Shadows of the Dead is a 2016 American supernatural horror film directed by John William Ross (shorts: The Thing in the Apartment; The Stress), making his feature debut, from a screenplay co-written with Joe Chisana. The film was produced by genre specialists Cinetel Films.

Wojciech Golczewski (Tonight She Comes; Beyond the Gates; We Are Still Here) provided the synth score.

It should not be confused with the 2004 film of the same title.

While attending an anti-prom party held in a cabin deep in the woods, a group of teenagers inadvertently awaken an evil creature that lives in the shadows…

The film premiered on the Syfy channel on October 22, 2016, as part of their ’31 Days of Horror’ season.

Main cast:

Kennedy Tucker, Brian Maierhofer, Thomas Miguel Ruff [as Tommy Ruff], Taylor Jorgensen, Lindsay Elston, Alexandria Paige, James Gaisford, Rene Michelle Aranda, Lisa Cole, Ronak Gandhi,  Jude Lanston,   Anna Steers, Ace Underhill.

Reviews:

“There was no real consistency to this shadow monster but then again, Shadows of the Dead is not the type of film that demands consistency. The monster had its frightening moments and its ever-shifting powers led to some nicely surreal moments.  Ultimately, your enjoyment of this film will depend on how seriously you take it. (Needless to say, taking it seriously in any way would be a mistake.)” Lisa Marie Bowman, Through the Shattered Lens

“The opening attack on the farmer out in his cabin is quite shocking with his frantic actions not being in the slightest bit reasonable but still maintaining some nice suspense about the oncoming threat, a later scene where they encounter their friend in the middle of the woods and try to take her back only to get caught up in the car crash is quite chilling and the encounter in the hospital where the bodies rise up behind the unsuspecting victim before the final attack all make this one quite fun…” GL84, IMDb

IMDb

Ghastlies is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed by Brett Kelly (My Fair Zombie; Homicycle; Jurassic Shark) from a screenplay by Chris Bavota (shorts: Never Tear Us Apart; Attack of the Brainsucker; After Ate).

The film stars Kim Valentine (Monster Pool: Chapter Two), Kendra Summerfield (Raiders of the Lost Shark), Jessica Huether, and Julie Racine.

Four sorority sisters accidentally unleash a trio of ghastly ghouls from an underground bunker during a weekend getaway in the country…

Main cast:

Kim Valentine, Kendra Summerfield, Jessica Huether, Julie Racine, Eric Deniverville, Joel Elliot, Kyle Martellacci, John Migliore (The Drownsman; Bite; Poltergeist Encounters; et al), Janet Hetherington, Peter Whittaker, Jurgen Vollrath, Kyle Martellacci.

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Countrycide is a 2017 Canadian survival horror film directed by Brett Kelly (Ghastlies; My Fair Zombie; Jurassic Shark).

A woman is lost, alone in the woods with a bear trap on her leg. It is a matter of survival as she must combat the elements, her pain and predators of both the two and four legged variety…

The film stars Robin Hodge, Joel Elliott, Peter Whittaker and Andrew Galligan. It will be promoted on the festival circuit this summer.

IMDb

Unhinged is a 2017 British horror film edited and directed by Dan Allen from a screenplay co-written with co-producer Scott Jeffrey (The House on Elm Lake; Fox Trap).

A loose remake of the 1982 movie Unhinged – a former ‘video nasty‘ – it stars Kate Greer, Lucy-Jane Quinlan, Becky Fletcher and Lorena Andrea.

Melissa and her three American bridesmaids, who decide to take the English back roads whilst travelling to her wedding in the countryside. On the way, a deadly secret forces the girls to be stranded in the woods.

They discover a house, occupied by Miss Perkins, who promises to look after them until they find help. Little do the girls know, a dark evil lurks in and around the grounds of the house. Only when the girls come face to face with ‘it’ will they truly discover what real horror is…

The remake, which had the working title The Attic, is currently in post-production. 88 Films is partnering with ITN Distribution to release Unhinged in the US on DVD and VOD in September 2017.

