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Horror fans in the UK and Ireland are in for a chilling treat this month as AMC Networks’ premium streaming platform Shudder rolls out a packed schedule of original films, exclusives, and cult classics across May 2025. The platform, known for delivering genre-defining cinema and series, continues to expand its reach with an exciting lineup blending supernatural terrors, psychological thrills, and beloved retro gems.

Leading the charge is The Ugly Stepsister, a Shudder Original film that promises a warped and blood-soaked take on the familiar Cinderella tale. In a kingdom obsessed with beauty, Elvira is prepared to do whatever it takes to capture the prince’s attention, setting the stage for a brutal and twisted rivalry with the captivating Agnes. With a date yet to be confirmed, this twisted fairytale will be a highlight when it premieres exclusively on Shudder and AMC+.

Also arriving this month is The Surrender, another Shudder...

The clicking of film running through a projector and a slight wow on the pastoral soundtrack ushers in footage of “the blue hills” of The Cotswolds in 1945. It’s a beautiful area of England, replete with picturesque villages and historical monuments. However, the twee public information film stylings aren’t allowed to roll on for long and they’re interrupted – and ultimately halted – by cuts to something far more disturbing. The film becomes grainy and unfocused, the music disquieting and we’re told of of a bizarre, gruesome murder which happened on Meon Hill to one Charles Walton. Charles was reputed to be a friendly, harmless old man, yet he was battered to death with a stick, pinned to the ground with his own pitchfork and the sign of the cross was cut into his chest with his own billhook.

The crime would baffle investigators for decades and, aside from...

Folk horror has only recently been recognized as a distinct subgenre, even though some of its most famous works—including Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw, and The Wicker Man—came out in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many folk horror movies focus on isolated communities that get swept up in dangerous superstitions, while others highlight the darkness in aspects of folk culture, such as music, stories, and rituals. Over the decades, what was once considered a British phenomenon has flourished into a worldwide fascination.

This review contains spoilers for Get Away, which premieres Friday, December 6th in theaters

Folk horror is a robust subgenre that first entered the mainstream in the '70s, with the movies Blood on Satan's Claw, The Wicker Man, and Witchfinder General paving the way for the niche's current relevance. Folk horror explores the uncomfortable underbelly of rural settings through an emphasis on belief, superstition, sacrifice, and legacy. More importantly, the subgenre has experienced a recent renaissance with popular genre movies like Midsommar, Sightseers, Men, and The Witch.

Modern horror has helped this subgenre evolve, and director Steffen Haars and screenwriter/star Nick Frost crafted a potent answer to this movement with Get Away. Their movie presents a familiar story, where an unsuspecting family vacations to a foreign country that harbors a dark secret and tradition in the woods. However, Get Away works hard to reinvent the genre and surprise...

As daughters of an imaginative novelist, sisters Sommer and Winter are used to their father coming up with magical adventures for his bestselling books, but when their vacation cabin is overrun by goblins and their parents are kidnapped and taken into the forest, the sisters find themselves in the middle of their own fantasy quest that's all too real—and dangerous—in the new limited comic book series The Autumn Kingdom, written by Cullen Bunn with artwork by Christopher Mitten.

Ahead of the new issue's release this Wednesday, October 9th from Oni Press, we have an exclusive preview of The Autumn Kingdom #2 that showcases a tense showdown in the woods between the sisters and a horde of creepy creatures.

You can check out our exclusive preview from The Autumn Kingdom #2 by clicking on the main cover art below or by visiting:

https://dailydead.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Autumn-kingdom-2-pp-1-6.pdf...

Quick Links The May Queen Is an Ancient Tradition The May Queen Is Deeply Linked to May Day Midsommar's Festival Gives The May Queen a Dark Twist Midsommar's May Queen Is an Amalgamation of Real and Fictional

Midsommar has become a modern classic by cementing a renaissance in the folk horror genre while helping to make a star out of Florence Pugh. Writer-director Ari Aster delivers the horror in broad daylight, as four American university students travel to an isolated Swedish village in the far North to observe and participate in their Midsummer festival, only to learn they have been lured there with sinister ulterior motives.

The film earned praise for both its intense emotional themes and the eerily plausible way it created its horrific cult. That includes a focus on traditional pagan beliefs and rites, which have been a staple of the folk horror genre since its inception.

Stars: Boris Karloff, Catherine Lacey, Ian Ogilvy, Elizabeth Ercy, Victor Henry, Susan George, Ivor Dean, Peter Fraser | Written by Michael Reeves, Tom Baker, John Burke | Directed by Michael Reeves

The Sorcerers is a standout film in the canon of British horror cinema, notable not just for its eerie atmosphere but also for its psychological depth and thematic boldness. Directed by Michael Reeves, who would go on to make the iconic Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers is a chilling exploration of power, control, and the darker sides of human desire.

