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It’s busy and Twister-y at the box office this weekend, but a few indies are hoping to catch a breeze with very well-reviewed Oddity looking to expand the market for high-end horror and Widow Clicquot to attract fans of good period films and bubbly.

Oddity from IFC Films, is a supernatural home-invasion horror from writer-director Damian McCarthy (Caveat). It opens on 790 screens, the widest new indie release this week. Carolyn Bracken stars as Dani, who is restoring an old castle in rural Cork County, Ireland, with her husband Ted (Gwilym Lee), a doctor at a facility for the criminally insane. When Dani is brutally murdered, her blind occultist twin sister Darcy (also Bracken) goes after those responsible using inherited haunted items as her tools of revenge. Premiered in SXSW’s Midnighter section, taking the Audience Award. At 98% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Vertical’s Indie drama Widow Cliquot is...

Two previously released Bloody Disgusting titles have made their way to our Screambox streaming platform, one is a creepy found footage horror for those with a fear of clowns, and the other is an absolutely stunning A24-esque chiller reminiscent of The Witch.

Drawing comparisons to The Witch comes German gothic folk tale Hagazussa, which The Hollywood Reporter hailed as “a spellbinding audiovisual symphony” and earned a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes upon release.

Hagazussa, which has a stunning atmosphere mixed with brooding terror from start to finish, takes place in the Austrian Alps in the 15th century when people feared witches and ancient magic.

In the 15th Century in the remote Austrian Alps, the orphan Albrun (Celina Peter) grows up to be a simple goatherd living in solitude…and a marked woman. As a scapegoat of ancient myths and monstrous misogyny, Albrun (portrayed by Aleksandra Cwen as an adult) finds herself tormented by the local townsfolk,...

We have an extremely exciting July lined up for Screambox users looking for some horror fireworks.

Highlights include the rarely seen Walking After Midnight: The Making of Survival of the Dead, a full-length film documenting the making of George A Romero’s zombie classic, as well as the ultra gory, must-see serial killer slasher The Black Mass, and religious anthology Body Parts.

The month is jam-packed with quality films, such as:

Drawing comparisons to The Witch, from Bloody Disgusting and Music Box, comes German gothic folk tale Hagazussa curses Screambox on July 12. Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as “a spellbinding audiovisual symphony,” the film earned a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Go behind the scenes of George A. Romero‘s final film with Walking After Midnight: The Making of Survival of the Dead exclusively on Screambox July 26. The feature-length documentary follows the master of horror’s Survival of the Dead from production to premiere.

We're at the halfway point in the year and while we celebrate Confederation and Indpendance this week in two of three parts of North America Screambox has prepared a whole month of worthy additions to their regular lineup of chills.    For Romero fans there is the Screambox exclusive, Walking After Midnight: The Making of Survival of the Dead. You will have to wait until the end of the month but the icon's fans will get a feature length documentary about the making of their final film, 2009's Survival of the Dead.    A couple of faves from Germany and Finland. First, the German/Austrian folk horror Hagazussa, the graduation film from Austrian writer/director Lukas Feigelfeld was a breakout hit for the director, whom, sadly, we've...

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With offerings like Death Line and Stage Fright in their August lineup, Arrow's service continues to be a go-to destination for lovers of cult cinema:

"London, UK - Arrow Video is excited to announce the August 2021 lineup of their new subscription-based Arrow platform, available to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland.

The August lineup leads with the Arrow release of Noel David Taylor's bizarre filmmaking comedy Man Under Table, available exclusively to subscribers in the US, Canada, the UK and newly launched in Ireland. The feature debut from writer/director Noel David Taylor, who also stars as Guy, a beleaguered, hilariously obnoxious scriptwriter navigating his way through the chaotic indie film scene in a dystopian Los Angeles, Man Under Table world premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival and screened at the Chattanooga Film Festival. The film will debut on Arrow August 2nd.

Man Under Table...

