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The very concept of a parasite, an organism that feeds off of its host, provides fertile ground for horror. Parasite-based horror movies amplify the inherent revulsion of parasites, frequently exploiting our worst fears through skin-crawling body horror.

Whether it’s a reality-based organism like ticks or imagined nightmare fuel, parasites in horror movies find unnerving ways to distort and destroy the human body.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to some of horror’s most memorable movie parasites and the carnage they induce. Here’s where you can stream them this week.

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

The Bay – Tubi

This nightmarish found footage movie sees a seaside town under siege from an unknown virulent threat. First comes a gnarly rash, then vomiting, then a violent, disturbing death. Eventually, researchers discover it’s a parasitic ocean isopod that’s mutated to an abnormally large size...

Chase’n’Dick.

We wrapped up May discussing Stanley Kubrick’s controversial adaptation of The Shining (listen) and worshipping Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker (listen) before kicking off June with a canoe trip with John Boorman’s Deliverance (listen).

Now it’s time for our annual Joel Schumacher episode and, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his neon-infused take on the Caped Crusader, we’re turning our attention to 1995’s Batman Forever.

The superhero film finds Val Kilmer taking over the reins of Bruce Wayne/Batman from departing actor Michael Keaton. As Bruce struggles with repressed memories that deliver him to Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman), Batman must confront a pair of new villains who threaten Gotham City: former prosecutor turned crime boss, Two Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and former Wayne Enterprises employee turned Riddler, Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey).

Thankfully help(?) arrives in the form of Gotham’s newest orphan, Richard...

Masculine Men Doing Masculine Things.

After concluding May discussing the controversial production of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (listen) and reveling in Frank Henenlotter’s hilarious Frankenhooker (listen), we’re kicking off June with a long overdue look at John Boorman‘s adaptation of James Dickey‘s novel Deliverance!

Deliverance sees four friends and businessmen venture out into rural Georgia to canoe the fictional Cahulawassee River before it is dammed. Upon arriving at their destination, they learn that the locals don’t take too kindly to city folk, often completely disregarding them. When a pair of mountain men brutally attack the four friends in the woods, their bonding vacation turns into a vicious fight for survival as they must contend with the whitewater rapids while being seemingly hunted by the locals.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts,...

Destroy All Neighbors and Sissy will be released on Blu-ray on July 29 via Shudder.

Destroy All Neighbors is directed by Josh Forbes (Contracted: Phase II) and written by Mike Benner (“Bob’s Burgers”), Jared Logan (“The Late Late Show with James Corden”), and Charles A. Pieper.

Jonah Ray and Alex Winter star in the 2024 horror-comedy with Randee Heller, Pete Ploszek, Kiran Deol, Jon Daly, Thomas Lennon, and Kumail Nanjiani.

Special features:

Commentary with director Josh Forbes and actors Thomas Lennon and Jon Daly Commentary with director Josh Forbes, co-writer Charles A. Pieper, actor Christian Calloway and actress Randee Heller Commentary with director Josh Forbes and special make-up effects designer Gabe Bartalos Commentary with musicians Ryan Kattner and Brett Morris Commentary with radio personality Phil Hendrie Destroy All Makeup FX featurette Introducing Gabe Bartalos featurette Designing Skelanor featurette Designing Augie & Pig Guy featurette Destroy All Neighbors Epk Trailer Booklet with liner notes...

Do you love a wacky horror comedy? We mean a really wacky horror comedy. If you answered with an enthusiastic ‘yes,’ we have a Guillermo del Toro-endorsed recommendation that may just be right up your alley. We’re talking about the oddball gore-fest Brain Damage. See directly below for the beloved filmmaker’s endorsement, which comes from a Tweet he sent out a few years back.

The Pacific Rim director is not kidding when he references the film’s twisted sensibilities. It’s about a psychedelic eel-esque monster that feeds on the lead character’s brain. And that’s really just scratching the surface.

The setup for this horror comedy goes as follows:

A young man called Brian discovers a disgusting parasite has attached itself to his brain stem. He becomes addicted to the hallucinogenic euphoria it produces, but in return, he must feed it human victims.

With that added narrative context,...

Want A Date?!

After taking a fresh look at Ridley Scott’s Hannibal (listen), dipping into Bad City with Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (listen), and checking into Stanley Kubrick’s Overlook with 1980’s The Shining (listen), Trace and I are ready for another Frank Henenlotter title.

In 1990’s Frankenhooker, Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) can’t get over the horrible accidental death of his fiancée Elizabeth (Patty Mullen). As his grasp of right and wrong deteriorates, Jeffrey develops a plan to bring Elizabeth’s various parts back to life. It involves a significant electrical storm, an estrogen bath of limbs, and the perfect “parts” collected from New York’s sex workers.

