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Horror movies often find themselves judged by how well they can maintain suspense, deliver jump scares and make the audience's skin crawl. While some classics like Psycho and The Exorcistachieve this and become box office hits, many horror films that are equally flawless from start to finish often slip under the radar. These underrated gems offer everything a horror fan could want — strong performances, creepy and well-crafted lore, and terrifying scares — but for one reason or another, they haven't garnered the widespread recognition they deserve.

These films might have been overshadowed by more mainstream releases, suffered from limited marketing, or were simply ahead of their time. Each one delivers a masterclass in horror filmmaking, maintaining tension and engagement without a single misstep. Some have gone on to become justified cult classics, while others are hidden gems in need of discovery. They run the gamut of horror's history and make terrific...

The Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has identified Jung Han-seok as the preferred candidate for its new festival director, though the selection process remains ongoing. The final decision will be made at the festival’s second general meeting of the year, scheduled for March 20 at the Busan Cinema Center.

Jung has been a key figure at Biff since 2019, serving as the Korean Cinema programmer. His work has included highlighting trends in domestic filmmaking and strengthening connections between the Korean film industry and the festival. He has also been a jury member for the Buil Film Awards, Jeonju International Film Festival, and Seoul Independent Film Festival, in addition to advising international events such as the Florence Korea Film Festival and Hong Kong’s Asian Film Awards. Before joining Biff, Jung worked as a journalist and film critic for the Korean film publication Cine21.

The festival’s selection process for the director...

Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal proudly present Taps, a moving queer love story premiering today. Written and directed by Arvind Caulagi, this poignant short film stars Ullas Samrat, Rohit Mehra.

Ali Fazal took to Instagram to share the trailer of the film and wrote, “Each and Every relationship comes with its own unique love language and when Richa and me saw this film, we couldn’t help marvel at the way it had captured the truths of being in a relationship. It stuck with us. We are proud to present Taps — a gorgeous, gentle and honest love story told in 10 minutes by @arvindcaulagi featuring stunning performances. Give it a watch and tell us what you think of it. It’s now streaming on YouTube!”

‘Taps’ is a testament to the evolving narratives in Indian cinema, championing Lgbtqia+ representation with sensitivity and depth. The film is produced by Four Line Entertainment,...

South Korea’s Contents Panda is launching upcoming horror features Incarnation and The Second Child at the EFM, meeting the rising appetite for genre titles from Asia.

Incarnation centres on a nun who teams with a detective to investigate a series of suicides, which they discover is linked to a curse. The cast is led by Stephanie Lee of The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful, which proved a box office hit in 2019, and Lee Shin-seong, whose credits include Commitment (2013) and A Better Tomorrow (2010).

This film incorporates elements of Vietnamese horror, including rituals and spirits, tapping into a hugely popular genre...

As we continue to explore the best in 2024, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage.

Most-Read Reviews

1. The Goldfinger

2. From Darkness to Light

3. The Devil’s Bath

4. Only the River Flows

5. Longlegs

6. The Nature of Love

7. The 2024 Oscar-Nominated Animated Short Films, Reviewed

8. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2

9. Trap

10. Dune: Part Two

Most-Read Interviews

1. Richard Linklater on Sex, Murder, Hit Man, and the Infantilization of Culture

2. Will Menaker on the Year in Cinema: Oppenheimer, Scorsese, Friedkin & Beyond

3. Lee Daniels on The Deliverance, Shifting Culture, Douglas Sirk, and That Glenn Close Performance

4. “All Great DPs Become Alcoholics”: Rob Tregenza on Shooting Béla Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies

5. In a Violent Nature Director Chris Nash on Creating a New Kind of Slasher,...

‘Harbin’ To Be Present At Christmas

Poised to be one of the biggest blockbusters of an uneven year for Korean cinema, “Harbin” is finally confirmed to release on Christmas Day (Dec. 25). The movie had its premiere in September at the Toronto International Film Festival but its distributor and financier Cj Enm chose to hold back the commercial release in its native Korea until the busy end-of-year season.

The period action film follows Korean independence activists who launch a daring attack against the Japanese occupying forces in Manchuria (modern-day China).

It is directed by Woo Min-ho and stars Hyun Bin (“Crash Landing on You”), Park Jeong-min (“Decision to Leave”) and Jeon Yeo-been (“Cobweb”), who were all in action at a press launch event Monday in Seoul.

Apple Cider

Netflix has unveiled a trailer for Australian-produced “Apple Cider Vinegar,” a limited series which it will upload in 2025. The six-part drama chronicles the...