The film stars Boris Karloff as Professor Montserrat, an elderly hypnotist who, along with his wife Estelle (Catherine Lacey), invents a machine that allows them to control the mind and experiences of a young man, Mike Roscoe (Ian Ogilvy). What begins as a scientific experiment soon devolves into a dangerous game of manipulation, as Estelle becomes addicted to the vicarious thrill of...

Does anyone remember the Satanic panic? It was a bizarre mix of urban legend, conspiracy theory, media frenzy, and religious fanaticism that occurred primarily in the early 1980s. The phenomenon was marked by thousands of alleged incidents of ritualized abuse, often involving children, and desecrations reportedly perpetrated across the nation by scores of so-called Satanic cults in towns and cities everywhere. While many of the reports were later found to be baseless—and the initial investigative techniques used to supposedly substantiate them discredited—the aftermath of the panic remains with us today in the shape of things such as QAnon and PizzaGate.

The roots of the Satanic panic were found in the late 1960s and ‘70s, thanks to books like The Satan Seller, social changes like the rise of the counterculture in the national zeitgeist, infamous events like the Manson Family murders, the introduction of new religions into American society,...

Family Portrait.“You can’t always trust photographs,” may just be one line out of many in Lucy Kerr’s decisively polyphonous Family Portrait (2023). It is also a meta-statement encapsulating the film’s source of narrative tensions—that glaze of artificiality over every family portrait ever taken. Kerr’s debut feature stars Deragh Campbell as the protagonist, Katy. She and her boyfriend, Olek (Chris Galust), are the youngest couple in Katy’s big family—not to mention unmarried and childless—which makes them undeclared outsiders. There is no dramatic reason for them to be so eager to leave the holiday home, and yet they should get going. It’s late morning. The breakfast is lavish, with just the right amount of chaotic buzz. Olek is tasked with taking a family portrait, which will become this year’s Christmas card, but something feels off. Tensions mount as whispers of a recently...

This article contains discussions of politics and reproductive rights. It also contains spoilers for The Watchers.

The Watchers has increased interest in folk horror despite its mostly negative reviews. Shirley Jackson's influential tale explores themes of conformity and resistance, which are still relevant today. Despite its brevity, the American short story offers all the elements needed for a great horror film adaptation.

After the release of The Watchers, Hollywood needs to adapt one specific classic American short story to continue expanding the folk horror movie genre. Ishana Night Shyamalans directorial debut follows four strangers who get trapped in a forest where theyre watched by mysterious supernatural beings. Despite the largely negative reviews for The Watchers, the movie has reinvigorated the interest in the folk horror movie genre. Folk horror movies are largely credited as starting in the 1970s with the three British movies Witchfinder General, Blood on Satans Claw,...

There's a long and rich history of nerve-fraying folk horror in British cinema. From Witchfinder General to The Wicker Man, and A Field In England to small-screen offerings like recent Doctor Who chiller '73 Yards', these isles have proven perpetually fertile ground for tales of eldritch terror. And into that canon is about to come writer-director Daniel Kokotajlo's (Apostasy) Starve Acre. An adaptation of Andrew Michael Hurly's same-named novel, the film sees Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark star as a couple whose rural family bliss is disrupted when their son begins acting very strangely. Check out the atmospheric trailer for the movie below:

With its folk legends of 'Dandelion Jack', candlelit séances, creepy kids, reanimated rabbits, and grim-faced stars, the rain-lashed and mud-strewn Starve Acre looks like it'll be right at home amongst its rural horror peers. Here's the official synopsis, offering some tantalising clues as to what's going...

Tea Shop Productions, whose psycho-thriller The Surfer starring Nicolas Cage premiered in Cannes Midnight, has unveiled a dynamic development slate featuring Ruth Paxton and Nicolas Winding Refn projects.

Paxton is lining up her next directing feature after Toronto 2021 title A Banquet with Brock Norman Brock attached to write, while producer Refn and Vertigo are collaborating with Tea Shop on a long-gestating remake of horror classic Witchfinder General.

Also in the pipeline are a co-production with Merman and Searchlight and the debut feature from Jimmy Dean based on the Julia Armfield short story Manti.

Tea Shop, co-founded in 2010 by Los Angeles-based...

British special effects artist Roger Dicken, best known for his work on Ridley Scott’s Alien and the 1970s sci-fi thriller When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth has died. He was 84.