Main cast:

Kate Greer (Fox Trap), Lucy-Jane Quinlan, Becky Fletcher (The House on Elm Lake; Fox Trap; Deadly Waters) Lorena Andrea (The House on Elm Lake), Michelle Archer (12 Deaths of Christmas), Louisa Warren (producer of GoryTime), Faye Goodwin, Zak Russell-Jones, Emily McQueen, Tommy Vilés.

Filming locations:

Essex, England, UK

IMDb | Twitter

‘Help wanted’

Besetment is a 2017 American horror film written, produced and directed by Brad Douglas (Flipped; Between the Trees).

Desperate for a job, Amanda Millard (Abby Wathen) takes a maid position at the Oregon Hotel in the creepy, back country town of Mitchell, Oregon.

Owners Mildred Colvin (Marlyn Mason) and her son Billy (Michael Meyer) seem nice enough at first. However, once Amanda discovers their real intentions, a struggle to make a living turns into a fight for her life…

Main cast:

Abby Wathen (Eye of the Paranoid), Marlyn Mason (Between the Trees), Michael Meyer (Beach Blanket Frankenstein; Vampire Camp; My Name is Bruce), Max Gutfreund, Greg James, Hannah Barefoot, Lindsae Klein, Douglas Rowe, Sonya Davis, John T. Woods, Hugh Reed, Olivia Jane Catmull, Liam O’Sruitheain, Tanner McCullough, Ed Simper.

The film has been picked up for distribution in North America by Uncork’d Entertainment. A DVD release is scheduled for 5 September 2017.

Filming locations:

Bend and Mitchell, Oregon, USA

IMDb | Official site

‘It’s harvest time. They’re back with a vengeance.’

Rise of the Scarecrows: Hell on Earth is a 2017 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Geno McGahee (Scary Tales and sequel; Sickle; Evil Awakening).

It is a sequel to Rise of the Scarecrows (2009), which was recently added to our Worst Horror Films of All-Time list and is free to view online if you have Amazon Prime.

IMDb

Feral is a 2016 American horror film directed by Mark H. Young (Tooth and Nail; Southern Gothic) from a screenplay co-written with Adam Frazier. It stars Scout Taylor-Compton, Olivia Luccardi and Lew Temple.

A wild animal attacks six medical students on a weekend hike in the woods. One by one, they become infected with a “feral disease”, turning them into rabid, bloodthirsty creatures, and the vacation becomes a nightmare as they fight to survive each other…

Background:

Mark H. Young has been making independent film for over ten years. “I write and direct my own stories, and am very genre agnostic. I love drama, horror, action and thrillers equally, as long as the story and characters are rich and compelling. My work is frequently described as ‘art house meets slaughterhouse’, and sometimes the genre lines are blurred. A drama becomes horror, or vise versa. That’s where the film is most interesting to me.”

Young met producer John Landolfi, who was looking to make an independent horror film. Young had just finished Wicked Blood, starring Sean Bean and Abigail Breslin, and was looking for something unusual. He was intrigued by the idea of taking a trite storyline and trying to breathe new life into it. “I don’t think there’s a more hackneyed concept than kids camping in the woods. But for me, that’s a great challenge, to come up with something fresh and new in a stale milieu.” He started by conceiving a new subgenre of horror: a creature that is neither zombie, werewolf, or vampire, but has some of the traits of them all.

But beyond the horror trappings, his primary focus was the characters. “If the audience doesn’t care about the characters, their fate is meaningless. My goal was to create real, flesh and blood people that the viewer would relate to and empathize with.” Viewers may also be surprised to find that the protagonists in Feral are female, not male. Many horror films utilize the “Final Girl”, where the the last character left alive must confront the killer. “I love strong female characters, so the notion of several smart girls desperately trying to survive in the woods was very appealing to me.”

Main cast:

Scout Taylor-Compton (Penance Lane; Ghost House; Halloween II), Olivia Luccardi (It Follows; Bleeding), Lew Temple (Stingy Jack; 31; Zombex), Renee Olstead, Brock Kelly, Landry Allbright, George Finn and Samantha Gangal.