Last week, it was announced that Theo James of The Gentlemen, the Divergent films, and the upcoming Osgood Perkins / Stephen King movie The Monkey is set to star in a film called The Hole, which is coming our way from South Korean director Kim Jee-woon. Now, the name of James’ first co-star has been revealed, and that co-star is Emmy-nominated Korean actress and model Hoyeon, who made her screen debut in the hit Netflix series Squid Game.

James is taking on the role of Owen, a successful professor living abroad in South Korea, who is bedridden after a devastating car accident that killed his wife, Sandy. He is left under the care of Yuna, his Korean mother-in-law — but when she starts to unravel the devastating truth behind Owen and Sandy’s marriage, and Owen himself, his road to recovery is threatened. Hoyeon will be playing Sandy.

Scripted by Christopher Chen,...

The Cobweb ending explained that Peter is in a new home, but did he really escape Sarah, and how will he be impacted by killing his parents and other trauma he experienced? Samuel Bodin's directorial debut boasts a stellar cast, including The Boys' Antony Starr, Lizzy Caplan, Cleopatra Coleman, and Woody Norman. The horror movie centers on Peter (Norman), a troubled young boy who begins hearing scratching noises inside his walls.

Soon, Peter discovers it's his sister, Sarah, whom he never knew about because his parents keep her locked in the attic. Peter's parents, Mark (Antony Starr) and Carol (Lizzy Caplan), become more strict and controlling of him as his suspicions of them grow due to Sarah's warnings that they're evil people. Sarah convinces Peter to kill his parents and let her out, but it turns out she was a monster all along. Peter's teacher, Miss Devine (Cleopatra Coleman), rescues him,...

There’s a new film called The Hole coming our way from South Korean director Kim Jee-woon, and a press release has revealed that Theo James of The Gentlemen, the Divergent films, and the upcoming Osgood Perkins / Stephen King movie The Monkey is set to star in it. James will be taking on the role of Owen, a successful professor living abroad in South Korea, who is bedridden after a devastating car accident that killed his wife, Sandy. He is left under the care of Yuna, his Korean mother-in-law — but when she starts to unravel the devastating truth behind Owen and Sandy’s marriage, and Owen himself, his road to recovery is threatened.

Scripted by Christopher Chen, The Hole is based on the 2017 Shirley Jackson Award winning novel of the same name by Hye-young Pyun. This adaptation is being produced by Esmail Corp, K Period Media, and Anthology Studios. The...

It’s Halloween, and you know what that means: It’s the perfect time to watch horror movies. Vampires, serial killers, haunted houses, the month that precedes Halloween is the prime time to watch scary movies, but not every scary movie is a Halloween movie… and not every Halloween movie is scary.

So it is with great relish that we present the 31 best Halloween movies ever, exclusively featuring films that actually take place on Halloween, or at least during the Halloween season. The point is, if Halloween doesn’t play a major part in the movie it’s not fair to call it a “Halloween movie,” and as long as Halloween shows up in some important way, it doesn’t matter where the film is frightening, funny, or even just for little kids.

We’re narrowing the field down to theatrically released features and shorts and feature-length TV movies. Halloween specials deserve their own list,...

Spooky season is upon us. ‘Tis the time for things that go bump in the night, and we’ve got a curated selection of some of the best new horror movies streaming right now to get you in the mood. There were a number of solid horror films released over the past year, from a couple of nun-centric films to the vampiric “Abigail” to Russell Crowe as an exorcising priest.

There’s a lot to consider, is what we’re saying, but if you pick one of the scary movies on this list we guarantee you’ll be satisfied.

“Abigail” From left to right: Melissa Berrara and Alisha Weir in Universal Pictures’ “Abigail” (Universal)

Streaming on Peacock

While this enjoyable spin on the vampire genre doesn’t quite match the perfection of their uproarious 2019 horror comedy, “Ready or Not,” co-directors Tyler Gillett, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin have once again assembled a crack...

Both Antony Starr and Lizzy Caplan have proved their genre-crossing abilities time and time again, but last year the duo teamed up for a horror flick that largely flew under the radar. Titled Cobweb, the movie was as unnerving as they come and, along with standout performances from the two longtime Hollywood names, also featured a stellar show from up-and-comer, Woody Norman (Cmon Cmon). Despite sitting on Rotten Tomatoes with an unsatisfying critics approval rating of 59%, with the movie now streaming on Hulu, its the perfect time to add Cobweb to your must watch list - especially during this, the spookiest of seasons.

