting). Now it can be experienced like never before: As a global satanic cabal grows in ferocity, an unwitting young schoolteacher (Kelly Curtis—sister of Jamie Lee—in her sole genre role) is chosen to deliver the ultimate evil. Herbert Lom (Count Dracula), Mariangela Giordano (Burial Ground), and Giovanni Lombardo Radice (The House on the Edge of the Park) co-star in “a nightmarish fever dream from a visionary filmmaker” (Good Efficient Butchery), scanned in 4K from the original negative with over three hours of special features—including new interviews with Soavi and Argento—for the first time ever.

The Sect is available on 4K Uhd on April 30.

Enter for your chance to win a 4K Uhd of The Sect,...

Four years before Silent Night, Deadly Night sparked a moral outcry — a movie which critic Gene Siskel called “contemptible” — another slasher used Santa Claus’ image for its own bloodthirsty story. However, To All a Goodnight managed to avoid all the hand-wringing from panicky parents and busybodies only due to the fact that most people didn’t even know this movie existed. Not much has changed whenever it’s mentioned today.

Had David Hess and Alex Rebar’s Santa slasher been granted a larger theatrical rollout back in 1980, perhaps it would have been the target of what many deem the greatest moral uproar in horror history. It’s no exaggeration to say there was an overreaction to Silent Night, Deadly Night; from the creation of advocacy groups to one psychologist fearing the movie would undo kids’ potty training, the hubbub surrounding Charles Sellier’s Christmasploitative slasher was unprecedented for the time.

Lucio Fulci's gut-spewing, brain smashing, head drilling, Lovecraftian zombie nightmare features an amazing list of Italian talent behind the scenes with a screenplay co-written by Dardano Sacchetti, special FX by Gino De Rossi cinematography by Sergio Salvati, and soundtrack by Fabio Frizzi. With supporting performances by Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Carlo De Mejo and Janet Agren, City of the Living Dead (a.k.a. The Gates of Hell) is among the greatest Italian Horror films of all time!

When a priest hangs himself in a cemetery, he...

The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox has revealed the lineup of new films that are joining the horror streaming service in March 2023, including brand new The Outwaters companion shorts Card Zero & File Vl-624, original festival favorites Holy Shit! and Family Dinner, and the 1990s sequel Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III!

Joining Screambox on Wednesday, March 1, are Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, the 1990 sequel starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings) and Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), and FeardotCom, the 2002 effort from director William Malone (House on Haunted Hill) that stars Stephen Dorff (Blade).

Created by Pandorum director Christian Alvart, the second season of “The Island” hits Screambox on March 7. Experience the world after its collapse with all six new episodes of the post-apocalyptic coming-of-age thriller series. The first season is streaming now.

‘Holy Shit!’

Following a rambunctious festival run, Screambox Original Holy Shit! drops on March 21. Living up to its title,...

I didn’t enjoy Terrifier 2 very much, but I was very impressed by the performance delivered by heroine Lauren Lavera, who came off as a star on the rise – and who seemed like such a badass in her confrontation with Art the Clown, I could see her becoming a major force in the action genre, if that’s a path she’s interested in taking. As she continues on her way to stardom, Lavera has signed on to star in a supernatural thriller called The Well – and our friends at Bloody Disgusting were able to dig up some exclusive details on the project.

Federico Zampaglione (Tulpa: Demon of Desire) will be directing The Well and has also written the screenplay with producer Stefano Masi. The film will see Lavera taking on the role of Lisa Gray, a budding art restorer, who travels to a small Italian village to...

Severin Films is bringing out the big guns and starting 2023 with a bang, exclusively telling Bloody Disgusting this afternoon about the first two releases they’re bringing to the new year.

On January 31st, Severin Films unleashes two definitive action releases: Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi/Tomas Milian Collection includes Almost Human, Syndicate Sadists, Free Hand For A Tough Cop, The Cynic, The Rat And The Fist and Brothers Till We Die. January also brings the North American debut of the 1981 Australian action classic Attack Force Z, starring Mel Gibson, Sam Neill and John Phillip Law.