Deftly mixing comedy and exploitation, Frankenhooker follows Jeffrey’s bumbling attempts to resurrect his girlfriend, the explosive results of “super crack,” and the dangers of pursuing “the perfect body.” It’s a true Henenlotter classic!

Bears, bears and bears….oh my!

After spending May discussing Ridley Scott’s controversial sequel Hannibal (listen) and Ana Lily Amirpour’s haunting A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (listen), we’re concluding the month by covering a juggernaut of a film in Stanley Kubrick‘s The Shining (1980)!

The Shining sees struggling writer and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) accept a position as the off-season caretaker of the historic Overlook Hotel. His wife Wendy (Shelley DuVall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) accompany him, but young Danny possesses “the shining,” a clairvoyant ability that allows him to see the true horrors that lurk in the hotel’s halls. When a winter storm snows the family in, Jack’s sanity slowly crumbles as the isolation and malevolent entities begin to influence his mind.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts,...

The concept for James Lorinz's proposed crime movie "Swirlee" makes for a strange elevator pitch. Do you remember Mister Softee? Kids on the East coast likely know about him. He was the smiling mascot of a local ice cream truck company, a man with a gigantic soft-serve ice cream cone for a head. Well, what if Mister Softee was a real human being whose ice-cream-head was the result of a rare medical condition? Also, what if he was in deep with the mob? It's like Martin Scorsese's deeply personal fave "Mean Streets," but with an ice-cream-head man! It practically writes itself! The title? "Swirlee!"

That was the thought of actor and filmmaker James Lorinz in the late 1980s. Lorinz may be best known for playing Jeffrey Franken, the lead character in "Basket Case" director Frank Henenlotter's seminal classic "Frankenhooker." He also played a doorman in the revolting...

Since its surprising theatrical run, The Substance has established itself as an instant classic. It showcased incredible horror scenes and brilliant makeup effects and opened the door for other body horror films in the years ahead. Movies like Together have been picked up by major studios after The Substance‘s success, and there will undeniably be more body horror flicks in production because of Fargeat’s masterpiece. While we wait for those movies, let’s check out some of the great horror, comedy, and drama films that both inspired The Substance and will appeal to fans of the movie.

1. American Mary (2012) Directed by Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska

While The Substance is a little heavy on its themes around plastic surgery to maintain youth, American Mary never hesitates to make this part of the text. The indie horror film might not feature great performances, but it does nail a campy, hedonistic...

When I first read the news that one of my favorite modern directors, Osgood Perkins, would be directing The Monkey, the article was accompanied by a familiar image: a toy monkey with a cracked-out face, banging two cymbals together. My brain immediately went to George A. Romero’s underappreciated 1988 film, Monkey Shines.

I also immediately assumed Monkey Shines was based on a King story—a natural assumption. What hasn’t King written at this point, after all? In reality, of course, Perkins/King’s The Monkey has absolutely nothing to do with Romero’s Monkey Shines. But while the two properties aren’t officially connected apart from their similar imagery – oddly enough, Perkins had to redesign the toy monkey from King’s story due to a Disney copyright! – they do have a few things in common. Both Monkey Shines and The Monkey feature bat-shit crazy stories full of dark humor,...

Poo on the porch.

After concluding January with with our first foray into the world of Frank Henenlotter in Brain Damage (listen) and revisiting Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie (listen), we’re entering February with a look at Tom Ford‘s Academy Award-nominated thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016).

In Nocturnal Animals, art gallery owner Susan (Amy Adams) receives a manuscript for a new novel written by her first husband Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). As she reads it, she begins to see the similarities between it and their former relationship, unaware that the book serves as Edward’s ultimate revenge against Susan for the unforgivable, marriage-ruining act that she committed all those years ago.

Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, and RSS.

Episode 320: Nocturnal Animals (2016)

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Everything’s Coming Up Carrie!

January proved to be a busy, varied month on Horror Queers. We kicked off 2025 with a look at Sophia Takal’s examination of toxic friendships in Into the Dark: “New Year, New You” (listen), tackled Quentin Tarantino’s half of the Grindhouse double feature with Death Proof (listen), revisited George Waggner’s 1941 classic The Wolf Man (listen), then begged for Aylmer’s juice in Frank Henenlotter’s Brain Damage (listen).

To wrap up January, we’re taking Carrie White to prom in Brian De Palma‘s adaptation of Stephen King‘s debut novel, Carrie. The classic film about telekinesis follows timid, bullied Carrie (Sissy Spacek) struggling to fit in at high school and get out from under the thumb of her overbearing religious mother (Piper Laurie).

Unexpected kindness arrives courtesy of popular girl Sue Snell (Amy Irving), who volunteers her boyfriend Tommy (William Katt) to take Carrie to prom.

