There are times when slashers can fail to entice even the most hardcore of slasher fans. It doesn’t matter whether they’ve got a huge budget or a small budget. And it’s unfortunate that “Red Rabbit Lodge” (2026), directed by Kevin Khachan, is a choppy attempt at an homage to the deliberately trashy slasher masterpieces of the ‘80s.  This Australian horror movie is available digitally on April 13th, and we’re going to dive into this messy pool to talk about it. 

What’s It About?

A group of women moves into a place called the Red Rabbit Lodge, a house that lodges students for a period of time. Only for them to realize that the house has a disturbing history, and a relentless serial killer living there.

What Happens, And Is It Any Good? 

The film opens with a flashback that features what one might say is similar to bad adult film star acting. A young woman has her home broken into, and she ends up raped and severely beaten before the masked man flees the scene. After a bizarre opening credits sequence featuring innards being stuffed into a doll, we switch to dealing with our main cast of characters. In the present day, we meet an elderly woman who, according to Miss Victoria (Cate Feldmann), is facing potential foreclosure on her home. And she must lease out her home to students once again, despite her reluctance after an incident that occurred in her home before. It’s abundantly clear that Miss Victoria is a very particular woman, and that’ll be a problem when several rebellious women show up to stay in the house. 

There have been several slashers where a killer is either residing in said home or is intruding and is mostly picking off women or girls, one by one. For example: “Black Christmas” (1974), “The House on Sorority Row” (1982), or “The Slumber Party Massacre” (1982). It’s not an original concept in the slightest at this point, but it can be done in a way that’s endearing for slasher fans. Unfortunately, in the case of “Red Rabbit Lodge”, it’s anything but that. Much like with any subgenre, slashers can disappoint even the most dedicated fans in the horror world. “Red Rabbit Lodge” doesn’t come across as a film that was thoroughly thought out on a script level. It mashes so many clichés and tropes together and fails to properly execute any of them.

Despite a common assumption, slashers aren’t all flat with nothing but terrible characters who are picked off until, usually, the final girl is left standing. Slashers are capable of being subversive, or at least a fun watch. Though it’s almost as if “Red Rabbit Lodge” has no idea what it wants to be. Including how capable its main character, Abigail Mason (Rachel Myskiv), is as a final girl. Rather than taking the time to flesh her out, we’re left to question who she is and left trying to fill in gaps for her as a character that should be inherent to the film. The other characters we meet in the film are either forgettable or deeply unlikable. This is especially glaring as the vast majority of the film is spent on the group just hanging out, flirting with unlikable men, and later ending up at a day party. Given that we spend so much time with these characters, the lack of development is more noticeable. And for what it’s worth, the kills aren’t much to write home about, thus missing a massive opportunity to delight slasher fans with the most basic requirement, decent deaths.

“Red Rabbit Lodge” reveals in the back half of the film that the flashback was from 20 years ago, who the woman was related to, and the result of the rape she endured. It’s a plotline that feels heavier than what the film is willing to unpack. And a matter of questioning why anyone thought the twist would be good in the first place. As a whole, the third act is somewhat confusing because of the scene cuts, and Abigail isn’t going down as a great final girl. Nor will the killer be remembered for anything other than their weird mask choice and a lack of a proper face reveal. And the ending teases something that’ll likely never come. But if nothing else, the unabashed nudity and the very minimal campy moments might make folks feel a little less bored. 

Verdict

“Red Rabbit Lodge” attempts to summon slasher vibes from ‘80s slashers and isn’t all that successful, aside from occasional nudity and unlikable leads. If you’re hoping for a novel slasher that doesn’t lean into tropes, you may very well find yourself disappointed with “Red Rabbit Lodge”. 

“Red Rabbit Lodge” is on digital 13 April from Seven Tales in the UK.

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Public access television and the now (sadly) defunct Corporation for Public Broadcasting were the home of DIY television. While the latter was more akin to a traditional entertainment studio, the former was essentially the first version of YouTube before the rise of home internet. Public access television was where anyone with the time, enthusiasm, and dedication could carve out a small niche for themselves in their local market doing anything from running a classic talkshow-style interview program to teachable lessons in skill transference. Folks old enough will remember the iconic, Bob Ross. A former air force veteran who made a name for himself on his PBS show, “The Joy of Painting.” What Ross excelled at was showing the beauty of the artistic process, while breaking down traditional learning barriers so that every viewer could enjoy the titular joys of art.

In 2026, we don’t have Bob Ross. In fact, few, if any, shows on major television networks highlight DIY programming, at least the kind that doesn’t require a budget and a production crew. At the same time, technology is attempting to commoditize art into an algorithmic solution that is void of any human effort aside from creating a word-based prompt. It’s in times like these, when art is under attack, that the world needs a hero. That hero is Skinner, a Bay Area artist who is the star of “Art Show! With Captain Skinner.”

Skinner and his production partner/director/editor Allen Cordell were kind enough to speak with us about the effort that goes into making something like “Art Show!,” and how intense the editing process is for something as sensory exploding at “Art Show!.” New episodes of “Art Show!” are appearing weekly on both Etch’s YouTube and Substack pages.

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There’s a rich history of successful buddy comedies that work incredibly well because of the natural chemistry between the leads or the polar opposite dynamic between the two, or, frequently, both. “Dumb and Dumber,” “Bridesmaids,” and “The Nice Guys” come to mind for the former, and films like “Midnight Run,” “Lethal Weapon,” and every single “Abbott and Costello” come to mind for the latter. In the realm of horror, we’ve been treated to fantastic films like “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” and the Joe Dante classic “The Burbs,” to name just two. It’s a rich tapestry to work from, and if done correctly, can be incredibly fun. Gille Klabin (“The Wave’) tries his best with his new film, “Weekend at the End of the World,” and quite literally throws everything against the wall, but despite some lively visuals, a stellar supporting cast, and a novel idea for a movie, it’s all a bit of a mess. The leads never get out of first gear, leaving them permanently stuck in “annoying” for the duration of the film. It’s a heartbreaking mix of unfulfilled potential that leaves the audience with an idea of what could have been, but sadly, is not present onscreen.

SYNOPSIS:

When Karl’s girlfriend rejects his proposal and shatters his dreams of happily ever after, his childhood friend Miles takes him away to his Meemaw’s cabin to regroup, come together, and help flip it before the property bubble bursts. The cabin and the once deceased Meemaw have different plans, however, and Miles and Karl are forced to face both their metaphorical and very real demons. After opening a portal to The Allness (the realm between realities), a weakened Meemaw guides our heroes through various trials as they help her gain the strength she needs to close the portal forever and save our world.

THE BREAKDOWN:

“Weekend at the End of the World” is incredibly frustrating because there’s style for days onscreen. We loved the purposefully janky special effects that work with the film, not against it. We loved the beautiful pink/purple color scheme of the supernatural shenanigans. It reminded us of 2019’s “Color Out of Space” and the phenomenal indie gem, “Time Travel is Dangerous” from 2024. We’re seeing this color scheme become something of a mainstay in cosmic horror, and we’re here to tell you we’re absolutely okay with it. The editing for the film is tight and kinetic, kudos to Lana Wolverton for that, and Aaron Grasso does the most he can with the cinematography. We liked the shot composition, especially the rapid-fire close-ups. The technical aspects are on point and really come together to make the most of this indie feature. Where things come off the rails has everything to do with the script.

For a buddy comedy to work, even one in the horror genre, there has to be a semblance of likability for the leads. Lloyd and Harry in “Dumb and Dumber” are genuine morons, but they’re sincere in their naivety. Tucker and Dale are just two put-upon good ol’ boys caught up in a never-ending cascade of lethal misinterpretations, but they’re inherently likable, and you’re always on their side. Carl (Clay Elliot) and Miles (Cameron Fife) begin as two shallow dude bros and never evolve beyond that. They both have character arcs that should show empathy, understanding, and eventual growth, but we never come close to getting there. It’s not the fault of the actors. Elliot and Fife have real chemistry and are believable as friends with history. They work. What doesn’t work are the words they’re made to say, or the choices made on how to say them. We never get beyond the dude-bro of it all. Add to this a tonal shift in the second and third acts that slows the action down, killing the momentum Klabin had built in the first act.

The most egregious mistake the filmmaker commits is having a genre superstar like Thomas Lennon (“Reno 911”) on board, only to make him essentially mute for two-thirds of the film. Lennon does the most with the role of Harry the weird neighbor, and is easily the best part of the film, but we’re still scratching our heads over sidelining such a comedy powerhouse. Bizarre choice. Troian Bellisario (“Pretty Little Liars”) is game as “MeeMaw,” but she doesn’t have much more to do than set up stakes and provide exposition for the leads.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Not to belabor the point, but “Weekend at the End of the World” is one missed opportunity after another. The script is half-baked and needs a few more passes to flesh out the leads and give them a proper arc, and what we’re left with are half measures that never fully land, leaving the viewer with a feeling of “what was this all for?” The fact that there’s so much onscreen that worked made us a bit frustrated that the writing couldn’t rise to the level of the filmmaking. 

“Weekend at the End of the World” will be released digitally on April 20th, 2026.

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It’s unfortunate and true that people often shrug off extreme horror as a subgenre that has nothing to say, only aims to gross people out, and that there’s something inherently off about those who enjoy consuming extreme horror. For those who aren’t as privy to the subgenre, extreme horror is a controversial subgenre that often features graphic and or sexual violence, transgression, taboo content, and is meant to make you uncomfortable as a whole. In terms of literature, splatterpunk is occasionally used interchangeably (though some folks have differing definitions, and that’s alright). Regardless, extreme horror media is meant to push people’s boundaries visually and or narratively. 

“Reflections of Extremity” is a column where I’ll be digging into and analyzing extreme horror media across formats. With a particular focus on media that I’ve never personally written analysis for before, or doesn’t receive as much attention. Therefore, if you’re hoping for musings about the subgenre’s heavy hitters like “Martyrs” (2008), “I Saw the Devil” (2010), or  “The Sadness” (2022), you won’t find that here.  

Considering it’s not a commonly accepted subgenre and isn't mainstream like, say, supernatural horror, it’s easy for general horror fans to lack knowledge of it. Despite that, extreme horror media is still worthy of discussion, whether or not they have been critically reassessed after previously being panned. “Deadgirl” (2008), directed by Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel, is certainly a title that people certainly rejected upon initial release, especially as it’s a particularly difficult extreme horror film to watch. And what better way to kick off this column than with this lesser-discussed extreme horror title? 

“Deadgirl” offers its audience no reprieve from the grit and grime, and the topics are both deeply upsetting and uncomfortable. Check the content warnings before reading this or watching this film. Without further ado, let’s dig into “Deadgirl”.

Spoilers And Discussion Of Sensitive Topics Ahead

At the beginning of “Deadgirl,” we meet our deeply unlikable teen main characters, Rickie (Shiloh Fernandez) and J.T. (Noah Segan). They’re immediately positioned as different sides of the masculinity spectrum. Viewers may assume that Rickie isn’t as bad as J.T., simply because he’s not aggressive or as outward with his misogyny. Meanwhile, he’s very much the “nice guy”, whose misogynistic tendencies are less obvious, but eventually will become known. Especially with the longtime object of his affection - Joann (Candice Accola). 

“Deadgirl” wastes no time in making it clear that these teen boys are going to be problems within their world. They do the typical rebellious shtick where they cut class, J.T. is fluent in homophobia, they hang around an abandoned psychiatric facility, and that leads them to the basement that will change their lives forever. Instead of finding a serial killer with bloodthirsty intentions, they make a startling discovery: behind a sealed door is a naked, as well as mute, woman (Jenny Spain), and she’s chained to a table. 

