Movies

The Blackwell Ghost: Documentary or Horror Movie with a Great Hook?

Published

4 years ago

August 31, 2022

It’s been over a month ago since I first discovered The Blackwell Ghost streaming on Amazon Prime. Honestly, I had passed it over in the suggestions menu several times, but it was one of those late nights where I wanted one last movie and this one was only an hour or so long.

The first interesting thing about this film is that it is described as a documentary. In fact, there was no mention of this being a horror film or even found footage in any description I could find.

Now, I’m a paranormal enthusiast and have been an investigator for years, so I was further excited as the film began and the filmmaker in voiceover talked about his experiences making zombie movies in Los Angeles and how he’d decided to try something new.

In short, he wanted to make a documentary about the paranormal, and his interest had grown from a viral video that had made the rounds on YouTube of supposed actual paranormal phenomena caught on CCTV.

Over the next hour, I watched as the amateur documentarian went on his own adventure investigating a home in Pennsylvania. Supposedly, in the 1940s, the home was owned by James and Ruth Blackwell.

Ruth had a reputation for being a bit strange, so it was no surprise to her neighbors when she was accused of murdering seven children and disposing of their bodies down the well in the basement.

Throughout the film, he never once wavers in his assertion that what he and his wife, Terri, are experiencing is actually real. Furthermore, he backs up those claims with alleged researched proof of the history of the home. I have to admit, by the end of the film I wasn’t entirely sure what to believe. What I knew for sure was that it was a hell of a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Over the next few days, I watched the film five or six more times. I showed it to local friends and recommended it to others. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it, but their reactions were the same across the board–they just weren’t sure they could believe what they were watching.

And really, who could blame them?

We live in a post Paranormal Activity world. In an era filled with technology where the line between reality and illusion seems to blur more and more every day, and while belief in the paranormal is actually growing, there’s a general certainty that we won’t find it on film.

Perhaps it was natural that my reporter’s sense kicked in at this point. I chatted with our editor-in-chief here at iHorror and decided I needed to dig into the story of The Blackwell Ghost.

I began my search by attempting to discover who the filmmaker was. He is not listed in the credits; however, he did include pictures of a couple of scenes from one of his zombie films.

I was able to match those scenes to a film called Disaster L.A., a low-budget zombie flick from 2014. The name of the filmmaker there was Turner Clay, but Clay is a total ghost online. I found no actual pictures of him and so I could not verify that the man in the film was the man who made the movie.

After hitting a virtual dead end while tracking down information on Turner Clay, I turned my search to James and Ruth Blackwell in Pennsylvania in the 1940s and immediately got a hit on the names. However, census records show that the only James and Ruth Blackwell in Pennsylvania in the 1940s were a young African American couple. James and Ruth in the film were not only white, but they were also a much older couple as evidenced by the picture of Ruth that the filmmaker displays in the film.

It was another dead end but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

I contacted Dr. Marie Hardin at Penn State University who put me in contact with Jeff Knapp at the Larry and Ellen Foster Communications Library.

Knapp spent a weekend digging into the library’s considerable resources and at the end of his research could find no mention of the murder I described in 1941 or the years surrounding it.

Furthermore, he could not find a James or Ruth Blackwell connected to a murder investigation at all in the time period. Finally, nowhere in the archives were details of Detective Jim Hooper, a name I had pulled from a newspaper article the filmmaker displays in the movie.

With this information in hand, I sent a series of emails to the filmmaker via a third party in hope that he would make some time to talk to me. As of this writing, none of those emails have been answered.

So, here I am, several weeks on with no definitive answers to my questions. I have, however, whittled the possibilities down in my mind.

A. The filmmaker came up with as clever a plan for marketing a horror film as I’ve seen since The Blair Witch Project way back in the 1990s. He filled his film with just the right kind of information to draw the viewer in and foster belief in his audience. In which case, I say “Bravo, a job well done!”

B. The filmmaker actually made a documentary and in the rarest of cases caught actual evidence on camera. For whatever reasons, to protect his own identity or the descendants of those mentioned in the film, he decided to change the names and locations of the home and its sordid history.

At this time I personally lean toward my first explanation. As I said in the beginning, I am a paranormal investigator and have spent a large part of my life pursuing those mysteries. In other words, to embrace the cliche, I WANT TO BELIEVE!

If you’re out there reading this, Mr. Clay, please reach out. I’d love to discuss your movie.