Stars: Conrado Osario, Andrea Esquivel, Yuri Vargas, Sharon Guzman, Johan Camacho | Written and Directed by Juan Diego Escobar Alzate

Luz: The Flower of Evil was shot in two and a half weeks under the simpler title of Luz and renamed to avoid confusion with Tilman Singer’s film of the same name. It’s part of the folk horror revival of the last few years. A revival that includes films like The Witch, Midsommar and Hagazussa. It’s cousin the acid-western has even reappeared in films like Day of the Stranger. Writer/director Juan Diego Escobar Alzate channels Alexandro Jodorowsky to unite the two genres with this, his debut feature.

A major hit on the festival circuit Luz: The Flower of Evil takes a different path from most other folk horror films by not involving older pagan beliefs. It centers itself on Christianity or at least one particular interpretation of it.

Following the misfire of 2019’s “Hellboy” reboot, “The Descent” director Neil Marshall returns to his traditional horror roots with “The Reckoning,” an uneven melodrama about an innocent young widow accused of witchcraft during the Great Plague of London, 1665. Striving to be a rousing tale of female empowerment in the face of brutal patriarchy and religious extremism, “The Reckoning” has some powerful moments but relies too heavily on fantasy sequences to deliver scares, and its credibility is significantly compromised by the heroine consistently emerging from extreme torture sessions with barely a hair out of place or a smudge on her makeup. Dedicated horror hounds will be the main takers when this well-produced item hits U.S. theaters and VOD on February 5.

A world apart from arty contemporary folk-horrors such as “The Witch” and “Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse,” Marshall’s new film is more closely related to hellfire European exploitation titles of...

Lukas Feigelfeld’s directorial feature debut Hagazussa releases on limited edition Blu-ray from Arrow Video on May 11th. The story is set in the Alpine mountains at the turn of the 15th century, where mother and outcast Albrun (Aleksandra Cwen) suffers the deep-rooted superstitions and misogyny of her community. Haunted by the death of her own mother and abused by her society, Albrun’s pursuit of self-empowerment brings her into contact with a foreboding evil.

Feigelfeld and cinematographer Mariel Baqueiro spoke with Daily Dead about their film that created a buzz on the festival circuit in 2019 and was hailed by critics as a standout horror film. The pair spoke about not deliberately intending to make a genre film, how it began with feelings, images and sound, and holding onto the vision across a two-year shoot.

Why film as a means of creative expression? Was there an inspirational or defining moment for you personally?...

To celebrate the release of Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse – available on limited edition Blu-ray 11th May from Arrow Video – we have a copy up for grabs!

Debut filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld has crafted one of the most celebrated horror debuts in recent years, playing prestigious festivals worldwide it is one of the most original takes on the subject of witchcraft which echoes Robert Eggers The Witch but draws on broader influences including the creeping dread and hallucinogenic imagery of David Lynch and Panos Cosmatos.

In an isolated Alpine hut at the turn of the 15th Century, Albrun is a young girl growing up alone. As an adult, she is a single mother and a marked woman, outcast by a society twisted in deep-rooted superstitions and misogyny. Still haunted by the death of her own mother and increasingly abused by the community around her, Albrun starts to defy the role she has...

To celebrate the release of Hagazussa: A Heathen’S Curse – available on limited edition Blu-ray 11th May from Arrow Video – we have a Blu-ray and the official 12″ LP soundtrack up for grabs!

Debut filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld has crafted one of the most celebrated horror debuts in recent years, playing prestigious festivals worldwide it is one of the most original takes on the subject of witchcraft which echoes Robert Eggers The Witch but draws on broader influences including the creeping dread and hallucinogenic imagery of David Lynch and Panos Cosmatos.

In an isolated Alpine hut at the turn of the 15th Century, Albrun is a young girl growing up alone. As an adult, she is a single mother and a marked woman, outcast by a society twisted in deep-rooted superstitions and misogyny. Still haunted by the death of her own mother and increasingly abused by the community around her, Albrun starts to...