One would think someone would call the authorities or tell responsible adults to do so themselves. Of course, that’s not what J.T. or Rickie do when they find this woman. The immediate response from J.T. is not what we would hope or expect. Instead of trying to figure out how to improve this situation, he treats it as if he’s won some sort of “prize.” She’s an object to him, and one that doesn’t have the agency to resist him, as so many other women around him do. She is a body to rape and use as he pleases. It’s disgusting, and it cements the characterization of J.T. going forward. Rickie’s reaction to J.T.’s decision is one of being appalled, but to the viewers’ dismay, Rickie’s protest of his friend’s behavior falls flat when he becomes complicit by not telling anyone. 

The film could’ve easily fallen into taking the exploitation route by solely focusing on the horror of the situation without ever addressing the root of the men’s psychological issue with consent. It could’ve left us to despise J.T., as well as the other boys in the film, and root for Rickie because he’s not going down to the basement to participate with his friends. Rather than force us to clap for the classic “nice guy” - our supposed hero, “Deadgirl” asks us to question how altruistic Rickie truly is, and how much conviction he has for doing the right thing. This dichotomy is shown through Rickie’s desperation for Joann to love him back, or at least go on a date with him, which is walking a fine line between admiration and obsession. And by the end of “Deadgirl”, the reality of who Rickie is can’t be hidden beneath his performative attempts to be the “good guy.” 

Rickie doesn’t come from a loving household; his biological father isn’t around for some reason, and his mom is absent while constantly working. Therefore, all that Rickie has in terms of an adult role model is his mom’s boyfriend, Clint (Michael Bowen). And Clint isn’t doing Ricky any favors as he teaches him that he needs to “be a man” with how he handles his problems. You could say that further plays into the events that occur much later in the film. This speaks to the notion that how men view themselves, and women, isn’t something hard-coded, but rather something nurtured and validated by peers (J.T.) and adult figures like Clint. After J.T. and Rickie have a brief falling out because of Rickie rejecting J.T. ‘s initial idea to keep the chained woman around and continuing to abuse her, they speak again, and from there, the film presents us with one of the most taboo subjects, necrophilia. J.T. goes on a disturbing monologue that confirms that “deadgirl” is a zombie, and it’s at this moment that the film’s thesis around consent comes to a truly dark head.

The themes surrounding rape culture, misogyny, and toxic masculinity are on full display. Regardless of initial intention, Marcel Sarmiento and Gadi Harel tap into what society is also complicit in. Just like it is for Rickie. rape culture is normalized, and staying silent isn’t a harmless action. Silencing victims in general is part of rape culture, and the dead girl being unable to speak for herself feeds into the lack of consent and complicity that silence brings with it. She’s physically chained up, she has no autonomy by way of her physical state, and she’s a sex slave for horrible teen boys. The fact that J.T. and Rickie see her, chained up and helpless, and immediately assume that they are entitled to her body operates under the same assumption that a patriarchal society does: that women are for the taking. There’s no confirmation as to how she can be a zombie. Nor is there confirmation as to who killed this woman, though our imaginations are certainly enough to paint an ugly picture. These things happen to people all the time, and we live in a world where people don’t care about what happens to women in particular. 

The assumption is that an equally horrible man left her there after they were finished with her. Whether they were her killer or not. It’s a vicious and hideous cycle that several men in this film continue because they feel like they’re owed something. Even the women who are alive suffer the misogynistic slings and arrows, such as attempted kidnapping, kidnapping, and male entitlement. It’s not just J.T. and anyone else who participates in what’s going on in the basement; it’s also Rickie who continues to believe he deserves Joann. After all, he’s so nice and treats her better than her loser boyfriend. In his mind, he truly loves her,  and that leads him to both a sense of entitlement and validates his lusting as incel-like behavior disguised as chivalry.

There’s no hiding from the themes and depictions of sexual violence, or the discarding of women in “Deadgirl.” As soon as Deadgirl becomes too gross-looking, due to the wounds inflicted upon her throughout the film’s runtime, a plan to replace her is set into motion. Both J.T. and his friend Wheeler (Eric Podnar), who actively participates in raping deadgirl, try to kidnap a woman to kill her so she can serve as a more visually appealing replacement. It further validates that it’s not enough to have control over a woman’s body; they also get to dictate the terms of beauty. Deadgirl’s appearance is because of their actions, and the consequence disgusts them so much that they have to find a visually suitable alternative. The catharsis comes when they get beaten up, a small moment of justice in an incredibly bleak film.

Unfortunately, it’s the only time we see another woman in the film, and that’s certainly intentional because we’re following the events of the film from the perspectives of men. Thus, further highlighting how women don’t seem to exist to them, other than for their pleasure. Once we finally reach the climax that involves Joann being irate about knowing what happened to her boyfriend (who had his penis bitten off by Deadgirl and becomes a zombie like her as a result), there’s nowhere to go but further downwards for these characters. Of course, she ends up kidnapped by J.T. and Wheeler, and Rickie tries to come to her rescue. And from there, chaos ensues for everyone involved. 

Both J.T. and Wheeler meet grisly fates by way of Deadgirl, violently attacking them and finally escaping. Joann is stabbed before J.T. dies, and just when people think that Rickie will save her, he purposefully fails after she rejects him again. “Deadgirl” was always pointing towards Rickie being this way, but the ending further hammers home that he was always monstrous deep down. Failing to save Joann, simply because she rejected him again, is one thing. But accepting J.T. ‘s dying offer to turn her into a zombie is another.  The moment that we get confirmation that Rickie did take J.T. up on that disturbing offer, Joann continues to be an object even in her death. Rickie can do what he wishes with her because she’s no longer alive to reject or deny him of his desires. The entitlement that Rickie feels is finally rewarded by way of his lack of action. The “love” he felt for Joann was never real in the first place. 

“Deadgirl” not only forces viewers to take a grimy look into what entitled men do or don’t do, but it dissects and dismantles the “nice guy” trope from start to finish. There are no good male characters that we get to know in this film. And nobody comes to save Joann to help her avoid a terrible fate like Deadgirl. The film ends on a grim note on purpose, and perhaps that reminds us of the reality of rape culture, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. Not everyone is held accountable in the end. 

Being young is supposed to feel like a perpetual dumpster fire of debilitating heartbreak, terrible decision making, and non-stop identity crises… right? Enter stage left “PUNK’N HEADS,” the latest punk rock graphic novel collaboration from critically acclaimed, Eisner-nominated creators Dave Baker (“Mary Tyler MooreHawk”) and Nicole Goux (“This Place Kills Me”). The iconic, Los Angeles-based creative duo—who have previously joined forces for works such as “Fuck Off Squad,” “Forest Hills Bootleg Society,” “Everyone is Tulip,” and many more—get the band back together for this raucous and revealing new graphic novel about a campy horror-punk band that plays together, lives together… and unfortunately two of them are sleeping together. The DIY love letter to youthful messiness about making music, making mistakes, facing your past, and choosing your future will debut with an eardrum-splitting bang this April from Top Shelf Productions.

In “PUNK’N HEADS,” Hannah Lipsky isn’t sure what’s happening. She dreamed of becoming a fine art painter, but after breaking up with her girlfriend, she suddenly dropped out of art school, moved into a flophouse, and got roped into singing in a campy horror-punk band. With costumes. To make things even more complicated, she might be hooking up with her housemate/bandmate/high school crush, Jerry. Whatever, I’m sure it’s fine… Now put on your punk’n mask and let’s rock!

Dave and Nicole were kind enough to answer a few questions for us about “Punk’N' Heads,” and you can grab your copy now!

Macabre Daily: If you could each pick one album for a reader to listen to pair with Punk’n Heads, what would it be?

Dave Baker: Oh, man. Probably either “Walks Among Us” by the Misfits or “Glow On” by Turnstile. I was listening to both of those records while working on this and there’s a bunch of hidden little things gems in the book that reference them. I also like “Her’s” a lot. Different genre, I know. But I’m sure there’s something in there as well. So, Songs of “Her’s” would be another solid contender. “Punk’n Head”s probably looks like a coming of age drama set in the world of punk and DIY artists in LA, from a far, but I hope it’s the texture from stuff like this that really sets it apart.

Nicole Goux: It’s not punk per se, but “Who Really Cares” by TV Girl Is something I was listening to a lot while making it. There is something so atmospheric and melancholy and so essentially LA about that album. If we ever made a show out of “Punk’ns “I could definitely see scenes set to the backdrop of these songs.

MD: Horror and Film are both clear influences on “Punk'n Heads,” from Hollywood Forever Cemetery to Hannah's Matte Painter Uncle. If you could each pick one film for a reader to pair with Punk’n Heads what would it be?

Nicole: This might seem like a bit of an odd choice, but the “Vourdalak” is a 2023 French horror fantasy about a vampire-like folk monster that I think about all the time. It’s not really the content of the film that makes me pair it with “Punk’ns” (though it’s great and definitely worth a watch). It’s more about how low budget and DIY it is. The film was made for very little money, the monster is very obviously a puppet, but it is just as (if not more) effective as any big budget movie. I think that do-it-yourself on a wing and a prayer energy is something that makes a lot of sense for our book, and for our own personal experiences with making comics in general.

Dave: Oh, man. Nicole’s answer is so good. But, I think for me I’d go either “Mystic Pizza” or “Zodiac.” “Mystic Pizza” because it’s this really shiny up-beat thing on the surface and then once you delve deeper into it, it’s a really bleak portrayal of teenage life. And “Zodiac,” because it’s the closest thing I’ve seen on screen to what it’s like being an artist. I know those seem kinda slightly off from what “Punk’ns” looks like on the surface, but I’d love to screen either of them and then have a book club discussing them in context of the book. That would be so fun. 

MD: The portrait of bisexuality is so honest and real, avoiding many negative media tropes. How did you approach writing Hannah’s beautiful, delicate and complex romantic life?

Nicole: I don’t want to say that being bisexual is just like being any other sexual identity, they each have their nuances and difficulties. But we’re more interested here in the difficulties of each individual relationship. Dating is hard, whatever your sexuality, and every person, every relationship has its specific challenges. Whether the person you’re seeing is a man, a woman, or non-binary, they are an individual and what you have with them will be different from anyone else you’ve already experienced. I also think it’s important to show bisexual people just existing and not making their identity the whole point or plot of the story. Yes, Hannah is bisexual, and yes, it affects her experience of the world. But this story, is about how complicated it is to just be a human and navigate the nooks and crannies of love and friendship and figuring out what you want.

MD: The flashback panels bookending every chapter give great insight, but they’re very brief and specific. How did you go about writing and composing those to convey exactly what you wanted to in just three panels?

Dave: I think we had some alternatives, but honestly, when you live with these characters for this long, sometimes you have all these great fragments of ideas for them. And you don’t have a place to put them. They feel wasted. And that motif gave me a great canvas to put all those little stray moments.

MD: Vickie is such an interesting character; it would be easy to portray her in a cruel two dimensional light, but she’s got true interiority. How did you approach crafting her story and relationship with Hannah?

Dave: I think there are a lot of people in the creative world who think of things as a competition. There are a limited number of slots or only so much success to go around, maybe. And they get professionally jealous. And we wanted to make Vickie a character from the outside who you’d expect to be someone like that? Or maybe have a pre-conceived view of? And then work over the course of the book to say that there are no villains, just damaged people trying to make art. 

