Luz is a 2018 German supernatural horror film written and directed by Tilman Singer. It stars Luana Velis, Jan Bluthardt, Julia Riedler and Johannes Benecke.

Shot on 16mm, Luz also features a synth score composed by Simon Waskow.

A rainy night. A dazed and numb young cab driver, Luz, drags herself into the brightly lit entrance of a rundown police station.

Across town in a nightspot, Nora seductively engages police psychiatrist Dr. Rossini in a conversation. Nora is possessed by a demonic entity, longing for the woman it loves – Luz. She tells the doctor about her old schoolmate Luz’s rebellious past at a Chilean school for girls. Increasingly intoxicated by her story, Rossini turns into an easy prey in Nora’s hands, but he’s soon called away to the police station to examine Luz.

Supervised by his colleagues, the doctor puts Luz in a state of hypnosis that initiates a series of flashbacks, unfolding the events leading to her arrival. But the entity that has taken control of the doctor wants something more…

Luz will be shown at the Fantasia International Film Festival this Summer.

Cast and characters:

• Johannes Benecke … Olarte
• Jan Bluthardt … Dr. Rossini
• Lilli Lorenz … Margarita
• Julia Riedler … Nora Vanderkurt
• Nadja Stübiger … Bertillon
• Luana Velis … Luz Carrara

Filming locations:

Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

IMDb

Images credits: Horror-Movies.ca

Another Soul is a 2015 American supernatural horror feature film written and directed by Paul Chau (Scalp). Wyatt Kuether, Anthony Misiano, Tia Link and Rebecca Lovett star.

Megan cannot stop the nightmares. Her parents, Rob and Susan, are at their wit’s end. When a couple suggest Megan’s soul may be the target of a soul-hungry demon, the family find themselves in a battle for Megan’s life…

Another Soul was released on digital VOD by Gravitas Ventures on May 25, 2018.

Cast and characters:

• Anthony Misiano … Skip
• Tia Link … Helena
• Rebecca Lovett … Mrs. Willow
• Wyatt Kuether … Rob
• Maura Grady … Demon
• Bailey Newman … Willow Girl
• Brianne Wigeland … Susan
• Garlan Green … Father Mullins
• Josh Sauerman … Mr. Willow
• Sarah Smithton … Megan

IMDb

New and future releases

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

‘Some doors should never be opened’

The Devil’s Doorway is a 2018 British found footage horror feature film directed by Aislinn Clarke (short: Childer) from a screenplay co-written with Martin Brennan and Michael B. Jackson. Lalor Roddy, Ciaran Flynn and Helena Bereen.

In October 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton are sent by the Vatican to investigate a statue of the Virgin Mary weeping blood in a rural Irish convent, a ‘Magdalene laundry’ that serves as a religious asylum for prostitutes, the mentally disabled, and unmarried pregnant women. In hopes of capturing photographic evidence of this apparent miracle, Father Thornton films their inquiry with a portable 16mm camera.

However, the resident Mother Superior denies knowledge of any supernatural phenomenon. In addition, her impious views toward her wards, and the nuns cruel treatment of them, shock both priests.

When the priests finally gather indisputable evidence of a potential miracle, it leads to an exhaustive search of the convent’s grounds, where they discover Kathleen O’Brien, a sixteen year-old pregnant girl exhibiting signs of demonic possession, leading the priests to question whether the omens witnessed have been the work of God or Satan…

The Devil’s Doorway will be released in the USA on 13 July 2018.

Reviews:

“In a genre that has seen so many iterations and overused tropes, it was important to find a way to give this found footage film a unique spin on how it delivers the goods. To help with this, Clarke uses 16mm film almost exclusively which was a perfect way to capture the 1960’s era aesthetic and adds its own level of creepiness to the story’s visual pallet.” Marc Morin, Two Oh Six

Cast and characters:

• Lalor Roddy … Father Thomas
• Ciaran Flynn … Father John
• Helena Bereen … Mother Superior
• Lauren Coe … Kathleen

IMDb

HORRORPEDIA on social media:  Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

‘Be careful what you wish for’

Darkness Reigns is a 2017 American supernatural horror feature film written, produced and directed by Andrew P. Jones (Wild Boar; Haunting of Cellblock 11). The movie stars Zachary Mooren, Linara Washington and Casper Van Dien.

A group of filmmakers shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary in a reportedly haunted hotel are faced with an unfathomable demonic force that possesses and attacks both the crew and the film’s star, Casper Van Dien.

Will the film’s director be able to escape with the paranormal proof he has captured, or will he succumb to the hellish plans of the demon who has surfaced and pay the ultimate price?…

Darkness Reigns is released by Wild Eye Releasing on VOD on July 10, 2018.

Cast and characters:

• Zachary Mooren … Daniel
• Linara Washington … Vanessa
• Casper Van Dien … Himself – The Pact; Dracula 3000: Infinite Darkness; Python; Sleepy Hollow; Starship Troopers
• Peter Mayer … Sidney
• Ford Fanter … Aaron
• Jennifer Wenger … Rebecca Long
• James Packard … Jacob Bale
• Aerial Nicole … Amelia Faulkner
• Matt Connor … Gabe Swanson
• Vanessa Leinani … Publicist
• Megan Goldthrite … Amanda / Film Crew Member
• Timeka Little … Demon Girl

Filming locations:

Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

Trivia:

The film’s working title was Defanatus Soul

IMDb

Two young homicide detectives are searching for clues to a series of very unique murders that appear to be connected to a satanic cult…

‘There are some things you just can’t run from…’

Taken Over is a 2017 American supernatural horror thriller feature film written, directed by and starring Harley Wallen (Agramon’s Gate). The Painted Creek Productions movie also stars T.J. Storm, Dennis Haskins and Bella Shepard.

