Netflix isn’t new to salacious true crime content, and has revealed the new series Crime Scene, which dives into the lore and mythology of contemporary crime scenes. The first season, ‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’, focuses on the notoriously evil Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

The trailer which dropped yesterday, contains footage of “Hotel Death”, explaining the numerous deaths, murders and suicides that have happened within the walls since the 1930s.

Opening in 1927, the Cecil flourished as a fashionable destination, however the location of the Cecil Hotel began to decline quite quickly after the great depression. Now known as Skid row, the surrounding area became increasingly populated with transients, and as many as 10,000 homeless people lived within a four-mile radius.

By the 1960s, the hotel had gained a reputation as a residence for transients and criminals. As such, deaths, suicides and other violent deaths on the premises became more frequent.

Throughout the 40s and 50s, so many suicides occurred at Cecil, longtime residents had begin to call The Cecil Hotel “The Suicide”. In addition to suicides, the Cecil’s history includes many other disturbing happenings and also became a notorious spot for cheating spouses, drugs and sex workers.

In 2007, the hotel was refurbished and new owners took over the property. In 2011, the Cecil Hotel was re-branded as “Stay on Main”, complete with a new website which expired at the end of 2013.

In 2014 New York hotelier Richard Born purchased the hotel for $30 million, after which another New York based firm. Simon Baron Development acquired a 99 year ground lease on the property.

In February 2017, Los Angeles City Council voted to deem the Cecil Hotel a historic cultural monument, because it is representative of an early 20th century American hotel and because of the historic significance of its architect’s body of work.

Even with it’s prestigious landmark status, no one can overlook the hotel’s infamous and very dark history. The first documented suicide at the Cecil was reported in 1931, after guest W.K Norton died in his room after taking poison capsules.

In 1947, Elizabeth Short, dubbed the Black Dahlia, was rumoured to have been spotted drinking at the Cecil’s bar in the days before her notorious, and unsolved murder.

In 1964, retired telephone operator “Pigeon Goldie” Osgood, who was a well-liked and longtime resident of the hotel was found dead in her room. She had been raped, stabbed and beaten and her room ransacked. A man named Jacques B. Ehlinger was charges with Osgood’s murder but later cleared, her death also remains unsolved.

Perhaps the most notorious guest of the hotel was rumoured resident Richard Ramirez, nicknamed the “Night Stalker.

Ramirez had been a regular on the skid row area of Los Angeles, and according to a hotel clerk, who claimed to have spoken to him, Ramirez is rumoured to have stayed at the Cecil Hotel for a few weeks. Ramirez may have engaged in part of his killing spree while staying there.

Another serial killer, Austrian Jack Unterweger, stayed at the Cecil in 1991, possible to copy Ramirez in some way. While there, he strangled and killed at lease three sex workers, for which he was convicted in Austria. He hanged himself shortly after his conviction.

After it’s re brand to “Stay on Main”, the Cecil became the focus of attention again after the surveillance footage of Canadian student Elisa Lam, behaving erratically in the hotel’s elevator went viral.

The video shows Lam repetitively pressing hotel buttons, walking in and out of the elevator and making super creepy hand gestures almost in a trance like state, looking as if she was hiding from someone or something.

Her body was subsequently found in the water supply cistern on the hotel roof, following complaints from the residents of odd-tasting water and low water pressure.

How she got into the water tank remains a mystery.

The LA County Coroner ruled her death accidental due to drowning, with bipolar disorder being a “significant” factor. Theories have swirled since then about possible paranormal activity as well as this death still remains largely a mystery compounded on top of the infamous site of the hotel.

This mystery and many other deaths will now be featured as part of the Netflix series ‘‘The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’‘ coming out February 10th, 2021.

Watch the trailer below

Fellow horror expert and comedian Hunter Collins, has graciously shared his personal round up of Actually Scary Movies, with some hilarious commentary of course.

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Everyone is always asking me for scary movie recommendations. Something about me just screams “this guy knows where to find things that will make me sick and afraid” (maybe it’s the vomit chunks on my unholstered gun). So I thought I’d make a list. Here are 10 actually scary horror movies you may have never seen.

The picks below aren’t for chicken-shit pants-shitting shit-birds. I will lay this out so you can gauge what my fear threshold is: Alien is not a horror movie; Get Out was a fine film but not scary whatsoever; and The Babadook sucks. If you want to watch a mother barely hold back from bashing her kid’s head in while some creepy prick with poor fashion sense looks on with glee, take me to Great Wolf Lodge. The films included here made me want to lock my doors, check under my bed and load the shotgun I keep under my machete rack.

Although they are marvellous and effective fright films, you won’t find titles like The Conjuring or Hereditary on this list. These are slightly deeper cuts, and they cut hard. In fact, they cut like a gun that shoots knives (which I also own – it’s called a “gknife”).

Last thing before I list these actually scary horror movies: if you love horror, do yourself a solid and sign up for Shudder. It’s 60 bucks for the year and they keep pumping out more content than you could shake a monkey’s paw at. Also when the pandemic ends, come see my live horror/comedy show at Comedy Bar in Toronto called Guts For Laughs. Follow us on Twitter and IG at @GutsForLaughs.

Do it, or else. Keep in mind I own firearms and this website tracks your home address.

Here we go:

The Witch In The Window (Shudder)

Tiny cast. Hack first few minutes. A screw-up dad is trying to regain the love of his family by fixing up a haunted-ish house you know there’s gonna be a witch of sorts inside of. But it takes a mind-bending turn, packs some wicked jumps and pulls the rug out from under you with several switcheroos before it’s all over. Plus, If you’re Shudder and chilling, this movie is 70 minutes in & out, so you can swiftly get to the part where you say, “Hey, did you know there’s also a witch in the window of my zipper? Check it out…” and get to gettin’ fresh. That line works for everyone regardless of your sexual orientation.

