gytrash

Uzumaki, above and beyond anything else, truly looks and feels like Ito’s manga brought to life. There’s something truly magical about this series even existing in the first place. It casts a cursed energy that’s akin to the videotape from The Ring. Ito’s work is hardly a medium that can’t exist in a full color palette and there are plenty of his stories that take advantage of a rich color spectrum. That being said, Uzumaki’s black-and-white aesthetic works here and makes this project, and Kirie and Shuichi’s story, feel all the more otherworldly. It casts the audience under a spell and it feels like the strange punk rock programming that Adult Swim used to pump out during the week hours of the night during the channel’s infancy. It’s been a long time since Adult Swim has had something that taps into this energy. The closest thing in memory is PFFR’s stop-motion fever dream, The Shivering Truth...

... The first episode alone is full of so many disturbing visuals that are deeply horrific and pure nightmare fuel. Uzumaki’s horror is omnipresent from the first frame. However, it’s remarkable how the series’ scares gradually grow more intense until they’re strangling the audience by the episode’s end. Uzumaki is only four episodes, but it feels like this short episode count is for the audience’s own good and that any more would be too intense. The series is a taught tightrope walk of terror that’s a true triumph. The first episode is filled with more harrowing body horror moments than some shows accomplish in their entire run. It’s cosmic horror with a sinister Lovecraftian edge to the finest degree...

Neon has a reputation for producing uniquely constructed horror movies that have a tenacious, offbeat feel. With a vast repertoire, Neon's horror output covers a diverse range of sub-genres, including sci-fi, body horror, psychological terror, folk horror, and horror satire. Established in 2017 by Tom Quinn and Tim League, Neon has quickly become a household name in reliably high-calibre film production.

From the visceral body horror of Titane to the psychological dread in The Lodge, Neon's films consistently push the boundaries of conventional horror. Each film offers a fresh and often provocative take on the genre, whether it's the social commentary woven into the dark satire of Bad Hair or the eerie, post-pandemic paranoia in In the Earth. Neon's commitment to innovative storytelling and striking visuals makes it a standout in the horror landscape, delivering films that are as intellectually stimulating as they are terrifying.

The British-American series The Third Day, created by Felix Barrett and Dennis Kelly (who made the masterpiece Utopia), is a 2020 psychological thriller-folk horror series that should certainly have gotten more recognition, especially for fans of disturbing cults in horror, as it is one that will have your jaw on the floor. The story follows a man and then a woman on their separate journeys, but arrive at the same island at different times; what happens there is far more shocking than they had anticipated. For those who have forgotten about The Third Day, here's a recap, and for those who don't know, let's find out what it's about and why it should be one to remember...

Ecuador's government has announced the suspension of electricity service for nine hours on Sunday in 12 of the Andean nation's 24 provinces and placed 19 areas on red alert due to a drought that has reduced the water levels of hydroelectric plants. The blackout in the provinces will be from 8:00 a.m. local time until 5:00 p.m., the Ecuadorian presidency said in a statement released Saturday night on X. It is in addition to the government's plans announced on Tuesday for eight-hour nightly power cuts nationwide from Monday to Thursday. Ecuador is gripped by the worst drought in the country in 61 years and an energy crisis made worse by what the government says is lack of maintenance of existing dams and contracts to ensure new energy generation...

Directed by Australian filmmakers Colin and Cameron Cairnes, Late Night with the Devil features David Dastmalchian in a standout role, offering a fresh take on the horror genre. This cleverly executed found-footage film blends authentic frights with witty moments, setting it apart from conventional horror flicks. Rather than focusing solely on viewing television, it delves into the intricacies of its creation. The story follows Jack Delroy, a rival of Johnny Carson, who hosts the late-night talk show Night Owls. Once a comforting presence for sleepless viewers, Jack’s show has seen a significant drop in ratings since the tragic passing of his wife. Desperate to regain his audience, Jack plans a groundbreaking Halloween special for October 31, 1977, unaware that this decision will unleash a sinister force into the homes of countless viewers...

The horror genre has been around for such a large part of the history of film that it has historically been developed simultaneously with the medium itself. One of the most consistent and prominent genres, horror produces thousands of new horror films on an annual basis — this month alone sees the release of The Substance, Never Let Go, Speak No Evil, and many others. With so much competition, it's logical for many horror movies to fall out of the collective consciousness, slipping through the cinematic cracks.