Actress Romola Garai makes a distinctive feature directorial debut with “Amulet,” even if this upscale horror drama is ultimately more impressive in the realm of style than substance. It’s some style, though: She hasn’t just created a stylish potboiler, but a densely textured piece that makes for a truly arresting viewing experience to a point. A shame then that the film succumbs somewhat to the more pretentious and silly aspects of Garai’s initially cryptic puzzle of a script.

“Amulet” is definitely the kind of joint that will irk mainstream genre fans for being too “arty,” and for not pouring on the kills or gore (though neither are entirely lacking). Still, more adventurous types will grok the distinctive vision on display in this split-level narrative of terrors bred by both war and more unearthly evils.

It takes a while before we get our basic bearings in the early going,...

Another year has come and gone, and it was another great one for horror. Theatrical horror, indie horror, physical media, streaming, books, TV—there was so much good stuff I couldn’t even get to all of it, though I gave it my best effort. Here are some of my favorites of 2019 in no particular order.

Shudder: In just a few short years, Shudder has become the single most essential must-have for every horror fan. Their library grows more expansive and impressive every week, their curation of beloved favorites, smaller and lesser-known indies, and horror from around the globe impeccable. This year alone they featured the likes of Tigers Are Not Afraid, the Tom Savini documentary Smoke and Mirrors, One Cut of the Dead, Belzebuth, The Furies, Get My Gun, Hagazussa, Knife + Heart, The Ranger, the documentary Horror Noire, The Head Hunter, and so, so many more. A number...

It’s that time again. Another year has come to an end and while 2019 was an odd one for horror as far as mainstream titles go, with many household baddies ending up leaving less of a mark than so many awesome indies (in my opinion), there was still a lot to like over the last twelve months.

Indeed, 2019 was a reminder of the tremendous diversity found in the many horror subgenres that brought us cornucopia of terror. Take your pick, choose your fate and dive right in with us. And in case you missed our first 10 choices for top horror movies of 2019, you can check them out here.

10) Harpoon

At sea, no one can hear you slurp the blood of seagulls as a means of sustenance. I think that’s how the saying goes? Rob Grant’s Harpoon is a claws-spiked survival nightmare on water, featuring three friends with deeper...

Gags the Clown is making house calls on Blu-ray and DVD this November, and the audio horror anthology Come Join Us By the Fire can be found now on the Google Play store. Continue reading for more details. Also in today's Horror Highlights: a new Spiral clip, Indie Memphis Film Festival lineup details, and Don't Get Stabbed! game now on Amazon.

Gags The Clown Coming to Blu-ray and DVD: Chicago, Il – The clown hunt continues this November with Lauren Ashley Carter in horror comedy Gags The Clown by Adam Krause. The feature film, inspired by the viral media frenzy and worldwide phenomenon of ‘clown roaming’ will be released on Blu-ray and DVD by Doppelgänger Releasing (the genre label of arthouse distributor Music Box Films) and horror genre website Bloody Disgusting beginning November 26th.

A small city in Wisconsin is terrorized by a mysterious clown who roams the streets late at...

Remember when creepy clowns were randomly roaming around small towns in the dead of night a few years ago? This freaky phenomenon was sparked by Adam Krause's short film Gagsin, which has been expanded into the feature film Gags the Clown, coming to spread demented laughter and twisted horror on VOD beginning September 3rd from Doppelgänger Releasing and Bloody Disgusting... potentially setting the stage for more creepy clown sightings this fall.

Press Release: Chicago, Il – Horror comedy Gags The Clown, which delighted and terrified audiences at its 2018 Cinepocalypse world premiere, will be released by Doppelgänger Releasing (the genre label of arthouse distributor Music Box Films) and horror genre website Bloody Disgusting beginning September 3, 2019. This is the feature film debut for director Adam Krause and was inspired by the viral media frenzy and worldwide phenomenon of ‘clown roaming’ sparked by his sixteen-minute short film Gagsin 2016.