Dicken died on February 18 at his home in North Wales. His career began in the mid-60s when he accepted a freelance effects role on a sprawling sci-fi feature helmed by an ambitious American filmmaker named Stanley Kubrick. The project would end up being the seminal 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dicken created miniature moon terrains for the pic. His work would ultimately go uncredited.

Following his sojourn in space with Kubrick, Dicken found work on the Michael Reeves feature Witchfinder General before lending his hand to When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth by Val Guest. Dicken and Jim Danforth shared a Best Special Visual Effects Oscar nomination for their work on the film.

Dicken went on to work on Ridley Scott’s Alien.

Roger Dicken, the Oscar-nominated British special effects artist, sculptor and model maker known for his work on Alien and When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, has died. He was 84.

Dicken died Feb. 18 at his home in North Wales, Mick Cooper, a friend of more than five decades, told The Hollywood Reporter.

On his first film, Dicken was a member of the effects team for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968); later, he created and operated the dinosaur puppets seen in The Land That Time Forgot (1974).

Dicken sculpted several prehistoric creatures — plus a pair of full-sized pterodactyl feet — for the stop-motion adventure tale When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970), written and directed by Val Guest for Hammer Films. He and American animator Jim Danforth shared the Oscar nomination for visual effects.

For Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), Dicken constructed and controlled the terrifying chest-bursting creature that kills Executive Officer Kane (John Hurt) in...

Jess Franco’s The Bloody Judge, which was theatrically released in the U.S. by Aip under the nonsensical title of Night of the Blood Monster, is one of the filmmaker’s most lavish productions. It’s one that, absent the outrageous lashings of sadistic violence and nudity that are common to Franco’s work, could almost pass for mainstream cinema.

As a helpful voiceover informs the viewer while the opening credits roll, The Bloody Judge is set in 1684, during the last days of King James II, on the eve of the Glorious Revolution that put William and Mary on the throne. Allegiance to the current king is paramount to the storyline, providing the motivation behind the increasingly sadistic actions of Judge Jeffries (Christopher Lee). Like Michael Reeves’s Witchfinder General, from 1968, Franco’s film pits its youthful protagonists against the hypocrisy and intolerance of an authoritarian regime.

This is...

Somna is a thrilling and unique comic that combines horror, erotica, and period romance set in Stuart-era England, exploring themes of sexual repression and witch burnings. The collaboration between co-creators Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay has been a long time coming, with their shared love of gothic horror and desire to tell a dark, mystical, and erotic story. The story explores the fear of dreams becoming reality and the power of desire, while also delving into the historical fascination with witch trials and their connection to contemporary struggles with femininity.

Horror fans and erotica fans rejoice: the newest offering from new comic publisher Dstlry has arrived, and Somna delivers on all of its terrifying and thrilling promises. Just in time for their new book's release, co-creators Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay answered a few of Screen Rant's questions about witch hunts, female desire, splitting art duties, and more in this exclusive interview and preview.

The "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" consists of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, all of which combine horror and comedy. The "Unholy Trinity of Folk Horror Trilogy" includes Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw, and The Wicker Man, which are all British films that delve into creepy folklore. The "John Carpenter's Apocalypse Trilogy" features The Thing, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness, each exploring potential apocalyptic scenarios.

Horror cinema has produced some excellent trilogies over the years, but those who have already seen all the popular titles might be interested in different, "unofficial" horror movie trilogies. The original Evil Dead movies and Poltergeist sagas, the Blade films, and the Maniac Cop movies are just some of the franchises that stopped at three installments (not including reboots). While they're enjoyable, there's only so many times anyone can watch even the best horror movies of all time.

A new season of The Wicker Man is upon us. The classic 1973 horror film, which is arguably the best-known of three British films from its era that embody “folk horror” (the others being Witchfinder General and Blood on Satan’s Claw), is returning to UK cinemas for one night on June 21 in a special new 4K remastered version of the “Final Cut,” complete with re-edited footage deleted from the original, troubled theatrical release.

Following that, the three existing versions of the film (The Wicker Man may rival Blade Runner in the department of different cuts), all in 4K Uhd, will be released in an exclusive 50th anniversary collector’s edition on Sept. 4. The five-disc set will also contain a bevy of goodies, including new essays, an EP of music, and plenty of other bonus content.

Despite a turbulent production and initial release, The Wicker Man has only grown in stature over...

Classic folk horror movie The Wicker Man turns fifty later this year, but today, May 1, 2023, makes for the perfect time to celebrate its momentous anniversary.

The entire premise centers around May Day festivities, after all, building its horror around the themes of rebirth, fertility, and the driving desire for an isolated community to thrive with a fruitful harvest. What’s now considered a foundational pillar of folk horror wasn’t always the case. The Wicker Man eschewed conventional horror tactics that puzzled upon initial release, mining its ultimate terror from one unforgettable ending.