Filming locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

IMDb | Official site

Harrow County is an American supernatural horror comic book, created by writer, Cullen Bunn and artist Tyler Crook. First published by Dark Horse Comics in May 2015, it was originally a serialised text-only work, only available on Cullen’s website, under the title, Countless Haints.

Harrow County tells the story of a seventeen year-old girl named Emmy whose tranquil life in a rural backwater (likely to be in a Southern state during the early part of the twentieth century) is abruptly shattered when she learns her father, Isaac, and the local townsfolk plan to kill her. Believing her to be the reincarnation of a witch called Hester Beck they burned and hanged from a tree near Emmy’s house eighteen years earlier, they are haunted by her final taunts that she will return to enact her revenge.

Emmy escapes their clutches and convinces them that she means them no harm, though recurring visions and a knack for healing suggest that she and Hester may indeed be in some way linked.

Visitations by various “haints” (a Southern colloquialism for “ghost”) and a peculiar friendship with the flayed skin of a young boy, which she keeps in her bag, reinforce the peculiar nature of Emmy’s background and, as the plot progresses, we begin to learn that the townsfolk may not be what they initially seemed.

A strangely slow-moving plot, often with the gentle sway of early American children’s stories and the Southern Gothic style of writers such as William Faulkner, Harrow County is also particularly notable for the water-coloured art by Crook, an unusual technique in an age when many comics utilise digital techniques. Though there are sequences displaying overtly violent acts, the story relies far more on general unease and the interaction of the characters and their untamed environment.

Each issue features not only the main story arc but also shorter pieces covering other aspects of the local mythology, under the heading Tales of Harrow County. The initial run of the comic sold out, prompting a second printing.

In December 2015, it was revealed that a television adaptation was being considered, with a collaboration between Dark Horse Comics and Universal Cable Productions being optioned by the SyFy television channel. Dark Horse Comics already has a significant track record in bringing their stable of off-kilter characters to the small and big screen from Dr. Giggles, to Hellboy and Sin City so any such adaptation seems promising.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Wikipedia

‘Some men are so evil… even death rejects them.’

Elder Island is a 2016 survival horror film co-produced and directed by Darrin James from a screenplay co-written with Fabricio Cerioni. It stars Nate Scholz, Jamie Bernadette and Erica Overholt.

Elder Island. 1856. Peter Wiggentstein turned to the men of the five island families around him and warned, “Tell nothing of this,” as the men all looked at the body of their former Reverend – gunned down just outside his own home – and a decision was made. They secretly buried the body on Graves Island, and the reign of America’s first and only king ended; but for every end, there is always a new beginning, for an evil was born that night…

Reviews:

“Elder Island isn’t a great movie and not frightening in the slightest but at 80 minutes in run-time it wasn’t a slog to get through either. The limited FX and makeup are totally serviceable and there are some ideas here as well a couple of redeemable performances, specifically the amiable Peavy.” Alan Kelly, Gruesome magazine

“…a piece of survival horror with a healthy amount of well-executed on-screen action and meanness, a very likeable or love-to-hateable cast of characters embodied by a very competent cast of actors…” Mike Haberfelner, Search My Trash

” …some of the audio in this picture is preposterous, with dialog being drowned out by the score (which by the way is really bad as well) and levels changing from scene to scene. Another issue is the amount of filler among the killer, at an hour and twenty minutes this thing should breeze right on by, but it doesn’t…” Daniel XIII, That’s Not Current

Interview:

Darrin James and Fabricio Cerioni talk to Josh Spanninga for Revue

Main cast:

Nate Scholz (Grimm; Assignment: Unexplained; The Horror of Barnes Folly), Jamie Bernadette (The 6th Friend; All Girl’s Weekend; 4/20 Massacre; et al), Erica Overholt, Sean Peavy, Jordan Trovillion, Alora Catherine Smith, Danny Hicks, Melissa Anschutz, Timothy Patrick Quill, Michael Robert Brandon, Christopher Hohman, Jake Rotger, Darrin James, Johnny Flynn, Donavan Darius.

