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NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.

Bam

Bard-bred films by Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Béla Tarr, and Luchino Visconti screen in Macbeth(s).

Anthology Film Archives

Essential Cinema brings Michael Snow’s Wavelength and Back and Forth screen on 16 and 35mm.

Roxy Cinema

The Tilda Swinton-led Female Perversions plays throughout the weekend with Q&As; The French Connection shows on 35mm this Saturday, as curated by Martin Scorsese, while Freak Orlando and Eraserhead also screens; The Flintstones screens for free on Sunday.

Spectacle

Tomu Uchida’s A Fugitive from the Past screens on Friday.

Film Forum

Mort Rifkin favorite A Man and a Woman plays in a new restoration, as does Lelouch’s La bonne année; Yentl screens this Sunday.

IFC Center

Salò, The Lair of the White Worm, The Holy Mountain, Stop Making Sense, The Elephant Man, Sorcerer, and Mad Max show late.

Nitehawk Cinema...

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2024, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

2024 was my year of big, blustering cinema. The kind of movie that makes you realize what a movie is fundamentally supposed to be: Loud, epic, enveloping. You know, Big. The majority of films I responded to most this year were craft masterworks, from the sound design genius of films like The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, and Civil War to the immersive photography and editing of others like Furiosa, Wicked, and The Substance. Even the “smaller” and quieter of this year’s crop, such as Memoir of a Snail and Janet Planet, reverberated in their background details.

How lucky it is to say to yourself not once but multiple times a year at the theater, “Now this is Cinema!”

Without further ado, the best movies I watched in 2024.

Honorable Mentions: Femme,...

There's a strong current of folk horror titles about outsiders entering isolated, weird communities and succumbing to their horrors. Think The Wicker Man, Midsommar, Apostle, The Third Day, Wake Wood, The Lair of the White Worm, The Ritual, Dagon, Population 436, Offseason, and so on. In many ways, the subgenre feels like a post-colonialist response to the centuries of Christian imperialism that subjugated small pagan communities, especially considering many of these horror films came from the UK, the former kingpins of imperialism. In these films and shows, the occult rural communities get their revenge on the more 'sophisticated' Christian outsiders from the big city. The new film Get Away exists in this canon, but wickedly plays with its structure and themes.

The film is written by and stars Nick Frost, pairing him yet again with filmmaker Steffen Haars; they made an almost complementary film around the same time, the batsh*t wild Krazy House.

Heretic has many highlights, but Hugh Grant is one of the best things about the horror movie. His performance as the antagonist, Mr. Reed, is very memorable. Even as a villain, Grant's character is vulnerable, flawed, charismatic and clever. He pushes the boundaries just enough to make the sisters feel uncomfortable, but he apologizes just enough to make it seem that he made genuine mistakes. Something is off with Mr. Reed, but that's true for most people. Between the innocent Sister Paxton, who advocates religion with too much enthusiasm, and Sister Barnes, who is too clever for her own good, Mr. Reed stands out as a more relatable character.

This is hardly the first time Grant has charmed viewers away from the protagonist, and he certainly stole the whole show from his co-stars in the 36-year-old movie titled The Lair of the White Worm. Young Grant starred in this forgotten...

The A24 horror film Heretic, from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, received a wide theatrical release last week, and so far has made about $16 million at the global box office. The budget came in under $10 million, so it’s doing okay – and Beck and Woods have ideas for follow-up films that wouldn’t be direct sequels, but “spiritual sequels.”

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Grant is joined in the cast of Heretic by Chloe East (The Fabelmans) and Sophie Thatcher (Yellowjackets) as the missionaries. (You can watch our interviews with them Here.) Grant hasn’t done much horror in his career,...

While the trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy looks promising, it is still strange to see series villain Hugh Grant return to rom-com territory after a string of darker roles. Early in his career, Hugh Grant largely steered clear of darker fare. His lone early horror role, 1988s The Lair of the White Worm, was a campy, silly supernatural horror-comedy that leaned into the latter over the former. His biggest successes throughout the 90s came in the form of romantic period dramas like Sense and Sensibility and rom-coms. Grant starred in a lot of classic rom-coms.

