Popcorn Frights Wrap-Up 🍿, 'The Exorcism of Saint Patrick' levitates ⛪, & more!

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Alien: Romulus has crossed the $200 million mark, surpassing its $80 million budget.

The official Terrifier 3 trailer shows a number of both familiar and new faces! We can’t wait for Christmas in October!

Sabrina Carpenter’s new music video for Taste, which features Jenna Ortega, is creating quite the buzz in the horror community, thanks to its horror film references. Dead Meat did a mini-Kill Count for it!

Sigourney Weaver says she would consider returning to the Alien franchise as Ripley… for the right reasons.

Quinn Armstrong is one of the most ambitious filmmakers working today. With The Exorcism of Saint Patrick, Armstrong jumpstarts his new trilogy as an epic teardown of religious extremism. When Saint Patrick (Steve Pinder) takes a young gay teen named Trick (Michael J. Cline) out to a secluded cabin for conversion therapy, Patrick promises that over the next several days Trick will learn how to suppress his erotic feelings for other boys. But things quickly escalate after Trick attempts to run away. Patrick then initiates a technique called aversion therapy - nothing short of physical, psychological, and emotional torture. While the film doesn't reach the heights of Ganymede, a similarly-themed queer horror film of 2024, it does offer plenty to chew on. What one is willing to do for their faith lies at the film's throbbing heart, with additional conversations around self-acceptance and self-loathing peppered into the mix. The Exorcism of Saint Patrick relies on real-life terror to exact its timely messaging, and it's so uncomfortable (and infuriating) to watch, you'll no doubt squirm in your seat. [written by Bee]

Straight out of Popcorn Frights, Livescreamers brings together a group of video game streamers to play an unreleased video game. In true Unfriended-like fashion, each person suffers a deadly fate like their characters (in the game). The video game graphics were incredible, and watching this film is a great excuse to break away from gaming for two hours. Read Brett’s review.

Lore brings fresh eyes to the anthology model. With directors James Bushe, Patrick Ryder, and Greig Johnson helming various segments, the film offers up a vast collection of genre treats. From the satanic to the slasher, the anthology provides a grisly release for any kind of horror fan. When a group of backpackers meet up with their trail guide (Richard Brake), they camp out for the night and decide to share terrifying tales around the campfire. You see, sharing stories feeds the ghosts buried beneath the woodlands. Each character gets a chance to unleash monsters upon their friends, with Brake gleefully smiling in the background. Basically an adult version of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Lore mostly works with decent segments to the downright chilling. The opening tale, "Shadows," emerges as the film's best, with "The Keychain Man" coming in a close second. While the wraparound story ends with a whimper, the film overall achieves what it set out to do: entertain. [written by Bee]

The first sentence in The Cigarette, a film about cigarettes that make people do crazy things, was a complaint about a woman’s date ordering spaghetti at a diner. If you think that’s bad, well, it goes downhill from there. Read Brett’s review.

Bee Delores founded B-Sides & Badlands in 2017. Initially a music blog, they expanded to cover all things horror in 2018 and has since reviewed everything from ultra-indie gems like Death Trip to such breakout hits as In a Violent Nature. Check out all the fresh and rotten reviews.

Praise be, Popcorn Frights, for offering virtual opportunities for those unable to travel. As the festival celebrated its 10th year, I was able to enjoy many banger films from the comfort of my own home for B-Sides & Badlands. Across the board, the festival delivered some strong contenders for Best Horror Films of 2024 (more on that in a few months) and the spookiest imagery you'll find anywhere. Indie cinema is really where filmmakers can play around with genre without the constraints of studio meddling. Many of my favorite writers and directors emerged on the independent circuit - often serving up horror storytelling that rivals those in the big leagues.

To wrap-up my experience, I decided to compile my Top 3 films out of the bunch I was able to see. From found-footage style to zombies, my favorites truly run the gamut and prove that you don't need a six-figure-plus budget to make something special. Real filmmakers can make something great out of limited resources. There are no rules that say otherwise. As long as the vision is well outlined, and many of a film's components fit snuggly together, that's a big win in my book.

Anyway, let the countdown begin!

3. Livescreamers by Michelle Iannantuono
Livescreamers sees Michelle Iannantuono continuing her dissection of the digital age by exposing the slimy underbelly of streaming culture – from sexual abuse to toxic fandom. Iannantuono confronts these issues with an anvil-sized pen, and it’s exactly what is needed in today’s environment. [Full review]

2. Sheryl by Justin Best
With his new film Sheryl, writer/director Justin Best explores the pressures put upon women through a dark and twisted tale about one young woman Sheryl (Anthea Neri Best), and her journey through the sticky muck of society’s toxic norms. [Full review]

1. There's a Zombie Outside by Michael Varrati
Making its world debut at this summer’s Popcorn Frights, There’s a Zombie Outside finds the writer/director shoveling out loads of sticky, flesh-dripping images with a deft horror pen that excavates apocalyptic graves in a way that pays tribute to the past while not getting lost in its meta treatment. In the way Scream reconfigured slashers, Zombie reassesses walking dead lore on its own terms. Varrati isn’t concerned about retreading conventions. He exchanges tropes and cliches for an emotionally rich currency that makes viewers fall in love and relish the tragic beauty. [Full review]

In one of her most underrated roles, Kristen Stewart starred in 2019's Lizzie that sought to flip the Lizzie Borden story on its head. And it certainly did. Read Bee's review.

Shudder's Gwen crackles and pops in true folk horror fashion. It serves up its harrowing tale with a great deal of realism - and it's guaranteed to get under your skin. Read Bee's review.

This week, I revisited The Belko Experiment. As both a big fan of Greg McLean's Wolf Creek films and now living in a post-pandemic world where companies went fully remote, it made me think back about my office days. Do I miss wearing a suit and tie? Absolutely not. However, I do miss working alongside some great people over the years (and some recent people not so much). Still, the thought of trying to overpower your colleagues in a winner-takes-all (life or death) scenario is a great concept, and it plays out so well onscreen. Read Brett's review.

As we near the 50th anniversary of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I couldn't help but to think about the last installment, a legacy sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). At first, I was curious as to how they can pull such a film off, but I think they did it well, especially in the gore department. This film had some fantastic kills, especially one memorable scene, but the ending was just okay. Let's see if Netflix decides to throw money at another film. Read Brett's review.

For a full list of upcoming films, please visit our Screaming Soon list on Letterboxd

The debut novel from Ian Rogers, who Sam Raimi calls "a fantastic storyteller of horror."

The Bennett family is broken. After a series of devastating events, they leave their old lives behind and start over in a new town. The move is supposed to give them a chance to heal and to help mend their familial bonds, but they soon discover some wounds run deeper than others, and they always leave scars.

And there’s something seriously wrong with their new house.

There’s a presence lurking within the walls, walking the halls at night, and it seems to know everything about the Bennetts. Their secrets, their desires…and their fears.

What starts out as mild paranormal activity quickly escalates into a full-on supernatural assault by an entity whose motives are as nebulous as its origins.

If the Bennetts hope to survive, they will have to confront the horrors of their past, forgive each other for the wrongs they’ve done, and come together as a single powerful force.

As FAMILY.

Pre-order FAMILY here.