Violent Streets: The Umberto Lenzi / Tomas Milian Collection: Italian director Umberto Lenzi had recently completed a landmark string of kinky gialli with Hollywood outcast Carroll Baker. Cuban-born/Actor’s Studio-trained Tomas Milian had become one of Spaghetti Westerns’ most popular stars. But when these two notoriously mercurial talents came together for a series of...

As we get ready to say goodbye to March, we have one last round of horror and sci-fi Blu-ray and DVD releases headed our way before the new month arrives, and this week’s assortment of titles is pretty damn great. Tragedy Girls is receiving a new Blu-ray release courtesy of those fine fiends over at Vinegar Syndrome, and they are also keeping busy with several other titles this week, too: Flesh for Frankenstein, Beware! Children at Play, and Sister, Sister.

Severin Films is also doing the dark lord’s work with all their amazing releases on tap for this Tuesday, including their 3-Disc Limited Edition set for House on the Edge of the Park, Ballad in Blood, and The Forbidden Door. And for those of you who dig shark-themed horror, you should definitely check out The Requin.

Other releases for March 29th include Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge...

Stars: Kelly Dealyn, David Lee Hess, Emily Ammon, Dalton Allen, Steve Uzzell, Les Best, Lana Dieterich, Sam Pleasant, Clay Shirley, Kara Mellyn, Andre Evrenos, Marcela Pineda, Pat Turner | Written by Brett Glassberg, Andre Evrenos, Clay Shirley | Directed by Brett Glassberg

Derelicts has taken three years to get from completion to release, which should tell you something about the finished product. An even bigger clue would be that this film is debuting on YouTube. Yes, YouTube.

Essentially a home invasion horror – though the film is short an actually scares, rather its more of an us-versus-them, “Oh these people make my skin crawl” kind of horror – Derelicts tells the story of a family getting together at Thanksgiving. You know, your typical family, one that keeps secrets from each other. The kind of family where the father is having an affair, the son is a chronic masturbator and the daughter is a closet junkie.

The first drive-in movie reviewed by Joe Bob Briggs (read Daily Dead's interview with the horror host here for more on that story), the Italian horror movie Anthropophagous is coming to Blu-ray, along with 1981 film Absurd, aka Anthropophagous 2, uncut this September from the fine folks at Severin Films, and we have a look at the cover art and full list of special features for both releases.

Press Release: On September 25th, Severin Films is regurgitating two of the gutsiest of grim grails ever forged by Italy’s most infamous anti-human maestro, Joe D’Amato. Anthropophagous (1980) and Absurd (1981) are coming to Blu-Ray fully uncut and packed with special features to make you lose your lunch! To celebrate these gut-wrenching releases, Severin has also created epically upsetting merchandise that includes an Anthropophagous plush toy with entrails that pull out of his stomach just like real innards! The toy is safe for children...

March’s home media releases kick off in grand style this week with an eclectic array of horror and sci-fi arrivals, both new and old. Scream Factory has put together a stellar Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of The Strangers and Arrow Video is resurrecting yet another Dario Argento classic in HD with their limited edition celebration of The Cat O’ Nine Tails. My Friend Dahmer also arrives on both formats this Tuesday, and The Dark Crystal is getting a 4K Anniversary Edition release that fans will undoubtedly want to pick up as well.

Other notable Blu-ray and DVD titles for March 6th include Thor: Ragnarok, Fangs of the Living Dead, The Crossbreed, Curse of the Mayans, Knights of the Damned, and the House on the Edge of the Park/Last House on Massacre Street (aka The Bride) double feature from Kino Lorber.

The Cat O’ Nine Tales: Limited Edition (Arrow Video,...