Beg For My Juice

Trace and I have had another wild month on Horror Queers. We kicked off 2025 with a look at Sophia Takal’s examination of toxic friendships in Into the Dark: “New Year, New You” (listen), then crossed off Quentin Tarantino’s half of the Grindhouse double feature with a discussion of Death Proof (listen). After tackling George Waggner’s 1941 classic The Wolf Man (listen) to tie in to Leigh Whannell’s new film, we’re sucking the juice out of our very first Frank Henenlotter film with 1988’s Brain Damage.

In the film, Brian (Rick Hearst) discovers a parasite named Aylmer (voiced by John Zacherle) has attached itself to his brain stem. Brian becomes addicted to the psychedelic euphoria Aylmer’s blue “juice” gives him, but in return, the slug demands to be fed human victims.

As his (ex) girlfriend Barbara (Jennifer Lowry) and brother Mike (Gordon MacDonald...

Fog fetish.

After concluding 2024 with a look at toxic friendships in Into the Dark: “New Year, New You” (listen) and kicking off 2025 by concluding the Grindhouse double feature that we started last summer with a look at Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (listen) we’re heading back to the world of Universal Monsters in George Waggner‘s 1941 classic The Wolf Man.

In The Wolf Man, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) returns to Wales to reconcile with his father (Claude Rains) after his brother’s death. While there, he puts the moves on Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), the shopkeeper of a nearby antique shop. The night after he purchases a silver walking cane from Gwen, Larry is attacked and bitten by a vicious wolf, which he then kills. Larry eventually learns that the wolf he killed was, in fact, a man (Bela Lugosi), and that Larry has now inherited a curse...

I mention a lot in these video essays about remakes and how they sometimes work but often times don’t. One of the biggest issues I have is that many of the remakes we get are really not needed. I like them but did we really need an updated version of Friday the 13th, Halloween, or Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Of course not, these are classics for a reason. Those are just the ones that work too, there’s plenty like Jacob’s Ladder, Nightmare on Elm Street, or Poltergeist that run the gamut from boring as hell to offensively bad. Well, in 2024 I’m kind of getting my wish. While something like Fade to Black could get a wonderful update 44 years later and be able to say something new and different, I’m curious what a Street Trash remake will bring to the table. The original is one that was a...

The Bloody Disgusting-powered Screambox is home to a variety of unique horror content, from originals and exclusives to cult classics and documentaries. With such a rapidly-growing library, there are many hidden gems waiting to be discovered.

Here are five recommendations you can stream on Screambox right now.

Evil Dead Trap

Mix up your January Giallo viewing with Evil Dead Trap. Although its title invokes Evil Dead – and there’s a bit of Sam Raimi-esque kineticism in the camerawork – the 1988 Japanese film shares more in common with the lurid Italian thrillers: a mysterious killer, elaborate murder set pieces, gruesome violence, stylish cinematography, a dreamlike atmosphere, and an infectious synth score.

Upon receiving a graphic snuff film, a late-night TV host (Miyuki Ono) rallies a small production crew to investigate its origins at an abandoned military base. The story plays out in a manner that could be considered a slasher, but...

Few movies earn the status of “cult horror classic” like Basket Case.

Frank Henenlotter’s 1982 film has lovably bad special effects, charmingly inexperienced actors, and an outlandish plot that veers into the ghastly and salacious. The story follows a pair of formerly conjoined twin brothers who seek revenge on the doctors who separated them while exploring adulthood in New York City.

Cut from his brother’s side, the malformed creature Belial has been described as an allegory for the id, an argument for (or against) reproductive rights, and a commentary on disability and the stigmatization of othered communities. His protective twin Duane (Kevin VanHentenryck) represents a more traditional coming of age story and the never ending struggle to suppress our baser instincts. A bevy of disparate readings all exist up in this gritty film about a humanoid creature who hides from the world in a wicker basket when he’s not brutally dismembering his enemies.

There are certain types of media that could have only come from one person. Something so specific and out there that only a beautiful, twisted mind like director Frank Henenlotter could have conjured it. Today, we’re talking about one of those movies. A movie that answered a question we’ve all asked at some point in our lives… ”What if Frankenstein were a hooker?” This is the story of what happened to Frankenhooker.

Director Frank Henenlotter hit the streets of New York City for his follow up to Brain Damage and Basket Case with a hankering for something different this time around. His newest film would stay in and around the horror genre of course but would lean further into the comedy aspect of his writing prowess. The idea of which came from an improvisation that took place at a pitch meeting for an entirely different film. According to Henenlotter,...

