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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes scored the top honor, outstanding visual effects in a photoreal feature, at the 2025 Visual Effects Society Awards.

Dune: Part Two led the winners list with four wins in the feature categories, while The Wild Robot was named top animated film with four wins as well. Shogun won best photoreal episode, winning three awards. The Penguin also won three awards.

The Ves Awards recognizes “outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, video games and special venues,” according to the organization. This year, comedy duo The Sklar Brothers made their debut as the hosts of the show, while Keanu Reeves presented the Ves Award for Creative Excellence to Shogun actor-producer Hiroyuki Sanada.

Computer graphics researcher Paul Debevec presented VR/Immersive Technology pioneer Dr. Jacquelin Ford Morie with the Georges Melies Award, while Michael Dougherty presented VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki with the Visionary Award.

The Visual Effects Society has chimed in on the awards season conversation.

On Tuesday, the visual effects industry’s global honorary society announced nominees for the 23rd Annual Ves Awards — with top Best Visual Effects Oscar contenders Better Man, Dune: Part Two, and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes among the films recognized.

Dune: Part Two led the way among photoreal features with seven nominations, including Best Feature. The Wild Robot led all animated films with five nominations; Shōgun and The Penguin earned four bids each on the TV side.

Wicked and Gladiator II, which are currently predicted to land among the Best Visual Effects Oscar nominees later this month, were both absent from the Best Feature lineup. Instead, the Ves Awards went with Mufasa: The Lion King and Twisters. Last year, just two of the five Best Visual Effects Oscar nominees were similarly nominated in the Ves Awards...

Updated with ceremony hosts: Dune: Part Two scored a leading seven nominations to lead the 2025 Ves Awards, which the Visual Effects Society revealed today. Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel will battle for the marquee Photoreal Feature category against Better Man, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Mufasa: The Lion King and Twisters.

The Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature race is among Blitz, Civil War, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One, Nosferatu and Young Woman and the Sea. Battling for VFX in an Animated Feature are The Wild Robot — which leads all toon movies with five noms — Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Transformers One and Ultraman: Rising.

Shōgun and The Penguin nabbed received four nominations each to lead in the episodic TV field. See the list of nominees in all 25 categories below.

Related: Visual Effects Society Sets VR Pioneer Jacquelyn Ford Morie For Career Honor At Ves...

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended global community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators, and studio executives. The 5,000-member Ves body has now selected nominees for its 2025 awards honors in features, animation, television, commercials, games, and new media, as well as the VFX supervisors, VFX producers, and hands-on artists who bring their work to life.

“Dune: Part Two” leads the photoreal feature film field with seven nominations, although nominations include character work on “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” as well as “Better Man” and nominations for the virtuosic digital camerawork in Episode 4 of “House of the Dragon” Season 2, “The Red Dragon and the Gold.”

“The Wild Robot” is the top animated contender with five nominations. “Shōgun” and “The Penguin” each received four nominations in the episodic field, with “The Penguin” also nominated for...

The Visual Effects Society (Ves) announced its nominees for the 2025 Ves Awards, a celebration which annually “recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in features animation, television, commercials, games and new media.”

Dune: Part Two led the film nominations with seven nods, while Shogun and The Penguin tie in the episodic field with four each. The Wild Robot led the animation field with five.

“The artistry, ingenuity and passion of visual effects practitioners around the world have come together to create remarkable imagery,” says Kim Davidson, Ves Chair. “We are seeing best in class work that elevates the art of storytelling and exemplifies the spirit of innovation. The Ves Awards is the only venue that showcases and honors these outstanding artists across a wide range of disciplines, and we are extremely proud of our nominees.”

The nominees in 25 categories were selected by Ves members at 49 in-person and virtual panels around the world.

When it comes to Thanksgiving Horror, the 1980s slasher movie Blood Rage has emerged as the reigning holiday champion for many fans. To be fair, the pickings are slim – Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving is the most recent example – but this slasher is cut from the same charming cloth as the likes of Pieces and The Mutilator.