Kino Lorber just sent over the details of two of their latest releases, Offerings and the House on the Edge of the Park / Last House on Massacre Street double feature Blu-ray. Read on. House on the Edge of the Park / Last House on Massacre Street Director: Ruggero Deodato, Jean-Marie Pelissie Starring: David Hess, […]

The post Kino Lorber Dropping More Classic Offerings appeared first on Dread Central.

MoreHorrror.com

'Lilith's Hell' is releasing from from Unearthed Films on October 17, 2017. Just in time for Halloween. You won't want to miss this carnage filled film.

From The Press Release

Two filmmakers enlist the help of famous Italian director Ruggero Deodato (“Cannibal Holocaust”, Jungle Holocaust”, “House on the Edge of the Park”, “Cut and Run”) to shoot a reality-themed horror film.

The chosen location is the hereditary family home of one of the producers. However, it soon becomes apparent that the house is beset with its own horrifying secrets hidden behind the walls.

During the shoot, the cast and crew discover secret chambers and evidence of ritualistic ceremonies invoking the spirit of Lilith; she who was cursed by God for disobeying Adam in the Garden of Eden.

One by one, her evil spirit possesses the women in the house and their only escape is death.

Once unleashed, there...

Author: Daniel Goodwin

Australian debut writer/director Ben Young makes an astonishing transition from lightweight TV with Castaway and Prank Patrol (Candid Camera for the i-generation) to this edgy, visually scintillating kidnap/rape/escape thriller. Hounds of Love gradually unravels its characters before developing them via scenes of suspense, conflict and surprising poignancy. Young shuns gratuitous violence and gruelling exploitation to set HoL apart from lesser contemporary sub-genre efforts as well and grimier Giallo and Grindhouse flicks like Almost Human, House on the Edge of The Park and I Spit On Your Grave.

It’s near Christmas in sun-soaked suburban Perth, 1987, when troubled teenager Vicki Maloney (Ashleigh Cummings) is kidnapped by local maniacal grunts John and Evelyn (Stephen Curry and Emma Booth), bound in their home then subjected to psychological torment, sexual humiliation and physical abuse. Vicki must manipulate John and Evelyn by studying their characters/relationship dynamics then turn...

[Guest author Christopher Lombardo of Really Awful Movies celebrates Canada Day by looking back at three backwoods Canadian horror films.] In the ’70s, Canadian tax loopholes spurred growth in domestic horror films, providing a more reliable low-cost means of recouping one’s investment in a frequently fickle business. A few, like Martin Scorsese’s favorite The Changeling, were critical darlings, while the bulk of them were regarded as cheap government-funded trash. A prominent Canadian critic famously called Cronenberg’s Shivers “an atrocity, a disgrace to everyone connected with it” in a jeremiad titled “You Should Know How Bad This Film Is. After All, You Paid for It.”

Luckily, for those of us invested in such things artistically if not financially (unless you count our tax dollars), we got gems such as Happy Birthday to Me, My Bloody Valentine, Black Christmas (1974), and many others.

The “tax shelter” era, in addition to straight-ahead slashers, also gave us lesser-known films that exposed class divisions—punishing urban interlopers who lacked the necessary survival skills to thrive in the wilderness.

In this episode of Off The Shelf, Ryan and Brian take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016.

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Follow-Up Twilight Time Quantity Updates: Used Cars and Center of the Earth Ryan is out of space, but still buying box sets! (Buyers remorse vs unwatched stuff) Hertzfeldt Kickstarter Arrivals News Star Trek: Digital Bits News (Animated Series on Blu-ray, Khan Uhd) Kino Lorber: Fathom, Star Slammer, Modesty Blaise, Gold (1934) Code Red: House on the Edge of the Park, Truck Stop Women, Hot Moves …bucket list fever! Scorpion: The Rift (from the director of Pieces) Blue Underground: Circus of Fear/5 Golden Dragons & The Shape of Things to Come Misc Links Larry Karaszewski on After The Fox Night of the Comet vinyl Kickstarter Links to Amazon After the Fox Bandits Black Mama, White Mama The Black Sleep Breaker! Breaker!

