News

Happy Saturday, everyone! Yesterday, we celebrated the brilliant independent horror released during the 2000s and many of the talented filmmakers who helped make this decade an exciting time to be a genre fan (you can read that article Here). With that in mind, I thought that it only made sense for today’s edition of Saturday Streams to focus on highlighting a bunch of great indie horror movies from the ‘00s that are currently available to stream for free on Tubi TV.

Keep in mind that this is only about one-third of the available indie horror from the 2000s, so be sure to check out Tubi’s entire kickass selection of horror offerings Here.

The House of the Devil

A college student’s babysitting gig at a creepy family’s remote Victorian mansion during a full lunar eclipse becomes a night of unspeakable terror.

The Collector

To repay a debt,...

It’s been a few years since we’ve seen the work of Jon Knautz (Goddess of Love, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, The Shrine) but now we’ve got exclusive word from the writer/director about his next project, Something Fierce! Knautz tells Dread… Continue Reading →

The post Exclusive: Jon Knautz on His Upcoming Film Something Fierce appeared first on Dread Central.

Jon Knautz’s (Goddess Of Love, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer) latest feature, Something Fierce has added Alexis Kendra (Goddess Of Love, Hatchet II), Stelio Savante (Eisenstein In Guanajuato, Jo The Medicine Runner), Rachel Alig (Coach Stage Stage Coach, Ghostline), and Elizabeth Sandy (Goddess Of Love) in lead roles.

Something Fierce sees a love-addicted woman, as a means to distract herself from an affair, befriend a cleaning lady, badly scarred by burns. She soon learns, these scars run much deeper than the surface.

Knautz is directing from his script, co-written with Alexis Kendra. Something Fierce is slated for a late July production start date.

We’re kicking off our most special day of all days with a treat from director Jon Knautz, much beloved in the horror community for films like Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, The Shrine, and his latest, Goddess of Love (review). He’s… Continue Reading →

The post Halloween Treat: Jon Knautz’s The Cleaning Lady Gets Down & Dirty appeared first on Dread Central.

You may have heard about Shudder, the new streaming service backed by AMC (yes the very AMC known for Mad Men) aimed at rabid horror movie fans. I'd only glimpsed a fraction of what the service had to offer --- until now. And I'm thoroughly impressed, I have to admit. For people like me, Halloween is every day. (Insert Ministry's titular tune here.) For more general cinephiles --- or those who want to get in on the Halloween spirit --- Shudder has an incredible array of horror films from pretty much every sub-genre that I can see. If you want to get started on your Halloween binge watching right away, persuse the Halloween section for fun films like Murder Party, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, and...

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

While there may be a serious lack of theatrical horror coming our way this Halloween season, fear not genre fans, as we have over 15 different horror and sci-fi titles making their way onto smaller screens this October, which should help take the sting off a bit. Several great films I happened to catch earlier on this year at various festivals – The Greasy Strangler, In A Valley of Violence and Under the Shadow – are all making their VOD debuts this month, and you also have the remastered version of Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm and the series final sequel, Phantasm: Ravager, to look forward to as well.

Other notable VOD releases for October 2016 include The Windmill, The Unspoken, ClownTown, Fear, Inc., Vampyres, Halloweed, and Goddess of Love from Jon Knautz (The Shrine, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer).

ClownTown (ITN Distribution) – October 4th

Clowntown tells the story of a group of friends who get...

Two of the best recent indie horror films to cross our path were Jon Knautz’s The Shrine and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, and his latest, Goddess of Love, is heading our way soon now that Terror Films has acquired North… Continue Reading →

The post Erotic Thriller Goddess of Love Lands Distro with Terror Films appeared first on Dread Central.