Nicole: I mean, Dave kind of said it, but every villain of every story is the main character of their own tale. Unless it’s some 2D fable that's just about the nature of good and evil, every person has reasons for doing what they do, and most people aren’t out to get each other. They’re just trying to protect themselves. Taking a look at your own emotions and when the negative thoughts get the best of you, should be enough to show you how easy it is to make the wrong move and treat someone poorly.

MD: For Nicole, the “Punk’n Heads” and their costumes are instantly lovable. How did the genesis for them come about? Was the fun pun the first thing that came to mind, or was it the visual of costumes?

Nicole: Honestly, the whole conceit of this book came from the pun. I genuinely just thought a book about punk kids who played wearing pumpkin masks was a hilarious idea. From that seed, Dave and I were able to build a story about real people (they’re real to me) that hopefully has some heart to it. The design of the masks came later and went through many iterations. Finding a design that was spooky and expressive, but not too cartoony, was more challenging than initially expected, but I think we made it work!

MD: For Dave, you refer to yourself in your afterword as an “Apostle of Hypersincerity”, which is fascinating because that phrase is often used negatively. With this comic, you really wear your heart on your sleeve. How did you find your way into doing that in our difficult and often cynical modern times?

Dave: Yeah, I think it can be a negative thing, but irony and cynicism aren’t an inoculation against living an honest life, either. And I think therein lies the struggle, right? And I’d rather side on the path of “wearing your heart on your sleeve” as you said, than being cruel and dead inside. So it’s less a choice and more a thematic religious calling, I guess. But, y’know, life is long. Catch me in six months making my next book: “Irony Bros: Cynicism Tournament,” haha.

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Sharks have notoriously been given a bad rap, and it’s in large part due to Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws.” The landmark 1975 film single-handedly made the Great White the most terrifying creature on the planet and changed how we perceive sharks. Since “Jaws,” horror has unleashed a literal zoo of animal-attack features, from orcas to grizzly bears, but the shark film still stands as royalty in both aquatic horror and when animals attack films. In Tommy Wirkola’s latest film for Netflix, “Thrash,” a natural disaster gives way to sharks infesting a small town, but does the film sink or swim in these infested waters?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

When a Category 5 hurricane decimates a coastal town, the storm surge brings devastation, chaos, and something far more frightening: hungry sharks.

HOW IS IT?

Netflix has made a name for itself as the home of second-screen entertainment. Films and series that are littered with exposition dumping and intended for audiences to only passively pay attention to. To be fair, this is not the case for all of Netflix's content, but it is quite pervasive amongst the streamer's biggest shows, like “Stranger Things.” The intent behind second-screen entertainment is to accommodate viewers who are on their phones while having something on in the background, and the hallmarks of this kind of content aren’t hard to spot, assuming you’re paying attention. “Thrash” is a film that was made for the second-screen viewer, because it relies so much on underdeveloped characters and pulling cheap emotional punches to get the audience to care. Not to mention, for a film that is supposed to be about shark attacks, they seem to be only a secondary or even tertiary problem in the narrative.

"Thrash" is very much indebted to 2019's "Crawl" in that both follow almost the same story beats while swapping gators for sharks. However, where "Crawl" was intense and focused, "Thrash" struggles to elicit any genuine connection to the characters, despite weakly raising the stakes by making one of the female leads pregnant. Not only does that narrative choice create a false sense of urgency, but it also immediately calls into question any empathy for a character who wouldn't heed warnings to evacuate a flood zone. It's just one example of how "Thrash" uses cheap tricks to gloss over glaring deficiencies in the story, but it's not the only one, as every single main character in this movie carries significant baggage.

If these aspects of their characters were essential to the plot, it would be a different story. Instead, it feels as if these traits were tacked on to feign sympathy and trick viewers into caring for shallow characters and situations that aren't fully realized or believability-checked. The shark attacks are the biggest positive the film has going for it, and even those feel underwhelming given how infrequent they are, as more time is spent trying to figure out how to get out of the flood than fighting off the sharks in the water. Not to say there can't be two conflicts, but in this case, the marketing would have you believe the threat is sharks, but the reality is, it's Mother Nature.

All of this said, “Thrash” isn’t the worst film, and if you’re a fan of aquatic horror or shark films, there’s enough here to keep you invested throughout the short runtime. When the sharks are on the screen, they are stealing the show, and the blend of both practical and digital effects to really accentuate the violence is admirable. One scene in particular sees a character we know is not going to make it get rammed and then attacked by an aggressive bull shark. The sequence alone is played for full shock and schlock value, but it also represents what would’ve made “Thrash” and what made “Crawl” work so well. The more over-the-top and absurd these movies are, the more they lean into their exploitative roots. In “Thrash,” they want to have their shark cake and eat it, but never fully commit to the insanity of the situation (save for an ending that is ripped right out of another Spielberg joint) by acknowledging that this doesn’t have to be this serious. The characters carry with them traits that are designed to make you feel for them, but these traits exist not out of necessity, but to make you think you should care. The reality is, these characters should mostly be fodder for the shark enemy, because that’s what we’re here to see.

LAST RITES

“Thrash” is the epitome of second-screen entertainment, and for some, that may be enough, but for others, well-versed in genre and animal attack films will likely find this effort lacking in both conviction to character and to the genre’s exploitation roots.

THE GORY DETAILS

“Thrash” is available on Netflix today, April 10, 2026!

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One of the greatest pleasures of covering independent horror cinema is getting to play even a small part in their journey. Ideas are a dime a dozen, but it is rare to see an idea take root, germinate, and grow into the larger world. With “Heritage” (2026), his first feature film, and the first horror film to come out of the French island region of Corsica, Baptist Agostini-Croce is a classic example of independent cinema breaking into the mainstream. 

During our interview, he shared a moment amongst the tiny crew behind his film. Late at night, deep in the woods of Corsica, he joked to his friends that their film would have its world premiere at the Unnamed Footage Festival. At the moment, it was a passing comment. But putting this thought out into the universe clearly paid off, because on March 26th, 2026, this dream became a reality. Agostini-Croce still finds the positive buzz his film is receiving a bit surreal, but as we attest in our review (Read it here), it is well-deserved. 

Considering he was still shaking off the jetlag of a long flight back from San Francisco to his home in Paris, we were honored that Agostini-Croce made the time to talk to us about “Heritage.” We talked about the unique experience of creating a film on a micro-budget and skeleton crew, his pride in centering his Corsican history in his films, and why his story could only have been told through the found-footage genre.

Check out our interview below. And click here to follow Baptist Agostini-Croce, and here to follow “Heritage” on Instagram.

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One of the most common and reasonable critiques of the found footage and mockumentary genres is that they often are in conflict with their chosen aesthetic. So many films, like “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin,” try to have it both ways by using found footage aesthetics that dismiss the main conceit of these films: they are supposed to feel authentic and not inorganically created. Like bundling first-person POV videos with other media, without explaining why they are edited together for this presentation. The truest versions of found footage, like “August Underground,” defy narrative conventions in favor of grueling realism, as if you just found this tape somewhere. In “Hunting Matthew Nichols,” co-writer, director, and actor Markian Tarasiuk works to make mockumentary films believable again.

We reviewed the film when it first debuted on the festival circuit in 2024, and now the film is headed for a theatrical release on April 10, 2026. We caught up with Markian to talk about the journey from festival to distribution, how to make mockumentary films that are tethered to reality, and what advice he would share with other filmmakers who are caught in the limbo between festival runs and finding distribution!

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It’s been 15 years since the initial release of “Scream 4” (2011) on April 15th, 2011, which marked the return of the “Scream” franchise after the presumed end with “Scream 3” (2000). Of course, the film brought back the original trio of Sidney (Neve Campbell), Gale (Courteney Cox), and Dewey (David Arquette). And introduced us to a new generation of Woodsboro teens, some of whom cemented themselves as memorable characters across the franchise. One of them is Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), the young cousin of Sidney. 

*** Warning: Spoilers Ahead ***

Instead of simply following Sidney’s journey, the film shows what everyone else has been up to since the last Ghostface killing spree in LA. As soon as a new spree starts up again, the gang goes on high alert, but they could never have guessed who is partially behind it all. The mastermind doesn’t end up being a lunatic boyfriend, a revenge-crazed mother, or a long-lost and entitled brother. Instead, Sidney is momentarily duped by Jill until the reveal in the third act. 

At the time, people may not have appreciated the genius in Jill being the primary Ghostface. She did receive help from her secret “boyfriend”, Charlie Walker (Rory Culkin), but he’s a relatively forgettable character in the long run. Jill is the star because she subverts everyone’s expectations by acting like the new final girl - when in reality she’s the villain who wants to be famous for pretending to be the former. 

At the beginning of “Scream 4”, we get the divisive meta opening of films within films. And then the real mayhem begins, ending in the death of local high schooler, Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden). As soon as we meet Jill, she presents a regular high school girl with two close friends named Kirby (Hayden Panetierre) and Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), who seem to enjoy each other’s company. When she gets a call from Ghostface, she feigns discomfort, and it’s quite believable at first. After all, there’s nothing inherently suspicious about her behavior. 

Naturally, Jill has an on-and-off-again boyfriend, Trevor (Nico Tortorella), who is desperately trying to get her back. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the conflict that we saw Billy and Sidney have in the first film. Though Jill isn’t quick to forgive or forget anything, because it fits the narrative she’s trying to create. Everything we come to know about Jill is perfectly manufactured by her. And it’s so effectively twisted to think about how we don’t get to really know who she is until the end. 

Throughout the film, we’re given moments where Jill’s building up her final girl credit. From her bedroom scene with Trevor, the faux distress that she experiences when Olivia is attacked in her home, the pre-planned Ghostface attack where she gets cosmetically slashed, her sweet and innocent act whenever she’s around Sidney, and the struggles with a boyfriend who cheated her. Everything she endures, from that phone call in Kirby’s car to the final act, is all in service to her ascension to stardom. Instead of trying to solely get revenge, she wants to be famous and supersede Sidney’s legacy.

Many horror fans love a solid final girl, and the “Scream” franchise at the time was known for being consistent with making us care about Sidney and Gale’s statuses as final girls. Therefore, when fans were presented with a potential new one in Jill, the idea proved to be intriguing for old and new fans. Once Jill shattered everyone’s expectations, it unraveled the final girl trope for a moment. And it’s quite brilliant because subversion isn’t something to fear at all times.

If you pay attention to her interactions with Sidney, she’s not inquiring about Sidney’s survival through intense trauma out of sympathy. Jill’s intense jealousy regarding the fame and attention that Sidney has received has driven her over the edge. All of which led her to needing the information to be the new final girl of this generation. 

During the climax of the film, Jill continues to keep up her act, and during a first watch, you may not suspect her. It isn’t until she stabs Sidney before she can escape Kirby’s house that we realize how obvious it was. When you compare every mastermind Ghostface reveal prior to Jill’s, she sets herself apart from everyone else. Billy (Skeet Ulrich)’s motive was based on revenge, Mrs. Loomis (Laurie Metcalf)’s motive was based on revenge against Sidney for killing Billy, Roman (Scott Foley)’s motive was based on revenge and jealousy, and while Jill is also deeply jealous of Sidney, she primarily wants to be famous as a survivor. 

