She Wolf – original title: Mujer lobo – is a 2013 Argentinian erotic horror film directed by Tamae Garateguy from a screenplay by Diego Fleischer based on her storyline. It stars Luján Ariza, César Bordón, Hernán Bustos, Edgardo Castro, Germán Da Silva, Miguel Forza de Paul.

Plot teaser:

She Wolf is a serial killer who traps her men in the subway in Buenos Aires. She seduces, has sex with them and kills them. But one of those men is a police officer who is investigating her crimes. Running away from him she meets a dealer with whom she stars a relationship. This romance unravels a war between her three personalities: the monster woman, the sensual woman and the human woman who can still love…

Reviews:

‘Garateguy’s third feature is far more accomplished in the way form relates to content. For the action sequences, the camera is energetic and dazzling, and it truly captures and conveys the characters’ pulse and sensations. At nerve-wracking speed, it follows them wherever they go, and so a sense of sparkling spectacle is achieved. Let alone the intensely sexual and erotic scenes that are never gratuitous. Instead, they provide the raw power Mujer lobo is endowed with.’ Pablo Suárez, Buenos Aires Herald

‘Black-and-white exterior shots emulate Truffaut’s cinéma vérité “city life” visuals, but once we hit the interiors, it’s all Herschell Gordon Lewis: very static scenes, stilted dialogue, and plenty of boobs and blood.’ Denver Film Society

IMDb | Official website | Facebook

The Frankenstein Theory is a 2013 American horror film directed by Andrew Weiner from a screenplay he co-wrote with Vlady Pildysh (Heartstopper). It stars Kris Lemche, Joe Egender, Timothy V. Murphy, and Eric Zuckerman.

The film is presented as “found footage”, pieced together from a film crew’s footage.

Plot teaser:

Professor Jonathan Venkenheim (Kris Lemche) reveals that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a fictionalized account of his ancestor Johann’s scientific and medical accomplishments. However, Venkenheim’s girlfriend Anne (Christine Lakin) reveals that he’s been suspended and scoffs at his theory. Venkenheim next discusses how the Illuminati were trying to discover the secret of life when Johann secretly founded genetics. However, because Johann destroyed his notes, Venkenheim has no proof.

Venkenheim and the film crew leave for Canada, stopping along the way to meet Clarence (Joe Egender), who survived an encounter with the monster. Along the way, Venkenheim reveals the monster is an experiment in longevity and argues that the monster can unlock many scientific mysteries. Eric (Eric Zuckerman), the producer, shoots footage of a mysterious figure, while Venkenheim claims to feel the monster’s presence…

Buy on Instant Video | Blu-ray | DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

‘ …it’s a joyride that exceeds it’s expectations. It’s easily in the forefront of straight-to-dvd found footage films, maybe even topping it. With a solid cast, exceptionally talented script, and an exciting background, The Frankenstein Theory is a well needed surprise in a genre full of one note scares.’ Ryan Larson, Shock Till You Drop

‘Uneventful discussions. Tension-less moments of panic and searching for missing people. No appearance by the monster until the waning moments. The final shot all but given away in the film’s trailer. A movie so devoid of horror that the only real scare attempt for the first 45-minutes…’ Scott Foy, Dread Central

‘Fourteen years after Blair Witch, has the whole found-footage-horror genre jumped the shark? Maybe. Weiner, however, manipulates its well-worn tropes deftly. The fumbling for the light in the dark; the eerie, green, night-vision glow; the shaky camera; the hyperventilating victim as something sniffs around outside; Frankenstein gets as much mileage out this shtick as it possibly can.’ Michael O’Sullivan

‘The Frankenstein Theory doesn’t do enough to separate itself from the pack of found footage movies cluttering up local Best Buy shelves. While it’s hardly a resounding failure, it features too little horror and too much dialogue.’ Patrick Nagle, DVD Verdict

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘This house needs a family.’

We Are Still Here is a 2013 US horror movie written and directed by Ted Geoghegan, based on a concept by Richard Griffin. It stars Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator; Castle Freak; You’re Next), Andrew Sensenig, Lisa Marie, Larry Fessenden (Wendigo; I Sell the Dead; Jug Face), Monte Markham, Susan Gibney, Michael Patrick Nicholson, Kelsea Dakota, Guy Gane, Elissa Dowling, Zorah Burress.

The film will make its debut at the SXSW Film Festival on March 15, 2015.

Plot teaser:

After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the quiet New England countryside to start over. But the grieving couple unknowingly become prey to a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their new home, and before long they discover that the seemingly peaceful town they’ve moved into is hiding a terrifyingly dark secret…

IMDb | Facebook

‘The Mold knows Jack, The Mold knows.’

Motivational Growth is a 2013 independent comedy horror film written, edited and directed by Don Thacker. It stars Jeffrey Combs (as the voice of The Mold), Adrian DiGiovanni, Danielle Doetsch, Pete Giovagnoli, Ken Brown, Robert Kramer, Hannah Stevenson, Laura Carlson.