Related Hugh Grant's New Movie With 94% On Rt Perfects A 3-Movie Trend That Started With An Incredible $227M Hit

Hugh Grant's new horror movie Heretic proves that he should continue following his career shift that began in 2017 with Paddington 2.

Before Hugh Grants villain performances became his late-career forte, the actor starred...

Hugh Grant surprised everyone when he appeared in trailers for the horror movie Heretic, since he's most famous for playing endearingly goofy romantic leads. Even when he's played villains, they've been in straight dramas or lighter fare like Paddington 2. Heretic is the first time Grant's played an actual horror villain, and now that it's widely available in theaters, critics and audiences are both praising his chilling performance as more than worth the price of admission. But even more surprisingly, Heretic isn't Hugh Grant's first horror movie: that honor goes to Ken Russell's The Lair of the White Worm.

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, has received a wide theatrical release as of today. JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray enjoyed the film, giving it a 7/10 review you can read at This Link (or you can watch the video version embedded above), and now we want to know: what do you think about Heretic?

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant has previously said that he finds villain roles to be “more fun” to play, so it should be very interesting to watch him take on a...

Two young missionaries visit a man at his cavernous house to discuss Mormon doctrines but get drawn into a psychological game of terror and manipulation

The remarkable second act of Hugh Grant’s career continues … or maybe third act, if we include the earlier period in which he appeared to withdraw from the movie romcom-lead frontline to concentrate on making brilliant investments in property and contemporary art, before returning as a lethally outrageous character actor and scene-stealer. Now Grant is making his horror debut (if we don’t include his appearance in Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm from 1988) and does it with typical insouciance and cheek, starring in a verbose and disturbing chamber piece about religion from writer-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods; it feels as if George Bernard Shaw wanted to make a scary movie without songs inspired by The Book of Mormon.

Maturity and...

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is set to receive a wide theatrical release on November 8th, with multi-sensory advance screenings set to be held at Alamo Drafthouse theatres on October 30th. Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. During an interview with GamesRadar+, Grant revealed that he has written a full biography for his villainous character, as that’s part of his acting process now.

Grant said, “This is what I do now, I go through the script with an extraordinary tooth comb, over and over again.

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is set to receive a wide theatrical release on November 8th – but advance screenings are set to take place on October 30th, and Variety reports that A24 is teaming up with Joya Studio and Alamo Drafthouse to turn some of those screenings into multi-sensory experiences! The multi-sensory screenings will be exclusive to Alamo Drafthouse theatres and will only take place on October 30th. Variety notes, “Tickets to the multi-sensory screenings at Alamo Drafthouse are available for purchase here. All other advanced screenings will have exclusive treats and scratch-and-sniff cards that will immerse viewers in the film.”

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock...

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is set to receive a wide theatrical release on November 15th. The first trailer for the film made its way online a few months ago, the second dropped last month, and now, with the release date just one month away, a third trailer for the film has arrived. You can check it out in the embed above.

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant has previously said that he finds villain roles to be “more fun” to play, explaining why...

The A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is set to receive a wide theatrical release on November 15th. The first trailer for the film made its way online a few months ago, and now that we’re just two months away from the release date, a second trailer has now been unveiled. You can check it out in the embed above.

Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – stars in Heretic, which has the following synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

Grant has previously said that he finds villain roles to be “more fun” to play, explaining why he has chosen...

A24 has unveiled the gripping trailer for its upcoming psychological horror film, Heretic, directed and written by the talented duo Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East, the film promises a chilling exploration of faith and fear, set against the backdrop of a sinister game orchestrated by Grant’s character, Mr. Reed.

In Heretic, two young Mormon missionaries, portrayed by Thatcher and East, encounter a nightmare when they knock on the wrong door during their mission. They are greeted by Mr. Reed, played by Hugh Grant, who lures them into a terrifying game of psychological torment. The trailer showcases Reed’s menacing challenge: “I won’t keep you if you wish to leave, but I want you to choose which door to go through based on your faith,” he declares, pointing to two doorways labelled “Belief” and “Disbelief.” The scene escalates into a life-sized labyrinth,...