Jill’s killer reveal is easily one of the best because of how unhinged she is. There’s no revenge-based motivation as to why she’s going after Sidney. Instead, she depicts an obsessive pursuit of social media fame, which has become our norm now. At the time, it seemed ludicrous to people that anyone would go that far to be a sensation. But when you reflect on the film much later, her motivation was to predict behavior that would become more frequent. 

After Jill does her whole monologue, kills her ex-boyfriend and Charlie to frame them, and leaves Sidney for dead - that’s when she goes even further. Jill’s desire to be famous drives her to inflict wounds to further the narrative that she’s the only survivor. Though she ends up dying later in the hospital because Sidney kills her, she does achieve a brief moment of fame because the news is talking about her as if she’s a hero. 

Overall, “Scream 4” (2011) deserves the reassessment that it’s received over the years. If not for the obvious components that made it a solid sequel, but for Jill, who remains a top-tier killer reveal in the franchise. The way she could’ve easily gotten away with it, which was the original ending, makes for an exciting “what if” for fans. Either way, Jill continues to be iconic as hell, and remember: you don’t need friends, you need fans.

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A common occurrence in horror is when a piece of media (film, series, books, etc.) has an outstanding premise that lacks the right execution. Movies like “Ghost of Mars” or “Brightburn” are examples of great concepts that leave a lot to be desired when you’re watching them. Of course, everyone’s taste is different, and the quality of execution is in the eye of the assessor, but it’s inevitable that in a genre with so many outrageous ideas, some of them come out as lesser than. Olaf Ittenbach is a name that many average horror fans may not know, but his transgressive films are often high in ideas and middling delivery, and Unearthed Films has debuted another chapter in the Ittenbach legacy with their Blu-ray release of “Garden of Love.”

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The story of a young woman tormented by bloody visions of a past she can't really remember. All she knows is that all of her family was slaughtered when she was very young. Now, the spirits of the dead lust for vengeance, and they want Rebecca to guide those responsible to them. Rebecca reluctantly agrees, and bloodspurting chaos ensues.

HOW IS IT?

The inspiration for the opening paragraph is essentially a hint as to how we feel about “Garden of Love.” Featuring an interesting premise that blends revenge plots and supernatural horror with gorehound sensibilities, “Garden of Love” has a lot of good going for it, like amazing practical effects and a unique hook, but something is indeed missing. The slightly contrived plotting, as well as a somewhat laborious second act slog, and the inconsistent tone hold this back from being something that could garner mass horror appeal. Still, as supporters of extreme cinema, it is important to contextualize “Garden of Love” as Ittenbach’s most cohesive film and vision. It may not be as extreme as his previous efforts, but it’s an impressive display of what the filmmaker can do when he expands his focus to be more than just controversy.

“Garden of Love” centers around Rebecca (Natacza Boon), who as a child survived the massacre of her entire family at the hands of some intruders. As Rebecca gets older, she is compelled to return to the home where these murders took place, only to find that the ghosts of her past are trying to tell her something, putting forth an agenda of their own to exact revenge on those who took their lives. Unlike many of Ittenbach’s earlier films, this one has a stronger emphasis on plot, even if it is slightly overbaked for what the material has to offer. Even with the overengineering of the story, this isn’t just a gorefest like many of Ittenbach’s previous efforts, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this will be a tamer film.

Ittenbach’s calling card is that he does a lot of the special effects work himself on his films, alongside writing, directing, and producing them. That Renaissance man motif is admirable in genre filmmaking, and here Ittenbach delivers some of the gnarliest and most graphic kills to date. Mind you, in some of Ittenbach’s previous films, like “Bloody Moon” and “Premutos,” the violence is more inclined to disturb and provoke you, whereas with “Garden of Love,” the graphic nature of common horror tropes like head explosions and chest ripping is less taboo, but equally as effective in their execution. For a film that opens with multiple headshots and rooms bathed in blood, long-time fans will feel at home, while newcomers will be left stunned by the ultraviolence the film pummels you with. The challenge is that you have to wade through a lot of exposition dumping to get to these great effects-laden sequences. Perhaps the film’s biggest fault is that it doesn’t know how to pace itself and tell the story at the same time, opting to focus on either narrative exploration or murderous set pieces with nothing in between. Regardless of its faults, “Garden of Love” demonstrates Ittenbach’s evolution as a filmmaker, 6 years before he would partner with Marcel Walz  for special effects on “La Petite Mort.”

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

Unearthed Films doesn’t often share much about what, if any, restoration they're doing on acquired films, and given this is the second time the film has been released on Blu-ray in the US, it’s safe to assume this is the same transfer as that one. Both this version and the previous Lightyear release are based on a 1080p 2K scan of the original film. The 1.77:1 aspect ratio is maintained, and overall looks pretty good. There are lots of darker scenes cut with ambient greens, organes, and blues, which makes for a visually interesting palette, and there are minor artifacts of wear from the source print/scan, mostly noticeable in the introduction.

Images from this release are used throughout this review.

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

Much like the visual transfer, the audio options for “Garden of Love” are almost the same as those available on the previous Lightyear release. Included are two English audio tracks, a 5.1 DTS-HD track, as well as a 2.0 PCM track. What’s missing is the German 5.1 track from the older release, but how much that matters really depends on how much you value the original-language audio. The interesting thing is, the English track isn’t dubbed, but actually done in English, so the differences are largely superficial. The 5.1 track is the one we opted for with this review, and it’s a solid mix that is center channel heavy, so the rear speakers don’t get as much action, but then again, there isn’t a lot of bombastic action to accompany the film, and voices are easily discernible between diegetic and other sound elements.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

Similar to other Unearthed Films releases, the special features are a mixed bag. In this case, there are no newly commissioned features for this release, but the archival features from previous releases have been included here. We know this, of course, because the first one we watched felt ripped right out of the early 00’s when the film was made. The Making Of… featurette is a 22-minute segment where Ittenbach speaks about the filming process, focused mostly on a series of effects shots. It’s interesting to see the behind-the-scenes footage of some of the film’s most stunt-heavy set pieces. Ittenbach also speaks highly of his effects collaborator, Tommy Opatz, whom he refers to as being “made for each other” and one of the best effects experts in Germany. Those interested in make-up effects and stunt work will get a lot out of this short, but dense mini-documentary. 

There is also a Behind the Scenes segment, which is roughly 18 minutes long, and covers similar beats, but features different folks involved in the productions talking more about how the film came to be than the Making Of, which is more effects-specific. Additionally, there is an alternative intro sequence included, but it seems the only difference is in the credit visuals.

A full list of special features is listed below.

Special Features

• Making Of

• Behind the Scenes

• Photo Gallery

• Trailers

LAST RITES

“Garden of Love” is certainly Olaf Ittenbach’s most accessible film, even if it is still heavy on the gore, and while it’s far from perfect, it features an interesting premise and good enough execution to warrant a watch. This is really new packaging for what is featured in previous releases, so if you already own this, there’s nothing new for you.

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends at MVD Entertainment for providing a review copy for the crypt! “Garden of Love” is available now and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!

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One of the best things about being a horror fan these days is that we have not one, but multiple streaming services that cater to our darkest desires, and one of our favorites is Screambox. They have been curating some great originals yanked from some of the best genre festivals, and even released some series, like "The Trouble with Tessa" (read our review). And if you aren't familiar with the show, then you may not be familiar with the power couple behind if of Bethany Watson and Dennis Cahlo!

Lowell and Matt are delighted to spend some time with the two filmmakers as they discuss what they've been watching, some behind-the-scenes tid bits about filming "The Trouble with Tessa," and a whole lot of laughter as we explore tangents upon tangents of digressing discussion. We had so much fun, we didn't even have time to get to our main topic, so stay tuned for a Part 2 coming soon!

 Finally, happy belated birthday to Dennis, who celebrated another trip around the sun the day before this posts!

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One of gaming's most successful liminal horror titles makes its way to the big screen in “EXIT 8”, an adaptation of the viral 2023 sensation of the same name.  Produced by a consortium of Japanese companies, including, but not limited to, STORY Inc., AOI Pro, and Toho Co., Ltd., and distributed by NEON, the film follows The Lost Man, who finds himself stuck in a looping subway tunnel, following an incident on his daily commute.  Bringing together the feel and mystery of the original game, “EXIT 8” not only translates the original gameplay style to screen but expands upon it with questions of forgiveness, duty, and personal relationships.  What results is a stunningly personal and incredibly effective 95-minute ride that is sure to please both fans and newcomers alike.

Fans of “EXIT 8” are likely familiar with the overall setup of the world.  The main character, whom the film names “The Lost Man”, wanders a subway tunnel looking for anomalies as he is trapped in an endless loop.  If he doesn't find any, he must continue to move forward. However, if he finds that anything has changed, he must turn around and walk the other direction, restarting the loop from the other side. Over time, he learns to identify certain types of changes, which grow increasingly difficult and dangerous, as he attempts to make it to Exit 8, seemingly a path to freedom found by completing 8 successful loops of the tunnel.  Along the way, The Lost Man encounters more than a few surprises, both horrifying and enlightening, ultimately leading him to reflect on difficulties in his life beyond the tunnel and who he seeks to be as a human being.  Broken into multiple chapters, the story of “Exit 8” shows its liminal space from a variety of vantage points, elevating the story and setting to heights its simple, but effective, source material never could.  It’s rare to find an adaptation that does so much beyond its source material without compromising the heart of the original.  I’m happy to share that “EXIT 8” is the exception, delivering an experience that will leave both fans and newcomers with plenty to reflect on.

To start, the “EXIT 8” film absolutely nails its adaptation of the source material.  The subway tunnel in which it is set has been stunningly recreated, with nearly every inch pulled straight from the game. Likewise, the tunnel’s potentially anomalous features should seem more than familiar to those who played the game. What sets the film adaptation apart is how it breathes life into these features, expanding on both their characterization and meaning as the film progresses. I won’t spoil anything for fans, but one particular segment at the midpoint of the film changed the way I’ll view the game forever. It will likely become my go-to example of how to expand upon a game’s lore without ruining the source material.  Add to this the extremely strong performances of the film’s small cast, and what results is a film that doesn’t just match the standard of its source material, but far surpasses it.

The “EXIT 8” film’s audio and visuals, beyond the setting, are extremely effective and oddly compelling, even though viewers see very little overall variety during its 95-minute runtime.  As far as modern Japanese indie films go, the film excels in nearly every area of its presentation, be it beautifully ordinary or unhingingly grotesque.  Like the game, the movie is not an outright horror experience.  Rather, its horror comes from the uncanny familiarity many will feel with its setting, and the subtle, minute changes that make it feel wrong.  That is, until the film’s final act, which features a lot of big swings and shifts in presentation style, as well as some overarching messages that are sure to stick with viewers after they leave.

In the end, “EXIT 8” stands as not only an exceptional video game adaptation but a masterful entry into the burgeoning liminal horror genre.  Featuring immensely effective set design, a host of extremely effective performances, a ton of heart, and a variety of horror subtypes, the film delivers in droves for those patient enough to let it all sink in.  Those expecting an exhilarating horror romp may struggle to find their footing during the film’s first act, but once the story hits its stride, I believe it would be hard for anyone not to connect with its story on some level. Most importantly, fans of the game can rest assured knowing that “EXIT 8” is a masterful adaptation of the original indie game, providing plenty of reasons to rewatch for those looking to find every minute change and hidden meaning. 

Those interested in discovering the depths of the “EXIT 8” for themselves can do so starting April 10, 2026, when the film releases in theaters.