In the meantime, fans of the paranormal or horror movies in general, I encourage you to check out the trailer for The Blackwell Ghost below and stream it on Amazon Prime.

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Movies

5 Horror & Thriller Films Premiering at Cannes 2026

Published

5 days ago

April 14, 2026

Kirsten Saylor

The Cannes Film Festival is widely considered the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held annually in Cannes since its founding in 1946, the invitation-only event showcases new films from across the globe, spanning every genre from auteur-driven dramas to boundary-pushing horror. Taking place at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes remains one of the “Big Three” European festivals alongside Venice Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival, as well as part of the global “Big Five,” which also includes Toronto International Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival.

The 79th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from May 12-23, 2026, with Park Chan-wook (director of Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), and No Other Choice (2025)) serving as jury president. French-Malian actress Eye Haїdara will host the opening and closing ceremonies. At the same time, honorary Palme d’Or awards will be presented to Peter Jackson (director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Barbra Streisand. The festival opens with The Electric Kiss, directed by Pierre Salvadori.

But now let’s get to the really good stuff.

Among the lineup this year are several genre entries that should have horror and thriller fans paying very close attention for their theater releases which will be later in the year. Here are five films I’m especially excited about, all of which are premiering at Cannes 2026.

Hope (Korean: 호프)

Directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Hope looks like one of the most intriguing genre entries in competition for the Palme d’Or.

Set in a remote village near the Korean Demilitiarized Zone (DMZ), the film’s premise appears, at first, to be a contained crisis: a tiger sighting that throws the community into worried chaos. But as the situation escalates, something far more sinister begins to emerge, forcing residents to confront a terrifying unknown.

With a stacked international cast including Hwang Jung-min (Veteran, New World, I, the Executioner), Zo In-sung (A Frozen Flower, The King, It’s Okay, That’s Love), Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game, Disclaimer),Taylor Russell (Bones and All, Waves), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), and Michael Fassbender (Shame, Prometheus, X-Men: First Class), this one feels like it could be a major crossover hit.

Her Private Hell

From Nicholas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) comes a surreal, neon-drenched nightmare that feels perfectly at home within his filmography.

A mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic city, unleashing a deadly and elusive force. At the center is a young woman searching for her father, whose path collides with an American soldier on a desperate mission of his own: rescue his daughter from Hell.

Starring Sophie Thatcher (Companion, Heretic, Prospect), Charles Melton (May December, Warfare, Riverdale), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms, No Exit, Bleu de Chanel), Diego Calva (Babylon, The Night Manager, On Swift Horses — seriously, I’m so excited to see him in new work!) and more, this out-of-competition premiere could end up being one of the most talked about, and hopefully one of my personal favorites.

Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images – © 2025 Stephane Cardinale – Corbis

Karma

Directed by Guillaume Canet (Tell No One), Karma is a French psychological thriller that leans into moral ambiguity.

The story follows Jeanne, a woman attempting to rebuild her life in Spain while hiding a troubled past. When her young godson disappears, suspicion quickly falls on her, forcing her to flee to a religious community she once escaped. As her partner searches for the truth, the narrative spirals into a tense mystery.

Led by Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose, Inception, Rust and Bone), who always delivers an outstanding performance, Karma appears to be a slow-burn kind of thriller that will really keep audiences captivated.

Colony (Korean: 군체)

Zombie maestro Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) returns with Colony, a claustrophobic kind of outbreak thriller premiering in the midnight section at Cannes.

Set inside a sealed biotech facility, the film follows survivors trapped during a rapidly mutating viral outbreak. As the infected evolve in unpredictable ways, tensions inside the quarantine zone rise just as quickly as the body count.

This zombie film stars Jun Ji-hyun (Assassination) and Koo Kyo-hwan (Peninsula), and paired Yeon Sang-ho, I’m hoping we get a really great zombie thriller to add to the arsenal.

Photo by Ryan Plummer/Ryan Plummer – © 2026

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Yes, the title alone already earns a spot on this list.

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow), this meta-slasher follows a queer filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of a long-running horror franchise. Her fixation on the film’s reclusive “final girl” actress leads both women into an increasingly surreal and psychosexual spiral.

Starring Hannah Einbinder (Hacks, Seekers of Infinite Love) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall, Hannibal), this Un Certain Regard entry sounds as though it might be one of the boldest, and strangest, films of the entire festival.

While Cannes isn’t traditionally known for its horror under any circumstances, this year’s lineup continues to show that bold, genre-bending storytelling absolutely has a place on the Croisette.

iHorror will keep you updated on these films’ theatrical and/or streaming releases!