These days the horror genre is one of the only ways to get a thoughtful, original story made in Hollywood. But believe it or not, there were those who used to be ashamed to take part in the genre. Basket Case and Frankenhooker director Frank Henenlotter was never one of those people. He basked in it. And though it may not be his most famous film, the film we’re going to cover today might be his grossest, funnest, and most thought provoking of all them. Featuring heavy drug references, a phallic parasite, and a scene so twisted it made some of the crew walk off the set. This is what happened to Brain Damage.

Seasoned 80s horror fans and monster movie aficionados may look back at Basket Case as a decently known cult commodity. Not enough so at the time that its director, Frank Henenlotter was given a huge budget for his next production.

Stephen King's It miniseries was one of the great horror releases of the 90s, and still terrifies audiences more than 30 years after release. Featured within In Search of Darkness 1990-1994, we have an exclusive clip with director Tommy Lee Wallace, who talks about the world's fear of clowns, and bringing Pennywise to life with Tim Curry!

Ready to explore the best of ‘90s horror films and TV? In Search of Darkness 1990-1994, a five-plus-hour documentary featuring brand-new interviews with the greatest line-up of horror icons and experts, is now available to pre-order exclusively at 90sHorrorDoc.com until Midnight Halloween (Pacific Time) on October 31st, 2024. Audiences will have their last chance to have their names alongside their favorite horror icons in the credits!

From Creatorvc, the creative minds behind the In Search of Darkness ‘80s horror trilogy and Aliens Expanded documentary, In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994 delves into an...

Over the course of three In Search of Darkness documentary films, all of which were over four hours long (with one of them nearly reaching the six hour mark), director David Weiner did an incredible job of digging into the many great (and some not-so-great) horror movies that were released in the 1980s. There were still so many movies left uncovered that Weiner could circle back and continue looking into ’80s movies for years to come – but instead, he has decided to move forward into the ’90s with the upcoming documentary In Search of Darkness: 1990 – 1994. At the time, fans considered the horror genre to be in a lull, a downswing from the heights it reached in the ’80s. But with this movie, Weiner aims to point out that we did still get a lot of good horror movies during that time period. You can get a sample of the...

From the producers of the hit In Search of Darkness documentary franchise comes In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994, an all-new epic documentary that aims to be the ultimate celebration of the wacky world of 1990s horror. Horror icons John Carpenter, Heather Langenkamp, and Mike Flanagan lead the line-up of 40+ genre favorites who were interviewed for this in-depth re-assessment of the decade, and we’re debuting the official trailer this morning!

In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994, a five-plus-hour documentary featuring brand-new interviews with an incredible line-up of horror icons and experts, is now available to pre-order exclusively at 90sHorrorDoc.com until Midnight Halloween (Pacific Time) on October 31st, 2024. This is your last chance to have Your name alongside your favorite horror icons in the credits.

In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994 Purchase Options:

Isod: 1990-94 Blu-ray Package (including Blu-ray w/slipcase; 2 posters; sew-on patch; membership card; name in credits; digital...

Desire, audacity, and revulsion dominate Coralie Fargeat's The Substance. No fuss, it's a primetime body-horror banger. Shades of Paul Verhoeven, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Frank Henenlotter blend into a monstrously chic showbusiness roast session. Fargeat's weaponization of the male gaze becomes a biting commentary that sizzles, smolders, and shimmers with magnificent ickiness. The Substance punches exponentially harder than you're ready for, as Fargeat charges guns-blazing into territories contemporary horror seems hesitant to embrace (or return to).

Demi Moore throws herself into the agonizing existential demise of Elisabeth Sparkle, a celebrity aerobics icon aging out of the spotlight on her 50th birthday. Station bigwig Harvey (Dennis Quaid) demands a younger, hotter host — he fires Elisabeth on her birthday. Distraught, the discarded pop-culture figure finds herself watching a promotional video advertising an underground serum called "The Substance." If Elisabeth enrolls in the confidential program and injects herself with the "Re-Animator Green" concoction,...

The horror genre might be the only genre where a low budget can have a positive effect on the final product. Horror movie fans are often swayed by the quote-unquote charm of a thriller with mere pennies to its name; and if the finished picture has a certain energy and style to it, the fact that it had no money to work with becomes part of its allure and legacy. We think of movies like Night of the Living Dead, The Blair Witch Project and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, to name an obvious few. Perhaps a not-so-obvious choice would be Basket Case (watch it Here), Frank Henenlotter’s deranged tale about a couple of conjoined twins who share an unusual bond. Or at least, they used to… It’s a funky, disorienting little item, and while the lack of money is always apparent on-screen, it’s ends up being to the movie’s benefit.

