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International finance, production and sales company Est N8 has been in talks with buyers at AFM on Indonesian horror thriller The Hole after acquiring international rights.

Hanung Bramantyo directed the story co-written with Haqi Achmad. The story blends noir with supernatural horror and is said to be in the vein of Seven, The Wailing, and Ringu.

Set in rural Indonesia, The Hole follows a police officer’s journey into darkness as he investigates a series of brutal murders targeting village officials. As he delves deeper, he uncovers sinister secrets about the victims that put him and his loved ones at risk.

Halloween’s just around the corner, and you’re trying to figure out the perfect horror show to watch during the spooky season but just can’t seem to find the right fit. Well, do not fret, my friend, because in this list I will try to cover your specific criteria because not everyone likes gore, ghosts, or slow-burn mystery thrillers, and that’s totally alright. Horror is a massive mezze platter that can leave you overwhelmed, so let me help you decide which dish you want to devour. Many believe Korean dramas are only reserved for romance lovers because that’s the stereotypical Korean drama that’s been popularized over the years. But the Korean entertainment industry, just as any other industry, consists of many genres, melodrama being their favorite, comedy, romance, mystery thrillers, and yes, of course, horror. While always bringing their A-game in the genre with films...

Nine years after making “Thithi,” one of my favorite Indian films of the 2010s, Raam Reddy is back with “The Fable,” set in a place that couldn’t be further away from the setup of his first film. Nestled deep in the Himalayas, formally set in 1989, “The Fable” retains the timeless nature in its setup, which is typical of the fables. It is shot in film, which only helps to further the cause. The magnificent opening scene sets the tone of the magic realism which is set to follow. Using fireflies as a constant motif, which in many cultures has a supernatural significance, only heightens the sense of magic realism.

But beyond the surface of magic realism, “The Fable” very meticulously examines the underlying tension between different classes in the village. Dev’s (Manoj Bajpayee) family are the owners of the apple estate, handed to them by the colonial rulers of the country.

This Halloween season, Rakuten Viki has decided to give its viewers a special treat – a collection full of the platform’s scariest and suspenseful titles.“Spooki Viki” is the platform’s premier horror collection featuring nail-biting titles from the popular horror favorite Exhuma (2024) to zombie-filled title Train to Busan (2016). Other popular titles on the playlist …

The post Get Ready for Spine-Tingling Scares with Rakuten Viki’s Horror Collection – “Train to Busan,” “The Wailing,” “Night Has Come,” and More! appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

The Valladolid International Film Festival, Seminci, will take place for the 69th time this fall, running Oct. 18-26.

To prepare, we’ve scanned the festival’s catalog for ten standout titles that attendees won’t want to miss at this year’s event. Below, we explain why each is a must-see proposition at this year’s Semicni.

“They Will Be Dust,” Carlos Marques-Marcet (Spain)

Opening this year’s festival is Carlos Marques-Marcet’s Toronto Platform winner, “They Will Be Dust.” In this tragicomic musical, a woman diagnosed with a terminal illness decides to go to Switzerland to end her life, accompanied by her partner of 40 years, Flavio. Seminci organizers praise the film as “an unexpected celebration of life itself and of the unconditional love of those who accompany us along the way.”

“Vermiglio,” Maura Delpero

Italy’s submission to the upcoming International Feature Oscar race, Maura Delpero’s intimate epic “Vermiglio,...

The Valladolid International Film Festival celebrates its 69th edition from Nov. 18, and according to fest director José Luis Cienfuegos, it’s one of the most modern and international editions the festival, known locally as Seminci, has ever hosted.

Nestled snuggly into an autumn lull after the breakneck run from Venice through Toronto and into San Sebastian, Seminci has long stood out as a bastion for independent cinema in Spain, while San Sebastian has often catered to more big-name, big-budget fare, especially in recent years.

Set in the capital city of the Spanish region Castilla-Leon, Valladolid’s 69th edition is the second under director Cienfuegos, who boasts an illustrious nearly 30-year career as a festival director at the Seville European Film Festival (2012-2023) and Gijon Intl. Film Festival (1995-2011).

“Valladolid is a city absolutely dedicated to the festival that demands and needs to open the doors to a new generation of filmmakers,...

As Spanish TV production stands strong, largely resisting the cut-back in commissions suffered in most of the world, few higher profile new series will be brought to market at Mipcom than Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The New Years” (“Los años nuevos”).

A Movistar Plus+ Original, produced with Caballo Films, the fast-rising Sorogoyen co-founded Madrid production label, in association with Arte France, “The New Years” follows on Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” which established him as one of Europe’s youngest top-tier filmmakers.

Few other directors will have won a Best Foreign Film César, as “The Beasts” did in 2023, beating four Cannes Festival 2022-23 competition winners: “Triangle of Sadness,” “Eo,” “Close” and “Boy from Heaven.” Not that many will have grossed $2.5 million in France with a Spanish-language film as well as an extraordinary €6.8 million ($7.5 million) in Spain, despite its artistic ambition.