Special distinction: only movie I’ve ever seen that has an honest to cripes Magic Eye painting scare.

Terrified (Shudder)

Not to be confused with Netflix’s shameless gore-porn horror “Terrifier” starring a clown with teeth like the inside of a Crunchie bar. This Argentinian offering presents three subsequent stories that tie together. Three neighbours are experiencing some paranormal bull-shit: I can’t write about the first guy without spoiling it, but it’s one of the most memorable horror scenes I’ve ever watched because it goes on for so long and you are forced to sit in the horror of it and watch powerless as evil runs amok. Like the presidency.

Second one is about a guy who sets up a camera after his furniture keeps moving around in the night and the last one is about a dead kid. And yeah: they show you the dead kid. And it ain’t just some child actor with corn syrup on his forehead. This is South America. They might have used a real dead kid. But it’s important to note this isn’t a true anthology like Creepshow. The driving throughline about investigators trying figure out what in the horny Christ is happening in this ‘hood flows smoothly in and around the intertwined tales.

Special distinction: the way director Demian Rugna’s frames his scares often mimics the viewpoint of a natural human eyeline, producing a stripped-down air of realism that leaves you feeling like this is what it would actually look like if your life got absolutely FARKED by malevolent forces.

Belzebuth (Shudder)

Don’t get turned off by the poster! Although it depicts a creepy baby carriage, this isn’t one of those movies that shovels out the ol’ convention where a woman is pregnant with a baby but the baby is also pregnant with a demon or some shit. It’s actually an ambitious, $3.6M Mexican production that in its essence is a possession whodunnit, where a skeptical cop is trying to track down the demon who killed his child.

It alternates between Spanish and English and boasts a tasteful CGI evil Jesus scene. The film kicks off with a scene so despicable, it feels like a joke a racist cabbie told you at an off-track betting bar in Cincinnati. This isn’t much of a jumpy one, but it is profoundly disturbing. Think Sinister on crank and tequila.

Special distinction: Probably the highest and most unforgiving infanticide rate of any movie I’ve seen.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (Shudder)

This film is contained to a small rural coroner’s office but it tells such a huge story. A father and son coroner duo cut into this lady and hoo-boy! Her insides are more fucked-up than the shelves at K-Mart on Boxing Day! The journey through the autopsy generates so many questions about how this woman died and even though she’s dead, you start getting the impression she doesn’t want to get autopsied ‘cause some next shit starts going down with the other corpses in this spooky-ass old coroner building. Quality jumps throughout this one too.

Special distinction: expertly frightening despite having a main antagonist who is completely inanimate.

Dead Birds (Prime, Shudder)

Another poster that makes the movie look like it cost 38 bucks and whole lotta favors to make. I swear, there’s a scene at the beginning where a guy sees a dead bird and goes, “Huh, there’s a dead bird,” and then they don’t mention birds, dead or otherwise, for the rest of the movie. Dead bird content dearth aside, this is an unconventional film that places a group of Civil War era bank robbers on a farm overnight while on their way to Mexico with a big sack of stolen gold.

But this farm makes Robert Pickton’s look like Baskin-Robbins! There’s gross critters and other evils abound that start picking these stinky cowpokes off one-by-one. And what a cast of stinky cowpokes they are! Every minute a different big name pops up, including Michael Shannon, the fat beardy guy from 30 Days of Night, Elliott from E.T. and Isaiah Washington. This is probably the least scary movie on the list, but there’s so much originality and genre-bending to this creature feature paranormal haunted house western, that I thought it belonged.

Special distinction: a young Michael Shannon throwing around racial slurs. Yup – that one. Washington was able to keep the slurs to himself this time, however: https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/isaiah-washington-anti-gay-slur-fell-article-1.1456063

Veronica (Netflix)

Spanish director Paco Plaza, who also made the REC series, peddled this out in 2017. It’s rife with heavy-handed allegory about the coming of age of womyn (the fyuture is fymale), but in the horror world, I’m like, what isn’t, dude? Technically Godzilla is a girl’s coming of age tale when you consider that Godzilla’s mouth-lasers are a metaphor for menstruation. Zappy, blasty menstruation.

In this film, a teenager in a working class neighborhood has to take care of her younger siblings, but this foolish, stupid, naive, female, lady girl puts her dumb double-X chromosome’d hands on a Ouija board DURING an eclipse! You put your whole family in danger by opening a demonic eclipse portal, you idiotic womb-haver!

But el patriarcado aside, this movie is loaded with jumps and taut tension and even though it’s about a teen, it doesn’t strictly cater to a younger audience the way Slender Man or Ma did. There’s a nun with milky eyes, shadowperson apparitions galore, and it features the “creepy naked man scare” a full year before Hereditary did it, and a full two years before my dad did it at a local figure skating meet and we never saw him again.

Special distinction: based on a true story where a Spanish girl mysteriously died in the 90s after using a Ouija board. Second leading cause of death in Spain after pronouncing your Zs like a t-h to death.

Channel Zero (Shudder)

This is a TV show where each season of six episodes is based on a different creepypasta. Episodes are 45 minutes long, which is so little to commit to. But the reason I recommend this show is that it’s light enough that you can watch it during the day and the stories are so loose and ethereal that you can have it on in the background while you I dunno – make soup or harass former lovers over the phone.

