Noticias

How One Cut of the Dead Inspired Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 3’s Crowdfunding Story & Where to Watch It (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4 is swinging in full flow after an unexpected tonal shift that elevated it from a light harem sitcom into a sophisticated anime about dreams, responsibilities, and filmmaking. The third season framed Kazuya as a producer and Mizuhara as the actress at the center of a crowdfunded project, expanding the anime series beyond dating antics.

Instead of relying only on romantic misunderstandings, the story explored Japan’s independent film culture, from arduous planning to delicate execution. Though Mizuhara’s silver screen debut exists only within fiction, one real Japanese production embodies the same spirit. That film not only redefined genre conventions but also inspired Kazuya’s bold choice in the anime.

Rent-a-Girlfriend Season 4 Blur-ray Illustration. pic.twitter.com/1p6WkMdCMf

— Anime News And Facts (@AniNewsAndFacts) August 16, 2025

One Cut of the Dead...

The fact that it was made for just 26 million yen and that it was initially shown in just a single theater before becoming a word-of-mouth sensation makes it incredibly easy to root for writer-director Yasuda Jun’ichi’s A Samurai in Time. The fact that the film itself is a kooky time-travel tale with a sweet side, a great lead performance, and a palpable love of filmmaking only makes it that much easier.

Kosaka Shinzaemon (Yamaguchi Makiya) is an Edo-period samurai of no particular renown who’s sent out one night to take down a swordsman from a rival clan. Eager to prove himself as a warrior of real caliber, Kosaka crosses blades with Yamagata Hikokuro (Shonozaki Ken), only for a stray bolt of lightning to strike his sword and zap him straight into 2007.

A Samurai in Time instantly adds a fun wrinkle to its time-travel hook by having Kosaka...

I often wonder what Steven Spielberg really thinks about shark movies. Let’s face it, Jaws is a masterpiece and inspired an ocean full of imitations that have continued to be made from 1975 until today. However, he makes one dinosaur film and no one else wants to touch them, what gives?

Onsen shâku better known to us non-Japanese speakers as Hot Spring Shark Attack is Jaws’s insane descendent featuring as it does a series of gruesome killings, a fine finned fiend on the loose and a tourism obsessed Major desperate to stop anyone knowing what is really going on.

Set in the Monaco of the East, Atsumi in a small town known for its multiple hot springs the Mayor (Takuya Fujimura) is about to build a new sea resort which will bring in plenty of visitors, but is unpopular with the locals. It turns out this is the least...

Since its launch in 2004 in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, the Skip City International D‑Cinema Festival has served as a gateway for emerging talent, discovering and supporting new voices in cinema. It has helped launch the careers of notable filmmakers such as Kei Ishikawa (A Pale View of Hills), Kazuya Shiraishi (Lesson in Murder), Ryota Nakano (The Asadas), Shinichiro Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), and Shinzo Katayama (Missing).

For its 22nd edition in 2025, the festival will be held over nine days from Friday, July 18 to Saturday, July 26 at Skip City in Kawaguchi, Saitama, and will return fully to theatrical screenings—online screenings will not be available. Starting this year, the Competition will focus exclusively on Japanese films, spotlighting the next generation of visual creators. From 271 submissions, 13 films were selected. Director Kei Ishikawa, a leading figure in Japanese cinema, will serve as Jury President. As part of the special feature Pathways to Directing Commercial Films,...

When Danny Boyle dropped 28 Years Later, it wasn’t just another zombie sequel — it was a full-blown resurrection of everything the franchise stood for, now infused with new dread, chaos, and cinematic boldness. The man behind 28 Days Later didn’t just return to polish up an old hit. He came back swinging, rebuilding his survival-horror vision from scratch and giving fans something fiercer, darker, and far more apocalyptic than expected. The virus still rages, the atmosphere is bleaker, and this time, the bite is deeper.

What makes this trilogy so addictive isn’t just the screaming infected or bleak British cityscapes — it’s that gut-twisting sense of despair mixed with sharp social commentary and emotionally raw characters. That said, if 28 Years Later got your adrenaline pumping, your mind racing, and your heart thudding in your throat, then it’s time to check out a few more cinematic...

Japanese horror comedy Hot Spring Shark Attack is unleashing the sharks this July with a brand new release date.

Utopia will bring the comedic shark horror movie to select theaters and major streaming and cable platforms on July 11.

More specifically, Hot Spring Shark Attack will debut for special previews at various Alamo Drafthouse locations on Wednesday, July 9. The film will officially open theatrically for extended runs and special engagements Friday, July 11, including Los Angeles and New York City.

The same day, audiences across North America will be able to rent or own Hot Spring Shark Attack on Cable VOD and Digital HD, including Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, iNDEMAND and Vubiquity.

Hot Spring Shark Attack (aka Onsen Shâku) takes place in “a small hot spring town in Japan, a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople band...