“Gags the Clownis a scary,...

Prolific Filipino helmer Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.’s latest big-screen endeavor “Mystery of the Night” is a supernatural folktale so beautifully atmospheric that one can almost overlook its escalating problems — for a while, at least. But this saga of an allegorical rape of Mother Nature by Western civilization, avenged by her forest she-creatures, eventually grows too humorlessly turgid to be as impactful as intended.

In the end, it’s an old-school Philippines cinema exercise in women weeping for the sins visited upon them by men, even if here the horror trappings allow for some payback. Those genre elements, as well as the film’s visual beauty, will be its major lure to non-Tagalog-speaking viewers.

After a brief flash-forward to climactic events, and opening credits that, in shadow-play style (performed by El Gamma Penumbra) illustrate the mythology of vengeful forest spirits (aka Aswang of Filipino folklore), the story begins in a...

If you're looking to camp out on your couch instead of under the stars, Shudder has plenty of horror movies to keep you entertained in the air-conditioned comforts of your own home this month, with Phantom of the Paradise, Knife+Heart, Boar, Hagazussa, The Exorcist, and more horror films joining the streaming service's eclectic lineup (which also includes a new podcast Queer Horror curated collection this month).

You can check out the full list of titles coming to Shudder in the Us this month below, and visit Shudder online to learn more about the streaming service.

"Things get wild this month, starting off with the Shudder exclusive big bad pig pic, Boar; a Pride Month collection headlined by the streaming premiere of Knife+Heart; our latest original podcast, Visitations with Elijah Wood & Daniel Noah; a tour through some of our favorite sub-genres with Sam Zimmerman’s Shudder Guides videos, and new additions...

New Indie

Filmmakers have made the case that, instead of going to film school, young would-be directors might be better off just listening to director commentaries. And if that’s the educational route you’ve chosen, two of today’s most interesting directors are telling all on new Blu-ray releases. Want to know more about how Barry Jenkins brought James Baldwin’s powerful novel “If Beale Street Could Talk” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) to the big screen, or how Karyn Kusama crafted the bleak neo-noir “Destroyer” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)? They tell all on these essential new releases.

Also available: S. Craig Zahler is at it again with “Dragged Across Concrete” (Lionsgate), a cops-gone-rogue heist saga starring Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson.

See Photo: See Nicole Kidman's Extreme Transformation for Karyn Kusama's Cop Thriller 'Destroyer'

New Foreign

Few directors in the history of cinema have...

Lukas Feigelfeld’s Hagazussa is an audacious film that dives into the inner workings of traditional folklore to tell an entirely new kind of dark fairy tale.

Set in 15th century Europe, the film tells the tale of Albrun (Aleksandra Cwen), a young woman who has been raised in relative isolation by her mother. For the entirety of her life, Albrun has been an outsider. She has lived alone in the woods and on the fringe of the nearby village. She is scorned and feared by the locals, as was her mother before her. The film tells the story of how the isolation and mistreatment eventually cause Albrun to crumble, creating the real monster that lives beyond the facade of the folk tales and legends that we have come to know so well.

Hagazussa is fascinating in the way it breaks down many of the folkloric aspects that we have...

Tagline: "A Heathen's Curse." Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse is a German and Austrian film, from director Lukas Feigelfeld. This is Feigelfeld's first feature film. And, Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse takes place in the 15th Century, when Paganism still existed and Christianity was on the rise. In a remote part of the Austrian Alps, Albrun (Aleksandra Cwen) is condemned for being a witch and she must use her powers to fight the local townsfolk. This title has been on a film festival tour since late 2017. A winner of several awards, Hagazussa: A Heathen's Curse now has an international trailer, found below. The official trailer shows some of the film's remote shooting locations. Covered in snow and out in the wilderness, Albrun struggles to stay alive. Lacking dialogue, the clip shows lots of strange imagery. But, the central story remains somewhere in the mist. Doppelganger Releasing with show the film this April.

