News

This article contains spoilers for "Terrifier 3."

Damian Leone's "Terrifier" movies may be the most improbable slasher franchise of all time. On the surface, a string of films based around the homicidal hijinks of Art the Clown, a slovenly man in a baggy clown suit, sounds like par for the viscera-shredding course, but Leone and his merry ban of fiends have imbued their now three-film saga with a pure love for splatter f/x and a deepening narrative lore that's daringly unrushed. Think two-hours-plus is too long for a slasher film? The growing legion of "Terrifier" devotees declare otherwise.

The magic, so to speak, of the "Terrifier" movies is their ability to hit Jörg Buttgereit levels of gore without provoking mass walkouts. Obviously, the sight of Art (David Howard Thornton) carving up a victim while his female sidekick (and one-time victim) Vicky pleasures herself to spewing completion is going to get some folks tapping out,...

Some films are so disgusting, repellent, violent, prurient, or tasteless that audiences find themselves unable to easily define them.

Films like Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom," Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist," Gaspar Noë's "Irreversible," Ruggerio Deodato's "Cannibal Holocaust," Takashi Miike's "Ichi the Killer," Tom Six's "The Human Centipede" trilogy, or even John Waters' "Pink Flamingos" are all brazenly confrontational films, each seemingly intended not to draw the audience in, but send the audience out. To keep viewers repelled and disgusted. One might argue that such "extreme" cinema seeks not merely to elicit a visceral response from an audience -- as, say, a mid-2000s torture porn film may do -- but to move them to a level of disgust so intense that they cannot help but push their mind into the realm of politics and philosophy.

To state a broad point: "Extreme" horror,...

Accomplished screenwriter and avid movie watcher, Daniel Waters breaks down his ‘Best of the Best of 2021’ list with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Drive My Car (2021)

A History of Violence (2005)

Larry Crowne (2011)

The Vanishing (1988)

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Gerry (2002)

Swept Away (1974)

Swept Away (2002)

The Tender Bar (2021)

Riders Of Justice (2021)

Another Round (2020)

The Worst Person In The World (2021)

Pig (2021)

Dune (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dune (2021)

Fifty Shades Freed (2018)

Den of Thieves (2018)

Copshop (2021)

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary

Magnum Force (1973) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

The Driver (1978)

Memoria (2021)

Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Old Henry (2021)

The Village (2004)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

Annette (2021)

Titane (2021)

Zola (2021)

The Killing of Two Lovers (2021)

Who You Think I Am (2021)

Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar (2021)

Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy...

Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman takes hosts Joe Dante and Josh Olson on a journey through some of his favorite cinematic tonal shifts.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Thank You For Smoking (2006)

Up In The Air (2009)

Juno (2007)

Young Adult (2011)

Citizen Kane (1941) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Seven Samurai (1954) Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Rififi (1955)

Titane (2021)

Cannibal Girls (1973)

Raw (2016)

Hellraiser (1987)

A Serbian Film (2010)

Cast Away (2000)

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Downhill Racer (1968) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Breaking Away (1979)

Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975)

Psycho (1960) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Psycho (1998) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

Last Night In Soho (2021)

Funny Games (1997)

Funny Games (2008)

The Piano Teacher (2001) – Charlie Largent’s Criterion Blu-ray

I, The Jury (1982)

Mother! (2017)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Tully (2018)

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s 4K Blu-ray review, Tfh’s 30th anniversary links...

A special two-part episode. From the movie Werewolves Within, director Josh Ruben discusses a few of his favorite movies. Then, Werewolves Within writer Mishna Wolff plays a game of “find the woman” in some of her favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode Josh Ruben:

Werewolves Within (2021)

Werewolves On Wheels (1971) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Wrath of Man (2021)

Trapped Ashes (2006)

The ’Burbs (1989) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

The Fly (1986)

To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable Story of Brother Theodore (2007)

Road To Perdition (2002)

Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985)

Nightmare On Elm Street Part III: Dream Warriors (1987)

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Grease (1978)

Honey I Blew Up The Kid (1992)

Big Top Pee-Wee (1988)

A History of Violence (2005)

The Dead (1987)

The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

Irreversible (2002)

Hunter Hunter (2020)

Man Bites Dog (1992)

The Human Centipede: The First Sequence (2009)

A Serbian Film (2010)

Planes Trains And Automobiles (1987)

Lost In Translation (2003)

JFK (1991)

Home Alone (1990)

The Second Civil War (1997) – Glenn...

