31 Nights of Halloween: Red Riding Hood

Halloween 2021 is coming to a close, but you must still beware... because the monsters are still on the prowl, looking to pull tricks so you can become their treats...

Red Riding Hood (2021)
Starring: Alexa Kopitnik

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

It's Halloween, and a young woman (Kopitnik) dressed like Little Red Riding Hood has an encounter with a Big, Bad Wolf.

 

California-based filmmaker Alex Magana was our talent in the spotlight for this year's 31 Nights of Halloween, in the sense that we featured more films from him than any other creator this year (with two of them on this very night. His work will continue to be featured here once every couple months until next October, keeping the chills going. So, please stop by every now and then!

As for "Red Riding Hood", Magana makes great use the "fake threat" horror movie mainstay as this film unfolds. The fact that he adheres to the "rule of three"  The ending we ultimately reach wont surprise anyone, but getting there is quite the creepy bit of fun.

And with that--all we have left is to thank you for joining us for this year's month-long Halloween celebration. As mentioned above, there will be posts appearing regularly here. In fact, the first will be tomorrow--in observation of the Day of the Dead!

(If you want some more Red Riding Hood-themed entertainment, check out these posts at our sister blog Shades of of Gray.

31 Nights of Halloween: Pumpkin Man

The Halloween celebration continues here, until just before Midnight and the beginning of the Day of the Dead! Here's another tale of a Halloween run-in with the supernatural!

Pumpkin Man (2021)
Starring: Brooklyn Robinson, Milla Kessler, and Noelani Pese
Director: Alex Magana
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Three friends (Kessler, Pese and Robinson) out committing some Halloween pranks and vandalism come to learn the truth about the legend of the Pumpkin Man.

Have you heard the urban legend of the Pumpkin Man? Well, don't worry if you haven't, dear reader, because filmmaker Alex Magana and his talented cast of teenaged actors are going to tell you all about it... and make you a believer!

"Pumpkin Man" is another fun trip into terror from the guy who brought us "Don't Fall Asleep", and several other shorts. Like so many of his films, this one starts in the middle of action and ends where the main story beats are sort-of resolved, but great mysteries and unanswered questions are still looming. If you've liked Magana's other films, I think you'll like this one, too.

You might really like it if you, like me, get angry at Halloween vandalism that damages the carved pumpkins and other Halloween decorations that people put work into so that the rest of us can be entertained. I always hope that Karma will get those vandals... so I rather wish that the legend of the Pumpkin Man was real....

31 Nights of Halloween: At One's Door

The Big Night is upon us. Children and creatures are prowling the streets, knocking on doors and looking for candy. We here at Terror Titans hope you've got a little more candy than you expect to give out... because we'd hate for your Halloween to turn out like Marrisa's did.

At One's Door (2020)

Starring: Marissa Steinheimer

Directors: Josh Dubeck and Marissa Steinheimer

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A young woman (Steinheimer) discovers that it can be scary to run out of candy for the trick-or-treaters.

I could nitpick a few things about this neat little All-Hallows Eve chiller, but that's all I could do, so I'm going to let them go in the spooky spirit of the night. Instead, I'll express my appreciation for the somewhat subtle ending that Dubeck & Steinheimer gave to this little terror treat. It's never nicely done; check it out... I'm sure you'll agree!

31 Nights of Halloween: Clown-O-Gram

Not all clowns are disguised serial killers or supernatural horrors. Just take tonight's 31 Night of Halloween selection as an example. We're changing things up a bit, and we're offering something a little heartwarming--even as the shadows get longer and the monsters in them are getting ready to pounce!

Clown-O-Gram (2016)

Starring: Tom Peck and Ryan Leboeuf

Director: Michael Evans

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars


Oh. It looks like we may have goofed things up. Perhaps we should have watched it all the way to end. On the other hand, it's a good reminded that the season of trick-or-treating is at hand... so nothing is going to be as it seems, and you should always be nice to whoever knocks on your door. But not too nice. And that goes double for Halloween night!

Saturday Scream Queen: Katy Ford

Born in 1992, Katy Ford is an up-and-coming actress and model who's this year's 31 Nights of Halloween leading lady, appearing in five different films. You'll see her again in future films, right here at Terror Titans, but in the meantime, Ms. Ford is our only Scream Queen of 2021.

 For a little more information about Ford (and a few more pictures), check out this post at our sister blog, Shades of Gray,

31 Nights of Halloween: Costumes

Costumes (2020)
Starring: Amanda Paris and Victoria Fratz

Director: Aaron Fradkin

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

As Halloween approaches, even monsters are getting their costumes ready.