I’ve heard 2015 described as a bad year for horror, but that hasn’t been my experience. Between seeing a bunch of movies I really enjoyed (and will continue to enjoy for years to come) and the horror I’ve enjoyed through other outlets, I’ve been a happy genre fan this year. Here are some of my highlights:

We Are Still Here: Writer/director Ted Geoghegan’s debut feature may lack some of the nuance and technical polish of some other movies on this list, but no other horror movie has stuck with me as much this year. I love the wintery atmosphere, I love the loooong the film builds, I love the way that ghosts are depicted not as spooky things that float around and slam doors but instead are angry and vicious and have the immediacy of zombies. Most of all I love the way that...

It's been a while in coming but it's finally arrived. Our first look at writer/director John Ainslie's feature film debut The Sublet and it's definitely something to get excited about.

Ainslie is best known around these parts as the screenwriter of the wonderfully awesome Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (review) and though he's worked on a couple of other projects in the years since that wonderful bit of horror, I've anxiously been anticipating The Sublet since it was first announced. The movie stars Tianna Nori (seen earlier this year in the excellent The Demolisher ( [Continued ...]...

TwitchFilm is pleased to give you the first look at the poster for John Ainslie's upcoming chamber piece, the psychological horror flick The Sublet. The film is about to start its tour on the festival circuit so it is time to start ramping up some interest in this intense little horror flick. Black Fawn Films & Breakthrough Entertainment announce poster for The Sublettoronto, On, - After a successful run with films like Bite, Antisocial and The Drownsman, Black Fawn Films & Breakthrough Entertainment are excited to release the poster for their latest horror feature film collaboration, The Sublet.Written and directed by John Ainslie (writer of, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer) and starring Tianna Nori, (The Demolisher, Clean Break), Mark Matechuk, Krista Madison (The Dirties, Project Avalanche) and Rachel...

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

Director: Trevor Matthews. Writer: Nick Gordon. Cast: Ali Cobrin, Adam Dimarco, Slaine, Alyson Bath and Elysia Rotaru. Girl House is an effective slasher film. From one of the filmmakers of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007) and The Shrine (2010), Trevor Matthews, Girl House brings a lot of bloody murder to the small screen. Full of dark humour, this indie horror feature also updates the slasher feature, with its use of technology; Girl House is often shot unconventionally. Also, the film's central antagonist uses some of this technology to his own advantage as he violently tries to heal his perceived sexual humiliation. Girl House is an excellent slasher feature, with a fresh look at this genre. The story begins with Loverboy. Played by Slaine, Loverboy experiences sexual humiliation at an early age. Two girls insult his man parts. But, Loverboy gets his revenge on a remote bridge. Fast forward several years, Loverboy has adapted to adult life,...

Sometimes you attach an idea to a director that just takes on a life of its own. That's what's happened to me and Jon Knautz. I really enjoyed Knautz's Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (review). I remember seeing it and recall an image here and there but the movie mostly escapes me now. I have a vague memory of being intrigued by the trailer for The Shrine but I never got around to actually seeing the movie.

A large reason why Knautz has camped out in my subconscious is because he's Canadian and I have a soft spot for home grown talent and it looks like Knautz's extended stay has paid of [Continued ...]...

Jon Knautz won favor in 2008 with monster mash horror comedy debut Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and followed it up with the Euro occult thriller, The Shrine. Now, Knautz is readying his third feature, erotic horror Goddess of Love. With a presence at the currently underway Efm, the first, Nsfw trailer for the film has…

The post Trailer: Jack Brooks Director’s Psycho Sexual Goddess of Love appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Our friends over at Twitch landed themselves the first trailer for the next film from director Jon Knautz (Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, The Shrine), entitled Goddess of Love (formerly The Dark Side of Venus), and we have it for you… Continue Reading →

The post Efm 2015: Goddess of Love Explores The Dark Side of Venus appeared first on Dread Central.