In other words, it delivers on both wackiness and gore.

Originally filmed in 1983, Blood Rage (also known as Slasher) didn’t get released until 1987, and that was a heavily edited version under the title Nightmare at Shadow Woods. It wasn’t until the film hit VHS that the gore was restored, though it still remained a rather obscure title until Arrow Video’s Blu-ray release pushed the slasher into the spotlight back in 2015.

What is Blood Rage about, you ask?

As kids, twins Todd and Terry get bored at a drive-in theater while mom...

Twins have been a tantalizing narrative device for all kinds of movies, from lighter fare like The Parent Trap all the way to deep, difficult cinema like David Cronenbergs Dead Ringers. Something about the mystery and connection between identical twins in particular makes for interesting content, no matter the genre. And the horror genre is no different, as demonstrated in John Grissmer's low-budget slasher, Blood Rage. In a sort of strange subversion of John Carpenters Halloween, Grissmer conceived of a plot in which somebody escapes from an asylum, but that person was never the real killer. With a sinister and fun dual performance from lead actor Mark Soper, and tons of nauseating gore effects courtesy of Ed French, Blood Rage is a worthy entry to any scary movie night.

‘Tis the season to be thankful. The dust has settled on Halloween, and November brings colder temps and the dreaded time change. As the holidays loom, many people take stock of their lives and express gratitude for what they have. As for horror movies, Thanksgiving gives our favorite genre a chance to explore themes of thankfulness while dishing up some delectable gore and practical effects. With John Grissmer’s Blood Rage and Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast, which isn’t technically a holiday horror, it’s a season of family time and delicious bloodshed. We should be so grateful.

Blood Rage, written by Bruce Rubin, throbs with the coarseness of a claw hammer. Its mangled, DIY body parts are as essential to its charm as the grisly bursts of violence. Mark Soper plays double duty as two identical twins, Todd and Terry. As young boys, Terry slaughters two young teens...

It’s Thanksgiving Week, which means it’s time to theme our horror viewing accordingly. Because tradition is a cornerstone of holiday celebrations, expect to find requisite Thanksgiving horror along with an unconventional holiday pick or two on this list. These titles share the core themes of the holiday, either through the rituals of preparing meals or a sense of family togetherness through survival, even if they’re not always actually set on Thanksgiving.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

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

Blood Rage – Night Flight

When it comes to Thanksgiving set horror, slasher Blood Rage has emerged as the reigning holiday champion in recent years. Todd (Mark Soper) spends a decade in an asylum after twin Terry (also Soper) frames him for murder. He escapes on Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect excuse for Terry to unleash his inner homicidal maniac,...

Filmed in 1983 and not released until 1987, the Thanksgiving slasher Blood Rage (watch it Here) slipped past many horror fans when it first came out. But now that it has entered the streaming age and even been presented by Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder, Blood Rage has found an appreciative audience – and we’re diving into the film with the new episode of the Real Slashers video series! You can check it out in the embed above.

Also known as Nightmare at Shadow Woods, Blood Rage was directed by John Grissmer from a screenplay by Bruce Rubin. The film has the following synopsis:

Todd and Terry are twins – blonde, cute as buttons, bright and identical in every respect, with one exception. One of them is a murderer. It all started one night at a drive-in when a teenager was slaughtered in the back seat of his car while his girlfriend watched.

Gobble gobble! Here's a Thanksgiving slasher that deserves a little love… Blood Rage (1987) Director: John Grissmer Stars: Mark Soper, Louise Lasser, Julie Gordon A psychotic child goes on a murder spree and frames his twin brother for the crime. Years later, the innocent twin escapes from a mental institution and heads home for Thanksgiving, prompting his evil brother to finish…...

“That’s not cranberry sauce… “

Blood Rage (1987) screens Midnights this weekend (November 24th and 25th) at The Moolah Theater and Lounge (3821 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, Mo 63108) as part of Destroy the Brain’s monthly Late Nite Grindhouse film series.