This looks ridiculous in the best possible way.

Hot Spring Shark Attack Trailer And Photos

After watching the trailer, I have nothing except I can't wait to watch this with friends. Utopia brings it to select theaters, major streaming platforms, and cable on July 11th, 2025. Directed by Morihito Inoue, the cast includes Takuya Fujimura (One Cut of the Dead), Daniel Aguilar (Shin Godzilla), Shôichirô Akaboshi, Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Kiyobumi Kaneko, and Mio Takaki.

In a small hot spring town in Japan, a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople band together to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator, leading to a fierce and thrilling battle.

Click images to enlarge.

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"Run! It's a trap by the shark!" Ahahaha. Yes it is! Utopia has revealed an official trailer for a movie called Hot Spring Shark Attack, a totally bonkers B-movie from Japan about a shark attack an onsen. Yep they really went and made this. The film premiered at the 2024 Tokyo International Shark Film Festival, where it took home the Audience Award. It already opened in Japan last summer, and is finally getting a theatrical run in the US starting in July this summer. There have been cases of mysterious disappearances of onsen visitors in Atsumi City. The victims were eventually found dead with signs of severe injuries to their bodies resembling a vicious shark attack. It turns out ferocious sharks revived from ancient times are now freely moving between the hot springs... Onsen Shark (as it is originally known) stars Takuya Fujimura (also from One Cut of the Dead), Daniel Aguilar,...

In 2017, director Shinichiro Ueda became an instant celebrity thanks to his genius low-budget box-office smasher “One Cut of the Dead”, a clever mix of comedy and zombies with a twist he both wrote and directed. The bar had been set very high, and his following films never quite matched the success of his debut feature. This year, he is presenting his new caper/comedy “Angry Squad: Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers”, whose screenplay – co-written with Yuko Miyashita – has been in the making for a long time.

Angry Squad Civil Servant and Seven Swindlers is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival

Corporate tax officer Jiro Kumazawa (Seiyo Uchino) is a sweet-hearted, middle-aged family man who’s more inclined to help and advise local small-business owners than hunt down major criminals. In contrast, his colleague Mochizuki (Kawai Rina) sees herself as a superhero-style avenger, relentlessly pursuing big-time tax evaders. Her current target...

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Zombies have been a thing in cinema for nearly a century now, and since then, we have seen countless films that employ the flesh-eating monsters to tell various kinds of stories. In this sub-genre, we have seen many high and low budget films from the incredibly popular World War Z to the brilliant 28 Days Later, and while these films are every bit worthy of the praise they get, there are some films that get nearly no praise, as the masses still haven’t heard about them. To rectify that, we have compiled a list of the best and most entertaining zombie films that you might not have heard of.

One Cut of the Dead (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Shudder

One Cut of the Dead is a Japanese independent zombie comedy film written and directed by Shin’ichirō Ueda.

Vaulted on the international stage by his low-budget horror blockbuster “One Cut of the Dead” (2017) director Shinichiro Ueda gives a shot at a feature film adaption of the Korean TV series “Squad 38”. Ueda tries to surf his wave of success and is backed by a prominent cast to tell a story about revenge within the prude setting of Japanese bureaucracy. After its international premiere at Shanghai Japanese Film Festival “Angry Squad” continues its rally around the world with the European premiere at Udine Fat East Film Festival.

Angry Squad is screening in Far East FIlm Festival

Tax officer Kumazawa Jiro is deceived by a swindler when buying a used car. When he manages to confront the swindler, the latter offers to help him steal over a billion yen (for charitable purposes) from a shady businessman who systematically evades taxes, in exchange for Jiro not pressing charges against him. Jiro...

Japanese horror, often referred to as J-horror, has captivated and terrified audiences worldwide with its distinct approach to the genre. Unlike its Western counterparts, which frequently rely on overt violence and jump scares, J-horror typically excels in creating a pervasive atmosphere of dread, tapping into deep-seated psychological fears, and exploring the unsettling realm of the supernatural. This unique sensibility has earned Japanese horror films global recognition and significant influence, particularly during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. This article aims to delve into the pantheon of Japanese horror cinema, identifying the most consistently acclaimed films, examining their key features and cultural significance, and exploring their enduring legacy on the international stage.

Defining the Apex of Fear: Identifying the Top Japanese Horror Films

Determining the definitive “best” Japanese horror movies of all time is a subjective endeavor, yet a consensus emerges when examining numerous reputable sources, including film review websites,...

As subscribers know, Shudder is gearing up for Halfway to Halloween beginning in April. But there is also another milestone they are more than happy to celebrate, and that’s the horror streaming platform’s 10-year anniversary.

The “terrifyingly ambitious programming” will include more Shudder original films, fun events for their fans, special merchandise, and much more. There will even be a Shudder 10 Screening Series, which will feature a curated collection of Shudder films.