"Costumes" is one of those tales that demonstrates there are different kinds of monsters. It does this well. If the special effects had been a little better executed, I may have bumped my rating up to a Seven. But take a look, tell me what YOU think in the comments section below.

Peculia's Fear-filled Phantasms

 Is it the end of the road for Peculia and her frienemy, the mysterious Justine? Or is the master vampire just whisking them away to the annual Shades of Gray Halloween Party?

31 Nights of Halloween: From the Dark

It's a well-known fact that the forests of Hungary are home to co of vampires and packs of werewolves. For this reason alone, they top the list of places to avoid during the 31 Nights of Halloween... which is something the traveler in tonight's excursion into the unexpected learns the hard way.

From the Dark (2020)

Starring: Otto Hadju

Director: Z. Daniel Guzmits

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars


"From the Dark" is the third film from Hungarian writer/director Z. Daniel Guzmits we've featuring during this year's festival of fright, and we will be checking in on his YouTube channel during 2022 to see what other great bits of horror he's cooking up for next October! (We may also put some of his films here before then, as we hope to post on or about the 13th of each month for all of 2022.)

31 Nights of Halloween: Double Feature

Writer/director Alex Magana has several series of short films going (like the one involving a mysterious, murderous clown that we brought you here and here, earlier during this year's Halloween lead-up.

One of those series involve a "wandering curse" that transfers itself from victim to victim and kills them as they sleep. As of this dark and stormy night, with Halloween right around the corner, two installments have been released. Like Magana's "Clown" series, it leaves me wanting to know more about what's going on and what has brought on where the curse/haunting.

Below are "Don't Fall Asleep" #1 and #2 for you to watch and enjoy. Maybe you, too, will stay awake after watching them. Like most of Magana's other shorts, they are well-paced and technically well-executed in almost every way. (I am starting to wish the soundtracks were a little less overblown, but that could be brought on by having watched a whole bunch of his films in short order. I also have a couple nitpicky problems with the first of tonight's film, but if you don't notice them while watching, then they were indeed not even worth mentioning. Also, any minor failings are in the first film are more than made up with the nice cinematography in the second.)

Don't Fall Asleep (2021)

Starring; Katy Ford, Justin Gubersky, and Olivia Rand

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Don't Fall Asleep 2

Starring: Justin Gubersky, Linda Paice, Katy Ford, and Olivia Rand

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Extra Tuneful Tuesday with the Melodicka Bros and Violet Orlandi

The very talented singer Violet Orlandi teamed up with the very creative Melodicka Bros. for a spectacular cover of one of the spookiest pop songs ever written. The video that they made to go with it is even spookier, and it's perfect for this last tuneful Tuesday of these 31 Nights of Halloween.

Tuneful Tuesday with Imperial Age

Here's a cover of "Demons are a Girl's Best Friend", the original version of which we presented earlier during this year's 31 Nights of Halloween. It's a version that's just as good as the original, completely fresh, and accompanied by an excellent video.

31 Nights of Halloween: Where Blood Lies

In tonight's offering, monsters are hunting monsters. It's the tale of Nazis on the verge of successfully completing their mission of bagging a vampire for study by scientists. It's a nicely mounted little chiller, executed with technical competence on all fronts and performed by nothing but talented actors. It's even one of the several films this year that have left me wanting more, but in a good way: It ended in a satisfyingly enough way, but I wanted the story to continue at least a little bit longer!

Enjoy watching monsters being monstrous in the wilds of Romania!

Where Blood Lies (2019)

Starring: Ben Pendergast, David Castro, Alexa Giuffre, and Jay Brown

Director: Byron Q

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: A Summoning Game

Is it ever a good idea to play one of those "games" where you do a little ritual to summon Bloody Mary, or Candy Man, or Carrot Top? Maybe. But it's never a good idea if you can't follow the rules. Especially not during the 31 Nights of Halloween, something two young women learn in tonight's excellent little chiller.

A Summoning Game (2021)

Starring: Vikki Martin, Sylvana Carranza, and Killian Lock

Director: Nicole Rindaldi

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Evil Clown

Tonight's viewing selection will inspire giggles, dread, and nostalgia in "mature" visitors to the 31 Nights of Halloween fright festival, as it's oozing with old school slasher flick and Troma Team atmosphere. Meanwhile, the yung'ens with little or no appreciation for the classics will simply enjoy a violent killer clown romp! There's something for everyone tonight, as we enter the final, fear-filled week before All-Hallows Eve 2021!