The seasons are hit and miss (season one revolves around a little boy made of human teeth who eats teeth and there we go, I got fed up just typing that), but the fourth and latest season is about a woman (Miss Denmark 2008 Maria Sten) who descends into madness after rediscovering her homicidal imaginary friend, the latter of which is portrayed by a stupendously talented contortionist.

There are loads of practical gore effects that’ll make you turn away and at one point they barely explicably shimmy in an army of little people dressed as crayons.

Special distinction: It’s all shot in Canada but it looks like it isn’t.

The Possession of Hannah Grace (Crave)

I was super skeptical of a “The Possession Of” movie and maybe my low expectations are what led me to enjoy this so much. In this story about a disgraced police officer (ACAB) who becomes a security guard (ASGAB) at a morgue, a stiff is dropped off that somehow, instead of just sitting there, appears to get healthier.

You can imagine where this leads (they fuck – JK), but the lighting and the sound design seamlessly team up to drive a multi-sensory screwdriver into your nervous system. The creeps take their sweet-ass time and this polished production is all-in-all jumpier than bullfrogs on a griddle.

Special distinction: maybe the only film whose title starts with “The Possession/Haunting of” that is legitimately frightening.

POD (Prime, Shudder)

The key to this 2015 gem is that instead of having the terror stem from a guy in a monster suit, it comes from the unravelling mind of a schizophrenic man trying to convince his brother that he has a captured alien in his basement. The performance of this mentally unstable dude is so convincing, you can picture him asking a cashier at Taco Bell for the nuke codes.

The film does an admirable job of keeping you guessing whether there’s a basement alien or not. Pod is a testament to how solid a film you can make with a wee budget, as long as you have a sturdy premise and some decent actors. Plus it’s only 76 minutes! So if you’re Shudder and chilling, it won’t be long before you can be like, “Hey did you know I also have a ‘pod’ behind this zipper?”

Special distinction: It’s got to be challenging to pull off an alien horror movie, because aliens are inherently jovial visitors who just want to meet your leader and give you a hearty bumming.

Garden State (in the garbage somewhere hopefully)

It is absolutely beyond horrifying that someone gave money to Zach Braff for a script that’s just a bunch of people going “aren’t I weird?” for an hour and a half.

Special distinction: none. This movie is is pure bowel cancer for your heart, mind and eyes.

Within a very short time we were able to cover incredible festivals, exhibits and events almost full time and were really starting to get momentum with reviews, interviews, features and deep dive lists. We saw this project as a way to editorialize and archive the things we loved so much about the darker side of cinema and art.

With our small but dedicated audience we were able to generate attention around films and happenings that mainstream publications usually ignored and we were humbled by the articles and creators we were able to meet and speak with.

Horror has one of the more dedicated fan bases I’ve been a part of, but also more recently mostly in part to social media obsession – it’s become quite a toxic space. What once was an eager community with a DIY show and tell attitude has become (for some not all) a very depressing space full of gatekeeping and hate for insignificant or avoidable issues like who said what first or “this person on x social media platform hurt my feelings”. This sensibility makes it hard for creators to feel comfortable or inspired to continue to create within the community.

Before Covid-19 became a global issue, we began planning trips to other cities and festivals all over North America to start covering broader topics that still fall under the umbrella of horror and the bizarre – However the universe had other plans for everyone and everything, including Screamish.

Although Screamish will never “die”, for now it cannot exist the way it’s supposed to. And to be completely honest we feel like it’s run its course as our main interest right now.

Luckily, we are based out of Toronto, Canada.

One of the most incredible cities in terms of its biodiversity, communities, hidden gems and downright bizarre but intriguing stories and personalities at every turn. To those asking will horror coverage still happen yes of course. But it is with heavy yet excited hearts we are announcing a pause on screamish.net as we migrate over to strangecomforts.com

Screamish will still live on the new site but as one of many pillars that will form our new platform for modern storytelling.

Stay tuned for tons of strange updates shortly.

Straight outta Austin, TX comes the latest Shudder exclusive Horror movie to drop this year, the meta-horror comedy ‘Scare Package’. With a concept from writer Cameron Burns and director Aaron B. Koontz, and a host of other indie film Directors, this 7-ish part anthology touches on classic tropes of our favourite film genre from the VHS era with a lighthearted touch that will no-doubt entertain die-hard fans, but may leave casual viewers underwhelmed with too many unfunny and confusing moments in it’s frenetic free for all of ghosts, ghouls and gore.

Like all anthologies, you need a framing story, and in ‘Scare Package’ it comes in the form of a day at Rad Chad’s Horror Emporium, a sprawling Texas video store lorded over by the titular Chad (Jeremy King), a hyperactive hybrid of Guy Fieri and Joe Bob Briggs who’s new hire Hawn needs a crash course in Horror cliches to handle their obsessive clientele. As Chad rattles off the tropes of horror on a tour of the store, we hop into each Director’s segments, with unfortunately mixed results.

Early segments like “One Time In The Woods” from director Chris McInroy, an uproariously goofy spin on the “melt movie” had us in stitches, and Emily Hagins “Cold Open”, who’s Jon Michael Simpson bookends the movie with a wide-eyed turn as hapless horror villain “Mike Meyers”, landed a lot of laughs with a light touch.

Other segments like the Werewolf support group story “M.I.S.T.,E.R.” and the underwhelming “Girls’ Night Out Of Body” land with a thud at best, with themes that have been done better than in ‘Scare Package’. The remaining segments, including a far-too-long conclusion to the framing story, and the completely baffling Kung-Fu VR battle / ‘Get Out’ possession story “So Much To Do” are only saved by a hail-Mary horror-host cameo so glorious we can’t in good conscience spoil it for you.