The Three Sisters (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Repeated ViewingWhile we wait for Dáire McNab’s The Three Sisters to be released in the States, the soundtrack has been released via CD & Digital Format earlier this month. For fans of Italian Giallo music, this is one of the few “retro” soundtracks that captures the mood correctly.

The music was performed by Repeated Viewing, which is Scottish composer Alan Sinclair. The soundtrack was put out by Wil-Ru Records and can be found here to buy directly or via their bandcamp site. Also on this soundtrack are bonus remixes which includes mixes by Antoni Maiovvi and Vercetti Technicolor (of Giallo Disco Records), Umberto and Night Sequels (of Attacknine Records).

Written and directed by Dáire McNab, The Three Sisters stars Elliot Moriarty, Gillian Walsh and Neill Fleming, with special guest star Giovanni Lombardo Radice (aka John Morghen), star of cult classics Cannibal Ferox,...

United Artists

What makes a film perverse? It could be a character and their individual perversions, or it could be down to the director of the film creating a pervasive air of seediness, but generally the rule of thumb is that highbrow perverted films that carry a ‘message’ get away with more than the lowbrow films which are viewed to be potentially corrupting to the masses.

This class division has been a rule of film classification and censorship since its inception and it carries on to the present day. Subtitled and foreign arthouse cinema generally gets away with more perverse unexpurgated material than your bog standard Hollywood film, which is also more likely to be censored.

Even more persecuted is exploitation cinema, whose raison d’être is generally to be prurient and perverted. These films are subject to severe censorship (12 and a half minutes were shorn off the first UK...

Throughout the month of December, we will be highlighting a film a day that has some tie into the holiday somehow. Some titles will be obvious, others won’t be. Some films will be good and, again, others won’t be. However, we think all titles are worth your time whether to give you chills inside your home or to make you drink more eggnog until you puke laughing.

Students at the Calvin Finishing School for Girls can’t wait for Christmas break. The young ladies are planning a huge end of semester blow out. When a group of guys show up and everyone starts pairing off, the party gets underway. But someone dressed as Santa Claus is killing off anyone looking for a place to bone. Are they killings somehow related to the sorority prank that ended in death? They totally are.

Released in 1980, To All A Goodnight has...

“I wonder who the real cannibals are…”

There have been many releases of Cannibal Holocaust throughout the years, on various formats, but this release, from Grindhouse Releasing in the United States, is, from what I’ve seen, the best yet, and features 3 discs, here, I’ll be looking at what is on those discs, and reviewing the film.

Now, this isn’t an easy task. Cannibal Holocaust has been spoken about, reviewed and studied by a vast number of people in the last 34 years with great amounts of research done into the making of the film and the events that followed its release. While I might not go into as much detail as some, I will still do my best to give my thoughts on the film and this specific set. This will only be my second time with the film, and the first time I will have seen it in over ten years.

There are reports circulating that composer Riz Ortolani of Cannibal Holocaust, The House On The Edge Of The Park and other well-loved titles has passed away in Rome.

Riz was 87. Our thoughts are with his family.

Throughout his career, Maestro Ortolani created some of the most unique film music ever written, often going against the accepted norm of scores.

Here is his unforgettable theme from Ruggero Deodato’s legendary Cannibal Holocaust…

Horrornews.net...

Please feel free to listen to some of my favorite compositions from the late composer.

His Grammy winning and Oscar nominated song “More” from Mondo Cane.

..which lead Ruggero Deodato to hire him to compose the Cannibal Holocaust score. My first exposure to Riz Ortolani was through Cannibal Holocaust. His main theme was so beautiful that it really didn’t prepare you for the brutality that was about to unfold. His synth stings in the second video I included below echo the sharp and instinctual shocks that I experienced when viewing the violence contained in Deodato’s film while the melancholy strings would represent my afterthoughts on the haunting images and moralities that are put into question by the end of the film.