Plot teaser:

Ian Folivor, a depressed and reclusive 30-something, finds himself taking advice from a growth in his bathroom after a failed suicide attempt. The Mold, a smooth talking fungus who was born of the filth collecting in a corner of Ian’s neglected bathroom, works to win Ian’s trust by helping him clean himself up and remodel his lifestyle. With The Mold’s help, Ian attracts the attention of a neighbour he’s been ogling through his peephole, Leah, and he manages to find a slice of happiness despite his unnatural circumstances. But Ian starts to receive strange messages from his old and broken down TV set that make him realize that The Mold may not be as helpful as it seems to be, and strange characters combined with stranger events cast Ian’s life in the shadow of an epic battle between good and evil that Ian is only partially aware of…

Buy/Rent Blu-ray | Instant Video from Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Writer/director Don Thacker makes this film work on so many levels. First, he tries many different techniques to make the story interesting and succeeds. Ian breaks the fourth wall with the audience early on and teaches a lesson on how little things become significant when one is depressed and lives alone. Next, Thacker moves the story forward through the use of animation (splendidly created by Jérémie Périn) and by inserting Ian into the very television programs he has been hooked on watching. Finally, the camera is utilized to make the most of a cramped and cluttered apartment.” Namtar, Nuke the Fridge

“The fact that 90% of this film takes place with a guy talking to the camera on his couch, all the while maintaining a creative, interesting, and intelligent edge all the way through, is a testament as to how great Motivational Growth truly is. The alternating dark and light tones give this film a unique texture, never really letting on as to where it will go next. Sure to poke, prod, and play with your brain in ways normal cinema does not, Motivational Growth is unlike anything you’ve seen before.” Ambush Bug, Ain’t It Cool News

“It’s set in the 1990s, uses chiptunes by Alex Mauer for a soundtrack that sound straight out of a video game, and even has 8-bit video game style cutscenes for certain scenes that add even more character to the film. What’s even more interesting is the film’s budget, and what Thacker was able to do with it. Shot for just over $176K, the limited number of effects that Thacker was able to pull off were quite impressive. As far as the gore goes, there isn’t too much going on, but there are more gross-out moments than gore, such as Ian eating fungus, vomiting various types of goo, rotted dead bodies and more.” Pat Torfe, Bloody Disgusting

IMDb | Official site | Facebook

‘Beyond Django… He’s sixteen inches with an attitude!’

Ooga Booga is a 2013 US comedy horror film directed by Charles Band from a screenplay by Kent Roudebush (Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt; Zombies vs. Strippers; Unlucky Charms). It stars Karen Black (Trilogy of Terror; Burnt Offerings; House of 1000 Corpses), Gregory Blair, Ciarra Carter, Patrick Holder, Charles Hutchins, Dallas James, Stacy Keach (The Mountain of the Cannibal God; Roadgames; The Cell), Corey MacIntosh, Maddox, Tom Massmann, Gregory Niebel, Kyle Quesnoy.

Plot teaser:

An innocent African American law student who is brutally murdered by dirty cops, but his soul is magically transferred into an action figure named Ooga Booga. With on his tribal spear and old girlfriend to help he takes to the streets and trailer parks to find the men that ended his once bright future…

Reviews:

‘All these stereotypes are more overbearing than effective (even Donna wonders why Ooga Booga constantly smokes marijuana when Devin never did). Band is no Jonathan Swift and he’s no Tarantino. The film feels a lot like a long, feeble racist joke with an animated puppet at the center of it.’ J.C. Macek III, Pop Matters

‘There’s a voice in my head that keeps telling me I should be tearing Ooga Booga to shreds. There’s also that voice in my head that once told me to write a four-star review of The Gingerdead Man. They could be the same voice. For all its faults this one succeeds in its own loopy, sometimes sleazy, rough around the edges, b-movie sort of way. Had Ooga Booga come up out during the 1970’s heyday of blacksploitation it would probably have a minor cult following today.’ Dread Central

‘For a movie that seems intent on offending and being as exploitative a film as possible, it really doesn’t take advantage of its screen time. The title character barely has anything to do, the revenge story is tame and lacking in tongue in cheek humor, and I’d like to know who thinks the character Hambo is even remotely interesting. It had potential to be so much better.’ Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed

IMDb

Damn Sea Vampires! – aka Beast of the Bering Sea, Bering Sea Vampires – is a 2013 American horror film, directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy and written by Brook Durham. It stars Cassie Scerbo (Sharknado), Brandon Beemer, Jonathan Lipnicki and Jaqueline Fleming (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). The film first aired on the SyFy channel.

While dredging for gold beneath the Bering Sea, siblings Donna (Scerbo) and Joe (Lipnicki) are confronted by a horde of horrific sea vampires. When their father falls victim to the insatiable creatures, Donna and Joe join forces with a dedicated marine biologist ( Fleming) and a loyal deckhand (Beemer) to kill or be killed by the beasts…

Buy Damn Sea Vampires! on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

“A mediocre effort that still manages to be quite endearing, Bering Sea Beast is a passable piece of throwaway entertainment that really should have been accompanied by a soft toy line.” Eye For Film

“There are no surprises, the FX are really poor, and there is no consistency afforded to the characters (Joe is particularly badly written – a prankster one minute, the audience’s moral guide the next). But the dialogue is so ripe, the finely chiselled cast so game, and the violent set-piece scenes so unabashedly cheesy, that Damn Sea Vampires! will almost certainly leave you in a good mood. Depending on what you spent to see it, of course…” Sex Gore Mutants

“Fact of the matter is, in 2014 you’re unlikely to convert any new fans to these relentlessly produced low-budget creature features, and similarly the mere sound of the title will elicit a moan of disdain from the haters. If however you are part of that committed army of b-movie cheese aficionados, then this piece of trash will excite and delight in equal measure.” Scream

IMDb

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‘What doesn’t kill you makes your richer’

Cheap Thrills is a 2013 American black comedy thriller horror film, directed by E. L. Katz in his directorial debut and starring Pat Healy (Starry Eyes), Sara Paxton (The Innkeepers), Ethan Embry and David Koechner. It premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 8, 2013, and was acquired by Drafthouse Films and Snoot Entertainment. Cheap Thrills was released on March 24, 2014, in the United States.

