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  • Happy Halloween 🎃, 'The House of the Devil' turns 15 đŸ§™đŸ», Don Capria unleashes his 'Director's Cut' đŸŽ„, & more!

Happy Halloween 🎃, 'The House of the Devil' turns 15 đŸ§™đŸ», Don Capria unleashes his 'Director's Cut' đŸŽ„, & more!

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By Brett Petersel | Instagram | Letterboxd | X

What are the chances that our latest issue would fall on Halloween? I like to think Bee planned it this way since the first day we spoke about what day of the week to release our issues on, so all credit goes to them.

As Spooky Season officially comes to a close today, just remember that, as horror fans, it doesn't end for us. We're the ones that keep it alive all year-round by supporting the streaming services, such as Arrow Player, Shudder and Screambox, and by purchasing physical media from a number of different vendors. We also attend the conventions, binge-watch series, and stay up all night with Joe Bob. The horror community is strong, and it's always incredible to see the support that everyone gives to one another so that a film gets noticed or someone is working on a project that needs backing.

Go and enjoy your Halloween. Be safe, eat a lot of candy, and stay scared.

Terrifer 3 crossed the $50 million mark at the box office. Not too shabby for a film made on a $2M budget!

Don Mancini promises that we haven't seen the last of Chucky and friends! Is there a new film coming soon?

Michael Cera has joined Edwar Wright's The Running Man, a remake or reimagining of the 1987 film that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, which hits theaters on November 21, 2025.

Is Patrick Dempsey returning to the Scream franchise for SCREAM VII alongside Neve Campbell? He did tease a little something on the TODAY Show...

Dan Trachtenberg's Prey was a hit for Hulu, and it has been revealed that we'll be getting TWO new Predator films in the coming year. Predator: Badlands was already announced, but we're all awaiting what this second secret film may be (is it an animated film?).

We knew it was coming. A sequel to Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus has been greenlit.

Since it's Halloween, we'll be inside, stuffing our faces with candy, ignoring the ringing of the doorbell from the children who visit our homes, and watching horror films in the dark. Pure bliss. Therefore, this week, we are sharing our favorite films to watch on Halloween night. Stay safe. Eat well. Stay scared. Check out the list on Letterboxd.

Chris VanderKaay's .ask is the year's biggest sneak attack. Low-key arriving on POV Horror, the found footage flick challenges the genre status quo. Struggling to break through in the business, 40-year-old YouTuber Chris (played by VanderKaay) receives a mysterious business card and reaches out to the anonymous tipster, who promises all his dreams will come true if he follows his advice. Chris' life does a 180, seemingly overnight, from his jagged teeth magically being fixed to his new upscale home. VanderKaay delights in his craft and super-charges the story with existential questions about purpose and leaving a mark on the world. While experiencing chilling dread, the audience is forced to look around and wonder exactly what they're doing with their own life. .ask is a wrecking ball and positions VanderKaay as one of today's brightest, criminally underrated talents. [written by Bee]

Writer/director Don Capria's Director's Cut is a rip-roaring riot. A group of punk musicians are down on their luck. Aching for their big break, they answer a series of Instagram DMs from a director who offers to film their next music video for free. It's almost too good to be true. With no other options, they take him up on his proposal and head out to the woods in Pennsylvania where Mr. Director (as he likes to be called) has rented a delapidated mansion for the week. What seems like a dream come true devolves into an abosolute nightmare. As far as 2024 slashers go, Capria's entry is a real standout. There's blood, guts, torture, and mayhem - all in the appropriate doses. Capria strikes a match and lets it all burn to the ground. And that's a wonderful thing. [written by Bee]

He Never Left is not what you expect. Director James Morris, who co-wrote the script with Michael Ballif and the film's lead Colin Cunningham, offers up what you assume will be your typical slasher. With the twist of the knife, the story takes a hard left turn into crime/thriller territory. Cunningham plays Gabriel, a killer on the run, and delivers a wallop of a performance. He's magnetic whenever he's onscreen, giving the indie a bit of gravitas. While the story might lack punch or purpose for some, others may gravitate towards its genre-flipping structure. If you're in the spooky mood for something unconventional (with minimal slashing), He Never Left just might scratch that itch. [written by Bee]

