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5 Most Unusual Independent Horror Movies of 2016

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2016 was a great year for fans of independent horror movies. It takes a lot of work to find the really good stuff in a sea of the same, no-budget zombie and slasher movies, but it’s worth it for the adventurous cinephile. The independent horror landscape is the best place to find the weirdest and wildest movies: these filmmakers don’t have big budgets or studios behind them, but their hard work and passion to make movies on their own terms results in films that are truly unlike anything else. If you’re looking to start diving in to indie horror, here are 5 of the most unusual independent horror movies released in 2016.

 

Weresquito: Nazi Hunter (Saint Euphoria)

Weresquito: Nazi Hunter (Saint Euphoria)

Weresquito: Nazi Hunter

Since 2006, Minnesota-based filmmaker Christopher R. Mihm has released a new feature-length film every year. Each one is made in an earnest attempt to replicate the look and feel of the 1950s sci-fi/horror films Mihm enjoyed watching as a kid with his father. This year’s movie is much darker than any of his previous films, and it comes after his most kid-friendly film yet (2015’s Danny Johnson Saves the World). Weresquito: Nazi Hunter is the story of an American soldier who has returned to the States from Germany after WWII. A horrific Nazi experiment causes him to turn into a man-sized “weresquito” at the sight of blood, and he’s on a quest for vengeance against the Nazi scientists who were responsible. Shot as always in “period appropriate” black & white, Weresquito: Nazi Hunter is another wonder of low-budget filmmaking. It may not be the best entry point into the “Mihmiverse”–the name his fans have given the world of his films–but it gives viewers a pretty good idea of what to expect on their adventures there. The film is available on DVD directly from Mihm’s website Saint Euphoria.

 

Diana (Honors Zombie Films)

Diana (Honors Zombie Films)

Diana

Writer/director Scout Tafoya is a prolific film critic and video essayist, but he also somehow found time to release three films in 2016. House of Little Deaths is an epic 2.5-hour drama about a group of young women living and working in brothel in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I Am No Bird is an intimate modern twist on Jane Eyre, and Diana is something else entirely. Tafoya focuses on tiny details in the life of the titular protagonist played by Alexandra Maiorino, a young woman who spends some of her spare time killing and eating people. It’s shot largely in looming, lingering close-up, set to a synth score that makes it feel like what one might imagine would result from a collaboration between Michael Mann, Chantal Akerman, and Jess Franco. This is a horror movie more interested in the mundane details of the world in which its title character lives–architecture, city lights, construction traffic, leaky pipes, etc.–than in typical lurid exploitation. It’s a confounding and compelling take on familiar genre territory, and a film that gets better as it simmers in the memory. Diana is available through Vimeo VOD.

 

When Black Birds Fly (Jimmy ScreamerClauz)

When Black Birds Fly (Jimmy ScreamerClauz)

When Black Birds Fly

Any independent filmmaker wears a number of hats on a production, but Jimmy ScreamerClauz wears damn near all of them, and at the same time. ScreamerClauz creates nightmarish animated films, working almost entirely alone other than his voice cast and incorporating some music (although he does some of that, too). His previous feature-length film, 2012’s Where the Dead Go to Die, is a genuinely disturbing anthology of stories dealing with subjects no live-action film would dare. When Black Birds Fly is his second feature-length film, and while ScreamerClauz dials back the real-life horrors of his first film in favor of a more fantastic imaginary world, he amps up the insane visuals exponentially. This is also a lot less serious than his previous film, with moments of effective black comedy in the midst of creating a detailed universe and mythology. More than anything else, though, this is an impressively dense assault on the senses. ScreamerClauz uses CG animation to its maximum potential, creating images that would be literally impossible to realize in any other medium. When Black Birds Fly is available in various limited edition formats directly from the filmmaker, on Amazon VOD, and on DVD from MVD Entertainment.

 

CarousHELL (Silver Spotlight Films)

CarousHELL (Silver Spotlight Films)

CarousHELL

In some ways, CarousHELL is a traditional slasher film: there’s a killer, a bunch of dumb young people victims, and buckets of blood. In at least one very important way, though, it’s highly untraditional: the killer is a carousel unicorn named Duke who is tired of kids riding him all day long and finally snaps, leaving the carousel to go on a killing spree. CarousHELL is a horror comedy that’s nearly as gory as it is absurd, which is saying quite a lot. Despite the low-budget, director Steve Rudzinski and his team at Silver Spotlight Films pack this movie out with some impressively gruesome practical effects to accompany Duke’s murderous one-liners. In addition to inventive kills, the film delivers a sex scene for the ages between Duke and a young woman with a unicorn fetish played by indie horror star Haley Jay Madison, whose work has often been a highlight of films by indie directors like Henrique Couto and Dustin Wayde Mills. She also played a victim in Arthur Cullipher’s Headless, which provides a nice segue into the final film on this list. CarousHELL is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Silver Spotlight Films.

 

Harvest Lake (Bandit Motion Pictures)

Harvest Lake (Bandit Motion Pictures)

Harvest Lake

Scott Schirmer made a big splash on the indie horror festival circuit with his debut feature Found in 2012, and its film-within-a-film Headless proved so popular that it was made into its own feature in 2015. Following that successful production Schirmer teamed up with fellow Indiana filmmaker Brian Williams (director of 2014’s Time to Kill) to form Bandit Motion Pictures, which released two films in 2016: Harvest Lake and Plank Face. Plank Face is the more conventional of the two films, but that’s not saying much as Harvest Lake set a pretty high bar for weirdness. The setup is familiar–a group of young people visit a lake house for a weekend of partying but things don’t go quite as planned–but that’s where the similarities between this and other “cabin in the woods” movies end. Instead of a monster or killer lurking in the woods, there are strange plants whose secretions allow them to exert a kind of sexual mind control over anyone who ingests them. The result is closer to David Cronenberg’s Shivers than Friday the 13th, a beautifully shot and ominous dreamy hybrid of Lovecraftian horror and pan-sexual eroticism. Harvest Lake is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Bandit Motion Pictures, Vimeo VOD, and (as of this writing) free streaming for Amazon Prime subscribers.

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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