Plot teaser:

Craig (Pat Healy,) is a struggling family man who loses his low-wage job and is threatened with eviction. In an effort to delay facing the music at home, he heads to a local bar and encounters an old friend (Ethan Embry). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner) along with his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton). The couple engage the two friends in a series of innocent dares in exchange for money over the course of the evening, with each challenge upping the ante in both reward and boundaries. It seems like easy and much needed money, but the couple’s twisted sense of humor pushes just how far Craig and his friend are willing to go for money and cheap thrills…

Buy Cheap Thrills on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews:

“It’s about as subtle as a massive brick to the head, but that doesn’t stop it being joyously entertaining in a thoroughly mean-spirited fashion. Cheap Thrills is like the younger, punk rock second-cousin to the likes of Haneke and von Trier and it leaves no holds barred, so be prepared…” Brutal as Hell 

“E.L. Katz’s Cheap Thrills is a very effective piece of body horror, teasing in its attempts to keep the audience guessing, but the cruel irresistibility of its premise wears itself out before the film’s final minutes.” Slant Magazine

“Cheap Thrills is everything you’d want out of a satirical thriller and more; it’s also a remarkable directorial debut by Katz, who delivers one hell of a story that was continuously surprising, shocking and visceral with wildly unexpected events that were often played out with a quiet restraint.” Dread Central

Wikipedia | IMDb

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Blumhouse Productions is an American movie production company, founded in 2004 and run by Jason Blum. Blumhouse produces micro-budget and low-budget genre movies like the Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister franchises.

According to various stories, the company’s model is to produce these movies independently and then release them wide through the studio system. They have a first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Blumhouse’s highly profitable credits began in 2009 with Paranormal Activity, which was made for just $15,000. The film was released by Paramount Pictures and grossed a whopping $193 million worldwide at the box office, even before disc , download and TV sales. The company produced the Paranormal sequels, Insidious which grossed over $97 million worldwide on a budget of $1.5m, and Sinister, which so far has grossed over $87 million worldwide on a budget of $3 million.

The company has worked with directors such as Scott Derrickson, James DeMonaco, Oren Peli, Scott Stewart and James Wan. Blumhouse’s films include its first for Universal — The Purge, Insidious: Chapter Two, and Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones ($90.9 million).

For Halloween 2012, the company opened the Blumhouse of Horrors, an interactive haunted house experience in Downtown Los Angeles. In 2015, they published The Blumhouse Book of Nightmares: The Haunted City.

Buy The Blumhouse Book of Nightmares from Amazon.com

Select filmography and profit ratios:

Paranormal Activity (2009)

budget $15,000, box office $193 million

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

budget $3 million, box office $177.5 million

Insidious (2011)

budget $1.5 million, box office $97 million

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

budget $5 million, box office $207 million

Sinister (2012)

budget $3 million, box office $77 million

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

budget $5 million, box office $140.8 million

The Bay (2012)

budget unavailable, box office $1,545,308 million

Dark Skies (2013)

budget $3.5 million, box office $26.4 million

The Lords of Salem (2013)

budget $1.5 million, box office $1.1 million

The Purge (2013)

budget $3 million, box office $89,3 million

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

budget $5 million, box office $161.9 million

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (2014)

budget $5 million, box office $90.9 million

Oculus (2014)

budget $5 million, box office $44 million

13 Sins (2014)

budget unavailable, box office $13,809

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

budget $9 million, box office $110.6 million

Mockingbird (2014)

figures unavailable

Not Safe for Work (2014)

figures unavailable

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)

still on release

Ouija (2014)

budget $5 million, box office $100.6 million

Jessabelle (2014)

box office $1.6 million

The Boy Next Door (2015)

budget $4 million, box office $49.7 million

The Lazarus Effect (2015)

budget $3.3 million, box office $27 million

Unfriended (2015)

budget $1 million, box office $26.4 million

Upcoming films:

Wikipedia | Official site

Willow Creek is a 2013 independent American found footage horror film about a young couple interested in bigfoot lore, written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. It stars Alexie Gilmore and Bryce Johnson.

Plot teaser:

When amateur filmmaker Jim (Johnson) decides to make a movie about the infamous sasquatch, his sceptical girlfriend Kelly (Gilmore) reluctantly goes with him. As they start asking the locals for information and stories of sightings they begin to get the feeling that they are not welcome in Willow Creek…

Buy Willow Creek on Blu-ray from Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Willow Creek feels like it has been made by a director who has been in the horror genre all his life, it is a flawless exercise in comedy and sheer terror, delivered with passion and ambition, heart and a true sense of knowing what us horror fans enjoy. Willow Creek is fresh, hilarious and downright terrifying in equal measure, and I have to agree with the rest of the FrightFest crowd, this was indeed one of the highlights, a film we all expected would be enjoyable, but no one expected it to be as good as this.” Horror Cult Films

“It’s a solid little thriller, with a few genuinely spooky moments towards the end. It’s well worth checking out, and marks an interesting departure for Goldthwait, who continues to challenge himself with each film he makes.” Arrow in the Head

“It’s simply an intriguing story piggybacking off of great campfire lore that’s well-told: it’s rare to praise found footage films for their technical accomplishments, but it features amiable characters who are dropped into an almost otherworldly atmosphere brimming with bizarre sights and sounds.” Oh, the Horror!