With a slow trickle of Horror films in the summer months on Shudder, ‘Scare Package’ offers enough laughs and gore to keep Horror movie fans from switching channels, but sadly it’s inconsistent tone and uneven direction keep this from being a classic in the vein of Tales From The Darkside, Creepshow or VHS. If you’re a dedicated drive-in mutant, we’d say “Check it out”, but for us this is a one time rental.

‘Scare Package’ is streaming now on Shudder.

With another certified Screamish list of course! 

Whether you are new to Shudder or lost in a sea of selections, we’ve chosen a weekend’s worth of classics and modern gems to get the most out of your subscription.

Don’t have Shudder yet? Fear not: we have you covered!

Sign up using code ‘SCREAMISH’ for 30 FREE days.

BLOOD MACHINES 

From the minds of Synthwave icon Carpenter Brut (Franck Huesco) and Director duo Seth Ickerman, the hyperkinetic, hallucinatory ‘Blood Machines’ stormed 2019’s festival circuit before landing exclusively on Shudder. In it, a rogue A.I. escapes a coven of cosmic witches with a pair of grizzled space pirates in hot pursuit. A non-stop, 55 minute Sci-Fi / Horror space opera, you won’t see something this jaw-dropping anywhere else.  

Revenge 

A stylish and bloody rape-revenge thriller from first-time director Coralie Fargeat, ‘Revenge’ turns a contentious subgenre upside down and delivers one of the best Horror movies on Shudder. Free-spirit Jen is enjoying a romantic getaway with her wealthy boyfriend until his two sleazy friends arrive for an unannounced hunting trip. When they cross the line and end up leaving her for dead, a brutal, unrelenting battle begins to escape her attackers and the scorching desert alike. 

Demons

Nothing hits quite like a classic of Italian 80s Horror, and our love for ‘Demons’ is well known. Easily one of the best horror movies on Shudder, there’s a lot to love about Lamberto Bava’s 1985 classic, from it’s tongue-in-cheek ‘movie within a movie’ plot to it’s mountains of goofy gore, to an EPIC cocaine fueled hair metal soundtrack. But what we love most about Demons is that it never stops being a total fucking blast from start to end. 

Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon

Turning the slasher genre inside out, Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon is a mockumentary love letter to every 80s masked murderer and sleepaway camp schlockfest, creating a wonderful ‘what if’ world of real-life movie monsters that’s well made, wildly entertaining and actually sort of sweet…in it’s own co-ed murdering, head splattering kind of way. Seen through the lens of a community college film crew, Leslie’s awkward attempts to rise the ranks of slasher-dom will have horror fanatics and casual fans equally entertained with a mix of genre in-jokes and star Nathan Baesel’s wide-eyed, goofy excitement at finding his ‘Final Girl’. 

The Last Drive In: Season 2 

We are Drive-In mutants! We are not like other people! The legend himself Joe Bob Briggs (and Darcy The Mail Girl, of course) returns to Shudder with the best in Blood, Breasts and Beasts for another season of The Last Drive-In. With a hand-picked line-up of the best horror movies on Shudder, PLUS interviews with genre legends and Darcy’s fant-ass-tic Cosplay, we could never choose just one episode, so just watch em all! Joe Bob Says “Check It Out!” 

Luz

Luz hides in a police station from Nora, who is possessed by a demonic entity, longing for the woman it loves. Nora tells a story about Luz’s rebellious past at a Chilean school for girls to a doctor, now easy prey for the entity, who stalks her across town. Spare and sharp, LUZ is a stunning debut feature from Director Tilman Singer, creating a new style of possession story built on intricate sound design and explosive performances in place of jump scares.  A must see for fans of slow burning Horror like Hereditary or Suspiria. (Read our full review for more!)

Elvira Mistress of the Dark

With such big…history, Elvira remains one of the most beloved icons in Horror, and her 1980’s madcap comedy ‘Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark’ still holds up as a tongue-in-cheek groan fest sure to make you smile. Our horror-movie hostess turns a puritanical community on its ear when she arrives in town to claim her inheritance and once the stuffy locals get an eyeful of the scream queen’s ample assets, all hell busts out & breaks loose.

Editor’s Note: this list has been updated as of June 11th 2020!

Dead Heat

Two cops stop at nothing to catch paranormal bad guys in this messy but oh-so fun 80’s horror comedy. After two detectives discover a secretive corporation are using zombies to carry out crimes (and one of said detectives is turned into a zombie himself) the clock races to solve this murder case before his own body decays! DEAD HEAT’s bizarre combo of gore, humour and 80s slapstick action make for one of the best selections on Shudder. Did we mention the “star” studded cast? Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo and Vincent Price all take turns chewing the scenery in this schlocky romp that anyone can enjoy.  

BLACULA 

One of the best movies on Shudder AND one of the best Blaxploitation flicks of all time? Sign us up! Blacula is a 70’s horror classic often overlooked. In it, 18th century African Prince Mamuwalde (the iconic William Marshall) visits Count Dracula in Transylvania to seek his support in ending the slave trade. Instead that damn honky count curses his guest and transforms him into a vampire! Two centuries later, he rises from his coffin to wreak havoc, stay funky and seek out human blood in 1970s Los Angeles.

Sugar Hill

When a New Orleans nightclub owner gets murdered by the mob, his girlfriend Diana “Sugar” Hill calls upon a voodoo high priest Baron Samedi to summon the undead to carry out her plan for revenge! This stylish, smart yet hilarious horror flick has something for genre lovers of all types.