“Twins Todd and Terry (both played by Mark Soper) seem like sweet boys that is, until one of them takes an axe to face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in. Todd is blamed for the bloody crime and institutionalized, whilst twin brother Terry goes free. Ten years later and, as the family gathers around the table for a Thanksgiving meal, the news comes in that Todd has escaped. But has the real killer in fact been in their midst all along? One thing’s for sure, there will be blood and rage”…..Such is the synopsis for Blood Rage, a 1987 slasher flick that I’ve never seen. I do...

The fourth week of home entertainment releases in January doesn’t offer up a ton of titles, but we are getting several great Blu-ray and DVDs our way that horror and sci-fi fans will definitely want to check out. Arrow Video has put together a badass Two-Disc Limited Edition set for the Thanksgiving-themed cult classic, Blood Rage, and Lionsgate is bringing The Monster, the latest from Bryan Bertino (The Strangers), to both DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday.

Other releases for January 24th include Wait Until Dark, The Harrow, and Beauty Queen Butcher.

Beauty Queen Butcher (Bayview Entertainment, DVD)

”Mean Girls” meets ”Carrie” when a shy, overweight and bullied girl exacts bloody revenge on her popular classmates in this early 90s shot-on-video shocker inspired by the horror classic ”Carrie” and the slasher favorite ”Prom Night”! It was bad enough when the popular girls of Slivis Slough High pranked fattie...

Shudder will take viewers to the place that's "not as brightly lit" this Halloween season, as the 1980s anthology series Tales From the Darkside will be available to watch in its entirety on the horror streaming service beginning October 1st:

Press Release: New York, New York – September 26, 2016 – The AMC-backed streaming service, Shudder, is The entertainment destination for everything you need to watch this Halloween season. Whether you’re a hardcore horror fan or simply looking for the scariest films to celebrate this time of year, Shudder has something for everyone in its sweeping library, carefully curated by some of the top horror experts in the world.

As Halloween approaches, Shudder is expanding its database with a variety of new titles including cult favorites, blockbuster hits, and classic thrillers. Additionally, for the first time ever, Shudder will be offering horror TV series to complement its expansive film library.

Premiering October 20th...

I gotta tell ya, creeps, after the last few months, I’m glad this here column is a lil’ light this week! Even the hardest workin’ fiend in the horror biz (self nominated) needs a break now and then!

Before we get to the reveiwin’, I want to call your attention to the new flick comin’ your way from those awesome dudes o’er at Necrostorm called The Mildew From Planet Xonader! This looks like it’s going to be one hell of a sci-fi splatterthon! Don’t believe me? Check out these photos!

Keep your putrid peepers peeled right here for more info on this flick (including how yours cruelly is involved!) in the comin’ weeks!

Now, on with the reviewin’…

Blood Rage

• Release Date: Available December 15th on Blu-ray

• Written By: Bruce Rubin (as Richard Lamden)

• Directed By: John Grissmer

• Starring: Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, Marianne Kanter

I give up.

Stars: Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, Marianne Kanter, Julie Gordon, Jayne Bentzen, James Farrell, Ed French, William Fuller, Gerry Lou, Chad Montgomery, Ted Raimi, Lisa Randall | Written by Bruce Rubin | Directed by John Grissmer

Twins Todd and Terry appear at first to be just two sweet boys, until one day one of them decides to take an axe to the face of a drive-in patron. When Todd is blamed for it and institutionalised, Terry gets to live a normal life. As the two reach childhood though the truth comes out as to who was to blame, though his mother (Louise Lasser) refuses to accept the truth.

The 80s are often looked back at nostalgically when it comes to horror, especially for slasher movies. Many imitated the success of films like Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, but failed to find the same success. Blood Rage is...

Start your morning (or afternoon) off with a Q&A with the director of Blood Moon, Jeremy Wooding. Also: a new trailer from the horror video game Until Dawn and an update on the Blood Rage Blu-ray / DVD due out at the end of September.