Read Bigfoot, Sasquatch and the Yeti on Film – author Dave Coleman interviewed

Buy The Bigfoot Filmography from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘Disco isn’t dead, but you just might be’

Discopath (in French: Discopathe) is a 2013 Canadian film directed by Renaud Gauthier, and starring Jérémie Earp-Lavergne, Sandrine Bisson, and Ivan Freud.

Plot teaser:

Set in the mid-1970s, Discopath is a slasher about Duane Lewis, a man who transforms into a crazed serial killer whenever he catches the relentless rhythm of disco! As Duane flees New York, desperate to escape the disco craze, his murderous tendencies explode again in a whirlwind of bloody violence and groovy beats…

Buy Discopath on DVD from Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“The gore effects are excessive and over the top, but the film as a whole is never as shower-inducingly off putting as the movies Gauthier is trying to emulate. It’s a love letter to the kind of trash cinema young cinephiles in the VHS era often grew up with, with sharp, consistently funny writing and a game cast who aren’t afraid to come across as goofy. It’s a great bit of fun.” Dork Shelf

“In spite of its flaws, Discopath still manages to be an extremely cool little movie. It is impossible for me not to like with its irresistible nostalgic genre charm aping the early 80’s golden age of the slasher sub-genre with much genuine love for it rather than coming off as something just faux lacking the authenticity that some so called love letters do with no passion for the material.” Cinematic Shocks

“Perhaps writer-director Renaud Gauthier – who clearly has a lot of affection for his inspiration – could have sacrificed some of the super-styled slo-mo sequences in favour of characterisation. Or story. Or intentional humour. Or anything to distinguish his production beyond the flares and hair and boring gore.” Rock n Reel

Wikipedia | IMDb

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‘It will not rest in peace’

The Poltergeist of Borley Forest – formerly You Will Love Me – is a 2013 American horror film directed by Stephen McKendree (You’ve Got Hell) from a screenplay by R. Presley Stephens.

The film stars Marina Petrano, Christopher Ingle, Rhea Rossiter, Weston Adwell, Nicholas Barrera, Jason Beck, Rebecca Barrow Hall, Cortland Woodard, Chris Cook, Lisa Shorts, Mary Trzcinski, Chris Wandembergh, Mary Chauvin.

Plot teaser:

After visiting a supposedly haunted forest, a teen girl comes to believe that a violent poltergeist followed her home and is stalking her.

Buy The Poltergeist of Borley Forest on DVD | Amazon Instant

Reviews:

“It’s also surprisingly…dull. There’s not much of a killing spree here. It’s going to take a good while to even get violent, which is weird. Then when we discover just what the ghost was actually after, it’s a strange sort of let-down. This could have been a lot more than it was, but the plot is sub-par, the effects are lackluster, and frankly, there’s something off about the audio engineering.” Steve Anderson, Technology Tell

“While the setting might look scary, if the character in the shot is not convincing then the entire scene fails. And sadly, that is the case for the majority of this film. With an entire forest at the director’s behest, the acting, or lack thereof, take away from what could have been some genuinely creepy moments.” James McDonald, Moviepilot

“It’s a horribly acted, badly written, subpar directed and laughable effects ridden student film that should have never seen the light of day.  There’s not a single frame within that holds any sort of serious scare or dramatic appeal (not even the supposed clever backstory!) – a real feat for a 103 minutes film.” Jason Coleman, Starpulse

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Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor, singer, and author. With a career spanning nearly seventy years, Lee initially portrayed villains and became best known for his role as Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films. His other film roles include Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) and The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), and Count Dooku in the final two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (2002 and 2005).

Obituary:

We knew it was coming – the man was 93, after all – but you could easily believe that if anyone was going to live forever, it would be Christopher Lee. His death on Sunday, announced today, shows that even he was mortal.

But what a life. It’s fair to say that whoever you are and however long you live, you will never be as utterly cool as Christopher Lee. This is a man who was a wartime spy, had a film career than lasted almost seventy years – working with everyone from Jess Franco to George Lucas – and in his Nineties recorded a bunch of heavy metal albums, picking up a Metal Hammer award to go alongside his knighthood, BAFTA  Fellowship and other gongs.

Lee made so many films that even listing the highlights will turn into a gargantuan list. He rose to fame working for Hammer – in The Curse of Frankenstein, he was simply the monster – sorry, ‘creature’ – but then got to prove his acting chops with Dracula the next year, in the process becoming the iconic version of the character in a variable series of films. Lee would be a Hammer regular in the late 1950s and continued to work with them, often co-starring with Peter Cushing, throughout the 1960s and 70s, on films as varied as She, Taste of Fear, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, Pirates of Blood River,The Devil Rides Out, Terror of the Tongs and the final horror film of Hammer’s first incarnation, To the Devil a Daughter. In 2011, he returned to the revived company to appear in The Resident.

