Notizie

It’s always a point of interest when a filmmaker known for a very specific style steps into new territory. Stephen Cognetti, whose Hell House LLC series has become a sort of cult favorite for found-footage aficionados, now offers us “825 Forest Road.”

This film signals a distinct pivot, leaving handheld intimacy behind for a more traditionally framed horror narrative. The premise beckons with a familiar disquiet: the Wilson family, reeling from loss, seeks solace in the small town of Ashland Falls.

As is often the case in such cinematic setups, their new beginning is quickly shadowed by an old, malevolent presence tied to a local tragedy, placing the film firmly in the haunted house and psychological ghost story traditions. One can’t help but wonder if the spirit that animated Cognetti’s prior work can translate to this different form.

Weaving a Fractured Narrative

The story of “825 Forest Road...

Stars: Elizabeth Vermilyea, Joe Falcone, Kathryn Miller, Lorenzo Beronilla, Darin F. Earl II, Leyah Rose | Written and Directed by Stephen Cognetti

There’s something uniquely satisfying about a horror film that takes its time. 825 Forest Road, from writer/director Stephen Cognetti (Hell House LLC), is one of those rare slow-burners that doesn’t rush to its scares but lets them simmer just under the surface. From the moment I pressed play, I felt that creeping unease that only good horror knows how to deliver—a subtle, tightening grip that doesn’t let go until the final frame.

The story centers around Chuck Wilson, who relocates to the sleepy town of Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and his younger sister Isabelle after suffering a family tragedy. The trio seeks peace, maybe even healing—but instead, they find a town haunted by a local legend. That legend is Helen Foster, a...

Are you in the mood for another Popeye horror movie? How about the latest release from A24? A slasher from Finn Wolfhard? A genre movie starring Pedro Pascal?! This week has it all.

Here’s all the new horror that released March 31– April 4, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

The latest horror movie to put a gory twist on beloved pop culture icon Popeye is Shiver Me Timbers, and director Paul Mann’s bloody slasher is now available on digital at home.

Blending classic slasher thrills with off-the-wall comedy, Shiver Me Timbers pays homage to 1980s horror classics while bringing Popeye into “his most terrifying adventure yet.”

Here’s the synopsis: “In Northern California during the summer of 1986, Olive Oyl, along with her cinema- obsessed friends and brother Castor, embark on a once-in-a-lifetime camping trip to witness the dazzling meteor shower accompanying the arrival of Halley’s comet.

Shudder’s latest scary offering, “825 Forest Road,” feels like a hangover from a heavy cocktail of every haunted house horror movie. Starting from the classics like “The Woman in Black” to modern horror sensibilities involving manifestations of past trauma, director Stephen Cognetti (Hell House LLC franchise) dips into almost every horror trope. The result is a mish-mash of a few genuinely frightening jump-scares (especially the ones involving a creepy mannequin) and a story going nowhere, where repetition of the same event becomes necessary as a stalling technique.

825 Forest Road (2024) Movie Synopsis and Plot Summary: Chuck’s Discovery – The Haunting Begins

The film starts as most horror movies do. An unsuspecting family relocates to a suburban house after a traumatic event. Married couple Chuck (Joe Falcone) and Maria (Elizabeth Vermilyea) are convinced by their clueless realtor into buying the suspiciously cheap house. Chuck and Maria are accompanied by Chuck’s younger sister,...

Horror movies have always used ghosts, vampires, zombies, and the most grotesque monsters that can be imagined by the human mind to talk about something that’s personal to the storyteller or a bigger societal issue. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror was about immigration. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the ‘56 one) was about fascism. The Exorcist was about religion. Heck, even Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday was about family ties. That said, while there was some semblance of balance between the themes and the gore, with budding filmmakers spending their limited budgets on the latter to at least give the people some cheap thrills, the rising popularity of what’s called “elevated horror” has shifted the scales. Now you have low-budget horror flicks using their money on “bettering” their social commentary instead of spending it on sticky special effects and gnarly visual effects. Of course, you have exceptions like Terrifier,...

