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5 Obscure Horror Films Worth Tracking Down

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The horror genre is pretty sprawling and has several different visions.  The majority taking place in literature and film.  Horror movies, in particular, have exploded in popularity and are extremely diverse.  And with this diversity, there are certain films that are obscure and not well-known.  So today lets take a look at 5 obscure horror films worthy of your time for one reason or another.

Basket Case

Basket Case was released in 1982 and may be part of the reason that this film isn’t the most well-known.  It follows a young man who at a young age had his deformed conjoined twin surgically separated. The twin survived the procedure and together with his brother, they seek revenge on the doctors who separated him.

Now as you would imagine this film gets its title under the factor that the non-deformed twin carries his double in a locked wicker basket.  It is through the psychic connection that they both share that the two brothers are able to communicate with each other.  Yeah, this movie is that special kind of stupid that makes it a must-watch for any horror fan.

While the special effects are not exactly the best that can be chalked up to its age and is rough around the edges; Basket Case remains a horror classic at its core, and should be a must-watch for any fans of 80’s cheese and horror.

Feast

Now for a more modern film.  Feast was released in 2005 and is as campy as it is wonderful.  The film takes place in a secluded little dive bar out in the desert as it is assaulted by horrifying monsters. The film was distributed by Dimension Extreme and anyone familiar with that particular studio will know exactly what to expect.

The plot for Feast is simple at its core, but it’s the characters that truly make this film shine.  As each member of the cast is introduced, they receive a short bio just like a video game character would. This film knows that it’s a self-contained monster film and that’s all it aspires to be.  It never once tries to be something it’s not.

The movie is here to be a bloody good time, and there are excessive amounts of blood and gore in this flick.  Feast is a wonderful film and best watched in a group with friends. It even went on to forge a trilogy with a possible fourth film in the works to wrap up the story.  Maybe someday…

Pumpkinhead

The 80’s were truly a wonderful time for horror.  That decade introduced so many horror gems to the world including this lovely little indie flick about revenge. Pumpkinhead follows a father who seeks revenge for possibly the worst tragedy that could befall a parent.

Pumpkinhead is a relatively well-known film by the horror community, however, not many people have seen the film itself.  The costume for Pumpkinhead was designed by Stan Winston and any horror fan worth their salts should perk up at the sheer mention of that man.  The costume design is a work to behold and is gladly shown off throughout the film.

Pumpkinhead is a fantastic film and has gathered a cult following since its initial release.  This film is well worth the time and even spawned a few sequels though none hold up to the original.

Thankskilling

This particular film is notorious for those who have heard of it.  For those who haven’t, it features an ancient Native American spirit who embodies a turkey and only has one mission- kill every person that crosses its path in whatever gruesome fashion it deems fit.  And of course, the demon’s name is Turkie, that is all you need to know.

This film is marketed as the best-worst movie ever created and that simply depends on your own personal tastes.  For those masochistic like myself, Thankskilling is an absolutely fantastic time.  The movie is absolutely off the wall ridiculous and tries to delve into the world of both horror and comedy.

This gem is best watched with friends in a group and may even want to throw in a few drinks just to add to the fun.  This film is simply amazing and totally worth the time it will take to watch it if you enjoy either horror comedies or low-budget horror flicks.

Dark Ride

Are there any fans of the 8 Films To Die For Film Festival out there?  If so, then you’ve probably at least heard of this film. Dark Ride was released in 2006 and selected as one of the films to be played at the festival and distributed under its name.

Dark Ride is another low-budget film however that comes with the territory when making a slasher film.  The movie follows a group of friends as they take a detour to visit a long since closed dark ride at an abandoned boardwalk.  However, what they don’t know is that there is a masked killer hiding out in the attraction.

The film feels like a slasher film that would have been released back in the 80’s when slasher cinema peaked in popularity, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It has a unique setting for the slayings to take place and is entertaining from start to finish.

Nowadays, you can find almost any of the films from the 8 Films To Die For Festival for dirt cheap at any used DVD store and online.  This particular film has always been interesting and worth a watch if you enjoy slasher films.