Blood Moon: Press Release: "Los Angeles, August 4 - Referee the ultimate showdown between gunslinger and lycanthrope when acclaimed western-horror Blood Moon hits DVD and Digital September 1 from Uncork’d Entertainment.

The old west howls when a town is overtaken by skinwalkers. Knowing they’ve got to combine forces if they want to survive the night, the passengers of a stagecoach unite with a heroic gunslinger and a couple of outlaws to battle the beastly enemy under the blood moon.

Only the second ever western to be filmed in the UK, the award-winning film stars The Woman in Black’s Shaun Dooley, George Blagden (TVs...

Charlotte's Web, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and The Fountain have been nominated for outstanding visual effects in a visual effects-driven motion picture by the Visual Effects Society.

A panel of more than 80 visual effects professionals met Saturday at FotoKem in Burbank to choose nominees for the fifth annual VES Awards, which will be held Feb. 11 at the Kodak Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, where Dennis Muren will be honored with the VES Lifetime Achievement Award.

The nominated visual effects work will be shown Jan. 13 at the VES Show and Tell Event 2007 at Los Angeles' Skirball Cultural Center, which is open to the public.

For outstanding supporting visual effects in a motion picture, the nominees are Blood Diamond, Children of Men, Flags of Our Fathers and The Da Vinci Code.

For best single visual effect of the year, VES nominated the birth sequence in Children of Men, Dead Man's Chest, Poseidon and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Nominees for outstanding animated character in a live-action motion picture are Templeton the rat and Wilbur the pig in Charlotte's Web and Davy Jones in Dead Man's Chest.

Nominees for outstanding animated character in an animated motion picture are Mater (Cars), House (Monster House) and Mumble's banishment (Happy Feet).

Casino Royale and Superman Returns were nominated for outstanding special effects in a motion picture.

The nominations are:



Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture

Charlotte's Web

Karin Joy, John Berton, Blair Clark, John Dietz

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

John Knoll, Jill Brooks, Hal Hickel, Charlie Gibson

The Fountain

Jeremy Dawson, Dan Schrecker, Mark Soper, Peter Parks

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture

Blood Diamond

Jeffrey Okun, Thomas Boland, Tim Crosbie, Neil Greenberg

Children of Men

Lucy Killick, Frazer Churchill, Timothy Webber, Paul Corbould

Flags of Our Fathers

Michael Owens, Matthew Butler, Bryan Grill, Julian Levi

The Da Vinci Code

Barrie Hemsley, Angus Bickerton, Gary Brozenich, Paul Riddle

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Miniseries, Movie or Special

Fight Science

Mat Beck, Kymber Lim, Manny Wong, Jack Matsumomto

Nightmares and Dreamscapes - Battlegound

Eric Grenaudier, Sam Nicholson, Mark Spatny, Adalberto Lopez

The Hogfather - Episode 1

Oliver Money, Simon Thomas, Kim Stevenson, Stephen Jolley

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series

Battlestar Galactica - Episode 303b Exodus

Gary Hutzel, Michael Gibson, Alec McClymont, Brenda Campbell

Prehistoric Park - Episode 4

George Roper, Matt Fox, Laurent Hugueniot, Kevin Spruce

Smallville - Season 6, Episode 1 "Zod"

Mat Beck, Brian Harding, Trent Smith, John Wash

Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program

Alias - Reprisal/All the Time in the World

Kevin Blank, Jay Worth, Steve Fong, Kevin Kutchaver

Commander In Chief - EP 112 The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Mark Kolpack, Adam Ealovega, Mark Spatny, Mike Enriquez

ER - Scoop and Run

Sam Nicholson, Scott Ramsey, Adam Ealovega, Anthony Ocampo

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial

Rexona - Go Wild

Andy Boyd, Stephane Allender, Dan Seddon, Abby Orchard

Sears Tools - Arboretum

Rich Rama, Cedric Nicolas, Laurent Ledru

Travelers - Snowball

Dan Lemmon, Eileen Moran, R.