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The films of Jesús Franco are known for being sleazy, experimental, and technically rough around the edges. Yet, they are anchored simultaneously by captivating central performances and diverse facets of contemporaneous fashion. Less tied to narrative structure than they are to imagery and warm colors, his extensive body of work—consisting of approximately 173 features produced between 1954 and 2013—often dabbles into terror using an avant-garde approach, unconventional in nature and sustaining distinctly eerie moods and atmospheres through the flow of a scene alone. In the case of "Vampyros Lesbos" (1971), the late auteur took on the task of creating a modern subversion of the classic "Dracula" and “Carmilla” tales, forcing his audience to step into the shoes of three women in the midst of an ancient curse, with lesbian elements directly adapted from various monolithic points of vampire literature predating one of the most popular genres of pornography that would follow in the industry's golden age. Newly restored for the 4K UHD market by Severin Films, we can reflect on this project not only as a gateway to Jess Franco's world, but as a boundary-pushing piece of horror erotica, and a snapshot of Soledad Miranda mere months before her untimely death, during her exponential rise to stardom in cult cinema circles.

Originally titled "Vampyros lesbos: erbin des dracula" (translated literally, heiress of Dracula), the film acts as a co-production between Spain and West Germany, and, similar to "Necronomicon" (aka "Succubus," 1968), was treated as if it were solely a German-produced project due to restrictive authorities and censorship laws in Spanish territories at the time. Working titles varied by region, "Evil of the Vampires" and "Mark of the Vampire" eventually being scrapped for "Vampiros Lesbos," which is what appears on-screen in Severin's breathtaking North American home video restoration. German Expressionism birthed the bloodsucking genre on celluloid with silent and early sound pictures such as "Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror" (1922) and "Vampyr" (1932), so this international division worked wonders in implementing fluid sexuality and softcore scenery within a traditional Gothic shell. The piece borrows elements of Germany's burlesque culture while taking subversive erotic liberties, like two women sharing a goblet of blood, to which drinking is itself a mutually fulfilling and orgasmic act. It is also a testament to Jess Franco's ability to exert more creative control; he had previously helmed "Count Dracula" (1970) as a strict attempt to adapt the 1897 Bram Stoker novel, but found freedom here with an original, modernized take on its general mythos.

Traces of Catholic influence can be felt, though "Vampyros Lesbos" is not a version of the story rooted in religion, and homosexuality acts symbolically as a parasitic threat to the heterosexual order. Earlier examples of lesbian vampire cinema include "Dracula's Daughter" (1936), "Blood and Roses" (1960), and "Danza Macabra" (aka “Castle of Blood,” 1964), with this project soon becoming one of the most notable in the cycle that would spawn out of the 1970s, credited during the title sequence to Franco Manera. Off the bat, the film tries to challenge the established conventions of vampiric folklore and attempt to uproot and virtually demolish preconceptions surrounding "Dracula" media and previous cinematic adaptations. Soledad Miranda appears as Countess Nadine Carody, the leading star under the pseudonym Susann Korda; her dazzling striptease in the opening few minutes is an act of hypnosis in front of a cabaret audience, claiming her first and central victim, American lawyer Linda Westinghouse (Ewa Strömberg), while a large crowd of bystanders gaze unwittingly. Not only does this establish the voyeuristic design that would run through Franco's wider filmography, but it also brings to life an alluring, feminine surrealist twist in which the vampire has a reflection and worships herself in the mirror.

"Vampyros Lesbos" is conceptually a sequel and stylistic inverse of Bram Stoker's story, segued into a dream world where women have supernatural power and control over their ambitions and desires. It is in these foundations that the work exists as a pointed response to the Hammer Horror series that began in 1958 and was quietly starting to run out of steam, moving vampirism away from its historical cultural context and into a new area and industry altogether. Repetitive establishing shots in Istanbul no longer restrict the action to major mountains or Victorian castles in Transylvania; rather, they present a modernized, sunny revision on the coast of Turkey, where production took place from June to July 1970. We follow a sunbathing Countess whose grasp on her prey tightens under the light, and who would have otherwise been written to be hiding in the shadows and weakened by stepping outside if the film were shot anywhere else — most lesbian vampire films were made prior not with a feminist view, but to reinforce heteronormative values through the notion of dangerous bloodthirsty ladies and their unchecked lust. It is as experimental and transgressive as "Daughters of Darkness" (1971) and "Vampyres" (1974), and arguably more effective due to the uncanny feeling that lasts for 89 minutes.

Nadia's estate is explicitly told to be inherited from Count Dracula himself, perhaps a nod to Christopher Lee in the aforementioned Jess Franco adaptation, and forms a sort of sanctuary during a period of international liberation. Discussing her arousing dreams about the Countess, Dr. Steiner (Paul Müller) suggests that she is sexually frustrated; men in the film are weirdly submissive and try to bring logic to the woman's sensuality through baseless psychology, lingering around despite an increasing lack of interest. Earthy grey and brown decrepit mansions are replaced with red and pink neon nighting in line with the lesbian flag that would come to fruition three decades later, and where women in horror are often seen to be corruptible or disposable due to casual misogyny and viscerally upsetting violence, "Vampyros Lesbos" is a departure that retains the romantic tragedy that you'd expect from this side of the genre. Patriarchal fears of womanhood, modernism in architecture, and isolated otherworldly liminal spaces for queer folk are also covered, as Franco's filmography turned into a political text by pushing boundaries within the constructs of female sexuality, and vampirism in this universe grants autonomy by way of femininity, whereas most of the male counterparts are emotionally inept.

As tension continues to rise, Nadine begins traumadumping to her mindless male servant, Morpho (José Martínez Blanco), about a sexual assault that has led her to deem all men disgusting. Count Dracula was the savior of her story, fueling her resentment with a turn of immortality, as well as elements of existential boredom that keep her equally under the spell of her own victims. "Vampyros Lesbos" is a genius effort because it tricks both classical and contemporary audiences into sitting through full frontal nudity and explicit, non-penetrative lesbian sex; Jess Franco became known as one of the earliest commercial pornographers from Spain with a whopping eighty directorial credits in the adult film industry alone, according to IAFD, and it's almost surprising that this doesn't feature any hardcore inserts. It conveys the dissolution of the heterosexual connection between Linda and her boyfriend Omar (Andrea Montchal) without clear words, their gradual incompatibility falling in favor of the sapphic romance as the relationship itself swiftly veers into a transgressive tragedy, killed due to the fear of feeding into queer love in a world that notoriously rejects it. By the time Nadia is defeated, the weight of Linda's decisions crashes down on her as she re-enters a life that she so desperately wanted to escape.

We never find out whose blood is on Nadine's lips as she initially seduces Linda, but it never matters, as she is already at the point of no return while the film has barely reached thirty minutes. Franco used the medium of cinema to expose voyeurism in the audience and in society — the characters think nobody is looking, but we always are. Focusing on large, sprawling stairways as the bridge from one level of consciousness to another, Linda is framed by the architecture around her, belonging entirely to the tight hallways and reflective surfaces of the environment. Her psychiatrist is dismissive of her psychosexual dream realm, actively drawing on a notepad instead of engaging with any of her concerns, as are the rest of the men when mental patient Agra (Heidrun Kussin) portrays vampirism as addiction, with a psychic ability to sense Countess Carody the closer she gets. Manfred Hübler and Siegfried Schwab created an original score, later collected in the "Sexadelic Dance Party" compilation, that subverts formal vampire media with psychedelic jazz, rock, and backwards music in place of orchestral compositions. Moreover, zooms and blurs often and intentionally offer an experimental visual counterpart to the spirit of "Vampyros Lesbos," as the narrator progressively more unreliable as her lesbian attraction hits its peak; it is largely a sensory fantasy experience in lieu of a traditional narrative character study, and only ever becomes conventional once the woman saves herself from a painful eternity, now a brokenhearted precursor to the final girl.

"Vampyros Lesbos" is available now on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Severin!

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“These Familiar Walls” begins, like many horror stories do, with an outrageous premise.

It’s 2020, and the pandemic is nowhere close to feeling manageable. A moving crew wears their masks halfheartedly as they lug furniture and boxes into a suburban home. Amber, our main character, supervises the situation anxiously. 

The house is not just any house. It’s Amber’s childhood home. And until recently, it was the cordoned-off crime scene where her parents and her childhood friend were brutally murdered. 

Out on April 14 from St. Martin’s Press, C. J. Dotson’s latest suburban horror novel will bring readers into Amber’s stressful world as she copes with a wide range of creative scares—from intrusive pyromaniac impulses to traumatic childhood memories to the bleak days of remote elementary school. 

Despite these potent ingredients, the novel didn’t quite stick the landing for me. Fortunately, I was (mostly) having too much fun to care.

Author photo by C. J. Dotson

“These Familiar Walls” follows in the footsteps of noughties classics like “Wrong Turn,” “Jeepers Creepers,” or “House of Wax.” Dotson’s story relies on a constant wash of chilling imagery and action-packed plot points that leap between two timelines. With so many imaginative and memorable set pieces, who has time to wonder why the characters accept the outlandish scenarios that befall them?

The story knits together a series of escalating hauntings in 2020 with Amber’s memories of growing up in the late ‘90s. Back in 1998, it’s summer when Nathan Teldegardo’s family moves in. Amber—then a friendless preteen—immediately seizes the opportunity to befriend someone who isn’t yet aware of her lowly social status at school. 

Never mind that Nathan is a budding sociopath who takes pleasure in tormenting mice and starting fires. Amber is so desperately lonely that she’s willing to betray her younger sister, her parents, and her own moral compass in exchange for a companion.

In the 2020 timeline, we learn that Nathan’s body was found alongside Amber’s murdered parents. The novel’s central mystery lies here. What connects this unsettling friend from Amber’s past to the present day? What motive could her long-lost connection possibly have to her parents’ murders? And most chillingly—what accomplice killed Nathan, and where are they now?

The hauntings seem to hold some clues. As Amber and her family struggle to settle into the house, they’re confronted with supernatural events that echo Amber’s worst childhood experiences with Nathan. As the paranormal events escalate, Amber desperately tries to ignore the way she and her husband slip into fugue states during which they set fires, or the fact that when she looks in the mirror, her reflection is disturbingly eyeless. 

Amber’s motto is simple: Don’t discuss what’s happening. Ever.

Dotson is at her best when crafting these uniquely creepy elements. As I learned about Amber’s lonely childhood, I felt a sick dread deep in my stomach—the kind of guilty shame I haven’t experienced since childhood. Like Amber, I felt these uneasy emotions surface whenever I hung out with kids whose angry or absent parents set my survival instincts tingling. In the 2020 timeline, the paranormal happenings kept me flying through page after page.

But for me, the story would have been improved by stronger foreshadowing and deeper character building. By the time I reached the story’s major twist, I felt as though Amber had become a cypher who existed solely to carry the plot forward. Similarly, I never felt that the novel offered a persuasive explanation for other characters’ actions—only that each character needed to move across the novel’s game board in order to enact its ultimate reveals. 

Take, for example, Amber’s baffling decision to move into the house in the first place. It’s not until fairly late in the novel that we learn more about how cramped the family’s condo felt during the first months of lockdown, not to mention the way the pandemic stalled legal proceedings such as probate. For most people, even these extenuating circumstances would not be enough to make them move into a house where violent deaths occurred. I wish “These Familiar Walls” had tried harder to make me accept Amber’s flimsy motives—if only to make the novel’s later twists hit harder. 