After making his debut with horror-comedy hybrid Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer director Jon Knautz heads into much darker territory with his third feature, the erotic thriller Goddess Of Love.Says Knautz about this tale of a dancer turning on her lover when she suspects he's having an affair, "I wanted to make a film that puts the audience inside the mind of the insane so you could experience the story from their point of view rather than watch it from the outside. Glenn Close may seem like the 'bad guy' in Fatal Attraction but what if you experienced the film from her perspective? In her eyes she's not doing anything wrong... and that's just interesting to me. Good or bad is just an opinion of the...

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

More out of the American Film Market on the eve of its start here in Los Angeles... Lightning Entertainment is taking out The Blackout and GirlHouse, two new titles to land on our radar. These are films that are merely looking for distribution right now. They'll be touted and looking for a home at Afm.

The former is by Louis Mandylor, while GirlHouse comes courtesy of Trevor Matthews and Jon Knautz (Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer).

The Blackout stars Lymari Nadal, Costas Mandylor, Jordan Marder, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Bill Sage, Abe Benrubi, and Grant Harvey.

The post Lightning to Bring GirlHouse & The Blackout to Afm appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes release details for Out of the Dark, Travelogue of Horror, and The Hunted, a trailer for The Scribbler and The Pyramid, a look at The Walker Stalkers’s music video Talk Dead to Me, advanced screening details for L.A. Slasher, and much more:

Out of the Dark Release Details and Photos: “Vertical Entertainment and Participant Media today announced that Vertical has acquired U.S. rights to Participant’s supernatural thriller Out of the Dark, and slated the film for an early 2015 theatrical release.

Starring Julia Stiles, Scott Speedman, and Stephen Rea, Out of the Dark is a ghost story set in South America, where a young family’s new life turns from promising to terrifying when they are forced to confront ancient legends, ghosts, and a haunting family secret.

Though you may not know his name, there's a good chance you've seen and enjoyed one or both of Jon Knautz's two debut efforts. He came onto the scene in 2007 with the hilarious Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and proved he could do more than horror comedy with 2010's The Shrine.

Now, Knautz is working on a third horror flick, and he needs your help. Read on!

Knautz has just launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds needed to bring his next film to life, which is titled The Dark Side of Venus. Described as a thriller, it centers on a troubled stripped named Venus, whose life is upended in the wake of her boyfriend shacking up with another woman. Disturbed to begin with, she soon spirals into a state of maddening psychosis.

The fund runs through May 20th, and Knautz and his team are looking to raise $20,000 to...

Around these parts we're big fans of filmmaker Jon Knautz (Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, The Shrine) so when we hear of a new project that he's involved in, we're all ears... or in this case all eyes! Read on for your first word and look at The Dark Side of Venus!

Directed by Knautz and produced by Alexis Knight and Knautz from a screenplay they wrote together, The Dark Side of Venus stars Knight (pictured) along with Woody Naismith, Elizabeth Sandy, and Monda Scott.

Look for much more on this one soon!

Synopsis

An emotionally unstable woman begins a volatile descent into madness when she suspects her lover has left her for another woman.

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Show us your dark side in the comments section below!

The Morningside Monster is an upcoming horror thriller (currently in post-production) which comes from director Chris Ethridge and has quite interesting cast on board. In case you’re not so familiar with this project let’s just say that both Nicholas Brendon (Criminal Minds) and Amber Chaney (The Walking Dead) star in it. Sounds good? Sure it does, so make sure you check out the first teaser trailer and poster for the whole thing in the rest of this report!

Chris Ethridge directs the movie from a script written by Jayson Palmer, which centers on:

…the discovery of a brutally murdered corpse in the woods of the otherwise-peaceful small town of Morningside, NJ. Racing against time, Sheriff Tom Haulk and his deputy, Klara Austin, embark on a desperate journey to catch the killer, pitting them against friends, enemies and even each other.

Beside Brendon and Chaney, The Morningside Monster also stars Robert Pralgo,...