Lee also worked frequently for Hammer’s rivals Amicus – he starred in their first horror film The City of the Dead (aka Horror Hotel) and would be one of their go-to stars for films like Dr.Terror’s House of Horrors, The Skull, The House That Dripped Blood, Scream and Scream Again and I, Monster. But Hammer and Amicus were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to Lee’s horror work in the 1960s, as he travelled across Europe to star in a huge number of films. He worked with Mario Bava on The Whip and the Body and Hercules in the Haunted World, spoofed his Dracula role in Uncle Was A Vampire (he would do likewise in 1976 in Dracula and Son) and also appeared in The Virgin of Nuremberg, Terror in the Crypt aka Crypt of Horror, Castle of the Living Dead, Night of the Big Heat, Circus of Fear, The Blood Demon and The Oblong Box amongst others. He played Sir Henry Baskerville in Hammer’s Hound of the Baskervilles and then graduated to playing Sherlock Holmes.

Also in the 1960s, he developed another recurring role, playing arch villain Fu Manchu in five films. The last two of these were directed by Jess Franco, who Lee would go on to make several films with – from the ambitious but ultimately misguided Count Dracula (an attempt to stick to Stoker’s novel) to The Bloody Judge and Eugenie: The Story of Her Journey Into Perversion, though Lee maintained that he was unaware of the sort of film he was making in that instance!

In the early 1970s, Lee continued to make international horror films, including The Creeping Flesh, Horror Express, Dark Places, Nothing But the Night (for his own Charlemagne company) but increasingly found himself able to move beyond the genre. While still a horror movie, The Wicker Man was a cut above the usual in terms of respectability, while other films like The Three Musketeers, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, western Hannie Caulder and Julius Caesar allowed him to move away from the genre to a degree.

A move to the USA and an iconic role in James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun cemented a move to the mainstream, and in the latter half of the decade and early 1980s, he had major roles in the likes of Airport ’77, Return from Witch Mountain, 1941, Bear Island, Goliath Awaits and a surprising number of martial arts action films: An Eye for an Eye, Jaguar Lives and Circle of Iron. Not that he abandoned low budget genre films – he was essentially tricked into hosting The Hollywood Meatcleaver Massacre, but also appeared in The Keeper, Starship Invasions, End of the World, Arabian Adventure, House of the Long Shadows and, most bizarrely, Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf and the appalling Funny Man.

In the 1990s, he worked with Alejandro Jodorowsky on The Rainbow Thief, appeared in Police Academy: Mission to Moscow and turned up in Joe Dante’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch. This latter appearance was a precursor to his 2000’s career revival when he was often hired by directors who grew up watching him. So he worked with Tim Burton on Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and appeared in both the decade’s biggest franchises, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. And he just kept working – between 2010 and 2013, he made twelve films!

And it was more than just films and TV. Lee lent his voice to numerous audiobooks and latterly provided voices for video games – he also appeared in CD ROM project Ghosts in the mid 1990s. He fronted collections of horror stories, and wrote his autobiography, and made numerous records – in the 1970s, he narrated Hammer’s Dracula LP and made an opera single, in the early 2000s sang a handful of shockingly bad pop songs and then became a heavy metal star, first working with symphonic metal band Rhapsody and then releasing his won albums. He seemed to genuinely love this new and unexpected career twist, presumably no longer giving a damn what anyone thought of him.

They say that you shouldn’t meet your heroes, and they are often right. But I met Lee twice – once while working on a The Wicker Man featurette with David Gregory, and once when hanging around with the boys as they filmed Lee and Jess Franco for The Bloody Judge extras. Lee was exactly what you wanted him to be – dignified, serious, gentlemanly and charming. In short, he seemed a thoroughly decent chap. When he called me up after The Wicker Man shoot to get a number for one of the crew, my inner ten year-old exploded with excitement: Dracula on the phone!

Lee might not have been entirely comfortable with his ‘horror star’ reputation, but I think he eventually came to realise how much his work meant to so many people – including those now employing him. And regardless of what he thought of the films he’d made, he was a genuine connoisseur of the gothic and the nightmarish in literature. He never seemed ashamed of his past.

The death of Christopher Lee is the end of an era. I doubt any living actor will clock up the sheer number of credits that he has, or leave the same sort of cultural imprint. I’ll miss never seeing another Lee Christmas message. And I’ll miss his reassuring presence – he was an integral part of my life since I was a small child and the world feels that little bit emptier now.

David Flint, Strange Things Are Happening

Filmography

‘Sometimes you are not welcome.’

Home Sweet Home is a 2013 Canadian-French ‘home invasion’ horror film written and directed by David Morlet [as David Morley] (Mutants). It stars Meghan Heffern, Adam MacDonald, Shaun Benson, Marty Adams.

Plot teaser:

A young married couple, Sara (Meghan Heffern) and Frank (Adam MacDonald), arrive home from a date night to discover that they have been imprisoned in their own house by a methodical killer (Shaun Benson)…

Buy from Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Whilst in many ways Home Sweet Home doesn’t bring anything new to the table, it’s a solid home invasion thriller with its own set of twists and pay offs which will please horror or slasher fans. A convincing, strong performance from the leads, Meghan Heffern, Adam MacDonald and Shaun Benson, as the silent killer, ensure the film can retain the audience during its more ‘reflective’ moments.” Cult Horror Films

“Looking at Mr. Morley’s IMDB, it would appear that short features have been his main work before this film. I honestly think this film might have been better served as a 20 – 30 minute short feature, instead of a feature length film.” Rio, HorrorNews.net

“The film that unfolds is pretty suspenseful but not without a few missteps that arise mainly from some pacing issues during the action. At times, the action pauses and the killer does not seem to finish the job when it seems like he could. There are also some stereotypically dumb actions from the couple that tamper with the story’s credibility a bit. Yet, for all that, things move toward a pretty solid conclusion with a bit of a twist that while not completed unexpected is satisfying enough.” Nicholas Strange, Strange Amusements

IMDb | Official site

Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf – formerly Sharktopus vs. Mermantula – is a 2015 American sci-fi horror film directed by Kevin O’Neill (Dinocroc; Dinoshark; Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda). Scripted by Matt Yamashita, the leads are Casper Van Dien (Sleepy Hollow; Python; The Pact) and his real-life partner Catherine Oxenberg (The Lair of the White Worm).

