Amityville: Descendants of Darkness (2026) - Horror Anthology Film Review

After a few weeks of being pretty much off of this blog, I've made an attempt to return, though a lingering trapped nerve in my rotted back has really slowed me down a lot! Master of anthologies; Phil Herman, is back with his 16th anthology; bringing another collection of low budget indie horror tales, this time in the form of Amityville: Descendants of Darkness. Kind of set out like a presentation, this brings together four short films and a wraparound segment that use the mythos of the real life, allegedly haunted Amityville house as their basis.

The wraparound segment is a presentation by Dr. Marsh (Tiffany Sinclair) about the history of the Amityville house, explaining to the viewer that the place was just an entry point for evil, and even with its destruction that evil still lingers. She was an odd character and the actresses delivery of her lines made these in-between moments captivating to watch. There was an intimate feel helped by good set design and some moody lighting. Not much really happened in these parts but they worked well at setting up each of the stories.
'The Shed' (written, directed, edited and produced by Todd Sheets - Final Caller) was the first film, running roughly 20 minutes. Three small-time crooks have travelled to a shed on the edge of the Amityville property due to rumours that money is buried there from a robbery that took place back in the 1970's. The trio; Frank, Danny and Scarlett (Dilynn Fawn Harvey) soon find themselves at the mercy of a demonic cult, who are angry at having their resting place disturbed by the intruders. Meanwhile, Father Anson (Mike Reeb) heads to the shed after a series of arthouse style nightmarish visions. This one was an early highlight, the exaggerated acting and the cartoonish digital effects combining to make this feel like a horror comic brought to life, in the style of Tales from the Crypt. There was an almost Evil Dead Rise level of blood and gore here, extremely bloody and gruesome, but also with a feeling of the tone having its tongue firmly in its cheek. It all culminates with the arrival of the priest, whose unexpected fight scene channelled Peter Jackson's Braindead. A fun start to the anthology, and special mention to the collapsing scarecrow moment; it looked great on camera.

Next up was 'The Possessed Relic' by Marcelo Fabani (I Slay on Christmas segment 'The Best Company'). This brought with it a complete change in vibe, taking place far from Amityville, and the only short not to be in English. The idea for this one was that even objects taken from the infamous house could be cursed. Moody husband, Santiago (Stan Lubo) discovers an old red rocking chair out on the street outside his apartment block, and decides it will be a nice addition to his new cosy corner he is working on in his apartment. The pacing here was a bit odd, it takes place over a series of days, with each day introduced via a title card, and each day including one moment of horror, I'm sad to say this didn't leave much of an impression on me. The core cast (including a dog) were all good, and there were a couple of stand-out moments such as when Santiago discovers what has happened to his missing pet. It kind of abruptly ended before I really knew what was going on.

Halfway through and the third film is 'Blood Moon over Amityville' by Derek Braasch (Phil Herman's Unearthed segment 'Ties That Bind'). Here, a hard boiled detective (Joe Jauch), still living with regret over an unsolved case 5 years previously that resulted in the death of a girl, is guilt tripped into going out for one last look for answers. His search leads him to an abandoned apartment complex where he does find answers of a sort. An early bar scene was a highlight of this one, but this film sped along at such a quick pace that the ending took me completely by surprise. A little underwhelming, but I did enjoy the film noir feel and the detective character.
Finally, we have 'Echoes of the Damned' that was directed by James Panetta (Jacker 3: Road to Hell) and written and produced by Herman. In this one, couple Jack (Herman on fine form) and Megan (Debbie D - Jacker 3: Road to Hell) move into a home that had been built on the former site of the Amityville house. Troubles for the couple begin straight away, with Jack in particular being plagued with hellish visions of the location's dark past. There was a great collection of odd-ball characters here, in particular, very strange next door neighbour Karen (Deanna Marie - Clown Motel 3: Ways to Hell) whose persistent manic grin became almost distractingly weird!

Amityville: Descendants of Darkness had four distinctly different shorts. While I would say only the first and last were the ones I really loved, the other two were still well made and featured some good scenes. From the comic book horror of 'The Shed' to the more traditional horror of 'Echoes of the Damned', this anthology remained interesting throughout. I always have a lot of time for anthologies, and so enjoyed my time with this one.

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The Hematophages: Splatterings (2026) by Stephen Kozeniewski - Horror Story Collection Review

The Hematophages: Splatterings is another collection of short stories from Stephen Kozeniewski (Yes, I am a Vampire). This one is a mini-collection comprised of four short stories over 120 pages. All of these are set within the author's Hematophages world. This is a sci-fi future where parasitic alien lamprey type creatures exist which have the ability to pilot the infected, able to take over their minds and essentially control them like cars. Like Kozeniewski's previous collection, each of these four stories includes a lengthy and entertaining forward and afterword shedding light on how he came up with the story ideas. The introduction to the collection states you don't need to have read The Hematophages to be able to enjoy this, and that turned out to be true.