Local blockbuster “I The Executioner” dominated the South Korea box office for a second weekend. Its cumulative total reached $40 million after ten days on release.

The film, a sequel to 2015 crime comedy drama “The Veteran,” “I, The Executioner” released a week earlier with little serious opposition from new release titles. Those conditions held true in the film’s second weekend, and the film’s first non-holiday frame.

Between the latest Friday and Sunday, the film earned $6.63 million, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic). Its 10-day cumulative is $40.7 million, earned from 5.61 million spectators.

The weekend figures represent a steep 56% week-on-week decline. But the comparison is atypical as the previous weekend represented the first few days of a five-day holiday. The film’s market share remained dominant, at over 71%.

Chuseok was a mixed bag for the cinema industry. Kofic reports that spectator numbers for the five-day period,...

It’s the first day of Amazon’s annual Prime Day, with hundreds of products discounted — including prices slashed on horror movies!

We’ve rounded up some of the scariest deals for you…

4K Ultra HD Collections:

The Mummy Trilogy – $26.99 The Shining / 2001: A Space Odyssey / Full Metal Jacket – $29.99 Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection Vol. 1 – $32.99 Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection Vol. 2 – $34.99 The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Vol. 1 – $33.99 The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Vol. 2 – $34.99 Batman: 4-Film Collection (1989-1997) – $39.99 Resident Evil Collection – $56.49 The Toxic Avenger Collection – $72.50 Rosemary’s Baby / Pet Sematary / Crawl / Smile / Sweeney Todd – $74.49 Universal Classic Monsters: Limited Edition 8-Film Collection – $99.99

Steelbook 4K UHDs:

Insidious – $15.37 Last Action Hero – $17.55 Fright Night – $20.99 King Kong (1976) – $26.49 Friday the 13th: 8-Movie Collection – $29.99 Ghostbusters / Ghostbusters II – $33.99

Individual 4K UHDs:

Brawl In Cell Block 99 – $8.99 Get Out – $9.99 The Thing – $10.99 Escape from L.A. – $10.99 Cloverfield – $10.99 Pacific Rim – $10.99 Godzilla vs. Kong – $10.99 A Quiet Place...

The only award season that matters is here! Joking (kind of), but seriously, Fangoria just released the complete list of nominees for the 2024 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. Considering how often horror gets shut out of the mainstream award shows, it's nice to have at least one thing we can rely on year after year.

Last year's Chainsaw Awards included big wins for movies like The Black Phone, Terrifier 2, and Prey. This time, the categories are again stacked, with films like Abigail, Evil Dead Rise, The First Omen, Talk To Me, Late Night with the Devil, and many more going head to head.

Specific performances are also being highlighted, like Tobin Bell in Saw X and Kathryn Newton for both Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail. It's been a fantastic few years for horror, and it'll be exciting to see which movies pull ahead this time around.

In addition to popular categories such as Best Wide Release,...

The 21st IndieLisboa International Film Festival will take place from 23rd May to 2nd June in Lisbon. The festival aims to address the gap in film distribution created by the dominance of mainstream productions. Each year, it attracts casual viewers and film professionals worldwide, offering them the chance to discover recent works by emerging talents and revisit films made by renowned directors.

IndieLisboa features 7 sections, with 4 of them being competitive. Additionally, it offers events for industry professionals, including workshops, masterclasses, debates, a script-writing lab, a film fund, a pitching forum, and screenings of works in progress. This year, apart from the retrospective of Palestinian artist Kamal Aljafari, the festival will present 12 short and 13 full-length films that are productions or co-productions of Asian countries.

A Traveler's Needs (2024) by Hong Sang-soo (National Premiere)

South Korea, 90'

The newest film of the prolific director had its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival,...

Exclusive: Producers Esmail Corp (Mr. Robot) and K Period Media (Manchester By The Sea) are teaming up with Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon (The Age Of Shadows) on an English and Korean-language movie adaptation of novel The Hole.

Psychological thriller The Hole by Korean author Hye-Young Pyun charts the story of Ogi who wakes from a coma after causing a major car accident that took his wife’s life and left him paralyzed. His caretaker is his mother-in-law, a widow grieving the loss of her only child. Ogi is neglected and left alone in his bed but soon notices his mother-in-law in their abandoned garden, uprooting what his wife had worked so hard to plant, and obsessively digging larger and larger holes. When asked, she answers only that she is finishing what her daughter started. As he tries to escape, Ogi discovers more about his wife and his own role in...