Sold outside Spain and France by Movistar Plus+ International, “The New Years...

Alicia Vikander opened up about her family life at the Zurich Film Festival, where she received the Golden Eye Award.

“Sometimes, [preparing for a role] is boring and tedious. My three-year-old is wondering what’s going on, because I’m locking the doors and talking to myself,” she laughed.

“When I am done, I get very tired. Acting is physically and emotionally draining. I have two young children now, I was pregnant when making that film and that’s where most of my time goes when I am not working,” said the Swedish actor, fresh off dystopian sci-fi “The Assessment.”

Vikander’s growing multilingual family – the actor is married to Michael Fassbender – aroused festival audience’s curiosity.

“My six-month-old doesn’t speak much, but my three-year-old speaks Portuguese, English and Swedish. Recently, he was hanging out with some kids and now there’s also a bit of Spanish. He’s giving me language courses now!

Scheduled for release in 2025, “Death of a Comedian” (“La Muerte de un Comediante”), renowned Argentine actor Diego Peretti’s first feature film as director, has been acquired for world sales by FilmSharks.

Breaking out in TV series “The Pretenders” (2001-04), directed by Damián Szifrón, Peretti won most immediate notice for comedy, such as “It’s Not You, But Me,” though he can be highly effective in drama or Lucía Puenzo’s “The German Doctor” or humour-laced thrillers like “The Heist of the Century.”

Peretti has directed alongside Javier Beltramino, a respected figure on Argentina’s animation scene (“Rice and Matchsticks”) and a former Telefonica Studios production manager.

Now in post-production, the film stars Peretti as Juan Debré, an actor who has played the hero of a TV series for his entire career, oblivious to his true self. Diagnosed with a terminal illness, he flees to Belgium, the land of his...

Albert Serra with his Golden Shell for Afternoons Of Solitude Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival/Alex Abril Albert Serra's bullfighting documentary Afternoons Of Solitude won the Golden Shell as San Sebastian Film Festival's 72nd edition drew to a close last night.

The film considers the life of matador Andrés Roca Rey and Serra received the award from last year’s Golden Shell winner, Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda. The jury also included directors Ulrich Seidl, Christos Nikou and Fran Kranz, producer Carole Scotta and journalist Leila Guerriero.

The Silver Shell directing honours were shared ex-aequo by Edinburgh-based Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira for On Falling, a carefully crafted character study of a Portuguese migrant working as a warehouse picker and Spaniard Pedro Martín Calero, also making his debut, with ambitious female-centric horror film The Wailing.

Laura Carreira receives her Silver Shell from Carole Scotta for On Falling Photo: Courtesy of...

Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl took home the Special Jury Prize at the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival, held in Spain’s Basque Country from Sept. 20 through 28.

“For the high quality of its acting, packed with truth and nuances, which with great subtlety and restraint, brings us closer to the feelings of a group of people who must confront a disappearing profession, a world that is coming to an end,” the jury’s verdict read, per the fete’s press release.

About a veteran Las Vegas showgirl who must switch up her life’s routine following the unexpected closure of her three-decade-long show, the drama features a star-studded cast in Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista and Jamie Lee Curtis. As Deadline exclusively reported yesterday, The Last Showgirl was just acquired by Roadside Attractions for its North American release.

The Golden Shell for Best Film was...

Spanish director Albert Serra’s bullfighting documentary Afternoons Of Solitude has won the Golden Shell for best film at the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Spanish festival tonight (Saturday September 28).

The special jury prize was awarded to Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl which stars Pamela Anderson as a Vegas showgirl facing the end of her career.

’Afternoons Of Solitude’ review

The official competition jury, presided over by Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda – who was last year’s Golden Shell winner for The Rye Horn, also awarded top prizes to new filmmakers. The Silver Shell for best director...

The 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival’s Golden Shell for best film has gone to Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude, a documentary on bullfighting, edging out strong competition from narrative features by Joshua Oppenheimer, Edward Berger and Mike Leigh.

The Spanish director’s film focuses on Peruvian-Spanish bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey. While noting that the doc’s graphic cruelty makes it a harrowing watch, The Hollywood Reporter‘s chief film critic David Rooney in his review called it “transfixing … a unique study of discipline, bravado, laser-focus and showmanship.” It beat out Leigh’s Hard Truths and Berger’s Conclave, as well as Oppenheimer’s dystopian musical The End.

Elsewhere, Pamela Anderson and the cast of Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl took home the Special Jury Prize for best ensemble cast. THR‘s review of the film said: “Even if The Last Showgirl feels slender overall, more consistently attentive...

Sometimes, in a closely contested festival competition, it pays to be the one thing that isn’t like the others. A starkly powerful, observational study of contemporary bullfighting, Spanish auteur Albert Serra’s “Afternoons of Solitude” was the only documentary in the main competition at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival — and this evening won the Golden Shell for best film of the festival, beating some big-name narrative competition.