It begins with 'The Blood-Red Lake' which as openers go is a horrific intro to the eel-type nightmare creatures. Set on an Earth in the past; a father and daughter learn all too late just why the lake near their remote home has turned blood red. There wasn't too much to this one, but was almost the most nightmarish. I liked that the afterword mentions classic sci-fi horror video game series - Dead Space, as I am a huge fan of those.
'Derelictus' is next and was the stand-out story. Firstly due it doing that ace framing thing of starting halfway through the story and then heading back to explain how events came to be. Secondly, because events transpired here in a way that reminded me of recurring nightmares I have of being unable to escape a terrible situation. In this one, a strange spaceship is discovered floating apparently abandoned. Someone is sent to investigate the wreck unaware of the pure Hell they are about to enter. I enjoyed the first person presentation of this tale.

At the halfway point and next is 'Blackfish' that tells the story of a woman locked in quarantine after a visit to an alien spacecraft. I liked the build-up to this, though the shock reveal didn't really resonate with me much. It was similar in tone to 'Derelictus' and while harrowing also, it wasn't quite as harrowing. It was interesting to read in the notes for this that it had been envisioned as a sci-fi take on the classic werewolf concept.
Finally is 'Gerstein', which was an original short written for the collection. This was a Gothic mad doctor story, albeit it, one set in space within a hollowed out asteroid. It shouldn't have worked, but strangely, it did. It features an unlikeable jobsworth who has travelled to a space station in order to repossess it for the company she works for. Instead, she discovers that maybe she shouldn't have been so flippant with agreeing to the terms of the quarantine orders the head scientist at the station made her sign before entering. I liked the idea of this hollowed out asteroid appearing like a Gothic castle, that was a neat touch.

With that, the brief collection was over. Despite not having read The Hematophages, I liked the short stories here, and once again found all the added details as to the inspiration for them extremely interesting. For those needing a small injection of sci-fi horror, look no further than The Hematophages: Splatterings, which released on 16th March.

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Yes, I am a Vampire (2024) - by Stephen Kozeniewski - Horror Short Story Collection

In anticipation of getting a lot of reading done on a (so far) relaxing holiday to visit family in Australia I was sorting out my back log of shame. I have some books dating back to around 2014, including one from Stephen Kozeniewski (The Thing Under Your Bed) which to my embarrassment I noticed wasn't in a format that I'm able to use on my Kindle. It's a shame, as my favourite story in this short story collection (previously I would have called this an anthology but the author spells out the difference of that and collections here) is based in that book's world (that book being Braineater Jones) and it sounds like a grand world indeed. Anyway, Yes, I am a Vampire isn't quite as old as that book, receiving the eBook at the end of 2024. I guess that makes this quite a speedy turnaround!

Yes, I am a Vampire is a horror collection with a difference. From the title alone I imagined this to be an anthology collection of short vampire stories (doing my usual thing of barely skimming the synopsis of anything I am sent so as not to be spoiled on the contents). Not only is it the collected short works of Kozeniewski from 2013-2016, it is also half an autobiography. Each of the 12 short stories is followed by a lengthy afterword which not only talks about the inspiration for the story, but also goes into details of what was going on in the author's life at the time some of these were quite frank. For this review, I will follow a similar format, giving some unwanted and self indulgent background on where I was and what I was doing as I read these stories.

It all begins with microfiction piece 'Clockwork Offal', a one page story that at first went over my head, but each subsequent read it dawned on me more and more the horror being suggested. The afterword is where it became apparant that Kozeniewski really was dedicating half of this book on writing about his own trials and tribulations with getting his work published. He mentioned Braineater Jones here, and that sparked a memory that I thought I had a copy of this sitting in an email somewhere waiting to be read (as stated, I kind of did, but I hadn't bothered to check if it worked at the time). 

'The Thing Under The Bed' is next. I had previously reviewed the novella The Thing Under Your Bed, and almost skipped this one thinking it was just a repeat. Glad I did read this as it was a completely different and much shorter version of that neat story. Some of the awkwardly placed England references (this being set in London) are explained in the afterword, and it was there where Brian Keene's The Rising and City of the Dead is mentioned. I have fond memories of those two books, being some of the first zombie novels I ever read (the talking zombie lion at the zoo is forever burned into the undead appreciation part of my brain).

As may be apparent from this blog's name, zombies are by far my most favourite type of horror monster, so it was pleasing to see so many of the short stories here to feature the undead. The first of these was the crassly titled 'Exploding Sh*t Zombies' that as its title suggests, is one of the more grim zombie apocalypses. Many of the short stories in this collection are taken from the author's novels, this being one of those. I thought this story had a fun bait and switch at the start and was quite humourous. I was (very) indirectly mentioned in the notes for this one when Kozeniewski mentions sending his novel Braineater Jones off to a horde of various bloggers and reviewers back when it was first written.
This was the start of a bunch of undead tales, 'The New Dark Ages' was a bleak and grim one, starting off as a fantasy, before being revealed to actually be a Dungeons & Dragons game that a group of friends hiding out from an undead uprising were playing, before the rug pull of something far more twisted. The author in the notes mentions the cover for the anthology this one was originally published in was quite ugly. Having Googled the cover image; yup, it sure was a hideous cover!
'The Man With Four Scars' was a great story, a zombie story but one that takes place during caveman times. I have never read anything similar before, and having the story told from the perspective of a prehistoric human with his own way of talking and describing things was fascinating. I read this one in two parts, having crashed after drinking two strong cups of coffee in a row. The most exciting part of this somewhat haunting story picked up immediately from where I had paused reading, so I demolished this story upon getting back to it.