Rights to “I, The Executioner,” which will premiere as a Midnight Screening at the Cannes Film Festival this year, have been picked up by South Korea’s Cj Enm.

The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”

Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”

Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.

“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...

Disney+ has reveled the release date for its ambitious Korean political drama Uncle Samsik, starring Song Kang-ho in his TV series debut. The show will launch with a five-episode premiere on May 15 exclusively on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the U.S. The 16-part series will then unfurl in batches of two episodes per week until a three-part season finale drops on June 19.

Uncle Samsik is directed by veteran Korean writer and filmmaker Shin Yeon-shick (The Russian Novel, Cobweb), who is also making his series debut with the project.

Set in 1960s Korea, the series follows Kim San, an ambitious idealist who is driven to turn his country’s fortunes around. A recipient of an Albright Scholarship, San wants nothing more than to transform his country into an industrial nation and deliver an American level of affluence to the people of Korea. Determined to become a success, San attracts...

Lizzy Caplan is an actress who can be thrown into any genre, as she will always find her footing, and the ability to flourish in that role. She is incredibly versatile, transitioning from comedy roles in Mean Girls and Party Down to drama TV shows like Fleishman Is in Trouble and Master of Sex, both of which earned her Emmy nominations. Whatever the genre or medium, you can always be assured that Caplan will turn in an enthralling performance. One genre we don't see her in too often is horror. While the found footage monster movie, Cloverfield, was one of her first Hollywood mainstream films, Caplan is not an actor whom you would consider synonymous with spooky tales. However, Caplan's role as Carol in last year's Cobweb might carve out a path to more horror in her future.

"You think this is a joke?" Blue Finch Films in the UK has debuted a new trailer for a proper re-release of a long lost sports comedy from Korea titled The Foul King. It originally opened in Korea in 2000 but never landed in the US. It also played at TIFF and the 2001 Berlin Film Festival but it was never released in the US and has never arrived in the west (though you can obviously import DVD copies of it). Beloved Korean actor Song Kang-ho stars as Dae-ho, a timid bank clerk who is going nowhere in his everyday life. After meeting a famous former pro wrestler, Dae-ho transforms himself into a Korean wrestling villain. From acclaimed writer / director Kim Jee-woon. Although he's not talented enough to ever become a top wrestler, Dae-Ho trains diligently at night... and he is turned into the villain known as "The Foul King". The rest is history!

With stars such as Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction) and Antony Starr (The Boys) attached to the project, Cobweb was one of the biggest horror promises of last year. The movie is now on Hulu, but back when it hit theaters, critics pointed out that, despite issues with pacing and editing, there's still a creepy mystery worth unfolding at the center of Cobweb. Still, with so many different threads tied together during that bonkers ending, some horror fiends might leave theaters feeling a tad confused. So, whether you're checking it out on Hulu for the very first time to get in the spooky spirit or revisiting it after catching it in theaters, here's your handy guide to all the secrets revealed at the end of Cobweb.

Back in December, Trace and I opened up voting in the fifth annual “Hereditaries” (named after Toni Collette’s Hereditary omission), our version of the horror Oscars. Our supporters on Patreon helped us narrow down the shortlist in 20 categories and then the public at large, including folks on this site, voted on the winners throughout December 2023.

Going into the voting, blockbusters like Evil Dead Rise (7 nominations) and Saw X (6 nominations) led the nominations, alongside quiet streaming sleepers like Cobweb (8 nominations) and non-English language classic When Evil Lurks (5 nominations).

Now it’s time to reveal who won in the following categories:

Best Wide Release Best Indie Release Best Under The Radar Film Best Non-English Language Horror Film Best Horror TV Show Best Queer Horror Best First Feature Director Best Director Best Lead Performance Best Supporting Performance Best Ensemble Mvp 2023 Best Creature Design Best Score – New for 2023 Best Villain Best Sequence Most...

Yoonhee Choi has been named CEO at Barunson E&a, the South Korean sales and production outfit that is heading to this week’s European Film Market with major international expansion ambitions.

Choi joined the company in 2021 as managing director, overseeing domestic and international operations, and was promoted to COO in April 2023. She was previously head of international sales at Cj Enm, where she worked for eight years, leading overseas distribution of films such as Parasite, The Handmaiden and The Spy Gone North.

She takes over the role from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae.

Barunson E&a is...

Choi Yoonhee has been named as the new CEO of Barunson E&a, the Korean sales and production firm that is making a splash at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.