The award was presented by last year’s Golden Shell winner, Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda, heading a jury that also included directors Ulrich Seidl, Christos Nikou and Fran Kranz, producer Carole Scotta and Argentine journalist Leila Guerriero.

Centred on star Peruvian matador Andrés Rey Roca, “Afternoons of Solitude” is candid in its depiction of the violence of the sport, and has already proven controversial on home turf, with Spain’s animal-rights party Pacma calling for the film to be withdrawn from the festival.

San Sebastian — With its awards ceremony Saturday night, the San Sebastian Festival’s 72nd edition is heading into its final straits. Following, 10 takeaways from what looks like its biggest edition ever in star wattage, the caliber of Spanish filmmaking and the number of deals reported by Variety, set in the context of vertiginous change in international independent film and TV landscape.

San Sebastian 2024: The Stars Align

Johnny Depp visited kids in a San Sebastian hospital dressed as Jack Sparrow; Javier Bardem teared up remembering his mother, the exemplary Pilar Bardem; Pedro Almodóvar remembered back 44 years to his first San Sebastian, performing at disco Ku and ending up on the beach at 8 in the morning. Cate Blanchett, accepting her Donostia Award, praised the “uncertainty which drives me.”

Never before have so many stars descended on San Sebastian. Why? “I think two factors are at play,” San Sebastian Film Festival director José Luis Rebordinos told Variety.

Spain has a long and fruitful tradition of producing horror films that elevate the genre and become enduring classics domestically and abroad – think Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza’s “[Rec],” J.A. Bayona’s “El Orphanage” or Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar nominee “Pan’s Labyrinth.” This year’s San Sebastian Film Festival is debuting a new candidate to join that prestigious list of modern classics, Pedro Martín-Calero’s “The Wailing.”

In the film, three young women separated by decades and thousands of miles are terrorized by the same ethereal threat that nobody, not even they, can properly see. The entity manifests more like a trick of lighting than anything corporeal. In each case, when the women attempt to confront the presence, they hear the same horrific wailing.

During a mid-morning press conference ahead of the film’s Wednesday night world premiere in San Sebastian main competition, debut feature director Martín-Calero and his co-writer Isabel Peña,...

San Sebastian — Is this the San Sebastián Catalan Film Festival? Always boasting a sterling presence at San Sebastián, Catalonia has a massive 27 titles this year, counting five projects in doc forum Lau Haizetara and including four of the five Spanish movies in main Competition and 10 in Made in Spain. Following a break-down of major section titles:

Main Competition

“Afternoons of Solitude,” (Andergraun Films, Ideale Audience, Lacima Producciones)

Albert Serra’s not at all obvious follow-up to Cannes competition player “Pacifiction,” a portrait of star bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey at work. The results remain to be seen. Serra has shot the disc feature “with respect and innocence, without prejudice nor provocation,” he tells Spain’s ABC Cultural.

“Glimmers,” (Inicia Films, Mod Producciones, Misent Producciones)

The latest from Pilar Palomero. A top-notch Spanish cast led by Patricia López Arnaíz and Antonio de la Torre drive the tale of a woman asked by...

In terms of stars — Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson — and auteur power — Pedro Almodóvar, Sean Baker, Costa Gavras, Edward Berger, Mike Leigh, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Joshua Oppenheimer, François Ozon, Lupita Nyong’o, Mohammad Rasoulof, Walter Salles, Maite Alberdi — this year’s San Sebastián Festival promises one of its biggest editions ever.

Yet it’s the Spanish festival’s wealth of new talent and rising names in its industry competitions sets it apart. Here are 10 things to expect from the fest, which runs Sept. 20-28 at the stunning Basque seaside resort:

Blanchett, Almodóvar, Bardem, Depp, Swinton, Anderson

Blanchett, Almodóvar and Bardem will collect career achievement Donostia Awards, with Blanchett talking up Guy Maddin’s Cannes hit “Rumours,” set for U.S. theatrical release via Bleecker Street on Oct. 18; Almodóvar and Swinton will present Venice success “The Room Next Door.” Depp will unveil “Modi,” his second film as a...

For more than 70 years the San Sebastian International Film Festival has been considered the premiere hub for connecting Europe’s film industry to Latin American cinema and filmmaking talent. The festival has long supported the early works of famed Latin American filmmakers ranging from Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles to Argentina’s Daniel Burman whose respective early works Foreign Land and A Chrysanthemum Bursts in Cincoesquinas both screened at the festival.

In more recent years, Spain’s most prominent festival has made strides in strengthening the special relationship between Europe and Latin America through the creation of sections such as Works in Progress Latam (established in 2002) and its Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum (established in 2012). It was in the former that esteemed Chilean director Sebastián Lelio was given the Wip Latam Award in 2012 for his project Gloria.