That brings me up to almost present day (at time of typing). The rest of the collection I read in the span of a day while out on holiday in Australia (where I will be until the end of March). I tried to read 'The Key to the Stars' back in the U.K while my best friend was staying at my house. I couldn't recall a word when I returned to it, so began again. I thought this was a charming story, and one of the most light hearted ones. A sci-fi story about a girl who encounters a holographic projection of an alien in the 1950's. It mixes this story with a real account of an alien encounter to wonderful effect. For me 'The Old Man and the Seesaw' was the highlight of this short story collection. Set in the Braineater Jones world, it is another that shows imagination, the titular 'old man' referring to a zombie fetus whose fortunate early immersion in an alcoholic based preserving formula led to it being one of the oldest surviving zombies in that alternate world where sentient undead have emerged who require alcohol to keep their faculties. The notes for this one particularly resonated to me, the authors hopes to one day be able to write full time and not need to have a bill paying day job echoing my desire to one day somehow be able to do the same, but with my blog.
The last zombie story follows with 'Cadaver Bite', showing an unusual form of execution used during a zombie outbreak. I was sat nearby a radio and got engrossed enough in this one that the words being spoken on the radio faded away to nothing for me.
This review is perhaps getting a bit self indulgent and lengthy so will zoom through the last four stories. 'The Quiet Life' is very similar to A Quiet Place, but as the notes afterwards say, this was actually written a few years before that film came out. The final three stories are all single page microfiction stories set around Christmas; 'Traditions', 'A Visit From...' and 'Brightly Shining' were all excellent and twisted in their own ways, a lovely finish to this collection.

I have always had a love of anthologies (well, in this case, collections), so with Yes, I am a Vampire I found yet another one that I enjoyed. Truthfully, there wasn't a short story I didn't like, but there were some that were in my mind much better written than others. I was of course also pleased that so many of these featured zombies, that is never going to be anything other than a positive thing in my mind. The autobiographical part was also very interesting. It challenged my baseless assumptions that all published authors are effortlessly able to get their stories out. 

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Phil Herman's The Actor's Curse: A Tale of Twisted Fate (2026) - Horror Anthology Film Review

Having taken a week off of writing horror film reviews last week, I'm back, and back with one of my favourite types of horror films - the horror anthology. Phil Herman's The Actor's Curse: A Tale of Twisted Fate uses the movie industry as its linking theme, with each of the four shorts, as well as the wraparound story featuring people who work in that industry.

The wraparound story is fittingly titled The Actor's Curse: A Tale of Twisted Fate. I like it when the wraparound segment actually tells some sort of story, and while a bit basic, this one fits that mould. Here, a bitter washed-up actor (Jon DeBartolo - Jacker 3: Road to Hell, A Hard Place), discovers an old journal outside his apartment door. The man decides to write some fictional stories about people who he has worked with in the past that he attributes to the cause of his personal downfall, unaware that the journal might hold some terrible power. This part was simple, but I did really like DeBartolo's voice, his narration to himself about the stories he was writing was lovely and deep.

The first story proper is 'The Director's Demise', which was directed by Derek Braasch. Here, a sleazy film director (Robert Gutierrez-Spagnoli) hires a new actress who for a change isn't put-off by his very hands-on approach to filmmaking. Even seeing all the conflict he creates around him, the new woman plans to work closely with the director. I found this predictable enough, the suggestion of a supernatural element was welcome, though this idea wasn't implemented that well, only popping up towards the end. There was a scene of violence here that had some fun practical effects, and will also state that this is one of three shorts here that include damage to a man-specific body part, this one the more painful looking of those! Some female nudity here if that is your thing.
Next up is 'The Producer's Plight' that comes from director James Panetta. Victoria (Debbie D - Jim Haggerty's Unnatural Causes, Phil Herman's Unearthed) is a film producer who likes to play games with the people she chooses for her films, setting up various actors against each other. Even when one of the people she has harmed takes his own life, she doesn't let up on her mind games. This again told a predictable enough story, though I did enjoy where this ended up going, and enjoyed how gun shots were shown on screen. The notion of a bad person facing a twisted justice was similar to the story that preceded this, so did feel a little similar.

Despite being mainly in Spanish (with subtitles), the third film 'The Writer's Woe' was my favourite. Written and directed by Marcelo Fabani, this one is about a womanising writer who gets hired to write a documentary exploring the strange topic of South American vampires. In his research he comes across an old book that states vampiric conquistadors were purposely sent to the place hundreds of years back, in order to conquer it for the Spanish authorities. He figures the book is probably not authentic, but other people fearing the truth may get out, take steps to squash his documentary from happening. I liked all the back story here with the idea of vampire explorers. Enjoyed the montage scenes when images are shown as part of the evidence of this happening. I sometimes found the lines to be spoken a bit quietly, but this told a decent and outlandish story with some cool make-up effects .
Finally was the Will Devokees written and directed 'The Makeup Artist's Misfortune'. A vigilante makeup artist (Brooke Ashley) who goes after bad people in the film industry, is intending to flee town after attacking her latest victim, only for the now disfigured victim to corner her at her home, intending to get his revenge. Fittingly enough, this one had the best make-up effects of the whole anthology, the man's half acid burned face looked great, with it often hidden within shadows.