Shudder’s 825 Forest Road is a horror thriller centered around a haunted town, Ashland Falls, and its sinister past. Chuck Wilson had moved to the strange old town with his wife, Maria, and his sister, Isabelle. After their mother died in a car accident, Isabelle struggled with her mental health. She was behind the wheel when her mother was killed, and she held herself responsible for it. Chuck thought it was not safe for Isabelle to live alone on campus, and he hoped she would recover well if she lived with her family. Chuck and Isabelle did not share a loving relationship. He’d abandoned his mother and sister to start a new life in the city, and Isabelle couldn’t bring himself to forgive him for it. Will the external terror bring the siblings together? Let’s find out.

Spoiler Alert

Why were the residents of Ashland Falls haunted by a ghost?...

Shudder is undoubtedly the best streaming service there is for horror fanatics, featuring a variety of thrillers ranging from the 1980s classics to modern masterpieces. In fact, the streaming service became a much more credible alternative for viewers once it began producing original films, which have been absolutely phenomenal thanks to various distinct narratives.

Shudder has unveiled its roster for April, which includes a handful of intriguing originals as well as a whole bunch of additional films, from vintage zombie thrillers to the newest slasher horrors. So, without further ado, here's every movie that will be available on Shudder in April 2025.

'825 Forest Road' Streaming April 4

Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, the creator behind the Hell House LLC franchise, 825 Forest Road is a forthcoming horror film set in the shady town of Ashland Falls. Following an unspoken tragedy, Chuck Wilson moves to the town with his...

From Stephen Cognetti — the writer and director of the celebrated Hell House LLC franchise — comes 825 Forest Road, a blundered attempt at traumacore horror that feels redundant, dull and unnecessary. There’s little about this new film that feels frightening and even less that feels original. If you’re hoping for the type of “bad movie” that at least provides its share of jump scares and silly entertainment, you’re in for a disappointment. This one is poorly acted, dreadfully written and incredibly tedious.

The plot

Chuck Wilson moves to Ashland Falls along with his wife, Maria, and his younger sister, Elizabeth. The family attempt to restart their lives with a new house and a fresh start following a harrowing tragedy, but the new town has a dark past of its own. The ghost of Helen Foster — a woman who committed suicide in the 1940’s — has been tormenting the sleepy town...

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...

The Shrouds: "In an eerie, deceptively placid near-future, a techno-entrepreneur named Karsh (Cassel) has developed a new software that will allow the bereaved to bear witness to the gradual decay of loved ones dead and buried in the earth. While Karsh is still reeling from the loss of his wife (Kruger) from cancer—and falling into a peculiar sexual relationship with his wife’s sister (also Kruger)—a spate of vandalized graves utilizing his “shroud” technology begins to put his enterprise at risk, leading him to uncover a potentially vast conspiracy. Written following the death of the director’s wife, the new film from David Cronenberg is both a profoundly personal reckoning with grief and a descent into noir-tinged dystopia, set in an ominous world of self-driving cars, data theft, and A.I. personal assistants. Offering Cronenberg’s customary balance of malevolence and wit, The Shrouds is a sly...

If you look for her, she will find you.

825 Forest Road marks Hell House LLC writer-director Stephen Cognetti’s first feature outside the found footage franchise.

The haunted house movie will stream exclusively on Shudder on April 4. Check out the trailer below.

After a family tragedy, Chuck Wilson hopes to start a new life in Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Isabelle, but he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret. The ghost of Helen Foster has terrorized residents since her own suicide back in the ‘40s.

Finding Helen’s old home is key to ending the hauntings, but the address they have doesn’t match any of the town’s existing streets. When Chuck realizes his family might be in danger of Helen’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to locate 825 Forest Road before it’s too late.

Elizabeth Vermilyea, Joe Falcone, Kathryn Miller,...

Shudder has been slowly but surely rolling out news on their annual Halfway to Halloween celebration, which starts in April. The newest announcement involves Stephen Cognetti, who wrote and directed the very popular Hell House LLC series of films.

Cognetti’s new film, his first outside of the Hell House LLC franchise is called 825 Forest Road, and it will be included in Shudder’s 2025 Halfway to Halloween schedule.