Choi, who joined the firm in 2021 from Cj Enm, takes over from Gene Hong (Brian) Park and Kwak Sin Ae. She joined as MD, overseeing domestic and international operations, and in April 2023 was upped to COO.

Barunson E&a has been in operation since 1996, though was not involved in international sales all that duration. Notable past titles include Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother” and Oscar-winner “Parasite,” on which Cj and Choi headed international distribution. Barunson E&a has also been behind Kim Jee-woon’s “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” and his more recent “Cobweb.”

The company’s upcoming slate also includes the next two features from director Bong Joon-ho, as well as projects from directors Kim Sung-hoon and...

In the 1970s, Director Kim is obsessed by the desire to re-shoot the ending of his completed film Cobweb, but chaos and turmoil grip the set with interference from the censorship authorities, and the complaints of actors and producers who can't understand the re-written ending. Will Kim be able to find a way through this chaos to fulfill his artistic ambitions and complete his masterpiece?

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

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)

Thelonious “Monk” Ellison is in a rut. He’s still trying to get a publisher to accept his latest book in a market that doesn’t exactly embrace his erudite style. His gig as a college professor lecturing to students that are too “goddamn delicate” to embrace thorny topics of race has him ostracized from colleagues. He’s estranged from family, all of whom are juggling their own issues––health problems, divorce, the financial strain that comes with both. When Monk concocts an elaborate joke to get more fame and acceptance, it’s taken shocking seriously, setting off a series of misadventures exploring how white America is more willing to accept the most reductive, pandering stories of Black...

Hollywood has told the story of the thwarted auteur so often that we all know it by heart: the wide-eyed outsider who dreams only of creating art and gradually has that dream pulled to bits by a cynical industry, compromising his way to oblivion. In Cobweb, I Saw The Devil director Kim Ji-woon tries to do something a little different with that premise, focusing on a character who already has a few films under his belt and has already finished his latest one but, inspired by an actual dream, believes that he can turn it into something much better: “a masterpiece with breathless scenes exposing humanity in all its perversity.” He only needs two more days. Will his industry colleagues cooperate? Should they?

A loosely scripted farce which often veers off course, Cobweb succeeds, where it does, because of its specificity. Its pastiches of mid-20th Century Korean cinema are beautifully observed.

South Korean producer Barunson E&a is to invest in upcoming Indonesian horror film Respati and has secured worldwide sales rights to the feature ahead of the European Film Market (EFM).

It marks the second investment in a non-Korean title by the company since expanding into international co-production, financing and sales in October 2022. The first was Indonesian action feature 13 Bombs, produced by Jakarta-based Visinema, which screened at Rotterdam earlier this week.

Barunson E&a, which is known as the producer of Oscar-winner Parasite and Kim Je-woon’s black comedy Cobweb, will begin pre-sales of Respati at the EFM, which begins...

"I believe it's gonna be a masterpiece." Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed a new official US trailer for the Korean meta comedy Cobweb, which initially premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year. Finally set for US release this February, also on VOD at the same time as in theaters. A new film from acclaimed Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, with a meta story about a filmmaker trying to make a masterpiece and realizing how hard that really is. The story is set in Seoul in 1970 and focuses on Kim, a director who is dissatisfied with the ending of his project entitled "Cobweb". Despite obstacles and interference from censorship authorities, disgruntled actors & producers, Kim is determined to rework the ending of his film in just two days, in hopes of making it a masterpiece. The main cast includes Song Kang-ho, Park Jeong-su, Im Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been, and Krystal Jung.

Premiering in competition at Cannes Film Festival last year, Kim Jee-woon reunited with long-time collaborator Song Kang-Ho for Cobweb. Capturing the star as a filmmaker frantically trying to finish the movie he believes will be his masterpiece, the film was picked up by Samuel Goldwyn Films for a U.S. release, now set for a February 9 debut in theaters and digitally.

Here’s the synopsis: “In the 1970s, Director Kim is obsessed by the desire to re-shoot the ending of his completed film ‘Cobweb’, but chaos and turmoil grip the set with interference from the censorship authorities, and the complaints of actors and producers who can’t understand the re-written ending. Will Kim be able to find a way through this chaos to fulfill his artistic ambitions and complete his masterpiece?”

David Katz said in his Cannes review, “Very much associated with the first wave of post-millennial South Korean cinema that made global inroads,...

Technology giveth and taketh away. We can watch most movies with the click of a button from our couch but no longer have the joy of going out to the video rental store. We can also buy and digitally “own” any movie at a moment’s notice, but more and more, physical copies of movies aren’t even being made.