IMDb

New and future releases

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

The post Taken Over – USA, 2017 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

The Possessed is a 1977 American made-for-TV supernatural horror film directed by Jerry Thorpe from a screenplay by John Sacret Young, and starring James Farentino, Joan Hackett, Diana Scarwid, and Harrison Ford.

Kevin Leahy, an alcoholic Catholic priest who has strayed from his faith, crashes his car and is pronounced dead at the scene. As penance, he is sent back to Earth to fight evil as an exorcist and returns to life.

At the Helen Page School, a Catholic all-girls college in Salem, Oregon, graduation season is near. The school is about to go coed. Ellen Sumner (Claudette Nevins), is a teacher at the school, which her daughter, Weezie, attends. One evening, the paper in Ellen’s typewriter inexplicably bursts into flames…

Review:

A hesitant and vacillating priest played sensitively by James Farentino, comes back from the dead as an exorcist; he’s forced to redeem himself by opposing a demon whose ironic proclivity for causing death by fire at a girl’s school has become a bit too flagrant.

Though a possession story, the arson element dominates, causing the film to bear a more than passing resemblance to Stephen King’s Firestarter, though the movie predates King’s novel by three years. If it has to be considered, perhaps consider it an inspiration.

Leonard Rosenman’s score wonderfully reinforces a mounting unnerving tension, and John Sacret Young’s writing is strong, with some very clever dialogue; the acting by most is of high quality, but impeccably so by Harrison Ford; it makes one wish he were in more of the film, if not the entirety of it.

The Possessed is highly compelling up to the final encounter, but then becomes a watered-down and unconvincing riff on The Exorcist and unfortunately fizzles to some degree.

Ben Spurling, HORRORPEDIA

This review is a re-edited extract from a chapter about satanism and the occult in 1970s made-for-TV movies in the book Satan Superstar, published by The Reprobate Press in 2018. Order Satan Superstar from The Reprobate Press

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

Other reviews:

“Short, sharp, creepy, it might still deliver some minor shocks. Not at all bad for TV. I remember catching it twice on TV, late 70s and again early 80s. Several scenes really stuck enough to make it a must-see when it rolled around again.” Mark Hodgson, Black Hole

” …almost no information is provided regarding the nature of the demon, and, the possession arguably arrives too late […] Nonetheless, it’s highly ambitious stuff for the small screen that offers up some risqué themes, a brilliantly game performance by Hackett and a couple of effective set-pieces along the way.” Kevin Hilton, Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium 1964 – 1999, Headpress, 2016

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

” …an air of mold and perversion and frustrated ambitions that gives The Possessed an edge over other Exorcist knock-offs. Terrific cast, effective atmosphere, and a genuinely scary finale. The little-seen The Possessed comes highly, highly recommended.” Paul Mavis, DVD Talk

“Director Jerry Thorpe tries to coast on the hothouse atmosphere of the all-girls school and indeed manages to create a claustrophobic air, but the ultimate ratio between build-up and payoff comes as something of a disappointment. The movie’s climax is truncated and abrupt. This is indicative that the exorcism angle and the character of the priest are the least satisfying aspects of the film, which seems to want to tell a more nonspecific ghost story.” Jeremy Heilman, Movie Martyr

“It would be a lie to say it’s scary, but it’s engaging. You care about what’s happening on the screen, which I rarely do nowadays. And this more or less without any spectacular scenes. Well, it’s not totally without them – there’s some cool stuff involving fires and when we finally understand who’s behind it all, it’s completely cheese-less. Bravo!” Fred Anderson, Schmollywood Babylon

“A good cast, including P.J. Soles, Dinah Manoff, and Ann Dusenberry in minor roles, a terrific setting, and a brisk showdown/conclusion…make this one worth seeing.” The Terror Trap

Cast and characters:

• James Farentino as Kevin Leahy – Aaahh!!! Real Monsters TV series; The Cradle Will Fall; Dead & Buried; Night Gallery TV series
• Joan Hackett as Louise Gelson – Dead of Night; How Awful About Allan
• Harrison Ford as Paul Winjam
• Claudette Nevins as Ellen Sumner – The Mask
• P. J. Soles as Marty – Grindsploitation; The Butterfly Room; Beg; The Devil’s Rejects; Uncle Sam; Alienator; Innocent Prey; Halloween; Blood Bath; Carrie; et al
• Diana Scarwid as Lane – Psycho III
• Eugene Roche as Sergeant Taplinger
• Ann Dusenberry as Louise “Weezie” Summer – Jaws 2
• Dinah Manoff as Celia
• Carol Jones as Alex

Filming locations:

The film was shot on location at Reed College in Portland, Oregon in 1976.

Release:

Originally broadcast on NBC on May 1, 1977, the film aired just a few short weeks before Star Wars would make Harrison Ford a household name.

The Possessed was made available via a Warner Archive DVD-R on April 22, 2010.