The opening text attempts to establish authenticity with a producer’s thanks to Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee) and his people for cooperating with the film’s production and providing insight into their religion and culture. It then cuts to a seaplane arriving at the remote Summerisle setting over the opening credits, introducing Police Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward...

I grew up in Suffolk, UK, one of the old stamping grounds of Matthew Hopkins, the nefarious witch-hunter whose zealotry would one day be captured on screen by Vincent Price in the 1968 horror movie "Witchfinder General." As a fan of legends and lore, I once researched a piece on local witchcraft for my A-Levels, spending many an afternoon in the Suffolk Records Office. It was a delightfully eerie experience, sitting in a darkened room peering down the lens of a microfilm viewer at 300-year-old accounts of bewitchment, familiars, and curses.

One story still sticks in my mind. A witch took a dislike to a man in her village and sent an army of spiders to torment him. Eyewitnesses supposedly saw hundreds of the things swarming his house and weaving their webs. His frightened neighbors responded by burning the place down.

The thing that struck me most about these stories was...

Cex Publishing is proud to announce Edgar Allan Poe’s The Conqueror Worm arriving at comic book shops and speciality stores next Wednesday. Beautifully adapted by Clara Meath,The Conqueror Wormexplores human mortality and the inevitability of death. The poem first appeared in Graham’s Magazine in 1843 and was later included as part of a collection of …

The post Edgar Allen Poe’s the Conqueror Worm in Stores May 25th! appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

On this episode of Daily Dead's official podcast, Bryan Christopher, Emily von Seele, and Derek Anderson celebrate folk horror with a discussion of Kier-La Janisse's insightful documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, and they also talk about the folk horror films Witchfinder General, Kandisha, Viy, Wake Wood, Alison's Birthday, and Lake of the Dead.

You can listen to the new episode of Corpse Club right now on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube, Pandora, and SoundCloud!

Looking for more scary good Corpse Club content? Be sure to check out our Corpse Club website and memberships. Not only can you view past episodes, but you can also sign up to be an official Corpse Club member to enjoy a wide range of rewards, including a shirt and pin that are to die for, access to bonus content, and the ability to suggest an episode topic!

The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1971, 1972 / 1.85 : 1 / 94, 89 Min.

Starring Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Terry Thomas

Written by James Whiton, William Goldstein, Robert Blees

Directed by Robert Fuest

Though he thrived in light comedies and upmarket melodramas, Vincent Price didn’t really find himself till he found Henry Jarrod, the high strung sculptor-turned psychopath in 1953’s House of Wax. The role reinvented the Jekyll/Hyde story and gave Price the key to his long-lasting persona; the well-mannered fiend and the unhinged romantic merged into one tormented soul. Ticket buyers were both moved and terrified by Jarrod and the box office receipts reflected their fascination. Price was happy to dish up more of the same and though he would occasionally play no nonsense villains like the unambiguously evil Matthew Hopkins of 1968’s Witchfinder General, the actor rarely strayed too far from his comfort zone.

There was...

Emmy award winning show runner Mitch Watson discusses some of the movies he saw when he was a kid that ruined him for life.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

A History Of Violence (2005)

On The Border (1998)

Hollywood Boulevard (1976) – Jon Davison’s trailer commentary

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness celebration

E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964)

Harold and Maude (1971) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Witchfinder General (1968) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

Shampoo (1975) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Swashbuckler (1976)

Jaws (1975) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Tfh’s Shark Attack At Hero Complex Gallery

The Neverending Story (1984)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Videodrome (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Starship Troopers (1997)

They Live (1988)

Magic (1978)

Dead Of Night...

Kier-La Janisse’s exhaustive doc is not just an education in the genre’s history but a lesson in how to make a film essay

At three-and-a-bit hours long, this is worth every geeky minute if you’re into the genre of the title – think Witchfinder General all the way through to Midsommar. With its really smart deep dives into cultural criticism, this is a seasonal stocking overflowing with spooky fun. Writer-director Kier-La Janisse, founder of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, clearly knows the subject inside out, and finds the best authors, scholars and authorities to talk about the subject. But what’s really admirable is the way it is organised into digestible chapters that flow silkily from one subject to another, eased along by a spontaneous and colloquial voiceover from the director herself. As a film essay, the methodology is exemplary; if you want an education in an...

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Vincent Price rose to fame in “The Fly,” “House on Haunted Hill,” “Witchfinder General,” “House of Wax,” and “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” but his filmography goes much deeper than horror movies.