The movie theater has stayed the course, however. Through Covid-19 shutdowns, insane movie budgets followed by box office disasters, the rise of quality TV shows like Game of Thrones, streaming, The Flash… theaters have survived, thank God. That being said, each year, more movies conveniently grace us with their presence at home and only at home.

It’s not always a bad thing for films to skip movie theaters entirely. But I’d be lying if I said it wouldn’t have been nice to have the option to see...

It’s been another blockbuster year for horror, but then again it always feels like that. Superhero fatigue has set in and major franchise pictures haven’t returned as expected, but horror, as ever, always seems to reach new heights. The news in 2023 may have been a load of gout, but the horror has been pure gold.

So, without further ado, here is a list of my top 10 of 2023.

RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop

Arrow Films, Vinegar Syndrome and others who have perfected the art of producing feature-length behind the scenes documentaries really have their work cut out for them thanks to RoboDoc. RoboDoc has broken the mould by creating an in-depth documentary that takes you through the entire film scene-by-scene. RoboDoc combines a retrospective documentary, director’s commentary and behind the scenes features into one glorious 4-part series.

No stone has been left unturned when gathering contributors - from...

Following years of delays and pandemic restrictions, and now celebrating a post-strike awards season, what better way to kick off the 35th annual Palm Springs Intl. Film Festival than with a “fun and naughty film,” says festival director Lili Rodriguez.

Thea Sharrock’s “Wicked Little Letters” will enjoy its U.S. premiere Jan. 5 at the desert fest, followed by 179 films from 74 countries including 47 premieres, while showcasing a lineup of 40 international feature film Oscar submissions.

“The real excitement is that we’re back to a full-on festival with all pre-pandemic offerings, and 100% venue capacity. The moment we saw ‘Wicked Little Letters,’ we knew we needed it as our opener,” says Rodriguez.

Among films earning attention at Psiff include the world premieres of “A Look Through His Lens,” which details the life of Oscar-winning cinematographer Philippe Rousselot, and “All About the Levkoviches,” from debuting director Adam Breier. The event closes with “Ex-Husbands,...

2023 was another big year for horror. If you love franchises, your appetite was filled with new entries for the Scream, Saw, Pet Sematary, and Hell House series. If you enjoy old-school slashers, those made a comeback thanks to Thanksgiving, It's a Wonderful Knife, The Blackening, and Totally Killer. Smart and subtle horror was front and center with No One Will Save You, and gore triumphed with When Evil Lurks. With so much horror coming out in one year, it was easy for some good movies, such as Cobweb, to fall through the cracks. However, one movie, more than any other, deserves to be held up and recognized for what it accomplished. If you haven't seen it, it's time you watched David Slade's Dark Harvest.

As T.E. Lawrence exclaims in "Lawrence of Arabia": "Big things have small beginnings." That axiom holds generally true of most things in life, of course, yet it curiously applies to a great number of films released in 2023.

Over the last decade and change, we've been privy to many "big things" in American cinema; such trends as the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its brethren have ensured that world-ending stakes (or larger) became the order of the day on screen, and such stakes were allowed to rise given their films' not-so-humble beginnings (for example: Tony Stark in "Iron Man" begins as a billionaire playboy military weapons manufacturer).

While there has never been a complete end to a more modest style of storytelling focused on average, everyday characters, the prevalence of the superhero film and the need for Hollywood to get butts in seats as screens dwindle meant that...

Four years ago, following the lack of recognition at the Oscars for horror films, Trace Thurman and I created “The Hereditaries” (named after Toni Collette’s Hereditary omission), a series of horror awards to acknowledge all of the great work being done in the genre.

We’re now up to the fifth annual Hereditaries (click here to vote), which celebrates the amazing diversity of horror films released in 2023.

Unlike the 2022 Hereditaries when Nope and Scream (2022) dominated (hear who won here), the love has been spread out across a diverse list of films this year. Ranging from blockbusters like Evil Dead Rise (7 nominations) and Saw X (6 nominations) to quiet streaming sleepers like Cobweb (8 nominations) to non-English language classics like When Evil Lurks (5 nominations), we’re shining a light on all of the great horror content that came out this year.

Here’s what you’re voting on:

Best Wide Release Best...

This article contains major spoilers for "Cobweb."

As anyone with arachnophobia can attest, there are few moments more horrible than looking up at the ceiling for the giant spider that was there only a moment ago, only to find nothing there. Well, except maybe the moment where the giant spider reappears on your pillow, a few inches away from your face. Samuel Bodin's 2023 horror film "Cobweb" preys on that kind of fear with a monster who is unseen for most of the movie's runtime, and who hides under on ceilings, under furniture, and inside the walls in the film's blood-soaked final act.