Filming locations:

Beaver Island, Brighton, Ferndale, Livonia, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

IMDb | Image credits: Gruesome magazine

‘Some secrets won’t go to the grave’

Nazi Vengeance – aka Backtrack: Nazi Regression – is a 2014 British-Irish horror film directed by Tom Sands (The Holly Kane Experiment) from a screenplay by Mick Sands. It stars Mark Drake, Sophie Barker, Rosie Akerman and Miles Jovian.

Ralph is a 26 year-old regional journalist who has been having recurring nightmares in German. To help him understand his troubling dreams, his friend Claudia, a 22 year-old hippie, uses her undeveloped psychic powers to give him a profound past-life regression, which floods his mind with memories of being a Nazi commando on a mission on the South Downs in 1940.

When his visions of that past existence begin to take shape in his current reality, Ralph starts to investigate. In the hope of piecing together his previous life, he goes on a camping trip to the locations he saw in his regression.

He is accompanied by Claudia and their respective partners, Andrea and Lucas, who are much more interested in each other than reincarnation. What none of them realise is that the past Ralph is trying to find is now stalking them, and plans to exact a terrible revenge on all four campers for crimes committed nearly seventy years ago…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“There’s lots of interesting flourishes in the visuals […] and although hardly seen until the climax, veteran Julian Glover is as fabulous as one would expect. It could possibly be a little too talky for some audiences, but worth giving a go if adventurous, thoughtful horror is your bag.” Martin Unsworth, Starburst

“Sands has admitted that he’s not very familiar with the horror genre, and that seems to be at the root of a number of the film’s problems. It’s pitched as an intelligent contribution to the genre but is mostly quite routine stuff. Julian Glover has fun as the villain…” Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film

” …an ambitious first film from a director with big ideas but its obvious limitations make the end result feel very underdeveloped and unsatisfactory. If Tom Sands could capture those inventive moments and apply them to a narrative that trimmed away the fat and kept things moving along at a nippier pace then the rest may fall into place but as it is Backtrack: Nazi Regression’s moments of promise are few and far between.” Chris Ward, Flickering Myth

” …if you can suspend your disbelief in favour of the story, you will be rewarded with a weird tale of crime and punishment where the lines between good and evil are more than just a little blurry, carried by an atmospheric directorial effort (also helped by wonderful locations), a decent ensemble cast, with the occasional piece of explicit violence thrown in just for good measure.” Mike Haberfelner, Search My Trash

Main cast:

Mark Drake, Sophie Barker, Rosie Akerman, Miles Jovian, Julian Glover, Callie Moore, Jon Bartlett, Alexi Parkin, Mia E.M. Chamberlain, Jj Borrett, Jesse Kidd Moore, Mick Smith, Stephen Carr, René Zimmermann.

Filming locations:

Brighton, East Sussex, England
The Eight Bells pub, Jevington, East Sussex, England
Duncannon Fort, County Wexford, Ireland

Trivia:

The film’s original title was Backtrack.

IMDb | Official site

‘Evil lurks beneath the surface’

Lake Alice is a 2017 American horror film co-produced and directed by Ben Milliken, making his feature debut, from a screenplay by Stevie Jane Miller. It stars Caroline Tudor, Brad Schmidt, Brando Eaton, Laura Niemi and Peter O’Brien.

The film is released on DVD in the UK on 8 May 2017 as Lake Tomahawk by High Fliers Films.

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Plot:

Meeting the Thomas family for the first time, Ryan Emerson (Brad Schmidt) must prove his intentions with their daughter, Sarah (Caroline Tudor), and win the approval of her father, Greg (Peter O’Brien), while he masks his jealousy for Sarah’s ex-fling, Tyler (Brando Eaton). As the Thomases settles in, things start to happen around the cabin: strange footprints by the windows, noises from outside, and a bitter animosity from the locals, including the law enforcement.