From obscure disasters of cinema such as The Theatre Bizarre to severely underappreciated cult classics such as Stir of Echoes, there is no shortage of lesser-known entries throughout the history of the horror genre. However, that doesn't make them any less worthwhile. In fact, many of horror's most underseen efforts are among its most accomplished, to the point of being the closest thing a movie can come to perfection. These underrated horror movies are pretty much perfect and deserve far more attention from fans...

The Babadook tells the terrifying story of a young boy who becomes convinced that an evil spirit lives in his home, despite his mother’s reassurance that he’s safe. But when his behavior becomes erratic and uncontrollable, his mother realizes something isn’t quite right. The Babadook is an unnerving horror film that delves deep into the human psyche and proves that, sometimes, we can be the scariest monsters of all. The Babadook’s frightening ending has become notorious for its ambiguity and excellent use of horror imagery.

What works so effectively about The Babadook is that, while it’s clearly rooted in the horror genre, there aren’t any clear monsters or ghosts like you’d expect in a basic haunted house story. Instead, the narrative is a largely metaphorical one about trauma, fear, and loss, focusing on the people affected by these themes. It’s one of the scariest horror movies about grief that’s ever been made, and its analogical storytelling isn't easy to find elsewhere. Fortunately, there are some horror movies that will appeal to fans of The Babadook...

Lovecraft’s lengthy body of work continues to terrify people of our time as much as it did his contemporaries, and has successfully crossed over to the world of cinema and even video games. There are many excellent video games which have been inspired by the works of H.P Lovecraft, some whose inspiration you might not even be aware of, so let’s look at the best of them...

It’s been a few years since we’ve been graced with a dissonant slab of sludge infused blackened death metal from the Colorado natives Glacial Tomb, but they have returned with a bang rather than the proverbial whimper. After adding bassist David Small (Khemmis) to the cauldron they band have created a refined, technically masterful 36 minutes of rip-roaring death metal, exploring the themes of everyday suffering, cosmic horror, mental illness grief and social isolation to pound your brain into an unrecognisable mush.

Drawing on the comic-tinged supernatural horror stylings of Thomas Ligotti, the pessimistic views of Peter Wessel Zapffe and Philipp Mainländer the lyrically dense topics are brought to life by Ben Hutcherson, coupled with the black metal elements it makes for something that is greater than the sum of its genres, deftly dodging time worn tropes, or making use of them to crushing effect...

I am a perennial supporter of underdog cinema. In fact, I pen a Dread Central column called The Overlooked Motel that’s dedicated to championing overlooked and underrated films. I began writing that recurring feature several years ago because I love discovering a diamond in the rough. It’s a rush to unearth a cinematic treasure lost to time. And it’s equally exciting to share these discoveries with like-minded film lovers.

With that in mind, I’m here today to spread the word about a picture from our distribution arm (DREAD) that remains woefully under-seen. But rest assured that no one asked me to write this piece and that I will be brutally honest so you know exactly what you’re in for. The film I’m championing today is called Island Escape. It’s a feature that melds action tropes with horror and science fiction elements. The flick delivers strong editing, an ever-present sense of paranoia, and a bevy of twists and turns along the way that lead to a rousing conclusion...

We have all heard about horror films, how they are the new genre everyone is talking about. And independent horror films are the big talking point in the film industry.

What makes horror interesting to me, is that horror films are relatively cheap to produce. You need a couple of actors and some lights. Come up with a good scenario and presto!

It's incredibly hard to keep a franchise fresh when it's been around for more than a decade headed into its seventh installment. But a couple of missteps aside, the "V/H/S" franchise has done a remarkable job of keeping things fresh over the years. I'm pleased as punch to report that "V/H/S/Beyond" isn't just taking the ball and running with it — it may well have set a new high bar for the series.

The seventh installment overall and the follow-up to last year's "V/H/S/85," this new entry takes things "Beyond" by giving every one of the six segments a sci-fi hook. Marrying sci-fi and horror has often yielded very satisfying results. Some of the all-time greats in the genre, such as John Carpenter's "The Thing" or Ridley Scott's "Alien," look to the horrors of science fiction to bring us something thrilling. Similarly, all of the filmmakers involved here wandered through very different corners of the science fiction sphere to deliver viewers something horrific, weird, and/or a bloody good time.

While it may sound like a bold statement, this is very arguably the strongest overall collection of tales in "V/H/S" history. Defenders of "V/H/S/2" and "V/H/S/94" will either roll their eyes at what could easily be a hyperbolic statement from a guy walking out of a world premiere at a film festival aimed squarely at genre lovers. I'm here to tell you that the festival goggles are off. My mind is clear. This movie delivers the goods...