There’s one every year that definitely fits into the headspace of Salem Horror Fest but just isn’t quite full on Horror. More in the realm of a Dark Fantasy for us at least, we’ll give Purgatory Jack from The Butler Brothers (Jason and Brett) a pass as it revolves around the place you go in between heaven and hell with a cast of characters who use blood as currency and switch out body parts with about the same frequency as one would get updates for an Iphone (Read: A LOT).
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest: “Interludes”, Lady Parts
Like the concept of Teeth but felt it was a little bit too visceral for your tastes??? Well, howzabout something a little more sensual… but equally horrific! That’s Lady Parts from writer/director Ariel McCleese in a nutshell with a tale of teenage angst that’s equal parts terrifying and tantalizing!
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Local Mass Hysteria”, Liminal
“I think there’s something magical about being trans”
Right off the bat, Liminal is out of this world and when Dash Kwiatkowski (Creator, Co-Host, Paranormal Investigator, They/Them, Providence) makes the above statement within two minutes of the film running, we think the film is going to be pretty magical too. Continuing on, Kwiatkowski compares being trans to the belief in the paranormal and beyond… just because something doesn’t fit into what you were taught doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. And they’re right!
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Official Selection”, Carnage For Christmas
“I guess you can paint over the wall of a haunted house but the ghosts are still there” -Charlie (Zarif)
We may have said this before and if not in these pages then for sure on our socials somewhere but Alice Maio Mackay is the kind of artist who at 19 has done more than we ever did at that age making us equally envious and in awe especially with latest film Carnage For Christmas on the horizon and being, perhaps, the young writer/director’s best yet???
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Wicked Shorts”, FREE bench MUST PICK UP TODAY
Holy hell, it can’t be legal to have something this creepy and only about 6 or 7 minutes long, right??? And with jump scares to boot (Yes, “scares” as in plural)?!?! Sometimes it’s the ones with the least amount of set up or simplest set up depending on how you look at it that are the scariest and that’s the case with FREE bench MUST PICK UP TODAY from writer/director Gus Reed.
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Official Selection”, Livescreamers
From our first Salem Horror Fest-related post this year we shared more or less what our thought process is like when selecting movies to review since we can’t review them all (Sounds like a challenge!) but what we didn’t reveal is that our initial picks are usually of the “Oh! Oh! Oh!” variety meaning we go for the stand outs for us regardless of when they’re actually premiering. Then we realize what we’ve done and become more sensible after that first Horror gorge because, in all honesty, we do wanna see ALL of what Salem Horror Fest has to offer. And also want to have time to showcase as much as possible hopefully in advance of the screening.
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Wicked Shorts”, The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly
The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly is one of those Horror movies where an aficionado of the genre (And even casual viewers) should see the time left after the supposed “resolution” and immediately have all the alarms in their head sound as an involuntary “Oh no!” escapes their lips. The remake of The Ring with its’ 3 different drawn out/equally horrifying endings after the kid’s all “Why did you let her out of the well?” comes to mind and while The Gourd, the Brad, and the Ghostly from director Jillian Terwedo-Malsbury and writers Rob Knoll and Annie McGrath isn’t as terrifying it’s definitely chilling in its’ own right.
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Official Selection”, Young Blondes, Stalked and Murdered
“Kind of flattering, if he chooses you”
Um, what? That’s from a conversation between Stacy (Samantha Carroll) and friend Lana (Sally Sum) about the bold serial killer on the loose in Young Blondes, Stalked and Murdered who chooses up and coming blonde actresses in the Los Angeles area and should pretty much sum up why the film from writer/director Nick Funess is absolutely not what you’d thought it’d be. Making it perfect for Salem Horror Fest.
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Interludes”, Bounce House
“We’re living in a Post-Post Malone world…”
Yes, kids. The apocalypse has arrived and thanks to filmmakers Callie + Chris (Callie Bloem, Christopher J. Ewing), who wrote and directed Bounce House, it’s not as bad as we thought? Not yet anyway seeing as it’s only been about two weeks since climate change or giant sloths have upended the natural order of things (Read: The internet going down to start) causing mass suicides and cannibalism despite fresh food still being fairly readily available but hey, Trumpers gonna do what Trumpers do???
[Read more…]RNRF X Salem Horror Fest 2024: “Wicked Shorts”, Slip
Laura (Caitlin Padayachee) needs a new place to live seeing as the forever arguing married landlords (Elizabeth Blanco & Geoff Malcolm) who live above her basement suite have deemed that they “need more space” and have decided to unceremoniously evict the soft spoken barista. While her partners (Suksham Shan & Calum Campbell) have the best intentions offering to take her in, Laura knows they have an occupancy limit so that’s not an option. And every other place seems to be unavailable currently! Will Laura end up homeless? Or will the most perfect, albeit kinda grisly, opportunity practically fall in her lap and offer up a last-minute save?
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