Albert Hughes takes us on a wild journey through the movies that made him, then explains why he’s not a cinephile (Spoiler: He is). Heads up – you’re going to hear some words you’ve never heard on our show before, and only one of them is Metropolis.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Gremlins (1984)

A Christmas Story (1983)

The Candidate (1972)

Menace II Society (1993)

Die Hard (1988)

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Scarface (1983)

Goodfellas (1990)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Raging Bull (1980)

Taxi Driver (1976)

Alpha (2018)

Battleship Potemkin (1925)

Metropolis (1927)

True Romance (1993)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

The Matrix (1999)

Man Bites Dog (1992)

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)

A Serbian Film (2010)

Scarface (1932)

The Book of Eli (2010)

The Departed (2006)

Infernal Affairs (2002)

The Godfather (1972)

Casino (1995)

JFK (1991)

Dead Presidents (1996)

Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Basic Instinct (1992)

Psycho (1960)

The Cremator (1969)

The Firemen’s Ball (1967)

Halloween (2018)

From Hell (2001)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Hoffa (1992)

V For Vendetta (2005)

Spartacus (1960)

You Were Never Really Here...

London-based specialty title outfit Jinga Films has launched a new distribution arm, Danse Macabre. Operating under the Jinga umbrella, Danse Macabre will focus on the distribution of horror films in Anglophone territories, including the U.K., Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Danse Macabre will also act as a horror sales sub-label within Jinga Films while the parent company Jinga itself expands to include a wider range of genres, including arthouse. The label is co-owned by Jinga’s Julian Richards and Rosana Coutinho.

The 2020 slate for Danse Macabre includes “Antrum” and “The Ringmaster” that will have theatrical releases alongside their home entertainment release on Oct. 26 and Nov. 16 respectively. “Gags the Clown” (Oct. 5), “Purgatory Road” (Nov. 2) and “All the Creatures Were Stirring” (Nov. 23) will be released across DVD and digital.

Marketing and communications agency Strike Media will be working with Danse Macabre across their titles.

“Danse Macabre will be the home for horror,...

Movie controversies began the 2010s on a volatile note with the release of “A Serbian Film,” in which baby pornography is a plot point no one should ever have to experience. The decade ended with “Joker,” the Warner Bros. revisionist comic book drama that sparked a worldwide conversation about the capacity of films to encourage and incite violence among audience members. To the shock of nobody, the years in between were full of movie uproar over un-simulated sex scenes, whitewashing, blackface, and more. In a decade defined by the rise of social media, one thing became clear: Studios were being held accountable more vigorously for irresponsible content, polarizing talent hires, and so much more.

Below is a list of the 20 most controversial films of the 2010s. The films have been listed in alphabetical order.

More from IndieWireOscars 2020: Best Original Score PredictionsOscars 2020: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions'Joker,' 'Once...

Stars: Machine Gun Kelly, Douglas Booth, Daniel Webber, Iwan Rheon, Alyssa Marie Stilwell, Matthew Underwood, Kathryn Morris, Vince Mattis, Courtney Dietz | Written by Amanda Adelson, Rich Wilkes | Directed by Jeff Tremaine

The Dirt, directed by Jackass alumni Jeff Tremaine, is your ultra-conventional biopic that charts the rise, fall and ultimately rise again of cult status glam rock band Mötley Crüe. Tremaine’s film and his first outside of the realm of directing Knoxville and the likes starts as it means to go on, with poorly injected energy, a terrible introductory voiceover and deeply troubling misogynistic undertones.

If you can make it through the ten introductory minutes of The Dirt you can probably achieve anything in life. I’m serious when I say that if it doesn’t turn your stomach or make you blush, feel free to dive into A Serbian Film, In the Realm of the Senses or any...

Stars: Catalina Martin, Macarena Carrere, Ximena del Solar, Dominga Bofill, Daniel Antivilo, Eduardo Paxeco, Felipe Ríos, Claudio Riveros, Florencia Heredia | Written and Directed by Lucio A. Rojas

I was lucky enough to watch a debut screening of Trauma at the inaugural Soho Horror Film festival, where the crowd were already hyped for this harrowing, messed up piece, and it did not disappoint. Fair comparisons can be made to the likes of A Serbian Film, Martyrs and Hate Crime, relentlessly uncomfortable and chilling in its execution.

When a party of four female friends head to a cabin in rural Chile, stumbling along the hostile locals along the way, they soon learn that their modern, independent ways are not welcome. After settling into their home for the weekend, they are set upon by a maniac Father and Son duo, and subjected to a life changing evening, forever scarring them. Escaping the clutches of the pair,...