“The primary goal of Under The Scares [in which—full disclosure—this writer appeared] was to help young filmmakers make good movies without throwing their money away,” says director Steve Villeneuve. The follow-up, he explains, “will focus on the future of independent horror. In this film, I want to show how the evolution of technology has impacted the viewing experience of independent cinema, and the ability of these filmmakers to monetize their product since the 1970s.”

Already announced as part of Independent Scares are such genre veterans as Glass Eye Pix topper Larry Fessenden (pictured above), The Blair Witch Project and Lovely Molly’s Eduardo Sanchez, longtime producer/director Fred Olen Ray, Andrew van den Houten of Headspace, The Woman and others and Independent-International honcho Sam Sherman (pictured right). Villeneuve reveals to Fango that other talking heads will include Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and The Shrine director Jon Knautz, JimmyO Burril and April Monique Burril of The Chainsaw Sally Show,...

“The primary goal of Under The Scares [in which—full disclosure—this writer appeared] was to help young filmmakers make good movies without throwing their money away,” says director Steve Villeneuve. The follow-up, he explains, “will focus on the future of independent horror. In this film, I want to show how the evolution of technology has impacted the viewing experience of independent cinema, and the ability of these filmmakers to monetize their product since the 1970s.”

Already announced as part of Independent Scares are such genre veterans as Glass Eye Pix topper Larry Fessenden (pictured above), The Blair Witch Project and Lovely Molly’s Eduardo Sanchez, longtime producer/director Fred Olen Ray, Andrew van den Houten of Headspace, The Woman and others and Independent-International honcho Sam Sherman (pictured right). Villeneuve reveals to Fango that other talking heads will include Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and The Shrine director Jon Knautz, JimmyO Burril and April Monique Burril of The Chainsaw Sally Show,...

“The primary goal of Under The Scares [in which—full disclosure—this writer appeared] was to help young filmmakers make good movies without throwing their money away,” says director Steve Villeneuve. The follow-up, he explains, “will focus on the future of independent horror. In this film, I want to show how the evolution of technology has impacted the viewing experience of independent cinema, and the ability of these filmmakers to monetize their product since the 1970s.”

Already announced as part of Independent Scares are such genre veterans as Glass Eye Pix topper Larry Fessenden (pictured above), The Blair Witch Project and Lovely Molly’s Eduardo Sanchez, longtime producer/director Fred Olen Ray, Andrew van den Houten of Headspace, The Woman and others and Independent-International honcho Sam Sherman (pictured right). Villeneuve reveals to Fango that other talking heads will include Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and The Shrine director Jon Knautz, JimmyO Burril and April Monique Burril of The Chainsaw Sally Show,...

DVD Release Date: May 6, 2012

Price: DVD $29.99

Studio: Zeitgeist/KimStim

A resident of a remote village in Poland welcomes a group of American journalists in The Shrine.

The 2010 horror movie The Shrine comes to DVD after making bloody waves at L.A.ʼs ScreamFest, the Fangoria Film Festival and the Fantasia Film Festival, where it picked up an award for Best Canadian Film.

After a young American backpacker (Ben Lewis) goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists (Cindy Sampson of TV’s Supernatural, Aaron Ashmore and Meghan Heffern) link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland called Alwainia. Upon further investigation, the journalists discover that Alwainia has a history of bizarre cult activity revolving around human sacrifice. Determined to uncover the truth—language barrier notwithstanding—they travel to the village, but quickly find themselves pursued by a mysterious group set on killing them. Fighting to survive, the journalists soon...

Three journalists find themselves in danger when on the trail of a cult which just might be practising human sacrifice.

Jon Knautz's first feature, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007), may have been clunky around the edges and displayed some decidedly cheesy-looking creature costumes, but these shortcomings – all products of a very low budget – were turned into a virtue by some brilliantly deadpan performances and an hilarious script that fully embraced its B status with broad, pastiche-like humour.

Unfortunately, for his follow-up feature The Shrine, Knautz has abandoned...