(You'll have to click through to YouTube in order to watch it--for reasons that are beyond our comprehension. But if you're reading this, we're sure you'll enjoy whether you're watching the film here or there! Oh... and be sure to stick around for the post-credit bit.)

Evil Clown (2015)

Starring: Rebecca Hildebrant, Adam Pecoraro, Daniel Hildebrant, Allie Nordby, Phillip Vidal, and Victor Magaleno

Director:  Adam Pecoraro

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Incoming Call

Incoming Call (2021)
Starring: David Fershtadt

Director: David Fershtadt

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A young man (Fershtadt) gets a late-night video call from himself.

I don't know exactly what's going on in this film, but I like it. The staging, the pacing, the acting... I like everything about this. It's another example of how the horror genre morphs to keep up with and integrate technologies at the center of our daily lives at the time they are made. 

Take a few minutes to watch "Incoming Call" right now. Even if you're like me and not quite sure what to make of the ending, you'll find that it is a cautionary about why not answer strange calls (video chat or otherwise) during the 31 Nights of Halloween. And if you want to tell me what YOUR thoughts are about "Incoming Call" and what's going on in it, feel free to speak up in the comments section!

(By the way, we featured Mr. Fershtadt's first film on October 22 during last year's 31 Nights of Halloween. Maybe we can get a tradition going? We'll see if we can have another mini-chiller in this spot from him on this day in 2022!)

Peculia's Fear-filled Phantasms

 When slumber parties go bad...

31 Nights of Halloween: Read All About It

I decided about halfway through my screening of tonight's selection that it was going to make the cut for this year's 31 Nights of Halloween, but I was going to complain about something that didn't look and sound quite right. As the film ended, however, I decided that I should let that complaint go. 

Check out this great little fright film and let me know in the comments what YOU think about it. (Also, what do you think I took issue with, but ultimately decided to set aside? And no--it's not the stock photo I recognized in the newspaper, just in case someone out there moves in the same circles as I do.)

Read All About It (2020)

Starring: Marissa Steinheimer

Directors: Josh Dubock and Marissa Steinheimer

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: It Comes for You

Jogging can be hazardous during the 31 Nights of Halloween, as tonight's horror nugget demonstrates...

It Comes for You (2020)

Starring: Michelle Torian

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A girl jogging in the woods (Torian) attracts unwanted attention of the supernatural kind.

Many of writer/director Alex Magana's films can more properly be described as vignettes than proper films. This is one of those. Many of his films also have a dreamlike or nightmarish quality about them. This is also one those. And, as I've said about other Magana films, this one ends with me wanting more--in a good way. I want to know more about the girl, I want to know more about the ghost, and I want to know what comes after the abrupt ending of this film--basically, I just want more!

"It Comes for You" is an expertly crafted little film with nice camerawork and great pacing. There's also a couple of relatively simple special effects shots, but they are deployed in such a fantastic fashion that not only do they manage to make the cartoon "sheet ghost" into something scary, but they should make S-FX artists who work with ten times the resources sit up and take notice.

The only complaint I have is the lines of dialog spoken by actress Michelle Torian, but I think perhaps that boils down to nitpicking more than anything else. (It's not Torian's delivery--she does a fine job throughout the film--it's the line itself.. That said, its ridiculousness does add to the overall dream-like feeling of the piece, so it may not be all bad.)

But why don't you just watch the film for yourself? Click below and sit back and let the Halloween spirit flow! 

31 Nights of Halloween: Pencil Face

Tonight's selection is haunting, strange, stylish, creepy, cooky, unexpected, unsettling... almost everything that embodies the spirit of Halloween in one place. Enjoy!

Pencil Face (2008)

Starring: Logan Link

Director: Christian Simmons

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

If you enjoyed "Pencil Face", we're confident you'll also enjoy "Pencil Mania" over at Shades of Gray. This animated short film that provides a look into the world where the young lady in tonight's film ended up (and where Pencil Face originated).

Extra Tuneful Tuesday with Butcher Babies

California-based heavy metal band Butcher Babies is back on another Tuneful Tuesday during the 31 Nights of Halloween! We're not sure what's going on in the video, but it's spooky and the song is great, so we hope you enjoy both!