To quote the immortal words of Fidget from John Waters' scathing dark comedy Cecil B. Demented about the movie industry, "Hey, Hey, MPAA, how many movies did you censor today?" While many don't give much thought to the movie rating system, it has long been held in contention by many filmmakers and fans for their controversial choices and obvious biases in what they deem acceptable.

Still, the Motion Picture Association tends to stick to a pretty strict set of rules in their ratings. You have the current system of G, PG, PG-13, R, and Nc-17. So, when a '90s horror comedy that parodied Frankenstein got an "S" rating, it was out of character for the MPAA and angered the director. The movie in question is Frank Henenlotter's Frankenhooker. We will look at what happened with Frankenhooker to earn it an "S" rating, and how the film overcame the...

The creature feature, at its most basic, is simply a horror movie in which a monster plays a prominent role as the primary antagonist; the term says it all. It’s the creature part that’s loose for interpretation, of course. A creature feature could be anything from carnivorous aliens from space to manmade monsters to genetically altered animals run amok.

This week’s streaming picks highlight creature features from the glorious age of practical effects: the ’80s. These five horror titles run the gamut in tone, style, and creature, showcasing just how nebulous and varied the creature feature can be. Whether you’re in the mood for quirky parasites with personality or lust that turns monstrous, these ’80s creature features go big on practical effects. Here’s where you can stream them this week.

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

Alligator – AMC+, freevee, Night Flight+, Peacock,...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

The People’s Joker Blu-ray from Altered Innocence

After sparking controversy on the festival circuit, The People’s Joker found a home with Altered Innocence. The coming-of-age trans superhero parody will hit Blu-ray on August 13.

Vera Drew makes her feature directorial debut from a script she co-wrote with Bri LeRose. Drew also stars with Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, Lynn Downey, and David Liebe Hart. Tim Heidecker, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford, and Scott Aukerman make cameos.

Joe Lipsett’s review raves, “The People’s Joker is an unabashed love letter to Batman properties, to camp, stand-up comedians, and – most importantly – the trans community. It is daring and ambitious and unapologetic.”

Special features include: commentary by Drew; commentary by...

Certainly the grossest, most way-out-there, and dare-you-to-lose-your-dinner film to debut in the Cannes competition so far, Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge” follow-up “The Substance” premiered in the Palais Sunday night after a morning press screening that saw plenty of expected walkouts. Surely the same volume of repulsed exiters carried over to the premiere public screening, where Greta Gerwig’s jury got their first glimpse of the otherwise since-secretive film whose synopses and press notes tell you little. Mubi has distribution rights, which the company purchased just before the festival started. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich calls it an “instant classic.”

In this audacious, two-plus-hour feminist body horror, Demi Moore bares all to play a once-decorated actress quote-unquote past her prime named Elisabeth Sparkle, now resigned to Jane Fonda-esque fitness videos. But her time is finally up. She’s fired for being too old, sent packing home back to her sparse LA apartment,...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Ed-209 Plush from Toynk

You are now authorized to use physical force on Ed-209 from RoboCop.

Standing 12″ tall, Tonyk’s plush toy costs $39.99. You have 20 seconds to comply.

The Cleanse Blu-ray from Sony

The Cleanse will be released on Blu-ray on May 21 via Sony. The body horror-comedy premiered at South by Southwest under the title The Master Cleanse in 2016 before being released by Vertical Entertainment in 2018.

Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Kyle Gallner, Kevin J. O’Connor, Diana Bang, Oliver Platt, and Anjelica Huston star in the film, which marked the feature debut of writer-director Bobby Miller (Critters Attack).

In Joe Lipsett’s review, he called The Cleanse “an interesting, quirky, funny film with solid creature effects and winning performances.

To celebrate the release of Basket Case on Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray available from 29th April, we have a Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray to give away to a lucky winner!

The feature debut of director Frank Henenlotter, 1982’s Basket Case is a riotous and blood-spattered “midnight movie” experience, now presented for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Duane Bradley seems like a pretty ordinary guy. His formerly conjoined twin Belial, on the other hand, is a deformed creature who lives in a wicker basket. Arriving in the Big Apple and taking up a room at a seedy hotel, the pair set about hunting down and butchering the surgeons responsible for their separation.

Filmed on a shoestring budget against the backdrop of 1980s New York (where it played on the midnight movie circuit for over two-and-a-half years), Basket Case has clawed its way from...

In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays...

Stars: Charlee Danielson, Anthony Sneed, Remedy, Tom Kohut, James Shell, Vivian Sanchez, R.A. The Rugged Man, Ginger Starr, J-Zone | Written and Directed by Frank Henenlotter

Director Frank Henenlotter is a cult horror legend. But after making the cult classics Basket Case, Brain Damage, Basket Case 2, Frankenhooker and finally, Basket Case 3, he disappeared. After 17 years in 2008, he returned and made another film, the black comedy (kinda) body horror Bad Biology. And now, almost another 17 years later again, Bad Biology is getting a 4K Uhd release from Severin Films.

