The Rotting Zombie's Round-up of Horror News for April 2024

Once again another month has passed. After a visit to London to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow I picked up Covid for the second time. I'm over that now, but still quite weak and have a incessant cough, so am not back up to full form. I shall  do my best however! On the video game side of things I am currently playing Diablo IV and Dead Island 2, both great games, and both shall be getting reviews once I'm done with them. I am also currently watching the Fallout TV show, so far it is most impressive, again, a review of that will be coming in the future.

Released back on 27th February by Bayview Entertainment was Alien Top 20: Mind Bending UFO Encounters, a documentary surprisingly about UFOs and aliens. Directed by Charles Thompsen and written by O.H Krill, this looks at a series of encounters across the globe.

Showtown American Pictures and Cannon Fire Productions have announced that Candyman (2021) actor Michael Hargrove is to join Avaryana Rose in the Tom Ryan (Return to Theatre of Terror) directed Bitter Souls. The film is about a teenage girl resurrected after a tragic accident via black magic. After coming back from the beyond, she decides to use her new found powers to get revenge against her tormentors. Bitter Souls is due to begin production in Carbondale and Scranton Pennsylvania in June later this year.

Freestyle Digital Media released Southern Gothic psychological drama The Desiring in March on Digital for North American VOD platforms and DVD. This film follows Richard whose life changes when he discovers his wife is having an affair. Richard finds himself drawn to the affair and begins to secretly watch it play out. This begins to bring up memories from his past about his spiritually fanatic father whose desire for 'something more' led to his suicide.

Another horror making use of the Winnie the Pooh licence falling into public domain is Piglet. Described as a mix between Winnie the Pooh and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (!), this comes from SpookHouse MediaWorks and Strange Film Studios, directed by August Aguilar. Set in the Appalachian hills, this is about a recluse named Piglet, whose peach is ruined when a group of millennials seeking fame turn up on his remote land. After they kill Piglet's pet pig as part of an exploitative YouTube video they are making, Piglet decides to violently kill the trespassers off one by one.

Summoners is a new horror film from director Terence Krey (An Unquiet Grave). Released on digital VOD platforms back in February, this stars Christine Nyland (An Unquiet Grave), McLean Peterson (Jessica Jones), Larry Fessenden (Habit), Margaret Reed (Magic in Mount Holly) and Madeline Grey DeFreece (Tahara). The film is about a former witch who returns to the craft after her childhood friend requests her help to perform a dark spell.. Summoners is out on Tubi, Prime Video (TVOD), Movie Central (YouTube) and Watch Free Flix.

Splatter film Gorerot is currently filming, with funding available with associated perks via heading to the website here. There isn't much of a description of what this will be about, though the press release states the film (formally known as Illusions of A Sky Tyrant) will provide '....a blood soaked journey through a kaleidoscope of terror. From savage gore to visceral torture, from cannibalistic horrors to the creepy experimental visuals, every segment promises to plunge you deeper into the abyss of guts, gore and more'.

Arena Wars is to release in June from Gravitas Ventures. This sci-fi action film takes place in 2045, where convicted criminals are given the opportunity to gain their freedom, should they survive popular televised sporting event 'Arena Wars'. The goal is simple, to survive seven rooms, each of which features a vicious killer. I love the idea of films like this, so may well be something worth checking out. Arena Wars is to star Michael Madsen, Robert LaSardo, Eric Roberts and John Wells.

Werewolf Serenade has released an official trailer. This werewolf themed indie comedy horror has its film festival debut at the tenth annual AVFest at 9pm on May 4th, tickets of which can be purchased here. Directed by writer/director Daedalus Howell (Pill Head), this is about a film professor who is tasked with completing the research project of a man who has recently turned up dead. The professor is unaware the research will bring him into contact with an evil occultist that will change his life.

Finally for today, Subject 101 is a horror-thriller about Syrian refugees. The film follows a homeless refugee looking to start over at a European multinational temp agency. The titular 101 (Cem-Ali Gültekin) begins to get misgivings when he finds his apartment is in a terrible state, while the jobs he are given are questionable to say the least. Written and directed by Tom Bewilogua, this 'nightmarish dystopian tale' was released on March 19th in the U.S on VOD platforms and DVD.