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Shudder Celebrates Halloween with Argento, Dragula, Fulci, & More!

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Shudder October 2022

September is almost halfway over, but Shudder’s 61 Days of Halloween has only just begun. The all-horror/thriller streaming platform has curated a haunted host of horrors for those of us who live spooky season all year around, but go extra hard from September 1st to October 31st.

Next month is no different with the streamer creating a curated Dario Argento Collection as well as The House of Psychotic Women which features some of our favorite unhinged femme fatales.

Take a look at the full list of October releases below, and refresh your memory with this month’s schedule by CLICKING HERE.

What’s New on Shudder in October 2022!

September 30th:

Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror: Queer for Fear is a four-part documentary series from executive producer Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Steak House (Launchpad) about the history of the LGBTQ+ community in the horror and thriller genres. From its literary origins with queer authors Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde to the pansy craze of the 1920s that influenced Universal Monsters and Hitchcock, through the “lavender scare” alien invasion films of the mid-20th century and the AIDS obsessed bloodletting of 80s vampire films, Queer for Fear re-examines genre stories through a queer lens, seeing them not as violent, murderous narratives, but as tales of survival that resonate thematically with queer audiences everywhere. New episodes every Friday through October!

October 1st:

May: Nobody knows what to make of May (Angela Bettis). Born with a lazy eye, for which she wore a patch while growing up, she became a loner oddball whose only friend was a perfectly kept doll. She moves to L.A. and takes up with a filmmaker (Jeremy Sisto), but the relationship sours quickly — and dangerously. She then befriends an alluring lesbian colleague (Anna Faris), but that, too, along with every connection May attempts to make, turns deadly.

The Descent: One year after a tragic accident, six girlfriends meet in a remote part of the Appalachians for their annual caving trip. When a rock falls and blocks their route back to the surface, the group splinters and each one pushes on, praying for another exit. But there is something else lurking under the earth – a race of monstrous humanoid creatures that have adapted perfectly to life in the dark. As the friends realize they are now prey, they are forced to unleash their most primal instincts in an all-out war against an unspeakable horror. Neil Marshall’s relentless, claustrophobic creature feature proves one of the truly scary films of the 21st century and is rightly regarded as essential.

The Descent Part 2: Distraught, confused, and half-wild with fear, Sarah Carter emerges alone from the Appalachian cave system where she encountered unspeakable terrors.

The Gate: When two boys accidentally dig up the gates of Hell and summon an army of tiny demons, they have to work fast to stop the demons from turning them into human sacrifices, or a big bad demon king will soon be slithering through the gate to take over the world. Starring a young Stephen Dorff (Blade).

October 4th:

The Collingswood Story: Young couple Rebecca and John attempt to keep their long-distance relationship alive via video chatting. However, a chance encounter with an online psychic plunges their lives into a world of nightmarish supernatural phenomenon.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow: When young Marylee Williams is found viciously mauled, all hell breaks loose in her small rural town. A gang of bigots pursue a suspect: her mentally challenged friend Bubba Ritter.

October 4th:

The Other Side of the Underneath: In 1972, screenwriter/feminist/radical theater icon Jane Arden adapted her own multimedia stage production “A New Communion for Freaks, Prophets and Witches” into a nightmarish exploration of reason, chaos, and her own battles with mental illness unlike anything audiences have seen before or since.

I Like Bats: Katarzyna Walter stars as a happily single vampire who works in her aunt’s curio shop when not feeding on various suitors and sleazebags. But when she falls for a handsome psychiatrist, she’ll discover that no affliction is more horrific than love. It combines splashes of absurdist black comedy with jolts of old-school gothic horror for a slyly contemporary take on the female bloodsucker mythos.

Footprints: In the most criminally underseen giallo of the ‘70s, Florinda Bolkan (A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin, Flavia The Heretic) stars as a freelance translator who wakes one morning missing all memory of her past three days. But will a trail of odd clues lead her to a place where perception and identity are never what they seem? Directed by Luigi Bazzoni (The Fifth Cord) with cinematography by three-time Oscar®-winner Vittorio Storaro (The Bird with The Crystal Plumage).

The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves are Here!: The Mooney’s are a typical English family, except for one tiny detail… they’re all werewolves. One member of the family is of a mind to change their legacy, which stirs up family drama of the worst kind. The second of gutter auteur Andy Milligan’s productions made in England, this werewolf family saga is filled with the bitter worldview and confrontational hysteria Milligan is known for.