Last June, we learned that Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – had signed on to star in the A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Last month, A24 revealed their plan to give Heretic a wide theatrical release on November 15th. Just yesterday, they unveiled a poster for the film, and with that came the promise that a trailer for Heretic would be arriving online today. True to their word, A24 has just released that trailer, and you can check it out in the embed above.

Details have been scarce up to this point, but with the trailer we have also received an official plot synopsis: Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed...

Last June, we learned that Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – had signed on to star in the A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Last month, A24 revealed their plan to give Heretic a wide theatrical release on November 15th. Now they have unveiled a poster for the film, while also promising that a trailer will be making its way online tomorrow. The poster can be seen at the bottom of this article.

Details are scarce, but the story has something to do with two missionaries that attempt to convert a dangerous man. Here’s how Deadline has describes it: Two young missionaries become ensnared in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after they knock on the wrong front door.

There’s no word on who Grant plays in this scenario,...

It was almost exactly one year ago when we learned that Hugh Grant – whose credits include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Wonka, and Unfrosted – had signed on to star in the A24 horror film Heretic, which is coming our way from the writing and directing duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Now Deadline reports that A24 is planning to give Heretic a wide theatrical release on November 15th.

Details are scarce, but the story has something to do with two missionaries that attempt to convert a dangerous man. Here’s how Deadline describes it: Two young missionaries become ensnared in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after they knock on the wrong front door.

There’s no word on who Grant plays in this scenario, but it would be very cool to see him take on the role of the dangerous man, and it seems likely that we’re going to.

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.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson)

A film that feels uprooted from deep beneath the earth, Raven Jackson’s poetic, patient debut is a distillation of cinema to its purest form, a stunning patchwork of experience and memory. Tethered around the life of Mack, a Black woman from Mississippi, as we witness glimpses of her childhood, teenage years, and beyond, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt becomes a sensory experience unlike anything else this year. Shot in beautiful 35mm by Jomo Fray and edited by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s collaborator Lee Chatametikool, there’s a reverence for nature and joy for human connection that seems all too rarified in today’s landscape of American filmmaking. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: VOD...

Clockwise from top left: Paddington 2 (Warner Bros.), Love Actually (Universal Pictures), Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount Pictures), Notting Hill (Universal Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club

When you’ve been in the moviemaking business for as long as Hugh Grant has, you’ve earned the right to...

Catering directly to my interests, the Criterion Channel’s January lineup boasts two of my favorite things: James Gray and cats. In the former case it’s his first five features (itself a terrible reminder he only released five movies in 20 years); the latter shows felines the respect they deserve, from Kuroneko to The Long Goodbye, Tourneur’s Cat People and Mick Garris’ Sleepwalkers. Meanwhile, Ava Gardner, Bertrand Tavernier, Isabel Sandoval, Ken Russell, Juleen Compton, George Harrison’s HandMade Films, and the Sundance Film Festival get retrospectives.

Restorations of Soviet sci-fi trip Ikarie Xb 1, The Unknown, and The Music of Regret stream, as does the recent Plan 75. January’s Criterion Editions are Inside Llewyn Davis, Farewell Amor, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and (most intriguingly) the long-out-of-print The Man Who Fell to Earth, Blu-rays of which go for hundreds of dollars.

See the lineup below and learn more here.

Back By Popular Demand

The Graduate,...

It’s a busy week for horror with The Pope’s Exorcist and Renfield arriving on the big screen. The latter reimagines classic Universal Monsters characters with a comedic twist, though it’s hardly the first to depict bloodsuckers in a humorous way. This week’s streaming picks celebrate vampire horror-comedies, giving you plenty of options to sink your teeth into.

Here’s where to watch these titles this week.

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

Blood Relatives – AMC+, Shudder

Writer/Director Noah Segan’s feature debut brings a charming soft touch to the vampire tale, favoring dad jokes and affecting bonds over savage bloodletting. Blood Relatives sees a nomad’s life upended by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, causing a seismic shift in his isolated bachelor lifestyle. The twist here is that the central character is a bloodsucking vampire whose inner...