The film also stars Akari Endo (Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda), Sarodj Bertin, Gökdeniz Özcetin, Yasser Michelén, Mario Ceara, Olga Valdez. 

The movie is a sequel to Sharktopus (2010) and — like Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda — was originally rushed into production by veteran genre filmmaker Roger Corman for his New Horizons company in response to the massive social media interest in Syfy’s Sharknado films. However, somewhere along the way the movie’s other monster has mutated from being a part-man, part-piranha and part-tarantula into a part-killer whale and part-wolf! Could this be because werewolf films such as WolfCop have recently been hits?

The film premieres on Syfy on Sunday July 19, 2015.

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Sharksploitation on Horrorpedia: 2-Headed Shark Attack | Atomic Shark | Avalanche Sharks | Cruel Jaws | Ghost Shark | Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws | Great White | Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy aka SharkMan | Jaws | Jaws 2 | Jersey Shore Shark Attack | Jurassic Shark | Malibu Shark Attack | Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus | Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus | Mega Shark vs. Kolossus | Piranha Sharks | Psycho Shark | Raiders of the Lost Shark | Sand Sharks | Shark Attack 3: Megalodon | Shark Exorcist | The Shark is Still Working | Shark Lake | Shark Week | Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre | Sharknado | Sharknado 2: The Second One | Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! | Sharktopus | Sharktopus vs. Mermantula | Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda | Sky Sharks | Snow Shark | Super Shark | Swamp Shark | Zombie Shark

‘Enjoy your stay’

Eden Lodge is a 2013 British horror film co-produced, written and directed by Andreas Prodromou (In the Red [short]). The Lost Boys Pictures production also had a working title of Breakdown.

The film was released on DVD in the UK on August 31, 2015 by Signature Entertainment.

Cast:

Georgina Blackledge, Cyd Casados (The Boogeyman), Ivy Corbin, Ellie Dickens, Ben Gardner Gray (Kidulthood), Georgio Costa Houtris, James Killeen, Aggy Kukawka, Garry Mannion.

Plot:

A young family are stranded at the Eden Lodge. The people they meet are being killed one by one. They must fight to save their marriage, their family, and most of all their lives…

Review:

Stuck in release limbo for a couple of years, Eden Lodge is a slightly cliched, class-ridden, yet reasonably agreeable entry that seems to want to replicate the downbeat aesthetics of 1970s horror. For a low-budget production, technical credits and acting are all respectable, and there’s grim drama for sure. Not brilliant, but not bad either.

Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Trailer:

Choice dialogue:

“Why do we punish who are closest to us? I suppose its because we love them modest of all.”

“Shut your demon mouth!”

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Embrace of the Vampire is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by Carl Bessai from a screenplay by Andrew C. Erin, Alan Mruvka and Sheldon Roper.

It is a remake of the 1995 film of the same name, although reviewers have also noted its similarity to Black Swan. It was released on October 15, 2013 direct to video in the United States by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Main cast:

Sharon Hinnendael (Nightfall), Kaniehtiio Horn (The Theatre Bizarre), C.C. Sheffield (No Tell Motel), Chelsey Reist, Victor Webster (Wishmaster 4; Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Gators; Fun Size Horror: Volume One), Robert Moloney (Disturbing Behavior; The New Addams Family; Bates Motel), Ryan Kennedy (Blade: The Series; Ogre), Keegan Connor Tracy (Final Destination 2; Bates Motel; Dead Rising: Watchtower), Olivia Cheng, Claire Smithies, Sarah Grey.

Official synopsis:

Charlotte (Sharon Hinnendael) is a timid and sheltered teen who has just left an all-girls Catholic school for a new life at a co-ed university with a fencing scholarship. But an ancient evil has followed her here, tormenting her with disturbing nightmares and tempting her with forbidden desires. It is a hunger that can only be satiated by sensual pleasures of the flesh… and a thirst for blood. It’s a battle for her soul… and one she’s losing. But Charlotte is a fighter. The chaos and torment threatens to unleash her own inner beast, and anyone even close to her may find themselves embracing their own horrific fate…

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Reviews:

” … remake of Embrace of the Vampire may be best enjoyed with the old brain mechanism turned completely off. In spite of its setting in the academic world, this film is hardly an intellectual pursuit, not that very many people might make that mistake to begin with. Certainly Embrace of the Vampireisn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, but it’s hardly an evening at the ballet, either.” J.C. Macek III, Pop Matters

“The acting is fair enough – with Sharon Hinnendael convincingly repressed as Charlotte. It perhaps needed a little tightening in the script, there is nothing definitive but it all felt a little loose and takes a while to get where it is going. That said it hangs together much better than the original film … All in all not bad.” Taliesin Meets the Vampires