October 6th:

Deadstream: A disgraced and demonetized Internet personality (Joseph Winter) tries to win back his fans by live streaming himself, spending a night alone in an abandoned haunted house. However, when he accidentally unleashes a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life (and social relevance) as he faces off with the sinister spirit of the house and her powerful following. Deadstream stars Joseph Winter, who wrote and directed the film with Vanessa Winter. (A Shudder Original)

October 10th:

Opera: A stalker torments an opera star by forcing her to watch her friends being murdered in one of giallo horror god Dario Argento’s most terrifying films. When young operetta Betty is thrust into a leading role in Verdi’s Macbeth, she’s unprepared for the carnage that’s going to be unleashed. Soon enough she’s being stalked by a black-gloved killer who loves tying Betty up and taping needles around her eyes so she – and by extension us – are forced to watch the vicious slayings. The great Brian Eno and Goblin’s Claudio Simonetti composed the stellar score.

The Stendhal Syndrome: A detective suffers strange hallucinations while hunting a serial killer in Dario Argento’s bone-chilling ‘90s masterpiece. Anna (Asia Argento) is on the trail of a psycho when she experiences Stendhal syndrome, a condition that causes people to become overwhelmed by works of art to the point of psychosis. But when the killer kidnaps and rapes her, it begins a process that threatens all who cross Anna’s path. Using CGI to bring Anna’s artistic hallucinations to life, Argento crafts a brutal yet visually stunning thriller that stands on par with his classics.

Identikit: In what remains the most obscure, bizarre, and wildly misunderstood film of her entire career – and perhaps even ‘70s Italian cinema – Elizabeth Taylor stars as a disturbed woman who arrives in Rome to find a city fragmented by autocratic law, leftist violence, and her own increasingly unhinged mission to find the most dangerous liaison of all. Academy Award® nominee Ian Bannen (The Offence), Mona Washbourne (The Collector) and Andy Warhol co-star in this “unique, hallucinatory neo noir” (Cult Film Freaks) – barely released in America as The Driver’s Seat – directed by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi (‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore), adapted from the unnerving novella by Muriel Spark (The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie) and featuring cinematography by three-time Oscar® winner Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now, The Last Emperor).

October 11th:

Dragula Season 1: The Boulet Brothers host a competition of drag performers who don’t just push the envelope – they hew it up and spit it out. With themes like Zombie and challenges like being buried alive, this ain’t your momma’s drag competition. Joining seasons 2, 3 and 4 and ahead of the upcoming Titans spin off exclusively on Shudder, revisit the first season of the Boulet Brothers’ beloved groundbreaking drag-horror competition.

Lux Aeterna: Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg are on a film set telling stories about witches. Technical problems and psychotic outbreak gradually plunge the shoot into chaos. Written and directed by Gaspar Noé.

October 13th:

Dark Glasses: In Dark Glasses, an eclipse blackens the skies on a hot summer day in Rome – a harbinger of the darkness that will envelop Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli) when a serial killer chooses her as prey. Fleeing her predator, the young escort crashes her car and loses her sight. She emerges from the initial shock determined to fight for her life, but she is no longer alone. Defending her and acting as her eyes is a little boy, Chin (Andrea Zhang), who survived the car accident. But the killer won’t give up his victim. Who will be saved? The long-awaited return from Italian master of horror and acclaimed writer-director Dario Argento, the film stars Ilenia Pastorelli, Asia Argento and Andrea Zhang. Beginning Friday, October 7, Dark Glasses will debut at the IFC Center in New York and at the Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles, ahead of the film’s streaming debut on Thursday, October 13.Additional theaters, to be announced later, will follow beginning Friday, October 14.  (A Shudder Original)

She Will: After a double mastectomy, Veronica Ghent (Alice Krige), goes to a healing retreat in rural Scotland with her young nurse Desi (Kota Eberhardt). She discovers that the process of such surgery opens questions about her very existence, leading her to start to question and confront past traumas. The two develop an unlikely bond as mysterious forces give Veronica the power to enact revenge within her dreams.  Also starring Malcolm McDowell, Jonathan Aris, Rupert Everett, and Olwen Fouéré. Directed by Charlotte Colbert. (A Shudder Exclusive)

October 20th:

V/H/S/99: V/H/S/99 marks the return of the acclaimed found footage anthology franchise and the sequel to Shudder’s most-watched premiere of 2021. A thirsty teenager’s home video leads to a series of horrifying revelations. Featuring five new stories from filmmakers Maggie Levin (Into The Dark: My Valentine), Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City), Flying Lotus (Kuso), Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls) and Joseph & Vanessa Winter (Deadstream), V/H/S/99 harkens back to the final punk rock analog days of VHS, while taking one giant leap forward into the hellish new millennium. (A Shudder Original)

October 21st:

Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout: For his fourth Halloween special on Shudder, the World’s Foremost Drive-In Movie Critic leaves no plastic skull, fake spider, or foam tombstone behind in his mission to celebrate the Samhain season the RIGHT way for once! Leaving nothing to chance, Joe Bob and Darcy enlist the help of a special surprise guest.