From The Video Archives Podcast, writer/director Roger Avary and writer/producer Gala Avary discuss a few of their favorite movies with Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Taxi Driver (1976)

Star Wars (1977)

Matinee (1993)

Dune (1984)

Terror On A Train a.k.a. Time Bomb (1953)

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Batman (1989)

Yentl (1983)

Nuts (1987)

Spaceballs (1987)

Die Hard (1988)

Top Gun (1986)

Cocksucker Blues (1972)

Mijn nachten met Susan, Olga, Albert, Julie, Piet & Sandra (1975)

Straw Dogs (1971)

The Godfather (1972)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Day Of The Dolphin (1973)

Babylon (2022)

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979)

Carrie (1976)

Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995)

Blow Out (1981)

The Matrix (1999)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Killing Zoe (1993)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The Tenant (1976)

Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Bugsy Malone (1976)

Phantom Of The Paradise (1974)

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The Rules Of Attraction (2002)

The Sound Of Music (1965)

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Giant (1956)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Babe (1995)

Time Bandits...

In Japanese mythology, Namazu was believed to be an underground fish that caused earthquakes, as immortalized in several namazu-e woodblock prints of the Edo period. Imprisoned and subdued under a large stone by Takemikazuchi, the god of thunder, earthquakes were believed to occur whenever Takemikazuchi let his guard down, meaning Namazu could wriggle free, flapping his giant body to-and-fro to cause havoc for the unsuspecting citizens above.

Perhaps Takemikazuchi doesn’t do a good job — Japan has, on average, 1,500 earthquakes a year, with its 700 islands sitting perilously close to the Pacific Earthquake Belt, also known as the suitably demonic “Ring of Fire.” In “Suzume,” , this mythical giant catfish is replaced by a snakepit of burning, writhing, fire-red worms, who escape from a hellish netherworld bent on causing geographical devastation. Siloed away in a magical land, these worms are normally contained by doorways secured by “keystones,” with doors guarded and kept...

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night Screenshot: Vice/Youtube The Criterion Channel has loaded up on plenty of tricks and treats this year for Halloween, with a full slate of horror classics, vampire erotica, and campy ’80s B-horror. There are films that pioneered the genre, such as The Bride Of Frankenstein,...

Though their “’80s Horror” lineup would constitute enough of a Halloween push, the Criterion Channel enter October all guns blazing. The month’s lineup also includes a 19-movie vampire series running from 1931’s Dracula (English and Spanish both) to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, the collection in-between including Herzog’s Nosferatu, Near Dark, and Let the Right One In. Last year’s “Universal Horror” collection returns, a 17-title Ishirō Honda retrospective has been set, and a few genre titles stand alone: Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The House of the Devil, and Island of Lost Souls.

Streaming premieres include restorations of Tsai Ming-liang’s Vive L’amour and Ed Lachman’s Lou Reed / John Cale concert film Songs for Drella; October’s Criterion editions are Samuel Fuller’s Forty Guns, Bill Duke’s Deep Cover, Haxan, and My Own Private Idaho. Meanwhile, Ari Aster has curated an “Adventures...

40 years ago, Hugh Grant made his film debut in 1982’s “Privileged,” a little-seen effort about undergraduates at Oxford (where Grant studied English lit), which was funded by the Oxford University Film Foundation. In its July 14, 1982, review, Variety said the film — which also marked the bows of producer Andy Paterson, director Michael Hoffman, actors Imogen Stubbs and James Wilby and composer Rachel Portman — would have “limited interest” for most audiences but that the actor, billed as Hughie Grant, gives a convincing performance as an “aristocratic dropout.”

For the next five years, Grant did sketch comedy, played the classics onstage and worked in TV; his first mention in Variety was for the 1985 miniseries “Jenny’s War,” playing the Raf pilot son of Dyan Cannon.

He boosted his profile with the 1987 Merchant-Ivory film “Maurice,” adapted from E.M. Forster. The film also featuring his “Privileged” costar Wilby and the two shared the best-actor prize at the Venice Film Festival.

The fictional town of Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, gets mentioned frequently in author Stephen King‘s works. Most famously, it’s the setting for his vampire novel ‘Salem’s Lot and, to a lesser extent, a stand-alone prequel short story “Jerusalem’s Lot.” The latter channeled Bram Stoker’s The Lair of the White Worm, with an 1850’s tale of terror told in the […]...