“We have a very special relationship with the Latin American market,” says San Sebastian festival director José Luis Rebordinos.

The Criterion Channel’s at its best when October rolls around, consistently engaging in the strongest horror line-ups of any streamer. 2024 will bring more than a few iterations of their spooky programming: “Horror F/X” highlights the best effects-based scares through the likes of Romero, Cronenberg, Lynch, Tobe Hooper, James Whale; “Witches” does what it says on the tin (and inside the tin is the underrated Italian anthology film featuring Clint Eastwood cuckolded by Batman); “Japanese Horror” runs the gamut of classics; a Stephen King series puts John Carpenter and The Lawnmower Man on equal playing ground; October’s Criterion Editions are Rosemary’s Baby, Night of the Hunter, Häxan; a made-for-tv duo includes Carpenter’s underrated Someone’s Watching Me!; meanwhile, The Wailing and The Babadook stream alongside a collection of Cronenberg and Stephanie Rothman titles.

Otherwise, Winona Ryder and Raúl Juliá are given retrospectives, as are filmmakers Arthur J. Bressan Jr. and Lionel Rogosin.

Am 19. September startet in Wien das 15. Slash Filmfestival, das sich selbst als „fantastischstes Filmfestival des fantastischen Films“ bezeichnet. Der Wettbewerbspreis „Die goldene Urne“ wird von einem Bestattungsunternehmen gesponsert.

Im Filmcasino, Metro Kinokultur und Gartenbaukino kommen die Cineasten in Wien ab 19. September wieder in den Genuss, sich eine superbe Auswahl an neuen Genrefilmen anzugucken beim mittlerweile 15. Slash Filmfestival. Präsentiert werden Favoriten und Neuentdeckungen aus aller Welt, darunter drei Europapremieren, zwei internationale Premieren und zwei Weltpremieren. Ins Rennen um die mit 1000 Euro dotierte „Goldene Urne“ (gestiftet von Bestattung Himmelblau) gehen zehn Filme von vorwiegend jungen Filmschaffenden. 2024 gehören dazu: „Dead Mail“ von Joe DeBoer und Kyle McConaghy, „Else“ von Thibault Emin, „Fréwaka“ von Aislinn Clarke, „Infinite Summer“ von Miguel Llansó, „It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This“ von Rachel Kempf und Nick Toti, die Revenge-Groteske „Steppenwolf“ von Adilkhan Yerzhanov, „Strange Darling“ von Jt Mollner, „Timestalker“ von Alice Lowe, „The Wailing“ von Pedro Martín-Calero...

Marking its 4th year, Actors’ House is a special event that offers an in-depth look into the works of actors who represent the contemporary film industry, sharing their candid stories. This year’s event draws attention with prominent figures’ participation, including Sul Kyung-gu, Park Boyoung, Hwang Jung-min, and Chun Woo-hee.

First, actor Sul Kyung-gu, known for his limitless transformations through various roles, will be featured at the Actors’ House. Continuously expanding his spectrum by navigating different themes, genres, and characters, Sul Kyung-gu has consistently garnered praise from audiences for his solid acting skills. Most recently, he crafted a new iconic character in the 2024 Netflix series The Whirlwind (2024). At the Actors’ House, Sul Kyung-gu is set to showcase his true essence as an actor.

Actor Park Boyoung will also meet with the audience in Busan. After skyrocketing to fame as a rising star in Chungmuro with the success of the film...

Having screened in Cannes and Toronto, among a number of other festivals around the world, and netting a number of awards in Korea especially, Jason Yu’s feature debut “Sleep” is a rather smart horror film that was inspired by real cases of sleepwalking disorder patients.

Magnet Releasing will release Sleep in theaters and on digital September 27th, 2024

Soo-jin and Hyun-ju are a happily married couple. Hyun-ju is an actor waiting for his big break while his wife, who is always as supportive as she can be, is quite eager as she is expecting their first born. One day, however, as Hyun-ju wakes up, utters “Someone’s inside”, and it is this phrase that kicks off a series of terrific events. It seems that he is suffering from some intense sleeping disorder, which has him initially scratching his face erratically one night, eating raw meat and eggs out of the fridge the next one,...

This year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival will feature the most eye-catching list of international superstars it has ever hosted, including A-list actors such as Cate Blanchett and Javier Bardem – who will both receive Donostia career achievement awards, Andrew Garfield, Pamela Anderson, Tilda Swinton and Lupita Nyong’o and filmmakers like local legend Pedro Almodovar – another Donostia award recipient, Adam Elliot, Gia Coppola, Mike Leigh and Walter Salles.

Other international actors who have confirmed they will attend this year’s festival include Monica Bellucci, Jamie Campbell Bower, Johnny Depp, Isabelle Huppert, Noémie Merlant, Ángela Molina, Franco Nero, Charlotte Rampling and Will Sharpe, among others.