October 24th:

Manhattan Baby: In Lucio Fulci’s chilling follow-up to The New York Ripper, an evil Egyptian entity possesses the young daughter of an archaeologist. When Susie returns home, she and her brother Tommy start behaving badly, and visitors to their room begin turning up dead. Can Susie’s parents stop the entity from destroying her? Or is it already too late? Borrowing elements from Rosemary’s BabyThe Exorcist and Poltergeist, Fulci crafts a surprisingly gore-free ghost story that favors suspense over gruesome kills. The opening sequence ranks among the director’s best work.

Demonia: In what fans consider his last great film, Godfather of Gore Lucio Fulci returns to the startling imagery and bloody excesses of his ‘70s/‘80s classics for an unholy saga of demonic nuns and supernatural carnage: When a Canadian archeological team excavates the ruins of a medieval Sicilian monastery, they unleash the vengeance of a crucified coven of satanic sisters with full-on Fulci fury.

Aenigma: For his final horror hit of the ‘80s, writer/director Lucio Fulci combined elements of CarriePhenomena, and Suspiria with the grisly surrealism of his own past classics for one last shocker: When a bullied student at a New England girls school becomes comatose after a prank gone wrong, her tormenters will suffer graphic telepathic punishment that includes the infamous ‘death by snails’ scene.

Fulci for Fake: He was known as The Maestro of Splatter, but who was the real Lucio Fulci? Through never-before-seen home movies, rare behind-the-scenes footage from his classic films, audio confessions from Fulci himself and revealing interviews, writer/director Simone Scafidi creates an unflinching portrait of the one of the most visceral, controversial, and immortal horror filmmakers of all time.

October 25th:

The Boulet Brothers Dragula: Titans: Hosted and created by the Boulet Brothers, “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans” is a ten-episode spin-off series starring some of the most popular drag icons from the show’s previous seasons competing in a grand championship of drag artistry and shocking physical challenges for a one hundred-thousand-dollar grand prize, the headlining spot on the upcoming world tour and the first ever “Dragula Titans” crown and title. Guest Judges include Elvira, Harvey Guillen, Justin Simien, David Dastmalchian, Poppy, Alaska, Katya, Joe Bob Briggs, Bonnie Aarons, Barbara Crampton, and more to be announced later. Exclusively on Shudder!

Shudder Dragula

October 28th:

Resurrection: Margaret’s life is in order. She is capable, disciplined, and successful. Everything is under control. That is, until David returns, carrying with him the horrors of Margaret’s past. Resurrection is directed by Andrew Semans, and stars Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth. (A Shudder Exclusive)

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Movie Reviews

Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Haunted Ulster Live’

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Everything old is new again.

On Halloween 1998, the local news of Northern Ireland decide to do a special live report from an allegedly haunted house in Belfast. Hosted by local personality Gerry Burns (Mark Claney) and popular children’s presenter Michelle Kelly (Aimee Richardson) they intend to look at the supernatural forces disturbing the current family living there. With legends and folklore abound, is there an actual spirit curse in the building or something far more insidious at work?

Presented as a series of found footage from a long forgotten broadcast, Haunted Ulster Live follows similar formats and premises as Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special with a news crew investigating the supernatural for big ratings only to get in over their heads. And while the plot has certainly been done before, director Dominic O’Neill’s 90’s set tale of local access horror manages to stand out on its own ghastly feet. The dynamic between Gerry and Michelle is most prominent, with him being an experienced broadcaster who thinks this production is beneath him and Michelle being fresh blood who is considerably annoyed at being presented as costumed eye candy. This builds as the events within and around the domicile becomes too much to ignore as anything less than the real deal.

The cast of characters is rounded out by the McKillen family who have been dealing with the haunting for some time and how it’s had an effect on them. Experts are brought in to help explain the situation including the paranormal investigator Robert (Dave Fleming) and the psychic Sarah (Antoinette Morelli) who bring their own perspectives and angles to the haunting. A long and colorful history is established about the house, with Robert discussing how it used to be the site of an ancient ceremonial stone, the center of leylines, and how it was possibly possessed by the ghost of a former owner named Mr. Newell. And local legends abound about a nefarious spirit named Blackfoot Jack that would leave trails of dark footprints in his wake. It’s a fun twist having multiple potential explanations for the site’s strange occurrences instead of one end-all be-all source. Especially as the events unfold and the investigators try to discover the truth.

At its 79 minute timelength, and the encompassing broadcast, it’s a bit of a slow burn as the characters and lore is established. Between some news interruptions and behind the scenes footage, the action is mostly focused on Gerry and Michelle and the build up to their actual encounters with forces beyond their comprehension. I will give kudos that it went places I didn’t expect, leading to a surprisingly poignant and spiritually horrifying third act.

So, while Haunted Ulster Live isn’t exactly trendsetting, it definitely follows in the footsteps of similar found footage and broadcast horror films to walk its own path. Making for an entertaining and compact piece of mockumentary. If you’re a fan of the sub-genres, Haunted Ulster Live is well worth a watch.