From Addio Zio Tom

From House on the Edge of the Park

From his recent appearance at the World Soundtrack Awards 2013 where he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes details on The Book, which brings together some of the biggest names in Italian horror, a trailer for Dead of the Nite, new releases from Cavity Colors, and much more:

First Details on The Book: “The Book sees the ultimate collaborative Italian horror film unfold before your very eyes. A one off project of unprecedented scale, The Book brings together, for the very first time, the writers, directors, actors, composers and artists behind the finest Italian genre cinema of the past sixty years. This includes the creative forces behind the Giallo movement, Spaghetti Westerns, Eurocrime and more. Each director will be given the opportunity to showcase their own personal vision of Rome, spread across a dozen episodes. Each segment in this feature film will contain a unique blend of macabre thriller,...

If you're a fan of Italian horror films and your list of favorite filmmakers includes names like Ruggero Deodato and Lamberto Bava, then boy, are you in for a treat. Read on for all the details about an exciting upcoming horror anthology called The Book, which will only get funded with Your help!

From the Press Release

The Book sees the ultimate collaborative Italian horror film unfold before your very eyes.

A one-off project of unprecedented scale, The Book brings together, for the very first time, the writers, directors, actors, composers, and artists behind the finest Italian genre cinema of the past sixty years. This includes the creative forces behind the Giallo movement, Spaghetti Westerns, Eurocrime, and more. Each director will be given the opportunity to showcase his own personal vision of Rome, spread across a dozen episodes. Each segment in this feature film will contain a unique blend of macabre thriller,...

As Bruce Campbell proved to us all last week when he debunked the previous week’s announcement that Army of Darkness 2 was on its way, news of impending horror sequels should probably always be taken with a grain of salt. Countless sequels have been announced over the years, only to drop off the face of the earth shortly thereafter. It’s just the nature of the game, in a fickle business like the movie-making one.

Back in August we took a look at ten of those sequels that we’re still waiting to see, and today I’ve got ten more for ya. They were all planned, they were all announced, but none of them ever actually happened!

28 Months Later

A few months before the 2007 DVD release of 28 Days Later’s sequel 28 Weeks Later, the now defunct company Fox Atomic teased a third film, implying that the future of the...

Stars: David Hess, Sasha Grey, Jesse Buck, Michael Berryman, Herschell Gordon Lewis | Written by Ian Driscoll | Directed by Lee Demarbe

Abel Whitman (Hess) is a director on the edge – the edge of the industry, the edge of society and the edge of insanity – and his films are universally panned by audiences and critics alike. Seeking solice in the arms of a stripper he calls his muse, Whitman gets involved in a car accident which takes her life and drives him completely insane. Inspired by the grisly aftermath of the crash and reasoning that his films have failed because the effects do not look real enough, Whitman sets out on a killing spree, harvesting organs and blood from his victims and using them to create realistic gore effects. When critics praise this new found realism, Whitman cannot help but continue his murderous ways – ways, it turns out, he is most adept in getting away with.

By Todd Garbarini

Swamp Thing (1982) is a peculiar entry in the Wes Craven canon. For a director who cut his teeth in porn (most directors began their careers as editors in this field in the early 1970s) and directed such fare as The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977), Swamp Thing is a much gentler film. One of the few PG-rated entries to his credit, it was made just a few years prior to his very own A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), the movie that turned the horror film industry on its ear with the introduction of Fred Krueger and which spawned one of the most successful franchises in the genre.

Released on Friday, February 19, 1982 by the late Joseph E. Levine’s long-defunct Embassy Pictures, Swamp Thing is a film version of the DC Comic that was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Set in...