A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Nobody’s Fool (1994)

The Hustler (1961)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Mean Dog Blues (1978)

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

Mona Lisa (1986)

The Crying Game (1992)

The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)

Ridicule (1996)

Man on the Train (2002)

The Girl on the Bridge (1999)

Pale Flower (1964)

Out of the Past (1947)

The Lunchbox (2013)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

Raw Deal (1986)

Commando (1985)

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

The Last Man On Earth (1964)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers...

The star, Alexandra Daddario, the writer, Alan Trezza, and the director, Marc Meyers, of the terrific new film We Summon The Darkness walk us through some of their favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

We Summon The Darkness (2020)

Burying The Ex (2015)

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

American Beauty (1999)

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Ghostbusters (1984)

The Sound of Music (1965)

L.A. Story (1991)

Ghost Dad (1990)

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)

Roxanne (1987)

The Godfather (1972)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Fargo (1996)

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Psycho (1960)

Psycho (1998)

Defending Your Life (1991)

Modern Romance (1981)

The Jerk (1979)

Jaws (1975)

Notting Hill (1999)

Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)

When Harry Met Sally… (1989)

Love Actually (2003)

Marley & Me (2008)

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Raging Bull (1980)

Mandy (2018)

Heathers (1988)

Ed Wood (1994)

Hellzapoppin’ (1941)

Fletch (1985)

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Batman Returns (1992)

Warlock (1989)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Star Wars (1977)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

The Swimmer (1968)

Sherman’s March (1985)

Amadeus (1984)

Amarcord (1974)

Hugo Pool (1997)

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills...

Happy (Good) Friday, everyone! Even though time isn’t much of a construct these days, the weekend is officially here and if you’re like me, you’re looking for ways to entertain yourself at home during this whole pandemic mess. And with the economy being what it is right now, I know it’s helpful for many folks out there to save money wherever you can, so I thought I would dive into all the great films over at Tubi TV to compile a list of more than 50 different cult films you can currently stream for free.

Just a note: there are a lot of definitions of “cult film,” so I did my best to not include a bunch of titles that horror fans throw around ad nauseam here, and I even opened up my search parameters a bit to include horror, sci-fi, and genre-adjacent titles that I feel...

Happy Friday, everyone! With the weekend upon us, I thought for this edition of “From Streams to Screams,” I’d put together a real mind-bender of a list for you, where all 29 films dabble in some form of WTFery. Whether its delivering up full-blown cinematic chaos, or characters (and/or the movies themselves) going completely off the rails, and even a few stories that will leaving you scratching your head at the end, without a doubt, these bizarrely entertaining but utterly charming films will keep your mind warped for years to come.

Society (Available on Shudder & Amazon Prime)

Bill is worried that he is "different" from his sister and parents. They mix with other "upper class" people, while Bill is more down to earth. Even his girlfriend seems a bit odd. All is revealed when Bill returns home to find a party in full swing. Not for the weak of stomach.

Stars: Charles Klausmeyer, Mark Kinsey Stephenson, Alexandra Durrell, Laura Albert, Eben Ham, Blane Wheatley, Mark Parra, Delbert Spain, Colin Cox, Paul Farmer, Katrin Alexandre | Written and Directed by Jean-Paul Oullette

Written and directed by Jean-Paul Ouellette, based on the story from legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft, The Unnamable is one of those films that passed me by growing up. I knew about the film, mainly thanks to the 1992 sequel – released in the UK as The Unnamable Returns – which was heavily, and I do mean heavily, promoted upon it’s release. Hell, it seemed like every movie magazine I read (remember those days?) had ads for The Unnamable Returns and every VHS rental had a trailer for the movie. But at the time I could never track down the original film and I never caught the film on DVD… So this Blu-ray release, from Unearthed Films, is a first-time watch for me.

When one thinks of filmmaker Ken Russell, one thinks “excessive”, “lurid”, and “over the top”. But there’s an honest to God beauty in the profane as seen through his eyes. Simply put, you can choose to experience a Russell film or ignore it, but they will always live on as messy, indulgent, yet heartfelt works. Personally, these are a few of my favorite things; and when Russell directed his flights of ripened fancy towards a piece of horror, the results could be spectacular like The Lair of the White Worm (1988), a hilarious and ribald tribute to Hammer, Aip, and Amicus.