Normally, many directors attend San Sebastian with their latest films, but the number of titles from consecrated directors at this year’s festival has increased noticeably. Filmmakers bringing their latest to this year’s festival include Jacques Audiard, Sean Baker, Edward Berger, Leos Carax, Costa-Gavras, Audrey Diwan,...

Edward Berger, Mike Leigh and Joshua Oppenheimer titles have joined the competition line-up at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Berger heads to San Sebastian with Toronto premiere Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, about a cardinal who is tasked following the Pope’s sudden death with supervising the conclave from which his successor will be chosen.

Mike Leigh is appearing in official selection for the first time, with UK-Spain co-production Hard Truths, another Toronto world premiere, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin. Leigh portrays the everyday life of a London family, addressing such issues as family relations, mourning and mental health.

The San Sebastián Film Festival has revealed a bumper Official Selection for its latest edition, which will unfold from September 20 — 28.

The festival, which is celebrating its 72nd edition, will screen new films from established filmmakers such as Edward Berger, Gia Coppola, Costa-Gavras, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, Diego Lerman, Joshua Oppenheimer, and François Ozon alongside works from new filmmakers including Laura Carreira and Xin Huo.

Coppola’s The Last Showgirl heads to San Sebastián following a debut in Toronto. The film stars Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista. The film’s plot follows a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show closes after a 30-year run. Also heading to Spain from The Six is Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin. The British-Spanish production is said to portray the everyday life of a London family, addressing such issues as family relations,...

It’s safe to rank South Korean horror fans high atop the list of genre supporters the world over, mainly as the past several decades have produced blockbusters the likes of 2010’s “I Saw the Devil,” 2016’s “The Wailing” and even the work of Bong Joon-ho, Oscar-winning director of “Parasite,” with the widely acclaimed 2006 entry “The Host.” With Korean spirituality long held in high regard and scripture overflowing with stories of forces at work beyond the boundaries of humankind, writer/director Jang Jae-hyun has now brought “Exhuma” to the table, a film taking the kitchen sink approach when it comes to 134 minutes of content and a cast more than willing to try and sift through the murk to help it make sense.

Continue reading ‘Exhuma’ Review: A Fantastic Cast Elevates A Heavy South Korean Supernatural Horror Outing at The Playlist.

Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival has unveiled a 10-title lineup of its New Directors competition, the festival’s biggest sidebar, which takes in “Turn Me On,” the new feature from Michael Tyburski, helmer of Sundance hit “The Sound of Silence.”

Starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson and sold by Film Constellation, “Turn Me On,” a sci-fi romantic comedy, joins buzz titles in the section, such as “In the Name of Blood,” a Nice-set Georgian mafia movie from Georgia’s Akaki Popkhadze, prized at Clermont Ferrand for his latest short, and “Gulizar,” the first feature from Turkish moviemaker Belkis Bayrak, about a young victim of sexual assault in the run-up to her wedding.

Also selected for New Directors are “Winter in Sokcho,” from French-Japanese director Koya Kamura, starring Roschdy Zem and Bella Kim, and “Regretfully at Dawn,” a drama set in a province near Bangkok directed by Thai helmer Sivaroj Kongsakul.

Projects from Albert Serra and Iciar Bollain are among the 12 Spanish features selected for the 2024 San Sebastian International Film Festival (Ssiff), taking place from September 20-28.

Serra will compete for the first time in San Sebastian’s official section with bullfighting documentary Tardes De Soledad. His previous films include Locarno winner The Story Of My Death and 2022 Cannes premiere Pacifiction.

Competing in the main section for the fifth time is Iciar Bollain with I’m Nevenka, about a town councillor who reports abuse by the major. Mireia Oriol and Urko Olazabal star.

Also selected are Pedro Martín-Calero’s directorial debut The Wailing,...

Danis Tanović’s ‘My Late Summer’ To Open Sarajevo

Bosnian director Danis Tanović’s My Late Summer will open the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival this August. The film is billed as a comedy-drama about a young woman Maja who comes to a remote island to solve an issue of family inheritance. In a whirlwind of new emotions and through a series of unpredictable situations, she will finally face questions from her past. The search for inheritance becomes a search for her own identity, but also for forgiveness. Tanovic is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina most acclaimed directors. He broke out internationally with his Bosnia War inspired No Man’s Land which clinched the Oscar and Golden Globe for best foreign language film in 2002. He has also won the Berlinale’s Silver Bear for An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (2013) and Death in Sarajevo (2016). My Late Summer is produced...

The San Sebastian Film Festival, the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world, has unveiled a packed lineup of Spanish titles that is strong on women auteurs, led by Iciar Bollaín, Pilar Palomero, Paula Ortiz and Alauda Ruiz de Azua, who are now stepping up in scale or industry backing as big SVOD players – Movistar Plus+, Prime Video – move into the production of Spanish movies aimed at theatrical release or back their original series.