A true renaissance man of the arts, Price earned a degree from Yale, where he studied English and art history. He worked as a lecturer before breaking into acting and landed his first leading role in the 1938 comedy, “Service de Luxe.” Price went on to appear in more than 100 films, including “The Ten Commandments” and “Laura and the Song of Bernadettes,” and had roles on TV shows from “Batman to “The Muppet Show Mystery.” He earned two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,...

On this episode of Daily Dead's official podcast, Corpse Club co-hosts Tamika Jones, Bryan Christopher, Derek Anderson, and Jonathan James have an in-depth, spoiler-filled discussion about James Wan's Malignant! The co-hosts also discuss some of their other recent horror viewings and experiences, including Witchfinder General, Nightbooks, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and Alien: The Roleplaying Game.

You can listen to the new episode of Corpse Club right now on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube, Pandora, and SoundCloud.

Looking for more scary good Corpse Club content? Be sure to check out our Corpse Club website and memberships. Not only can you view past episodes, but you can also sign up to be an official Corpse Club member to enjoy a wide range of rewards, including a shirt and pin that are to die for, access to bonus content, and the ability to suggest an episode topic!

Missed out on our previous episodes?...

Severin Films Reveals Trailer And VOD Release Date For Kier-la Janisse’S Award-winning Festival Hit Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror: "Severin Films is proud to finally bring the debut feature film from Kier-La Janisse (author of “House of Psychotic Women”) to VOD platforms on October 26th, just in time for Halloween. The film will continue to play festival dates and theatrical bookings throughout Autumn.

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched explores the folk horror phenomenon from its beginnings in a trilogy of films - Michael Reeves' Witchfinder General (1968), Piers Haggard's Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man (1973) - through its proliferation on British television in the 1970s and its culturally specific manifestations in American, Asian, Australian and European horror, to the genre's revival over the last decade. Touching on over 100 films and featuring over 50 interviewees, Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched investigates the...

Folklore is the oldest manifestation of shared storytelling. It has been a part of cinema since the very early days, when it inspired works such as Alice Guy-Blaché’s The Cabbage Fairy and George S Fleming’s Jack And The Beanstalk. But what of folk horror? Kier-La Janisse’s outstanding documentary traces the history and form of this influential cinematic tradition across decades and continents, and does it all with such verve that, at three hours and 14 minutes in length, this densely packed film still flashes by.

It begins with what Janisse calls the big three: Michael Reeve’s Witchfinder General, Piers Haggard’s Blood On Satan’s Claw and Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man. All three have a strong personal relevance for her and al three continue to be celebrated as classics decades after they were made. They’re as good a hook as any on which to hang...

We know, we know. August hearkens the mid point of Summer and though there may still be an air of uncertainty around the end of Summer holidays one thing is for sure, Shudder will be there to help you get through it all.    Though the programming seems a little lighter than previous months there are still some very good titles coming to the AMC Network streaming service. The three main additions next month is the French werewolf horror flick, Teddy, Travis Stevens' SXSW midnighter, Jakob's Wife, starring Barbara Crampton and Larry Fessenden, and body horror flick Mosquito State.    Throughout the month look forward to additions of classic Vincent Price flick, Witchfinder General, Gareth Edwards' Monsters, Ben Wheatley's A Field in England, Borgman, cult fave...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

50 years ago this week, Tigon Pictures released a richly atmospheric, devilishly spooky, and unsung piece of British Folk horror titled The Blood on Satan's Claw. This moody slow-burn tale of occult terror, set in 17th Century England, is considered by some to be part of an unofficial folk horror trilogy, wedged between Witchfinder General (1968) and The Wicker Man (1973). It's less known and revered than those 2 spooky cult flicks, but 50 years after its release isn't too late to celebrate the unshakably nightmarish mood of this dark arts romp about a village overcome by witch hysteria, now faced with a demonic force that's turning their children into furry, false God-worshipping killers. It's perhaps the most Hammer film Hammer never made.

The film opens with Ralph (Barry Andrews), ploughing fields along the sprawling English countryside, as he's done humbly for years, when he discovers crows surrounding a raised patch of soil. Upon investigation,...

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to check out an array of projects from three different female filmmakers who were part of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, including Here Before, which was written and directed by Stacey Gregg, Kier-La Janisse’s folk horror doc Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, as well as Witch Hunt from writer/director Elle Callahan.

Read on to see what I thought of this trio of films out of this year’s SXSW, and be sure to keep an eye out for more on these projects in the near future as well.

Here Before: With her feature film debut, Irish writer/director Stacey Gregg makes quite a statement with Here Before, a psychological thriller that also happens to be a thoughtful cinematic meditation on grief and motherhood. Featuring yet another all-timer performance from Andrea Riseborough, Here Before was easily the most surprising film I saw during this year’s SXSW.