There are certain horror movies that contain a single scene that out-does the rest in terms of shock and/or depravity; when discussing such examples, people need only say “That Scene” to get nods of immediate recognition. Examples include A Serbian Film, Hereditary, Antichrist. Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez and released in 2016, is another […]

The post Fede Alvarez’s Don’T Breathe-Themed Thanksgiving Tweet Makes Us Glad We Didn’t Eat at His House! appeared first on Dread Central.

Director Stephen Biro and Jason Koch are co-directing along with Srdjan Spasojevic producing along side Unearthed Films, Contra Films and Dire Wit Films. A Serbian Documentary will take an exclusive look at “Srpski Film” aka A Serbian Film and the world wide reactions of one of the most talked about, controversial films of the last decade. …

The post Now in Production, “A Serbian Documentary” first appeared on Hnn | Horrornews.net 2017 - Official Horror News Site...

By Seth Metoyer

MoreHorror.com

Unearthed Films and Contra Films are now in production on A Serbian Documentary. Fans of the controversial film A Serbian Film will definitely be all about this one.

Check out the official details below and keep checking back to MoreHorror for more details about this project as they become available.

From The Press Release

Director Stephen Biro and Jason Koch are co-directing along with Srdjan Spasojevic producing along side Unearthed Films, Contra Films and Dire Wit Films.

A Serbian Documentary will take an exclusive look at “Srpski Film” aka A Serbian Film and the world wide reactions of one of the most talked about, controversial films of the last decade. A Serbian Film has been banned and censored and has even had legal charges brought against film festival promoters just for showing it. With over 60 hours of behind the scenes footage that has never been seen before.

Now in production from Unearthed Films and Contra Films comes A Serbian Documentary, which will take an exclusive look at “Srpski Film” aka A Serbian Film and the world wide reactions of one of the most talked about, controversial films of the last decade – a film which has been banned, censored, and has even had legal charges brought against film festival promoters just for showing it!

Director Stephen Biro and Jason Koch are co-directing along with Srdjan Spasojevic producing along side Unearthed Films, Contra Films and Dire Wit Films. With over 60 hours of behind the scenes footage that has never been seen before, A Serbian Documentary will give the fans, the ultimate exploration of one of the most talked about films in horror history.

This in-depth documentary will have exclusive interviews with the actors, crew members, writers and of course, Sdjan Spasojevic, Director of A Serbian Film; celebrity interviews of...

Bosses behind controversial new horror movie A Serbian Film have been forced back to the editing suite to remove a number of gory scenes in a bid to secure a release in Britain.

The dark new thriller, directed by Srdjan Spasojevic, tells the story of a washed-up porn star who is unwittingly drafted into a snuff movie, and it has already provoked outrage across Europe.

The picture was banned from a film festival in Spain earlier this month, while U.K. officials stopped a planned screening at London's recent Frightfest movie event.

Executives at the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) objected to the level of sex and violence shown onscreen and demanded a number of scenes be removed.

A BBFC spokeswoman says, "A number of cuts were required to remove elements of sexual violence that tend to eroticise or endorse sexual violence."

Over four minutes of footage has been cut and the film is now set for a December release.

A spokesman for the film's distribution company, Revolver Entertainment, says, "Revolver remain committed to releasing the closest possible version of the film to the director's original cut. The company recognises that the film is an uncompromising, artistic and political statement from a unique film-making vision and remains fully supportive to (sic) the director."...

Martyrs. Hostel. Faces of Death. Those are just a few of the titles that Srdjan Spasojevic's A Serbian Film or Srpski Film is being compared to but not just in the sense of plot or something to that effect. This flick is being touted as one that's more shocking than any of those films put together. Can it live up to that kind of hype? Some exclusive images have popped online. Dig them and judge for yourself.

A Serbian Film will soon be making its debut at this year's Fantasia Film Festival, which will take place in Montreal July 8–27, 2010. More information can be found at FantasiaFestival.com.

“The voices emerging from the new wave of independent Serbian cinema are some of the rawest and most daring of any we’ve ever encountered,” said Fantasia co-director Mitch Davis in an earlier interview. “This is smart, confrontational filmmaking with astounding elements of shock,...