Wikipedia | IMDb

The post The Possessed – USA, 1977 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘Even demons believe in God’

Along Came the Devil – formerly Tell Me Your Name – is a 2018 supernatural horror feature film directed by Jason DeVan from a screenplay co-written with Heath DeVan and Dylan Matlock. The DeVan Clan production stars Jessica Barth, Matt Dallas, Sydney Sweeney, Madison Lintz and Bruce Davison.

Growing up, Ashley always had her sister Jordan to protect her and share hauntingly beautiful memories of their deceased mom. Now that Jordan has left for college, their Aunt Tanya has taken on the responsibility of caring for Ashley. Even though her aunt tries to reach out to her, Ashley can’t help but feel abandoned.

Ashley is trying to get used to her new life in her mom’s hometown, but she can’t shake the visions of her mom’s spirit or the feeling that something is terribly wrong. She is sure her mom is trying to reach out to her; even Hannah, her reunited hometown childhood friend, agrees. The girls decide to communicate with Ashley’s mother, they must conduct a seance. What they unearth will change their lives for the worse and leave Ashley’s loved ones fighting for her soul…

Reviews:

“Jason DeVan’s skin crawling addition to the possession genre is an unexpected delight. Tell Me Your Name eschews supernatural conventions in favor of exploring the impact of abuse and the innate hubris of heroism. Featuring crisp, haunting visuals, a vicious lead performance, and an absolutely stellar final act, this is one of the year’s best horror films thus far.” The Movie Sleuth

Main cast and characters:

• Sydney Sweeney … Ashley – Dead Ant; The Horde; The Ward
• Jessica Barth … Tanya Winbourne
• Madison Lintz … Hannah – The Walking Dead
• Bruce Davison … Reverend Michael – Itsy Bitsy; The Mystery of Casa Matusita; Return of the Killer Shrews; Coffin; Camp Hell; Tales from the Crypt; Tales from the Darkside; Willard; et al
• Matt Dallas … Pastor John – Camp Slaughter; Way of the Vampire
• Barbara Goodson … Demon voice

Filming locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Official site | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

New and future releases

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

Wellington Paranormal is a 2018 New Zealand comedy horror mockumentary television series starring Mike Minogue, Karen O’Leary, Jemaine Clement, Maaka Pohatu and Taika Waititi.

New Zealand’s capital is a hotbed of supernatural activity… so Officers Minogue and O’Leary, who featured in the vampire documentary What We Do in he Shadows, take to the streets to investigate all manner of paranormal phenomena…

The series will premiere on New Zealand’s TVNZ channel on July 11, 2018.

What We Do in the Shadows – New Zealand, 2014

Üç Harfliler: Beddua [“Three Letters: Curse”] is a 2018 Turkish supernatural horror feature film written and directed by Alper Mestçi (Siccîn franchise and Musallat movies). The TME Films production stars Mustafa Dok, Beyzanur Mete and Esma Soysal.

Released in Turkey on June 15, 2018, Üç Harfliler: Beddua was a big hit, coming in second at the box office, beaten only by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Review:

“Mestçi tries to create tension by his use of uncomfortable sound effects and exaggerated music, just as he did in Siccîn 3 […] after a point, the repetitive nightmares become boring instead of scary…” Uğur Vardan, Hurriyet.com

Facebook

Related: 

Turkish horror

Horror movies free to watch online

Donate to HORRORPEDIA

$5.00

‘Her past is yet to come’

The Haunting of Molly Hartley is a 2008 American supernatural horror feature film directed by Mickey Liddell from a screenplay by John Travis and Rebecca Sonnenshine. The Liddell Entertainment production stars Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, AnnaLynne McCord, and Jake Weber.

After surviving a brutal attack by her insane mother, teenage Molly (Haley Bennett) is eager to get a fresh start at a new school.

Attracting the attention of one of the school’s most-popular students (Chace Crawford), she thinks she is finally fitting in and getting her life on track but, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Molly learns the horrifying truth about her devilish legacy…

Reviews:

“It doesn’t take a genius to pair a suspenseful soundtrack with quick shots of streaming blood, mumbled ghost whispers, and teens shrieking by the dozen, but for all it’s worth, Liddell lives up to the challenge […] Molly Hartley is dull at worst and surprisingly spooky at best.” Chelea Baine, Boston Globe

“The story’s a snooze, so the filmmakers punch it up with smash cuts and thunderclaps that turn the most laughably banal items into cheap jack-in-the-box shocks. They’ll make you flinch — but then again, so will most of the dialogue.” Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly

“Tame and inoffensive (unless you’re on the Lord’s side), The Haunting of Molly Hartley is no more than a big-screen lasso for the Gossip Girl and Supernatural demographic.” Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times

“The only thing keeping the movie from crossing over into unwatchable territory are its above-average performances, as Bennett and her various costars’ better-than-expected work proves effective at basically sustaining the viewer’s interest through the more overtly tedious stretches.” David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

“Obviously, horror movies don’t need explicit violence to be unsettling or disturbing. I was hoping for an atmospheric ghost story or at least a clever riff on an old theme. Unfortunately, The Haunting of Molly Hartley carefully avoids any potentially interesting or inflammatory turns, and thus could be better titled The Boring of Molly Hartley.” Peter Martin, Screen Anarchy

“Collins does all right as the mousy, religious girl and Woodward isn’t bad – they’re just stuck doing by-the-book characterizations with no real depth behind them. The Haunting of Molly Hartley has absolutely nothing going for it. It’s a muddled mess of a movie with little to appeal to its target demographic…” Chris Hartley, The Video Graveyard

“Overall, the flick is kinda slight and not meaty enough for a feature length movie. (It probably would’ve made for a killer episode of Goosebumps or something.) The awkward title doesn’t do the movie any favors either as what happens to Molly Hartley isn’t exactly a “Haunting” but something more akin to a possession.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

Choice dialogue:

Joseph Young: “Books? You’re looking up shit in books? Isn’t that what computers are for?”