The fact that there even is a monster is hidden for much of the movie, which instead presents young Peter's (Woody Norman) parents, Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr), as human monsters who just might kill him and bury him in the pumpkin patch if he doesn't behave himself.

Around the time that the musician Ceci Bastida started working on her album Every Thing Taken Away, she was also volunteering for the Young Center, a non-profit organization that champions the rights of unaccompanied immigrant children in the U.S. Once a week, Bastida would meet up with different kids in person and help them advocate for themselves. She worked with about five in total, including a girl from Central America and a teenage boy from Somalia.

Bastida, who grew up in Tijuana before moving to Los Angeles, has always...

Exclusive: Korean production powerhouse Barunson E&a is making its first move into the burgeoning Indonesian film industry through an investment in Visinema’s upcoming action movie 13 Bombs.

The film, which recently premiered as the closing film at Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, is directed by Angga Sasongko, who is also the founder of Jakarta-based Visinema, and stars Rio Dewanto, Putri Ayudya, Chicco Kurniawan and Ardhito Pramono. It tells the story of a group of terrorists who plant 13 bombs across key locations in the city of Jakarta. WME Independent recently picked up international rights to the film.

Barunson E&a is one of Korea’s leading production companies with credits including multiple Oscar-winner Parasite and Kim Jee-woon’s black comedy Cobweb, which premiered at this year’s Cannes film festival.

One of a growing number of outward-looking studios in Indonesia, Visinema produces live-action and animated films and TV series and is also involved in streaming,...

There was a time when any great international actor tended to be reduced to their perceived Hollywood counterpart whenever they were discussed in the U.S. press. Under this outmoded prerogative, Korean screen icon Song Kang-ho easily could be described as his country’s simultaneous answer to both Marlon Brando and Tom Hanks, such is his seemingly contradictory blend of sardonic physicality, fearsome technique, lyrical humanism and overwhelming likability. Today, thankfully, it is sufficient to simply describe Song Kang-ho as Song Kang-ho: “One of the protean greats of world cinema — a master, end of,” as Tilda Swinton, a co-star with Song in Bong Joon Ho’s Snowpiercer (2013), once summed him up in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

For global movie buffs, arguably one of the most exciting stories of the past 30 years has been the renaissance and growing global reach of Korean cinema — and no figure has been more...

From award-winning writer/director Patrick Rea (I Am LIsa), They Wait In The Dark stars Sarah McGuire (The Stylist) as Amy, a mum fleeing with her son from her abusive partner Judith, encountering something even more terrifying when she seeks refuge in the old farmhouse she grew up in.

They Wait In The Dark features a superb central performances from McGuire, showing unexpected mettle as her situation spirals into hopelessness, and Laurie Catherine Winkel (Father of the Bride) is outstanding as the knife-toting, not to be messed with Judith, who, as Eye for Film says, “strides through this film like one of the great screen villains”.

As with his other genre films I Am Lisa and Enclosure, Rea is proving to be an accomplished horror stylist, eliciting terrific performances from his cast, and wringing maximum suspense from a screenplay that builds up a steady drip of dread, as the characters are plunged deeper into darkness.

Stars: Woody Norman, Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman | Written by Chris Thomas Devlin | Directed by Samuel Bodin

Cobweb begins a week before Halloween when Peter is woken up by the sound of knocking seemingly coming from inside his bedroom wall. You can’t blame him for being creeped out, with its peeling paint and backyard full of rotting pumpkins the house already looks like something out of a horror movie. And then there’s that weird bulging thing the walls in his room do while he’s sleeping.

We also quickly learn that he has no friends and gets bullied at school. His parents Carol and Mark also won’t let him dress up for Halloween, something that may be related to the disappearance of a young girl a few years ago. Unsurprisingly they also don’t believe him about the knocking.

Writer Chris Thomas Devlin, whose only other...

Sure, you have your favorite horror movies that you watch each Halloween. But you’re probably also in the mood for some fresh blood (get it?) and we’ve got you covered on that front, with plenty of new horror movies that could be your Halloween standbys in the years to come.

Below, we’ve put together a list of new horror movies streaming right now — films that were released in 2023, some that came out earlier this year and some that are brand new.

We’ve got everything from new entries in popular franchises (like “Scream VI” and “Evil Dead Rises”) to brand-new movies that are totally killer and even a new family film (“Haunted Mansion”) and a spooky detective tale (“A Haunting in Venice”). Seriously, something for everyone.