Tuneful Tuesday with Loud Monsta

Loud Monsta is a New York City-based rap/hip-hop duo who, on this Tuneful Tuesday during the 31 Nights of Halloween, are bringing us a terrifying tale of what could an all-too-real horror. Sit back and enjoy the beats, the raps, and the video--although I suspect the beats will have you bopping your head and such soon enough. And absolutely certain that you'll agree that these are intense visuals that go along with intense music.

You can learn more about Loud Monsta on their Facebook page. You can also watch more of their videos on YouTube. Play them a visit. These up-and-comers will appreciate the support!

31 Nights of Halloween: Lucky Night

Lucky Night (2020)
Starring: Z. Daniel Guzmits and Orsolya Keleman
Director: Z. Daniel Guzmits
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A robber-turned-murderer (Guzmits) is trying to cover his tracks when he discovers he may be in over his head.

Aside from one bit of special effects that could have used a little more work, everything about this short film is perfect. I'm going to leave my comments at that, as the events of "Lucky Night" are best witnessed  by viewers as its main character experiences them. But please click below and watch what is one of the best things you'll see during these 31 Nights of Halloween!

31 Nights of Halloween: Take Me

Terror Titans, in conjunction with filmmaker Caden Posse, present tonight's short film as a PSA. It's a reminder to everyone to NOT prepare any recipes or follow any instructions that are found scribbled on notes or on walls. Nothing good will come of it--especially not during the 31 Nights of Halloween!

Take Me (2017)

Starring: Caden Posse

Director: Caden Posse

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Not So Fun

 

If you haven't noticed yet, Saturdays are Creepy Clown Time this year during the 31 Nights of Halloween. This week's film--where Gaby Corea stars as a young woman being stalked by a creepy clown--is in need of some trimming throughout--but the ending is so perfectly done that we simply had to feature it.

Seriously. Stick with "Not So Fun" until the end. You'll enjoy the freshness in the approach.

Not So Fun (2019)
Starring: Gaby Corea and Rafael Melgar
Director: Cesar Liang

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

(Trivia: This is the first time we've featured a film made in Honduras, by Honduran filmmakers.)

31 Nights of Halloween: O.I.

O.I. (2018)

Starring: Ben Cotton, Birkett Turton (as "Kett Turton"), and Toby Hargrave

Director: N'Cee Van Heerden

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Barry (Cotton) has an original idea... and he lives to regret it.

There's a skit in an episode of the classic comedy variety series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" where a joke writer invents a joke so funny that anyone who hears it laughs themselves to death. This short film--which is strikes a deft balance between comedy and horror--plays with a similar premise, but does so with humor that's as black as tar. 

The film is well-staged, well-acted, and while the ending is ALMOST a foregone conclusion, there's a couple minor twists that, together with its perfect timing and execution

I like this film so much that I was waffling between whether to give it an Eight or Nine Rating on the Ten-Star Scale. I ultimately settled on 8, because the sequence where poor Barry is held captive by the C.I.A. goes on just a little too long without a strong enough punchline (or maybe an exploding head to serve as a period).

Check it out. I promise you've not had this much fun watching heads explode since "Scanners".

Peculia's Fear-filled Phantasms

Then there's that time when Peculia got in too deep...

31 Nights of Halloween: Seeing Someone Else

Today's offering is short and to the point, at only 14 seconds in length. But it's plenty spooky... and a reminder to use passwords everywhere for everything and with everyone during the 31 Nights of Halloween!

Seeing Someone Else (2016)
Director: Sebastian Matthias Weissbach
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: The Mime

During the 31 Nights of Halloween, masked fiends, killer clowns, and mysterious mimes are everywhere. The mime in tonight selection is so mysterious, and featured in a film so well put together that I didn't know where it was headed until it got there. And when I did finally see what was coming, I was squirming in my seat and saying, "What's about to happen isn't what I think it is, is it?"

It was. And it did. And the timing of the sudden cut-to-black at the end made it all that more disturbing and horrifying.

Check out tonight's extremely well put together short film about one woman's fateful encounter with a mime. Everything about this one is perfect. 

The Mime (2018)

Starring: Amelia Gardham and Joseph Adelakun

Director: Dan Allen

Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Do Not Open

Alex Magana delivers another film that makes me want to know so much more about what's going on. I want to know what went before, what comes after... and just so much more. Check out this great little flick about a young woman and a mysterious box... and tell me that you don't share my desire to see the bigger story that's unfolding around it! (At the very least, you'll agree that this is warm-up for Halloween.)

Don't Open (2020)
Starring: Samantha Cruz, Winter Bassett, and Andrew Hughes
Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Tuneful Tuesday with Powerwolf

The new priest at the convent has some... interesting ideas about how how to conduct services.