Digging around in the rural lore of foreign countries rarely ends well in the horror genre, a rule that’s particularly true in Jon Knautz’s The Shrine. Thanks to Arrow Films you, too, can bow down to this monstrous effigy as we have two copies of the film on DVD to give away!

To be in with a chance of winning a copy, simply send us an E-mail Here including Your Full Name And Postal Address. We’ll take care of the rest!

Please note this contest is open to UK residents only!

From award-winning filmmaker Jon Knautz, writer-director of the cult hit horror-comedy Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, comes The Shrine, “a wonderfully eerie slice of Lovecraftian horror” (BeyondHollywood.com) that sets itself up as a traditional genre entry before brilliantly and unexpectedly pulling the rug from beneath the viewer with a killer twist.

Starring Aaron Ashmore ("Smallville", "Veronica Mars...

Here's a quick rundown of the latest giveaways and prizes up for grabs here at the Horror Asylum. First up we have 2 signed copies of the terrifying trio of horror tales 'Bordello Death Tales' on DVD. Next we have another couple of DVD's to giveaway of Jon Knautz's ('Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer') new horror 'The Shrine'. And let's not forget you can also pick one of 3 copies on Blu-ray of German horror 'Urban Explorers'. Finally we have a fantastic signed copy of artist Brian J. Orlowski's demented collection of illustrations and artwork, 'Strange Guts: American Septic'. Check out all the giveaway details and links below...

That difficult second feature from Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer director Jon Knautz slips quietly onto home video here in the UK, nearly a year after screening at Glasgow Frightfest. Marking a shift in tone, The Shrine leads us into some extremely familiar territory with a rather matter-of-fact take on occult horror. After a remarkably pedestrian first half, Knautz just about claws it back with a solidly gripping final act that may even chuck you the odd surprise for your efforts.  An irritatingly ambitious journalist (Cindy Sampson) investigates a backpacker gone missing in Poland (yep, it's those pesky Eastern Europeans again), with naïve intern (Meghan Heffern) in tow.  A narked, soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend (Aaron Ashmore) provides some muscle by tagging along too. Upon arrival in the remote rural village...

We've seen a rise in monster hunters lately. Going back to the unforgettable Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer a few years ago, we've recently had Dylan Dog: Dead of Night and of course those crazy kids over at "Death Valley." Now a new slayer of evil is looking to make a name for himself ... and he comes from a very impressive family. Gorehounds, meet Tim Helsing.

I Am Tim is currently gearing up to begin filming its third season; however, first creator Jamie McKeller is looking to get everyone caught up with Seasons 1 and 2 before he brings you Season 3 later this year. Below is a trailer for the series, compiling action from the battles Helsing has encountered thus far.

The series stars McKeller at Tim with James Rotchell, Jennifer E. Jordan, Owen Lean, Tom Cockram (…I know…) and Richard Massara. Simon P. Fisher heads up the F/X team. We've already bookmarked the official website,...

The horror-comedy. Perhaps the most difficult sub-genre of film to perfect. Most attempts at horror-comedy don't come off well. Either they're too scary without enough comedy or (more frequently) mostly humor with not enough horror. A lot of times they just come across as trying too hard and cheesy. But every once in a while a movie gets it just right. And when that happens, audiences embrace and celebrate the brilliant and elusive successful horror-comedy.

That being said, in celebration of the upcoming release of Trent Haaga's Chop, we did our best to put together a list of 10 horror-comedies (in no particular order) that we feel are the most impressive efforts in the field. Wocka, wocka, wocka!

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil (2011)

We've seen quite a few attempts at horror-comedy over the past few years, but recently none has been better than Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil. Starring Alan Tudyk...

Why Watch? A short that you’ll remember next time you go clothes shopping. The director of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer packs terror, paranoia and baseball into a few short minutes with a tale that would feel right at home in The Outer Limits or in a film starring Chuck Connors. What does it cost? Just 7 minutes of your time. 9 if you like to watch credits. Check out Still Life for yourself: Still Life (2005) Trust us. You have time for more short films.