Bad Biology, like the director’s previous work, is not a movie you’ll easily forget:

Driven by biological excess, a man and a woman search for sexual fulfilment, unaware of each other’s existence. Unfortunately, they eventually meet, and the bonding of these two very unusual human beings ends in a god awful love story.

That description only scratches the...

To celebrate the release of Bad Biology, on Special Edition 4K Uhd/Blu-Ray 26 February 2024, we are giving away a Special Edition 4K Uhd/Blu-Ray to 1 lucky winner!

After a 17-year break in filmmaking, splatter maestro Frank Henenlotter – writer/director of Frankenhooker, Brain Damage and The Basket Case Trilogy – returned with the most graphic, transgressive and jaw-droppingly depraved black comedy shocker of his career… Bad Biology.

Now this wickedly warped feature gets a re-birth from Severin Films in a Special Edition Box set, that includes the film in its newly restored version, scanned in 4K from the camera negative.This dual 4K Uhd and Blu-ray release comes complete with a slew of brand-new special features and gets its UK bow on 26 February 2024, and will also be released on standard edition Blu-ray.

Jennifer, played by singer Charlee Danielson, is a homicidal nymphomaniac who spontaneously births mutant babies, while in another part of...

As every new month brings an insane tidal wave of new additions to streaming libraries, it can be tough selecting the perfect watch. Even more so when it comes to Tubi, a streaming platform with a vast, overwhelming selection of titles that include everything from mainstream releases to obscure deep cuts once trapped on VHS.

Because the streaming service excels so well at this with a layout that isn’t always the easiest to navigate when hunting down rare titles or finding the best horror movies on Tubi, we’re here to help.

For February, we’re narrowing it down to twenty horror movies you should watch, from recent gems to required viewing from horror masters. More specifically, this list avoids too many of the obvious classics, like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (also streaming on Tubi), to instead offer a wider variety slightly off the beaten path.

Here are...

Arrow Video has given director Frank Henenlotter’s 1982 cult classic Basket Case (watch it Here) a couple Blu-ray releases in recent years, and now the company has announced that they’re bringing the film to 4K Uhd for the first time! This release is for the US, the UK, and Canada, and the street date is April 29th. The pre-order link for the UK is Here and the pre-order link for the US and Canada is Here.

Basket Case has the following synopsis: Duane Bradley is a pretty ordinary guy. His formerly conjoined twin Belial, on the other hand, is a deformed, fleshy lump whom he carries around in a wicker basket. Arriving in the Big Apple and taking up a room at the seedy Hotel Broslin, the pair set about hunting down and butchering the surgeons responsible for their separation. But tensions flare up when Duane starts spending time with a pretty blonde secretary,...

The feature debut of director Frank Henenlotter, 1982’s Basket Case is getting a brand new 4K Ultra HD release from Arrow Video, we’ve learned.

Freshly announced this morning, Arrow will be releasing Basket Case on Blu-ray, Limited Edition 4K, and Arrow Store Exclusive Limited Edition 4K on April 29, 2024.

While the Blu-ray is a UK release, the 4K Uhd version is for the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. The Arrow Store Exclusive (with VHS slipcover) is a UK and US release.

This marks the very first time Basket Case has been made available on 4K Ultra HD!

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition Contents

4K restoration from the original 16mm negative by MoMA 4K (2160p) Uhd Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) Original uncompressed Pcm mono audio Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio commentary with writer/director Frank Henenlotter and star Kevin VanHentenryck...

Severin Films kicks off the new year with three North American premieres that bring “one of the best labels in physical media” (Polygon) into 2024 replete with classic monsters, barbed-wire garrotes, ‘80s Italo-Sleaze in Uhd and arguably the most depraved bedtime accessory ever created.

For January, Severin presents the ultimate version of Jess Franco’s 1972 mash-up Dracula, Prisoner Of Frankenstein; the rarely-seen Ozploitation slasher Bloodmoon, complete with infamous ‘Fright Break Challenge’; and Andrea Bianchi’s off-the-rails zombie carnage classic Burial Ground, now in eye-popping, flesh-ripping 4K.

To further celebrate everyone’s favorite shambling Etruscans, an all-new Burial Ground t-shirt and Michael Pillowcase will be available in two of this month’s bundles.

January also brings much-requested wide-release versions of previously limited-edition titles — Frank Henenlotter’s black comedy shocker Bad Biology, controversial ‘80s sleaze classic Nightmare and Lucio Fulci’s giallo masterpiece The Psychic — all fully restored in 4K Uhd.

Dracula, Prisoner...

