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Stars: Jeremy Moineau, Chris Asimos, Dominique Booth, Lewi Dawson, Olivia Deeble, Lisa Fanto, Molly Ferguson, Patty Glavieux, Betsey Brown | Written by Alice Maio Mackay, Benjamin Pahl Robinson | Directed by Alice Maio Mackay

As always, I made sure I got to see the Christmas movie from this year’s Fantasia festival. Carnage for Christmas sees true-crime podcaster Lola, return to her hometown for the first time since leaving and transitioning, only for an ‘urban myth’ to seemingly also return and start killing again. Lola must solve the case and save the town that didn’t want her.

I don’t mean this in a bad way at all, but Carnage for Christmas feels very familiar to anyone who has seen plenty of slasher films, and more specifically Christmas slasher movies. There are clearly influences here from such films as Silent Night, Deadly Night and Black Christmas. This is of course no bad thing,...

It’s Lola’s (Jeremy Moineau) first time back in her small hometown since leaving for the big city at 16 and transitioning. Thus she expects drama––either because the locals are still stuck under 1950s-era gender norms or because her old bullies are chomping at the bit to pick up where they left off. A double murder, though? No one would fathom that as her homecoming present, regardless of her minor celebrity as a true-crime podcaster who got the bug when being confronted with her own community urban legend as a kid. Could it be a stalker who listened to her latest episode and followed her down? A figure from her past? Or, maybe, the ghost of the Toymaker himself?

While I’ve never read a Nancy Drew book, I have played a couple of the point-and-click games with my partner, so the homage isn’t lost on me. And...

The 25th edition of Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is set to deliver an exhilarating blend of horror and fantasy films, with the festival moving to a new venue, the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. Running from Thursday, 22 August to Monday, 26 August, the event will take over all seven screens at the venue, promising an unforgettable experience for horror enthusiasts.

As we can barely contain the excitement, we’re sharing the films on offer in each screen so you can quickly decide which films to add to your ‘must watch’ list.

Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 – Discovery Screen 1 Thursday, 22 August 2024

8:15 Pm – Cinderella’s Curse (World Premiere) Directed by Louisa Warren and starring Kelly Ryan Sanson, Chrissie Wunna, Lauren Budd, and Natasha Tosini, this spine-chilling reimagining of the classic fairytale sees Cinderella summon her fairy godmother from an ancient book to exact bloody revenge on her tormentors.

10:35 Pm – Carnage for Christmas (International Premiere) Directed by Alice Maio Mackay,...

At only 19 years old, Australian Alice Maio Mackay is already an accomplished filmmaker. Known for low budget, indie genre films like So Vam (2021) and Bad Girl Boogey (2022), Mackay routinely tells exceptional stories about characters running from monsters and masked killers from the horrifying perspective of what it’s like to fight for your life while being Queer and transgender in a bigoted small town.

Mackay’s newest film, Carnage for Christmas, is a fast-paced, blood-soaked whodunit, which follows a true crime podcaster returning to her small hometown years after transitioning and has to solve a series of gruesome murders, which the local police seem to be ignoring.

Carnage for Christmas, written by Mackay and Benjamin Pahl Robinson, and directed by Mackay, introduces us to Lola (Jeremy Moineau) while she is recording the latest episode of her true crime podcast. Lola closes the episode with an urban legend from her hometown of Purdan,...

The Boogeyman Pop teaser trailer is here. The upcoming horror anthology was produced independently and was made on a shoestring budget. When the movie was roughly 75 percent through filming, they had spent just $75 thousand, which, as director Brad Michael Elmore puts it, is the catering budget on many movies. Now, the general public is getting a look at what Elmore cooked up with this first full teaser, which looks like it's going to be bizarre, bloody and quite possibly a lot of fun.

This teaser is loaded with blood and trippy imagery. It's pretty tough to get a grip on the larger story at play, but there's a creepy maniac wielding a bat killing young folks and there are some supernatural elements at play. The synthy 80s score is also doing the footage some serious favors. The music comes courtesy of the band The Wolfmen of Mars, for those who...