Sam Zimmerman, Shudder’s Head of Programming said this is their chance to thank horror fans, especially subscribers who have, in some cases, been along on the ride for the full ten years. “This year, we celebrate where Shudder’s been and give our members a taste of the horrors to come.”

Here is what we have to look forward to during the Shudder 10 celebration:Halfway to Halloween programming – The April schedule has already been announced, with new arrivals including 825 Forest Road,...

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium horror streaming service, will mark its 10th anniversary and a decade of the best in horror with its most terrifyingly ambitious programming slate to date, special fan events, customized merchandise, and more.

Shudder 10, which kicks off during the streamer’s annual Halfway to Halloween horror-thon, will also feature a nationwide screening tour, the Shudder 10 Screening Series, featuring a curated selection of Shudder films.

“Since day one, Shudder has hoped to showcase the breadth and depth of horror, crafting and releasing provocative, frightening work with renowned masters and pioneering new voices, said Sam Zimmerman, Head of Programming for Shudder. “It’s humbling to establish a mark on the genre we love so much at a time when horror is perhaps more widely embraced than ever before.

“We’re incredibly thankful to the passionate fanbase that’s joined us these last ten years and to the immeasurably talented...

This year marks the 10-year anniversary for Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium horror streaming service, and they’re celebrating with a year’s worth of festivities that include special fan events, programming, custom merchandise and much more.

Shudder 10, which kicks off during Shudder’s annual “Halfway to Halloween” programming event, will also feature a nationwide screening tour, “Shudder 10 Screening Series,” that’ll include a curated selection of Shudder films.

“Since day one, Shudder has hoped to showcase the breadth and depth of horror, crafting and releasing provocative, frightening work with renowned masters and pioneering new voices, said Sam Zimmerman, Head of Programming for Shudder. “It’s humbling to establish a mark on the genre we love so much, at a time when horror is perhaps more widely embraced than ever before. We’re incredibly thankful to the passionate fanbase that’s joined us these last ten years and to the immeasurably...

AMC Networks’ Shudder has announced the titles that will be available on the streaming service next month. The Shudder April 2025 slate includes horror, thriller, and supernatural titles.

The April schedule includes 825 Forest Road, Dead Mail, Fréwaka, The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs Season 7, Shadow of God, and repertory titles.

Shudder’s expanding library of films, TV series, and original content is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

825 Forest Road Shudder April 2025 Highlights

Films

825 Forest Road (Shudder Original Film) – New Film Premieres Friday, April 4

From the creator of the Hell House LLC franchise, Stephen Cognetti, the film centers on Chuck Wilson starting a new life after a family tragedy when he moves to the town of Ashland Falls with his wife, Maria, and little sister, Elizabeth. But he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret.

The ghost...

With Jaws turning 50 this year, there’s blood in the water for shark horror. That includes Hot Spring Shark Attack; the Japanese feature has been acquired for North American release by Utopia, per Deadline.

Because sharks are synonymous with summer horror fum, Utopia is planning a summer 2025 rollout. Though release dates have yet to be announced.

Hot Spring Shark Attack (aka Onsen Shâku) takes place in “a small hot spring town in Japan, a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople band together to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator, leading to a fierce and thrilling battle.”

The horror comedy marks the feature directorial debut of writer/director Morihito Inoue. The cast includes Takuya Fujimura (One Cut of the Dead), Daniel Aguilar (Shin Godzilla), Shôichirô Akaboshi, Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Kiyobumi Kaneko, and Mio Takaki.

In Japan,...

Japanese cinema is one of the world's oldest and largest film industries, producing countless gems. J-horror, in particular, has carved a chilling niche in global cinema, even inspiring trends and remakes of classics in Hollywood. The genre's uncanny ability to unsettle audiences can be traced back to Japan's rich cultural history of ghost stories shared for centuries.

J-horror began gaining global recognition in the late 1990s and early 2000s, thanks to films like Ringu (The Ring) and Ju-on (The Grudge). These films introduced viewers to eerie, slow-building atmospheres and terrifying spirits often tied to themes of revenge and unresolved traumas. Yet the roots of J-horror go deeper. Movies likeJigoku (Hell) helped pioneer the genre by combining traditional folklore with the emerging anxieties of modern Japan. J-horror has left an indelible mark on cinema, with some movies being among the scariest ever made worldwide.

Updated February 11, 2025, by Anthony Jeanetta. Japan...

Zombies and comedy are two genres that rarely miss when done right, just take a look at everything from Zombieland to Shaun of the Dead. Then there’s Final Cut, which takes a step beyond doing it right by flipping the actual concept of zombie movies on its head. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, the same brilliant mind that brought us The Artist, this French remake of the Japanese cult hit One Cut of the Dead is somewhat of a cheeky love letter to low-budget filmmaking. At first glance, the movie seems like a typical zombie flick, fully armed with shambling undead and B-movie chaos. Then the mask comes off and reveals a wildly unexpected story full of slapstick humor, heartfelt moments, and tons of clever nods to the hardships indie film crews face.