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“If you like b-grade vampire movies, this one’s pretty well done, and it’s definitely a better film than the original.  Of course it doesn’t have a naked Alyssa Milano, which was kind of the whole point of the original.  But it does have plenty of beautiful naked women who are not Alyssa Milano and quite a bit more horror, violence, and gore than the original, which may be the whole point of this remake.” Mat Brewster, Cinema Sentries

Cast and Characters:

Sharon Hinnendael as Charlotte Hawthorn
Kaniehtiio Horn [as Tiio Horn] as Nicole
C.C. Sheffield as Eliza
Chelsey Reist( [as Chelsey Marie Reist] as Sarah Campbell
Victor Webster as Professor Cole / Stefan
Robert Moloney as Dr. John Duncan
Ryan Kennedy as Chris
Keegan Connor Tracy as Daciana
Olivia Cheng as Kelly
Claire Smithies as Sorina
Sarah Grey as Young Charlotte

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

Lord of Tears is a 2013 Scottish horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster (short: So Brightly in the Dark) from a screenplay by Sarah Daly (Kids vs. Monsters). Finance was partly raised via a Kickstarter online campaign. The film first shown in October 25, 2013 at the Bram Stoker International Film Festival in Whitby.

Plot:

James (Euan Douglas) is an average school teacher that has been estranged from his mother for years and has only returned to her home to settle her estate after her death. This somewhat baffles his friend Allen (Jamie Scott Gordon), as his own father is undergoing a serious illness and is unlikely to recover.

James discovers that he stands to inherit two houses from his mother: one small and average, the other a large mansion that he is urged to never again visit. Confused, James ignores her request and moves into the house in hopes of making sense of everything. He then finds evidence that he had a mental breakdown as a child, brought about by visions of a creature known as the “Owl Man” (David Schofield)…

Reviews:

“It’s hands down one of the most haunting and unique movies of the year. It could’ve done with some trimming, especially during a couple of the end sequences, but that’s my only complaint – and it’s a small one. It’s a low-budget supernatural throwback that maintains an unshakable sense of unease throughout until it’s shocking (and appropriate) conclusion.” Patrick Cooper, Bloody Disgusting

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“Lord of Tears is very compelling viewing, atmospheric with a great sense of loneliness, regret, sadness and horror, beautiful and at the same time chilling it stands out from the pack.” Daniel Simmonds, The Rotting Zombie

“The effect of the owl-headed man simply standing in the forest is the stuff of nightmares. The film dissects the meanings of the owl in various cultures and highlights just what makes the common forest creature so damn creepy.” Ambush Bug, Ain’t It Cool News

“Brewster maintains the tension throughout the slowburn of the film’s first half and builds with small reveals of Owly intercut with other recurring elements of James’s nightmares. Tight sound and visual editing combine with the musical score, by Andy MacDonald and Craig Sutherland, to keep this going as the film rushes to its conclusion.” The Horror Hothouse

Cast and Characters:

• David Schofield as the Owlman
• Lexy Hulme as Eve Turner
• Euan Douglas as James Findlay
• Jamie Scott Gordon [Jamie Gordon] as Allen Milton
• Alan Ireby as Solicitor
• Neil Cooper as Michael Milton
• Nancy Joy Page as Flora May Findlay
• Graham Robertson as Henry Findlay
• Jock Ferguson as Taxi Driver

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Facebook

WH

‘Are you on the naughty list?’

Krampus: The Christmas Devil is a 2013 American horror film co-produced, written, photographed, edited and directed by Jason Hull (Chasing Darkness; The Four). A sequel, Krampus: The Devils Returns, is in pre-production for 2016 release.

Cast:

A. J. Leslie, Richard Goteri, Jay Dobyns, Paul Ferm, Andrew Ferrick, Darin Foltz, Mark Hensel, Samantha Hoepfl, Annette Lawless, Bill Oberst Jr.(Black Water Vampire; Valley of the Sasquatch; Werewolf Rising).

Plot:

Jeremy escapes folklore creature Krampus as a child, and grows up to become a police officer working to find missing children, only to stumble upon the monster again as an adult. Jeremy learns that Krampus is after his daughter, but the plot thickens as convicted child-rapist Brian Hatt (Bill Oberst), recently released from prison, is now set on revenge…

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Reviews:

” … the film does have a few death scenes but none are that great nor are they entertaining. The special effects are very minimal and they do not improve the few deaths we do get. Overall, Krampus: The Christmas Devil is a film that has a lot going on but they fail to come together to make something entertaining.” Blacktooth, Horror Society

” … a fun and welcome addition to my growing list of Holiday Horror Films. Aside from some minor acting problems there’s little bad to say about this one.” Anything Horror

“Badly shot, poor production values, bad acting. A horror fan hates these not (always). And that triumverate of trash certainly works here… Throw in a completely overwrought soundtrack – complete with throbbing 80s synth and hair metal-esque guitar, random naked women (who knew Krampus was a horny Christmas devil?) and piss poor special effects, and you have a slice of holiday horror that is totally mental… and perfectly bad.” Phil Wheat, Nerdly

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“There were a few really good twists, including the cops taking care of their own. The soundtrack is dead on awesome, adding to the 80’s slasher cinematic feel and texture. A few of these actors should look familiar, especially the old cops and bartender. All in all, though it may be unfair to compare to it Santa’s Slay or Rare Exports, its nice to see an actual Krampus story!” JP, Creepercast