TROMA’S WAR 

When a group of Americans crash onto a Carribean island, they didn’t expect it to be infested with scummy terrorists and pig faced mutants preparing for a full out war on America with biological weapons! One of Troma’s most unfairly ignored romps, this balls-out, tongue in cheek parody of Stallone, Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson’s nonsensical VHS blast-a-thons doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it does provide a lot of laughs, some of the funniest kills on Shudder and some unforgettable 80s haircuts!

Knife + Heart

Paris, Summer 1979. Anne produces an underground gay porn film. When one of the actors is brutally murdered, Anne is caught up in a surreal investigation that turns her entire life upside down. This stylish ode to 70s era De Palma, Argento and Friedkin, shot on 35mm features a score from M83 and is not to be missed! We could talk all night about it…but Read Our Full Review For More!

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

Things take a turn for the absolute worst after two sisters are reunited in this classic Korean horror now available on Shudder! When Suomi and Su-yeon return to live at their country home, the girls’ father has remarried and strange events soon lead to dark revelations. This dark and dreary horror classic is a perfect fit for anyone who enjoys “feel bad” movies (we sure as hell do) as well the stylish settings and absurd humour make for an engrossing and unique take on the genre. 

Editor’s Note: this list has been updated as of June 2020!

Dying for something to watch this weekend? We’ve scared up the best Horror Movies on Netflix. From slashers and vampire slayers to killer clowns and cam-girl clones, these dozen picks are sure to satisfy any Horror fan.

Hereditary (2018)

Director: Ari Aster 

This debut feature from Ari Aster was cemented by many critics as an “instant horror classic” by breaking traditional horror tropes and creating its own unique spin on familial fate and inheritance. Without revealing too much, buckle up for a ride unlike any other horror movie to date with this one – and expect it to stick with you for a while. 

The Platform (2019)

Director: Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia

A fantastic mashup of social commentary and midnight movie, The Platform is a fierce and stylish statement on race, class and the collective good and evil of humanity. Although a bit on the nose with it’s message, the impressive twists and limited setting make for a daring and fantastic debut feature from Gaztelu- Urrutia, clearly taking inspiration from sci-fi movies like Snowpiercer and Cube.

Terrifier (2016)

Director: Damien Leone

Based on a character from the anthology “All Hallows Eve”, this 80s slasher throwback follows Art the Clown on Halloween night as he sets his sights on terrorizing anyone who gets in his way. Come for the clown, stay for the incredibly detailed and gory kills. Slasher and 80s horror movie fans, don’t sleep on this one! 

The Babysitter (2017)

Director: McG

Essentially a satanic chase movie, The Babysitter is equal parts sexy, hilarious and gory which make for a fast paced and fantastic no brainer watch. This hilariously schlocky occult comedy also gave birth to new horror “it girl” Samara Weaving with her incredible performance throughout.

Girl On the Third Floor (2019)

Director: Travis Stevens 

Haunted Houses might not exactly be a fresh concept in horror, however this directorial debut from Travis Stevens proves a good old fashioned haunting can still be entertaining, while putting a new spin on the very established sub genre. The Girl on The Third Floor satisfies from beginning to gory end. PS: Have to give it up to wrestling icon CM Punk for his portrayal of an absolutely unlikeable husband that helps drive this experimental film’s conclusion. 

Read our full review of ‘Girl On The Third Floor’ here.

The Perfection (2018)

Director: Richard Shepard

Troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out the new star pupil Elizabeth (Logan Browning), this encounter leads them down a sinister and shocking journey full of twists, turns and body horror galore. For those who like their films much darker than mainstream studio projects (this one is a Netflix Original), The Perfection is right up your alley. Absolutely avoid this one if you have hemophobia or don’t enjoy oozing gore. 

CAM (2018)

Director: Daniel Goldhaber

Techno-horror indie hit CAM is smart, suspenseful and visually jarring. Set in the world of webcam porn, we follow Alice, the ambitious camgirl who one day discovers she’s been replaced by an exact replica of herself. As the copy begins to push boundaries, the control that Alice has over herself quickly vanishes. This tightly wound thriller keps us guessing the entire runtime while still having a lot to say about voyeurism, loss of identity and loneliness.

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Director: Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez

Pulpy crime drama and vampire film hybrid from filmmaking icons Tarantino and Rodriguez is kind of a mess, but also an incredibly enjoyable B movie romp. Cameos from genre legends throughout (Tom Savini) (Fred Williamson) (Cheech Marin) add to this ridiculously bloody fun Mexican Vampire Western. It’s hard to find anything bad about this movie and if you haven’t already seen it, you are missing out on one of THE best Horror movies on Netflix.

Vampires (1998)

Director: John Carpenter

What do Twin Peaks, New Mexico and James Woods have in common? If you guess John Carpenter’s Vampires congrats! This Vampire hunting movie starring Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer) and James Woods is set in rural New Mexico, following hunters ambushed by and combating the evil 600 year old Vampire Valek. Sounds ridiculous? Well it is, and similar to From Dusk Till Dawn, this overall goofy Vampire movie deserves at least a one time watch. 

Overlord (2018)

Director: Julius Avery

Part reivionsist war drama, part zombie thrill ride, and part balls to the wall genre gorefest. Overlord offers something for everyone who’s a fan of B movies. Follow American paratroopers as they destroy Nazi zombies in occupied France in this thrilling, mysterious and bold action packed ride. DISCLAIMER: If the idea of reanimated Anne Frank offends you, avoid at all costs. 

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Bram Stoker’s Dracula is remembered more for its often hammy acting and Keanu’s highly questionable English accent than the stunning sets, amazing costumes and buckets of blood spilled by director Francis Ford Coppala in a dreamlike Vampire opera that delivers far more in entertainment than narrative logic. Definitely one of the best Horror movies on Netflix! 