“Folk horror” is a term of relatively recent vintage — or at least popularity — that only grows more broad as “Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched” spends three and a quarter hours trying to define it. Still, a slippery thesis doesn’t detract from the pleasures of this documentary from genre scholar and programmer Kier-La Janisse. She draws on alluring clips from more than 100 films, plus myriad interviews, to survey an alternately lurid and surreal cinematic (as well as television) field of mostly rural tales inspired by traditional superstitions and lore.

for a long time to come. Production company Severin Films, itself a leading restorer and home-formats distributor of vintage cult movies, should find a ready-made audience in its own customer base—which Janisse’s film will no doubt help expand.

Beyond the director herself, the various authorities heard from here (just a couple in archival interviews) include veteran and next-generation filmmakers,...

Following the misfire of 2019’s “Hellboy” reboot, “The Descent” director Neil Marshall returns to his traditional horror roots with “The Reckoning,” an uneven melodrama about an innocent young widow accused of witchcraft during the Great Plague of London, 1665. Striving to be a rousing tale of female empowerment in the face of brutal patriarchy and religious extremism, “The Reckoning” has some powerful moments but relies too heavily on fantasy sequences to deliver scares, and its credibility is significantly compromised by the heroine consistently emerging from extreme torture sessions with barely a hair out of place or a smudge on her makeup. Dedicated horror hounds will be the main takers when this well-produced item hits U.S. theaters and VOD on February 5.

A world apart from arty contemporary folk-horrors such as “The Witch” and “Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse,” Marshall’s new film is more closely related to hellfire European exploitation titles of...

Jane Asher is as well-known for acting as she is for dating an ex-Beatle, and in 1964 she brought Swinging London to the canteen of Roger Corman’s The Masque of the Red Death.

Based on the gothic short story “The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy,” the film remains the most ambitious installment in Corman’s Edgar Allen Poe cycle of movies, contrasting the bleak landscape of a dying village with the psychological torment of six rooms of color, and one with no color at all, just a deep black with a blood red crimson glow cast on it. Vincent Price stars as the sadistic and satanic Prince Prospero, whose darkness reigns over his dominions.

Price wouldn’t be this malignant again until 1968’s Witchfinder General, which was retitled The Conqueror Worm, even though it had nothing to do with the Poe story. In Masque, he throws decadent orgies...

The Vincent Price Collection

Blu ray

1960,’61, ’63, ’64, ’68, ’71 / 79, 85, 87, 90, 86, 94 min. / 2.35 : 1, 1:85:1

Starring Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, Hazel Court

Cinematography by Floyd Crosby, Nicolas Roeg,

John Coquillon, Norman Warwick

Directed by Roger Corman, Michael Reeves, Robert Fuest

The Vincent Price Collection, the first in a series of Blu-ray sets celebrating the beloved actor’s glory days, arrived in 2013. They sold like hot cakes, quickly going out of print only to pop up on eBay with price tags that would make Bill Gates tremble. That initial release has just been reissued and is a near-duplicate of the original. All the films are here including The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Haunted Palace, Witchfinder General, and The Abominable Dr. Phibes. But there are changes—the Poe-related intros Price recorded for a PBS affiliate have been removed due to rights issues. And something new has been added; The Masque of the Red Death,...

In his latest interview/podcast, hos and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks 5 Great Michael Reeves Moments with writer and academic Ben Halligan, including:

Intrusion (1961) Castle of the Living Dead (1964) Revenge of the Blood Beast (1966) The Sorcerers (1967) Witchfinder General (1968)

Ben wrote the book on Michael Reeves as part of the British Film-Makers series (2003). You can buy a copy here. If you’re a fan of Reeves you should also check out The Magnificent Obsession of Michael Reeves, directed by Dima Balllin. Find more information on the documentary here and also read our review here.

Thomas Clay’s Fanny Lye Deliver’d, starring Maxine Peake, showcases an era of fighting for freedom and furiously challenging the status quo

A nation divided and thrown into chaos, the old regime under threat, new dreams of freedom, equality and justice checked by violent oppression masquerading as righteousness. No, not today; I’m talking about 17th-century England, one of the most febrile times in British history, and one of the most cinematic, too.

Thomas Clay’s new movie, Fanny Lye Deliver’d, reminds us of that. Set in 1657, during Oliver Cromwell’s reign, this artful little siege horror brings a runaway couple (Freddie Fox and Tanya Reynolds) into the Puritan household of Charles Dance’s John Lye and his servile wife, Fanny (Maxine Peake). The fusion of earthy rural splendour, monochrome garb, blade-assisted violence and exuberantly oversized hats brings to mind 70s folk horrors such as Witchfinder General and...