Stars: Sarah Louise Madison, Sabrina Dickens, S.J. Evans, Rorie Stockton, Richard Goss, Sule Rimi, Kathy Saxondale, Johnathon Farrell | Written by James Plumb, Andrew Jones | Directed by James Plumb

In 2012,the deceased have risen from their graves with only one instinct-to feed on the living. Academics speculate on the scientific cause of the phenomena and theologians point to the Armageddon foretold in the Book of Revelation. But as the cities are over run and civilization crumbles, four generations of one family take refuge from the undead army in an isolated farmhouse in West Wales.

Based on the 1968 zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection is not a direct remake of George Romero’s original, instead it takes inspiration from the original movie, often playing with the audiences expectations and subverting the events that you would expect, given the trend of “remakes”, to take place.

Very much an amateur production, and...

Hate Crime

Stars: Jody Barton, Nicholas Clark, Greg Depetro, Debbie Diesel, Sloane Morgan Siegel, Maggie Wagner, Tim Moran, Ian Roberts | Written by James Cullen Bressack, Jarret Cohen | Directed by James Cullen Bressack.

Let’s get the standard caveat out of the way first – I hate, no, loathe the “found-footage” sub-genre of horror, it’s often used as a cheap and easy way to tell a bad story. There are of course exceptions to this rule – of which Hate Crime is one.

Hate Crime has, at it’s core, a very simple premise. A family are gathered together to celebrate the birthday of the youngest member and as the father has done every year, he films the occasion. Only this year is different, in the midst of the celebration the family are subjected to a violent home invasion by a trio of masked men brandishing guns and waving swastikas, determined to...

Cinefamily’s upcoming month-long horror celebration is pretty much the raddest thing ever. Presented in partnership with Elijah Wood’s The Woodshed Horror Company, Nightmare City is a 30-day midnight video nasty watch-a-thon to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the video nasty uproar in the U.K.

Yep. It’s a nightmare come true. 30 days of over-the-top brain smashing, blood-gushing nasty goodness. To sweeten the deal Cinefamily is offering prizes to the fans who sit through the most movies:

3Rd Place: the 3-dvd all-region UK box set Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide

2Nd Place: a vintage large-format French theatrical poster for The Burning + the 3-dvd all-region UK box set Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide

1St Place: the chance to guest-program an upcoming Cinefamily midnight movie screening + the 3-dvd all-region UK box set Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide. In the event of a tie for first place, we will hold a...

From counting f-words to examining hours of graphic gore, the British Board of Film Classification reveals the secrets of a century of rating, cutting and occasionally banning movies

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) denies extensive use of protractors. Rumours, fanned by newspaper articles, had long led me to imagine small, dedicated groups of BBFC examiners, in their Soho Square headquarters, pausing sex scenes at the judicious moment, reaching for a mathematical instrument, and assiduously checking "the angle of the dangle". Is the man on screen aroused? Are the examiners looking at a Sid Soft, Maurice Middling, or Harry Hard-on? Does the scene conform to the much-discussed Mull of Kintyre rule – that no male member can be allowed on screen at an elevation more pronounced than the southernmost tip of the Scottish peninsula?

Over lunch with three BBFC staff, I broach the protractor question. David Cooke, director of the board,...

In the movies, a house "at" or "on" or "by" is the last place you ever want to be. House on the Edge of the Park. Last House on the Left. The House by the Cemetery. There is a new house in the neighborhood that you are probably going to want to avoid: House at the End of the Street. Elisabeth Shue and Jennifer Lawrence star as mom and daughter who move to an upscale rural neighborhood. When weird and scary stuff starts happening, dark secrets are unveiled. Check out the official trailer after the jump. Official synopsis: Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Oscar®-nominee Elisabeth Shue; Leaving Las Vegas, Piranha 3D) and her daughter Elissa (Oscar®-nominee Jennifer Lawrence;...