Who doesn’t love a good demonic possession? From the iconic pea-soup spewing Linda Blair in ‘The Exorcist‘ to the more metaphysical nightmare of ‘Twin Peaks’ ancient evils controlling you in secret, the genre of Horror is chalk full with tales of demons, ghosts and even evil computers possessing our bodies and wreaking havoc outside our control. With so many examples to choose from, and so many classics in the history of movies, we’ve still managed to narrow it down to 8 great examples and have hand-picked our best possessions in Horror for you to enjoy. Dive into the list below and let us know what YOUR favourite is on our Instagram!

• DON’T DELIVER US FROM EVIL
• POSSESSION
• THE WAILING
• THE EVIL DEAD
• EXCORCIST III
• REC
• THE POSSESSION

To most, cinema is a form of escapism from an increasingly complicated society. Teleporting an audience to another realm to make them laugh, cry or think about the complexities of humanity is a hard feat in 2020. While most people enjoy Hollywood blockbusters like “The Avengers”, cinema’s darker side is generally forgotten or given a shallow reputation. Film is a multi-faceted creature, full of strange and deep crevices filled with things you probably never imagined could even be possible, and it’s in this spirit we explore the most disturbing movies of all time.

Horror films are easily the foremost escapist genre in art history. Tackling themes and characters that most humans would try and constantly avoid or don’t even imagine to be real. The most impactful and shocking films combine hyperbolic facets of real life with the impossible.

If a movie stays with you long after the initial viewing then it’s done its job. Despite critics quickly dismissing the darker side of film, there are lots of people who love a wholly different type of escape. Which generally includes: realistic scenes of violence, absurdism, torture and a general disregard for human life.

The Most Disturbing Movies on this list all come with a forewarning with potential to scar your mind for years to come and prove that a movie can still be considered artistic or poignant, even if it’s on the extreme side. If you’re curious to find out what lies beneath the surface of the conventional and one-dimensional movies we see advertised everywhere, you’re on the right list.

• MARTYRS
• KILL LIST
• BEGOTTEN
• SEUL CONTRE TOUS
• UN CHIEN ANDALOU
• TIDELAND
• MEN BEHIND THE SUN
• THREADS

THE MOST DISTURBING MOVIES: #5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=054OIVlmjUM

Note: This Article Has Been Updated From Its Original Format (April 2020)

From director Albert Shin, ‘Disappearance at Clifton Hill‘ is equally calculated and confident, with a certain cold charm in its execution, burning ever so slowly, drawing you in, until a hallucinatory conclusion changes everything. With fantastic performances from the leads, an impenetrable Tuppence Middleton as Abby and an implacably odd David Cronenberg as a local conspiracy nut that’s half Evil Kinevil and half Art Bell, the strangely specific personalities of small town Ontario add a layer of almost “David Lynch lite” to everything, an off-putting anxiousness to every interaction Abby has in her investigation. Canadians, being ever so polite, don’t seem to appreciate appreciate an outsider asking questions. At first relishing the familiar mystery tropes of retro-diner document drops, staticky VHS tapes and her very own ‘yarn wall’, Abby’s initial glee in stirring up trouble quickly turns to fear when things turn very real, very quickly as she steps on the toes of the local land development baron, a pair of tiger owning French magicians, and her own estranged family.

‘Disappearance at Clifton Hill‘ is propelled not only by it’s perfectly cast characters (especially the mysterious Podcaster played by Cronenberg and unforgettable supporting roles Marie-Josée Croze as a chain smoking Quebecois magician and Elizabeth Saunders as a tiger taming, white trash gambler) and well paced screenplay co-written by Shin and James Schultz but also by a discordant, hypnotic score by Alex Sowinski and Leland Whitty of Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD and naturalistic but suitably ‘Modern Noir’ cinematography from Catherine Lutes that pairs the lurid red lights from facade of Niagara Falls presented to tourists with the drab, damp reality of a seasonal small town that time is passing by.

Like any good crime story, ‘Disappearance At Clifton Hill‘ lets out a little of its mystery at a time, almost totally bereft of any ‘action’ in the traditional sense, and with an unreliable narrator to boot, until the tension is nearly unbearable. And it’s in this quiet, more believably sinister telling of its tale that the film displays it’s unique, and uniquely Canadian take on the classic potboiler, leaving its audience to ask as many questions as the story answers.

‘Disappearance At Clifton Hill‘ is out now on Amazon Prime VOD. Watch the trailer below for a taste.

As a formerly British colony, Hong Kong’s Category III Horror movies enjoyed the artistic freedoms of the west, the monied influence of European art house auteurs and the captive, ravenous audiences for grindhouse fare that only Asia can produce. Combined, these unique factors led to some of the most outrageous, inventive and downright disgusting exploitation films of the last century like the infamous soft core Horror ‘Erotic Ghost Story‘ or the 1996 champion of poor taste, ‘Ebola Syndrome‘.

While China never officially cracked down on expression in the Hong Kong colony, the golden age of Category III Horror is seen to have lasted between 1988 and 1997 before cautious filmmakers had fled, retired or hung up their gross-out gloves to avoid a boxing match with Chinese censors. If you’ve never experienced the world of Hong Kong’s Category III films then buckle up, we’ve picked 5 killer Category III Horror Movies from Hong Kong to get you started.

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

One of the granddaddies of all Category III Horror cult hits, “Riki Oh: The Story Of Ricky” follows our “Hero”, Ricky, incarcerated for assault and manslaughter in a futuristic prison who survives by resorting to more extreme violence against whomever gets in his way. Considered to be one of, if not the most violent movies of all time, The Story of Ricky is non stop slaughterthon without any consideration of continuity, believability or good taste. The only time you can catch your breath from laughing is to pick your jaw up from the floor. Highly recommended.