No longer just a day, Black Friday sales now kick off the week before Thanksgiving.

In fact, Amazon has already launched sales on dozens of horror (and genre-adjacent) 4K Ultra HDs, Blu-rays, and DVD, compiled below.

These discounts aren’t guaranteed to last, so act fast!

4K Uhd Collections:

Dune / Dune: Part Two – $29.99 The Dark Knight Trilogy – $29.99 Rosemary’s Baby / Pet Sematary / Crawl / Smile / Sweeney Todd – $39.99 Friday the 13th Part 2 / Breakdown / World War Z / Orphan: First Kill – $47.39 Jurassic World: 6-Movie Collection – $49.99 The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy – $54.99 The Ring Collection – $59.29 Mad Max: 5-Film Collection – $69.99 Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment – $80.00 Universal Classic Monsters: 8-Film Collection – $96.98

4K Uhd Movies:

Escape From L.A. – $8.99 Cloverfield – $8.99 Brawl In Cell Block 99 – $9.96 Talk To Me – $9.99 King Kong (2005) – $10.99 Godzilla (2014) – $10.99 Kong: Skull Island – $10.99 Godzilla: King of the Monsters – $10.99 Godzilla vs Kong – $10.99 The Thing – $10.99 Shaun of the Dead – $10.99 The Shining – $10.99 A Quiet Place – $10.99 M3GAN – $10.99 Nope – $10.99 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse...

Zombies are a reoccurring trope in horror movies today, especially due to the exceptional success of apocalyptic TV shows such as The Walking Dead and The Last of Us. During this time of year, when viewers indulge in various scary movies to celebrate the spooky season, many fans of the undead seek out the best narratives in terms of quality, fright, and creativity.

One of the sites viewers often turn to for movie recommendations is Rotten Tomatoes, which features a list of the 100 best zombie movies. Though some viewers may disagree with the ranking of this list, it offers some great recommendations for a gory undead marathon. This collection of zombie movie hits offers everything from classics such as Night of the Living Dead to hidden gems such as One Cut of the Dead.

Zombieland (2009) Is Shockingly Complex 89% On Rotten Tomatoes

At the beginning of Zombieland, viewers learn Columbus, a...

Doing a scene in one take or making it look like a scene has been done in one uncut take is more difficult than it looks or sounds. So, you can only imagine what it must take to do an entire film that is either done in one shot or made to look like it is. Some of the most popular examples that come to mind are Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman, Sam Mendes’ 1917, and James Nunn’s action extravaganzas, One Shot and One More Shot. Now, many have criticized that, given how the “invisible cuts” in these movies are pretty visible, the whole one shot gimmick feels like a distraction rather than an efficient way to give viewers an immersive experience. Well, that’s where films like Victoria, One Cut of the Dead, and Boiling Point come into play, as they have achieved the aforementioned...

Spoopy Season is upon us, dear readers, and any cineaste worth their weight in bone matter is likely scouring the world's many streaming services looking for the best fright flicks available. Most casual horror fans may be content to idly re-watch well-trodden classics like "Halloween," while more enterprising gorehounds will be studiously studying the carefully curated films on Shudder. The jaded, more experienced fright fans, however, will require stronger coffee to get their fear fix, and those brave souls may dive face-first into the overstuffed trough of Night Flight or Eternal Family, looking for oddities that the average soul cannot stand. Are you going to watch a gentle film like "Hocus Pocus" this October, or are you the type to try out "Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder in Hell?"

We can say for sure that actor Kevin Bacon, a great actor with impeccable taste, is an aficionado of the genre and likes...

Everyone’s got horror on the mind as we inch closer to Halloween, and that list of “everyone” most definitely includes Kevin Bacon, who has damn sure made his mark on the horror genre over the years. From appearing in the original Friday the 13th to starring in this year’s MaXXXine, Bacon’s horror pedigree is strong – and he’s a genre fan through and through.

Bacon notes in one of the bonus features for MaXXXine, “I’m a huge horror film fan.” And he’s building on that statement over on Twitter today, sharing some of his personal favorites.

“I love October because it’s all about apples and leaves changing and pumpkins, but it’s also about horror movies,” he begins the video. “So here are 20 of my favorite horror movies in no particular order.” The list naturally includes some films the Bacon family has appeared in,...

Turn out the lights, lock your doors, and prepare to ‘shudder’ this Halloween.

Turn out the lights and light up your jack-o-lanterns because it’s that time of year… Halloween is right around the corner. That’s music (or screaming) to the ears of horror movie and TV series fans who love nothing more than a haunting flick in the dark. And in the spirit of the spooky season, we’re here to give you the lowdown on one of the best streaming services for horror fans: Shudder. Here’s everything you need to know about the scariest streamer out there.