As always, I love anthologies, and with Phil Herman's The Actor's Curse: A Tale of Twisted Fate, you have one with a solid unifying theme. I liked this most when it brought variation, such as the third short about vampires. I felt the first two shorts were a little too similar in the story they were telling, but overall, this was a solid anthology that might not have blown my mind, but was still an entertaining 90 minutes of indie horror that included a large cast over its films.

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The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for December 2025

I keep saying this nearly every blog post lately, but there has been change in my life with my bill paying job of 13 years unexpectedly making me redundant a few weeks before Christmas. I have set myself the goal of not reiterating this come the new year, but it has led to some changes for this blog. With much more free time on my hands, and with a slightly unhealthy urge to constantly work, I think this site will benefit in the short term. That will include me putting up a blog post a day rather than just week days (should I have any posts ready to go), and in a few weeks I will work on this site full time for a month. Onwards to the news.

They're Here is the latest film from Rick Danford. This short supernatural horror began production in December, the story follows a young woman who returns home after a disastrous séance to discover that something evil may have followed her back. The short features just the one actress - Natalie Brienen, and a single location. This will also feature voice work from Sarah Webb (Damsel of the Doomed) and D'Andre Noiré (The Clock). Once finished, They're Here is going to be heading to the international film festival circuit, with it hoped the short will either feature in an anthology film, or as a proof of concept for a feature length movie.

The Nameless Ballad has begun filming in Fara, Sabrina, coming from filmmaker Federico Zampaglione (The Well, Shadows). It stars Jamie Ward (His Dark Materials, Juliet & Romeo) as an introverted young successful musician. Under pressure to make new songs, and a slave to his addictions, the man heads to an isolated villa for inspiration. There he instead becomes prey for a dark evil that resides in the house and feeds on people's deepest fears. The film also features Alana Boden (Mr. Selfridge, I Am Elizabeth Smart), Giglia Marra (Morrison), Fabrizio Ferracane (Black Souls), Seumas Sargent (The Signal), Reed Stokes (The Tour Guide), Mia Desando, Vincenzo De Michele, and Sergio Ceglie. The Nameless Ballad is expected to premiere at major genre festivals in 2026.

The first images from Mary Shelley's Christmas Nightmares have been released. This Gothic horror comes from De Havilland Pictures, and will be the feature length debut of filmmaker Johnathon de Havilland. Inspired by the storytelling traditions of the works of Mary Shelley (surprise surprise), Edgar Allan Poe, Mary E. Braddon and James Skipp Borlase, this was filmed mainly inside an authentic 19th-century manor near Louisville, Kentucky. Starring Macy Dame (Pesadila), Erica Dyer (The Zuri Johnson Story) and Timothy Pogue (Unnatural), the story revolves around a group of characters who set out to come up with the most scary ghost story possible one dark and snowy Christmas Eve night. Currently in post-production, Mary Shelley's Christmas Nightmares is aiming for a holiday release in 2026.

15 years after the release of The Dead 2: India, The Ford Brothers are returning for a third and final film in their trilogy - The Dead 3. I remember enjoying the first movie dug out an ancient review I did of The Dead), that had a unique setting in South Africa, I never caught the second, but news of a third is still exciting. The film's locations have yet to be revealed, the press release states '...it will have a fresh and original take, while still staying true to the classic roots'. The synopsis states a man uncovers a global conspiracy that has returned the dead to life. He sets out on a revenge filled mission to locate the people responsible for the madness, finding them hiding out on a secure island fortress.

Troma Entertainment have announced the the Tromatic Special Edition Blu-ray debuts in January of Frightmare and Luther The Geek. In the former, a Hollywood horror icon; Conrad Ragzoff (Ferdy Mayne - Conan the Destroyer) shows off his latest movie to a group of college kids, and then later that day ends up dying after an altercation with his long-time director. After his funeral, a few of the college students break into a mausoleum and steal Ragzoff's corpse to use in a memorial party. During the party, Ragzoff somehow comes back to life and sets out to kill his fans. Bonus features include the original DVD intro, an archival audio interview with director Norman Thaddeus Vana, a historical commentary among other extras.
Luther The Geek meanwhile tells the story of a young boy whose life is transformed after seeing a geek at a local carnival sideshow. The experience led to the boy's teeth becoming broken, and later being replaced with a pair of metal dentures. With a new found thirst for blood, the boy now grown up, sets out to find victims to feed his obsession.
Both films are due for release on 20th January 2026.

Finally for today, Vertigo Releasing have announced the digital release of Witchboard; a remake of the 1986 classic of the same name, coming from Chuck Russell (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors, The Blob). Starring Madison Iselan (Annabelle), Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), Charlie Tahan (Ozark), Mel Jarnson (Mortal Kombat) and Antonia Desplat (Three Days on the Wing of Madness), this tells the story of Emily, someone who unearths an ancient spirit board that causes those closest to her to start randomly dying in shocking ways. Witchboard will be released on Amazon, Apple TV, Sky Store and YouTube Movies on February 2nd.