With Strange Creatures, Nicholas Payne Santos builds his short film with great attention to character and mood. When a young woman reels from the death of her brother, she drives out to a secluded, woodsy spot where she claims he called her from a payphone. Santos packs in the dread and scares in just six minutes. What he accomplishes is an expertly crafted horror story perfect for Halloween. It's now streaming on YouTube for free. [written by Bee]

The House of the Devil at 15: A spiritual successor to Rosemary’s Baby

The Rosemary’s Baby prequel film, Apartment 7A, burns as you might expect. It refuses to subvert any expectations, and that’s fine. It doesn’t need to be some mind-blowing, convention-flipping set piece. It serves the story, and nothing more. And it most certainly doesn’t capture the magnificent tragedy of the 1968 original. Over the decades, many have tried capturing that magic to varying degrees of success (2014’s Lyle being a real treat), and it’s not their fault. Rosemary’s Baby is a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment.

When we have this discussion, there’s one indie feature that sufficiently conjures up a similar spellbinding sorcery. Ti West’s The House of the Devil feels tethered to Rosemary’s Baby in tone and scope, keeping things intensely intimate for a raw human story. A real genre savant, West, whose X trilogy saw him tightening his grip on the horror world, masterfully cues up his story about a young college student taking a babysitting gig with distinct poise and style. He trusts the audience and never takes them for granted. He takes their hand and guides them through a spooky funhouse where witches and warlocks come out to play. They don’t mean to feast upon the flesh of poor Samantha Hughes in a literal sense. They desperately need a warm female body as a transport for a demonic baby.

Down on her luck, Samantha will do anything for work. She’s just moved into a new place (for $300/month) and could really use the cash. When she answers a babysitting ad, Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan) seems like a nice enough guy, although a little odd. After he fails to meet up with her in front of the student union, she assumes it is a bust. Her best friend Megan (Greta Gerwig) agrees. Mr. Ulman calls Samantha up later that evening, generously apologizing for his absence, and insists the gig is hers if she wants it. Against her better judgment, Megan gives Samantha a ride to the secluded, countryside estate. The house looms, with clusters of woods surrounding it like a dark, lacy shroud.

Upon her arrival, Mr. Ulman reveals the truth: she won’t be babysitting a kid but rather his mother. She doesn’t have to do much, though, just watch TV, eat pizza, and make sure the woman tucked away upstairs doesn’t get into too much trouble. Samantha reluctantly negotiates with him, insisting he pay her $400 for a few hours of work. Ulman agrees to the payment and hands her a stack of cash. After Ulman and his wife leave for the evening, Samantha wanders the house’s spooky hallways, inspecting its various rooms, before planting herself in front of their vintage television set.

In the interim, Megan bolts from the property, believing Samantha is making a grave mistake, and parks her car in a nearby cemetery. She stops to catch her breath and lights up a cigarette. Ulman’s son Victor (AJ Bowen) pops out of the darkness and offers her a lighter. “Where did you come from?” Megan asks. Victor ignores her question, instead countering with one of his own: “Are you not the babysitter?” “No,” she scoffs. Victor pulls out a pistol and sends a single bullet into her brain, her head splitting in two. The moment is worthy of Maniac (1980) or even Scanners. Arguably the film’s most shocking moment punches you in the gut, but that’s just the beginning of a night of blood and sheer terror.

West fashions the film as a true slow burn and creates suffocating dread and mystery. It’s as though someone (or something) lurks in the shadows and the corners of every room. Samantha never discovers what hides behind one of the upstairs bedrooms – a satanic circle with a decomposing body. When it’s far too late, she’s thrown into the lion’s den and strapped to the floor. Ulman, his wife, and a coven of witches crowd around her, preparing for whatever sick ritual they have planned.

After a surprising getaway, and killing two people, Samantha makes her way to the cemetery where Ulman confronts her, pleading for her to listen to (truly warped) reason. Samantha pauses for a fleeting moment before realizing there’s only one way out of this mess: death. She lifts a pistol to her head and pulls the trigger. Her head explodes, and her body hits the ground with a hearty thump.

Samantha miraculously survives the self-inflicted bullet and lands in the hospital. The camera centers on her hospital bed for just a second. The attending nurse comes to her bedside and places a single hand on Samantha’s stomach, offering up encouraging words that both of them survived. West ties the film with this disturbing, grim ending in much the same way as Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby and the big revelation when Mia Farrow’s character sees the demon baby for the first time. Two women struggle valiantly against a witchy cult and what could be argued is their one, true destiny.