Hilary Heath, an actress and producer who starred opposite Vincent Price in horror movies in the late 1960s and early ’70s, has died of the coronavirus. She was 74.

Heath appeared in three British horror films with Price, which were released by Amerian International Pictures — 1968’s “Witchfinder General,” 1969’s “The Oblong Box” and 1970’s “Cry of the Banshee.”

Her death was confirmed by her godson, Alex Williams, in a post on Facebook.

Also Read: Timothy Brown, 'M*A*S*H' Actor and NFL Player, Dies at 82

“We lost my wonderful Godmother Hilary Heath to Covid-19 last week,” Williams wrote. “Hilary had many careers, starting out as a screen and stage actress in the 1960s and 1970s, and then re-inventing herself as a producer in the 1990s, making films like Nil by Mouth (Gary Oldman) and An Awfully Big Adventure. Her most remarkable re-invention came in her mid-60s, when she won...

Hilary Heath, the star opposite Vincent Price in a series of American International Pictures horror films, died last week of Covid-19 complications. She was 74 and her death was confirmed by a post from her godson, Alex Williams, on Facebook.

Heath, a British actress, appeared in the films Witchfinder General, The Oblong Box and Cry of the Banshee as a mistress, daughter and wife foil to Price.

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Her resume includes Ted Kotcheff’s Two Gentlemen Sharing (1969), and in a 1970 adaptation of Wuthering Heights featuring Timothy Dalton, wherein she portrayed Isabella.

Heath became a producer after retiring from acting, producing Mike Newell’s An Awfully Big Adventure...

Hilary Heath, the British actress and producer who starred opposite Vincent Price in the American International Pictures horror films Witchfinder General, The Oblong Box and Cry of the Banshee, has died. She was 74.

Dwyer died March 30 of complications from Covid-19, her godson, Alex Williams, wrote on Facebook.

After retiring from acting, Heath produced Mike Newell's An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), starring Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, and Nil by Mouth (1997), written and directed by Gary Oldman.

She was married to talent agent Duncan Heath from 1974 until their 1989 divorce, and they launched the agency Duncan Heath Associates,...

Hilary Heath, the British actress and producer who starred opposite Vincent Price in the American International Pictures horror films Witchfinder General, The Oblong Box and Cry of the Banshee, has died. She was 74.

Dwyer died March 30 of complications from Covid-19, her godson, Alex Williams, wrote on Facebook.

After retiring from acting, Heath produced Mike Newell's An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), starring Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, and Nil by Mouth (1997), written and directed by Gary Oldman.

She was married to talent agent Duncan Heath from 1974 until their 1989 divorce, and they launched the agency Duncan Heath Associates,...

“See” is pretty metal: The Apple TV+ sci-fi series features plenty of violent battles, allusions to witches, and all manner of dystopian themes. Also, the show features two actual heavy metal musicians in a brief cameo, one of whom helped train star Jason Momoa to perform suitably bombastic war cries in the show’s pilot.

Much of the show’s first episode is dedicated to Baba Voss (Momoa) leading his village’s warriors against an invading army. Baba rallies his troops via an intense, spirited chant that includes all manner of horns, drumming, and formidable growling. It was a complicated sequence, and one that required outside counsel.

Momoa is a fan of British Columbia death metal band Archspire (death metal is characterized by its especially abrasive instrumentation and guttural vocals), and the actor invited vocalist Oli Peters to coach him on how to mimic his distinct vocal style for the...

[This Halloween season, we're paying tribute to classic horror cinema by celebrating films released before 1970! Check back on Daily Dead this month for more retrospectives on classic horror films, and visit our online hub to catch up on all of our Halloween 2019 special features!]

There are few horror blankets warmer to me than the Roger Corman Poe adaptations the director made with star Vincent Price in the 1960s. More than the familiarity of Hammer horror, more than the delicious junk food that is the slasher genre, the Corman/Poe cycle feels like October. Not even my beloved Universal Monsters offer the same amount of comfort, the same sense of seasonal mood. These are movies that I turn to every year to set the tone for October.

Because his name has become so synonymous with penny-pinching schlock—cheap movies shot on the quick, minimum investment for maximum return—it’s often overlooked that Roger Corman was a great director. For evidence of this, look no further than his Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, a series of eight films Corman made between 1960–1965, beginning with House of Usher and culminating with The Tomb of Ligeia. Though the films vary a little in quality,...

Häxan

Blu ray

Criterion

1922/ 1.33:1 / 105 min.

Starring Benjamin Christensen

Directed by Benjamin Christensen

Fine art joins forces with the dark arts in Häxan, an impeccably crafted docu-drama with the lurid kick of an exploitation film.