3 eyes out of 5
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Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’

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There are fewer icons more recognizable than the slasher. Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers. Victor Crowley. Notorious killers who always seem to come back for more no matter how many times they are slain or their franchises seemingly put to a final chapter or nightmare. And so it seems that even some legal disputes cannot stop one of the most memorable movie murderers of all: Jason Voorhees!

Following the events of the first Never Hike Alone, outdoorsman and YouTuber Kyle McLeod (Drew Leighty) has been hospitalized after his encounter with the long thought dead Jason Voorhees, saved by perhaps the hockey masked killer’s greatest adversary Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) who now currently works as an EMT around Crystal Lake. Still haunted by Jason, Tommy Jarvis struggles to find a sense of stability and this latest encounter is pushing him to end the reign of Voorhees once and for all…

Never Hike Alone made a splash online as a well shot and thoughtful fan film continuation of the classic slasher franchise that was built up with the snowbound follow up Never Hike In The Snow and now climaxing with this direct sequel. It’s not only an incredible Friday The 13th love letter, but a well thought out and entertaining epilogue of sorts to the infamous ‘Tommy Jarvis Trilogy’ from within the franchise that encapsulated Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning, and Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Even getting some of the original cast back as their characters to continue the tale! Thom Mathews being the most prominent as Tommy Jarvis, but with other series casting like Vincent Guastaferro returning as now Sheriff Rick Cologne and still having a bone to pick with Jarvis and the mess around Jason Voorhees. Even featuring some Friday The 13th alumni like Part III‘s Larry Zerner as the mayor of Crystal Lake!

On top of that, the movie delivers on kills and action. Taking turns that some of the previous fils never got the chance to deliver on. Most prominently, Jason Voorhees going on a rampage through Crystal Lake proper when he slices his way through a hospital! Creating a nice throughline of the mythology of Friday The 13th, Tommy Jarvis and the cast’s trauma, and Jason doing what he does best in the most cinematically gory ways possible.

The Never Hike Alone films from Womp Stomp Films and Vincente DiSanti are a testament to the fanbase of Friday The 13th and the still enduring popularity of those films and of Jason Voorhees. And while officially, no new movie in the franchise is on the horizon for the foreseeable future, at the very least there is some comfort knowing fans are willing to go to these lengths to fill the void.

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Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’

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shelby oaks

If you have been following Chris Stuckmann on YouTube you are aware of the struggles he has had getting his horror movie Shelby Oaks finished. But there’s good news about the project today. Director Mike Flanagan (Ouija: Origin Of Evil, Doctor Sleep and The Haunting) is backing the film as a co-executive producer which might bring it much closer to being released. Flanagan is a part of the collective Intrepid Pictures which also includes Trevor Macy and Melinda Nishioka.

Shelby Oaks
Shelby Oaks

Stuckmann is a YouTube movie critic who’s been on the platform for over a decade. He came under some scrutiny for announcing on his channel two years ago that he would no longer be reviewing films negatively. However contrary to that statement, he did a non-review essay of the panned Madame Web recently saying, that studios strong-arm directors to make films just for the sake of keeping failing franchises alive. It seemed like a critique disguised as a discussion video.

But Stuckmann has his own movie to worry about. In one of Kickstarter’s most successful campaigns, he managed to raise over $1 million for his debut feature film Shelby Oaks which now sits in post-production. 

Hopefully, with Flanagan and Intrepid’s help, the road to Shelby Oak’s completion is reaching its end. 

“It’s been inspiring to watch Chris working toward his dreams over the past few years, and the tenacity and DIY spirit he displayed while bringing Shelby Oaks to life reminded me so much of my own journey over a decade ago,” Flanagan told Deadline. “It’s been an honor to walk a few steps with him on his path, and to offer support for Chris’ vision for his ambitious, unique movie. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.”

Stuckmann says Intrepid Pictures has inspired him for years and, “it’s a dream come true to work with Mike and Trevor on my first feature.”

Producer Aaron B. Koontz of Paper Street Pictures has been working with Stuckmann since the beginning is also excited about the collaboration.

“For a film that had such a hard time getting going, it’s remarkable the doors that then opened to us,” said Koontz. “The success of our Kickstarter followed by the on-going leadership and guidance from Mike, Trevor, and Melinda is beyond anything I could have hoped for.”

Deadline describes the plot of Shelby Oaks as follows:

“A combination of documentary, found footage, and traditional film footage styles, Shelby Oaks centers on Mia’s (Camille Sullivan) frantic search for her sister, Riley, (Sarah Durn) who ominously disappeared in the last tape of her “Paranormal Paranoids” investigative series. As Mia’s obsession grows, she begins to suspect that the imaginary demon from Riley’s childhood may have been real.”

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