Still, popcorn movies are popular for a reason, and many readers will delight in the way “These Familiar Walls” careens through soapy plot developments. What the novel lacks in nuanced characterization, it makes up for in breakneck plot, childhood brutality, and ghostly encounters. I predict that “These Familiar Walls” will be popular with readers who enjoy Riley Sager’s novels (“Home Before Dark”), and I suspect it may offer a gateway into horror for fans of thrillers by authors like Paula Hawkins (“The Girl on the Train”) and Lucy Foley (“The Guest List”). If you were unbothered by the absurd zigs and zags in “Pretty Little Liars”—my ultimate comfort show—you won’t have trouble accepting “These Familiar Walls.”

If nothing else, it will make you feel thankful to have left the discomforts of middle school far, far behind.

You can purchase “These Familiar Walls” here.

You can follow C. J. Dotson on BlueSky and Instagram.

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To put it bluntly, things have been pretty bleak here in the US, and they don’t seem to be getting any better. 2026 has proven to be a historically frightening time, particularly for folks who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. As of March 20, 2026, over 500 Anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced at the State and Federal levels, with broad implications for how LGBTQ+ individuals can access healthcare, education, and live dignified lives amongst the rest of us. These attacks don’t just harm people directly; they have a massive impact on the horror community, where “43% of LGBT moviegoers said horror movies were one of their favorite types of movies to see in theaters” (source). People from all walks of life gravitate to horror because they feel othered, excluded, and just different from those around them, and horror is the place where the weirdos meet.

The attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals in the US represent the worst of our human potential, and at Macabre Daily, that doesn’t sit right with us. So we are taking a small stand and putting our passions for genre to a more productive use. On Saturday, April 25, 2026, Macabre Daily will be hosting a Stream-A-Thon on YouTube from 1 pm - 5pm EST. A selection of Macabre Daily contributors will present a wide range of topics, roundtables, and discussions on all things genre, with the intention of raising money in support of The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning (LGBTQ) young people.

Since we would never ask you all to do something we wouldn’t do, we’ve already started by donating $200 to The Trevor Project, and hopefully, with this Stream-A-Thon, we can raise a bit more.

So What’s In Store For April 25?

Great question! Below is a list of the confirmed presentations and speakers we will be showcasing. Times have not been decided, but will be communicated 48 hours prior to the stream starting on April 25th at 1pm EST. These are subject to change, and we will be posting leading up to the day of!

Bee Delores: “Halloween Returns”

Bee has put together a tremendous pitch deck that outlines what a new “Halloween” film could look like, and why it would be a return to form for the franchise. Featuring plot points, casting suggestions, and lore implications. If you love “Halloween,” this is a presentation you won’t want to miss!

Brian Finnerty: Father Figures in Horror Roundtable

Brian will be joined by two special “Horror Dad” guests who will each discuss their experiences as fathers working within the horror community. They will then each share and discuss some of their favorite father figures within the horror genre. Finally, they will discuss how fathers are portrayed in horror movies, what their roles say about how society views them, and what fears and anxieties the horror genre helps us explore about fathers' places in the family system.  Fathers in fright, unite!

Matt Orozco: Gods As Monsters in Horror

A visual essay exploring how monsters and deities intermingle in the horror genre, and why this mixture is so compelling. Films explored include “Hellraiser,” “Dagon,” “Ghostbusters,” “Freddy Krueger,” and more as Matt examines why horror is such a great place for God Monsters. Get ready to pray at the altar of terror!

Ryan Fitzmartin: What’s Next For Resident Evil: Requiem?

After his outstanding review of “Resident Evil 9,” Ryan explores what’s next for the game regarding DLC and story structure. This is an in-depth look at the franchise’s past and how that may shed light on what’s to come, but also how any future DLC and/or additional content could work in service of expanding the narrative or even closing this chapter for good! Leon Kennedy stans won’t want to miss this!

Sean O’Connor: The Very Best of British Horror 1958 - 1976

No one loves an English horror jaunt as much as Sean O’ Connor, and he’s going to curate a list of some of the best and scariest entries in British horror films during the peak of studios like Hammer and Amicus. Sean’s presentation will use multimedia to make the case that not only are these the best British horror films of this period, but that they deserve your reconsideration. Get your favorite cup of Earl Grey and a choice of biscuit ready!

How Can You Get Involved?

Perhaps the most important thing anyone can do is donate. I (Matt, Editor-in-Chief) will be sharing my PayPal link below, which will be used to collect the funds for The Trevor Project. For transparency, a receipt of the total number of donations will be shared in a future post, along with a receipt for the donation total similar to the one seen above. Our Goal is to raise $1500 before and during the Stream-A-Thon, and we only have $1,300 to go after Macabre Daily’s contribution.

*** Please note - when you use the link below, it will connect to my PayPal account (Matthew B Orozco) ***

Please click here to donate!

This is our first time ever doing something like this, and being transparent is of the utmost importance. If you have any questions or concerns, please use the contact form to reach out, and we will get back to you ASAP. More information to come, and we hope you join us to do some good while celebrating the thing we all love, horror!

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Now and then, a horror novel is released that perfectly captures what’s happening culturally. Think “Tender is the Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica, or “Coyote Songs” by Gabino Iglesias. These novels hold a mirror up to society and show the truth of that time, warts and all. Horror has always been unflinching in its refusal to shy away from exposing our worst inclinations, prejudices, and toxic obsessions, and horror authors are certainly the most prevalent at exposing the dark side of society. You can now add Luke Dumas to the list of authors unafraid to lean into our uncomfortable truths. His new novel, “Nothing Tastes as Good,” skewers the GLP-1 weight-loss craze in a way that not only cuts to the bone but entertainingly reinvents Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” for our modern age. This novel manages to walk the delicate line between biting social commentary, a brutally graphic horror tale, and a heartfelt exploration of childhood trauma, all at once, without leaning too far into or too far away from any of those themes. What emerges is a thoroughly engrossing tale of cannibalistic terror that has as much heart as bite.

SYNOPSIS:

Retail worker Emmett Truesdale has never fit the Southern California mold of six-pack, suntanned masculinity. Over three hundred pounds, he carries the weight of his childhood trauma and millennial ennui around his waist and in his soul. After trying every diet under the sun, he remains stuck—in his dead-end job, in love, and in his body.

Desperate for help, he enrolls in a clinical trial for a new weight loss product called Obexity. The treatment is as horrifying as the results are miraculous, and as Emmett sheds pounds at superhuman speed, every part of his life improves overnight.

Unfortunately, Obexity comes with some killer side effects, including lost stretches of time and overwhelming cravings. Worse, people who were cruel to him have started disappearing, and when the police warn of a cannibalistic killer on the loose, he fears that Obexity is turning him into a monster. But how can he give it up now that people are finally starting to treat him like he’s human?

WHAT WORKS WELL:

Having lived firsthand through the “heroin-chic” heyday of the early to mid-nineties, this novel was something of a call back to those times. Looking back now, it's hard to believe how blind we were to the damage being done to fragile young psyches. Willfully, almost joyously obliterating healthy self-image with an unrealistic expectation of perfection that was rooted less in idealized betterment and more succinctly in dangerous self-destruction. It was voluntary torture porn via a steady diet of Marlboro Lights, Diet Coke, and a never-ending stream of key bumps. When, around the end of 1996, we emerged from this fever dream, there was no reconciliation for the multitude of individuals affected by this toxic craze, nor have we learned our lesson, because we’re right back where we started. Enter Luke Dumas, pulling no punches with his new novel, showing us exactly how far we’re willing to go to be what society glamorizes as “normal.”

Essentially, a 21st-century reinterpretation of “Jekyll & Hyde” or “The Portrait of Dorian Grey,” or even werewolf lore to a certain degree, the story presents a remarkably lovable character the reader immediately feels protective of, even as their actions and decisions become catastrophic, not only for themselves but for those they love. The beats are classic tragedy for the Ozempic age, and Dumas wisely takes his time introducing us to Emmett, showing the minutiae of his life, his struggles, both emotional and mental, and the inescapable, overwhelming sadness he feels because of his perception of himself as monstrous. When the chance at reinvention presents itself, the reader, along with Emmett, will feel that the reward outweighs the risk. As the weight begins to shed and the blood begins to spill, it places the reader in the uncomfortable position of having cosigned onto this killing spree…and being okay with it.

Dumas takes great pains to present Emmett’s traumatic past with the care the subject matter deserves. It’s not easy to read, and it comes with trigger warnings a mile high. Still, rather than being a cavalier plot device, it deepens the narrative, making the protagonist a real person, rather than a caricature, even as we descend into over-the-top Grand Guignol horror.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

For a novel centered around a man’s descent into cannibalism, this story has so much more to say about society’s death grip on perceived normalcy, fatphobia, weight discrimination, and the ticking time bomb of unresolved trauma. Before you get the wrong impression, this isn’t Zepbound Dostoyevsky. The themes are heavy, but the novel is light. This is a genre story, blood splatters these pages, and appropriately so. It’s okay to have an entertaining novel that sheds light on a very real issue plaguing society, and we champion more of this from horror authors. If handled well, as it is here, it adds layers and depth to a terror tale, leaving the reader shaken at the end yet having learned some dark truths, and better for having read it.

You can purchase “Nothing Tastes As Good” here.

You can follow Luke Dumas on Instagram here.

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The world needs more big monster movies, and thankfully, we aren’t the only ones who feel that way. There was a time when the monster movie reigned supreme among all other horror genres, but it has taken a bit of a backseat to smaller, more intimate kinds of scares. With all the recently reported Bigfoot sightings in Ohio, perhaps the world is sending a message that monsters are back, and they’re not hiding anymore. For many horror fans, the monster film has never left, just retreated into the cold, dark shadows waiting for the right time to re-emerge. Turns out, the cold and the dark are the best conditions for the chilling terror of “The Yeti,” from Well Go USA!

We raved about the film last week in our review, and now we are delighted to share our interview with the film’s cinematographer, Joel Froome. Joel is an accomplished Director of Photography in his own right and was gracious enough to share the details about filming on a soundstage, creating a retro feel with modern sensibilities, and, of course, our favorite question, queuing up a double feature.

“The Yeti” will be released in AMC Theaters on April 4th & 8th and on Digital April 10th.

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It’s alright to wade in a different horror subgenre pool every now and again, you know? There’s nothing wrong with trying something new, such as an experimental horror film, even if you don’t vibe with it at the end of the day. Experimental horror (or arthouse horror, never “elevated horror”) is a subgenre that aims to create discomfort. Primarily because they break convention, are often very mood-based rather than hyper-focusing on a plot, and that can be stressful.

However, if you’re looking to dip your toes, then there are great places to start in terms of that. Keep in mind that some films are heavier than others, and most of these aren’t as widely discussed. Thus, they’re being included over more popular or discussed films that could fall into this subgenre.

Enjoy your descent into visual and experimental madness. Try not to get too lost along the way.

“Belladonna of Sadness” (1973)

Animated horror doesn’t always get as much appreciation as it should. “Belladonna of Sadness” (1973) follows Jeanne (voiced by Aiko Nagayama), a woman in medieval France, who is gang-raped by those in power on the day of her wedding, and out of desperation, she makes a pact with the devil to enact her revenge. It’s by far one of the most experimental Japanese horror films you’ll ever watch, especially in that some of the animation is stunning watercolor.

One aspect of the film that’ll unnerve viewers is the rape scene, as it’s mostly an abstract sequence that will make you more uncomfortable. Jeanne suffers so greatly throughout the film, and her quest for gaining agency and getting revenge leads her down a twisty path. If you’re looking to watch a cult animated film, this may be the one to tick off your list.