Vying in main competition, Bollaín’s “I Am Nevenka” looks like the first film to see the light of day from six auteur event movies co-produced by Movistar Plus+ and directed by leading cinematographic talent such as Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Alberto Fernández.

Also selected are two leading lights of a younger generation of women directors which have galvanised Spanish arthouse but are now looking for broader audiences.

Goya and San Sebastian winner Pilar Palomero competes in main competition with “Glimmers,...

10 Possession-Based Horror Films to watch if you liked Russell Crowe’s The Exorcism ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

In Exorcism, Anthony’s daughter, Lee Miller (Ryan Simpkins), suspects that her father has either gotten back to his past addictions or there’s some sinister cause behind his erratic behavior. Anthony, who was roped in for a film on exorcism, gets flashbacks of the time when he was molested.

As the movie progresses, strange things start to happen on Anthony’s film sets, with him even banging his head on a table and contorting his body. This makes Lee consult a Catholic priest. Things take a more disastrous turn when Father Conor tries to perform an exorcism on the movie sets.

If you loved watching The Exorcism and want to indulge in some more possession-based horror films, look no further. Here’s a list of all the movies that you can watch next!

Noemie Merlant’s sophomore feature “The Balconettes” plays as a raunchy horror-comedy with a greater social conscience. The film follows three roommates – an actress, played by Merlant, a camgirl played by “Dune: Part Two” breakout Souheila Yacoub and a frustrated writer played Sanda Condreanu – who are initially infatuated and eventually repelled by a lothario neighbor from across the yard. Exploring questions of coercion and consent with a healthy dose of blood and guts, “The Balconettes” wants to entertain and energize in equal measure.

Variety spoke with the filmmaker ahead of her film’s world premiere in Cannes.

How did this film come about?

Four years ago, I found myself escaping from a daily life that was suffocating. I went to live with women, with friends of mine, including Sanda Codreanu, who stars in the film. This was the first time I’d lived with other women, and the first time...

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival unveiled its official poster on May 13th. Bifan is anticipated to become an even richer festival this year, building on 27 years of experience of programming a wide variety of films and public events. It has stablished itself as Asia's premier genre film festival.

Everything Sensational! A unique genre film festival that ‘Stays Strange'

Combines AI with traditional elements! Unveiling the unconventional and renewed poster!

▲ Official poster of the 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival

With new and unconventional images and various interpretations, the new official poster adds fresh stimulation and raises the expectations of an audience eagerly awaiting the festival. While maintaining its identity expressed through the slogan “Stay Strange”, which has attracted interest and love from audiences and citizens over the years, the festival will address the hot topic of the mega trend AI and its impact on filmmaking this year.

The poster's art director,...

When done well, found footage horror makes for one of the most immersive and unnerving viewing experiences. The inherent naturalism tends to make the horror feel more plausible and real. Found footage horror doesn’t need a huge budget or recognizable names among the cast to induce chills, either, and the lo-fi visuals only further add to the scares.

This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to found footage horror movies that excel with the format, delivering unsettling atmosphere and scares while making the most of their immersive, lo-fi aesthetics. Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.

Banshee Chapter – Screambox, the Roku Channel, Tubi

Drawing inspiration from actual government hallucinogenic drug experiments and H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond, Blair Erickson’s feature debut is part found footage, part faux documentary. After her friend’s sudden disappearance, journalist Anne Roland...

Rights to “I, The Executioner,” which will premiere as a Midnight Screening at the Cannes Film Festival this year, have been picked up by South Korea’s Cj Enm.

The crime-action film directed by Ryu Seung-wan (also written Ryoo Seung-wan) is a sequel to Ryu’s 2015 hit “Veteran” and in Korea goes by the title “Veteran 2.”

Few details of the story have yet been disclosed, but Cj describes the film as “combining Ryu’s trademark action with observations and messages about social change.” Ryu last year enjoyed major box office success with crime comedy “Smugglers.”

Hwang Jung-min, who recently enjoyed box office success in “12.12: The Day,” reprises his role from “Veteran.” He is joined in the sequel by Jung Hae-in (“Tune in for Love”) as a new member of the film’s Violent Crime Investigation Squad.

“I, The Executioner” was produced by Filmmaker R & K, the production shingle owned...

Netflix has become one of the premiere streaming sites for carrying both existing and original content from across Asia. This is especially true when looking at Korean movies and original series (such as Mask Girl and Song of the Bandits), often dominating the rating charts. Continuing on our #tributetonetflix, we wanted to highlight some of the best films on the platform you can watch right now. Here are the best Korean movies currently available for streaming on Netflix.

*The following applies to the availability in the US

1. The Wailing (2016) by Na Hong-jin

“The Wailing” features many grotesque scenes. Cannibalism, violent killings, people acting like zombies, the terribly depicted skin infection, the cock killing ritual, and the amounts of blood all point towards an extreme horror film. The same applies to Hyo-jin's behavior, which is very hard to watch, particularly during the ritual scene. The sequences involving the dog and the...