Watch ‘Riki-Oh: The Story Of Ricky” on VOD

Also, any movie that gives us this classic GIF must be seen.

Dr. Lamb (1992)

Another well known Category III Horror film, “Dr. Lamb” (1992) follows an abnormal taxi driver who lusts for blood every time it rains, leading to several young women being horrifically killed as a grizzled detective hunts him down. Based on a real case from Hong Kong, this police procedural jumps between almost slapstick comedy and downright brutal violence in a way that only this genre can. Incredibly hard to find in an uncut version, this one is begging for a Vinegar Syndrome or Arrow re-release!

The Blue Jean Monster (1991)

A cop comes back from the dead to avenge his own murder all while his body is decomposing and his marriage is on the rocks.  One part Robocop, one part Dead Heat, all weird, ‘The Blue Jean Monster‘ is a classic slice of 1990s Hong Kong Horror Movie madness, and has been long been a favourite of Category III Horror film fans. Having earned itself quite a reputation over the years as a truly bizarre bad taste mixture of police thriller, gory horror, slapstick comedy and domestic drama, this is an awesome intro to the surreal world of 90s Hong Kong cinema. Another very hard to find film, there was an excellent ‘Legendary Edition’ DVD of ‘The Blue Jeans Monster’ released a decade back, but it’s sadly out of print.

The Untold Story: Human Meat Roast Pork Buns (1993)

One of Hong Kong’s most notorious Category III Horror films ever made, The Untold Story: Human Meat Roast Pork Buns (what a title!) features everything that makes extreme HK cinema so unique: brutality, seriously dark comedy and insane energy that spills off the screen in every scenery chewing performance. Reportedly a true story, the film follows a down on his luck gambler who’s secret recipe for Pork Buns has bodies washing up in Kowloon bay and the police at his door. Sweeping the Hong Kong film awards on release, this one’s considered to be not only the best Category III Horror film, but one of the best Hong Kong made films of all time.

Watch ‘The Untold Story’ on Streaming / VOD

Men Behind The Sun (1988)

From the depths of Kong Kong’s Category III Horror film history comes Men Behind The Sun (Hei Tai Yang 731), a “holy shit this actually happened” account of one of history’s most brutal and sadistic war crimes, the story of Unit 731, brought to the screen in 1988 by director T.F. Mous. Covered in our ‘most disturbing films of all time‘ list, this one lives up to its reputation as one of the most violent, stomach churning and realistic depictions of WW2’s brutality and also on of Hong Kong’s most epic, over the top gore-fests ever put to film.

Watch ‘Men Behind The Sun’ on Streaming now.

28 Days Later (2002)

One of the heaviest hitters of any Horror film, ’28 Days Later’ is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror movie directed by Danny Boyle. Depicting the breakdown of society following the release of a highly contagious virus, it focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the destruction of the life they once knew and became a massive hit, credited with reinvigorating the zombie genre of horror fiction.

Watch ’28 Days Later’ On Streaming/ VOD

Deranged (2012)

‘Deranged‘ is an inventive 2012 South Korean science fiction / horror mystery film directed by Park Jung-woo. Former doctor Jae-hyuk tries to find a cure after his wife and children come down with a mysterious infection that causes people to spontaneously drown themselves. As the bodies pile up and chaos reigns, a conspiracy surrounding the cure marries the medical thriller and horror genres together for a supremely satisfying watch.

Watch ‘Deranged’ On VOD

The Crazies (2010)

The Crazies is a 2010 remake of the 1973 Horror film of the same name by George A. Romero, who also produced. The surprisingly good reboot lands in the fictional town of Ogden Marsh …the “friendliest place on Earth”…..whose town water supply is accidentally infected with the “Trixie” virus. After an incubation period of 48 hours, this virus gradually transforms the mental state of the infected into that of cold, calculating, depraved, bloodthirsty killers …and all hell gloriously breaks loose.

Watch ‘The Crazies’ on Streaming/VOD

REC (2007)

REC is a 2007 Spanish horror movie, co-written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, and the first in a 4 part series. One of the few great “found footage” flicks, REC sees TV host Angela and her cinematographer following fire services on a call to an apartment building for a normally mundane newscast. But once Spanish police seal off the building after an old woman is infected by a virus which gives her inhuman strength, things really get gruesome.

Watch ‘REC’ on VOD

Pontypool (2008)

Ultra low-budget 2008 Canadian horror movie ‘Pontypool’ is a strange one. Directed by Bruce McDonald (Hard Core Logo) and adapted from Tony Burgess’ novel Pontypool Changes Everything, it stars ‘Come to Daddy”s Stephen McHattie as Grant Mazzy, a DJ who barricades himself in the booth of a local radio station and tries to figure out a way to warn his now bloodthirsty listeners about a new deadly virus and its unlikely mode of transmission: the English language.

Watch ‘Pontypool’ on Streaming / VOD

Infection (2004)

A rare 2004 Japanese horror movie, ‘Infection‘ (Kansen) is directed by ‘Tales of the Unusual”s Masayuki Ochiai, where in a run-down hospital a doctor’s mistake unwittingly creates dark consequences for all. After being ignored for far too long, a patient with an unknown disease is being kept in isolation and though he is still alive, his body mass is liquefying into green goo. As the staff battle the secretive head surgeon to find the cause, things spiral into surreal madness and it’s everyone for themselves as the infection spreads.