7-Day Free Trial $6.99+ / month amazon.com Everything You Need to Know About Shudder Horror Streaming Service

What Is Shudder?

How Much Does Shudder Cost?

What Hit Movies And TV Shows Can You Watch on Shudder?

What Platforms Can You Watch Shudder With?

What Is Shudder?

Shudder is a streaming video service specializing in horror,...

There's no other pop culture phenomenon as universally well-known yet hated as zombies. The flesh-eating undead hordes as audiences know them today have been around ever since George A. Romero codified them with Night of the Living Dead in 1968, but they experienced a massive resurgence in the 2010s. At the time, almost every facet of pop culture embraced the living dead, from books like World War Z to video games like Left 4 Dead. The most notable and important example was The Walking Dead's first critically-acclaimed season, which was arguably this revival's epicenter and peak. For the better part of a decade, zombies were inescapable.

But as the years dragged on, zombies lost their luster. The living dead became so overused and ubiquitous that everyone got sick of them. Now, zombies are seen as a punchline and a red flag for a lack of creativity and originality. But then in...

Stars: Olivier Paris, Jade Chynoweth, Bill Moseley, Kurt Deimer, Lin Shaye, Victoria Konefal, Rae Dawn Chong | Written and Directed by Paul Boyd

Scared to Death, not to be confused with William Malone’s 1980 creature feature, is the latest horror film about the making of a horror film to come our way. From House of Seven Corpses to A Cat in the Brain, Darkness Reigns, and One Cut of the Dead, it’s a popular subgenre. And it shows no signs of going away any time soon.

Jasper is a production assistant on the film Dead House, which is pretty much the lowest position on the filmmaking ladder. But like many PAs he’s ambitious, and as we meet him he’s checking out a potential location, The Stern Orphanage It’s been closed for seventy years since five children were found literally scared to death. It’s the perfect place to shoot a horror film,...

I had somehow never seen Frank Oz's hilarious Hollywood satire "Bowfinger" until last night, and it was only just now, as I write this, that I realized the movie celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday. Weird timing! Anyway, "Bowfinger" is fantastic, with comedic masters Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy both operating at an incredibly high level throughout. Murphy, in particular, is amazing in dual roles; he plays a paranoid superstar actor named Kit Ramsey, as well as a goofy, lovable loser named Jiff, and the two performances could not be more different.

The film is about a schlocky B-movie filmmaker named Bobby Bowfinger (Martin), who tries to surreptitiously direct a movie starring a cast of nobodies alongside one of the world's biggest actors (Murphy) without the star ever finding out he's in their movie. It's a terrific premise, and it got me thinking about other films that focus on making movies,...

From 1930s silent horror films to George A. Romero's 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead to the recent wave of movies that put zombies in increasingly unexpected situations, the undead creatures have been fascinating audiences for a long time. Throughout the decades, zombies have gained the characteristics they're known for today. And at the same time, many of the best zombie movies of the 2010s and 2020s put them in new genres and give new abilities to these wild antagonists. This is great news for fans of zombie movies, who have a more diverse catalog to choose from now.

Since 2015, interesting zombie movies have been coming out from all over the world. The British musical Anna and the Apocalypse goes the extra mile when it comes to reinventing genres and mixes a Christmas comedy musical with the undead doomsday. In contrast, the Australian drama Cargo is grounded in realism...

Fantastic Pavilion, the genre business hub launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, announced a slew of deals closed at the venue this year, with L..A-based Severin Films, a boutique Blu-ray and DVD label, inking a pact to release eleven Special Edition physical discs of the most popular Originals and licensed features from horror subscription streamer Shudder and IFC Films.

Initial titles include Joko Anwar’s “Satan’s Slaves”; Brandon Cronenberg’s “Antiviral”; Can Evrenol’s “Baskin”; Franck Khalfoun’s 2012 remake of “Maniac”; Douglas Buck’s 2006 remake of “Sisters” and André Øvredal’s “The Autopsy of Jane Doe.”

The deal was brokered by Severin Film’s co-founder-ceo David Gregory, Shudder’s Vice President of Programming Sam Zimmerman, and AMC Networks Director of Content Sales Lucas Verga.

“The work done at Severin Films is astounding,” said Zimmerman, adding: “They are directly responsible for some of the greatest home video releases ever...

George A. Romero's legacy will continue with his daughter making more zombie films inspired by the work of her father. Called Queens of the Dead, the new film from Tina Romero will be paying homage while introducing the filmmaker's own unique take on the genre.

Tina Romero spoke about the project in a new intervie with Fangoria. She looked back at her father's legendary zombie films, including Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead. Not only did this movies spawn an all-new subgenre of horror, they served as allegories for real-life social issues of the era. Romero said that her upcoming film will take a similar approach, as this will keep the "Romero zombie alive" while adding something new to zombie horror.