Horror, long a staple and favoured genre for Asian filmmakers, has seen dwindling returns in Korea of late. Sure, there's a number of works in the genre that come out each year, but none have made quite the positive impact on the audience, critics or the box office since “The Wailing” all the way back in 2016. Director Jang Jae-hyun seems to have made it his mission to keep horror alive and kicking, debuting with “The Priests”, a well-made tale that explored Christian exorcisms, before following it up with “Svaha: The Sixth Finger”, which explored new religions and cults in the guise of horror. While both those features saw mixed reactions from the audience, Jang continues to produce scary stories with “Exhuma”, his latest work which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival before a wide release. Received with much enthusiasm from the audience, the release quickly became the highest grossing Korean film of 2024 so far.

Four weeks after its initial release, South Korean horror film “Exhuma” is still burning through the country’s box office. “Pamyo,” as it’s known in Korea (which directly translates to “exhumation for relocation or cremation”), has resonated in a major way with audiences who have shown up in droves to see the story of a shaman named Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and the wandering spirits she takes on with Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), her protégé. This week: it expands in the United States.

Just one week into its release, “Exhuma” became the highest-grossing Korean film of 2024 so far, knocking the Timothée Chalamet-starring “Wonka” off the top spot following its delayed release there. Chalamet’s other big film of the moment, “Dune: Part Two,” placed second in Korea for three successive weekends in the wake of “Exhuma” too.

That means that, nearly a month in, “Exhuma” has made $67.8 million with sales of 9.3 million tickets,...

South Korea’s current box office champion multiple weeks in a row, Exhuma, offers an unexpected and entertaining take on folk horror. While dense in lore and spiritual worldbuilding, the latest horror offering from writer/director Jae-hyun Jang (Svaha: The Sixth Finger, The Priests) balances its grim, sometimes bloody folkloric terror with levity and heart. Anchored by four “ghostbusters” of sorts, with charismatic actors behind them, the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.

Exhuma hits the ground running with an introduction to Shaman Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun) and her close protégé Bong-gil, arriving on a flight to Los Angeles. They have been summoned by the ultra-rich Park Ji-yong (Kim Jae-cheol) for a well-paying gig helping him rid his infant son of a supernatural curse. Hwa-rim traces the curse back to South Korea, where they enlist colleague and geomancer Sang-deok and mortician Young-geun...

Blue Finch Film Releasing presents A Bittersweet Life, The Foul King and The Chaser on digital platforms from 8 April. These must-see modern Korean cult cinema classics from acclaimed filmmakers Kim Jee-woon and Na Hong-jin, are exploding back onto screens, with The Foul King available in the UK and Ireland for the very first time.

A Bittersweet Life

Gangster Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun) has worked his way up the ranks in his organisation, earning the trust of his callous crime boss Mr. Kang, who assigns him to spy on his mistress fearing she may be having an affair. When Mr Kang's suspicions are found to be true, Sun-woo finds his life on the line when his choice to spare the mistress and her secret lover's lives starts an irreversible gang war.

This ultra-stylish neo noir is written and directed by renowned filmmaker Kim Jee-woon, and features a career-defining performance from international star Lee Byung-hun,...

In the smash hit Exhuma, four people dig a hole. Things don't turn out well - digging up corpses can do that - so they keep digging themselves in deeper. Unsurprisingly, things go from bad to worse. A rich Korean family in LA fly in a pair of young shamans (Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun) to solve their supernatural woes but when the pair connect the bizarre events to the family's buried ancestor back in Korea, they return and team up with a grizzled geomancer (Choi Min-sik) and a wily undertaker (Yu Hae-jin) to dig up and burn the corpse and bring the supernatural happenings to an end. While many have likened it to The Wailing, another Korean thriller featuring shamans and a mysterious Japanese...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Bequeathed is a K-drama that resembles many a thriller Korean film such as Umma or The Wailing in the way it is presented– terror in the background of a beautiful gray landscape that sucks you in. I suppose, even in movie form, this could lead to a drab viewing experience because of the slow burn. The Bequeathed is only 6 episodes, which is extremely short, even for a K-drama; however, it feels somewhat draggy in bits. In the last episode, it’s finally time for Seo-Ha to learn who is behind all the killings and why. What I found most interesting about the last two episodes of the show is the conundrum in Seo-Ha’s mind regarding her brother, Young-Ho. Throughout the series, she’s a little bit unlikeable, always questioning herself about whether she should be good or not. At the end of the show, we finally get an answer,...

My first thoughts on watching the new Indonesian film Primbon are that it is one of the better horror movies to have come out recently, but the caveat to that is that it has a rather regressive stance regarding the supernatural; the climax is not befitting of the great buildup. That being said, Primbon is actually a good example of how to have the right kind of exposition to set up a horror film. Horror requires some kind of deep dive into the unknown and the mythological legends of a place. The traditional population’s belief in the stories of the old sparks an interest, and one can build up the scenes from the inherent myths in the culture. Director Rudy Soedjarwo does not focus too much on explaining what Primbon is; we get to find out about it organically, almost simultaneously with the characters. That’s the best way...