Being one of the Méliès d'Argent winners at select festivals on the international circuit is a pretty big deal for European filmmakers. All films who win the d'Argent at participating festivals compete at the 'end of the season cycle' in Sitges next month for the Méliès d'Or award. Run by the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation the year long competition, the Méliès d'Or award, means a lot for all filmmakers who films get chosen.    This year Motelx in Lisbon, Portugal, will award one feature and one short film by European filmmakers the Méliès d'Argent. There are already some familiar names in the selection. Anna and the Apocalypse, Ghost Stories, Hagazussa: a Heathen's Curse and Luz have all made big impressions at festivals where they have played. There are two World...

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The possibilities for experimentation within the bounds of horror cinema are endless. For every commercially accessible masterpiece, there’s also a bizarre, unorthodox experience waiting to confound viewers. At a festival where there are dozens of films that fall into both categories, this writer has found one of the most unusual offerings to be Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse, a slow-paced, profoundly atmospheric plunge into the nightmare of seclusion.

Fans of The Witch will recognize the sparse, period-accurate style at work in this film, here recreating a medieval Austrian village deep in the woods. We begin with a young girl and her exhausted mother, snowbound in their cabin as villagers accuse them of being witches. A traumatic incident leaves the girl stranded as she grows to adulthood, a pariah of her village and mother to a bastard child—the effects of which begin to take their toll on her...

Anyone who found the deranged cannibalistic excesses of Darren Arofonsky’s mother! a little too vanilla should feast their senses on the deliciously dark flavors of Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse. An atmospheric folk-horror fable that combines an constant undertow of creeping dread with a striking avant-gothic visual style, it marks the feature debut of Vienna-born, Berlin-based director Lukas Feigelfeld. The title draws on an ancient term used to describe witches and female demons across German-speaking Europe in the Middle Ages.

Amazingly, Hagazussa is also Feigelfeld’s film school graduation project, and was partly financed with crowdfunder donations. But it looks and feels...

Ithaca Fantastik Festival 2017 returns this November in Ithaca, New York, and we have details on what will be screening at the festival, including the new horror comedy Tragedy Girls. Also in today's Highlights: Bram Stoker busts, details on the short film Terror at Station 13, a look at a new teaser trailer for Shortwave, information on 2-Headed Shark Attack screenings, and a new Prodigy teaser trailer.

Ithaca Fantastik Festival 2017 Lineup Announced: Press Release: "Ithaca, NY, September 19, 2017 - The Ithaca Fantastik (If) festival returns to Ithaca, New York, November 3-12, 2017 with a carefully curated selection of new and classic genre films. With less than a month and a half to go, If is announcing exciting changes, its first wave of titles, and a truly inspired retrospective!

Returning audiences will notice an expanded schedule as the festival grows from half a week to a full nine days. The festival’s two weekends will...

The Ithaca Fantastik (If) Festival returns to Ithaca, New York, November 3-12, 2017 with a carefully curated selection of new and classic genre films – and with less than a month and a half to go, If have officially announced the first wave of titles, including a truly inspired retrospective!

For those unaware, The Ithaca Fantastik Festival is a ten-day film, art, and music festival that takes place over the first weekend of November in Ithaca, NY. This years festival features an expanded schedule as the festival grows from half a week to a full nine days. Both weekends will be dedicated to the best in current genre and festival cinema, with the week between featuring classic retrospective selections. Visit the If website (www.ithacafilmfestival.com) and stay tuned for more Fantastik announcements and title waves soon!

From the press release:

Our first weekend begins with the return of the Cinema Pur miniseries,...

Ahead of the world premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Raven Banner Entertainment has released this awesome poster for director Lukas Feigelfeld‘s genre bending feature, Hagazussa – A Heathen’s Curse. The film was entirely produced by the Dffb (Deutsche Film-und Fernsehakademie Berlin Film school) and Retina Fabrik. Hagazussa is Feigelfeld’s graduating film. “Set in the 15th Century […]...