As a blizzard descends on Lake Alice, so does the evil, as the family members are hunted down one by one. They struggles to stay alive as their power in numbers slowly dwindle…

Main cast:

Brando Eaton (Some Kind of Hate; Cabin Fever 3; American Horror Story), Laura Niemi (Chastity Bites), Peter O’Brien, Michael Shamus Wiles, Craig Rees, Eileen Dietz, Caroline Tudor, Brad Schmidt, Patrick Burch.

Filming locations:

Lake Alice, Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA

IMDb

‘Some species are best left undiscovered’

Chupacabra Territory is a 2016 found footage horror film written and directed by Matt McWilliams, making his feature debut.

The film stars Sarah Nicklin (The Haunting of Alice D.; The Sins of Dracula, Flesh for the Inferno), Michael Reed (Dark Feed, Exhumed), Megan Hensley (The Crazies), Julianne Tura (Bloody Bloody Bible Camp; Chastity Bites), and Pierre Kennel.

Four friends hike into the Pinewood Forest to find evidence of the Chupacabra, an ancient creature believed to be responsible for the disappearance of four experienced hikers a year earlier.

As they journey deeper into the forest, their innocent search uncovers more than they had ever hoped for, and with it a darkness that threatens to consume their very existence.

One by one they are hunted down, their survival tested, their lives hanging in the balance of fear, friendship, disbelief and horror…

On April 11, 2017, the film is released on Maltauro Entertainment Blu-ray and Invincible Pictures DVD with exclusive interviews with the cast and crew, trailers and more. The film will also be released on various VOD platforms.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the film was released on DVD as Lair of the Beast on 22nd August 2016 by 101 Films.

Reviews:

” …McWilliams deserves some credit for adding more elements into his movie than you would expect (and arguably than he knows what to do with), and his leads at least give us enough personality that you care a bit about what happens to them.”  David Dent, Dark Eyes of London

“Whilst there’s elements here that truly do work and emulate the Blair Witch style terror, the unfortunate, self-centred egos of the characters involved completely undo these moments of brilliance. Because of this, horror fans looking for a serious woodland creature horror will be disappointed…” Horror Cult Films

Filming locations:

Lake Hughes, California, USA

IMDb | Facebook

‘How much shock can the human brain endure before it cracks’

Terrified is a 1962 American horror film directed by Lew Landers (The Boogie Man Will Get You; The Return of the Vampire; The Raven) from a screenplay by producer Richard Bernstein (From Hell It Came). It stars Rod Lauren, Steve Drexel and Tracy Olsen.

Composer Michael Andersen’s only other horror soundtrack score was for Roger Corman’s Tower of London, made the same year.

US distributors Crown International Pictures promoted the film for its 1963 release as Terrified!

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Terrified certainly has its moments, mainly the cat and mouse game that plays out between Ken and the masked killer, but on the whole has little to be desired. The acting is often stiff, save for Rod Lauren who tends to overact but in an almost appropriate fashion. Tracy Olsen in particular is quite dull as the sexual interest of both teenager and killer alike.” Jason McElreath, DVD Drive-In

“Visually the movie is pretty poor. The ski-mask killer is kind of modern, but the lighting and the Ghost Town sets are too dark to take advantage. A good chunk of the movie is spent in a restaurant set that looks like it came out of a ’50s or ’60s sitcom.” JP Roscoe, Basement Rejects

“Wonderfully bad dialogue full of nonsense, at times reaching close to Ed Wood levels, will either leave you smiling or shaking your head. It has a fairly weak ending and the acting is terrible, but those things almost add to the enjoyment of the film.” Josh Mogan, Quick Horror Movie Review

“The biggest weakness in Terrified is the script. The whole thing feels padded, like the film could take place in the span of about 30 minutes, but writer Richard Bernstein (From Hell It Came) drags it out into a feature length screenplay. The resulting script is uneven, with too much dialogue in some places and long stretches without dialogue in others.” James Jay Edwards, Film Fracture

“The identity of the killer is painfully obvious; I knew who it was ten minutes into the movie, but the movie actually works itself up to an effective ending once the unmasking occurs and we get some insight into why he’s doing what he’s doing. In short, this is one very mixed bag, but it has its moments…” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

Main cast:

Rod Lauren (The Black Zoo; The Crawling Hand), Steve Drexel, Tracy Olsen (The Couch), Stephen Roberts, Sherwood Keith, Barbara Luddy, Denver Pyle (The Legend of Hillbilly John), Lee Bradley, Ben Frank, Danny Welton, Nona Carver, Michael Fellen, Robert Towers.