Who doesn’t love remakes, huh? Well, for those of you who prefer Vince Vaugn to Anthony Perkins, Jackie Earle Haley to Robert Englund, and Paris Hilton to Vincent Price (no direct character correlation, so this is all I’ve got), we have exciting news for you! Horror Hotel (aka City Of The Dead), the witchy 1960 Brit chiller starring Christopher Lee, is being remade by a Welsh company called Pillay-Evans Productions, with Stephen J Evans on tap to write and direct.

Original Horror Hotel plot synopsis:

“On the recommendation of her professor (Christopher Lee), a young female student (Venetia Stevenson) travels to the fictional Massachusetts town of Whitewood to do some research intowitchcraft. She finds the town occupied by the reincarnation of an infamous witch (Patricia Jessel) burned at the stake in the 17th century; in order to sustain her immortality, virgins must be sacrificedto her every year–and this year,...

House On The Edge Of The Park

Stars: David Hess, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Annie Belle, Christian Borromeo, Lorraine De Selle | Written by Gianfranco Clerici, Vincenzo Mannino | Directed by Ruggero Deodato

After helping a young couple fix their car, Alex (Hess) and his friend Ricky (Radice) are invited to an upscale house party where they are ridiculed by their debauched young hosts. Alex, psychopath that he is, decides that he, Alex and his straight edged razor deserve some fun. Together the pair take the presumably unprepared partygoers on a journey of rape, violence and debasement… Little do they know that their prey are not all they seem, and have a special surprise in store for the criminal duo.

Taking inspiration from Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left and starring David Hess, who played the villainous Krug in Craven’s movie, House on the Edge of the Park is widely...

Well it’s the start of another week, so you know what that means – yet more DVD and Blu-ray releases hit the high street, ready and waiting to swallow up all your hard-earned cash! Not as many Halloween-themed releases this week but no matter, here’s the rundown of what’s available to buy from today, October 31st 2011.

Pick Of The Week

Maniac Cop (Blu-ray)

Notorious video nasty creator William Lustig (Vigilante; Maniac) and B-Movie legend Larry Cohen(Q The Winged Serpent; It’s Alive) combine their directorial and writing talents, respectively, for a unique high-speed collision of the slasher movie and police thriller in Maniac Cop. When reports come in of a man in a police uniform committing gore drenched bloody murder on the city streets, officer Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) stands accused. Now, with few friends, powerful enemies and a psychopathic slayer still at large, it’s up...

★☆☆☆☆ If you manage to make it to the end of Ruggero Deodato's controversial thriller The House on the Edge of the Park (1980), the overriding question you'll probably be left asking is "Why would someone want to make such a film", and "Why would anyone want to watch it?" David Hess, of The Last House on the Left (1972) notoriety, stars as a cocky car mechanic who gets his kicks from terrorising random women before killing them off, before finally getting his comeuppance.

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by Nick Schager

What's new is always old, and in this recurring column, I'll be taking a look at the classic genre movies that have influenced today's new releases. In honor of the Nicolas Cage-Nicole Kidman home invasion thriller Trespass, this week it's Ruggero Deodato's 1980 skeezy The House on the Edge of the Park.

How do you follow-up a work as controversial and instantly career-defining as Cannibal Holocaust? For Ruggero Deodato, the answer was to ape recent grindhouse attention-grabbers—most notably Wes Craven's 1972 The Last House on the Left—with The House on the Edge of the Park, a home invasion thriller that sought to align itself with Craven's debut via both its general subject matter and its shared star, David Hess. Never a master of subtlety (to put it lightly), Deodato's leaden mimicry goes a long way toward explaining why his film never made much...

The children of horror legend David Hess have updated his Facebook account to reveal the sad news that the actor has passed away. He was 69 years old. "It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all," said the statement. "David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life." Hess is best known for playing Krug Stillo in Wes Craven's "The Last House on the Left." He also starred in "House on the Edge of the Park" and re-teamed with Craven for "Swamp Thing," playing the villain. The actor most recently completed "Smash Cuts," opposite Sasha Grey.

by Seth Metoyer, MoreHorror.com

It is with a heavy heart today that we report on the death of horror genre actor David Hess.