Related 10 Ways 28 Days Later Upended the Zombie Genre

The announcement of 28 Years Later re-ignited interest in the groundbreaking zombie horror films,...

Skip City International D-Cinema Festival which started in 2004 in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, has been held every year as a “gateway for emerging talent” centered on the International Competition and the Japanese Film Competition (features and shorts). The festival launched the careers of Kazuya Shiraishi (Lesson in Murder), Ryota Nakano (The Asadas), Shinichiro Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Shinzo Katayama (Missing) and many other directors who are leading the Japanese film industry as top runners and whose new movies audiences are looking forward to seeing.

The 21st edition will be held both at theaters and online as a hybrid festival again.

On Friday, June 7th, we held a press conference to announce the full line-up consisting of the titles of the whole line-up. This year's festival will open with Acting for Beginners, directed by Takeshi Kushida, who won the 2020 Skip City Award for Woman of the Photographs, the nomination...

If you're a true scary movie fan, then you likely know that Japanese horror is where it's at. There's just a touch of J-horror that is missing in Western productions. Whether it be the deeply thematic ideas at play, their approach to allegory, singular supernatural edge, or the deep sadness in these stories, there's a particular flavor that struggles to translate elsewhere even in the routinely mild to terrible remakes of J-horror classics. While this corner of the horror genre is best known and filled out by ghost stories, its reaches go far beyond surface level paranormal chills. Recent zombie flicks like One Cut of the Dead and the Resident Evil franchise prove that these pictures are more than just cursed videotapes and ghostly grudges. While its parameters stretch to greater lengths than most might recognize, there's one kaiju-sized face in J-horror that many tend to overlook. Yes, Godzilla counts.

Quick Links Some Guys Walk Into a Diner... Jocelin Donahue's Diner Jim Cummings Is a Star

There's a rare type of film that breaks halfway through or so, where the story we've been following suddenly shifts into something totally unexpected, or outright cuts to new characters completely. Of course, Alfred Hitchock's Psycho is famous for this, and it seems to be most prominent in horror films like that Audition, One Cut of the Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Empty Man, and Zach Cregger's recent film, Barbarian. Now add Francis Galluppi's feature film debut, the deliciously tense Western thriller, The Last Stop in Yuma County, which has finally hit the masses this week. Its success on the festival circuit led to Galluppi being tapped to helm one of the next installments in the timeless Evil Dead franchise.

The great director Jim Cummings stars in the film alongside...

The intense emergence of films about films that has been happening the last few years in Asian cinema is probably one of the most exciting concepts to be taking place in the region's cinema. Yandy Laurens tries his hand in the (sub) genre, through an approach that provides one of its apogees.

Falling in Love Like in Movies is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase

The film shows its colors (pun intended) from the introductory scene. A script writer, Bagus (who is played by Ringgo Agus Rahman) enters the office of his producer, Yoram, who, once more, wants him to adapt another successful TV drama to a movie. Bagus, however, has another concept in his mind, of a black-and-white rom-com which is based on his actual experience, after meeting Hana, his old high school flames, and pursues a romantic relationship with her, even though it has just...

There is no such thing as a perfect movie.

No matter how integral a certain film may be to the history of cinema, no matter how widely beloved it might be by a mass audience, and no matter how politically and sociologically relevant it may have been to the modern world, there is always an error, a nitpick, an omission, or a production problem that can be included. No work of art is going to be 100% unassailable, largely because a wide swath of humanity will be able to see it, and no two people are going to feel exactly the same way about it.

In modern parlance, the closest critics and audiences may be able to come to a measurable consensus is the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The way Rotten Tomatoes works: professional critics, writing for a broad gallery of approved outlets, submit a review to Rt, selecting it to be "fresh" or "rotten.

By taking the tricks and tropes associated with films about occult goings-on and applies them in the context of a 1970s talk show, Australian writer-directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes have conjured up a horror flick that’s devilishly fun. Late Night with the Devil sets the scene with a montage, authoritatively narrated by Michael Ironside. Day after day, news programs report on the Watergate scandal, the Manson family, and other offenses as if on loop. Perhaps that’s why there’s such an appetite for the likes of Johnny Carson—well-groomed, quick-witted men who who almost nightly offer a sense of order and familiarity to an increasingly anxious populous, a feeling that maybe things will be alright after all.

Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is no Johnny Carson. His quaint Midwestern charms earned his late-night show, Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a respectable following, but it was clear that he would...

In the sprawling universe of zombie cinema, where the undead reign supreme, there’s a horde of underrated zombie movies that, despite their brilliance, have shuffled under the radar, unnoticed by many a horror fan. These are not your run-of-the-mill brain munchers; they are the unsung heroes of the genre, blending traditional horror with innovative storytelling, unique perspectives, and in some cases, a good dose of humor.