We've been talking about indie flick The Devil's Mile for a while now around these parts, and some good news has come our way for those looking forward to it. Read on for all the details as well as the very first still!

From the Press Release

Filming has completed on The Devil’s Mile, the feature directorial debut of screenwriter Joseph O’Brien (Robocop: Prime Directives), who most recently collaborated with filmmaker and Rue Morgue founder Rodrigo Gudino on the screenplay for the Gudino-directed remake of Cutthroats Nine starring Mads Mikkelsen and Harvey Keitel.

“It’s been a wild ride,” says O’Brien of his first time in the director’s chair. “Guns, chases, vehicular manslaughter, demonically-resurrected murder victims, slashed throats and one seriously nasty mauling (the latter three courtesy of makeup FX maestro Allan Cooke). On top of all that we shot a vicious knock-down drag-out fight between...

I remember once when I was driving over the Louisiana swamps on this long bridge, I happened to notice a little house in the middle. If you stare long enough in the swamps, you’re bound to see something, even if it’s your imagination messing with you. But who would want to live there? Swamp people are weird and damn scary. It’s quaint thinking of the voodoo and gators of Louisiana, which is the jumping off point for Creature, an aptly named creature feature debut from Fred Andrews. While it doesn’t hit the insanity of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, it feels like a true student of the old Roger Corman way of things in B-movies, a notion he’s lost in the trenches of CGI and Syfy. Creature is a non-stop boobs and blood ride that creature feature fanatics will love.

The nature of modern creature features...

One might expect the follow-up from the writer/director of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer to come out with "more of the same" for his sophomore effort. Brooks did pretty well for itself on the festival circuit a few years back, so Jon Knautz might have been forgiven if he'd turned out a sequel for his second feature. But nope! The Shrine is true-blue horror all the way, and if it struggles a bit in Act I (and leaves an unsavory taste in your mouth overall; more on that in a minute), the flick benefits from a progressively creepy tone, a few strong performances, and a halfway-decent reason for getting three young idiots stuck in the woods with some lunatics. The reason is this: Carmen (Cindy Sampson) is a hungry young...

Let’s face it horror fans: we want and rarely get classic rubber monster movies now days. CG has changed the game, but for the better? Occasionally, we get some glimmer of hope in films like Dylan Dog: Dead of Night and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, and maybe in the upcoming prequel The Thing, but our wishes will soon be granted by director Fred Andrews in his debut, Creature.

In the back country of Louisiana, a group of friends unearth a terrible secret that unleashes a monster from the depths of the swamp.

Starring Sig Haig (The Devil’s Rejects), Daniel Bernhardt (Bloodsport 2), Serinda Swan, Mehcad Brooks, and Rebekah Kennedy (Season of the Witch), Creature is arriving in theaters soon, and Killer Film catches up with director Fred Andrews for a chat about the film, the monster, and making an icon.

Jon: In 2009, you started working on a graphic novel called Blood is Blood,...

Question: What does Metal Gear Solid's lead character Solid Snake have in common with Watchmen and the first two X-Men films? That's a real head scratcher, isn't it? The answer is David Hayter.

Not only does this renaissance man provide the distinctive voice for Solid Snake but he also wrote the screenplay for Watchmen and both X-Men films mentioned above. That alone is a pretty nice resume, considering the successes of the films and the fact that Hayter has voiced Solid Snake in about a dozen video games. However, Hayter also has a love of acting. And he'll get a chance to display his chops in the upcoming chiller The Devil's Mile.

Screenwriter Joseph O'Brien will be taking on the role of director for the film, helming his first feature. Maria Del Mar and Casey Hudecki co-star. Research has shown neither Del Mar or Hudecki have voiced any video game characters,...