IMDb | Image credits: Basement Rejects

Related: Hellgate

‘Camping can be deadly’

Killer Campout is a 2017 American slasher horror film directed, photographed and edited by Brad Twigg from a screenplay by James L. Edwards and Matt Hill, based on Twigg’s storyline.

The Fuzzy Monkey production stars Julio Bana Fernandez, Luba Hansen and Jenny Jannetty. Veteran genre actor George Stover and director John A. Russo (Midnight) have cameo roles.

IMDb

‘There are secrets in the water’

Beware the Lake aka The Lake – is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Elgin Cahill from a screenplay co-written with Wendy Winterbourne. The Chestnut Tree Films production stars Jonathan Lipnicki, Vivienne Bersin and Anja Knebl.

Tabitha Dalca is the new girl in town. When she catches the eye of local football hero Mason Clay, she gets on the bad side of high school cheerleading captain, Blair Preston, Mason’s “off-again” ex.

In a cruel gesture of fake friendship, Blair and her cheerleading squad lure Tabitha up to the lake for drinks and a late night swim. They leave Tabitha drugged, drunk and stranded.

Blair calls Wyatt and Charlie, a couple of local good-old boys, and tells them that Tabitha wants to party. Things quickly get rough and out of control… and Wyatt and Charlie drag Tabitha’s dead body into the lake.

Drina, Tabitha’s Romanian aunt, performs an ancient gypsy ceremony to bring Tabitha back to life, to take revenge on those who betrayed her…

The film is released on DVD in the US on August 22, 2017 by Wild Eye Releasing.

Main cast:

Jonathan Lipnicki (Circus Kane; Bering Sea Beast; Shark Pool), Vivienne Bersin (Terror Tales), Anja Knebl, Audrey Walters, Teresa Cocas, Ben Johnson, Jadon Valdez, Lyle DeRose, Kasha Fauscett, Allison Marie Volk, Joe Bocian, Rylie Manross, Luba Bocian, Amanda Geist, Mark Champine.

IMDb | Official site

Artwork by Aldo Yu

México Bárbaro II is a 2017 Mexican horror anthology film and a sequel to México Bárbaro (2014).

‘A horror film of comic proportions’

There’s Nothing Out There is a 1990 [released 1991] American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Rolfe Kanefsky. Producer Victor Kanefsky, Rolfe’s father, was an editor (Blood Sucking Freaks; Ganja & Hess). It stars Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz and Mark Collver.

It’s Spring Break, and seven high school students head to a secluded cabin in the woods for the weekend. Mike, a keen horror film fan, tries to warn his friends of impending danger. However, they scoff at him. That is, until sinister things begin to happen and they are attacked by a creature that wants to eat the men and mate with the women…

On January 11, 2011, Troma Entertainment released the film as a 20th Anniversary DVD with the following extras:

• Interviews
• Commentary by the Director
• Pre-Production Footage
• Still Photos
• Trailers
• Auditions
• Behind-The-Scenes

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

Cheap, schlocky and gleefully trashy, There’s Nothing Out There is an effective mix of low budget horror and goofy, tasteless comedy. The film wallows in genre clichés and needless T&A to good effect, resulting in a film that’s completely watchable and simultaneously horrible.” Ian Jane, DVD Talk

“While the movie is schlocky, it’s also able to point out some fun clichés that predated Scream by nearly a decade. There are riffs on the stray cat jumping out of the darkness, people’s willingness to get naked at the drop of a hat, the unnecessary need to learn the back story of the villain that always serves zero purpose toward survival, goofy romance music playing during the sex scenes…” Felix Vasquez Jr.,  Cinema Crazed