The Twilight Zone: Season 2 (1960-61) - Horror TV Show Review

In 2020, I brought the Blu-ray box set of classic horror/sci-fi anthology series The Twilight Zone. This well known black and white series, hosted, created, and often written by Rod Serling, has lasted the test of time, with stories that are still relevant today. Season 2 is made up of 29 episodes as opposed to the first season's 36, but is still a lengthy runtime. This time around, I would argue that there are not actually any dud episodes, some of certainly better than others.

Each episode features host Serling typically appearing on set, but distant from the characters of the particular episode. His preamble telling the viewers that the protagonist has unknowingly just entered 'the twilight zone', to quote children's cartoon Johnny Bravo; 'a place where ordinary things don't happen very often'. The episodes are roughly twenty minutes in length and mainly are serious, sometimes humorous, sometimes creepy, and near always telling some sort of morality story. I thought season 1 had a few too many comedy episodes, which had been a problem as they were never funny. There are a few more light hearted ones to be found here, but none that straight up irritated. 'The Whole Truth' is probably the weakest episode to be found here, but even this one wasn't bad so much as a bit forgettable. It features a dodgy used-car salesman who finds himself unable to lie. 'Mr Dingle, the Strong', another one that tries to be funny, also didn't really resonate, this one about a weedy man who is imbued with miraculous strength by a passing Martian.

Season 2 can be clumsily divided into horror, time travel, and sci-fi, and there is a good mix of these. The best of the horror comes early with episode 5 - 'The Howling Man'. In this one, a man lost in a storm stumbles across a remote monastery where the monks there warn him that in a cell they have imprisoned a man who they claim is the literal devil. Both 'Twenty Two' and 'Shadow Play' take place within nightmares the protagonists are facing, and the sinister 'Nick of Time' (that stars the legendary William Shatner as a man who comes to believe a diner's fortune telling machine is actually able to predict the future) was another strong stand out.
There were more time travel episodes for season 2, some were interesting but less novel ('Back There' where a man finds himself back in time on the night of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and tries to prevent it). A time travelling jet airliner ('The Odyssey of Flight 33') did something different, reminding me a bit of The Langoliers, and iconic episode 'A Hundred Years Over the Rim' has a pioneer on the search for essential aid, stumbling into modern day America.
Finishing the suite with sci-fi, you have the haunting 'The Invaders' that sees an isolated woman living in a remote homestead encountering tiny alien invaders, and the fantastic penultimate episode 'Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?' that sees two state troopers arriving at a remote diner, convinced that one of the people within is actually an alien in disguise.

Being classics have their downside occasionally. There were a couple of episodes whose twists I knew simply through osmosis. I would have loved to go into 'Eye of the Beholder' with no knowledge, but knowing what was going to happen, despite having never seen it before, meant it was an exercise in patience for what felt like an obvious twist. There are classic morality tales that also were obvious, but these are classics, such as 'The Man in the Bottle' that is essentially a Monkey's Paw tale where wishes granted by a genie lead to unexpected outcomes. One of the best isolated in feel episodes was season closer 'The Obsolete Man' - this took place in a dystopian 1984 type future where anyone deemed not useful to the oppressive state are forced to voluntarily be executed. This had a wonderful antagonist played with gleeful malice by Fritz Weaver, and sadly tells a story that feels all too relevant in relation to the severe deep dive into fascism and cruelty that America has been plunging all too willingly into in the real world. It was also fitting for me as my day job have decided to make me redundant as a nice Christmas present, I too am 'the obsolete man'.

With timeless stories that are still relevant today, season 2 of The Twilight Zone was very interesting to watch. This isn't a show that should be binge watched, I liked to digest the stories, limiting myself to just one episode a day. Wonderful and classic TV whose style has rarely been bettered.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Tuesday 9th December 2025

After a week off doing posts on here (almost), I'm back and refreshed to once again pick up the mantle of the Rotting Zombie. In personal news, it looks like I am soon to be made redundant from my bill paying day job, so that's fun! Anyway, here are three terrifying news stories plucked from the depths of my bloody mail sack. Onwards to the news.

There are some new releases from Arrow Video US for January of next year. 13th January sees the limited edition 4K UHD release of Evil Dead Rise. I gave this film an 8/10 in my review back in 2023 where I stated '...I thought this was a solid and nasty horror film, one that doesn't shy away from allowing absolutely any character to become a victim'. The film is set in an apartment block where an earthquake leads to the discovery of a certain cursed book with the power to summon demons. The limited edition features a host of extras including a double-sided fold-out poster and a collector's booklet.

January 20th is when action/adventure thriller Snakes on a Plane gets its worldwide 4K UHD debut, featuring a brand new 4K restoration plus hours of special features. A Blu-ray release is also coming out the same day. The film does what it says in its title, with an FBI agent (Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction) getting caught in a trap from a major crime lord after a hundred poisonous snakes are released on a passenger plane where he is escorting an important eyewitness to the crime lord's crimes. I remember this film was ok, though I admit to never having had the urge to return to see it a second time.

Finally for today, anthology horror At Death's Door is now available on Tubi. Directed by Frank Palangi, this brings four stories based around the concept of how ordinary choices can lead to deadly situations. This stars Aaliyah Al.Fuhaid, Erica James, Frank Palangi, Jared Curtis, and Nicole Mecca. At Death's Door can be found here.

