Connect with us

News

[REVIEW] ‘All The Creatures Were Stirring’ Brings Out The Eerie Holiday Spirit.

Published

on

The holiday season is upon us. A time for Christmas lights, decorations, gifts, evergreens in our homes. Colder nights, festive parties, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, or is it? On the outside the holiday season appears to be wonderful, however, behind this façade lurks loneliness, darkness, and evil. People tend to go a little bonkers this time of year with their lives filled with dread, watching everyone around them making connections with those they love, can draw a person into profound emotional isolation, causing madness! All The Creatures Were Stirring sets us up with two people not wanting to be alone going on an awkward Christmas Eve date to the theatre. With the Holiday Spirit very much present, this tiny production that the friends endure escorts them through a variety of short stories that make up this holiday horror anthology film.

This new Holiday anthology consists of five chilling unique tales, (1) The Stockings Were Hung, (2) Dash Away All, (3) All Through The House, (4) Arose Such A Clatter, & (5) In A Twinkling. Typically I have a difficult time choosing my favorites out of an anthology, but to my surprise, my favorites of the five were The Stockings Were Hung and Dash Away All. 

The Stockings Were Hung opens at an office Christmas Party, a really dull office Christmas Party, you would probably need to be drunk before attending to get through it, however, the lameness of this party quickly dissipates when the lives of each employee are threatened by a madman who has delivered, rigged presents. I found this segment to be frightening as workplace violence is now an issue that our local news reports quite frequently, and the episode starts off with a bang, literally! This was a fantastic opener to the film and will not disappoint, in the tradition of Saw, you will enjoy The Stockings Were Hung.

My next favorite Dash Away All introduces a man who is just trying to get home for Christmas Eve, but last minute shopping has made him very late. Eric is one of the last shoppers to vacate to the chilling, snow-covered parking lot and during is mad rush to load up the car he accidentally locks himself out. The parking lot is deserted except a van, that Eric approaches occupied by two women who offer him help, or so he thinks. This tale is fueled by the building of tension and proves to be the most unique and satisfying of all the tales for myself. With solid practical effects, Dash Away All delivers insightful thrilling holiday horror.

Overall All The Creatures Were Stirring has proven to be another Christmas holiday horror film worthy enough of a top ten list! Husband and wife duo Rebekah & David McKendry who served as writers and directors of the film, executed a well balanced low budget horror film with nicely done visual aspects and use of practical effects. My Christmas wish is for this team to deliver us similar films, or better yet, a sequel. This film will for sure bring Yuletide Joy to horror fans around the globe, be sure to add it to your list.

In addition to the film now available on DVD, On Demand and Digital Video, the film will also be premiering on Shudder on December 13th.

The official synopsis for All the Creatures Were Stirring:

When an awkward date on Christmas Eve leads a couple into a strange theater, they’re treated to a bizarre and frightening collection of Christmas stories, featuring a wide ensemble of characters doing their best to avoid the horrors of the holidays. From boring office parties and last-minute shopping to vengeful stalkers and immortal demons, there’s plenty out there to fear this holiday season.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

on

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

on

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading

Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

on

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Continue Reading