For those willing to venture off the beaten path, these films offer fresh takes on the apocalypse, compelling narratives, and unforgettable characters. Let’s unearth these hidden treasures, starting with number ten and working our way to the crown jewel of underrated zombie flicks.

IFC Midnight 10. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) kicks off our list with a turbo-charged adventure set in the Australian outback. Imagine a world where Mad Max meets Dawn of the Dead—this is Wyrmwood.

Zombies often take the horror-comedy to a new level. In their shambling quest to mine humor from the most horrific circumstances, zombie comedies invert the apocalyptic nihilism that an outbreak of the undead tends to elicit. They also subvert the expectations of zombie horror, frequently going meta to poke fun at some of the most time honored tropes.

Because it’s Monday, we could all use a laugh or three. So, this week’s streaming picks are dedicated to zombie comedies that aim not for the jugular (or brain) but your funny bone.

These five zombie comedies find unique ways to play with the genre and get silly with it, messing with form and era in the process. Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Dead Heat – The Roku Channel, Tubi

Dead Heat takes the buddy cop formula popularized...

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.

The Pitch: Can You Spoil Something This Surreal?

Few experiences surpass stumbling onto a jaw-dropping moment in film totally unspoiled. The big twist in “One Cut of the Dead.” The Fern Mayo reveal in “Jawbreaker.” Top to bottom, every second of “Titane.” These are scenes across varying genres and eras that live in my bones as electric moments I didn’t expect to see, but that reminded me why I whole-heartedly love the movies when I did. Hence, this column’s spoiler-free/spoiler-filled bifurcation.

Guy Maddin’s “The Saddest Music in the World” contains one such moment,...

As We Know It is a quirky zombie comedy film with endearing chemistry between the cast and punchy jokes that enhance its appeal. The film derives most of its comedy through references to movies and pop culture, creating a light and absurd atmosphere. The magnetic cast, particularly Oliver Cooper, delivers great performances that make the comedy land effectively and lead to compelling relationships between the characters, despite one ill-advised romance.

As We Know It is a very appealing zombie comedy film in a similar vein as Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland. It may not boast the same level of timeless entertainment as those films or something more complex like One Cut of the Dead, but its quirky comedy and the endearing chemistry between the entire cast make for a fun and simple 90-minute zombie comedy. The romantic relationship between the two lead characters, James (Mike Castle) and Emily (Taylor Blackwell), is a little forced,...

Stars: Eili Harboe, Dennis Storhoi, Regina Tucker, Vebjorn Enger, Jonis Jesf, Iben Akerlie, Arthur Berning | Written and Directed by Henrik Martin Dahlsbakken

Like many people, you might think you’ve seen everything when it comes to zombie movies. But there’s always somebody with a new idea, a fresh and original take on the horror genre. Films like One Cut of the Dead, Anna and the Apocalypse, and Train to Busan, have all added something new to the zombie movie, and this Norwegian production tries to do the same.

And Project Z is somewhat original. It takes things from various other movies to create something that is quite unique. To start with, this is a found footage movie, and there’s actually not a whole lot of found footage zombie movies. It doesn’t exactly play out like other films in that horror subgenre though, because it’s a movie about people making a movie.

Hiroshi Shinagawa, Japanese comedian, director, screenwriter, and one-half of the comedy duo “Shinagawa Shoji,” will direct zombie mockumentary feature Among the Dead, Bloody Disgusting has learned. It’s the first screenplay from the freshly-minted father/daughter duo, Andy Cosby and Charlie Danger, collectively known as Midnight Pizza.

This will also be the first project emanating from the co-production and co-financing venture between US-based People of Culture Studios and Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo Co.

Among the Dead is an English-language Paranormal Activity-style found footage zombie movie written by esteemed comic book creator, film producer, and screenwriter Andy Cosby and Charlie Danger Cosby, along with some help from Brian Caldirola, Patrick Hasson and Juan Carlos Saizarbitoria.

“As the rest of the world finds its equilibrium in the aftermath of an undead apocalypse, one emotionally unstable man abandons friends and family to go live among the few remaining zombies before they’re all gone.

Japanese comedian Shinagawa Hiroshi has been set as the director of “Among the Dead,” the first project flowing from the co-production and co-financing venture between U.S.-based People of Culture Studios and Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo.

The previously-announced project is an English-language, found footage zombie movie in which, following an apocalypse of the undead, one emotionally unstable man abandons friends and family to go live among the few remaining zombies before they’re all gone.

The screenplay was written by father/daughter duo, Andy Cosby and Charlie Danger Cosby, collectively known as Midnight Pizza. Other writing credits go to Brian Caldirola, Patrick Hasson and Juan Carlos Saizarbitoria.

Shinagawa is one-half of the comedy duo Shinagawa Shoji, alongside Tomoharu Shoji, and has a considerable acting filmography in his own right including “Deadman Inferno,” “One Third,” and “Drop.” Shinagawa additionally served as director, writer, and starred in the 2011 comedy-drama “Slapstick Brothers.