Sam Zimmerman, who is Shudder’s Head of Programming proclaimed that the horror streaming platform is more than happy to welcome Cognetti back home, especially since the Hell House LLC franchise is such a favorite among Shudder subscribers. He described 825 Forest Road as “a twist on a haunted house tale that will stay with you long after the credits roll.”

Hell House LLC debuted on a number of streaming platforms in late 2016, and quickly gained popularity among horror fans, despite the fact...

U.K.-based Blue Finch Films has acquired worldwide rights to “825 Forest Road,” the latest supernatural horror feature from “Hell House LLC” creator Stephen Cognetti. The deal comes ahead of the film’s festival premiere planned for next year, with Blue Finch set to launch sales at the American Film Market (AFM) next month.

The film marks Cognetti’s departure from his found footage roots into traditional narrative storytelling. The plot centers on Chuck, who moves to a new town with his wife and sister following a family tragedy. His fresh start is derailed when he discovers the community is plagued by a malevolent presence connected to Helen Foster, a woman who died by suicide in the 1940s. As the supernatural threat escalates, Chuck must locate Foster’s former residence at the titular address to end the haunting.

The project reunites Cognetti with “Hell House LLC” producer Joe Bandelli,...

I don’t think anyone’s hired Kyle Baker to write screenplays for romantic comedies yet. But, from the evidence of books like Why I Hate Saturn and I Die at Midnight and this book, I think he’d be really good at it: he has a knack for screwball complications and the kind of dialogue that only tangles up a complicated situation more, no matter how much his characters try to be clear.

You Are Here is a romantic comedy with thriller elements, or maybe a comedy-thriller with romantic elements, published as an album-format graphic novel in 1999. It’s in what I think of as Baker’s “cinematic” style, with mostly wide panels over captions and dialogue and sound effects, looking like storyboards more than a traditional comic. His art is vibrant and full of color, with a painterly feel most of the time; I think it was mostly achieved through digital tools.

After falling into the public domain, Phil Karlson’s 1952 film noir Kansas City Confidential became unfairly lumped into B-grade bracket, a disservice considering the title’s odd narrative and eventual influence on contemporary filmmakers. Karlson, who would eventually turn to mainstream efforts starring the likes of Dean Martin and Elvis Presley in the 1960s and 1970s, contributed several enjoyable minor noir efforts in the 1950s. These would include 1952’s Scandal Sheet with Donna Reed and Broderick Crawford, Kim Novak casino heist effort 5 Against the House, and that same year’s Tight Spot with a peculiar role for Ginger Rogers. But none have enjoyed the staying power of this particular heist drama, now restored with its most accomplished transfer yet.

Kansas City delivery man Joe Rolfe (John Payne) is at the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s nabbed by the cops as the driver of a heist involving...

"Carol" has been a critical darling and awards-season favorite for months now, and with good reason. Exquisitely shot, beautifully performed by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, and directed with great care, the film finds every department working at the peak of their abilities. And another element that brings the experience together is the music. Carter Burwell's score does a great job of riding the emotional waves of the film, but it's the choice selection of songs that place you directly in the era. The official soundtrack includes songs like "One Mint Julep" by The Clovers, "Easy Living" by Billie Holiday, "You Belong To Me" by Helen Foster & The Rovers, and a few more. But if you want to really immerse yourself in the mood of "Carol," today we have an exclusive treat. Read More: Cannes Review: Todd Haynes' 'Carol' Starring Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara Todd Haynes...

BBC One announces the renewal of its new, hit series, Doctor Foster. The first series (Us: season) finale was the second highest rated BBC drama episode of 2015, with an audience of 10.1 million viewers. Doctor Foster focus on Gp Gemma Foster (Suranne Jones), who suspects her husband, Simon (Bertie Carvel) of having an affair.

The cast also includes: Clare-Hope Ashitey as Carly; Cheryl Campbell as Helen Foster; Jodie Comer as Kate Parks; Navin Chowdhry as Anwar; Victoria Hamilton as Anna; Martha Howe-Douglas as Becky; Adam James as Neil; Thusitha Jayasundera as Ros Ghadami; Sara Stewart as Susie Parks; Neil Stuke as Chris Parks; Tom Taylor as Tom Foster; and Robert Pugh as Jack Reynolds. Continue on for more about the renewal. Read More…...