Movies

Which Poster Did It Better?

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2026

Timothy Rawles

We have a fun question for you: Who did it better?

Did you ever notice how similar the 1992 poster for Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive is to Wes Craven’s Scream that came out in 1996? They aren’t identical, but they could be considered spiritual sisters.

Not much is known about the Dead Alive poster. It appears to have its lead actress, Diana Peñalver, front and center with eyes wide open and mouth agape. It was a shocking image for a one-sheet at the time, but it was fitting for the film, which used over 300 liters of fake blood in the final scene.

Dead Alive was also controversial. In the UK and Australia, it was shown in its entire 104-minute run. But it had to be cut down to 94 minutes when it hit the German and American markets. Originally titled Braindead, it was renamed Dead Alive in those countries.

As for the Scream poster, we know it’s Drew Barrymore‘s face; she also has her mouth agape and her eyes wide open like Peñalver‘s.

In a classic on-theme misdirect, Barrymore appears to have a major role in Scream, given how prominent she is in the poster. In reality, she is only onscreen for 13 minutes.

Scream’s photo was taken by an unknown photographer. It doesn’t capture Dead Alive’s comedy element, but Scream wasn’t exactly a straight comedy. Its humor was more in the meta references.

Movies

‘Axes and Os’ Is Now Streaming — A Fresh Valentine Slasher With a Savage Creature Feature Twist

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2026

Vivian Thorne

It’s happening.

Indie horror fans have a new killer obsession—Axes and Os, the wildly original Valentine-themed slasher that blends classic stalk-and-slash thrills with a monstrous creature-feature surprise. The film is now streaming and delivering blood, laughs, and a brutal new horror icon.

Love Hurts — Literally

Set during a chaotic Galentine’s getaway, Axes and Os follows four young women who escape to a quiet small town for a weekend of romance, friendship, and fun—only to find themselves hunted by the legendary Valentine’s Day Ax Killer, Luther Dremel.

Axes and Os

But this isn’t just another masked slasher story. When one of the girls undergoes a shocking transformation, the hunted becomes the hunter, and a brutal showdown erupts that turns the holiday of love into a full-on survival nightmare—a literal fight to the death.

A Cast Packed With Genre Favorites and Rising Stars

Axes and Os features horror icon Jamie Bernadette alongside rising star Cass Huckabay, who won two Best Actress awards during the film’s festival run. Madison M. Bowman and Sara Wimmer round out the ensemble, delivering both laughs and scares designed to appeal to a wide range of genre fans. Brandon Krum brings terrifying intensity as the relentless Axeman, Luther Dremel.

IMAGE: Jamie Bernadette as Abby in Axes and Os.

A Fresh Spin on Slasher Tradition

While Axes and Os pays tribute to classic slashers, it flips the formula with a creature-feature twist that sets it apart from typical holiday horror fare. Think traditional masked killer meets monstrous transformation—romance colliding with rage, friendship colliding with fear. The film blends humor, gore, and heart, striking a tone somewhere between Ready or Not, The Final Girls, and classic ’80s slashers—while still delivering modern indie edge.

IMAGE: Madison M. Bowman as Olivia, in Axes and Os.

A Festival Darling With 11 Award Wins

During its festival run, Axes and Os quickly became a standout on the indie horror circuit, bringing home 11 awards, including six Best Feature Film wins, three Best Director awards, and two Best Actress awards for Cass Huckabay. Notable wins include The Freak Show horror film festival, Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival, and the Nashville horror film festival.

IMAGE: LtoR. Producer Joe O’Connor, Actress Cass Huckabay, writer/director

The film’s mix of genre-bending horror, strong performances, and crowd-pleasing tone earned praise from festival juries and audiences alike, helping build early buzz ahead of its streaming release.

Why Horror Fans Should Care

Holiday slashers are having a moment again, but Axes and Os brings something rare: a true genre mashup with a female-driven cast, festival pedigree, and a killer premise that doesn’t play it safe.

With festival awards, strong early audience reactions, and a bold creature-driven finale, Axes and Os is poised to become a cult favorite for Valentine’s Day horror marathons.

Now Streaming

Axes and Os is now available to stream on Prime Video and Screamify

Love is in the air. So is the blood.

Four females on a Galentine’s weekend are hunted by legendary ax murderer LutherDremel, until one female turns out to be something otherworldly and battles the iconic axeman.

[This is a sponsored article]