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein remains as influential as ever, with numerous notable adaptations and horror movies inspired by the literary classic released in the last year alone. With news of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Bride of Frankenstein-inspired feature on the horizon, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

The story of a mad scientist creating a monster stitched together from various body parts has contributed to one of horror’s most enduring monsters, bringing with it over two centuries of stage plays, movies, and television adaptations influenced by the classic horror story.

This week’s streaming picks highlight some of the more unique horror movies inspired by Frankenstein. These five titles use the base story to explore new terrain, whether through comedy, gore, or explorations of contemporary themes.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home,...

New splatter-comedy Destroy All Neighbors has more on its mind than bad neighbors run amok. Director Josh Forbes, working from the screenplay by Charles Pieper and Jared Logan, crafts a Frank Henenlotter-inspired comedy full of guts and rock ambition. Nestled at the center is a sugary-sweet story of an artist learning to get out of his own way. While that means it has all the right ingredients in place for an infectiously scrappy horror comedy, it might be too narratively streamlined for its own good.

William Brown (Jonah Ray Rodrigues) dreams of prog-rock greatness. He works as a sound engineer at a low-rent music studio by trade and spends the rest of his waking hours trying to crack his magnum opus that’ll earn him a place in rock Valhalla. Well, almost. William frequently finds himself distracted by everything around him, especially his neighbors. Even more so with the...

Actors Alex Winter and Jonah Ray Rodrigues face off as new neighbors in Shudder’s splatter-comedy Destroy All Neighbors, and it’s safe to say that the confrontation escalates to a lethal, gory degree.

In Destroy All Neighbors, Rodrigues stars as William Brown, a neurotic, self-absorbed musician easily distracted from his prog-rock ambitions by an apartment building full of eclectic neighbors. That includes the noisy and grotesque Vlad (Winter), who just moved in next door. When an accidental murder ensues, William’s unwitting reign of terror causes victims to pile up and become undead corpses that further derail his journey toward prog-rock Valhalla.

Contracted: Phase II’s Josh Forbes directed Destroy All Neighbors from a screenplay by Charles Pieper and Jared Logan, with story by Pieper and Mike Benner, and the splatter-comedy arrives on Shudder on January 12, 2024.

Ahead of its debut, Bloody Disgusting spoke with director Josh Forbes and stars...

Clockwise from top left: Basket Case (Screenshot: Arrow Video/YouTube), Hellraiser (Screenshot: Arrow Video/YouTube), The Thing (Screenshot: Universal Pictures/YouTube), The Shining (Screenshot: Warner Bros./YouTube)Graphic: AVClub

The 1930s and 1940s are frequently recognized as the golden age of horror. And while Universal Studios deserves much credit for...

Writer-director Anna Zlokovic doesn't waste any time establishing the horror premise of her film Appendage. Immediately in the first scene, it's clear that there's something very wrong with aspiring fashion designer Hannah (Hadley Robinson), and things only get worse from there. So many modern horror movies rely on slow builds and vague hints that it's refreshing for Appendage to reveal its grotesque monster early on. The problem is that Zlokovic runs through so much plot so quickly that Appendage nearly exhausts its premise before it really gets going. The one-note allegory about a monstrous manifestation of the protagonist's anxieties and fears wears thin before Appendage is halfway over.

Even if its message is a bit strained, Appendage is still quite entertaining, especially when Zlokovic leans into its campier elements. Appendage introduces Hannah during a tense family dinner with her wealthy parents in the suburbs, as her mother takes passive-aggressive digs...

These last few years the Criterion Channel have made October viewing much easier to prioritize, and in the spirit of their ’70s and ’80s horror series we’ve graduated to––you guessed it––”’90s Horror.” A couple of obvious classics stand with cult favorites and more unknown entities (When a Stranger Calls Back and Def By Temptation are new to me). Three more series continue the trend: “Technothrillers” does what it says on the tin, courtesy the likes of eXistenZ and Demonlover; “Art-House Horror” is precisely the kind of place to host Cure, Suspiria, Onibaba; and “Pre-Code Horror” is a black-and-white dream. Phantom of the Paradise, Unfriended, and John Brahm’s The Lodger are added elsewhere.

James Gray is the latest with an “Adventures in Moviegoing” series populated by deep cuts and straight classics. Stonewalling and restorations of Trouble Every Day and The Devil, Probably make streaming debuts, while Flesh for Frankenstein,...

Frank Henenlotter's 1988 cult classic Brain Damage is a wonderfully transgressive allegory with a wicked sense of humor that irreverently tackles both addiction and being in the closet. '80s horror was chockfull of films that explored taboo topics and the moral scruples of the time, from mainstream sequels like A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and the Friday the 13th to those on the margins of the genre such as Re-Animator and Videodrome. Just like in the 1950s, cinema in the 1980s responded to the repressed and conservative social mores of the time with some of the most boundary-pushing genre films that have since become classics.