15 years later, The House of the Devil remains one of the real classics of the modern era. In dissecting the frailty of human existence, womanhood, and wicked forces beyond our control or understanding, the film leaves a sharp, throat-tightening cold lingering in the air. Try as you might, you just can’t escape its clutches. Much like Samantha, you’re trapped inside haunted, torturous dreams and the intense sensation that you’ll never be able to escape.

Filmmaker Spotlight with Don’t Move directors Adam Schindler and Brian Netto

Netflix's Don't Move hit #1 on the streamers' daily rolling chart, and it's certainly well-earned. Brian Netto and Adam Schindler's creation tightens its grip on the serial killer thriller genre. With a script written by T.J. Cimfel and David White, the co-directors make sure the audience stays perched on the edge of their seat every step of the way. Thankfully, we got the inside intel about the film's creative process and what horror films they love the most. Watch our video interview here.

by Bee Delores | Instagram | Letterboxd | X and Brett Petersel | Instagram | Letterboxd | X

I've seen The Stuff many times, and I still can't get over how much we've progressed as a socity both clothes and technology-wise. I remember all of the grainy commercials, neon colors, terrible outfits, shoulder pads, etc. After recently revisiting the film and purchasing it from Arrow Video, I can honestly say that The Stuff is a true classic that takes an Invasion of the Body Snatchers approach, but in food form. Larry Cohen, who wrote and directed the film, brought the film's characters to life, even though they were mostly just fillers (and used for killing purposes). Also, "Mo" is a bit of a creep. That aside, it's a fun film with some good effects, and will always remain a true cheesy 80s classic forever and ever. [Review by Brett]

I remember seeing Creepshow 2 in theaters. I was 7, so my mother had to take me. To this very day, we still say, "Thanks for the ride, lady." The film itself has a boring wraparound, but we're treated to a handful of great, short segments, including "The Raft," which will do to lakes what Jaws did to the ocean. The other few segments are watchable and true to Creepshow fashion, but please, please, please avoid the third film, Creepshow 3. [Review by Brett]

2015's The Funhouse Massacre isn't a great movie, but it is fun. When a group of maniacs escape a mental asylum, they band together to overtake a nearby haunt. What ensues is a carnage wasteland, as the haunt-goers become mutilated works of gnarly art. With its similar theme and style, it'd make a cool little double feature with Scary Movie (1991). Oh, and does anyone else get House of a 1000 Corpses vibes? It's like if Rob Zombie made a haunted house movie - but the studio made him drastically pull in the reins. It's gruesome enough, with just enough nihilistic spirit. [written by Bee]

Six years ago, I mounted an ambitious project around the Halloween franchise. 40 Years of the Boogeyman was a series-spanning oral history, in which I spoke to everyone from Tommy Lee Wallace to Ellie Cornell. My favorite film to deep-dive into was, of course, Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later. In my franchise ranking, it comes in third - behind the OG and Halloween Ends. As much as I love how David Gordon Green bookended his trilogy, Halloween H20 still perfectly ends the Laurie Strode-Michael Myers saga (I mean, you can't get any better than a beheading!) With its tight script and lean runtime, the film remains a poignant glimpse into trauma and survivor's guilt like no other entry. The way Laurie screams "Michael!" at the end is chef's kiss. A broken woman facing her front... that's what cinema. is made of. [written by Bee]

Sam approves of this list. That's all that matters. Check it out on Letterboxd.

Shudder’s November 2024 lineup has been announced. Check out the Letterboxd list here.

No one asked for it, but we’re getting a new American Psycho film.

Will we be getting a new Scary Movie film from the Wayan Brothers in 2025? Fingers crossed.

This November, the Soho Horror Film Festival returns for its 7th anniversary, bringing fearless film lovers their next favorite scary movie, year on year. From November 22nd-24th, the festival will head underground to the Whirled Cinema, Brixton for a 3 day in-person extravaganza. Then, in their continued efforts to remain as inclusive and accessible as possible, the festival will maintain its vanguard of online accessible screenings, running from the November 28th - December 1st with a unique program of films and events to both the in-person and virtual festivals. More info at sohohorrorfest.com.

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.

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