Main cast and characters:

• Haley Bennett … Molly Hartley
• Chace Crawford … Joseph Young
• AnnaLynne McCord … Suzie Woods
• Jake Weber … Robert Hartley
• Shannon Woodward … Leah
• Shanna Collins … Alexis White
• Marin Hinkle … Jane Hartley
• Nina Siemaszko … Doctor Amelia Emerson
• Josh Stewart … Mr Draper
• Ron Canada … Mr Bennett
• Kevin Cooney … Doctor Donaldson
• Jessica Lowndes … Laurel Miller
• Randy Wayne … Michael
• Jamie McShane … Mr Miller

Release:

The Haunting of Molly Hartley opened theatrically with a PG-13 rating in the USA on October 31, 2008 in 2,652 movie houses. In the USA, a Fox DVD was released on February 24, 2009. A UK DVD was released on June 14, 2010. In July 2018, the film was streamed on Netflix in the USA.

Box office:

The film took $15,418,749 worldwide against a reported budget of $5 million.

Trivia:

The students in English class are studying John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Sequel:

The Exorcism of Molly Hartley was released in 2015.

New and future releases

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

The Exorcism of Molly Hartley – USA, 2015

‘The next terror in The Doll series’

Sabrina is a 2018 Indonesian supernatural horror film produced and directed by Rocky Soraya (Mata Batin; producer of Tarot; Rumah Gurita) from a screenplay by Riheam Junianti and Fajar Umbara, based on Soraya’s storyline.

An offshoot of the same producer-director’s The Doll franchise, the Hitmaker Studios production stars Luna Maya, Christian Sugiono, Sara Wijayanto and Jeremy Thomas.

Maira lives happily with Aiden, a doll maker and toy company owner. But Vanya, their adopted daughter and Aiden’s niece, is still dealing with the loss of her birth mother. After Vanya plays Charlie’s Pencil to summon her late mother, strange things begin to happen. Maira is terrorised by the Sabrina doll. What is happening with the doll and what does it want?

Sabrina is released in Indonesia on 12 July 2018.

‘Stay out of the shadows’

It Lives Inside is a 2018 American horror feature film written and directed by Jeff Hall. The movie stars Rett Terrell (The Jurassic Games; Army of Frankensteins) and Alissa Rose Ford.

A chronic sleepwalker reads from a mysterious book that foretells his impending demonic possession. He then struggles to hold his family together as the ancient evil threatens to consume everything he holds dear…

The movie is released by High Octane Pictures on August 7, 2018, on VOD and September 4, 2018, on DVD.

Reviews:

“Besides being rather amateur in places (definitely forgivable) it has the pacing of a snail frozen in ice. so little actually happens in this film it absolutely will test the endurance of even the most patient fright flick fan…it’s like all filler, no killer with this thing […] This is just an un-charismatic Amityville Horror pastiche that meanders on for ninety minutes.” Horror Fuel

The post It Lives Inside – USA, 2018 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘Was it a nightmare? Or was it for real?’

Black Devil Doll From Hell is a 1984 American blaxploitation horror feature film written, produced, and directed by Chester Novell Turner (Tales from the QuadeaD Zone), in his directorial debut. The movie stars Shirley L. Jones, Gladys Ames and Bernard Brown.

Helen Black is a religious young woman who is determined to abstain from sex until marriage. This all changes once she purchases a doll from a thrift store, which turns out to be possessed, after which point Helen’s sex drive becomes insatiable…

Review:

Charles Novell Turner’s Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984) may possibly be the Citizen Kane of atrocious shot-on-video movies, but that’s really hard to tell, considering most SOV movies rank somewhere below processed cheese in terms of quality.

Written and directed by Turner, the blame for this ignominious refuse rests solely with Turner himself. He could have written a coherent and engaging story, but chose not to; he could have shot tighter, more relevant scenes, thus upping the tension from nothing to at least a little something, but chose not to; he could have guided the actors in their acting choices, or he could have gotten people capable of acting in the first place, but he chose not to; he could have upgraded to a Yamaha synthesizer instead of using a Casio keyboard with its cottony percussion riffs to do the music, but he chose not to; he could have left his Zuni fetish doll homage a distant dream, but chose not to and chose to infect the world with his rubbishy ineptitude.

In a way, it’s a good thing he chose not to in all of those situations, because the movie is fun precisely because of those flaws. It’s a ridiculous and, yes, at times gruelling endeavour, but its frequent absurdities, and Turner’s remarkable ability to make Ed Wood look like a talent on the level of Alfred Hitchcock, that make the movie worth a watch. If you’re a glutton for punishment, enjoy preposterous scenarios and outlandish scenes with a little juice, Black Devil Doll from Hell is a good option for the facetiously minded.