Stars: Nilam Farooq, David Kross, Justus von Dohnányi | Written and Directed by Thomas Sieben

I do have a pretty poor reason for wanting to watch Home Sweet Home: Where Evil Lives. At least initially anyway because the reason being is that it holds the same title (Home Sweet Home) as the first book I wrote and released. Obviously, I then had a quick read of the synopsis and discovered that this a film that is shot in one-shot, real-time, and I got even more excited.

It’s not featured a whole lot in the genre but I love films that are shot with one shot. It seems like an incredibly difficult thing to achieve and it always impresses me. The script (and obviously the performances) have to be near perfect. Silent House and the exceptional One Cut of the Dead, have proved that it can absolutely work in horror.

In Home Sweet Home,...

The U.S. premieres of the films Yoko, Ripple, and Tea Friends highlight the seventh Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan (Aca) Cinema Project, which will spotlight “Emerging Japanese Films” in a series set to run Sept. 26-28 at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

The Aca is sponsoring the series as the cornerstone of its Japan Overseas Expansion Enhancement Project. Visual Industry Promotion Organization (Vipo) serves as the steward for the encore of the screening series.

Launching the Aca Cinema Project on September 26 at 7:00 Pm is the stateside debut of Kazuyoshi Kumakiri’s quirky, character-driven, road trip drama Yoko (2022; Trt: 113 minutes). Yoko represents the longtime professional reunion of director Kumakiri and Oscar-nominated actress Rinko Kikuchi. Yoko marks the 20-year follow-up to their initial collaboration, 2001 Rotterdam International Film Festival Fipresci Prize winner Hole in the Sky.

Set for September 27 is Ripples (2023; Trt: 120 minutes), a...

It's the most fantastic time of the year once again, when the fans of the creepy, the weird, the fun, and the bizarre gather in Austin Texas to celebrate a whole week of the best genre cinema has to offer during another iteration of Fantastic Fest.

The ongoing double strike of SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, and the studios' stupid refusal to negotiate already, put all the fall film festivals in doubt. Still, the lineup for this year's Fantastic Fest seems to maintain the expected balance of big genre premieres, international titles, small indies, and all-around weird stuff.

Possibly the biggest announcement is the triumphant return of Mike Flanagan to Austin with the first two episodes of his last Netflix show, "The Fall of the House of Usher," which boasts the most impressive cast for a Flanagan joint yet. The last time the filmmaker was at the festival was with...

In this time of geekery and craft reigning supreme, film critics and academics no longer reject horror movies with the knee-jerk certainty some once did. But even now the specter of “elevated horror” (see that concept’s lambasting in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Scream 5”) looms over discussions of artier explorations of dread and terror — Ari Aster’s “Midsommar,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria,” Rose Glass’ “Saint Maud” — that are clearly distinguished from, well, non-elevated horror. The general gist is that these exceptions to the “horror is bad” rule engage your brain more than just showing brains: eaten by zombies or splattered against the wall.

How can films that fire your adrenal glands, send shivers down your spine, raise goosebumps, and quicken your breath — that inspire such an intense physical reaction — also be cerebral experiences? The answer is obvious enough. Viewers forget all the time that, as Anna Karina...

Kazuaki Nagaya has established his talent as an actor with a unique resume, appearing in movies like “One Cut of the Dead” and “Mio on the Shore.” Now, he makes his directorial debut with his feature film, “Mending Cracks,” which he also stars in. It is a movie that is experimental and directed in the fashion of classic mise-en-scène staging. The filmmaking passion is ever so present, though the final product is particularly underwhelming.

Mending Cracks is screening at Skip City International D-Cinema Festival

Mamoru works as a kintsugi craftsman, following in the footsteps of his late father. His younger brother, Miki, pays a visit to partake in the family's year-end house cleaning. In stark contrast to his older sibling, he is completely unmotivated, lazily wasting his time while drowning in despair and envying the success of Mamoru. They harbor ill feelings for each other, and neither can be honest...

French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius has helmed award-winning films all over the world, including winning the Academy Award for Best Director for the Best Picture-awarded 2011 film The Artist. Hazanavicius provides a very different comedy poking at the movie-making business with undead flourishes in his latest film, Final Cut. Written, directed, and produced by Hazanavicius, adapting the 2017 Japanese horror-comedy One Cut of the Dead, Final Cut follows a crew trying to film a zombie movie only to apparently be attacked by real ravenous ghouls -- though things may not be exactly as they appear at first glance.

In an exclusive interview with Cbr, Final Cut filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius revealed what inspired him to create a remake of One Cut of the Dead, explained some of the twists and themes of the movie, and reflected on how several of his films, including Final Cut, consciously subvert audiences' expectations.

Cbr: Michel, after watching One Cut of the Dead,...