“Let’s talk about Krampus himself. Many descriptions have him ranging from hunched, bearded weirdo with chains and a cloven-hoofed foot to a full on, satan-like creature. This film version of Krampus is a collection of items you’d find in Wilkinson’s seasonal aisle, a Santa robe from the now in stock Christmas selection and a mask from the now reduced Halloween section.” Dan Lacey, UK Horror Scene

Trailer:

IMDb

Related: A Christmas Horror Story | Ho! Ho! Horror! Festive Fright Films – article by David Flint | Krampus | Krampus: The Reckoning

Tasmanian Devils is a 2013 Canadian horror film directed by former child actor Zach Lipovsky (Leprechaun: Origins; Dead Rising: Watchtower) from a screenplay by Brook Durham (Mammoth; Red: Werewolf Hunter; Bering Sea Beast).

Main cast:

Danica McKellar (Hack!; Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo), Kenneth Mitchell (The Bequest), Mike Dopud (Alone in the Dark; BloodRayne; Final Destination 5), Roger R. Cross (The Chronicles of Riddick; The Strain; Re-Kill); Terry Chen (Bates Motel; Evil Feed; Godzilla); Apolo Ohno, Rekha Sharma.

Plot:

When a group of BASE jumpers enter into a forbidden portion of the Tasmanian wilderness, they didn’t foresee that one of their group would die in the process. They also didn’t expect for their friend’s blood to awaken ancient and gigantic Tasmanian devils that would swiftly seek to make them their supper.

The group finds some assistance in three park rangers that arrive to arrest the group for trespassing, only to find that they too are in danger of becoming the deadly beasts’ prey. One by one, people start to die…

Reviews:

“There are so many satisfying moments in this movie that it is easy to forget the low budget despite how cheesy everything looks. Everything about the movie that at the outset made me believe it would be just another Syfy crapfest eventually evolved into something great. Not just good or watchable mind you, but genuinely great.” Stupid Blue Planet

“Too silly to take seriously and taking itself far too seriously to have fun with, Tasmanian Devils needn’t bother anybody’s list of monster flicks this year.” John Noonan, HorrorNews.net

“There is little here that you haven’t seen countless times before. Annoying characters you can’t wait to see die: check. A clumsy and unconvincing love interest subplot: check. Incompetent direction and unconvincing special effects: check. It is fair to say Tasmanian Devils does little well but at least the pacing is brisk to help make sure it isn’t completely boring.” Adam Cook, Letterboxd

Cast and characters:

Danica McKellar as Alex
Kenneth Mitchell as Jayne
Mike Dopud as Anderson
Roger R. Cross as Simon (as Roger Cross)
Terry Chen as Walsh
Rekha Sharma as Lisbon
Apolo Ohno as Stone
Joseph Allan Sutherland as Danz (as Joseph Sutherland)
Scott McNeil as Whitfield
Julia Sarah Stone as Kid

Choice dialogue:

Simon [Roger Cross]: “I can’t believe this is real. What are we watching?”

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘The last push for evil is here’

The Devil Incarnate is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by L. Gustavo Cooper (June) from a screenplay co-written with Jon Bosworth. The film’s original title was Copiii: The 1st Entry and its UK DVD title is Cursed.

Main cast:

Graci Carli, Rod Luzzi, Emily Rogers, Cindy Hogan, Barbara Van Fleet, Walter J. Colson, Tom Riska, Courtney Gardner, Towns W. Sanford, Deborah Hurm, Breezy Sharp.

Plot:

Newlyweds Holly and Trevor Davidson are on a road trip to celebrate their honeymoon in Miami when their new life together takes a surreal turn. A whimsical pit stop in a tourist trap goes horribly wrong and they find themselves forced to face an ominous new presence in their lives and an ambiguous threat. But is that threat coming from Trevor’s family, Holly’s dark past, or something far more sinister and otherworldly, such as the ancient curse of the Copiii Pierdere?

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“The Devil Incarnate is a fantastic indie film that is definitely worth a look. Director Cooper does an amazing job weaving an intricate story of a woman suddenly overcome by an ancient curse and the effect it has on her and her new family. Kudos to Graci Carli, Emily Rogers and the rest of the cast of the film for delivering excellent performances.” Scott Hallam, Dread Central

“The Devil Incarnate is a strange little movie and I’m not sure if the people behind it knew exactly what they wanted to do with it. It’s a half-assed found footage film at times (and sometimes it isn’t) that desperately wants to be as good as Rosemary’s Baby but it fails miserably for a number of reasons.” Todd Martin, HorrorNews.net

“The Devil Incarnate is a solid little debut horror that’s well worth checking out. With some truly great acting and an interesting story, most horror aficionados will find something to appreciate.” Nav Qateel, Influx Magazine

” … literally just random bits of other possession/demon pregnancy movies slapped together with no context or coherency, with the only constant being that people argued all the fucking time, and Trevor whined non-stop.” Sudden Scream

“The movie feels more mature at the end than it does at the beginning. It has a generic start, but becomes more interesting when Marissa and the rest of Trevor’s family are introduced. There are certainly noticeable plot holes, but they don’t stop the movie from at least being enjoyable. It is a competently made amateur feature that, while it fumbles, shows a lot of promise.” Nat Brehmer, Wicked Horror

Filming locations:

Jacksonville, Citra, St. Augustine and Spring Hill, Florida

Trailer:

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