  

The video for "Demons are a Girl's Best Friend" from hard rock outfit Powerwolf is a mini frightfilm that suitable for the 31 Nights of Halloween!

31 Nights of Halloween: Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to Me (2020)
Starring: Amanda Sharpe
Directors: A.J. Lodge and Amanda Sharpe

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A woman (Sharpe) attempts to enliven a lonely birthday celebration... 

Single people who used to celebrate their birthdays with friends and family up to Covid-19 ruining our lives should be able to relate to the main character in this film. And even if they can't, they (and everyone else out there) will appreciate "Happy Birthday to Me" for its straight-to-the-point, show-don't-tell story-telling communicated via skilled filmmaking and acting.  

Here's hoping that anyone reading these words was able to celebrate their birthdays with friends this year... and if you couldn't, we hope your lonely celebration didn't turn out like the one in this mini-chiller!

31 Nights of Halloween: End of the Hall

End of the Hall (2021)

Starring: Sofia Ochoa Villagomez

Director: Caden Posse

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Laundry day is interrupted by a strange encounter.

 This 31 Nights of Halloween is shaping up to be The Year of I-Want-More-From-This-Film-In-A-Good-Way. So many of the selections that I'm going to be featuring either had me saying to myself "That's it?! Where's the rest of it?! I want a sequel NOAW!" or "What a cool mysterious and unexplained bit of mystery. This is the story of what's happening!" or a mixture of the two. Any work of art that gets my imagination going is one I consider exceptional.

And that brings me to tonight's selection. Upon watching it, a story that I suspect had nothing to do with the filmmaker's intent popped into my head, but it's one I'm going to have to figure out a way to do something with because it made me chuckle.

And that is the highest praise I can give any movie. It sparked my own creativity and desire to tell a story. On top of that, it's extremely well put together technically, with nice use of music, effective lighting, and great framing of shots. The ending is also perfect and a nice change to what so often closes out these nuggets of horror.

Check it out. Let me know what you think of "End of the Hall".

If I am reading references on this filmmakers YouTube page correctly, he is still in his teens... and judging from the command he already displays of the movie-making craft, there are great things to come in the future. I hope he sticks with it and manages to make it his living. I think he'll be bringing me fabulous movies in my old age if he does. 

31 Nights of Halloween: The Clown 2

The Clown 2 (2021)

Starring: Katelyn Torres and Katy Ford

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A mysterious clown (Ford) pays a late-night visit to a traveler (Torres).

 

"The Clown 2" is not so much a short film as a vignette; we have a beginning, but we don't get much of a middle and there's certainly no end to speak of here. However, like the majority of the mini-chillers that writer/director Alex Magana has created it's got a perfectly paced, dream-like atmosphere, features excellent sound design, and is beautifully shot and lit, but in this case, I wanted more.

Perhaps it's because it's a sequel, but I found myself wanting to know more about Katy Ford's clown. The first installment in this series had the clown in a "monster under the bed" sort of function, but that's not the case here. Maybe it's just the writer and game designer in me, but I really want more insight into the "why" of the victims that the ghostly personage preys upon. I have appreciated the "just because" dream-logic in many of Magana's films, but what we have here is so interesting that we need more of an explanation.

A very cool feature is also the fact that the clown is female. I don't think we see very many of those in these sorts of short horror films.

Check out "The Clown 2" by clicking below. I think you'll like it. (And keep an eye out for more from Alex Magana and the lovely Katy Ford as we count down the 31 Nights of Halloween.)

(You can see the first "The Clown" installment here.)

31 Nights of Halloween: The Hidden

The Hidden (2021)
Starring: Thomas Nicholson and Zakiah Dumasky
Director: Michael Leigh
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A detective (Nicholson) makes one final attempt to find and interview an elusive witness (Dumasky) who can seal the case against a murderer.

This is one of several films featured during this year's 31 Nights of Halloween that made us wish it was a full-length film. Check it out--let us know what you think! At the very least, it should begin to stir that Halloween Spirit within and around you!

If you like roleplaying games, I think "The Hidden" might also contain character and campaign ideas. Those ideas can be further fed by this post featuring d20 System rules that can be used to characters like the one at the center of tonight's film.

Peculia's Fear-filled Phantasms

 Then there's that time Peculia discovered that guys lie on their dating site profiles, starting with the fake pictures.

31 Nights of Halloween: The Cost of Living

There are some short films that are ruined if too much is said. This is one those.