The Film:

The Italian comic series created by Tiziano Sclavi received an adaptation once before in the last great Italian film, Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man) in 1994. Although it was a loose translation, director Michele Soavi’s film is a wonder. It’s creepy, sexy, and darkly humorous, a rare blend of genre-bending that horror fans have properly applauded. While Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is a more strict adaptation of the comic, and is tonally different than Dellamorte Dellmore, but that doesn’t make it a lesser attempt, just a rather different one.

While it has a feeling of being rather small scale in scope, comparisons will happen and Dylan Dog is no Dellamorte Dellmore. Of course the most glaring omission is the lack of Anna Falchi’s amazingly perfect huge breasts, Dylan Dog doesn’t strike that surreal cord, but comes off as a creature feature in the...

By now Im certain plenty of you Bidites have realized Im a massive supporter of Jon Knautz. I believe this man is one of the genres future stars, and Im not the least bit timid in saying so. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer was wonderfully raucous, and now I can attest to the quality of Knautzs latest effort, The Shrine. The film begins a bit on the slow side, as were introduced to our key players, and learn of their intentions to investigate…...

A cult hit on DVD, the 2008 horror/comedy Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer endeared up-and-coming genre director Jon Knautz to many in the horror community, and fans have been eagerly anticipating his next film. While many were of course hoping it would be a Jack Brooks sequel (which is still toiling in development hell, according to Knautz), it's instead turned out to be a shockingly straight-forward occult horror movie entitled The Shrine, about an overeager American journalist and her two companions who run afoul of the citizens of a bizarre Polish village while investigating a series of strange disappearances. Recently I hopped on the phone with Knautz to speak about the film, and we managed to cover a lot of ground, including a discussion about the movie's classical slow-burn approach, his decision to use only practical makeup effects...

If you missed The Shrines festival run, fret not, youve now got a chance to screen the film from the comfort of your own home: the feature arrived today via Comcasts On Demand outlet. Jon Knautzs second feature length film has already garnered massive critical praise, and given the quality offering that was Knautzs first effort, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, The Shrine is unlikely to disappoint. The film focuses on a small crew of journal…...

The boys behind Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer are back with more horror goodies as IFC Midnight will release The Shrine, a new horror film with a pretty fantastic supernatural twist that recently won the award for Best Canadian Feature at the Fantasia Film Festival. The Jon Knautz-directed pic debuts on demand from IFC Midnight, via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting July 15! Inside you'll find an insane exclusive clip that takes you to the dungeon where a sacrifice gets underway. This film has some truly shocking moments and I highly recommend checking it out. "After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland. They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel the secrets behind this mysterious village..."...

We've been anxiously awaiting Jon Knautz’s next genre effort ever since having the opportunity to check out his 2008 horror comedy Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer. It seems that the wait is finally over for us as well as legions of other fans as Knautz’s latest, The Shrine, is set to hit VOD platforms tomorrow (July 15).

Recently Dread Central had the opportunity to talk with writer/director Knautz about his creepy and unsettling flick The Shrine (review here) as well as find out what’s next on his plate for directing projects, including when all of us Jack Brooks fans will get another taste of the reluctant hero who traded in battling clogged drains for battling evil demons.

For Knautz moving away from the realm of horror comedies was an absolute when he first started putting The Shrine together following the release of Jack Brooks. “It was absolutely intentional on...

Writer/director Jon Knautz has returned to the genre after a three plus year absence. On deck for this talented filmmaker who first gained major notoriety with the sleeper indie gem, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, is a tale of ambitious journalists who find themselves tangled up with a human-sacrificing cult, branded The Shrine. There is some noteworthy talent in front of the cameras, as Aaron Ashmore (The Skulls II, The Thaw), Ben Lewis (Stir of…...

The first trailer for Monster Brawl has landed and it truly made my morning. Not only does it feature some truly impressive makeup work, but if you're a fan of famous monster movies and/or pro-wrestling, it also brings some laughs.