Released just in time for Halloween in the U.S. by Vestron Pictures, Lair brought in less than its $2.5 million budget at the box office and the reviews were mixed. This was really nothing new for Russell, who by this point in the game was either revered or reviled...

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Amanda Donohoe, Catherine Oxenberg, Sammi Davis, Stratford Johns, Paul Brooke, Imogen Claire, Chris Pitt, Gina McKee | Written and Directed by Ken Russell

This very British monster movie from 1988 is based on the final, unfinished novel by Bram Stoker. The book was apparently written in a state of sweaty delirium, so it’s easy to see why enfant terrible Ken Russell was drawn to it.

Starring Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi (both remarkably fresh-faced) and some dodgy regional accents, the setting is rural Derbyshire, and the enemy is a mythical giant worm that lives in a cave. Scottish archaeology student Angus (Capaldi) comes to stay in a guest house owned by the Trent sisters, Mary (Sammi Davis) and Eve (Catherine Oxenberg). After digging up the skull of an oversized reptile, he discovers that the Trents’ parents went mysteriously missing a year ago. Could these events be related?...

Stars: Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Amanda Donohoe, Catherine Oxenberg, Sammi Davis, Stratford Johns, Paul Brooke, Imogen Claire, Chris Pitt, Gina McKee | Written and Directed by Ken Russell

Some of the most memorable cult horror films come from eccentrics of the genre. Ken Russell was a director who left his unforgettable mark on film history, with the likes of Tommy and The Devils. In The Lair of the White Worm he creates a truly cult experience that has stayed a truly unique piece of horror entertainment.

When Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi) a Scottish archaeologist discovers a strange skull on the site of an old convent, it seems he may have discovered the remains of the d’Ampton Worm. A legendary snake-like creature killed by local landowner James D’Amton’s (Hugh Grant) ancestor, it soon vanishes. With villagers disappearing it appears that an ancient evil has been awoken once again.

Watching...

With a hiss of brakes, and a rush of steam, the next phase of SFW9’s launch is engaged. We have lots and lots to tell you, so settle down, grab your beverage of choice, put your feet up, and let’s go!

That’s right folks… Its time to start planning for SFW9, coming to you next March in Wales and we have a little bit of bad news but a massive whole bunch of good news to soften that blow. First things first though: there are only 18, yes 18 rooms left on site for the weekend so if you don’t have your tickets then you better get on that now. So first off here is a little comment from Sfw themselves with a little bad news…

First off, the bad news … As regular SFWers know, sometimes guests have to drop out, and since the last announcement, both Colin Baker...

For this final week of home entertainment releases in January, horror and sci-fi fans have a ton of cult classics to look forward to, including Poltergeist II and Poltergeist III from Scream Factory, and Lair of the White Worm and Parents from Lionsgate via their Vestron Video Collector’s Series.

Synapse Films is also keeping busy with a trio of releases this Tuesday—The Coffin Joe Trilogy Collection, At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, and This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse—and for those of you missed it in theaters, Boo! A Madea Halloween comes home to both Blu-ray and DVD on January 31st as well.

Lair of the White Worm: Vestron Video Collector’s Series (Lionsgate, Blu-ray)

Bram Stoker’s last novel is the basis for this wild tale of a horrific beast and the evil forces it unleashes on the beautiful English countryside.

Vestron Video...

The Lair of the White Worm

Blu-ray

Lionsgate / Vestron

1988 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 94 min. / Street Date January 31, 2017 / 34.97

Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis, Stratford Johns, Paul Brooke, Imogen Claire, Chris Pitt, Gina McKee, Christopher Gable, Lloyd Peters.

Cinematography: Dick Bush

Film Editor: Peter Davies

Special Effects makeup: Stuart Conran, Paul Jones

Original Music: Stanislaus Syerewicz

Written by: Ken Russell from the novel by Bram Stoker

Produced and Directed by Ken Russell

Wild man director Ken Russell struck back against commercial indifference with this alternately elegant and outrageous horror offering, that excepting a few hard- ‘R’ moments, comes off as a real (snake) charmer. Few horror movies have a real sense of wit, and fewer still can laugh at themselves without crumbling into sad parody. As if reclaiming horror as a British-made product, Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm shows us what a next-generation Hammer...