Hopefully, at least one of these films catch your fancy and sounds like a good time.  Happy hunting and hopefully you’ll find a terribly obscure horror film that deserves more attention yourself.

 

Anyone out there in need of some horror decor to darken your home a bit?  Then check out Horror Decor as they kick off their new line of horror-themed candles starting out with a Pet Sematary candle!

Who out there is a fan of the Child’s Play series?  Well, check out the latest news on the next step in the franchise Cult of Chucky!

 

 

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Director of ‘The Loved Ones’ Next Film is a Shark/Serial Killer Movie

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The director of The Loved Ones and The Devil’s Candy is going nautical for his next horror film. Variety is reporting that Sean Byrne is gearing up to make a shark movie but with a twist.

This film titled Dangerous Animals, takes place on a boat where a woman named Zephyr (Hassie Harrison), according to Variety, is “Held captive on his boat, she must figure out how to escape before he carries out a ritualistic feeding to the sharks below. The only person who realizes she is missing is new love interest Moses (Hueston), who goes looking for Zephyr, only to be caught by the deranged murderer as well.”

Nick Lepard writes it, and filming will begin on the Australian Gold Coast on May 7.

Dangerous Animals will get a spot at Cannes according to David Garrett from Mister Smith Entertainment. He says, “‘Dangerous Animals’ is a super-intense and gripping story of survival, in the face of an unimaginably malevolent predator. In a clever melding of the serial killer and shark movie genres, it makes the shark look like the nice guy,”

Shark movies will probably always be a mainstay in the horror genre. None have ever really succeeded in the level of scariness reached by Jaws, but since Byrne uses a lot of body horror and intriguing images in his works Dangerous Animals might be an exception.

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PG-13 Rated ‘Tarot’ Underperforms at the Box Office

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Tarot starts off the summer horror box office season with a whimper. Scary movies like these are usually a fall offering so why Sony decided to make Tarot a summer contender is questionable. Since Sony uses Netflix as their VOD platform now maybe people are waiting to stream it for free even though both critic and audience scores were very low, a death sentence to a theatrical release. 

Although it was a fast death — the movie brought in $6.5 million domestically and an additional $3.7 million globally, enough to recoup its budget — word of mouth might have been enough to convince moviegoers to make their popcorn at home for this one. 

Tarot

Another factor in its demise might be its MPAA rating; PG-13. Moderate fans of horror can handle fare that falls under this rating, but hardcore viewers who fuel the box office in this genre, prefer an R. Anything less rarely does well unless James Wan is at the helm or that infrequent occurrence like The Ring. It might be because the PG-13 viewer will wait for streaming while an R generates enough interest to open a weekend.

And let’s not forget that Tarot might just be bad. Nothing offends a horror fan quicker than a shopworn trope unless it’s a new take. But some genre YouTube critics say Tarot suffers from boilerplate syndrome; taking a basic premise and recycling it hoping people won’t notice.

But all is not lost, 2024 has a lot more horror movie offerings coming this summer. In the coming months, we will get Cuckoo (April 8), Longlegs (July 12), A Quiet Place: Part One (June 28), and the new M. Night Shyamalan thriller Trap (August 9).

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‘Abigail’ Dances Her Way To Digital This Week

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Abigail is sinking her teeth into digital rental this week. Starting on May 7, you can own this, the latest movie from Radio Silence. Directors Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillet elevate the vampire genre challenging expectations at every blood-stained corner.

The film stars Melissa Barrera (Scream VIIn The Heights), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaFreakyLisa Frankenstein), and Alisha Weir as the titular character.

The film currently sits at number nine at the domestic box office and has an audience score of 85%. Many have compared the film thematically to Radio Silence’s 2019 home invasion movie Ready or Not: A heist team is hired by a mysterious fixer to kidnap the daughter of a powerful underworld figure. They must guard the 12-year-old ballerina for one night to net a $50 million ransom. As the captors start to dwindle one by one, they discover to their mounting terror that they’re locked inside an isolated mansion with no ordinary little girl.”

Radio Silence is said to be switching gears from horror to comedy in their next project. Deadline reports that the team will be helming an Andy Samberg comedy about robots.

Abigail will be available to rent or own on digital starting May 7.

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