“House” (1977)

A trip to visit your aunt shouldn’t go this damn badly, but alas it does. “House” (1977) follows a teen girl and her friends who travel to visit her aunt, only to discover something supernatural is going on in the house. Everything goes downhill for this group of girls and it becomes a psychedelic nightmare. This film gained cult status much later than its initial release, rightfully so.

This is a horror film for folks who highly enjoy abstract imagery and bizarre scenes. If you happen to be someone who enjoys challenging visuals, as well as a score that perfectly contrasts with the film, you’ll be satisfied with this viewing experience. Throw it on when you’re in the mood for weirdness.

“Noroi: The Curse” (2005)

Found footage isn’t always an easy sell, but this one’ll leave you feeling very uneasy by the end. “Noroi: The Curse” (2005) follows a bizarre chain of events being filmed for a documentary by a paranormal investigator. At first, you’ll think you know what’s going on, only to be duped in the best possible way by the end of the film. And that only makes this a worthwhile experience.

The documentary style that comes together with found footage is done quite well in this. There’s a grainy quality to the footage that makes it come across as real events. The film is a slow burn; you need to really pay attention to what’s happening and soak up the vibes. Overall, this is best suited for found footage fans who are interested in watching more than just the popular found footage films.

“Suspiria” (2018)

The original is a classic, but the remake expands the vision of the original. “Suspiria” (2018) is set in the ‘70s and follows Susie (Dakota Johnson), an American dancer who moves to West Berlin to attend the Markos Dance Academy, which is run by a coven. There’s an extreme departure from the original with this film. And that works in its favor because it’s not trying to be a carbon copy.

Instead of bright and vibrant colors, “Suspiria” trades those in for a muted color palette that matches the ambiance of the film. It’s best not to go into this without an open mind, especially if you’re a fan of the original. You may very well enjoy this if you embrace the weirdness that this remake has to offer.

“Titane” (2021)

Sex with literal vehicles and a bonkers ending is what you’re in for with this international body horror film. “Titane” (2021) follows Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a serial killer whose mechanophilia lands her in a bizarre situation that impacts several people. Literal car sex happens in this movie, and there aren’t many horror films that explore erotic fascinations with vehicles like this. Thus making this a film that’s quite daring in its sequences.

There are themes regarding gender identity, trauma, and so on that are executed in such a particular way throughout this film. Instead of having everything completely spelled out for you, “Titane” forces you to really think about what the film is trying to say. It may not be a film for everyone, but it pushes boundaries, and that’s part of why people should watch it at least once.

“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” (2022)

A vampire who doesn’t want to kill people and or drink blood sounds like an anomaly, doesn’t it? “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” (2022) follows a teen vampire who struggles with her nature, and eventually meets another teen who struggles with suicidal ideation. Despite how it may not seem like the plot is ripe for comedic beats, this French-Canadian horror film will charm you in some spots.

Rather than go the conventional route that many vampire films do - this one takes a sharp turn whenever Sasha resists being like her family members. And the charming energy throughout will subvert your expectations. You’ll certainly enjoy this if you’re into vampires, comedy horror, and also like the feeling that thrums with Canadian horror.

“Dagr” (2024)

Influencer horror can be a lot of fun, especially when you throw folklore into the mix. “Dagr” (2024) follows two influencers looking to acquire internet fame, but they get tangled up in a disastrous paranormal scenario that they’re unable to simply break free from. The characters are your classic influencers who do whatever they wish to become famous. And you’ll either care what happens to them or you won’t.

The story goes back and forth between what has already happened and what’s currently happening in the film. It’s effective to display just how dire the circumstances in the house truly are. And how they’re dealing with something far more sinister than they could’ve imagined. If you enjoy folk horror and influencers in horror, then you’re in luck with this one.

“MadS” (2024)

One night can change everything for the worse and potentially kickstart a practically apocalyptic event. “MadS” (2024) is a French horror film that follows a trio of individuals named Julia (Lucille Guillaume), Romain (Milton Riche), and Anaïs (Laurie Pavy), who all do a mysterious drug that has violent side effects. When shit hits the fan, it’s catastrophic for more than just these three folks. And it all plays out in a continuous shot that adds to the disastrous feeling of it all.

“MadS” doesn’t care about making you feel comfortable, nor does it aim to wrap the story up in a pretty bow at the end. There’s plenty of chaos, the perspectives keep shifting, the visuals are gnarly, and the ending will make you feel quite hopeless. This is a horror film that’ll especially appeal to folks who like French horror.

Mike Mignola is a singular voice and talent, and new adventures in the “Lands Unknown” have found him more hands-on with art and writing than fans have gotten in a long time. This new graphic novel is a work of beautifully grim mythology in the way that only Mignola can tell it, an eighty-page trek across a land of gods, monsters, bandits, and blasphemers. It’s a brand new story in a dangerous new world, but it has the old familiarity of a master storyteller sitting down at a campfire once again.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Doctor Uri Tupka, heretic theologian, is on the run and in search of enlightenment. With an emperor’s death warrant on his head, Uri travels far and wide in search of forbidden knowledge of the long-lost gods. Along the way, he encounters terrors, temptation, and endless treachery.

HOW IS IT?

Readers have not gotten a new Mike Mignola universe in over a decade. I had honestly forgotten how trying to get immersed in one can be somewhat overwhelming. The “Outerverse” of “Joe Golem” and “Baltimore” was somewhat grounded in history and reality, giving a reader something to cling to. “Lands Unknown” is a wholly new setting, and although we’re three titles in now, I find myself a little lost, still trying to figure out the connective threads. Not that “Uri Tupka and the Gods”, and its predecessors “Bowling for Corpses” or “The Skinless Man” are confusing, but it’s a struggle at the moment to see exactly how they connect. 

“Uri Tupka” is a rich fantasy text, replete with lists of deities, long-dead rulers, and a host of maps with many places to keep track of. Mignola has little interest in providing context for almost any of it, and when he occasionally does with the help of a friendly goose, it doesn’t always clear things up. Diving into this story, as a reader, I had to just go with the flow and follow Uri Tupka on his journey. I found it easy to do after a time, because the truth is, I don't have to know who all these gods, emperors, and lands are. Mignola writes with such conviction that I know that he knows who they are, and it comes off the page as history instead of fantasy.

There is so much detail, so much rich density to it all, that I was deeply immersed in Uri’s journey by the end. To engage with the material, you just have to accept that the larger picture, or even the medium picture, might not become clear for a very long time. The story of “Hellboy” and “B.P.R.D.” didn’t become fully clear for over a decade after “Hellboy and the Seed of Destruction #1”, not to say that it has even become fully clear! Part of the power and mystique of Mignola’s writing, inspired so much by Lovecraft, is that we are not meant to comprehend everything. There are far greater forces working in the cosmos than the characters in the story may ever know. Uri’s quest for knowledge will continue in “Ura Tupka and The Devil’s”, but as readers, our own understanding of the lore of “The Lands Unknown” may be shaped for a very long time to come. “Baltimore” and “Joe Golem” weren’t connected narratively for years and years.

So the answer is just to sink in and go along for the ride, because it is incredible. The rhythm of Mignola’s writing is so controlled and deliberate, taking the time to soak it in is worth doing. His dialogue has never been anywhere naturalistic, with basic conversations being laden with portents, riddles, and challenges. The more arcane the narrative, the more arcane the dialogue, and “Uri Tupka and the Gods” is about as arcane as Mignola gets. As Uri encounters demons, pirates, queens, and bandits, it’s all fantastical in the best way. You can take it literally, or you can take it on vibes, but either way, it’s truly magical. 

This is in large part because Mike Mignola also happens to be one of the greatest living comic book artists, and having a fully illustrated graphic novel at his hands feels like a treasure bestowed by the gods themselves. Demons and monsters are not new territory for Mignola, but “Uri Tupka” still feels fresh and inspired on so many levels. “Uri Tupka” is a much larger and far more epic story than “Bowling for Corpses” was, and Mignola flexes nearly every single design muscle in his creative toolbelt.

Spanning deserts, jungles, seas, castles, and temples, the scope of his artwork here is massive, and all of it is filled with the attention and individuality one would expect. The shadows and shading of the world feel ancient, decaying, and mystical. The vistas of the ancient world are immense, and the scale of this unknown empire feels barely contained on the page. Much of it is dreamlike and surreal, framed as perhaps a nightmare or a hallucination of Uri, who narrates. When the story gets cosmic, it does so with a beauty and terror only Mignola is capable of; the final chapter is astonishing. I would be remiss not to mention the incredible coloring by Dave Stewart and stylish lettering by Clem Robbins, without either of whom it’s hard to imagine any Mignola comic being complete. 

With the art and the writing, Mignola has chosen to be more esoteric with this latest project, and fans of his stranger work will be happier here than those who prefer his pulpy work. “Uri Tupka and the Gods” is most similar in tone to “Hellboy: Strange Places” and “Into The Silent Sea”, and those who enjoy the mystical and mysterious have a treasure trove on their hands. Reading “Uri Tupka and the Gods” feels like discovering a lost scroll in an ancient library, or listening to an old man ramble about his life. I was sucked in and swept away, and found myself going back for a second and third pass to try and absorb it all.      

LAST RITES

“Uri Tupka and the Gods” is a uniquely Mike Mignola work, a shadowy and strange story with sumptuous art. Longtime fans of his vibrant and magical writing and illustrations will find everything they love about this titan of comics on full display in this latest graphic novel. “Uri Tupka” is the most promising chapter in the new “Lands Unknown” saga yet.

“URI TUPKA AND THE GODS” is on sale from DARK HORSE COMICS now.

THE GORY DETAILS

STORY AND ART BY

MIKE MIGNOLA

COLORS BY

DAVE STEWART

LETTERS BY

CLEM ROBBINS

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The reason we started the Collector’s Crypt column was because of our love of physical media. Not only does it scratch the itch left by the near extinction of the video store, but in an age of digital content, physical media is one of the only ways we as individuals can preserve film history. Plus, boutique labels and studios alike have realized that genre fans will spend good money on great releases that include things like essays, interviews, and newly commissioned special features, and who can forget the restored and remastered films in HD and 4K UHD!

Check out forthcoming releases from…

“The Big Combo” (1955)

Ignite Films / Eagle Rock Pictures

Pre-orders for “THE BIG COMBO” (1955) 70TH Anniversary 4K Restoration from Ignite Films and Eagle Rock Pictures were launched in January 2026 at Ignite Films, and the film will be available this month, jointly announced Jan Willem Bosman Jansen of Ignite Films and Jim Quan of Eagle Rock Pictures.

A cornerstone of American film noir, “The Big Combo” remains one of the genre’s most visually striking and uncompromising works. Directed by Joseph H. Lewis (“Gun Crazy”), the film follows obsessive police lieutenant Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) as he wages a personal crusade against the elusive and sadistic crime boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte).

 Driven by equal parts justice and desire, Diamond’s pursuit draws him into the shadows of a corrupt city, and into the orbit of Brown’s cool, haunted mistress, Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace, Wilde’s real-life wife). As Diamond descends deeper, the line between duty and obsession blurs, culminating in one of noir’s most chilling confrontations. The film also stars Brian Donlevy and a stellar supporting cast that features Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, and Helen Walker.