Ben Spurling, HORRORPEDIA

Other reviews:

“The monotonous (and loud) Casio soundtrack, hallucinatory pacing, profane script, and amateur performances combine to create a Black Devil Doll from Hell DIY video project so far removed from anything remotely resembling normality that most wondered how it ever escaped onto commercial VHS release at all.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

“It revels unashamedly in its own misogynistic mindset and utter incompetency, and I can’t imagine an uglier, more unbelievably inept piece of rotgut. Difficult to endure, impossible to forget, and loads of fun to discuss afterward…” Shock Cinema, 1991

” … reminds one strongly of a low rent Chucky only it’s the carnal he’s interested in rather than murder, which in effect sees Helen raped into believing once you go puppet, you never go back […] Absolutely dreadful by any estimate, but difficult to look away from (and listen to, thanks to the piercing and droning soundtrack).” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

“Is it all as deliberately offensive as it sounds, playing up every negative racial and sexual stereotype imaginable with no apparent concern, much less conscience? Why, yes, it is — but it’s also blatantly obvious that Turner himself isn’t taking things very seriously, so there’s not much point in us doing so, either.” Trash Film Guru

Cast and characters:

• Shirley L. Jones as Helen Black
• Obie Dunson as Preacher
• Thalia Holloway as Second Buyer
• Jeanine Johican as Church Friend
• Ricky Roach as First Lover
• Marie Sainvilvs as Saleslady
• Chester Tankersley as Second Lover
• Kathleen Turner as Barbara’s Voice
• Keefe L. Turner as The Doll

Trivia:

Turner wrote the script over a period of three and a half days, however filming took place over several years on a budget of about $10,000.

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

Trilogy of Terror – USA, 1975

The post Black Devil Doll from Hell – USA, 1984 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘When the forces of evil infuse your body will you scream out…’

Help Me… I’m Possessed is a 1974 American horror feature film directed by Belgian-born director Charles Nitzet (Voodoo Heartbeat, The Ravager). The movie stars co-writer Bill Greer, in his only acting role, other co-writer Deedy Peters, and Lynne Marta.

The film remained in the cinematic wilderness for many years, having only a limited theatrical run in 1976. In 1984, it was released on VHS by Video Gems as The Possessed. The movie features an electronic synth score by an uncredited composed.

In the American desert, a young couple has been brutally murdered and the local sheriff immediately suspects fishy goings-on at the castle-like sanitarium run by reclusive Dr. Arthur Blackwood (Bill Greer).

Assuring the sheriff that his work there is entirely above board and consists of little more than helping disturbed individuals return to society, he does little to allay the police’s fears, not least when his loopy doll-hugging singing sister appears.

Indeed, we soon learn that the doctor is perhaps not entirely qualified, housing a collection of chained up, scantily clad ladies, a Catweazle-alike prisoner and a hunchback in his basement, all at the mercy of his insane experiments, designed to rid them of madness.

When not being whipped and brutalised, these ‘volunteers’ suffer an even worse fate if they don’t behave or illicit positive results, being killed by snake, guillotine and being hacked up to fit the wrongly-sized coffins.

The arrival of the doctor’s new wife (Peters) sees his plans begin to unravel as disappearing members of staff and her cranky husband arouse her suspicion. Worse still, when she uncovers his experiments she learns that the harnessed ‘evil’ extracted from the patients has manifest itself as something malevolent and hideous…

Written by both Peters and Greer (somewhat remarkably considering her later life as the girlfriend of David Soul and his as writer and producer of TV shambles Charles in Charge), Help Me… I’m Possessed! feels like an amalgam of Al Adamson‘s films, slightly restrained H.G. Lewis fare and lunatic imprisonment films like Blood Sucking Freaks.

The acting standards are all of the same unremarkable quality but are engaging and fun, particularly Greer who looks completely ill-fitting in the role, and all the better for it. Though the torture and bloodletting are tame in comparison to Lewis’ films, they are still brutal and heartless enough to raise a serious question mark over the film’s initial PG rating!

The title is somewhat misleading (it was filmed with the more apt working title Nightmare at Blood Castle, there’s no possession in the film as such, only the mysterious evil presence which is represented by Lovecraftian red tentacle-like appendages wafting at the camera.

Coming to a conclusion just before it starts to go around in circles once too often, perhaps the most arresting aspect of the film is the avant-garde electronic score, completely unnerving and genuinely excellent though the film does not name any composer, only an Al Bart in the sound department, who evidently did not go on to better things.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Grimy and fun, Help Me… I’m Possessed! was released on DVD by Code Red on a double-bill with Blind Dead director Amando de Ossorio’s Demon Witch Child, the connection being that they were both known as The Possessed in various releases.

Daz Lawrence, HORRORPEDIA

Buy/rent: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Other reviews:

“As seedy as it all is, Help Me…I’m Possessed is so unrelentingly unusual that it never gets dull, and every five or ten minutes some new absurdity takes this wildly colorful spook show into a deeper, weirder place. Those in search of unique cinematic experiences should keep an eye out for this worthy obscurity…” Fred Beldin, All Movie

“Random shots disappear and float into the subconscious as the monster growls (From an elephant? An orangutang?) burst into the soundtrack for no apparent reason. Plus, mean-spirited torture becomes instantly hilarious when the torturer can’t keep his wig on. The cheapness permeates and the lunacy prevails.” Joseph A. Ziemba, Bleeding Skull!