Watch it cold and enjoy the surprises! We're certain that you'll agree it's worthy for the 31 Nights of Halloween line-up!

The Cost of Living (2018)

Starring: Lorna Nickson Brown, Liam Harkins, and Jonathan Coote

Director: Tm Nicoll

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Tap Tap

The 31 Nights of Halloween can be a stressful time, what with all the party planning, deciding what costume to wear, and the constant looking under the bed and in the closet to make sure monsters haven't moved in. It might be tempting to draw a hot bath and just soak in the tut to unwind.

Don't do it. 

You should only take showers during the month of October, and even then you should be extra careful. We present tonight's selection as a cautionary tale; we want all our visitors to be safe and to be around to see the arrival of November, so we hope you will keep this young woman's experience in mind.

Tap Tap (2018)

Starring: Issy Knopfler

Director: Dan Allen

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

(By the way, I had a hard time deciding to give this film a Six or Seven Rating. In the end, I gave it a High Six, because the sound design seemed a bit ham-fisted to me. The water and creature effects were nicely done, though.)

31 Nights of Halloween: The Door

Sometimes, the simplest films are the best films. This is one of those times.

Today's offering is short, simple in its execution and concept, but it packs one heck of a whallop due to some nice framing of the shots, use of sound, and editing. We're sure it will start to stir that Halloween spirit within  you!

The Door (2021)

Starring: Jack J. Schwartz

Director: Jack J. Schwartz

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Tuneful Tuesday with Butcher Babies

Part music video, part mini horror film, this little item featuring heavy metal band and their cover of the classic "They're Coming to Take Me Away" is ideal fare for the 31 Nights of Halloween! Look for more horror-tinged music videos in this very space, every Tuesday until the Big Night on October 31!

They're Coming to Take Me Away (2014)
Starring: The Butcher Babies
Director: Daniel Andres Gomez Bagby

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

31 Night of Halloween: I Know It's Cold

Hailing from Germany, today's horror morsel is low-key and performed with great restraint by the featured actors. This late-night medical mystery may be quiet, but it is still very fitting for these 31 Nights of Halloween. (The only nitpick I have is about the ending... it needed to be a second or two longer. Which, I suppose is the ultimate nitpick...)

I Know It's Cold (2013)

Starring: Hubertus Geller, Oskar Brown, and Lisa Marie Stoiber

Director: Sebastian Matthias Weissbach

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

31 Nights of Halloween: Round Hat

Tonight's fright film is a reminder that you should do whatever you can to avoid working late during the 31 Nights of Halloween... and if you can't get out of it, never EVER stay late in the office alone. (You don't want to end up like this poor manbun-sporting fellow.)

Round Hat (2020)
Starring: Balazs Guzmits

Director: Z. Daniel Guzmits

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

"Round Hat" was made by Hungarian filmmakers who release short films online through Daydream Pictures. It's the first of several excellent chillers we will feature from them during this year's festival of mini horror films!

31 Nights of Halloween: The Clown

Everyone loves a clown. Except when it's the Monster Under the Bed playing dress-up for the 31 Nights of Halloween.

"The Clown" is the first of several chillers from writer/director Alex Magana we'll be featuring during this year's fright festival. Here's hoping they'll get you in the Halloween spirit!

The Clown (2021)
Starring: Tatiana Juarez, Alejandro Oviedo, and Katy Ford

Director: Alex Magana

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Nice cinematography, good sound design, and perfect pacing add up to make this great viewing!

31 Nights of Halloween: Hatched

This seems like the perfect item to start this year's 31 Nights of Halloween with, what with it dealing with the beginning of life and all. It's one several films from Dylan Clark that we've featured this year, all of them GREAT! And you can look for more of his work as this year's festival unfolds. (While we're just talking, let us state that Clark does an impressive job with the creatures in this film!)


Hatched (2021)
Starring: Gavin Watt
Director: Dylan Clark
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

--

If you like TRPGs (especially of the horror variety, or ones based on the d20 System, you want to check out this post at the NUELOW Games blog. It was inspired by "Hatched".)

Peculia's Fear-filled Phantasms

Last year, we celebrated the artwork of the late Richard Sala, a comic book creator and artist whose work embodied the fun and mystery of Halloween more-so than perhaps any other artist in recent memory. We're continuing that celebration this year with a different water color paiting from Sala of one of signature characters--Peculia--squaring off against menaces and monsters!

First up, we present "Peculia vs. the Pumpkin King"!