Buy ‘Infection (Kansen)’ on DVD

The Omega Man (1971)

The Omega Man is possibly the funniest, funkiest Zombie / Horror movie ever and an absolutely awesome watch. Charlton Heston plays a doctor / scientist / soldier / baddest motherfucker left alive after a bio-engineered plague wipes out the world and must defend his home from a cult of murderous survivors known only as “the family”. One of the 70’s most classic b-movies and by far the best ‘I Am Legend’ adaptation of the three, it’s got it all: Guns, Gore, the awesome outfits of Rosalind Cash, Heston in a nazi costume (?!), some sweet 70s boobs and great cinematography of an abandoned Hollywood.

Watch ‘The Omega Man’ on VOD

Ebola Syndrome (1996)

The goofy, gruesome and totally over the top  ‘Ebola Syndrome’ is a bloody Category III sleazefest from Hong Kong director Herman Yau and has earned its considerable reputation among gorehounds and Asian horror cultists as among the most cringe-inducing films of its kind. A serial rapist and killer contracts Ebola on the run in Africa and after some mild cannibalism and necrophilia returns to Hong Kong to spread terror on a virus fuels killing spree in this anything but feel good feature packed with off-colour racism, needless brutality and bizarre acting.

Watch ‘Ebola Syndrome’ on YouTube

1.) Unfriended (2014)

Unfriended kicks off the “inside-the-computer” style of techno-horror when it unfolds over a teenager’s laptop screen (including Skype, YouTube, LiveLeak and other actual websites), where she and her friends are gruesomely dispatched in the group chat by an unknown entity who’s out for vengeance. Endlessly re-watchable exploitation film fun, Unfriended is hardly high-brow but delivers equal parts gore and guffaws as it’s Swiss-cheese plot careens from screen to screen.

2.) Evilspeak (1981)

in ‘Evilspeak‘ Iconic weirdo Clint Howard plays a tormented military-school nerd (apparently in his mid-thirties!) whose fascination with the occult leads him to feed an arcane tome into his personal computer, translating the writings into actual working spells he uses to exact sweet revenge against his cruel classmates and teachers. Before long, he is able to summon an army of snarling devil-pigs to do his evil bidding and everything goes to hell, literally. An incredibly early techno-horror flick, this one is essentially a gender-bent rip-off of Carrie, but the goofy 80s graphics, hair-metal motifs and a genuinely hilarious turn by Clint Horward make Evilspeak one of the better old-school killer computer movies.

3.) Brainscan (1994)

A pre-rehab Edward Furlong helms this amazingly 90s take on techno-horror where the evil half-goblin half-chicken (?) ‘Trickster’ emerges from the totally radical CD-ROM game ‘Brainscan‘ and forces players to commit mayhem and murder in the real world. Half ‘Lawnmower Man’ half ‘Nightmare on Elm Street” Brainscan holds a special place in our guilty pleasures, as the wildly dated graphics, music and ideas of what constitutes stalking make it a time capsule of grunge goodness.

4.) Demon Seed (1977)

In 70’s techno-horror classic ‘Demon Seed‘ a brilliant scientist’s marriage is strained by his devotion to his latest projection, the creation of an AI supercomputer (has this even been a good idea?). When this tension drives the scientist to move out, the computer, naturally, goes totally fucking nuts. It takes over the house, imprisoning and impregnating the scientist’s wife with a giant polygonal robot tentacle…penis, growing a monstrous mutant baby in the basement before it tries to take over the world. When it comes to ‘Demon Seed’, weird is an understatement.

5.) Pulse (Kairo) (2001)

A sinister spine-tingling techno-horror from Japan whose artistry lies in the power of suggestion rather than a barrage of blood and guts or digital special effects, 2001’s Pulse (Kairo) slipped under the radar in North America during it’s release before an unfortunate American remake buried the superior original in the wake of bigger hits like ‘The Ring’ and ‘The Grudge’. In the film, a website which at first appears to be merely a scary hoax with an irresistible marketing ploy, turns out to be run by a sinister and deadly force. As people repeatedly tap into the site’s frightening images of the dead, the supernatural force begins destroying their lives.

6.) Chopping Mall (1987)

One of our all time 80’s B-movie favourites, ‘Chopping Mall‘ sees group of teenagers (including the incomparable Barbara Crampton!) fighting for their lives overnight against renegade robots programmed to patrol a high-end shopping mall. Completely bonkers, ‘Chopping Mall’ puts everything great (and no so great) about the 80s in one high-energy, logic-free techno-horror blender for a side-splitting midnight movie.

7.) Ghost In The Machine (1993)

in 1993’s ‘Ghost In The Machine’, computer nerd / serial killer Karl is undergoing a CAT scan at the hospital when a surge of lightning courses through the building and Karl’s soul is transformed into electrical energy, freeing him to continue his killing spree by using the power of electricity itself. In this techno-horror rip-off of ‘Lawnmower Man’, Karl offs his victims in increasingly hilarious and unexplainable ways including a flame-throwing hair dryer and an unforgettable ‘final-destination’ style microwave murder all while deliciously dated “VR” graphics swirl across the screen.

8.) Virus (1999)

John Bruno, special effects supervisor on Terminator 2 tried to reinvent the haunted house sub-genre with a techno-horror twist in his directorial debut with 1999’s ‘VIRUS‘, much as Ridley Scott did in Alien, but sadly missed the mark. However ‘VIRUS’ still holds it’s own for sheer gross-out, practical effect insanity, as Jaime Lee Curtis, Donald Sutherland and a Baldwin battle mutant robot-human hybrids infected with an alien computer virus on-board a sinking ship. It’s a lot to digest but well worth a weekend watch when you want to see gears, guts and gore galore.