Synopsis:

Set in the tradition of a Pay-Per-View main event, comes a grotesque and hilarious fight to the death featuring a cast of eight classic combatants in all. Along with their colorful managers, these Monsters compete in visceral bloody combat in the ring to determine the most powerful monster of all time.

Monster Brawl stars comedian Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, Despicable Me), wrestling icons Jimmy Hart - The Mouth of the South, Kevin Nash, revered Mma referee Herb Dean, Robert Maillet (300, Sherlock Holmes, The Immortals), Art Hindle (Porky's, Black Christmas) and the voice of horror legend and Call of Duty narrator Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Terminator).

Regardless of...

Anybody who's a fan of the film Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, might possibly dig on this next flick which shares the same director, Jon Knautz. The Shrine, which I'm told is pretty good, stars Trevor Matthews, Meghan Heffern, Aaron Ashmore, and Cindy Sampson. Look for it to make it's debut on demand starting July 15th from IFC Midnight via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House. Check out this new trailer which was just releas…...

IFC Midnight has picked up Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer‘s director Jon Knautz’s latest in The Shrine (read our extremely positive review here) for July 15th on VOD, with a small theatrical release coming.

After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland called Alvaina. Upon further investigation, the journalists discover that Alvaina has a history of bizarre cult activity revolving around human sacrifice. Hellbent on discovering the truth, they travel to the small village but quickly find themselves pursued by a mysterious group set on killing them. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists soon discover that Alvaina hides a much darker secret than they could ever imagine.

Source: Dread Central...

We've been looking forward to the next film from the director of Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, known as The Shrine, for a long while now, and finally we have a release date and some new eye candy for you!

Be sure to check out the flick when it debuts on demand from IFC Midnight via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting July 15th!

Trevor Matthews stars along with Meghan Heffern, Aaron Ashmore, and Cindy Sampson in The Shrine (review here).

Synopsis:

After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland called Alvaina. Upon further investigation, the journalists discover that Alvaina has a history of bizarre cult activity revolving around human sacrifice. Hellbent on discovering the truth, they travel to the small village but quickly find themselves pursued by a mysterious group set on killing them.

I’m curious about Jon Knautz’s 2010 horror flick “The Shrine”, his follow-up to 2007′s surprisingly entertaining splatter/horror comedy “Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer”. The film stars Cindy Sampson of “Supernatural” fame, so that’s a plus. IFC Midnight has the film set to debut on demand via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting July 15th. Take a gander at the new trailer and a poster below. After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland. They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel the secrets behind this mysterious village, they are suddenly pursued by hostile locals. Unable to escape, they soon become the next victims of ritualistic human sacrifice. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists will discover that this village hides a much darker...

The boys behind Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer are back with more horror goodies as IFC Midnight will release The Shrine, a new horror film with a pretty fantastic supernatural twist that recently won the award for Best Canadian Feature at the Fantasia Film Festival. The Jon Knautz-directed pic debuts on demand from IFC Midnight, via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House starting July 15! "After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland. They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel the secrets behind this mysterious village, they are suddenly pursued by hostile locals. Unable to escape, they soon become the next victims of ritualistic human sacrifice. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists will discover that this village hides a much darker secret than...."...

IFC is importing the Canadian thriller The Shrine and it's debuting on VOD July 15. Directed by Jon Knautz ( Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer ), the film stars Aaron Ashmore, Trevor Matthews, Cindy Sampson and Megan Heffern. Synopsis: After a young American backpacker goes missing in Europe, a group of journalists link his disappearance to a remote village in Poland. They travel there hoping to get the story, but as they unravel the secrets behind this mysterious village, they are suddenly pursued by hostile locals. Unable to escape, they soon become the next victims of ritualistic human sacrifice. Forced into the gruesome reality of true survival horror, the journalists will discover that this village hides a much darker secret than they could ever imagine.