“This 16mm horror/comedy has decent special effects and camerawork, and like the earlier Final Exam and later Wes Craven flick Scream (1996), it includes a horror movie geek (Craig Peck) whose fright film knowledge comes into play.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990

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

“The monster is entertainingly cheesy and its movements hilariously stilted. Clothing is ripped off, cat’s jump out of nowhere, one character makes advantageous use of a dipping microphone boom (which is not cropped by the widescreen framing), eyes glow, faces melt, and there’s a nifty bit involving plate glass.” Eric Cotenas, DVD Drive-In

“Fast-paced, smart in script and surprisingly well-edited, it’s a very cheaply produced but stylish parody which falls short of credible acting while impressing with consistently good compositions. More pertinently, it’s fun. Rolfe Kanefsky directs with energy and imagination, compensating for the lack of finesse with a happy mix of snappy dialogue, occasional nudity and schlocky exploitation scenes.” Stuart Willis, Sex Gore Mutants

“In general, this no-budget parody of screen schlock is barely better than the dreck it imitates.” Carol Schwartz, Jim Olenski, VideoHound’s Cult Flicks & Trash Pics

“Making fun of horror films while embracing them at the same time is a tricky balance to strike. Yet, I thought There’s Nothing Out There! did an excellent job mixing horror and comedy.” House of Self Indulgence [review contains a plethora of choice images]

Main cast:

Craig Peck, Wendy Bednarz (Vampires and Other Stereotypes), Mark Collver, Bonnie Bowers, John Carhart III, Claudia Flores, Jeff Dachis, Lisa Grant, Sissy Frye, Cyrus Voris, Ronald St. Denis.

Choice dialogue:

Stacy: “He is a horror film – a walking, talking horror film!”

Mike: “We don’t know anything about this creature other than it, like everyone else, hates a mouth full of shaving cream.”

Filming locations:

Piermont, New York, USA

Running time and aspect ratio:

91 minutes | 1.78: 1

Trivia:

Rolfe Kanefsky was 20 years-old when he directed the film; his parents re-mortgaged their house in order to raise money for the budget of $350,000.

Principal filming took place over twenty-four days in the summer of 1989.

Various horror films are referenced, including Psycho (1960).

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘The hunters become the hunted’

Creature in the Woods aka Wild Man of the Woods is a 2017 American found footage horror film directed by Elijah C. Richardson, Jr., Leroy E. Bryant II and Gordon DelGiorno (actor in Shockheaded). It stars Freemon Jackson, Jessica Pearson and Alex Pappaterra.

Amateur filmmaker Chanda Patel, survivalist Demetrius “Dem” Barrett and Nicholas “Nic” Pierce set out in the Carolina woodlands to film a survival documentary.

While filming, the camera inadvertently catches a glimpse of a hairy man-like creature in the woods. Chanda and Nic’s imagination immediately run wild upon discovery of the footage and they talk a less than eager Dem into abandoning the survival film to track what they believe is the legendary Bigfoot beast, unwittingly filming their own demise, as the hunters become the hunted…

The film is being distributed by Summer Hill Entertainment.

Filming locations:

Granogue Estate Property Montchanin, Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Chadds Ford Tavern, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA

Facebook | Official site

Wichita is a 2016 American horror film directed by Justyn Ah Chong and Matthew D. Ward from a screenplay by the latter. The Faraway Features production stars Trevor Peterson, Persia White and Caitlin Gerard.

Jeb (Trevor Peterson) is a lonely filmmaker and creator of a failing TV show. A writing retreat in the mountains intended to save his show becomes a stage for the hidden cameras that intensify his voyeuristic obsession with his co-workers and the joy of manipulating their lives.

However, when Jeb is fired from the show, his alienation reaches a self-destructive climax, and he returns with his loyal camera for one final spectacle of horror and violence sure to be consumed by the masses…

Wichita premiered at the Santa Fe Film Festival on 9 December 2016.

Main cast:

Trevor Peterson (The Vampire Diaries; Grizzly Park), Persia White (The Vampire Diaries; Blood Dolls; Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Caitlin Gerard (Insidious: Chapter 4; Smiley; The Awakening), Demetri Goritsas, Christopher Robles, Melinda Lee, Sondra Blake, Adam Carr, Stephen Cervantes, Jennifer Christopher, Lenny Citrano, Max Kasch, Clifford Morts.

