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Out in Theaters: ‘THE VISIT’

I could spend the bulk of this review talking about the precipitous rise and fall of M. Night Shyamalan. I could praise The Sixth Sense and Unbroken, give small credit to Signs and even portions of The Village and bury later “horror” duds like Lady in the Water and The Happening. I could extend a wilted rose towards the cinematic sharts that were The Last Airbender and After Earth but what’s the fun in that? After all, we’re no longer celebrating a funeral so much as a man’s comeback, because make no mistake The Visit is a comeback and a pretty damn entertaining one at that. Read More

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The Deepest Cuts: ‘SHIVERS’ (1975)

The Deepest Cuts is a weekly invitation into some of the sleaziest, goriest, most under-explored corners of horror and cult film online. Every title will be streamable and totally NSFW. Whether it’s a 1960s grindhouse masterpiece, something schlocky from the 90s, or hardcore horror from around the world, these films are guaranteed to shock, disturb, tickle, or generally blow your mind.

One of the threads running through horror history is that of the intellectual or artistically-minded auteur who turns away from their earliest works, claiming to always have wanted to do other work. Wes Craven is perhaps the prime example of this, whose bitterness toward the genre was always palpable in Q&As; one of his peers, David Cronenberg, similarly avoids discussion of his first films. However, his debut feature, Shivers, like that of Craven (The Last House on the Left), is a fantastic entry in the genre – and it features a parasite that is both fecal and phallic. Clearly, it’s a must-see.

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Bumbershoot 2015: 1 Reel Short Film Festival Reviews

Seattle was in shape to party this Labor Day weekend and the fiercest of lightning storms proved unable to stop the rabid fun at Bumbershoot 2015. Though this year’s lineup seemed short on musical prowess (excluding Cake who absolutely blew the top off their set) and big name comedians, their carefully curated One Reel Short Film Festival arrived in tip-top shape, bringing together a pantheon of shorts spanning both the globe and a bevy of genres. As is customary of our coverage, we’ve carefully curated the scoop on Bumbershoot’s 1 Reel Short Film Festival, weighing which shorts demand to be seen down the line in preparation for Oscar season and best of lists and which you can ultimately skip. Read More

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Animating The Imagination: The Dark Fantastic Legacy of Wendy Froud

A short line of blackclad fantasy lovers wrapped around the block, waiting for the Mission Theater to open its orange cathedral doors. The sun is shining in Portland’s chic Pearl District. The air is warm and dry. In short, a perfectly idyllic late summer/early fall day in Portland. Read More

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‘KRAMPUS’ Trailer Promises Holiday Frights

The idea of a haunted Christmas is no novelty in 2015 though prior attempts to make a great “evil Santa Claus” movie (see Silent Night, Deadly Night and Santa’s Slay ) have landed with a dull thumpety thump thump. Krampus, with its stand-out indie cast that includes Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Allison Tolman and David Koechner, could just be the first great “Bad Santa” horror movie. Check out the first Krampus trailer below. Read More

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Portland Film Festival Review: ‘DEEP DARK’

Be Careful What You Wish For

or

How Far Would You Go For Art?

Michael Medaglia’s fantasy/horror/comedy mindscrew Deep Dark updates the classic Monkey’s Paw trope, investigating the source and meaning of real art in the meantime. Have you ever experienced writer’s block? Felt like you had something to say, but just couldn’t quite find the words? Have you ever wanted something so bad you can taste it in the back of your throat? Read More

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Portland Film Festival Review: ‘CONGO BEAT THE DRUM’

When most people think of reggae music, they think of Bob Marley; Jamaica; smoking sensamilla; the red, yellow, and green and the Jamaican flag. More informed heads might even think of Jah-on-Earth Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, or the Lion Of Judah. No matter how into reggae you are, you are not likely to picture two skinny white Israelites from Tel Aviv, the subject matter of Ariel Tagar’s Congo Beat The Drum documentary.

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‘DEATHGASM’ Trailer Turns Up the Heavy Metal

The last film I saw at SXSW 2015 was a New Zealand splatter-horror by the name of Deathgasm, a righteous romp through the rolling hills of heavy metal and hell-freed demons. Deathgasm’s trailer celebrates both with torrents of viscus, a head-banging soundtrack and enough KISS makeup to coax your tongue from your righteous mouth. Read More

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Out in Theaters: ‘BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS’

With this year’s very successful science fiction hits Mad Max: Fury Road and Turbo Kid already being referred to as “cult classics” in the making, the definition of the B-movie in the digital era must fit a different rubric beyond, for example, the use of practical effects or references to earlier films and aesthetics. The horror comedy has always been a genre prone to B-status – but can they all achieve the love that the ironically-adored low-budget classics of the past have? That’s the question facing a film like this week’s new release, Bloodsucking Bastards. Read More

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BEASTS OF NO NATION Trailer Stuns

Just the other day, we included Beasts of No Nation amongst our Fall 2015 preview, citing its African warlord premise, exciting cast and director each as reasons to start the hype machine early. After its Venice Film Festival premiere two days ago, critics are already swooning over star Idris Elba‘s performance as well as the film itself. No wonder then that Netflix has decided that the Beasts of No Nation trailer ought be seen be all. So it goes, strike while the iron’s hot. Read More