During the introduction to SXSW's world premiere of Serbian Film (a/k/a Srpski Film)—quite easily the sickest, most depraved film I've ever had the pleasure (okay, that's grossly inaccurate, but it also wasn't entirely a displeasure) to see on a big screen—Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League suggested a piece of cinema this extreme demanded the most extreme tequila shot ever consumed. League, myself and four others got on stage, snorted a line of salt (the agony!), slammed a shot, then squeezed a fresh lime into our eyeballs (the horror!), quite easily the dumbest bet I've agreed to since my twenties. From the official SXSW synopsis:

Milosh, a retired porn star, leads a normal family life with his wife Maria and six-year old son Petar in tumultuous Serbia, trying to make ends meet. A sudden call from his former colleague Layla will change everything. She introduces Milosh to Vukmir—mysterious,...

Though Montreal's Fantasia Festival normally waits another month or two before announcing any titles this year they're jumping to it early with an announcement of their first spotlight program. And get ready because they're bringing A Serbian Film to Canada and it's bringing along some friends ... read on!

A Serbian Film to have its Canadian Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival as part of scorching "Subversive Serbia" spotlight.

March 9, 2010

The Fantasia Film Festival has announced a first slice of programming for its 2010 event. Subversive Serbia: a spotlight on the blistering new wave of confrontational  and edgy Serbian cinema.

At this early stage, the festival can announce only an initial trio of titles: Srdjan Spasojevic's A Serbian Film (Srpski Film), which is about to have its North American premiere at SXSW, Mladen Djordjevic's  Raindance hit The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang (Zivot i smrt porno bande) and,...

The Fantasia Film Festival has announced the first slice of programming for its 2010 event. Subversive Serbia: a spotlight on the blistering new wave of confrontational and edgy Serbian cinema. One of the first titles announced is Srdjan Spasojevic's controversial flick A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) which is having its world premiere at SXSW next week. Hit the jump for a sneak peek at what else the 2010 Fantasia Film Festival has in store for you. In addition to A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) , Mladen Djordjevic's  Raindance hit The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (Zivot i smrt porno bande) and, making its long awaited Montreal debut, Uros Stojanovic's Tears for Sale...

The first sliver of programming news came in today for the 2010 Fantasia Film Festival, and as always Canada's premier festival looks to deliver a heaping helping of the kind of flicks we love to watch!

From the Press Release

The Fantasia Film Festival has announced a first slice of programming for its 2010 event, Subversive Serbia: a spotlight on the blistering new wave of confrontational and edgy Serbian cinema.

At this early stage the festival can announce only an initial trio of titles: Srdjan Spasojevic’s A Serbian Film (Srpski Film), which is about to have its world premiere at SXSW, Mladen Djordjevic’s Raindance hit The Life And Death Of A Porno Gang (Zivot i smrt porno bande) and, making its long awaited Montreal debut, Uros Stojanovic’s Tears For Sale (Carlston za ognjenku), an adored selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, co-written by A Serbian Film screenwriter Aleksandar Radivojevic.

SXFantastic! SXSW 2010 presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight!

Austin, Texas - February 4, 2010 – The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced the complete features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 12 – 20, 2010 in Austin, Texas.

Over the course of nine days, 119 features will screen at the festival, with 55 of those having their world premieres at SXSW 2010.

For the second year in a row, Fantastic Fest has selected a slate of midnight features as part of the official SXSW Lineup. You can see these films and more with a SXSW film badge. SXSW film badges are on sale at www.sxsw.com/attend.

Mind-bending international Midnighters, hand-selected by Fantastic Fest.

Films screening in Sx Fantastic are:

Higanjima (Japan/Korea)

(International Festival Premiere)

Director: Tae-Kyun Kim.

Screenwriter: Tetsuya Ôishi

Two years after losing contact, Akira discovers that his long-lost brother may be found on

Higanjima Island. He may also find an army of blood-sucking vampires.

Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.

With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.

Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.

Check out the full list...

I was so excited at seeing the SXSW line up last night that I completely forgot to post it and started searching the interwebs for cool content to go with it. Oops. Yes, I wish I was there but alas, it wasn’t mean to be (though don’t despair. We’ll be bringing you wicked awesome coverage).

But enough rambling, you want to know what’s all playing. Well, for a start there’s the much anticipated McGruber (trailer), the Duplass’ semi-mainstream comedy Cyrus, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs (trailer, review), Daniel Stamm’s horror flick Cotton and that’s on top of the previously announced titles which include Electra Luxx (Carla Gugino as a pregnant porn star? Bring. It. On.) and Kick-Ass (trailer). That’s already a great line-up but dear me, some of the other titles are pretty awesome too.

There’s Clay Liford scifi drama Earthling (trailer...

Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.

This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.

For more on...

The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.

Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).

Headliners

Big names, big talent:  Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...