Jim Haggerty's Unnatural Causes (2025) - Horror Anthology Film Review

It feels like it has been a while since I last watched an anthology horror film for review, and here at The Rotting Zombie, I sure like anthology films. Jim Haggerty's Unnatural Causes unsurprisingly comes from Jim Haggerty (Housewitch), with him directing, writing, and producing this. The anthology is made up of three short films and a wraparound segment.

With an opening wraparound segment that lasted ten minutes, I expected this part would get a lot of attention. After that opening however, there is barely any more of this. Famous actor; Vlad Eterno (Baron Misuraca - Seymour the Unfortunate Vampire) has passed away, and so two of his fans have managed to sneak into the funeral parlour to pay their last respects. They are surprised then when the man (whose mythos states he is an actual vampire) gets out of his open coffin. He hands the two girls a reel that contains the first three episodes of the horror TV show he had been working on before he apparently passed, before getting into an old car that then vanishes into thin air. Vlad acts as a Rod Serling type figure, introducing each of the three shorts, as well as providing closing comments on the stories that had played out. These parts served their purpose though were a little bland after the initial interesting set-up.

First proper short is Episode 1 'The Other' that feature just the two actors, but intriguingly, far more characters. Gail (Tina Krause - Phil Herman's Unearthed, Coven of the Black Cube) lives a seemingly idyllic life with her loving husband - Dr. Jack Perkins (Ray Taliercio in his film debut), until one day she receives an unexpected phone call. An angry woman with a familiar voice threatens Gail, telling her she should expect consequences if she doesn't leave what she perceives to be 'her' house and husband. Gail informs Jack who tells her there is nothing to worry about, but his actions to the viewer prove different, with this knowledge causing him to head out to remote woodland. From the familiar opening, this goes to unexpected places with a very neat idea. It perhaps got a bit wordy at times, with exposition dumps coming from long conversations, but I enjoyed how silly this became. A recurring small issue here was the blood, I don't know if it was due to colour grading, but the blood looked almost pinkish on screen, something that also happened in one of the later shorts.

Next up is Episode 2: 'The Drag', another half hour short that again deals with infidelity, something which is the unifying theme of all three of the short films here. Wanda (Debbie D - I Slay on Christmas, Jacker) has been cheating on her husband; Tom (Tom Ciociari - Amityville Thanksgiving) with Jerry (Andrew Murano also in his film debut). Tom is well aware of this fact and has a plan that will resolve the issue without causing him any trouble with the law. Later, Jerry gets the assistance of his lawyer friend; George (Justin Levine), who gives him a similar solution that Tom used for how Jerry can get out of his loveless marriage to Polly (Stacey Brook Schwart - From the Inside). An unexpected supernatural element made this one stand out, leading to a predictable yet enjoyable Tales From the Unexpected type finish. The attempt to show a 'Hell' type place didn't really work out, the budget limitations gave this less of a powerful feeling than it deserved.
Levine's George was the stand-out character and so it was a pleasure to see him reprise his role for the third and final short - Episode 3 'Exhumed Innocent'. In this one, with her husband having apparently take his own life, Carrie (Bec Fordyce - Killer Shoes) is free to be with the man she had been cheating on him with. With her dead husband's witch daughter suspecting foul play, she intends to use a spell to return her father to life, so that he can get revenge on those who wronged him. First though, she needs to have the body exhumed. After a bizarre dancing sequence at the start, this goes along in a familiar route with some fun death scenes. It seemed an odd decision to have the returned man look normal and not ghoulish, but it didn't detract. While it was obvious where the story would end up going, it had a near laugh out loud unexpected scene towards the end that I don't think anyone could have seen coming.

The anthology was very indie in its look, background interference was abound, especially in outside scenes, and some of the acting was occasionally not the most amazing. Despite that, I enjoyed this, I thought each of the stories had some unexpected moments to them, with the first two in particular having interesting ideas. There is nudity here in each of the three shorts, with the second featuring some full frontal nudity, not really needed, but I guess that is a plus if that is your thing. Special effects were basic, but they were fun to see regardless, and fitted the indie vibe of the anthology well. Overall, Jim Haggerty's Unnatural Causes wasn't perfect, but it maintained an entertaining feel throughout.

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The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Thursday 11th September 2025

Summer has nearly been and gone now, I am looking forward to cooler weather, though it is still slightly sad to see the end of each season. Onwards to the news.

An Indiegogo campaign has recently been created for upcoming anthology horror film; Amityville: Descendants of Darkness. Coming from the ever reliable Phil Herman (I Slay on Christmas, Unearthed), the press release states this one is '...a descent into fear itself an exploration of how darkness refuses to die, only to evolve and strike again.' Check out the campaign page here.

Dragon Studios have announced they are working on a follow up to notorious 1979 'video nasty' Driller Killer, with the surprising title of Driller Killer 2. The film is to be a direct sequel that takes place decades after the events of the first one. Crime journalist Jayne Goodman investigates a series of new murders that not only appear to be inspired by the crimes that came before, but is also discovered that the original killer's twisted artwork contains clues as to who this new drill based murderer is. Driller Killer was an ok film, a bit too arty for my liking, but had decent atmosphere to it. The new film is going to star Eric Roberts, Beverly Randolph, and feature Denzil Washingon.