Running time and aspect ratio:

85 minutes | 2.35:1

Trivia:

The film’s working title was Manifesto.

IMDb

‘Just when you thought it was safe to back in the tent…’

Memorial Valley Massacre – aka Valley of Death, Memorial Day and Son of Sleepaway Camp – is a 1988 American slasher horror film directed by Robert C. Hughes (Hunter’s Blood) from a screenplay co-written with George Frances Skrow. It stars John Kerry, William Smith and Cameron Mitchell.

DVD sleeve synopsis:

“Despite some horrific warning signs, a greedy land developer opens a campground to the public… and sets the stage for a bloodbath.

Whatever it is that stalks the camp kills with the strength of some powerful beast, and with the cunning and vengeful hatred of a human. The most experienced campers don’t know the law of the land and their ignorance is no excuse – because the killer will not forgive, forget, or bury the hatchet – except in someone’s chest!”

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“Hughes’ direction never seems to draw you in and that’s why I couldn’t buy into what I was seeing. By no means is this a horror comedy but it would only take some minor script adjustments to make it one. There lies its biggest flaw.” Luisito Joaquin Gonzalez, A Slash Above…

“The cast of victims are even less likeable than usual for a film of this type, so there really isn’t anyone we’re not sad to see go. Further, the one minor plot-twist the film features is both predictable and so far-fetched that it’s something you’ll be groaning at when it comes along.” Steve Miller, Terror Titans

“Most of the deaths are pretty standard in MVM and it’s a relatively gore-less film. There are a few cool scenes however, like a spike pit death that would make Rambo proud.

There’s also a nice explosion (which was probably half of the film’s budget) and a triple truck crushing! It’s a semi enjoyable little slasher flick, but has a ton of flaws…” Ronnie Angel, Slashed Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Films

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” …an incompetent mix of Friday the 13th, Eegah and Meatballs. The script is poor, the direction a notch below that and the acting even farther south. But how can you beat slutty chicks who like to dance in the rain or aged bosomy women with names like Pepper Mintz? Well, you can always throw in a teenage caveman!” Rod Lott, Flick Attack

It’s not all that gory per se, but the body count is high enough. I don’t see anybody in this cast going on to win an Oscar anytime soon, but I still liked most of the amateurs they used. Especially good are Mears, who is genuinely talented and appealing in the lead […] and Jimmy Justice, who’s pretty charming as the camp caretaker.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“There’s enough, bad hair, fashion and music here, though, to convince yourself you’re in 80’s heaven (or hell). It delivers handsomely on the cheese (it’s main aim I’m sure), and is certainly trashibly enjoyable throughout, but if you’re after a few solid chills then steer clear…” Justin Kerswell, Hysteria Lives

“In a film that manages to rip off not only Friday the 13th but also some of its other knock-offs, such as the lamentably dull Final Terror, director Hughes avoids some of the more obvious clichés and makes Valley of Death quite a fun little movie with one or two pleasant diversions thrown into the barrel. Three people squashed by a truck tumbling down a ledge is darkly amusing.” Vegan Vorhees

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Main cast:

John Kerry, William Smith (Evil Altar; Invasion of the Bee Girls; Grave of the Vampire), Cameron Mitchell (Cataclysm; The Toolbox Murders; Blood and Black Lace), Lesa Lee, George E. Mahlberg, Mark Mears, John Caso, Lesa Lee, Jimmy Justice, Eddie D., Charles Douglass, Dan S. Fambeau, Lyvingston Holmes, Karen Russell [as Dusty Woods] (Hell High; Blood Nasty; Murder Weapon), Christina Sullivan,  Zig Roberts, Michael Inglese.

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Filming locations:

Gold Creek Ranch – 8807 Gold Creek Road, Lakeview Terrace, Los Angeles, California, USA

IMDb | Image credits: Kocham Dziwne Kino | Terror Titans