Movies

INTERVIEW: Inside ‘The Reckoning’ with Neil Marshall and Charlotte Kirk

Published

5 years ago

February 4, 2021

On February 5, 2021, Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning is set for release in theaters and on VOD and digital. The film, co-written with star Charlotte Kirk, has had quite the journey to the screen.

Set in the 1600s against the backdrop of the plague, The Reckoning focuses on Grace (Kirk), a young widow trying to keep control of her land after the death of her husband. When she rebuffs her landlord’s sexual advances, she finds herself accused of witchcraft, placing her on a path that will change her life and the lives of those around her forever.

In advance of the film’s release Marshall and Kirk sat down with iHorror to discuss the film’s evolution from page to screen.

What kind of story would The Reckoning be?

It all began with the seed of a story brought to their attention by fellow scribe Edward Evers-Swindell who proposed a sort of Witchfinder General film with an ending more like Carrie. It did not immediately appeal to Marshall, but it was enough for him to begin researching the long and varied history of witch trials in Europe. It was that research that solidified the idea for both Marshall and Kirk and got the creative ball rolling.

Depending on the source, it’s estimated that thousands of women were tortured and executed for witchcraft in Europe. It was up to Charlotte Kirk to bring reality to their suffering.

“If we kept closer to the truth then there was a great story there,” Marshall explained, “and taking an amalgamation of various women and the way they were sort of tortured and tried. Charlotte came up with the idea of not actually having any witches, per se.”

“I could tell Neil was kind of into it but he wasn’t,” Kirk continued. “I said, ‘I know you’re not interested in a lot of women flying around on broomsticks and such but what if there are no witches or if we keep it ambiguous, not on the nose.’ That was when it kind of clicked for us.”

It became important for both of them to write a film that, in its own way, honored the thousands of women who were tortured, tried, and convicted of a crime that did not actually exist. This feeling filled both writers with a sense of responsibility to telling the best story possible to honor those who had lived through this harrowing time in history.

In a way, they wanted to say something not only about that time period, but also that resonate with viewers in the 21st Century.

“Of course, when we made the film,” Marshall said, “we had no idea a plague was coming as well. We shot this in 2019 so we had no clue, but that angle has made it seem more relevant as well.”

Plague doctors and victims serve as a harrowing backdrop to The Reckoning.

Armed with their research, the two sat down to write the script, a process that they approached from entirely different directions. Kirk says that the varied approaches ultimately enriched the storytelling however, and also led to her starring in the film, though Marshall pointed out that he knew she would star in The Reckoning in the same way he knew that he would direct it.

“The great thing about writing is that I was looking at it from an actor’s point of view and Neil was looking at it from a director’s point of view,” Kirk explained. “It was just a great collaboration. I’m very left field from Neil while writing.”

“Obviously I have a lot of horror baggage I’m bringing to the piece and Grace was just kind of dipping her toes in horror for the first time,” the director whose previous work includes The Descent and Dog Soldiers among others said. “She brought a lot of ideas that were outside the box. She would take notions of typical horror and turn them on their heads without thinking about it. It was one of those fun writing experiences.”

Finding unexpected parallels between 1665 and 2021…

Still there is a huge gap between writing these harrowing scenes and playing them, and Kirk admits that it could be exhausting operating at an emotional 10 every single day and again, largely due to the responsibility of playing a character like Grace.

She’s a woman who stood up and said no when men tried to take her land and force her into the status quo as the dutiful and submissive woman. It’s a theme as relevant today as in 1665, a fact that is not lost on either of them.

“The villains were both examples of the abuse of power whether it’s the power of wealth or the power of religion, but that’s what they are. They’re bullies,” Marshall said.

“What’s changed in that world? Nothing,” Kirk continued. “Men are still very powerful; they’re in that position. It just is. Not only that but you have the whole religion thing. Someone mentioned the other day, ‘I don’t want to wear the mask because that’s the devil’s work.’ That’s something that someone would have said in 1665! It’s like, where have we come from in society?”

For better or worse, it is those very parallels that make The Reckoning such an emotional and terrifying force during a viewing, and is no little part of why the film has been winning awards at festivals for the last year, including taking home the prize for Best Feature at the 2020 iHorror Film Festival.

You can see The Reckoning tomorrow, February 5, 2021, in select theaters and on VOD and digital! Take a look at the trailer and let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Movies

5 Horror & Thriller Films Premiering at Cannes 2026

Published

2 weeks 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

3 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.

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