Finally for today, coming this Halloween season is Melon Heads; a Eddie Lengyel written and directed horror coming from Fright Teck Pictures. The film, whose cast includes among them Alicia Marie Spurlock, Tara O. Horvath, and Brainslav R. Tatalovic, is about four students who as part of their final assignments, head to the abandoned mansion of the mysterious Dr. Crow.

The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Thursday 14th August 2025

Writing this on a lazy Saturday afternoon, has been a nice day, and so to balance that, here is some horrific horror news for your perusal.

Tales From The Table is a horror anthology film that is available now on Digital Platforms from BayView Entertainment. From the press release it sounds like each story is based on an ordinary person stumbling into unsettling horror.

Sci-fi horror Somnium opens theatrically on August 29th in LA, September 6th in New York, and streaming on Digital HD from September 9th. The story sees a heart broken girl get a job at an experimental sleep clinic where patients are able to pick what they dream about. I said in my seven out of ten review back in June last year "I liked how the story was left up to viewers to decide on what was really going on, and I thought the character of Gemma was one who was very easy to root for".

Finally for today, Condemned Dreams is a philosophical horror thriller coming from director George Tsouris. It follows a disgraced journalist who gets involved with a story about a condemned transgender revolutionary. Sure it is more exciting than it sounds. The film stars Catherine Parish (Totem Chaser) and Soft Abilez (Dexter: Resurrection TV show). Condemned Dreams has premiere at the Cinema Village in New York City on Thursday September 4th.

The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for 7th August 2025

I am back for a second round of news stories, feeling aware that my inbox is getting a bit full, though it has certainly been far worse in the past. I am writing this on Sunday after having got back from swimming, the first time I've done that in about twenty five years. Anyway, enough waffling, onwards to the news.

Fear Anonymous is a new film that was directed by Bron Theron, and starring Gerard Marzilli, Tyler Gaylord, Rashida L. Hudson, Tod James, Sarkis Bakalyan and plenty of others. It takes place at a Sunday afternoon support group where people gather to explain what scares them the most. One week, a young man named Tyler joins, which leads to a shift within the dynamic of the group. The movie takes place in the same film universe as Theron's previous film Half Dead Fred, with the director explaining that this takes place the day after the events in that film where Freddy Nash visits a haunted house. I'm not entirely sure, but I believe this to be an anthology.

VIPCO and BayView Entertainment have released the documentary Areas Of High Strangeness: Stimson Hospital, it is now available on digital platforms worldwide, including to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video. Written and directed by Jeffrey Checker, this follows the Demon Hunter Society as they explore the allegedly haunted Stimson Hospital in Eaton Rapids, Michigan.

Finally for today, Iconic is a thriller from director Matthew Freiheit that has recently came to MoviVue. The film concerns a social media influencer who struggles to keep their sanity after being stalked by a violent stalker. MoviVue is a new streaming service that features curated indie horror gems, with filmmakers on the platform getting up to fifty times more profit than traditional streaming platforms.

The Rotting Zombie's News Anthology for Tuesday 15th of July

It is hard not to feel excited this week as I am on the cusp of what I hope will be an awesome week off of work. Rather than going off to some exotic location, I am instead heading inwards, deep within the bowels of The Rotting Zombie HQ. Here I intend to see absolutely no one (with the exclusion of my best friend should they choose to visit), I won't be looking at any type of world news, I won't even draw the thick dusty curtains of my dilapidated mansion. A staycation done correctly where for a week my entire world will consist solely of myself. Of course, during that time I won't abandon this blog, indeed, I intend to create a surplus of blog posts to feed the future when I travel back from my pocket dimension. Onwards to the news!

Final Transmissions is an upcoming found footage anthology series that is currently on an Indiegogo campaign. Taking place in the small town of Eldritch, Illinois in 1999, it follows a local TV host who begins airing strange transmissions he has received, assumedly, these transmissions making up the found footage segments. This was created by husband and wife team Steven Hugh Nelson and Erica Nelson, and features segments from Sophia Cacciola and Michael J. Epstein (The Once and Future Smash), Evan Churchill and Thomas Pardo (Beholder), Nick Cotrufo (The McKinney Family Home Videos), Alex Hera (The History of Analog Horror), the Nelson's themselves (Old Wounds), and Lianne O'Shea and Aviv Rubinstien (Lizzie Lazarus). Check out the Indiegogo page here for more details.

Anima is a psychological thriller that is currently being filmed in Colombia, written and directed by Andrés Beltrán (Tarumama, MalaYerba). Included among the cast are Odette Annable (Cloverfield), Allegra Leguizamo (Tin Soldiers), Julio Cesar Cedillo (Sicario), Tony Revolori (Scream VI), and Andreas Londono (Fear the Walking Dead TV show). The story follows forensic medical investigator Helena (Annable), deep in mourning after the death of her husband Richard (Londono). She becomes obsessed with a strange new case, and starts to believe that hidden within the events of this case is the key to be able to somehow return her husband back to life. Beltrán says of the film "This is a deeply emotional and unsettling story-about grief, denial, and the terrifying cost of refusing to let go". Production runs through July in Bogotá, with post-production planned in both Colombia and the United States for a 2026 planned release.