“I change my cars as regularly as a snake sheds its skin.”

The Vestron cult classic horror title releases continue with The Lair Of The White Worm, coming to Blu-ray on January 31st with all new special features!

A terrifying English legend returns when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series brings the British horror classic The Lair of the White Worm to limited-edition Blu-ray™ on January 31 from Lionsgate. In a remote corner of England’s Peak District, a mysterious skull is unearthed, then quickly stolen for use in worshiping a pagan god, the White Worm. Based on the novel by Bram Stoker, and starring Hugh Grant, the restored and remastered The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray has all-new special features, including an audio commentary with Director Ken Russell and Lisi Russell and an interview with actress Sammi Davis. The Lair of the White Worm limited-edition Blu-ray will be available...

Offering new premieres and exclusives every month, Shudder has a unique library of hard-to-find international and independent films, something for both casual and hardcore fans of horror. With that in mind, here’s the rundown of the new arrivals and UK exclusives and premieres for December…

Exclusives/Premieres:

31 (Dir. Rob Zombie)

UK streaming Premiere. Available from 15th December

Introduced to eager audiences at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, filmmaker / musician Rob Zombie’s latest blood-soaked film involves a group of carnival workers who come face-to-face with a gang of murderous clowns on Halloween night. A game of life-or-death will determine their fate.

The Corpse Of Anna Fritz (Dir. Hèctor Hernández Vicens)

UK Premiere. Available from 8th December

Creating a stir at SXSW and the BFI London Film Festival, this ghoulish and uncompromising thriller from director Hèctor Hernández Vicens follows a hospital orderly’s attempts to have his wicked way...

“I change my cars as regularly as a snake sheds its skin.”

The Vestron cult classic horror title releases continue with The Lair Of The White Worm, coming to Blu-ray on January 31st with all new special features!

A terrifying English legend returns when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series brings the British horror classic The Lair of the White Worm to limited-edition Blu-ray™ on January 31 from Lionsgate. In a remote corner of England’s Peak District, a mysterious skull is unearthed, then quickly stolen for use in worshiping a pagan god, the White Worm. Based on the novel by Bram Stoker, and starring Hugh Grant, the restored and remastered The Lair of the White Worm Blu-ray has all-new special features, including an audio commentary with Director Ken Russell and Lisi Russell and an interview with actress Sammi Davis. The Lair of the White Worm limited-edition Blu-ray will be available...

In January, The Lair of the White Worm will join the newly announced Parents limited edition Blu-ray in Lionsgate's Vestron Video Collector's Series, and we have a look at the special features and cover art for the vampiric Blu-ray release.

Press Release: The Vestron cult classic horror title releases continue with The Lair of the White Worm, coming to Blu-ray on January 31st with all new special features!

Street Date: 1/31/17

Blu-ray™ Srp: $34.97

Program Description

A terrifying English legend returns when the Vestron Video Collector’s Series brings the British horror classic The Lair of the White Worm to limited-edition Blu-ray™ on January 31 from Lionsgate. In a remote corner of England’s Peak District, a mysterious skull is unearthed, then quickly stolen for use in worshiping a pagan god, the White Worm. Based on the novel by Bram Stoker, and starring Hugh Grant, the restored and remastered The Lair of the White Worm...

Two more horror classics are on their way to Blu-ray courtesy of Vestron Video, The Lair of the White Worm and Parents, and we have the artwork and details on each right here. From the Press Release: A terrifying English… Continue Reading →

The post Vestron Video Unleashing Parents and The Lair of the White Worm appeared first on Dread Central.

Hello, August! It’s a new month and you know what that means: a new batch of excellent horror films is coming to you hot and fresh courtesy of our friends over at Shudder. This month, Nina Forever, The Devil’s Rejects, Ju-On: The Curse 1 and 2 (never before officially released in the Us), American Psycho, and Manhunter are just a few of the films to join the ranks of Shudder’s horror programming.

