We were effusive in our praise of , writer Alex Garland and director Pete Travis’ streamlined, brutal, and brilliant interpretation of iconic British comic 2000 AD’s longest serving leading man, Judge Dredd. Starring genre mainstay Karl Urban as the titular Lawman, DREDD topped our poll of the best films of last year, tying for first place (as it’s not strictly a horror film, and we’re strictly a horror website, we weren’t entirely sure it qualified…
I tried to like DARK FEED, really I did. The co-directorial debut of brothers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, the pair responsible for scribing horror legend John Carpenter’s frankly abysmal would-be comeback flick THE WARD, it represents, if nothing else, a laudable commitment to the horror genre on the part of the siblings. It also starts strongly, with an eerie and understated opening that’s wince-inducingly unpleasant. Best of all, however, is the film’s …
Strange to think, but there was actually a time when we struggled to find a wealth of weird news links to cobble together for your regular reading pleasure; thankfully, those days are but a distant memory. It seems every week we spend on this beautiful planet provides ever more odd and inexplicable events on which to muse. Or perhaps it’s always been this way and we’ve only just realised it, like learning a new word and suddenly hearing everyone else using…
We all know the greatest threat to horror video gaming. It’s not a lack of demand for new content, nor is it a dearth of inspired ideas. It’s far more conspicuous than that, and it’s willing to wait patiently for months on end, planning its assault. Only when every last variable falls into place will it reveal itself and start a relentless assault against our favourite pastime. There’s a good chance it’s outside your window right now, slyly obscuring your …
It’s not unusual to find a zombie movie or two amongst the upcoming horror trailers featured each week on Under The Skin. It is unusual to find a zombie movie we’re actually looking forward to. 2010’s THE DEAD, from brothers Howard and Jonathan Ford, was an unusually effective example of the subgenre, a slow-burning, old-school undead romp that we thoroughly enjoyed. The siblings are back with the sequel (subtitled INDIA, to differentiate it from the ori…
As we spend so much time writing about single player, indie-developed survival horror games, we thought it was about time we highlighted a promising multiplayer entry. As if on cue, word reaches us of 9heads Game Studios’ second game, Damned. The setup is a familiar one (at least in the world of horror gaming), insofar as you’re trapped inside a (procedurally generated) hotel, armed with nothing more than a poorly functioning flashlight. Something else is …
Where’s the scariest place to set a horror movie? If 90% of all new found footage films are to be believed, it’s an abandoned psychiatric facility. Personally I’m more inclined towards the woods at night, or maybe a deserted fairground. Cemeteries are always popular, as are good old-fashioned haunted houses, either of the innocuous suburban variety or the more traditional shadowy Gothic mansion. Worthy suggestions though the above may be, I think screenwri…
Sometimes it takes a while for gamers to recognise true innovation (after all, it’s something we’re promised with virtually every new game/piece of hardware that’s announced). Even if we’re reluctant to embrace each and every new idea with open arms, there are some innovations we simply can’t ignore. Unlike the majority of the gaming community, there’s a part of us that wants to see Nintendo’s Wii U enjoy a resurrection in the hearts and minds of gamers (w…
Among The Sleep, Krillbite Studio’s interesting take on the survival horror genre, asks a simple question; “What happens when you mix a child's perspective and imagination, with the surreal nature of dreams?” It’s a question that caught our attention a while ago, and we, like the majority of horror gaming news sites, immediately warmed to the prospect of such an unusual horror adventure. Since launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $200K required to…
The lamentable truth is that the more horror films I watch the more disenchanted I become with the ‘classic’ monsters. Just look at the most recent crop of werewolf movies we’ve been subjected to – THE HOWLING: REBORN, WEREWOLF: THE BEAST AMONG US, STRIPPERS VS WEREWOLVES, JACK AND DIANE and LOVE BITES. Every one a dud, and the worst of them so sphincter-gapingly awful they’re virtually unwatchable. The same can be said of vampires, with the subgenre domin…
Are there any fans in the world like horror fans? If there are we don’t want to meet them, because horror fans are batshit crazy. They’re also loyal to a fault, pathologically obsessive, and relentlessly creative. If you want proof, look no further than A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET aficionado and writer/director Chris R. Notarile, who helmed the last of this week’s new short horror showcases, KREUGER: ANOTHER TALE FROM ELM STREET. This uncommonly accomplished…
We’ve covered plenty of independently developed horror games in the past, but there are a few specific design concepts that have struck a genuine chord with us and our fellow connoisseurs of the genre. One such title is The Slender Man, wherein players are forced to explore foreboding, dimly-lit environments in search of various items, all the while acutely aware of the demonic creature that can appear at will and drive them insane with fear. Simplistic in…
It may not be a comfortable conclusion, but when it comes to horror the facts speak for themselves: dead is better. Time and again the genre reminds us that messing with the natural order, attempting to cheat death and restore life to the recently departed, is a spectacularly bad idea. Mary Shelley proved the point almost two centuries ago with FRANKENSTEIN (unwittingly creating a horror icon in the process), and George A. Romero did the same exactly one h…
We continue our look at brand spanking new horror (or, in this case, sci-fi/horror) shorts with writer/director Rob McLellan’s haunting ABE. The high concept? Torture porn meets Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Or, if you prefer, robo-HANNIBAL. It’s a genius premise, and the execution is as nuanced as it is chilling. Almost certainly the best six minutes you’ll invest today.
For most of us, when faced with a menu of exotic and unfamiliar dishes, we’ll plump for the same thing every time. Yes, there may be an entire menu to peruse, some of which we can even decipher, but on the rare occasions we’re willing to pay over the odds for someone else to feed us, we want something we know we’ll enjoy. This bias towards the familiar, our tendency to play it safe, is a quintessentially human trait, and one Techland are very aware of. It’…