Finally for today, theatrical metal group Raven Black have released a new single titled 'This Little Piggy'. Described as a 'razor-sharp anthem for the outcasts, the misfits, and the tormented', this promises to be the start of '...a darker, more intense evolution' of the group's sound. Produced by Ulrich Wild (Static-X, White Zombie, Deftones).

Bring on the Damned! (2024) - Horror Anthology Film Review

Bring on the Damned! is a horror anthology made up of five short stories, each one written and directed by Brandon Bassham (Slashening: The Final Beginning, Fear Town, USA). I've seen some of the directors previous works and so was unsurprised to find often tongue was firmly in cheek during these tales of madness. Each of the shorts is based around a different theme which simply becomes the chapter's title.

It starts with 'Diagnosis: Satan', this twenty minute film features a psychiatrist named Sarah who has been hired by the Catholic church to see if a violently ill girl is suffering from mental health issues, or if she is actually possessed by a demon. Sarah of course believes it to be the former, but slowly begins to suspect the later may actually be the case.
The indie budget is obvious to see, but that works well for this as it is a neat blend of horror and humour. It plays out like a mockumentary, with a film crew following Sarah around. The story is a traditional demonic possession one, lots and lots of screaming. The highlight was a scene where a priest skins his own face, some cool looking effects despite the lack of much budget. I found the humour to actually work pretty well. References to the darker side of Catholicism are made, and I particularly liked the line where after Sarah asking the exorcist if she can attend the exorcism as well, he says something along the lines of "It's far too dangerous for anyone but an exorcist to be there...and a camera crew". It gets ridiculous later on, in a funny and unexpected way. This was a good start to the anthology.
Second short was the fifteen minute 'Johnnie Lee & Sam' which was a different type of film entirely. Shot in black and white, this was set at an undetermined point in the past, looked to be around the 1920s. Two serial killers; Johnnie-Lee (Conor McCarthy) and Sam (Patrick Foy - The Slashening) accidentally meet one day while burying their respective victims in woodland. They strike up a friendship, but that friendship is tested later in the year when they both target the same woman. A much lighter short despite the dark subject matter, this had a feel of French cinema to it, featuring narration in French, and a neat bit near the end where instead of footage, still images are used (which were expertly chosen I might add). I thought the two leads were both great in their own ways, and it was fun that the two killers had different motives. Again, humour was used to great effect, my favourite part was a chase sequence where both killers are repeatedly putting their hands on their hats to stop them falling off during the chase.

At the halfway point of the stories with the third film - 'Disco Inferno', which at around half an hour long was the longest of the shorts so far. This was set during the disco scene of the 1970's and followed a numb woman who one evening discovers that the only way she is able to achieve orgasm is to kill. Her crimes make national headlines, but one day she meets the self proclaimed 'Disco King' and may have met her match. Stylishly this was the best of the shorts, though not too much really happens. This is made up mainly of various montages, the best being one that shows four differently tinted scenes playing out in each quarter of the screen. Humour again was used, with the club getting less and less people in it over the course of the short due to the killer taking them all out. I loved the music choices here, really hummable, but this was a bit style over substance with the one trick getting a bit stale towards the end. It was wonderfully edited and shot though, visually this was stunning.
The penultimate short was 'Bad Day in Mars Town', another black and white effort, this time with a film noir feel. This takes place in a Robert Rankin style alternate Earth (some point mid-last century) in which humans had gone to war with the cloud like Martians. Johnny Ferri (Terrifier 2) stars as Brack, a hard boiled PTSD afflicted detective who is hired to investigate a sting operation against a wealthy client who was photographed sleeping with a Martian. This was well made, plenty of film noir elements in abundance such as a femme fatale and narration by the protagonist, and I did think the effects for the Martian creatures were great. My complaint was that by sticking so closely to the genre it was mimicking, it all became a little slow and dull. This was the first of the shorts where I was glad to see it finish.

Finally was 'Tara & The Tiger Babes: VSCU' which amusingly styled itself on old Hanna Barbera cartoons. Unable to catch a serial killing rapist known as the 'bottom butcher' (Zac Amico), the police call in Tara & the Tiger Babes, a special band who catch criminals in their spare time. The highlight of this was Billy Bob Thompson as Greggie; an obvious stand-in for Fred from Scooby-Doo. Again there was a lot of music here, with several songs being sung by the band. This included similar language to that used in the old cartoons, and a 'zany' chase sequence that saw everyone chasing each other around a church. I appreciated the joke with this one, but by this point my attention was fading.

Bring on the Damned! was a surprisingly well made and enjoyable anthology, there is no doubt as to the quality of these five films. At an hour fifty, this felt a bit overlong, some of these could have had large chunks cut out of them and not lose their message. It was a shame as there wasn't a bad short to be found here, even the ones that were less interesting still shone due to the sheer amount of variation on show. The linking theme was sins, with each of the shorts preceded by a chapter title stating the sin, but the theme could also be seen as parodies of various genres, from Saturday morning cartoons to Saturday Night Fever, this had a lot of ideas up its sleeve. The humour was often effective, special effects often fun to see on screen, and some good ideas, I just wish it had been a little more tightly edited together, as you can have too much of a good thing. Bring on the Damned! is now available for streaming on Troma NOW.

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