The ’70s shocked you, the ’80s gored you . . . now the ’90s come in for the kill!

The Criterion Channel has announced this year’s Halloween spectacular, which “celebrates an era that saw terror undergo unsettling new transformations.”

The team previews, “In the ’90s, horror movies got bigger budgets, became playfully self-aware, and even won some Oscars—but they’re just as nasty as what came before.

“Featuring cult heroes like John Carpenter (In the Mouth of Madness) and Abel Ferrara (The Addiction) plunging the dark depths of their uncompromising visions, established auteurs like Francis Ford Coppola (Bram Stoker’s Dracula) taking on the genre, and new voices like Ernest R. Dickerson (Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight) and Antonia Bird (Ravenous) offering fresh perspectives on familiar tropes, this selection curated by Clyde Folley offers a hair-raising tour through an oft-overlooked decade in horror that’s ripe for rediscovery.”

The full...

I took some time off this week. Unfortunately, my wife and I lost our little puppy son, Logan, who was a big part of our lives for nine years. If you've been a regular reader of my writing on Daily Dead, chances are he was on my lap while it was being written. Reading comic books and writing and horror has always been a great source of comfort for me, so I wanted to share some news that has me really looking forward to November 8th: the date when Count Crowley returns in Count Crowley: Mediocre Midnight Monster Hunter. Details are below, along with a look at the main cover from Lukas Ketner and the variant from Francesco Francavilla:

Eager fright fans won't have to wait much longer for a new chapter starring their favorite horror host, for the incredible team of David Dastmalchian, Lukas Ketner, Lauren Affe, and...

It's my birthday today, and I was inspired to curate this spine-chilling list of birthday horror movies! As I sat down to brainstorm what I'd be watching tonight to celebrate, I realized… there are a lot of birthday-themed horror movies. So I figured I'd share them with you, too!

Whenever you're looking to add a thrilling twist to your own birthday celebrations, look no further! From relentless time loops to sinister birthday parties gone awry, these movies are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and give your birthday festivities a hauntingly unforgettable twist. So, bookmark this list and enjoy these 10 horror movies on your own special day. Grab some popcorn, invite your bravest friends, and get ready to scream your way through this hair-raising collection of birthday horror movies that will leave you with more than just cake and candles!

Universal

Happy Death Day (2017)

This slasher-meets-Groundhog-Day...

Want a date? Got any money?? Join your horror hosts Kim & Jon as they analyze the lasting legacy of mad scientists and their undead creations with Frank Henenlotter’s Frankenhooker (1990).

We’ve wrapped our Classic Universal Monster tour through the tormented town of Frankenstein and now, we pair those macabre melodramas with a modern masterpiece of bad taste and morbid hilarity. Frankenhooker is everything you expect it to be (and more!). It stitches together grimy Time Square hustlers and immature jokes, but it’s also a surprisingly faithful re-imagining of James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and a 100,000 volt blast at prudish policy makers of the late 1980s. It’s also busting at the seams with mad sciencery, clever references for the Frankenstein obsessed, and a high-camp Bride of with pale skin and a purple skirt...

The Basket Case 3 episode of The Black Sheep was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Brandon Nally, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

One of the quintessential drive in kinda guys to me is Frank Henenlotter. Not only because of the anointing from the patron saint of Drive-ins himself, Joe Bob Briggs, but also just from a horror core memory. Long before I knew about the fabled 42nd Street in New York and all the magical movies that were shown there, I was introduced to Belial and his brother Duane on grainy VHS from Video Unlimited. That’s the magical part about being a horror fan. My brothers weren’t even particularly fond of the first movie, but knew it was an important piece of independent horror cinema. Shot for 35,000 and released in April of 1982, Basket Case is now enshrined in Moma,...

Have you ever had a vacation so iconic that people are still talking about it over two centuries later? Mary Shelley sure did, with her infamous getaway alongside Percy Shelley, John Polidori, Claire Clairmont and their host Lord Byron resulting in some of the most influential genre fiction of all time. And while Byron’s Darkness and Polidori’s The Vampyre have their merits, it’s pretty clear that Frankenstein remains the most enduring product of that fateful literary holiday.

That’s why it’s no surprise that we’re still seeing fresh adaptations of The Modern Prometheus well into 2023, with Yorgo Lanthimos’ Frankenstein inspired Poor Things proving that there are still new ways of exploring the tragic horror of Shelley’s immortal yarn. And with so many great adaptations to choose from, we’ve decided to come up with a list celebrating six of the best modern Frankenstein retellings for your viewing pleasure.