Read on to find out what new horror movies you should be watching this Halloween – and where you can watch them.

I grew up on Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and Goosebumps. These gateway horrors opened up a whole new world for me. The trembling fear I endured when Carly Beth slid on that terrifying green mask still lingers with me even now. And I’ll never forget the chills I felt running down my spine when Sarah launched into “Come Little Children” or the penetrating gaze of Kalabar that seemed to cut into my soul. These images provoked something in me, conspiring to lure me into horror – and I’ve never left. I might be 30-something now, but I can still enjoy nice little gateway horror movies, especially when they’re as compelling as the Halloween-set Cobweb and The Curse of Bridge Hollow.

In Cobweb, screenwriter Chris Thomas Devlin stages an epically creepy story about a young boy named Peter (Woody Norman), whose parents Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr) rule with a stringent hand.

Indie films have scored some impressive figures at Spanish box office this year.

As the Spanish film industry comes together at Valladolid International Film Week (known locally as the Seminici), one of the big talking points will be how to make independent films stand out at the local box office.

Although Spain’s box office in the year to mid-October has grossed €400m, 35% higher than the same period in 2022, it is still 17% lower than the 2015-2019 pre-Covid average.

US studio blockbusters led the charge, headed by Barbie ($35.2m), Super Mario Bros. Movie ($29m), Avatar: The Way Of Water, ($26.9m) Oppenheimer...

This Cobweb article contains spoilers.

By the time poor little Peter (Woody Norman) and his caring substitute teacher Ms. Devine (Cleopatra Coleman) manage to lock Sarah back in the basement pit in the depths of the old house, Peter’s vengeful older sister has already dismembered a whole bunch of kids and painted the walls red with their blood. And just before that, she convinced Peter to spike their parents’ dinner with a healthy portion of rat poison, their final agonizing moments spent vomiting the black sludge from their exploding organs all over the kitchen and foyer. Orphaned but now free of his abusive parents who lock him in the dark basement when he “misbehaves,” Peter rushes to free his long-lost sister, only to discover that she’s become a literal monster.

It’s the shocking third act twist that turns this very grim horror movie on its head. Until...

Romantic comedy “Love Reset” grabbed the box office crown in South Korea on the weekend following the Chuseok holiday period. But numbers reverted to the pre-festival downtrend.

Directed by Nam Dae-joong, “Love Reset” is the story of a young couple in the midst of divorce who are involved in a car accident and lose their memories. When the amnesiac pair fall for each other again, their families try to trigger their memories and set them back on the road to separation.

It earned $2.54 million between Friday and Sunday, with a 42% share of the market. That was enough to depose Chuseok holiday winner “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman.” Over its opening five days “Love Reset” earned $4.53 million.

That performance was not enough to wrest the Korean box office from its fall slump – a downtrend that was only briefly punctuated by last week’s prolonged public holiday. The nationwide weekend total was just $6 million,...

A trio of local films released in time for the Chuseok holiday season dominated the South Korean box office over the latest weekend.

Comedy fantasy “Dr Cheon and the Lost Talisman” dominated. It earned $5.98 million between Friday and Sunday with a more than 48% market share. Since its release on Wednesday (and including previews from last week) it has a cumulative total of $8.37 million.

It stars the ever-appealing Gang Dong-won in the role of a sorcerer in a film that mixes comedy, action, fist-fights and exorcisms.

A length or two behind was “Road to Boston,” a nationalistic sports drama about underdog Korean marathon runners more than half a century ago. Directed by one Kang Je-gyu, of the pioneers of the Korean patriotic spectacle genre, the film shot before Covid and has jogging on the spot ever since, waiting for its moment to surge to the front. It earned $2.88 million over...

Update: Here we are with a sort of hybrid weekend at the international box office: there were fresh entries from the Hollywood studios, as well as major new titles timed to holiday play in local markets, and a holdover that’s continuing to rack up records.

On the studio side, Paramount/Spin Master’s Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie took top dog status in its expanded rollout. The family title had, last week, released in Australia and New Zealand before adding 43 offshore markets this session for a total $23.1M to date overseas. The global start is $46.1M.

Word of mouth is strong with these pups, who are out in just 53% of the international marketplace to date. On a like-for-like basis including previews, the overseas opening result is 70% ahead of Paw Patrol: The Movie, giving this Cal Brunker-directed title the best opening for the franchise.

Amid heavy competition, but also with praise from local media,...