It seems all the Ott platforms are now building up their Asian content, with something new popping up on a daily basis. While Netflix gives us quality content via shows that come once a week, Prime has been lucky to sport all the big films of the Korean industry, such as Parasite, The Wailing, and more. Their latest addition is not one that stands out. In fact, it’s rather unassuming for its subject matter. My Love Puppy stars Yoo Yeon-Seok and Cha Tae-Hyun, two mighty stars of the Korean industry, yet even with their magnificent star power, this film is as flat as the roads they travel within it. It seems it may not be as hard as we imagined to make a movie about dogs devoid of any real substance. At the end of the day, My Love Puppy ends up being less emotional and more PSA.

Spoilers...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Cutting Class 4K Uhd from Mvd

Cutting Class will be released on 4K Ultra HD on January 16 via Mvd as part of its 4K LaserVision Collection. The 1989 slasher is presented in 4K from Vinegar Syndrome’s 2018 4K restoration with Lpcm 2.0 Mono and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound.

Excalibur writer Rospo Pallenberg makes his directorial debut from a script by Steve Slavkin (Salute your Shorts). Donovan Leitch, Jill Schoelen, Brad Pitt, Roddy McDowall, and Martin Mull star.

Special features include: the R-rated edit (in standard definition), interviews with Leitch and Schoelen, Kill Comparisons featurette, VHS video store retailer promo, and the trailer.

Chucky Board Game from Trick or Treat Studios

Just in time for his 35th anniversary,...

In the closing days of the Tokyo International Film Festival, The Hollywood Reporter Japan sprinkled some old-school glamour on proceedings with a lavish party at The Peninsula Hotel in Ginza.

On Oct. 30, THR Japan took over Peter Restaurant for an event that saw some of the biggest names in Japan’s movie industry mingle, enjoy exquisite canapés and unique drinks from Sake Hundred surrounded on three sides by the spectacular nighttime views of Tokyo from the 24th floor of The Peninsula.

The opening ceremony saw speeches from Tokyo Film Festival chairman Hiroyasu Ando; Tsukasa Shiga, chairman of Hersey Shiga Global the digital media giant that licenses THR Japan in collaboration with Penske Media Corporation; Japan’s Environment Minister, and noted film buff, Shintaro Ito; and THR‘s Asia Bureau Chief Patrick Brzeski.

THR Asia Bureau Chief Patrick Brzeski

Among the local entertainment industry guests were Cannes Palme d’Or-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda,...

The 2016 South Korean horror film "The Wailing" is a roller coaster ride with enough twists and turns to keep even the most experienced movie watcher guessing. Set in the small mountain village of Gokseong, the movie follows bumbling police officer Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won) as he tries to solve the mystery of an infection that causes people to become mentally unwell and kill their loved ones. The infection and its effects are horrifying enough, but then Jong-goo's daughter Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee) becomes stricken with the same infection. Desperate to save his daughter, Jong-goo will do just about anything, delving into solutions both spiritual and mundane. He recruits the help of his friends, co-workers, and a local shaman named Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), but it seems like the evil descending on Gokseong is too much for anyone to stop.

The ending of "The Wailing" is a horrific tragedy that offers possible explanations for...

Ever since the first Exorcist movie, we’ve been bombarded by religious horror with similar iconography, symbols, and ideas. Sister Death is a unique film that doesn’t quite fit the bill perfectly, but that makes it all the more powerful due to its unpredictable nature. The slow-burn film is not like others in the same genre, but it still uses similar visuals to propel the story, which in its own way makes it a little uninteresting. Sister Death tells the story of Sister Narcisa, a character from the 2017 Spanish-language horror film Veronica. A young novice who doubts her status as a “holy girl” begins to find strange things when she joins a convent to teach young girls. As the story unfolds, nothing is as it seems. Burning crucifixes, suffocation, and objects falling from nowhere are all common traits of this genre that this film uses extensively. So, taking some liberties,...

“Terrified” director Demián Rugna is back with another gruesome and critically acclaimed horror movie, “When Evil Lurks.” Billed as a “wildly original take on the possession film,” “When Evil Lurks” follows two brothers who stumble onto a grotesque case of demonic infection that consumes the town like raging fever.

The film quickly earned a reputation as one of the scariest movies of the year on the festival circuit, from TIFF to the hardcore horror fans at Fantastic Fest, and on Oct. 27, it’s finally heading to streaming.

Here’s everything to know about where to watch “When Evil Lurks,” from where it’s streaming to if you can still catch it in theaters.

Where is “When Evil Lurks” streaming?

The film debuts on Shudder on Friday, Oct. 27.

Is it still playing in theaters?

If you prefer to hear the gasps and screams of a crowded theater you might still be in luck.