” …feels more like a throwback to ’60s schlock films (especially basement mad scientist epics like The Brain that Wouldn’t Die) thanks to hoary scenes like a man stuck in a guillotine poised to drop after a candle burns through the rope holding up the blade, and the paint-like blood gets sloshed around without any blades actually cutting anyone in graphic detail. There are also lots of women in their undies acting terrified, of course…” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

“The low budget craftsmanship (or lack thereof) is endearing.  The dated costumes, groovy music, stilted acting, and awful wigs are guaranteed to put a smile on any bad movie lovers’ faces. The surprise is, the monster effects are startlingly effective.The writhing tentacles are similar in many ways to Rob Bottin’s effects in John Carpenter’s The Thing, even if they do resemble sentient Red Vines.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

Choice dialogue:

Dr. Blackwood: “Dead? There is no such thing. Death is a fabrication of the mind.”

Sheriff Taylor: “I’ve seen a lot of dead bodies, doctor. Mutilated bodies. Accident victims. I’ve never seen anything like this. Never!”

Dr. Blackwood: “When I saw Mr. Zolak’s head severed from his body, I felt a definite sexual thrill. I must be very careful.”

Cast and characters:

• Bill Greer … Dr. Arthur Blackwood
• Deedy Peters … Mrs. Diane Blackwood
• Lynne Marta … Melanie Blackwood – The First Power; Blood Beach
• Jim Dean … Sheriff Taylor
• Tony Reese … Ernest, the Chauffeur
• Blackie Hunt … Eleanor,  the Nurse
• Dorothy Green … Edith – The Castle Dweller – The Munsters TV series
• Barbara Thorsen … Redhead Patient
• Pepper Davis … Deputy Sheriff
• Pierre Agostino … Hunchback – Slashed… short; Witchcraft; Las Vegas Serial Killer; The Hollywood Strangler Meets the Skid Row Slasher 

Filming locations:

Bronson Canyon, Los Angeles, California

Image credits: Critical Condition | Mondo Digital

Plot keywords:

avant-garde music | castle | cat | Charlie Chan | desert | guillotine | horribly mutilated | knife | mad doctor | nurse | sanitarium | sheriff | sister | statue | synth score | voyeur

HORRORPEDIA on social media: Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr | Twitter

The post Help Me… I’m Possessed! – USA, 1974 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘See evil. Hear evil. Speak evil.’

Haunting at Foster Cabin – aka Demon Legacy – is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by Rand Vossler and Bob Gill from a screenplay by the former and Tracy Morse. The Parallel 49 Production stars AnnaMaria Demara, Michelle Nunes, Kate Siegel, Kati Sharp and John Savage.

California: In a remote mountain lodge, five sorority sisters accidentally unleash an unholy entity, and must battle evil and each other to stop it from devouring mankind…

Reviews:

“It is unfortunate that there is so much to praise for the most part of Demon Legacy in replicating what made a multitude of 80’s low budget horror films cult gems. However, it manages to mess it up in the final act where a true sacrifice to the film is made in trying to add something fresh where ultimately it ends up feeling stale.” BloodGuts UK Horror

“Under the circumstances, benefit of the doubt suggests Demon Legacy did everything conceivable to make lemonade out of blizzards, brushfires, and expired contracts. Yet while that satisfies as an explanation for the film’s schizophrenic delivery, it doesn’t salvage the mediocre entertainment value.” Ian Sedensky, Culture Crypt

“Demon Legacy isn’t as entirely bad as elements of this review might suggest, but nor is it nearly as good as it could have been […] It’s goreless, lazy and predictable, packed with clichés, annoying characters and rubbish CGI horror. It may wish it was, but Demon Legacy is not Evil Dead-ish at all. This is merely Evil Dead for the Ugg boot generation.” Joel Harley, Horror Talk

“From the demonic smoke, to the comedic jerking of those possessed to the utterly bizarre cameo from John Savage as ‘The Codger’, at times it was hard to distinguish this movie from a straight-laced horror to unintentional parody. The shoddy special effects that were used did little to help my state of open-mouthed bemusement…” Dave Wain, The Schlock Pit

“Yes, some money has been put behind the film and it looks slicker than other, similar offerings, but the appalling weakness of everything else means the money spent was wasted. Sex sells, gore sells and the two combined should have meant a sure-fire hit. Instead, Demon Legacy is a work as empty and soulless as the zombie-demon-things in it.” Stuart O’Conner, Screen Jabber

Choice dialogue:

Sharon: “Considering you were hiding out in a secluded cabin I was expecting it to be a little more, you know, Evil Dead-ish.

Cast and characters:

• AnnaMaria Demara … Michelle
• Michelle Nunes … Dana
• Kate Siegel … Jack
• Kati Sharp … Sharon
• John Savage … The Codger – Empire of the Sharks; The Orphan Killer; They Nest; The Killing Kind; et al
• Grant Alan Ouzts … Randy
• Jamie Strange … Kelly
• Eileen Dietz … Grace
• Cortney Palm … Demon Dana
• Nancy McCrumb … Demon Jack
• Angelina Lyubomirova … Veronica
• Matthew Currie Holmes … Wesley
• Marley Brantley … Young Michelle

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Trivia:

Initial filming began in 2008, however the production was plagued by problems and had to be shut down twice. The movie was eventually only completed in 2014 after a crowdfunding campaign to complete special effects.