The influence of Benjamin Christensen’s silent horror show can be found far and wide, from movies as beloved as The Wizard of Oz and reviled as The Devils. Variety was certainly conflicted when Häxan was turned loose in 1922 – “Wonderful though this picture is, it is absolutely unfit for public exhibition.”

It’s not Intolerance but Häxan boasts both a sizable cast and elaborate settings (at the time it was the most expensive film ever produced in Denmark). Yet the credits suggest it was something of a one man show – Christensen wrote and narrated (his hypnotic glower is the first thing the audience sees) and he acts up a storm – he plays the devil who...

Alex Westthorp Oct 1, 2019

Witches, demons and ancient pagan rituals: Alex explores the use of folk horror in the Doctor's adventures...

This article originally ran on Den of Geek UK.

Thought to be a relatively recent term, coined by director Piers Haggard and popularised by Doctor Who's own Mark Gatiss, "folk horror" is essentially horror based on old countryside folklore. It is a sub-genre of occult fiction, which encompasses paganism, witchcraft, superstition, legends and the traditions of the countryside. Often texts will refer to "Green man" rituals, stone circles, Devil worship, disfigurement and the "memories" of the earth.

In the cinema, folk horror is at the fore in films like the 1967 Hammer classic The Devil Rides Out, Terence Fisher's vision of the 1934 novel by Denis Wheatley, Piers Haggard's own 1974 film Blood On Satan's Claw (which incidentally features a terrific cast including a pre-Who Anthony Ainley and a post-Who Wendy Padbury...

By Tim Greaves

Writer-director Michael Reeves passed away on February 11th 1969, aged just 25. He had helmed a mere three films in his short lifetime – all of them in various fields of exploitation cinema – the third and last of them, Witchfinder General, now widely acknowledged as a classic of 1960s British cinema. (The film was featured in ‘Cinema Retro’ Vol 2 No 5.)

As I was watching The Magnificent Obsession of Michael Reeves, the new documentary from filmmaker Dima Ballin, I found myself wondering, 50 years on from his death, just how far reaching among movie buffs at large Reeves and his films are. Although I can comprehend that mention of his name might draw a blank with many, it seems inconceivable to me that the title Witchfinder General would do so too. So I put it to the test. My daughter, who’s in her mid-20s and shares my passion for film...

In the first of this weeks Arrow Video Frightfest preview podcasts, host Stuart Wright talks The Magnificent Obsession of Michael Reeves with the films director Dima Ballin.

The early death of director Michael Reeves at 25 from an accidental overdose robbed the cinema of a potential major talent. He only made three 1960s shockers – The Revenge Of The Bloodbeast, The Sorcerers and the masterpiece Witchfinder General – each starring a horror icon, Barbara Steele, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price. But for many he was the genre’s shining light because he took fright out of studio confines and into stark reality. Reeves’ early life and movie times plus little known facts about his short but incandescent career are all covered in director Dima Ballin’s brilliant and exhaustively researched documentary.

Catch The Magnificent Obsession Of Michael Reeves at Arrow Video Frightfest

22th to 26th August 2018

Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7Na.

Programme listings and film details www.

Don Kaye Jul 3, 2019

Writer/director Ari Aster breaks down the origins of his disturbing new follow-up to Hereditary.

Writer/director Ari Aster stunned horror fans in June 2018 with his feature debut, Hereditary, a genuinely unnerving and frightening film that fused a dysfunctional family drama with a dread-soaked take on supernatural possession. But even before cameras rolled on Hereditary, Aster had been working on a project broader in scope but no less disturbing.

That film, Midsommar, is out now and finds Aster channeling yet more raw emotional territory -- this time the slow-motion catastrophe of a painful breakup -- through the lens of folk horror, a subgenre distinguished by its exploration of folklore and legend, its pastoral, secluded settings and the often shocking ritual and sexual violence that occurs in them.

Read More: Midsommar Review

The center of the film is Dani (Florence Pugh), a student racked by horrific personal tragedy...

Back in 2016, it was reported at the Cannes Film Festival that a remake of 1968's Witchfinder General was in the works with Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) producing. Now, several years later at Cannes, the director for the remake has been revealed.

Deadline reports that John Hillcoat is on board to direct the Witchfinder General remake. A cast has yet to be assembled, but production is being planned to begin as early as this year.

Hillcoat will direct from a screenplay by Jon Croker (The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death), with Bynwr.com's Refn and Rupert Preston producing alongside Hillcoat’s Blank Films.

Here's what Refn had to say (via Deadline) about Hillcoat directing the remake:

"It is with extreme pleasure that both Rupert and I can incorporate John Hillcoat into our group as director for our production of Witchfinder General. It gives me enormous satisfaction to...