Press Release: On August 10th, Shudder welcomes one of the most striking horror debuts in recent memory. From directors Ben Blaine and Chris Blaine is the grotesque, wickedly funny, affecting horror romance, Nina Forever.

After the love of his life, Nina, tragically dies in a car accident, Rob unsuccessfully attempts to take his own life. As he learns to come to terms with his grief, he ends up falling in love with a coworker, Holly. Their relationship gets complicated when Nina,...

Shock sits down with veteran actress and now sexual advocate Catherine Oxenberg. Back in 1988, she was Eve Trent of the Derbyshire B&B, the site of an unusual archaeological find in Ken Russell’s The Lair Of The White Worm. Working across several genres, Catherine Oxenberg took on iconic roles in TV shows like Dynasty and…

The post Interview: Actress Catherine Oxenberg on Lair Of The White Worm, Sharktopus and Female Sexuality appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Shock discusses Ken Russell’s kinky masterpiece The Lair Of The White Worm and chats with its star, Amanda Donohoe. Ken Russell -God rest him -was one of cinema history’s great eccentrics. And though his controversial 1971 cinematic freak-out The Devils still stands as one of the most important meditations on sin, lust and corruption, and…

The post Interview: Amanda Donohoe on Ken Russell’s The Lair Of The White Worm appeared first on Shock Till You Drop.

Halloween is almost here, which means you've got an appetite for horror: Good thing there are so many vampire, zombie, and serial killer flicks you can watch right now on Netflix.

Whether it's a classic like "Carrie" you want to revisit, an old '80s B movie you never saw or that Jennifer Lawrence thriller you missed at the theater, here are 31 of the best horror movies on Netflix, streaming in all their bloody glory. (Streaming options are subject to change. Check Netflix for latest availability.)

1."Carrie" (1976) R

Forget the recent two remakes (although the latest, with Chloë Grace Moretz, is also available to stream): Brian De Palma's version of Stephen King's novel about a telekinetic high school outcast who wreaks havoc at the prom is the only one you need to see.

2. "World War Z" (2013) PG-13

Remember when everyone predicted what a disaster this Brad Pitt project would be?...

Alex's series looking back at the film careers of actors who've played the Doctor finishes with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi...

Feature

Read the previous part in this series: the film careers of Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, here.

By 2009, the new version of Doctor Who had become not only an integral part of Saturday night television and a huge Christmas ratings winner but also an international success all over again. David Tennant, who had played the Time Lord since 2005 and was, arguably, more popular than any Doctor since the mighty Tom Baker hung up his scarf in 1981, had announced his resignation from the part he loved in October 2008. Many wondered how the incoming showrunner, Steven Moffat, would follow Tennant and what kind of show would emerge.

Tennant spent much of 2009 on stage in Hamlet and was only able to devote small amounts of time to Doctor Who. Occasional specials...

For the last couple of months in The Daily Briefs, I’ve been counting down my list of the top 40 horror movies of the 80′s, and now it’s time to unveil #1. But first, here’s a look back at #40 – 2.

Thank you for all of your comments, and I hope I triggered some fun memories. But now it’s your turn! What are your favorite horror films from that bygone era? Do you prefer the Jason franchise, or Freddy? Any obscurities you think should be more well known? Let’s see your lists!

40. Rats:Night Of Terror

39. Visiting Hours

38. The Boogens

37. Blood Beach

36. New Year’s Evil

35. The Beast Within

34. Dolls

33. I, Madman

Director Tibor Takacs followed up his surprise hit The Gate with this sadly overlooked, well-crafted slasher, written by David Chaskin (who wrote A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddie’s Revenge). Sadly, there’s no gay subtext in this one,...

So, now we know: The BBC has just revealed that the new star of Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi. The 55-year-old Scottish actor is well known the U.K. In the U.S.? Not so much. Here are five things you need to know about the Twelfth Doctor.

1. He’s appeared on Doctor Who before

In 2008, Capaldi played a character called Caecilius who David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor encountered when he visited ancient Pompeii. He also starred in the Who spin-off show Torchwood. Capaldi is not the first actor to have appeared on the show and then later be cast as the Time Lord.