The original title was See How They Run

Quick links to HORRORPEDIA contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post Haunting at Foster Cabin aka Demon Legacy – USA, 2014 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘They wanted to get inside her – but something else was already there…’

Skin Creepers is a 2018 German comedy horror film directed by Ezra Tsegaye from a screenplay co-written with Sebastian Kühne. The movie stars Mai Duong Kieu, Milton Welsh and Micaela Schäfer.

Two unsuccessful filmmakers try to make easy money with an adult movie. However,  things go very wrong as their lead actress becomes possessed by a demon…

HORRORPEDIA is truly independent and we rely solely on the minor income generated by affiliate links and ads to stay online. Please support us by not blocking ads on this site. Thank you.

Quick links to HORRORPEDIA contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post Skin Creepers – Germany, 2018 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘Believing is seeing’

The 3rd Eye – original title: Mata Batin [“Inner Eyes”] is a 2017 Indonesian supernatural horror feature film directed by Rocky Soraya (Suzzanna: Bernapas dalam Kubur; Sabrina; producer of Tarot; Rumah Gurita) from a screenplay by Riheam Junianti and Fajar Umbara, based on Soraya’s storyline. The Hitmaker Studios production stars Jessica Mila, Denny Sumargo and Citra Prima.

Plot:

Alia is forced to return to Jakarta after her parents die because she had to take care of Abel, her sister. They move into their childhood home but Abel does not like the house because she thinks there is a disturbing figure. However, Alia does not believe her sister. Until finally Abel says that Alia must open her inner eyes to be able to see what she saw…

Reviews:

“At first, it seems like you’re watching a movie along the lines of Paranormal Activity or maybe even The Ring. Next, it looks more like scenes out of The Excorcist. Finally, there are moments that seem straight out of Evil Dead. Oh yeah, there is quite a bit of blood and limbs flying all over the place. You will certainly be entertained.” Karin Adelgaard, Heaven of Horror

” …this is a rather solid and entertaining horror flick, especially for fans of possession / supernatural-related cinema. Similarly to The Conjuring, The 3rd Eye takes tiresome concepts and turns them into some enjoyable 105 minutes.” Luca Pincelli, Horror World & Reviews

” .. a routine situational horror about two girls who can see dead people. The Netflix film bores you to the core, giving you an overhanging second act where Alia can see dead people for the first time and spends an outrageous amount of screen time running away from a spooky situation…” Daniel Hart, Ready Steady Cut!

“With lacklustre acting, a clichéd story full of the usual horror tropes you’d expect and an over-reliance on jump scares, The 3rd Eye is a throwaway horror at best, one that fails to live up to its intriguing concept in a meaningful way.” Greg Wheeler, The Review Geek

Running time:

107 minutes

Release:

Mata Batin was released in Indonesia on 30 November 2017. It was made available on Netflix in 2018 as The 3rd Eye.

HORRORPEDIA is truly independent and we rely solely on the minor income generated by affiliate links and ads to stay online. Please support us by not blocking ads. Thank you.

Quick links to HORRORPEDIA contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post The 3rd Eye aka Mata Batin – Indonesia, 2017: updated with reviews appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘There’s something wrong with Miles’

The Prodigy – formerly Descendant is a 2019 American/Hong Kong supernatural horror film directed by Nicholas McCarthy (Holidays; At the Devil’s Door; The Pact) from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler (Pet Sematary, 2019). It is produced by Tara Farney and Tripp Vinson (The Rite; The Exorcism of Emily Rose).

The Vinson Films production stars Taylor Schilling, Jackson Robert Scott , Peter Mooney, Colm Feore, and Brittany Allen.

A mother is concerned about her young son’s disturbing behaviour and starts to think that something supernatural may be affecting him…

The Prodigy will be released theatrically in the USA by Orion Pictures on February 8, 2019. The MPAA has rated the movie ‘R’ for “violence, disturbing and bloody images, a sexual reference and brief graphic nudity.”

Cast and characters:

• Taylor Schilling … Sarah
• Peter Mooney … John – We Were Wolves
• Colm Feore … Arthur Jacobson – Buckout Road
• Brittany Allen … Margaret St. James – Jigsaw
• Jackson Robert Scott … Miles – IT
• Olunike Adeliyi … Rebecca
• David Kohlsmith … Miles, aged five years-old
• Mark Sparks … Lead S.W.A.T. Officer
• Byron Abalos … Penmark Instructor
• Michael Dyson … Farmer
• Ava Augustin … Penmark Student
• Ashley Black … Hailey

HORRORPEDIA is truly independent and we rely solely on the minor income generated by affiliate links and internet ads to stay online. Please support us by not blocking ads on our site. Thank you.

Quick links to contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post The Prodigy – USA/Hong Kong, 2019: updated with poster and 1st trailer appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

‘An excellent day for an exorcism’

Exeter is a 2015 American supernatural horror feature film directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake; Frankenstein; Friday the 13th remake) from a screenplay by Kirsten Elms, based on Nispel’s storyline. It was formerly known as Backmask and was released in the UK as The Asylum.

The movie stars Gage Golightly, Brittany Curran, Stephen Lang, Kelly Blatz, Kevin Chapman, Brett Dier and Nick Nicotera.