This digital restoration of “The Big Combo” was undertaken by Ignite Films, working from a 35mm Fine Grain Answer Print and a 35mm Optical Sound Negative. The picture was restored in 4K by The Grainery, while the audio was sourced from a UCLA restoration funded by The Film Foundation. Gosia Grzyb carried out the color grading under the supervision and approval of Scott MacQueen.

“The Big Combo” 70th Anniversary Restoration is AVAILABLE IN 4 EDITIONS (seen above)

All editions include the bonus feature film “The Crooked Way,” with cinematography by John Alton.

Newly Produced Bonus Features:

New Audio Commentary with acclaimed film historian and noir expert Imogen Sara Smith.

New Interview with celebrated author and critic Philippe Garnier.

How a Man Makes a Living — How a Little Combo Made The Big Combo: New video essay by Scout Tafoya. 

“The Crooked Way” (1949) – Another brutal noir with spectacular expressionistic cinematography by John Alton, with unfiltered filming on the 1940s post-war streets of Los Angeles. 

Legacy Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary with Eddie Muller, the “Czar of Noir” and founder of the Film Noir Foundation.

Geoff Andrew, respected critic and curator, on The Big Combo.

Wagon Wheel Joe: A fascinating video appreciation of Lewis’s dynamic camerawork and recurring motifs, tracing his evolution from B-movie craftsman to master stylist.

Booklet:

Art in a Boiling Pot: New written introduction by Eddie Muller.

Commissioned essays by Ben Sachs, Alonso Duralde, Katie Stebbins, Scout Tafoya, and Garrett Clayton.

“Dust Bunny” (2025)

Lionsgate

Synopsis:    Ten-year-old Aurora (Sophie Sloan) has an intriguing neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters — a hit man for hire. When Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her family, she procures his services. Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to hit men gunning for him, Aurora's neighbor guiltily takes the job. To protect Aurora, he'll need to contend with an onslaught of assassins, a mysterious associate with killer heels (Sigourney Weaver), and accept that some monsters are real in this fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut from visionary creator Bryan Fuller.

Special Features on the 4K Ultra HD + Digital:

• Making Dust Bunny

• Monster Craft

• Q&A Sizzle

• Cute to Cutthroat

• Mads Choreography Video

•  Cast Explainers

•  Theatrical Trailer

The critically acclaimed thriller arrives on 4K Ultra HD + Digital April 28. Featuring Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and bonus content.

“Scream 4” (2011)

Lionsgate

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS

Debuting in blood-chilling 4K! “Scream 4” amps up the carnage in horror master Wes Craven’s hall-of-mirrors fourth Scream installment. It’s the anniversary of the original Ghostface murders, and Sidney (Neve Campbell) has returned to Woodsboro to promote her new book about surviving the masked killer. But Ghostface still haunts Woodsboro – slashing through Jill’s (Emma Roberts) circle of friends, outwitting Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette), taunting tough-skinned reporter Gale (Courteney Cox)…and relentlessly stalking Sidney, Ghostface’s ultimate prize.

Special Features on the 4K+ BD + Digital

Lionsgate Limited Extras:

·     The Meta of Scream 

·     Rebooting the Franchise: Scream 4 Revisited 

·     Ghostface Revealed!

·     Wes Craven: The Maestro of Scream

Legacy Special Features:

·      Feature Commentary with Director Wes Craven and Cast Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, and Neve Campbell

·      Deleted and Extended Scenes

·      Alternate Opening

·      Extended Ending

·      Gag Reel

·      EPKs - B-Roll , Soundbites

·      Junket Interviews

·      Trailers

·      TV Spot

Lionsgate Limited exclusive 4K Ultra HD™ + Blu-ray™ + Digital Steelbook® Street Date: 6/9/26

Lionsgate Limited exclusive VHS Street Date: 6/9/26

“The Worlds of Lucile Hadžihalilović”

Severin Films / Yellow Veil Pictures

For their first partnership, Yellow Veil Pictures and Severin Films announced today the release of “THE WORLDS OF LUCILE HADŽIHALILOVIĆ,” a box set bringing together the North American Discs of 4 highly acclaimed films from celebrated French author Lucile Hadžihalilović: “INNOCENCE,” “EVOLUTION,” “EARWIG,” and “THE ICE TOWER.”

This long-overdue celebration of the visionary director was made possible by the curatorial work of Yellow Veil Pictures and the expertise of Severin Films and will finally bring to North America a comprehensive view of her greatly praised body of work.

“Severin Films has always been a beacon of curation and quality for physical release,” says Hugues Barbier, co-founder of Yellow Veil Pictures, “and being able to work with David and his team to bring an extensive, and hopefully exhaustive, presentation of Lucile’s work couldn’t have been more gratifying. We’ve been obsessed with her singular vision, and can’t wait to present this box set to the audience with the help of Severin Films”.

“We’ve always had tremendous regard for Yellow Veil’s sense of film and filmmakers,” says David Gregory, co-founder/CEO of Severin Films. “It’s especially rewarding to collaborate on a comprehensive collection by one of our favorite contemporary directors. Lucile Hadžihalilović’s films blur the fine line between exquisite and disturbing, and we’re tremendously pleased to help bring this quartet of classics to new audiences.”

The box set will be released on June 30, 2026.

“Sangster Directs Hammer”

Severin Films

Severin Films today announced their new releases, led by the most exceptional Hammer Films collection ever released in North America: SANGSTER DIRECTS HAMMER is an epic 7-disc box set featuring the North American UHD Premieres of genre icon Jimmy Sangster’s “THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN,” “LUST FOR A VAMPIRE” and “FEAR IN THE NIGHT" with an unprecedented 18+ hours of Special Features including new documentary featurettes on Mary Shelley, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Ralph Bates, Dame Joan Collins and Jimmy Sangster; the all-new 312-page book Horror! Lust! Fear! Sangster designed by Stephen Thrower and featuring essays by Ramsey Campbell, David Gregory, Chris Alexander, Kat Ellinger and David Flint plus archival interviews with Kate O’Mara, Tudor Gates and Mike Raven, comic adaptations, copious color photos and much more, all in celebration of “one of the chief architects of the most successful British production company in history” (The Times).

Disc 1: THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN UHD

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Producer/Co-Writer/Director Jimmy Sangster, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas

●       Trailer

Disc 2: THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN Blu-ray

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Producer/Co-Writer/Director Jimmy Sangster, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas

●       Frankenstein, Dracula And Me – Archival Interview With Actress Veronica Carlson

●       Reunion Panel At 1997 Festival Of Fantastic Films Manchester With Director Jimmy Sangster, Actor Dave Prowse And Actress Veronica Carlson, Moderated By Wayne Kinsey

●       Younger Frankenstein – Interview With 2nd Assistant Director Nicholas Granby, Camera Operator Neil Binney, Production Runner Philip Campbell And Co-Writer Jeremy Burnham

●       One Frankenstein After Another: 125 Years of Cinematic Adaptations – Illustrated Audio Essay By Gillian Wallace Horvat

●       The Life And Work Of Mary Shelley – Interview With Dr. Emma Liggins, Co-Director Of The Manchester Centre For Gothic Studies

●       The Unhallowed Arts: The Creation Myth Of Mary Shelley – Interview With Gothic Scholar Dr. Colin-Azariah Kribbs

●       Vintage Behind-The-Scenes From Hammer Films

●       Alternate TV Opening Credits

●       Trailer

●       SCARS OF DRACULA/THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN Double Feature Trailer

●       SCARS OF DRACULA/THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN Double Feature TV Spot

Disc 3: LUST FOR A VAMPIRE UHD

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Director Jimmy Sangster And Actress Suzanna Leigh, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Ten Years Of Terror: British Horror Films Of The 1970s

●       Trailer

Disc 4: LUST FOR A VAMPIRE Blu-ray

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Director Jimmy Sangster And Actress Suzanna Leigh, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Ten Years Of Terror: British Horror Films Of The 1970s

●       Illustrated Archival Audio Interview With Actress Yutte Stensgaard By Michael Augustine-Reed With Accompanying Career-Spanning Still Gallery

●       Live, Love, Lust – Interview With Actress Judy Matheson

●       Gothic Girl – Interview With Actress Kirsten Lindholm

●       Hammer Times – Interview With Actor Christopher Neame

●       A Bit Of Fun – Interview With Actress Erica Beale

●       Lust Mel – Interview With Actress Mel Churcher

●       Running Blood – Interview With Production Runner Philip Campbell

●       Gates Of Karnstein Castle – Archival Interview With Screenwriter Tudor Gates

●       The Invisible Prince: The Life & Legacy Of J. Sheridan Le Fanu – Interview With Dr. William Hughes, Gothic Scholar & Co-Editor Of Open Graves, Open Minds: Representations Of Vampires And The Undead From The Enlightenment To The Present Day

●       Strange Love – Carmen Maria Machado, Author Of Queer Reflections Of Horror, Reframes The Sapphic Vampire

●       School Of The Heaving Bosom: Education, Eroticism And LUST FOR A VAMPIRE – Video Essay By Dr. Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

●       Alternate Version Of Lesbian Scene

●       Trailer

Disc 5: FEAR IN THE NIGHT UHD

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Producer/Co-Writer/Director Jimmy Sangster, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Ten Years Of Terror: British Horror Films Of The Seventies And Mayhem Film Festival's Chris Cooke

●       Peter Cushing Discusses Hammer In Archival Audio Interview With Denis Meikle, Author Of A History Of Horrors: The Rise & Fall Of The House Of Hammer

●       Trailer

Disc 6: FEAR IN THE NIGHT Blu-ray

Special Features:

●       Audio Commentary With Producer/Co-Writer/Director Jimmy Sangster, Moderated By Hammer Historian Marcus Hearn

●       Audio Commentary With David Flint, Author Of Ten Years Of Terror: British Horror Films Of The Seventies And Mayhem Film Festival's Chris Cooke

●       Peter Cushing Discusses Hammer In Archival Audio Interview With Denis Meikle, Author Of A History Of Horrors: The Rise & Fall Of The House Of Hammer

●       The Gaslighter’s Playbook: Real And Imagined Horrors In FEAR IN THE NIGHT – Video Essay By Dr. Alexandra Heller Nicholas

●       Fun In The Day – Interviews With Camera Operator Neil Binney And Production Runner Philip Campbell

●       Trailer

“Children of The Wicker Man” (2024)

Severin Films

With his 1973 directorial debut, Robin Hardy fought to craft what would eventually be recognized as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. But for his loved ones, Hardy created a very different kind of nightmare. Now art historian Dominic Hardy and filmmaker Justin Hardy (“A FEAST AT MIDNIGHT”) – half-brothers and self-described “far-flung spawn” – explore their late father’s complicated legacy in this “incredibly brave and touching documentary that will take you on a journey unlike any you’ve been on before” (MovieJawn): Through stacks of decades-old correspondence, a pilgrimage to the original locations and new interviews with friends, family and the movie’s surviving personnel, Robin’s sons uncover the personal costs of the film’s chaotic production, their father’s war with the studio British Lion, his bitter falling-out with friend, business partner and screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, the financial and sexual improprieties that tore families apart and their own lifelong traumas as

CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN.

Special Features for CHILDREN OF THE WICKER MAN:

●       Audio Interview With Co-Directors Justin Hardy, Dominic Hardy And Chris Nunn, Moderated By David Gregory, Director Of THE WICKER MAN ENIGMA

●       Q&A With Co-Directors Justin Hardy, Dominic Hardy And Chris Nunn And Producer Alison Palmer

●       Making-Of Featurette

●       Trailer

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