News of the actor/musician/director's death came via Twitter, Facebook and reportedly from one of his Faccebook pages where his children are said to have posted the following statement: "It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all. David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life."

Hess, a New Yorker born in 1942, landed on the horror scene with Wes Craven's cult classic The Last House on the Left in which he portrayed the malicious killer known as "Krug." From there, he would go on to star in Swamp Thing, The House on the Edge of the Park,...

Sad and somewhat shocking news coming in this morning regarding genre favorite David Hess. Apparently the film community has lost another one of its own. Read on for details, which unfortunately are on the scant side at the moment.

David's children broke the news to fans and friends on his official Facebook page this morning, stating that the actor had passed away.

"It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all. David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life."

The cause of death was a heart attack, but no other details are available at this time. He was just 69.

Hess will forever be known as Krug Stillo, the incredibly evil villain of Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left,...

Legendary horror actor David Hess has passed away at the age of 69. Hess is best known for his roles in The Last House on the Left and House on the Edge of the Park, as well as starring in Smash Cut. Donny and I were just talking about contacting him for an interview for his Christmas slasher To All a Good Night.

The image above is a few years back at the La Weekend of Horrors, where I got a picture with David and Italian director Ruggero Deodato.

Rest in Peace.

His family updated his Facebook with the sad news:

“It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all. David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life. . . .”

Source:...

News is slamming Twitter that David Hess, best known to horror fans as "Krug Stillo" in Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, and star of House on the Edge of the Park and Swamp Thing, has passed away today. He was 69. Hess was to star in The House on the Edge of the Park Part II and Manson Rising, and more recently can be seen in Smash Cut. Hess was born in New York City. He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music, in 1957, under the pseudonym of David Hill. Full story forthcoming as details are released.

A breaking story this afternoon... David Hess has passed away at the age of 69. Word of his death came via the actor's Facebook pages where his children had written the following: ""It is with great sadness that we have said our last goodbyes to our beloved dad and friend to all. David passed away peacefully last night. The Mad Hessian lives on in his family, friends, and all of his devoted fans. Sing a song in celebration of his life." Hess, a New Yorker born in 1942, landed on the genre scene with Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left in which he played the cruel killer "Krug." From there, he would go on to star in Swamp Thing , The House on the Edge of the Park and various other baddies on television and on the big screen. The actor was...

The House on the Edge of the Park

Part II "From the director of 'Cannibal Holocaust' comes a new vision in terror!" Was anyone clamoring for a sequel to the original "The House on the Edge of the Park" , which starred David Hess, thirty years after the fact? Well at any rate director Ruggero Deodato (Cannibal Holocaust) is bringing it to us. If his work on the original or in Cannibal Holocaust is any indication of what viewers are in store for, expect plenty of stomach churning violence and lots of controversy.

This sequel focuses on surviving villain Ricky. After thirty years at the mercy of a brutal Warden in Sing Sing prison, Ricky is released and returns to the old garage in New York City. Desperate for a place to belong, he falls in with a dangerous sociopath named The Poet and his blood thirsty girlfriend Muriel.

Bits 'n Bloody Pieces is a quick look at stuff we might have missed, viral-related promotions or light newsy bites that are easy to digest. Got something weird, or a news nugget, to share that fits in with B'nBP? Send it on over to To Me Right Here . . An ad for The Walking Dead placed next to a funeral care center. Whoops. . A Canadian horror filmmaker, and Dexter -obsessed fan apparently, killed a guy , emulating the subject matter of his short horror film. . The Last House on the Left font, anyone? Two sales posters for The House on the Edge of the Park: Part II hit the web . Click on the link to see the other one. . Dahmer vs. Gacy hits DVD on May 10 from Virgil Films & Entertainment. Deep within a secret government lab, Dr....