Special makeup effects were provided by Shaun Smith (Killjoy; Dawn of the Dead; The Cabin in the Woods).

Review:

Exeter aka The Asylum is a demonic possession film about a bunch of teenagers that think it’s a good idea to party in an abandoned mental asylum. Unbeknown to them, the patients suffered torturous abuse at the hands of doctors.

Patrick (Kelly Blatz) and his friends remain after the party, along with Patrick’s younger brother, Rory (Michael Ormsby). With the building’s susceptibility to paranormal phenomena, the group attempt to levitate Rory and it seems to work, but they dismiss it as a prank. When he starts acting violently and speaking in tongues, they’re convinced that he’s possessed and call Father Conway (Stephen Lang) for help, who Patrick was supposed to be helping renovate the site.

When Rory kills the local junk man, Brian and Amber (Gage Golightly) try to escape in the car but end up running Conway down. In their panic, they return to Exeter and the security system locks everyone in. The teens perform a DIY exorcism on Rory, but then gradually become possessed one by one.

Coming from the producers of Insidious and Paranormal Activity, expectations for a story reliant on atmosphere and predicable jump scares are blown apart with Amber’s possession. This is where director Marcus Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13th, 2009 and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003) puts his spin on things with a fun-filled fest of punctured eyeballs, caved in heads and blood-drenched hacking and slashing.

Patrick and Reign (Brittany Curran) find old video tapes of Exeter that document Conway’s daughter, Devon, who they contact through a Ouija board. Once Devon is freed, they discover that Conway hid her at the asylum after her mother committed suicide because he abandoned them both. Devon swore revenge on her father and his associates, and it’s left to Patrick to trap her.

Exeter is an unusual addition to the paranormal genre, although slots perfectly into the setting of an abandoned mental asylum. The enemies are mindless killing machines and the characters themselves, while typical of boisterous teenagers, don’t come across as irritating or forced. With great special effects, this turn-off-your-brain horror flick is a fun watch for the gruesome-minded.

Rae Louise, HORRORPEDIA

Buy DVD: Amazon.co.uk

Other reviews:

“One pleasing touch is the use of light which gradually shifts colour and angle over the course of the story, so we get an ominous sense that night is closing in again despite there being no dialogues about it. The sound work is also good, helping to make standard growls and screams go a little further. Most importantly, though, the teenagers really feel like teenagers…” Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film

“What started out as your typical, “idiot kids act disrespectful, stir up some trouble, then try to fix said trouble by being even more disrespectful” was turned on its head by a heaping dose of a humor and plenty of unexpected, loving middle-fingers to the genre. It’s because Exeter decides to completely forgo convention while still embracing the elements that make possession movies so unsettling that I enjoyed it so much.” Horror Honeys

“By working in Bay’s shadow, it seems that Nispel has acquired his sledgehammer mentality, with almost everything shot without subtlety or grace. Along with this is that relentless, dizzying fast cutting, coupled with a camera that never holds its position; it should come with a warning for motion sickness sufferers.” Dave Wain, The Schlock Pit

Cast and characters:

• Gage Golightly … Amber
• Brittany Curran … Reign
• Stephen Lang … Father Conway
• Kelly Blatz … Patrick
• Kevin Chapman … Greer
• Brett Dier … Brad
• Nick Nicotera … Brian Knowles
• Nick Nordella … Drew
• Michael Ormsby … Rory
• Cristian Alvizures
• John Timothy Botka … Cop

Filming locations:

Rhode Island, New York

Release:

Exeter premiered at the Glasgow Horror Film Festival in February 27, 2015. It was released on July 2, 2015 on DirecTV Cinema.

The film was released on DVD in the UK as The Asylum on 4 May 2015 by Studiocanal.

HORRORPEDIA is truly independent and we rely solely on the very minor income generated by affiliate links and internet ads to stay online. Please support us by not blocking ads on our site. Thank you.

Quick links to contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post Exeter aka The Asylum – USA, 2015 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.

Against the Devil – original title: Contra el demonio – is a 2018 Chilean supernatural horror feature film written and directed by José Miguel Zúñiga (short: Re/Evolución – Vampiros 2010). The movie stars María José Prieto, Julio Milostich, Fernanda Finsterbusch, Alonso Quintero and Solange Lackington.

After the tragic death of her eldest son in a mugging, Blanca (María José Prieto) and her family travel to the coast of Chile. Weird things happen in the new house, Blanca thinks that it is her son trying to communicate with them but the truth is much worse.

An evil spirit with a thirst for revenge is stalking them. Only the town priest can help them, but the man of the cloth is hiding a terrible secret…

Contra el demonio was released in Chile on 25 October 2018.

Cast and characters:

• Marcelo Arismendi
• Fernanda Finsterbusch
• Solange Lackington
• Julio Milostich
• Agustín Moya
• Silvia Novak
• María José Prieto
• Alonso Quintero
• Camila Roeschmann
• Juliana Seegers
• Ayleen Sánchez Matus

HORRORPEDIA is truly independent and we rely solely on the very minor income generated by affiliate links and internet ads to stay online. Please support us by not blocking ads on our site. Thank you.

Quick links to contents:

A | B | C | D | E  | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

The post Against the Devil – Chile, 2018 appeared first on HORRORPEDIA.